All posts by h716a5.icu

New Crystal Palace signing Jack Butland has made the decision on what shirt number he is going to wear and a lot of the fan base have taken to Twitter in response.

The 27 year-old goalkeeper arrived from Stoke City on deadline day – he has featured for England nine times. He also has Premier League experience and has made 275 appearances in all competitions in his career, per Transfermarkt.

He has not featured for the Potters this season though and is now seen simply as cover at the bet365 Stadium. Hopefully he may then get a new lease of like under Roy Hodgson, whilst the South London side need cover for Vicente Guaita as Wayne Hennessey is injured. Therefore, the transfer made sense for all parties.

The club tweeted out that he is going to wear the number one shirt, and this has not been picked since club legend Julian Speroni retired.

The Argentinian was at the club for around 15 years, per Transfermarkt. He made 403 appearances for the club, keeping 111 clean sheets. As a result, Butland picking this number could add some pressure. However, it shows the great mentality he has by picking the shirt.

Here is how fans are reacting to this news around Butland:

Have a go at our quiz which involves legend Julian Speroni here! Let us know how you feel about Butland picking the number one shirt down below!

Jarrod Bowen was far from his best at Anfield on Saturday night as the winger struggled to make an impact for West Ham United in their 2-1 loss to Liverpool, leaving manager David Moyes short-changed on Merseyside.

Moyes brought Bowen to the Premier League in January when the Irons struck a deal worth up to £22million with Championship side Hull City, and has reaped some rewards from the move with the winger currently the Hammers’ joint-leading goalscorer in the top-flight.

Only Michail Antonio (three) has the found the net as much as the Leominster-born 23-year-old, who earned his 18th straight Premier League start on Saturday having now opened each of the east London’s top-flight fixtures since February’s 3-2 loss to Liverpool.

Moyes will be hoping that Bowen is as capable of impressing the week after losing to Liverpool this time around as he were earlier in the year, having scored his first West Ham goal in the London Stadium outfit’s following fixture, a 3-1 win over Southampton.

The Irons host London rivals Fulham next time out, a side Bowen faced on four occasions in the Championship and struck three goals but only beat once, with Hull losing two and drawing one of their other encounters with the Craven Cottage natives.

Moyes did not anticipate Bowen being West Ham’s saviour when the former Manchester United head coach welcomed the forward to the club in January, though would have hoped for a better showing this weekend in their defeat to Liverpool.

“I’ve got to use my experience,” Moyes said, via quotes by Sky Sports. “Players like Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka took six months to settle into the Premier League, but others like Tim Cahill made an impact straight away.

“I want him [Bowen] to be for the long-term. If we are signing a player from Hull and hoping him to be a saviour, I think that’s unfair, but he’s looking very good and very sharp.”

Bowen was far from sharp at Anfield on Saturday, as the £80,000-per-week attacker continuously struggled to get the better of Andrew Robertson and failed to use his boundless energy to produce any quality when on the ball.

Moyes eventually hauled the 23-year-old off in the 89th-minute to hand Said Benrahma his West Ham debut following Diogo Jota’s match-winning strike, with Bowen only recording a 25% duel success rate having lost each of his two aerial contests and four of his six battles on the ground, per SofaScore.

Bowen further failed to register a single shot on Alisson Becker’s goal, made just one attempted dribble, offered no tackles, interceptions, clearances, was dribbled past twice, committed one foul, lost possession eight times and misplaced each of his four crosses.

His efforts ensured Bowen left Merseyside having warranted SofaScore’s lowest match rating for any player on either side at 6.1 out of 10, marking a continued decline after a 6.4 showing at Tottenham Hotspur and a 6.3 at home to Manchester City.

AND in other news, West Ham’s injury nightmare will only amplify David Moyes’ regret on failing to sign an “extraordinary” hitman.

Southampton have been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon winger Jovane Cabral in recent weeks and if the Saints can sign him, he could be the man to replace Nathan Redmond in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

According to Portuguese news outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), both Southampton and West Ham remain interested in the 22-year-old, with the Hammers having fallen short with a bid during the summer transfer window.

So far this season, the Cape Verde international has made six appearances in the Liga NOS for Sporting, in which he has contributed two goals and one assist, resulting in a solid average rating of 6.76 (per WhoScored).

The youngster performed superbly in the Portuguese top-flight last season, as he scored six goals and contributed two assists in just 16 appearances. He also earned four man-of-the-match awards in that time, which led to him averaging a superb 7.17 rating, so it was no surprise to see the likes of Southampton and West Ham credited with an interest in him.

Cabral’s former teammate, and current Manchester United star, Bruno Fernandes, certainly seems to be a big fan of the young winger, as he revealed in an interview with Canal 11 (via Inside Futbol) that:

“I didn’t teach him anything. What he did in the game is down to his quality, his ability.

“What I did was simply text Jovane before the game, talked to him a little.

“I had already told him after the game in Guimaraes that I wanted to talk to him.

“Jovane in the past has had his ups and downs, many ups and downs, and I think it was always due to the fact that he stayed a little moonstruck when things went well and very low when things went wrong.

“So I tried to have a conversation with him in such a way that he kept his focus, that he did not get carried away by the fact that in Guimaraes he had a good game.

“In my opinion, he did not have a great game because I know Jovane’s quality and I think he can give more.”

If Southampton were to sign the £9 million-rated Cabral and if he were to have anywhere near the impact that Fernandes has had since joining Manchester United, then he would surely prove to be a very good signing indeed.

With WhoScored suggesting that Cabral has a lot of attractive strengths for a winger, including his ability to finish and play key passes, it would perhaps not be a surprise to see him replace Redmond in Hasenhuttl’s squad, considering the Englishman has failed to contribute a single goal or an assist so far this season.

It will be interesting to see whether Southampton are able to see off interest from West Ham to bring Cabral to the club in the January transfer window.

Manchester United staged a comeback in the second half to beat West Ham United in the Premier League at the London Stadium on Saturday night.

The result means the Red Devils have now recorded their ninth straight away win in the top flight as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s substitutions made an immediate impact, with Bruno Fernandes teeing up Paul Pogba’s powerful effort, before goals from Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford secured the victory.

The Portuguese magnifico was magnificent, Greenwood and Rashford ran the defence ragged, but Pogba was the real standout as he certainly showed his quality from distance with a screamer to bring the score level.

The France international has oft been criticised for some lacklustre performances so far this season but once again sent Solskjaer a timely reminder of his obvious talents.

Per SofaScore, Pogba received a high rating of 7.6 out of ten for his impressive showing – second only to Fernandes – as he took 114 touches of the ball, which was more than any other player on the pitch, provided 85 out of 97 passes (88%), and completed eight long balls out of 12 attempts.

He clearly made all that possession count where it matters the most as he took two shots on target, and was titan-like, winning three out of five aerial duels and was also fouled twice, which shows that he was a real menace throughout the game, in particular in the second half.

The Daily Mirror gave the midfield dynamo a solid score of 6/10, claiming he scored a ‘great goal to get United back into the game and repaid Solskjaer’s faith to start him’ whilst The Manchester Evening News went one better, adding ‘he recovered to score classily in the second.’

Marcus Rashford was awarded the Sky Sports Man of the Match award, although Pogba arguably stole the show in the same week that Carlton Palmer tipped him to depart Old Trafford in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, as his teammate failed to attempt a single aerial duel.

The England international might have added the finishing touch, but it was the £72m-rated Pogba’s goal that inspired the initial comeback.

It’s fair to say that his future seems far from certain, but if this performance is anything to go by, Ed Woodward simply cannot afford to let one of their most prized assets leave the club any time soon.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer claims Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may be forced to sell Paul Pogba…

West Brom have been linked with a surprise solution to their striking woes ahead of the upcoming transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, the Baggies are one of several teams keeping a close eye on Crawley Town marksman Max Watters.

It’s claimed that Watford and clubs from League One and Belgium are also keen on signing the in-form 21-year-old, who is valued at around £1m by the League Two outfit.

Calculated risk

Albion are among the lowest scorers in the Premier League having bagged just eight goals in 11 appearances. The only two teams that have managed fewer are either side of them in the relegation zone.

That tells you all you need to know right now.

Their pursuit of Karlan Grant finally came to an end in the summer with the club splashing out £2m in six instalments, but so far, his arrival hasn’t gone to plan.

He’s scored just once in seven starts whilst an average rating of 6.48 is hardly going to inspire anyone just yet.

It’s time for desperate measures, so a calculated risk on a young player that’s worth only £1m could be right up Guochuan Lai’s penny-pinching street, Watters could well turn out to be a bargain.

Just look at how Jamie Vardy’s career turned out in the end.

The 21-year-old has scored a whopping 12 goals in 14 appearances in all competitions, meaning he is averaging one goal every 75 minutes on the pitch, via Transfermarkt.

Even former Baggies boss Darren Moore has backed him for success as the young striker was originally on the books of Doncaster Rovers before making the permanent switch south.

Speaking to Doncaster Free Press, Moore told of his disappointment over not keeping the 5 foot 11 talisman at the Keepmoat and praised his ability, he said:

“He’s got all the attributes. He’s a powerful man, he can play in a variety of positions in that front line. He boasts tremendous speed. He’s got an eye for goal and gets in the right places. He’s got wonderful attributes.”

Whilst he’s no proven Premier League player, it can’t hurt to have an unknown quantity in the ranks, one that can push Grant to do better.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit questions West Brom’s potential £150m takeover

Liverpool produced another superb home display on Sunday night, winning 4-0 at Anfield against Wolves.

Goals from Mohamed Salah, Georginio Wijnaldum, Joel Matip and an own-goal from Nelson Semedo secured a resounding win for Jurgen Klopp’s side to put them back into second place in the Premier League behind Tottenham Hotspur on goal difference.

However, the performance of Curtis Jones may be a cause for concern for the German manager, as he was one of few Reds players who struggled somewhat on the evening, which may lead the former Borussia Dortmund boss to consider reinstating Naby Keita or Diogo Jota in his starting team for Liverpool’s next big game, which sees them face Fulham in the Premier League next weekend with Wednesday’s clash against FC Midtjylland in the Champions League now a dead rubber.

As per SofaScore, the academy graduate won just five out of 12 of his duels during his 90 minutes on the pitch, earning him a disappointing success rate of just 42%.

Jones’ performance earned him an overall 6.8 rating, which was better than just two other Liverpool players who started the game, with both Neco Williams and Roberto Firmino earning a 6.7 rating.

Although the 19-year-old’s passing was fairly solid during the game, with 95% of his attempts finding a Liverpool shirt and him losing possession on just eight occasions, it was his defensive contribution that might have Klopp worried.

The English midfielder was dribbled past on two occasions and had one error leading to a Wolves shot as his poor pass gave Wolves a clear strike at goal, suggesting that the was somewhat fortunate not to be punished by Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Jones grabbed the winner in the midweek 1-0 win against Ajax, which led Klopp to praise him after the game, saying:

“Curtis Jones – what a game for a 19-year-old boy. If I would be sure he couldn’t watch my interview, I would say something else!

“He is a really good kid to be honest and a really good player. I’m really happy to have him around.

“That’s how it is sometimes. When we have problems there is always an opportunity for somebody else. He took it, exceptionally well. I’m really, really happy with him.”

However, he was unable to match this level of performance against the Old Gold, as he never really looked like adding to the six goals he has for Liverpool’s senior side in his career thus far and he wasn’t able to de as defensively strong as Klopp would want in his midfield.

Therefore, it might be best for Klopp to consider resting Jones for their upcoming fixtures, as you worry that if he were to produce a similar display in the Reds’ next home Premier League fixture, which sees them take on top-of-the-table Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield a week on Wednesday, he could well be punished.

And, in other news… Bye Bye Gini: LFC can sign their Wijnaldum replacement in PL midfielder expected to “get better and better”

According to La Nazione, Leeds have got a “concrete” interest in signing Fiorentina striker Christian Kouame.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been a revelation in the Premier League this season, and head into the New Year off the back of a 5-0 thumping of fellow top-flight new boys West Brom at the Hawthorns.

Despite that, it seems the Whites are keen on making some reinforcements in the January transfer window, and Italian publication La Nazione (via Sport Witness) claim that Leeds are very much interested in the 23-year-old Kouame.

The report adds that Fiorentina are just waiting on Leeds to make an offer, before eventually considering the kind of proposal on the table for the Ivory Coast ace.

Orta heading for disaster

At 23, Kouame has got plenty of time to develop into a star, but his performances for Fiorentina this season have been nothing short of woeful.

He hasn’t been a regular starter for La Viola, but a record of just one goal in 15 games in all competitions should surely be seeing Leeds head in the opposite direction.

The Whites have got to be smart with their spending, and Andrea Radrizzani will no doubt be keeping a close eye on just how Victor Orta and co do in the January transfer window.

Spending money on bringing the £12.6m-rated Kouame, when he has yet to really prove anything in European football, would be nothing short of inexcusable.

Radrizzani will surely be fuming at the fact Orta has his eyes set on a 23-year-old with no senior international caps to his name, and has only broken double figure in goals for one of the six clubs he has played for.

Marcel Brands is finally getting rid of a three-year Everton problem with Matthew Pennington now likely to leave Goodison Park as a free agent in the summer.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Toffees chiefs have no intentions of tabling a new contract to Pennington with the defender now within the final six months of his current £19,000-per-week deal.

Pennington has spent most of the past four campaigns away from Merseyside through various loan moves, and secured his latest switch with a half-season deal to join League One side Shrewsbury Town until the end of the 2020/21 term.

Carlo Ancelotti does not envisage Pennington ever forcing his way into the Everton first-team picture with Michael Keane, Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite all contesting for minutes.

Pennington has joined third-tier Shrewsbury as he is hungry to taste regular action again, having featured as an over-aged player in David Unsworth’s Under 23s this term after a stinted year with Hull City that returned just 14 Championship appearances last season.

The 26-year-old centre-back has featured just nine times for Everton’s first-team since his debut under Roberto Martinez in 2015, with his last senior Toffees outing coming in April 2017 before spells with Leeds United, Ipswich Town, the Tigers and now Shrewsbury.

End of the road

It has been a long journey to the end of the road for Pennington at Goodison Park, but his final destination is almost in sight with Everton currently against presenting a new contract to a player they have considered parting company with for years.

Toffees chiefs had wanted to sell the defender last summer upon his return from Hull, having failed to do so the year before despite interest from a string of Championship sides, including Wigan Athletic, after a solid season with Ipswich.

Now, the Blues are set to part ways with Pennington without earning any compensation for a defender who has been on the club’s books since the age of 11, and end years of struggles trying to find a better-matched home for him.

Pennington was praised by Hull boss Grant McCann during his time at the KCOM, despite only making 16 appearances, who believed good things would come for the Everton dud.

“He’s a tremendous professional, he really, really is. He’s one of the earliest in every day at quarter past eight. He’s there having his breakfast and he’s a terrific lad,” he said, via quotes by Hull Live. “When he goes out there, he gives everything. He’s a lovely, lovely boy and hopefully good things will come to him.”

Good things were not to be found at Everton, and Brands’ only decision now is to allow him to leave as a free agent.

AND in other news, Everton are showing a determination to sign a £13.5m titan for free.

Many Everton fans have flocked to a tweet from Patrick Boyland that recently emerged on social media.

Boyland recently relayed a tweet on social media, sharing an article that he wrote for The Athletic. The tweet said that Everton are currently short of depth in the squad and that they are short of some money as well, in a season where big opportunities are begging to be taken advantage of.

The tweet posed the question of whether the club’s owners should stick or twist with the current squad and whether they should make further additions to the team.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently sixth in the Premier League and they are as high as that, despite a list of prominent absentees in the campaign so far. The article posed the question about if the chance comes to improve the team, whether they should take it? It also discussed the deficiencies that the squad has in the attacking positions and when it comes to having more creative players in the side.

It stated that this season could present Everton’s best chance of finishing inside the top four and a lot of it could come down to luck.

Boyland’s tweet caught the attention of many Everton fans, who gave their opinion about whether the club should sign more players or not.

What did Everton fans make of Boyland’s tweet?

“Like you said on the pod, I think a couple of intelligent additions would make the world of difference and really inject fresh impetus heading into the business end of the season.”

Credit: @azulfeehely

“We are right in the mix and an addition or two could make all the difference but it’s a difficult market alright. See Milik could be going on loan to Marseille, that could have been a decent deal.”

Credit: @marchy27

“Twist mate we need like a Landon Donavon type loan player just to keep the dressing room hungry.”

Credit: @gflan02

“Bang on this Paddy. We just lack that depth of quality a couple of additions could fix. If only this was Carlo’s second full season and we’d have a real chance.”

Credit: @LeePazzini

“In my opinion we have to twist, we can probably get by just without a new RB but up top we need reinforcements.”

Credit: @BrunsypPB

“Loan deals would be fine for now. Heavy investment in the summer.”

Credit: @exiledtoffee

In other news, many Everton fans have discussed Fabrizio Romano’s update about a transfer target – read more here.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has enjoyed quite the maiden season at Tottenham Hotspur since arriving from Southampton in the summer – he’s arguably been their Player of the Season so far.

When Daniel Levy agreed to pay £15m for his services, a few eyebrows were raised, none more so than Don Hutchinson, who warned Spurs supporters that his signing wouldn’t turn them into a top-four side overnight.

Well, as of right now, the north London outfit are fifth, one point behind defending champions Liverpool at the half-way point and that’s largely down to the impact Hojbjerg has had.

“If it’s just one signing and Tottenham fans are thinking this is the signing that’s going to get us into the top four – nowhere near,” said Hutchinson to ESPN FC (via the Daily Express).

Now, who has egg on their face?

You could be forgiven for thinking that the Danish midfielder has done very little, two assists in 18 league starts are merely small numbers compared to the goalscoring exploits of either Heung-min Son or Harry Kane, but Hojbjerg’s role is far contrasting to that.

Spurs had long lacked an enforcer capable of controlling matches on his own ever since Mousa Dembele departed N17.

Off the ball, he’s an absolute workhorse, attempting 4.7 tackles per 90 minutes, only bettered by the livewire and often calamitous Serge Aurier, per WhoScored, whilst his success rate just shy of 60% suggests more often than not, he’s tough to get past.

His positional awareness in that anchorman role is equally sublime as he’s chipping in with 1.2 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per 90 minutes too, via WhoScored.

Hojbjerg’s playing style under the ‘Special One’ has now drawn its fair share of plaudits with the aptest endorsement coming from Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle, who told the Evening Standard:

“He is the perfect Jose Mourinho player – to sit in there, destroy and keep things ticking, he never gives it away, keeps it simple, he is a leader, a talker, he will do the nasty things, the hard graft.”

A leader.

That’s a word often thrown about when speaking on the 25-year-old. He’s barely in the peak of his career yet, and multiple sources claim he’s an integral figure around the dressing room.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/20-01-spurs-stories” title=”Latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Indeed, Mourinho said in October that Hojbjerg was “a captain without needing to wear the armband,” while several insiders from Denmark told The Athletic he was a “born leader.”

Spurs have certainly hit the jackpot here as they’ve got their midfield monster for the next five to six years, at least. And that all comes down to Levy getting the price down to just £15m.

The Saints’ asking price at one stage was thought to be a whopping £35m, so that speaks volumes in itself. To make matters even better, Spurs sent Kyle Walker-Peters in the other direction for £12m, meaning the total outlay on Hojbjerg was only really around £3m.

What an absolute bargain.

Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas said similar when speaking to the ‘Last Word On Spurs’ podcast in the summer, where he dubbed the move a “steal for a player of his age and experience” – before a ball had even been kicked too.

Now valued at €50m (£45m) by CIES Football Observatory, Spurs have clearly struck gold over this dream deal.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Sanchez: Spurs eyeing £22.5m beast likened to Vidic…