Spurs’ poor form alarms fans after Newcastle defeat

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Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-0 to Newcastle United on Sunday in another example of poor form, much to the bemusement of supporters.

Indeed, Spurs have won just four of their last 15 Premier League games – against Crystal Palace, Huddersfield Town, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa.

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Draws with Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City have seen Spurs take three more points but they have been beaten by Burnley, Chelsea, Southampton, Liverpool, Manchester City, West Ham United, Bournemouth and, most recently, the Magpies.

The form, in which they have garnered 15 points from 15 games, has been more befitting that of a team threatened by relegation than one aiming to win major honours, particularly one that reached the Champions League final in 2018/19.

And supporters have been left disheartened at the club’s disappointing outings, with Spurs winning one, drawing one and losing one thus far this season.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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Gbamin’s Everton move has been a nighmare

It’s inevitable that not all transfers go well, but getting the majority of your new signings correct is a vital aspect of modern-day football. Everton Football Club have certainly found that out the hard way.

The days of teams being made up of a collection of homegrown talents are long gone and the need to appease fans and keep up with rivals via an influx of new, expensive arrivals every summer has become the norm.

Some sides have adapted to this change better than others in recent years, though, with the likes of Manchester City, Leicester and Brentford all achieving success at their respective levels largely due to solid recruitment.

However, not all clubs have been so astute in the transfer market. Everton have experienced new-found wealth under the ownership of Farhad Moshiri, although spending their fortune effectively has proved rather challenging.

The likes of Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean and Davy Klaassen have all arrived for substantial fees without ever coming close to repaying the Toffees’ outlay on the pitch. But one recent acquisitions time on Merseyside has been far more disappointing than all of the others.

In the summer of 2019, Jean-Philippe Gbamin arrived from Mainz 05 after Everton paid his £25m price tag.

After making 95 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit, Gbamin had cultivated a reputation for being an intelligent, mobile holding midfielder capable of dribbling, shooting from distance effectively and dictating play with his impressive range of passing.

Yet nobody could foresee the misfortune that would consume the 26-year-old’s career. In his first season on English shores, the engine room operator managed just 135 minutes of Premier League action before a series of injuries sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign.

An Achilles tendon issue followed on from a serious hamstring problem, and following his comeback in April, Gbamin was consigned to the treatment table once again after spending just 11 minutes on the pitch against Crystal Palace. All of that has led to the midfielder missing a whopping 619 days of football.

But things are finally starting to look up for the Ivory Coast international. He completed only his second full 90 minutes in an Everton shirt against Huddersfield Town in the EFL Cup in the opening weeks of the current campaign, providing hope that he can start to put a miserable chapter of his career behind him.

Nevertheless, Everton’s director of football undoubtedly had a transfer shocker over the £65,000-per-week flop. A return of four appearances in just over two years has seen Gbamin’s market value plummet to just £13.5m despite him entering his prime years.

Whether the African can resurrect his career at Goodison Park remains to be seen, although it’s unlikely he’ll ever reach the heights he appeared destined to prior to his arrival.

And, in other news…Everton increasingly likely to sign £187k-p/w gem, fans surely buzzing 

Newcastle transfer news on Swift

Newcastle United are now reportedly keeping a close eye on John Swift ahead of a potential move in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Swift on fire

Swift has been nothing short of on fire for Reading so far this season, with seven goals and three assists in seven games in total in the EFL Championship (Transfermarkt).

With the summer window closed, the midfield player will now likely gain a lot of interest in January.

The Latest: Newcastle keeping tabs

As per Football League World, the St. James’ Park faithful are one of a number of teams who are now keeping a close eye on Swift ahead of a possible move.

Aston Villa, Brentford and Sheffield United are also said to be interested in his signature, as he has now entered the final year of his contract with the Royals.

The Verdict: Sign

By averaging more than a goal or assist a game at the moment, Swift is clearly showing that he can make the step up from the Championship up to the Premier League.

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The £25,000-per-week ace is also winning no fewer than 4.7 of his duels per game in England’s second division, and averaging 3.1 key passes, two shots and 1.3 successful dribbles per match (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, being English, he would help fill in the North East club’s homegrown quota, and would certainly be another handy asset to have in Steve Bruce’s squad.

In other news, find out what ‘good news’ has emerged on this Magpie here!

Celtic Way journalist drops Ryan Christie verdict after exit

The Celtic Way journalist Anthony Haggerty claims that Ryan Christie has the talent to play in the Premier League, after leaving Celtic for AFC Bournemouth in the Championship.

The winger has moved to the second-tier club for a bargain fee of around £2.5m, per Sky Sports.

Christie had been with Celtic since 2015, spending a total of six years with the Scottish giants.

A Scotland international with 21 caps under his belt, the 26-year-old made 151 appearances for the club, scoring 41 goals, registering 44 assists and winning the Scottish Premiership three times.

Haggerty believes he has all the talent to make the step up to the Premier League even if he was booed at times last season, and Bournemouth will be hoping that he can lead the club back to the top-flight.

He said: “I think there’s talent there, no doubt about it, he’s a talented, talented boy. He was another one who suffered with the malaise at Celtic last season, setting in of the rot, and he became a bit of a fan’s boo boy because he was trying stuff and it wasn’t coming off, and it’s easy to shout at guys who are possessed with talent and ability, they’re the ones who cop it the most.

“Christie was one of the targets for Celtic fans’ anger and ire and he got it really badly so he maybe didn’t forget that.

“I think he could do well. Stuart Armstrong’s made a decent fist of it at Southampton and thrived and I think Ryan Christie’s another player there.”

Bournemouth have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season but they have won just two of those games, drawing three; they are currently sixth in the table.

Whelan: Rangers won’t let Kamara leave

Former Premiership striker Noel Whelan, who now works as a pundit for the BBC, believes there is no chance Rangers will allow Glen Kamara to leave the club in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Kamara a key man for Rangers

Steven Gerrard’s side have enjoyed great success in recent times, getting their hands on the Premiership title last season.

Kamara has been a key presence for them during this period – indeed, his manager has hailed him as ‘fantastic’, impressing in the middle of the park and subsequently being linked with a move away from Ibrox.

The Latest: Pundit makes bold prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan is adamant that the 25-year-old won’t move on in January, but admitted a summer exit could be on the cards:

“It’s not a worry in terms of his performances, because he’s kept the putting in the same standard of performances.

“Contract talks are never easy, especially when you’re trying to keep big players at the club. It’s especially hard when there’s a real possibility of selling him at the end of the season.

“It will be the end of the season if he is sold.

“There’s no way Rangers would sell in January when they’ll still be fighting for Europe and fighting to retain the title.

“If the deal is to be signed, you would expect that all parties would have agreed to it by January. He’s an important player, and one that Steven Gerrard clearly admires.”

The Verdict: Summer exit likely

The idea of losing Kamara midway through the season doesn’t bear thinking about considering the influence he has for Rangers, averaging an 89.1% pass completion rate and 1.2 tackles per game in the league this season and holding down a regular place in the side under Gerrard.

In truth, though, it could be hard to keep the Finland international at Ibrox beyond next summer, at which point he may decide he needs a fresh challenge.

In an ideal world, Kamara would stay with the Gers for the foreseeable future, but it is hard to imagine that he wouldn’t be tempted by lucrative offers from elsewhere.

In other news, some Rangers fans have been left raging for one specific reason. Read more here.

Wolves predicted XI vs Manchester United

Wolves have suffered back to back league defeats in Bruno Lage’s first two competitive matches in charge but those losses don’t tell the full story.

In fact, despite not scoring a goal, the Old Gold have been one of the most threatening teams in the league.

As of last weekend, they’d taken 42 attempts at goal, a tally only Liverpool could better.

A 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup in midweek will have boosted the confidence but they face a Manchester United side who will be rejuvenated.

They have just re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo and could hand a debut to Raphael Varane on Sunday afternoon.

That being said, they did draw 1-1 with relegation-tipped Southampton last weekend.

Wolves, therefore, will have plenty of hope as they travel to Old Trafford on Sunday. Although, who will start for them? Here’s what we’re predicting…

We anticipate Bruno Lage to make eight changes from the side that demolished Nottingham Forest a few days ago.

There are a host of changes in offensive areas where the £37k-per-week Fabio Silva is dropped. Daniel Podence and Morgan Gibbs-White both drop out too.

That sees Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore and Trincao all come back into the XI. Although the trio haven’t scored a goal yet this term, they have been dangerous. Traore, for instance, has managed ten dribbles per match in the Premier League this season.

There is also a change in the middle of the park where Ruben Neves comes back in for Leander Dendoncker after his promising start to the new campaign.

There are also plenty of changes at the back. John Ruddy is axed at the expense of Jose Sa while Willy Boly returns to the starting XI after injury in place of Romain Saiss.

Both wing-backs are also swapped with Marcal and Nelson Semedo coming in for Rayan Ait-Nouri and Ki-Jana Hoever.

This means that Wolves line-up with a very similar XI to the one that lost to Tottenham last weekend.

AND in other news, Wolves may sign “special” £36m Mendes client in late summer swoop, he’s Pedro Neto 2.0…

Everton set to table Hoppe bid

An update has emerged on Schalke beast Matthew Hoppe, regarding Everton’s plans to bid for his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur, Everton are preparing to make a £2m offer for Schalke attacker Matthew Hoppe this month.

He claims that Toffees officials met with the German side to discuss a potential deal and learn their demands for his services.

Benitez would love him

Everton must get a deal over the line for Hoppe as he could be a fine addition to the squad in the short, mid and long-term future. He is a talented young player with potential who could come in and provide solid back-up to the frontline options whilst having the scope to take on a more prominent role further down the line.

The 20-year-old was relegated from the Bundesliga with Schalke last season, but posted some impressive statistics in spite of his team’s struggles. He managed six goals and one assist in 15 starts, whilst taking 0.9 shots per game – showing an efficiency in front of goal.

This suggests that his tally could increase with better service from the players around him, as he was already able to plunder six goals in 15 starts without taking a high number of shots. Having the likes of Richarlison, Andros Townsend, James Rodriguez, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Demarai Gray around him to create chances could increase his output in the final third.

The forward’s former academy director, Sean McCafferty, once said that the young talent is ‘of the highest level’.

He said: “In the Southwest Division you’ve got LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, two of the best academies in the country, and we were able to win the division. We’ve had tremendous consistency throughout the year, and we have the top goal scorer in the country in Matthew Hoppe. He’s of the highest level.”

This highlights the 6 foot 3  youngster’s potential, with McCafferty explaining how highly Hoppe was regarded as a young player in the USA. At the age of 20, Rafa Benitez would have the opportunity to coach him into becoming a better footballer, one ready to take the Premier League by storm.

Hoppe has also impressed former Spurs boss Christian Gross, who waxed lyrical about the striker, saying: “He’s a boy who’s unbelievably ambitious, has tremendous commitment and only thinks about Schalke. He wants to do whatever it takes to get us out of this situation. He really is a model professional. Even though he’s still very young, he doesn’t shy away from working extremely hard. Of course, he’s still very young and still has lots to learn in order to become a top-rate finisher, but we’re working on that.”

The ex-Newcastle boss could love moulding the American into the perfect player for his system, whilst also allowing him to learn from Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison. This is why this could be a shrewd piece of business for the Toffees. If Marcel Brands is able to bring him to Goodison Park for £2m then they could have one happy head coach in the building.

AND in other news, Forget Richarlison: £120k-pw Everton beast who won 11 duels had Goodison rocking again…

Rangers fans slam Scott Arfield

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were far from happy with the performance of Scott Arfield during their Champions League qualifying clash with Malmo on Tuesday.

The Gers were in action against the Swedish outfit in the Champions League qualifiers after they won the Premiership last term. They have a chance of reaching the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition, but despite Steven Davis’ late strike, the Gers have it all to do in the second leg after losing 2-1 in Sweden.

Arfield started the clash in the middle of the park for Rangers, but it was not his finest performance. The 32-year-old has lots of experience, with 74 goals throughout his career (Transfermarkt), but he failed to offer any real threat or assurance in the match as Steven Gerrard’s men fell to defeat.

Glasgow Live reporter Mark McDougall gave a withering assessment of the midfielder’s display, doling him out a pitiful four in his player ratings and writing: “His lack of game time in pre-season and on Saturday really showed in this one. A lot of sloppy passes and lay-offs and he should have scored in the first half. Not a great night for him.”

These Gers supporters were far from happy with what they saw from the “woeful” Canada international, and they took to social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Arfield’s performance

“Stealing a wage”

Credit: @BenY26_

“Personally I thought Arfield was a wasted jersey tonight”

Credit: @Cook36thud

“I also thought Arfield was rotten and Kent, I thought they all looked shocking”

Credit: @tylerz217

“Defending was shocking, Barisic, Goldson, Tav, especially Arfield was dead on his feet by 40 mins”

Credit: @1972Wj

“Agree, Arfield has a run of 15 good games every season n that’s it, to me he’s woeful and can’t believe he gets a game. Slows down play, dallies on the ball, sloppy passing, stupid fouls and can’t remember the last I seen him make a challenge. Easily our weakest link”

Credit: @VWdoubleforte

“Steven Davis was fantastic by the way, Lundstram was OK in patches but for me the weak link in there was Arfield. But, everyone is entitled to their options.”

Credit: @StuartK37480701

In other news, many Rangers fans react to this man’s imminent departure.

Hatfield backs Villa to sign van de Beek

Aston Villa have been urged to sign Manchester United outcast Donny van de Beek this month…

What’s the talk?

Midlands reporter Luke Hatfield has urged Aston Villa to pursue a deal for Manchester United central midfielder Donny van de Beek this month. He has claimed that a move could be on the cards for the Dutchman and said that it would be an exciting move for Villa.

He told This is Futbol:

“I’d really like to see them go for Donny van de Beek. It doesn’t seem like it’s worked for him at Manchester United, so could a move be on the cards for him?

“He’d be the type of player who I’d really be excited to see. If I was Villa, I’d be really keen to look at him because it hasn’t worked for him at United and maybe there’s a deal to be done.”

Get it done

Villa chief Johan Lange must sanction a deal for Van de Beek if there is a possibility of a move being viable before the end of the transfer window. United’s £35m signing struggled in his debut campaign for the Red Devils and Hatfield seemingly believes that his form may have opened the door to a potential exit.

If the Villans can strike an agreement with the English giants to bring him to the club on a season-long loan, it could be a fantastic piece of business. Dean Smith’s side is lacking in depth in the central midfield department and Van de Beek could be a dream addition to bolster his options.

John McGinn and Douglas Luiz were his first-choice central midfield pairing in the Premier League, with Marvelous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson both averaging dismal WhoScored ratings of 6.52 and 6.20 respectively. This suggests that Villa need another midfielder to come in and provide quality, reliable, performances to challenge McGinn and Luiz for their spots in the side.

Last season, United legend Rio Ferdinand said that the Dutchman keeps things simple and allows other players to flourish through his hard work. He told BT Sport, via Tribal Football:

“I think he is the one player in this squad who is happy playing one-touch, two-touch, keeping it simple… sacrificing parts of his game to help other people flourish.

“In any great team you need players like that and he’s one player who will make other players tick, and make them play better.”

In his final season for Ajax, Van de Beek managed eight goals and five assists in 22 Eredivisie starts for the Dutch giants. He averaged a phenomenal WhoScored rating of 7.41, showing that he has the potential to put in excellent displays consistently.

Therefore, if a deal is an option for United, Villa must do all they can to land him on loan as they could improve a weak point in their squad if they are able to get the midfielder on-song and back to his best following his disappointing start to life at United.

AND in other news, Lange must avoid £40m blunder over “special” maestro, Aston Villa fans would be livid…

United dealt Aaron Ramsdale transfer blow

Sheffield United have been dealt a blow to their chances of keeping Aaron Ramsdale at Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claim that Arsenal are preparing a bid for the Sheffield United goalkeeper, with Mikel Arteta’s side confident that they will be able to seal a deal for the 23-year-old in the summer transfer window.

The report goes on to state that the Gunners are aware that a deal for the England Euro 2020 squad member will cost them around £30m, and that they are willing to contribute a chunk of their sizeable transfer budget in order to land the shot-stopper.

Nightmare for Jokanovic

While it may have initially appeared rather unlikely that a team would be willing to meet Sheffield United’s £30m asking price for Ramsdale this summer, the fact that Arsenal seem to be prepared to do exactly this presents Slavisa Jokanovic with something of a nightmare.

Indeed, despite the Blades’ relegation for the top flight last season, the £43k-per-week man nevertheless impressed over his 38 Premier League appearances, helping his side keep five clean sheets, as well as making an average of 3.9 saves and 0.3 successful runs out per game, in addition to making a total number of 147 stops across the season.

These returns saw the £10.8m-rated ‘keeper earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as the club’s third-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, losing a player with the ability of Ramsdale would not only be an outcome that would leave Jokanovic gutted, it would also almost certainly put a dent in United’s promotion ambitions ahead of next season.

Furthermore, while the club would be receiving a considerable fee for the man Jurgen Klopp dubbed an “incredible” player, attracting a replacement of a similar level to the 23-year-old will be a difficult task for the Serbian manager, particularly while his side are languishing down in the Championship.

So, all in all, should Arsenal indeed go on to get a deal over the line for Ramdale this summer, it would not appear to be very good news whatsoever for the Blades ahead of their upcoming campaign.

In other news: Sheff Utd set to make formal bid for 21 y/o with a “huge future”, fans surely buzzing

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