All posts by z3u9t.icu

Wolves have endured a diabolical period over the last couple of months.

Since Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull against Arsenal in November, they have won just four games.

Meanwhile, Nuno Santo’s men have kept only a solitary clean sheet in the Premier League since October. Fortunately, they returned to form in midweek.

It was a bizarre game of football as the Gunners had two players sent off and also conceded a penalty. Though, Wolves won’t care. All that mattered was returning to winning ways and they did that.

Though, there is no rest for the Old Gold who will face the visit of Leicester on Sunday. The Foxes have been sublime this term and heading into the weekend’s fixtures sat in third place.

So, how will Nuno choose to line-up?

With injuries plaguing Wolves at the moment, we’re tipping the manager to make just two changes to his team.

Jonny, Marcal and Rayan Ait-Nouri all missed out against Arsenal in midweek and it feels unlikely they’ll be fit enough this weekend.

Nuno revealed that the squad had injury troubles in his pre-match press conference before Daniel Podence took to social media on Saturday evening to claim he’d miss the next five to six weeks of action.

Consequently, the £90k-per-week Leander Dendoncker returns to the side.

He missed out against Arsenal with a midfield pairing of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves preferred. The former has been in poor form this term but scored his first goal of the campaign in emphatic fashion against the Gunners. He crashed home a long-range strike and thus, has to start alongside fellow goal scorer from that encounter, Neves.

Despite their problems at full-back, we think that Nelson Semedo should drop out. He’s been letting his team down for weeks and was at fault for Nicolas Pepe’s opening strike against Arsenal a few days ago.

Offensively, Semedo is vibrant, but when it comes to the defensive part of his game there are clear frailties, particularly in terms of physical strength. With that in mind, Ki-Jana Hoever could come into the XI.

We also reckon that the boss will favour Willian Jose ahead of Fabio Silva again in attack.

AND in other news, Wolves could finally axe Moutinho by signing “intelligent” £13m gem Keogh once bullied…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a major boost in the chase to sign Aleksander Buksa, with reports claiming they would only have to pay up to £200,000 in compensation for the Wisla Krakow striker.

Buksa Molineux-bound?

The 18-year-old centre-forward who is out of contract at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, in what is his third season playing at senior level.

Buksa was given extraordinarily high praise by Sportowe Fakty, who compared him to Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski due to his finishing and strength.

The Poland U19 international had previously been linked with a move to Molineux before Christmas, with suggestions that super-agents Jorge Mendes and Pini Zahavi were working together to bring Buksa to the club.

Now, Dziennik Polski have confirmed that he could cost just €220,000 (£191,000), due to having come through the ranks at the Ekstraklasa club.

Previous reports suggested that Wolves would most likely his best destination, potentially saving the Black Country millions on finding a replacement for Raul Jimenez, although the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich have said to be in the running and “are on his trail”.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo could be about to capture a bargain if comparisons with the Bavarian talisman are to be believed. And given that he is now available for such a small compensation fee, it’s a major boost for Wolves and their chase for the young striker.

Buksa has scored four times from 35 appearances for Wisla but the majority of those appearances were as a substitute, rarely completing a full 90 minutes (Transfermarkt).

Mendes must act fast if he wants to bring the 6 foot 2 Buksa to Molineux.

In other news, Wolves fans left irritated by ‘obvious’ call from Nuno Espirito Santo.

West Bromwich Albion fans are delighted with the news that Kyle Bartley has signed a new contract with the club.

Steve Madeley of The Athletic revealed earlier this week that £2.52m-valued Bartley (Transfermarkt) has been offered a new deal that will keep him at the Hawthorns until the end of the 2021/22 campaign. His current contract had been set to run out at the end of this term.

Bartley has made 17 appearances in the Premier League this season, and played 38 times last time out as the Baggies earned promotion to the top tier (Transfermarkt). With 92 appearances to his name throughout his time with the club, he has bags of experience and could play a big role in trying to get back to the Premier League again if West Brom are relegated this season.

The fans are absolutely delighted with the news, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

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

“Great news. Glad so many have seen what he offers and changed their tune on him.”

Credit: @Albion2All

“Brilliant news. Should be made skipper!”

Credit: @stylisedvision

“Good news. Was starting to get worried with the clock ticking away. Been top draw since Wolves away.”

Credit: @DBasher87

“Played well of late deserves it. Gonna need him in the championship”

Credit: @barrelwba10

“Never thought a few seasons ago that I am pleased he’s with us”

Credit: @Ronnie96261839

“Delighted that Bartley has been given a new contract”

Credit: @mattstour

In other news, West Brom fans have been reacting to these comments.

Liverpool travel to Bramall Lane to face bottom of the league Sheffield United on Sunday, in a game that the Reds arguably must win if they want to finish in the top four this season.

Four consecutive defeats in the top-flight have seen Jurgen Klopp’s side slip to sixth in the Premier League and if their current form does not drastically improve, the Merseyside club could easily find themselves without any sort of European football next season.

In those four defeats, the Reds have found the net just twice, with scoring goals having proved to be a real problem for Liverpool since the turn of the year, with only Mohamed Salah finding the net on a regular basis for Klopp’s side.

Therefore, the German manager should definitely consider making an attacking change to his side ahead of the game against Sheffield United, otherwise they could struggle to find a way past a Blades team that are perhaps likely to sit deep with a back-five on Sunday.

With the game likely to come too soon for Diogo Jota, who is now back in training after recovering from the knee injury that has kept him out for the last two months, Klopp should unleash Xherdan Shaqiri at Bramall Lane.

The Swiss international has found himself on the bench for recent fixtures despite an impressive performance in Liverpool’s last win – a 3-1 triumph against West Ham at the London Stadium.

The 29-year-old, who reportedly earns £80k per week at Liverpool, showed his creativity in that game with a superb early pass for Salah’s superb goal, and he earned a superb 7.47 rating for his display, so it is perhaps a surprise that he has featured so little since then.

With the 4-3-3 formation having not produced results in recent weeks, Klopp should surely consider switching back to a 4-2-3-1, with Shaqiri deployed in the attacking-midfield role until Jota is fit to return to action.

Klopp was full of praise for the former Bayern Munich man in 2018, saying:

“Shaq? It’s like he’s involved in pretty much everything. He’s so decisive.”

Therefore, the 29-year-old deserves another chance to impress on Sunday, as he could prove to be the difference for Liverpool as they seek to unlock what will undoubtedly be a well-organised Blades defence.

AND, in other news… LFC signing 6 ft 2 beast Klopp admires would surely be bad news for Joel Matip

Adrien Rabiot sent Carlo Ancelotti a statement of intent with his performance against SS Lazio on Saturday, but Everton have been dealt a potential blow in their hopes of signing the Juventus midfielder.

That’s according to agent and Premier League specialist Vincenzo Morabito, who told Tuttosport over the weekend that he doubts Rabiot will be leaving the Allianz Stadium at the end of the season.

Everton had been linked with a potential move to sign the Frenchman in the summer market, with Ancelotti said to be urging the Goodison Park natives to pay the Old Lady’s €30m (£26m) valuation in order to be reunited with the Paris Saint-Germain product.

Ancelotti was in charge at Les Parc des Princes when Rabiot made his first-team breakthrough at 17-years-old back in 2012, while the £176,000-per-week midfielder has since gone on to win six Ligue 1 titles, 1 Serie A crown and four Coupe de France honours.

The Italian tactician now appeared intent on being joined by Rabiot at Goodison Park in the off-season, having also been credited with an interest in the 25-year-old during the recent winter market as well as the previous summer window.

But whether Ancelotti gets to call on the 11-cap France international next season remains to be seen, with Morabito pouring cold on a potential split with Juventus, despite adding to speculation of a rival Premier League suitor.

“The Frenchman is on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City goal list. But he will not leave Juventus,” the super-agent claimed.

Rabiot made his 32nd appearance of the season in all competitions as Juventus beat Lazio 3-1 on Saturday, with the midfielder scoring I Bianconeri’s first of the day to equalise for Andrea Pirlo after Joaquin Correa broke the deadlock inside the opening quarter of an hour.

Rabiot had only scored once this season before Simone Inzaghi’s side visited the Allianz, netting Juve’s third in a 4-1 win over newly-promoted Spezia Calcio in November. The former Manchester City trainee, who left England in 2009, also boasts two assists.

Morabito’s views on Rabiot’s future may come as a blow to Ancelotti in his alleged hopes of being reunited with the midfielder at Everton, but the 6 ft 2 maestro’s performance against Lazio will have only strengthened any desires to forge a successful pursuit this summer.

The midfielder achieved his second-best SofaScore match rating for a Serie A fixture since joining Juventus in 2019 by earning a 7.7 out of 10 on Saturday, only in his side’s 1-1 draw with Lazio in November 2020 has Rabiot performed to a higher grade (8/10).

Rabiot scored so well compared to his previous efforts thanks to producing a resolute defensive showing alongside his goal, with four successful tackles from five attempts – no player for either side won possession in a challenge more often.

He further won the ball back with three clearances and won five of his eight ground duels, while midfield teammate Aaron Ramsey lost five of his seven contests before being replaced in the 70th-minute.

Rabiot has averaged 4.3 ground duels won per game in the Serie A this season and with a 57% success rate, alongside 2.8 successful tackles and 0.3 clearances. The Saint-Maurice-born talent also took more touches (67) against Lazio than he has per game (50.2) this term.

If Rabiot is able to replicate his Lazio showcase from here until the end of the season, Juventus could find it hard to listen to offers. But doing so may also increase Ancelotti’s intent on securing a reunion.

AND in other news, Everton eye summer transfer of £4.5m-rated titan praised by Carlo Ancelotti…

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, Marlon Harewood stated his belief that Frank Lampard would be the ideal candidate to replace Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace.

Having been appointed Chelsea manager on a three-year deal back in the summer of 2019, in his time at Stamford Bridge, Lampard oversaw 84 games in charge of the Blues – winning 44, drawing 15 and losing 25.

However, after a run of results which saw Chelsea pick up just given his marching orders by Roman Abramovich.

Despite his rather uninspiring tenure at Chelsea, former West Ham United striker Harewood claimed that Lampard would be the ideal replacement for Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace, whose contract with the Eagles expires this summer.

He said: “It’d be a decent thing for Lamps to come into – if he’s ready to come back into management. That’d be a very good club to come into, [they’ve] got some great players there. I think he’d go and complement it well.

“He’s had a good experience of what he needs to do and what he didn’t do and [the chance to] reflect on how he can better himself because you always do that [after being sacked]. Yeah, it would be a good fit.”

Transfer Tavern Take

With Lampard himself stating that he wants any team he manages to “play good football” and to be “really aggressive and to win the ball back,” these are no doubt promising words to hear from the perspective of a potential new suitor for the former England international. It could also be music to the ears of Palace supporters who have taken umbrage with what they see as an overly pragmatic approach from Hodgson.

However, the 42-year-old also came under criticism for his tactical setup at Chelsea being “somewhat all over the shop”, with reports suggesting that a number of his players were “left confused by what Lampard wanted” from them.

As such, perhaps a team like Palace who typically finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table should not take the risk on Lampard just yet, as it would seem that the ex-Chelsea manager still has work to do on the tactical side of his game.

In other news: A Palace star has been linked with a move to the Eagles’ PL rivals, find out more here!

Liam Kennedy has predicted as many as three changes made by Newcastle United in their away game at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League.

Writing in his latest piece for The Shields Gazette, the football journalist has predicted that Emil Krafth, Jonjo Shelvey and Dwight Gayle will all make way from the team that drew 1-1 at home to Aston Villa last time out, with Javier Manquillo, Sean Longstaff and Jacob Murphy all coming in to replace them.

Newcastle must make changes

There is no doubt that The St. James’ Park faithful need to change something if they are to pick up what could be a vital three points away at Graham Potter’s side.

Manquillo has averaged more tackles (1.8) than any other defender in Steve Bruce’s team so far in the top flight in the 2020/21 term, while Shelvey, who currently earns £70,000 per week in the North East, has not scored or assisted in his last six games and so maybe should be dropped to the bench.

Murphy recently received a lot of praise from Bruce in his pre-match press conference, as the former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss claimed that he was ‘very bright’ when he came on against AVFC.

Nonetheless, whatever players he puts out, the fixture looks to be a crucial one in terms of creating a bigger picture for relegation down the foot of the table.

In other news, find out what takeover ‘advantage’ NUFC have here!

When Southampton briefly went top of the Premier League in November following a 2-0 win over Newcastle United, few would have predicted that the Saints would have found themselves embroiled in a relegation battle just a few months later.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side started the season in impressive form, with Che Adams and Danny Ings forming a superb partnership up front, whilst James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu were excelling in midfield.

The defence looked strong too, with Jannik Vestergaard in particular in sensational form, and for a few weeks, it genuinely looked like the South Coast club could challenge for a European spot this season, despite struggling so much in the first half of the previous campaign.

However, injury problems and poor form saw Hasenhuttl’s side slowly drop down the table, with the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters, Ings, Vestergaard and Romeu all missing large periods.

The Saints are currently on a woeful run of form that has seen them pick up just four points from a possible 36 in the Premier League, with the recent home defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion leaving them in real danger of relegation this season, as they are currently just seven points ahead of 18th-placed Fulham.

With the international break giving the Saints two weeks off before their next Premier League fixture, Football FanCast predicts the final table and how Southampton will do in their remaining games…

Southampton currently sit on 33 points after 29 games, with nine wins, six draws and 14 defeats to their name.

When predicting the outcome of every game between now and the end of the season, our verdict was that they will pick up three more top-flight wins before the end of the season, along with two draws and four defeats, which is more than enough to see them comfortably stay up, as shown in the graphic above.

Hasenhuttl’s side have some vital fixtures coming up against the likes of Burnley, West Brom and Crystal Palace, and if they can produce the same sort of performance as they did in the FA Cup at the weekend, then there’s no reason why they can’t finish the season strongly.

And, in other news… Forget Kuchta: Southampton can sign their Ings replacement with £6.3m-rated beast

Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that Manchester City are interested in signing Danny Ings to potentially replace Sergio Aguero (Sky Sports).

Ings’ future with the Saints is up in the air. As it stands, his contract is set to run out at the end of next season (Transfermarkt) but, while Southampton have made it clear they would like to extend his deal (via The Daily Mail), the former Liverpool man has, as of yet, not put pen to paper on an agreement.

To avoid losing the striker for nothing, Southampton may well look to sell him in the summer, and the Citizens are said to be interested in signing him to replace the outgoing Aguero, who is set to leave the club on a free transfer this summer after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium.

Saints supporters have been reacting to the news and, surprisingly, it seems they would not be too fussed to see him depart despite the £19.8m-valued star (Transfermarkt) scoring 42 goals in 92 matches for them. They took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Ings news below

“Good news, get rid and move on, ship out Redmond and djenepo too, both been under achieving at PL level, not sure they’ll achieve a regular squad number in the championship to be honest, that’s my opinion,”

Credit: @TonyTonyprince

“Let him go, picking up injuries and hasn’t looked interested for a while.”

Credit: @saintsfc2011

“Yes let him go I think if he’s not fully commited”

Credit: @doeboy1

“I’m ngl if they want him they can have him”

Credit: @J13578Josh

“Surprised i’m not alone in thinking we should sell Ings. I believe he’s had his moment in the sun and his next few seasons will be impacted heavily with injury. If we get an offer over £20m let him go”

Credit: @luke_lct

“Great! Should help plug the 75 mil hole”

Credit: @edwardmarshCT

In other news, Sevilla are said to be interested in this Southampton star.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has attributed Ezri Konsa’s incredible rise this season to John Terry.

The 23-year-old, who stands six feet tall, has been one of Villa’s standout performers and arguably their best defender. In the Premier League, he has been averaging 1.3 blocks per match, the most in his squad, and is only being dribbled past 0.1 times a game (via WhoScored).

Konsa has performed so well this term that some, including ex-Tottenham player Jamie O’Hara, feel he was unlucky to miss out on Gareth Southgate’s England squad for this round of World Cup qualifiers.

Whatever the case, it has still been a good campaign for Konsa, and Hendrie believes part of that is down to the influence Villa assistant coach Terry has had on the former Brentford centre-back.

“He [Terry] guides that defensive area. I’ve seen the difference with Konsa, how better and how much he’s come on and how much his game has come on,” Hendrie told FFC in an exclusive interview. “You know, people sometimes don’t understand and don’t realise what JT would bring into that defensive structure – he would have a big say on how they play.”

Should Konsa eventually be called up to the England squad, then the Charlton Athletic academy graduate could find himself competing against the likes of Villa team-mate Tyrone Mings, Harry Maguire and John Stones, with all three central defenders currently a part of the Three Lions squad.