All posts by n8rngtd.top

Tottenham could really do with bolstering their backline this summer.

The London club conceded eight more goals than they did in 2018/19 this season, and with Jan Vertonghen leaving the club and Kieran Trippier yet to be adequately replaced, they need some reinforcements.

Fortunately, it seems as though the club recognise this problem, being linked to numerous defenders such as Kim Min-Jae, Malang Sarr and Max Aarons.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

All three young defenders are on Tottenham’s radar, but it has now been revealed that Jose Mourinho isn’t sure about signing Aarons.

What’s been said then?

The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke wrote a piece talking about some sensible transfers Spurs could make this summer, and inevitably, he got on to talking about Aarons.

“Max Aarons of relegated Norwich City would be one option after an impressive season despite his club’s struggles, although Mourinho is understood to have reservations about Aarons’ size,” he wrote.

Dinosaur Mourinho

Mourinho is often jeered at for being a relic of the past as modern football has evolved around his heavily defensive style that doesn’t seem to be as effective as it once was, and this is a prime example of that.

Aarons is a defender being coveted by some of the biggest clubs in the world such as Bayern Munich, but the Spurs manager isn’t convinced because he’s a bit too small for his liking.

The ironic thing is that Aarons is 5 ft 10, which is actually quite big for a full-back, and having smaller defenders hasn’t stopped the former Chelsea manager from being successful in the past.

Ashley Cole was one of his mainstay full-backs at Stamford Bridge and he’s an inch smaller than Aarons, while The Portuguese manager was key in bringing Marcelo through at Real Madrid and he only stands at 5 ft 9.

Spurs would be foolish to let something as trivial as size put them off signing the £30m-rated Norwich star.

Tottenham are reportedly in the mix to sign Ollie Watkins from Brentford in the current transfer window.

Journalist Alan Nixon tweeted (via @reluctantnicko) that Spurs have joined Aston Villa in the race for the 24-year-old, with the Bees set to sell him to the club who can present the most enticing offer.

Last week, The Telegraph’s John Percy reported that the Championship side want at least £28m to part with the centre-forward.

Watkins had a huge part to play in Brentford’s run to the Championship play-off final last season, netting 26 goals as they came within one game of making it to the Premier League.

While primarily a centre-forward, he can also play on either flank as part of a front three (as per TransferMarkt), and Jose Mourinho currently has only Harry Kane as an out-and-out number nine in his squad.

Statistically, there wasn’t much to separate Watkins from the Spurs striker last term. The Bees forward averaged 2.7 shots and won 2.3 headers per game, with Kane averaging 2.8 shots and 2.6 aerial duels per game. However, Watkins bested the England captain for key passes per game, with 1.5 compared to the 27-year-old’s 0.9.

One possible question mark over the Brentford man, though, is his lack of Premier League experience, which makes the reported asking price for £28m seem rather steep. Admittedly the Bees banked £20m for Watkins’ former team-mate Neal Maupay from Brighton last summer, with the Frenchman going on to score 10 Premier League goals in 2019/20, but the 24-year-old has never played at a higher level than the Championship.

Watkins is a proven scorer who could be a very useful backup option for Kane in Tottenham’s attack, but his lack of top-flight experience and substantial asking price could count against Spurs making a move for him.

Indeed, with Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy warning that the club would not be spending “rivers of money” in this transfer window, and having already parted with just over £30m to bring in Pierre-Emile Hojberg and Matt Doherty, spending roughly the same amount on Watkins could be too much of a commitment for Spurs to gamble upon.

Tottenham fans, do you think that Watkins will be a Spurs player by the end of the transfer window? Have your say by commenting below!

Leeds United will face stiff competition for one of their mooted transfer targets this summer but maybe it’s time for them to move on…

What’s the word?

Earlier this month, The Sun reported that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has put central defender Juan Foyth on the chopping block and the Yorkshire giants are one of the sides that appear keen on signing him.

And this week, Spanish outlet AS, Unai Emery’s Villarreal are now also interested in signing him.

It’s thought that Tottenham value the Argentina international at around £15m, although there have been conflicting reports suggesting that the north Londoners would only want a temporary loan exit.

Forget Foyth

Victor Orta has already secured the signing of Robin Koch whilst transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claims Leeds are closing in on another centre-back addition in on Josko Gvardiol from Dinamo Zagreb.

Therefore a move for Foyth would now seem like a disaster in terms of team selection, so he’s better off joining a different club.

The 22-year-old is a regular for the national side, having featured ten times across the past two years, but he has been unable to break into the Spurs first-team.

Mauricio Pochettino signed him as a hugely promising ball-playing defender, though this style has often led to many a mistake. It’s no wonder he’s been likened to John Stones, who very much feels similar pressure in Pep Guardiola’s Man City system.

You’d have to wonder if he could cope with Bielsa’s tactics as a result.

Back in 2019, former Leeds talisman Chris Wood ran Foyth ragged, causing all sorts of problems as Burnley defeated Spurs 2-1 – per SofaScore, the colossal striker netted one goal and won six aerials whilst the Argentine was hauled off during the second-half following a shocking display as he lost possession 17 times.

His old Spurs boss lauded him in the past for being “so clever,” “quality” and someone who has “lots of potential” yet it just hasn’t quite worked out whatsoever.

Orta must steer clear of the centre-back this summer.

AND in other news, pundit surprised Bielsa hasn’t signed Championship menace…

Sheffield Wednesday are nearing the start of the new campaign and have lost forwards Atdhe Nuhiu and Stephen Fletcher, who scored 19 goals between them in the Championship last season.

Jordan Rhodes is still at the club, but he had a disappointing campaign as he only managed three goals in the division last term, per Transfermarkt. Garry Monk has been speaking before the Owls’ first game of the 2020/21 Championship against Cardiff City and has provided an update on the role of the ex-Middlesbrough striker in the upcoming campaign.

Dom Howson tweeted an article in which Monk speaks about Rhodes as the Wednesday manager said: “I think Jordan has had periods where he has performed well and he has had periods where he has not performed so well. We know Jordan can do it consistently.

“We all know that and that is what we have been going through since we have come back in. I’ve had really good chats with Jordan and he is going to play his part this season. There is no doubt about it.”

This highlights that Monk has some faith in Rhodes and the striker himself may be happy to hear these comments. What he must do now, however, is repay the favour and produce more goals for Wednesday whenever he is picked.

Here is what these Owls fans said following Monk’s comments:

Owls fans, what are your thoughts on Monk’s backing of Rhodes? Comment below with your views!

As confirmed by the club’s official website, Jota has left Aston Villa just a year after joining the club.

What’s the word?

The Spaniard was one of a number of signings made by the club’s former sporting director, Suso, in the summer of 2019, but ended up making just 16 competitive appearances at Villa Park.

Now, the club have confirmed that they have reached a mutual agreement with the 29-year-old to terminate his contract, just days before the end of the transfer window in the Premier League.

A reminder of Suso’s Villa disaster

Well, that was certainly a surprise. Given that Jota had featured twice in the Carabao Cup this season – albeit as a second-half substitute – the termination of his contract has come out of the blue.

But when you look at his overall contribution – and that word is used very lightly – it’s just another reminder of how badly Suso got it wrong last summer. Reports suggested that Villa paid around £4m to sign him from rivals Birmingham, and when you factor that into the £25k-a-week wages he was earning for more than a year, the club shelled out a total of £5.7m for Jota.

Dean Smith’s side spent big money as they embarked on their first season back in the Premier League, and were it not for a late season rally and a truly huge victory over Arsenal, they would have been playing Championship football again.

Despite their rise to safety, Suso’s mistakes in the transfer market shouldn’t be forgotten. The fact that he was replaced by Johan Lange earlier in the summer is a testament to that.

But having been around for just one year, Jota is the ultimate symbol of the former Villa sporting director’s failings whilst at the club.

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group have entered talks over an exciting new investment which could see the company rise to $8billion (£6bn) in market value.

According to The Wall Street Journal (via Liverpool ECHO), John Henry has been presented with an opportunity to merge with Moneyball mogul Billy Beane. The Oakland Athletics stakeholder is hoping to buy a 25% share in FSG – his contribution would mean the company is eligible for new direction and a listing on the public stock market.

Businessman Henry is of course very keen on this idea and is therefore open to Beane buying a share in Fenway Sports Group.

What it could mean for Liverpool

A problem many fans have raised over the current club owners is their seemingly hesitant nature towards spending on the transfer market. Liverpool boast an impressive ‘sell to buy’ strategy which has seen them sign the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, but without offloading big money names it becomes a stick in the mud during the business window.

Signing Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara shocked the fanbase as the duo cost a combined £65million, but still nowhere near the funds pumped into Chelsea by Roman Abramovich. The Blues have splashed more than a mammoth £200million on transfers this summer, without offloading any big money names of their own.

Whilst the Reds don’t necessarily have to spend in order to succeed, having the option will help ensure they can continue their streak of success. With big names like Kylian Mbappe and Jadon Sancho linked to an Anfield move, FSG must be willing to spend if they want to keep the club on top. This collaboration with Beane could be the answer to Liverpool’s murky financial situation.

If the Merseyside outfit can afford to sign players like Mbappe without being forced to sell one of their own, they will continue to dominate both England and Europe.

In other news, Roberto Firmino Brazil performance could hint at transformed Liverpool role…

Carlo Ancelotti must trust Anthony Gordon to fill the void created by James Rodriguez’s potential injury when Everton visit Southampton on Sunday.

The Blues look set to travel to the south coast without their sensational summer signing after boss Ancelotti confirmed the Colombian had sustained an issue early into last week’s Merseyside Derby during a collision with Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk.

Rodriguez has been a vital mainstay of the Toffees line-up since his arrival at Goodison Park, with Ancelotti calling on the playmaker to open each of his side’s five Premier League fixtures. The Italian’s trust has also been well placed, with the 29-year-old either scoring, assisting or pre-assisting 10 of Everton’s last 12 top-flight strikes.

“Unfortunately, James had a problem during the game [against Liverpool],” Ancelotti told EvertonTV.

“He had a mistimed tackle with Virgil van Dijk at the beginning of the game and I think he will not be available for the game against Southampton.”

Should the suspected issue sideline Rodriguez and force Ancelotti into altering his favoured starting line-up, the Italian must look to award Gordon his Premier League season debut having been impressed by what the 19-year-old has offered during his appearances in the Carabao Cup.

Gordon has also displayed his enthusiasm to play in the top-flight to Ancelotti, who noted last month how the young talent banged on his door after being overlooked during the opening weeks of the league campaign.

“He wanted an explanation and so I explained to him the squad is really competitive and sometimes it can happen that the players are not involved,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

“But this doesn’t mean I don’t believe in them. I believe, and so he had the opportunity against Salford to show us his quality, he took the opportunity because he played really well.”

“I love, I love this. It means they are really interested to do a proper job,” the former Real Madrid coach added when asked about Gordon coming to see him.

Ancelotti has plenty of reasons why Gordon’s performances in the Carabao Cup should excite both the Everton coaching staff but also their supporters, while displaying the potential he can bring to the Premier League during any time without Rodriguez.

Over his time on the field against Salford and Fleetwood Town, Gordon has created a remarkable average 5.5 chances per game with 3.5 shots and 2.0 key balls, while making 1.5 successful dribbles with a 50 per cent success rate and winning 5.0 of his ground duels, per SofaScore.

His output led Gordon to record two assists in the Second Round clash with Salford before creating Alex Iwobi’s Third Round strike away to Fleetwood to put Everton into a 3-1 lead.

The more he plays, the better Gordon will become and further push on from the exciting talent David Unsworth hailed him for being during the winger’s time in the Toffees’ Under 23s.

“[Everton fans] should get excited about him,” Unsworth said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo following Gordon’s first-team breakthrough during Project Restart.

“But it is our job to give him the information, day-to-day, week-to-week, game-by-game and month-by-month to ensure he fulfils his potential because what we’ve got at the moment is a young, exciting player with bags and bags of potential who we feel has a great chance of being a Premier League footballer.”

AND in other news, Everton are yet to open talks with a key club figure who’s set to be out of contract next summer.

Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers have enjoyed a near-perfect start to the season as Steven Gerrard’s side embarked on a 17-game unbeaten run prior to their game against Kilmarnock (1st November), dating back to the 1-0 win away at Aberdeen FC.

A midweek win over Lech Poznan in the Europa League extended their winning record to eight wins from eight games so far, having conceded just twice since the 2-2 draw with Hibernian FC.

However, with the transfer market set to re-open in a few months’ time, speculation about Alfredo Morelos’ future at the Ibrox outfit continues to circulate.

According to The Scotsman, Gerrard has admitted that there is no guarantee the star striker will stay for the rest of the season.

Alright, we get it. Let’s face it, the Gers are hardly short of options at the top of the pitch, as they can call upon the services of Cedric Itten, Jermain Defoe, Kemar Roofe and Greg Stewart as well, but they may forever regret their failure to sign Sheffield United striker Rhian Brewster in the summer.

The former Liverpool academy graduate was reportedly on Rangers’ radar as Gerrard was keen to reunite with his former charge on loan, whom he had managed during his time in charge the Reds’ U18s.

Brewster, who once earned wages worth £10,000-per-week, bagged 11 goals in 22 games during his loan spell at Swansea City last season, whilst he averaged 2.5 shots per game, via WhoScored, but he found his chances limited at Anfield and ended up joining the Blades in the summer instead for a club-record fee worth £23.5m, which includes both a buy-back and 15% sell-on clause.

The youngster scored seven goals and supplied six assists under Gerrard’s guidance in the 2017/18 season. Who knows what the two would’ve been able to achieve together?

Once hailed as a “real threat” by Swansea City boss Steve Cooper, Brewster was described by the Rangers manager as a “magnificent” talent who is “capable of scoring goals.”

The 20-year-old, who made all the headlines after inspiring England to victory in the U17 World Cup in India, has had a hard time finding his feet at Bramall Lane. However, he clearly has bags of untapped potential, if his statistics are anything to go by.

With recent reports linking Morelos with a move away from Ibrox, they may live to regret not loaning Brewster in if they do not go on to win the Premiership title and Celtic manage to nick it for a 10th season in a row.

AND in other news, Bassey and Morelos start, no Kemar Roofe: Predicted Rangers XI vs Kilmarnock…

Celtic will be looking to correct their recent form after being dealt another loss in their Europa League run. Sparta Prague hit the Hoops for four in yet another poor defensive display from Neil Lennon’s side. Leigh Griffiths struck back with a late consolation goal, but their European form is now something to be worried about.

Similarly, they have fallen out of favour in the Premiership and must ensure that they win their two games in-hand if they’re to close the gap on rivals Rangers. Motherwell is their first stop as Celtic try to regain some ground.

Football FanCast has predicted how Lennon might set up this afternoon…

Shane Duffy continues to disappoint after dropping yet another poor performance across the backline. Lennon’s defence is arguably the most worrying area of the Celtic squad at the moment and the manager must be looking at what he can do to fix this.

Hatem Abd Elhamed could be given the nod ahead of the Brighton loanee who will partner Nir Bitton at centre-back. The full-backs will remain unchanged, along with Scott Bain who has usurped Vasilis Barkas in between the sticks.

Celtic’s attack is another worry. Due to Mohamed Elyounoussi’s foolish behaviour against Sparta Prague, it’s hard to see a way back for the Southampton man. In order to make an example of him, Lennon must drop him completely. This could pave the way for Albian Ajeti to start just behind the striker, with in-form midfielders Ryan Christie and Tom Rogic pushing to the wider positions.

Odsonne Edouard has yet to get on the scoresheet since his return from self-isolating and Lennon cannot just assume he will miraculously find his form. Celtic are running out of time and must act fast.

Griffiths could be the man to start the match after his influential performances recently. His desire to reach the club’s top 20 all-time goal-scorers is enough to convince both fans and the team that he wants to fight for his team.

In other news, Shane Duffy was biggest Celtic disappointment against Sparta Prague…

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli is at a surprising point in his career.

At just 24, he finds himself rarely featuring under Jose Mourinho and as a result, has been out of the England conversation for quite some time.

This is a player who has played 228 times for Spurs and has picked up 37 caps, yet he is most certainly going to miss out on a place at the European Championships this summer.

He is only 24. That is so easy to forget sometimes.

Alli has played just 66 minutes in the Premier League this season with manager Jose Mourinho omitting him entirely from six of eight matchday squads.

We already know how the Special One feels about the playmaker, having labelled him “lazy” in front of the entire squad during Amazon’s All or Nothing docuseries, although he has also insisted that these snubs have been tactical decisions rather than ones based on performances.

Either way, it’s not doing anyone any favours having someone of Alli’s potential festering away on the bench, or in his case recently, at home.

Valued at €70m (£62.5m) by CIES, Daniel Levy should be looking to cash in on the long-serving Spurs star sooner rather than later as that figure is only going to decrease the more he’s not featuring in north London.

And the interest has been there.

According to the Daily Mail, European giants Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan were both keen on Alli during the summer transfer window.

Whilst they also revealed that the midfielder, once likened to Steven Gerrard, was almost used as a makeweight to bring Gareth Bale back to the club from Real Madrid.

So, evidently, the Spurs chairman would be willing to sanction a sale for the right price.

Under former boss Mauricio Pochettino, Alli thrived winning two PFA Young Player of the Year awards, which makes his continued omission rather perplexing indeed.

The Argentine recently appeared on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football and compared the Englishman to Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho, dubbing them all “really special.”

Alli has also been lauded as a “freak of a talent” by ex-Spurs midfielder Darren Anderton, yet he finds himself at a career crossroads despite being absolutely nowhere near hitting his peak.

If Mourinho isn’t going to find a way to get the best out of him, then Levy should absolutely consider an exit for the £100k-per-week enigma. The funds could be put straight back into further additions to Mourinho’s squad.

AND in other news, Levy could land Mourinho his next Carvalho in £205k-p/w “quarter-back” available on the cheap…