All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to a report by Italian news outlet Il Milanista, as translated and shared by Sport Witness, West Ham United are eyeing Marseille ace Jordan Amavi – with manager David Moyes and co reportedly interested in this potential summer free agent.

West Ham eyeing Amavi

Amavi, who has suffered from a fair share of injury problems this season (Transfermarkt), resulting in little game time, hasn’t put pen to paper on an extension at the Stade Velodrome – resulting in some clubs taking note ahead of the summer window.

Il Milanista relay that as well as West Ham, Serie A giants AC Milan and Napoli are taking note – with the latter side keeping tabs after a bad injury to their left-back Faouzi Ghoulam.

The 27-year-old, who has Premier League experience with Aston Villa having played there from 2015-2017, is now on the Hammers radar – and GSB could theoretically sign him for free in the summer as his contract expires at the end of this season.

Transfer Tavern take

Despite his fitness concerns over 2020/2021, former Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas has allegedly been quoted as calling him ‘amazing’ (HITC) for his exploits at the start of the season.

As well as this, former Premier League boss Tim Sherwood called Amavi a ‘top player’ when the duo worked together at Villa Park back in 2015 (official).

Still nearing his prime and having averaged an impressive 2.1 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per 90 in Ligue 1 over 2019/2020 when playing regularly (WhoScored), it is clear he could be a coup for the east Londoners on a free summer deal if they decide to take their interest any further.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this ExWHUemployee news, find out more here.

Lots of Everton fans have been left to react to a transfer update on Moise Kean from Nicolo Schira.

As per a tweet from the sports journalist and transfer guru, Paris Saint Germain want to buy the Italy international on a permanent deal from the Goodison Park faithful, as Mauro Icardi could be leaving the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League finalists in the summer window.

Kean has settled into life at PSG very well ever since his loan spell from the Merseyside club, meaning Carlo Ancelotti’s team could be entitled to demand a rather large sum of money for them to sign him permanently.

This, coupled up with the fact that the 21-year-old did not adapt well to playing in English football, has meant that several Toffees supporters are happy with the idea of him leaving.

Everton fans on Kean transfer update

These Blues expressed their happiness to let Kean go on Twitter, with one EFC fan even going as far as to claim that the striker is ‘hopeless’:

“£40 odd million and he’s yours! Or £30 million and Areola, that wouldn’t be too bad!….”

Credit: @AidyDews

“Get rid. He’s hopeless. Even Joey Barton looked decent when playing in the French league”

Credit: @terry_aki1984

“Swap deal anyone??? #EFC”

Credit: @Stu_jones86

“You are the Italian version of Christian Falk but I hope you are right this time, Nico.”

Credit: @exiledtoffee

“Swap deal? Icardi for Kean?”

Credit: @karlriley_1997

“Sound….we’ll swap you!!!”

Credit: @sav4efc

In other news, find out what transfer update Toffees have been hailing here!

Multiple Aston Villa fans have been talking about the latest video involving Dean Smith that recently emerged on social media.

The official Aston Villa Twitter account recently relayed a tweet which included a video of the club’s manager. Smith made it clear that he had initially dreamt of managing a club in the Premier League and his next dream is to manage Villa in the Champions League too.

He said that when he was born, Villa were in the third division but only a decade later, they won the European Cup. Smith said that the Villa team of that period earned the right to win the European Cup by winning the top flight in the previous campaign, which is of course what the ‘big six’ are hoping to kill off.

He made his views clear about the European Super League, saying that the system of having no relegation and promotion ‘baffles’ him as it takes away the competition in the game.

Smith said that irrespective of Florentino Perez’s comments about how the ESL is for the good of the game, it isn’t for the good of the game and it’s purely a commercial venture from the other clubs.

This video from the club drew the attention of many Villa fans, who made their delight clear on Twitter

What did Aston Villa fans make of the video involving Dean Smith?

“Well said gaffer,claret and blues running through his veins.”

Credit: @jasonrcb

“Words spoken by a man who loves the game. love you Dean!”Credit: @GaryBolton91″Music to my ears. And it was never in doubt.”Credit: @AVL8ton”Dean Smith absolutely nailed it.”Credit: @RivalsWolfie”Absolute sense and passion from Deano.”Credit: @ryanavfc7″As expected, spot on, well said gaffer..”Credit: @DaleyWoodIn other news, ‘Goosebumps, passion, pride’, ‘Never leaving’ – Many AVFC fans swoon over Jack Grealish comments

Leeds United will not have to face Thiago Silva in their Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, acting as a late boost to the Whites.

Marcelo Bielsa side’s host the Blues this weekend, in what has the potential to be an intriguing tactical battle at Elland Road.

Chelsea will pose a huge threat to the Whites, with Thomas Tuchel not yet suffering defeat in 11 matches in charge, taking them up a level after Frank Lampard’s departure.

Leeds will be aiming for a response after their disappointing 2-0 defeat away to West Ham, with Bielsa without Pascal Struijk and Pablo Hernandez due to injury, as reported by The Athletic‘s Phil Hay on Twitter.

Chelsea suffer Silva injury blow

Chelsea have also suffered a major late injury blow, however, with the Yorkshire Evening Post confirming that Silva will miss out at Elland Road after a new issue in his recovery from a previous problem.

The 36-year-old hasn’t featured for the west Londoners since their 1-0 win at Tottenham early last month, but was expected to feature very soon. YEP’s report details the Brazilian has ‘suffered a setback’ in his recovery, and will now not make his return this weekend.

Transfer Tavern take

Silva’s absence means Chelsea look likely to continue with their three-man defence of Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

Tuchel’s men haven’t conceded in their last four matches, in all competitions, proving that they are still thriving without the Brazilian legend in the team, but it will certainly make Patrick Bamford and co’s task easier not having to face a player with such experience and leadership qualities.

Silva is described in the report as having a ‘huge impact’ at Stamford Bridge, and so his absence may prove to have an equally large influence on Saturday’s proceedings.

In other news, Paul Robinson has urged Leeds to make a move Odsonne Edouard. Read about it here.

Southampton’s form has suffered in recent weeks, which has seen them drop down the Premier League table, and with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl hinting at a reset, he should consider switching to a five at the back formation.

Following the 3-2 defeat against Newcastle United last weekend, the Austrian manager suggested that his side “must find the reset button” as they made it five consecutive losses in the top-flight.

In those games, the South Coast club have conceded 18 goals and scored just three times, suggesting that a tactical change is required by Hasenhuttl if he wants to stop the current rot.

Whilst his side were struggling a lot with injuries last month, they have now welcomed back the likes of Jannik Vestergaard, Oriol Romeu and Nathan Redmond after their respective injuries, whilst Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino has joined the squad, so it is perhaps a surprise that their dreadful form has continued.

Therefore, you could definitely suggest that a change in tactics is required, as opposition sides seem to have figured out a way to easily penetrate the Saints’ 4-4-2 formation in recent fixtures.

If the Austrian wants to start winning games, he will have to rediscover some of the defensive solidity his side showed earlier in the season, with the Saints having kept eight clean sheets in the top-flight so far this campaign.

One way he could do this would be to start playing a five at the back tactic, featuring Jan Bednarek, Vestergaard and Jack Stephens as the centre-backs, with the Englishman deserving to keep his place after filling in so well for the Danish international during his injury lay-off.

This would also allow full-backs Kyle Walker-Peters (once he returns from injury) and Ryan Bertrand to play further forward as wing-backs, which could be the key to unlocking their attacking potential, as they have just two assists between them this season.

It could also take some of the expectation off the likes of Redmond, Stuart Armstrong and Moussa Djenepo to track back as much and defend, and they could push further forward to support Danny Ings in the attack.

Southampton have conceded far too many goals in recent games, even if you exclude the 9-0 defeat to Manchester United, so making this tactical change could be the catalyst to stopping the rot and getting their season back on track, as their strong early season form already looks to have been undone by their disappointing form in 2021.

And, in other news… Saints missed out on signing international beast who could have challenged KWP

Look down at Wolves’ squad list and you will notice a number of players out on loan throughout the Football League and Europe.

In total, the Old Gold have sanctioned 26 loan moves this season. Now, you may accuse Nuno Santo’s men of stockpiling players but the fact of the matter is, they like to develop for the future.

It’s a tactic that has already seen the Molineux outfit make a bucket load of cash. Take Helder Costa for example. He departed Wolves for Leeds in the summer in a deal that cost the Yorkshire side £15m.

Diogo Jota also exited, leaving behind a fair sum of money with Liverpool paying around £41m for his services.

The aforementioned Costa was one of a number of Wolves loanees last season and ended up fleeing the nest. It wouldn’t be a surprise if plenty leave permanently this summer too.

Dion Sanderson is one of those could find his future elsewhere. The defender is enjoying a terrific season with Sunderland in League One and they have already expressed their interest in keeping his services.

Though, if Nuno and the club’s hierarchy have any sense, they’ll keep him in the Midlands.

Sanderson may not be quite at first-team level yet but his glistening array of qualities, as well as his versatility, means he’d be a fantastic asset for the club’s relatively small senior squad.

Like Romain Saiss, he is capable of playing at centre-back, but much in the same way that the Moroccan has done this term, Sanderson has now become a left-back too.

It’s a make-shift position but both have learnt to play those roles astutely this season.

Speaking about the 21-year-old a few weeks ago, Sunderland boss Lee Johnson said: “We’ve played him in a number of positions bless him.”

He continued: “We’ve put him at left-back at Northampton, right-back and then his natural position is centre-half. Dion is a player of real high potential and high talent.”

A player blessed with natural pace, his recovery time is remarkably eye-catching. Though, like Saiss, he is bullish in the tackle and is capable of brushing opponents aside.

Saiss has won 2.2 aerial duels per game this season compared to Sanderson’s two. They are also similar when it comes to tackling stats. The former has prevailed in 1.2 challenges a match as opposed to the latter’s 1.1 tackles per game.

Sanderson has recently played a key part at the heart of Sunderland’s defence. They have been missing three of their normal centre-backs to injury but the youngster has stepped in admirably, keeping clean sheets against Burton and Fleetwood. In his last three games, meanwhile, he has won three aerial duels and made 5.3 clearances a match on average.

In the words of former Mackems and Wolves man Stephen Elliot, he is “wise beyond his years.”

Clearly, the defender has plenty of qualities. Wolves would be mad to get rid him of him so early into his career. Nuno must keep him.

AND in other news, Better than Jose: Wolves could rue missing £18m target once dubbed “out of this world”…

According to a report by the Daily Star, providing the latest on Paulo Dybala and his links to Tottenham, chairman Daniel Levy will be offered the chance to secure his signature this summer alongside Chelsea – but the Lilywhites are not yet planning to place a formal bid.

Dybala has been, arguably, one of the best attackers in Serie A over recent years, averaging an impressive 3 shots and 2.1 key passes per 90 in the league last season – with no player from Tottenham managing to equal or better the latter stat over 2020/2021 (WhoScored).

Tottenham offered Dybala chance

Unfortunately for the Argentine, he’s been unable to replicate that stellar form on a regular basis this campaign due to injury issues – missing 20 matches in total for the Old Lady as they miss his influence (Transfermarkt).

Tottenham were eyeing Dybala during Mauricio Pochettino’s time in north London, as per this report, and they remain interested in the 29-cap star.

It is said that Levy and co will be offered the chance to sign him this summer alongside English capital rivals Chelsea, but as of yet, there is no formal offer on the table.

Transfer Tavern take

Described as ‘extraordinary’ by Italian footballing icon and Juventus hero Alessandro del Piero (via talkSPORT), despite missing a portion of this season, he has still averaged a threatening 2.6 shots and 1.4 completed dribbles over the league matches he has featured.

These numbers indicate he would be an excellent signing for Spurs and perhaps even ‘extraordinary’ just as del Piero suggests, as Dybala looks ‘increasingly likely’ to quit Juve this summer according to the latest report.

In other news: Levy has been told the asking price after lodging a verbal offer, find out more here.

Alan Hutton has been left hailing Rangers for giving Kai Kennedy a new deal as they confirmed last week that he will now stay at Ibrox until 2023.

The former Gers defender has since told Football Insider that he believes that penning him to a new contract is a very good bit of business from the Ibrox faithful and thinks that he could fight for a place in the first team after his loan spell at Raith Rovers ends at the end of the 2020/21 term:

“I think it’s very good for the club.

“Obviously, Steven Gerrard rates him very highly and to be only 18, I mean you don’t want your youth products just disappearing right, left and centre, you want to tie them down and get them into the first-team.

“For him to have signed a long-term deal until 2023 is great – he’s out on loan, he obviously impressed when he was at Inverness and now he’s gone to Raith, so it’s good for his development and it’s good for Rangers. 

“Hopefully he can come back after this season, played a lot of games, experienced the big, bad world and he can fight for his position in the first-team.”

Keeping Kennedy is good business by Rangers

Managing to tie Kennedy down to a new deal is a good bit of business by Rangers, especially if he can fight for a place in the first team under Steven Gerrard in the 2021/22 season.

He already made a first-team appearance in the last campaign, making a short cameo in the SFA Cup against Stranraer (10 appearances in all competitions following his loan spell at Inverness Caledonian Thistle earlier on in the term.

Kennedy will get that opportunity again at Raith at the tender age of just 18, and Gerrard sung his praises when asked about his new deal, saying that he has been ‘outstanding’.

Indeed, he clearly has potential given his glowing plaudits, and so keeping him at Ibrox was certainly a good move to make.

In other news, find out which Rangers ace has been lauded by one pundit here!

Morale will be high over in the Leicester City camp after they managed to claw their way to victory against Sheffield United at the weekend. The Blades were wounded by a last-gasp strike from Jamie Vardy, which cancelled out Oliver McBurnie’s equaliser in the first half.

The victory sees the Foxes keep up with the pack pushing for the top spot this season. They are currently fourth in the Premier League table, just three points behind leaders Spurs.

Leicester have some good squad depth this campaign and Brendan Rodgers has had the fortune of being able to chop and chance his starting lineup. One man he opted to field against Sheffield was Ayoze Perez, who hadn’t started for Leicester since their defeat to Aston Villa in October.

Perez must start vs Brighton

Rodgers has been starting James Maddison and Harvey Barnes together recently, which has proven to be a winning combination. However, having Perez also at his disposal to assist Vardy is a huge threat for any opposition.

The Spaniard’s eye for a goal and his lightning pace makes it very difficult for defenders to deal with him. Therefore, he could hold the keys to another Foxes victory this weekend when they take on Brighton.

The Seagulls have conceded 18 goals so far this season, proving that their defence can be exploited if Leicester are able to find the weak points. Using Perez alongside Vardy will cause a huge problem for Brighton, who will struggle to defend against the duo’s speed and impeccable footwork.

The £45,000 per week winger will also be looking for another chance to impress Rodgers and re-establish himself as a regular in the team, given he has played just 352 Premier League minutes across five appearances so far this term.

A solid performance at the King Power on Sunday will definitely put Perez’s name back in the hat for landing more game time this season.

In other news, Ricardo Pereira’s U23 appearance is exactly what Rodgers needed…

Ralph Hasenhuttl was quick to praise the efforts of Shane Long earlier this week and insisted that the 33-year-old is still a key part of his squad, despite his lack of minutes in the Premier League this season, but really the Austrian should be looking to promote Nathan Tella ahead of the Irishman.

The Austrian manager left Long out of his squad to face Sheffield United last weekend, as the Saints recorded a comfortable 3-0 victory, which led journalists to question the striker’s future with the South Coast club.

He replied, saying:

“There was a reason why we signed another contract with Shane because he is always a guy we can take and we can use as a sub, or from the beginning.

“He gives everything for the team and for the club.

“Even if he is not playing or not in the squad, he is always positive. He always tries to support the others.

“For every player comes the moment when he gets older, that he is more on the bench. I had the same situation, I was playing until I was 37.

“I knew in the last three or four years I was more a sub but a good sub because I was always scoring, always positive and tried to push the team, because I knew I had a powerful 30 minutes.

“I must say he is still very fit. He can still play 90 minutes without a problem – but even as a sub, I think he is important for our team.”

However, the experienced striker has featured for just 61 minutes in the Premier League so far this season, even in the absence of Danny Ings whilst he was out injured, so it seems as if Hasenhuttl cannot find a place for him in his starting eleven right now.

The Austrian manager must also consider the performances of Tella with the youth academy, as the youngster has impressed since moving up front, scoring an impressive four goals in the Saints’ 5-2 win against the Leicester City academy side at the weekend.

Hasenhuttl spoke about his change in position recently, saying:

“We need to think about what the best position is for him and it seems more and more that he seems more confident on the nine than on the ten, so let’s push him there and get the best out of him and we will have a lot of fun with him.”

He has also suggested that the youngster has “no fear” in the past, so it seems strange that he hasn’t made more senior appearances for the South Coast club.

Therefore, it seems as if Tella’s future with the club is as a striker, and after his impressive displays with the academy, Hasenhuttl must consider promoting him to the senior side, with Long perhaps likely to be the man to drop out in order to accommodate him.

The former Arsenal youngster has just five senior appearances to his name at Southampton and keeping him out of the first-team for a 33-year-old Long who looks to be well past his best, could prove to be a mistake by Hasenhuttl, especially if Tella’s head is turned by another club offering more regular first-team football.

Hopefully, Tella can add to those appearances during the busy Christmas period, as it certainly looks as if Southampton have a real talent on their hands.

And, in other news… KWP 2.0: Saints must sign 20 y/o beast who’s as “brave as a lion” in Janaury…