All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to a report by the print edition of Tuttosport, as relayed by Sport Witness, Tottenham could be handed another chance to sign AC Milan star Franck Kessie this summer after a failed January attempt amid growing contract doubts surrounding the Ivorian. 

Tottenham could still sign Kessie

Kessie was at the centre of interest from both Spurs and Arsenal in January according to this report, with chairman Daniel Levy apparently making an effort but failing to bring him in.

He may still leave Milan in the summer, though, as contract doubts emerge surrounding his future at the San Siro due to Kessie’s current deal expiring in 2022. If he does not sign an extension soon, Milan may be forced to sell him for a ‘reduced’ price.

As per this claim, Tottenham may still have a chance of signing him in the summer due to this factor, with the Premier League said to be his ‘ideal’ division.

Transfer Tavern take

Speaking to Bobo TV via Milan Live, Antonio Cassano recently hailed Kessie as ‘devastating’, potentially highlighting why both Spurs and Arsenal were reportedly keen to sign him in January. Despite playing mainly as a defensive midfielder, he has struck 10 goals in 37 appearances this season for Milan.

Amassing 44 international caps for his native Ivory Coast at just 24 years of age, he already has a wealth of experience despite being far from the prime of his career.

If Spurs could indeed sign him for a ‘reduced’ fee, the move could well be a Daniel Levy masterstroke.

In other news: Tottenham have been warned over Harry Kane, find out more here.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing to the top for Steven Gerrard’s side, but Rangers find themselves at the summit of the Scottish Premiership, 23 points clear of Celtic.

If you cast your minds back a couple of weeks ago, you could have been forgiven for thinking Rangers had big plans in the pipeline to match their title ambitions.

Now, admittedly not much has changed in terms of the league table, but if there is one criticism that can be directed at Ross Wilson, it’s the club’s inability to make a high-profile signing.

That happened to be a young 19-year-old by the name of Billy Gilmour. If anyone could lure a player of Gilmour’s potential to the 54-time Scottish champions it was Wilson, who also brought in the likes of Jack Simpson and Scott Wright, and a return to his boyhood club via a short-term loan deal seemed to be on the cards.

Ultimately, Chelsea decided to perform a transfer U-turn after the former Rangers starlet impressed new boss Thomas Tuchel in training.

However, had Wilson pushed harder for his signature, those at the Bridge may have been prepared to budge, as the central midfielder has been absent from three of the past four Premier League squads and has not featured since the 3-1 win over Luton Town in the FA Cup.

When asked about Gilmour upon his arrival, Tuchel said: “I have a good impression of Billy.

“He is a very strategic guy, very, very high level of game understanding.

“Very good in the first contact, very, very clever in positioning.

“We will see if he has the physical level to play at the highest level, we will see that, but he is super quick with his feet and decision-making.

“Very, very good in positioning so for me, we have 21 or 22 field players available, and playing in three competitions there is no need for us to get rid of players.”

Since switching Ibrox for the lofty heights of Stamford Bridge, he has settled rather nicely into English football, having made 17 senior appearances for the first team. It’s a shame the same can’t be said for Bafana-Bafana midfielder Bongani Zungu, who has lacked any real confidence under Gerrard and struggled to fill the boots of Steven Davis this season, playing just 149 minutes of football.

Had they signed Gilmour, it’s hard to suggest he wouldn’t have been an immediate upgrade on Zungu.

Despite his age, in terms of sheer numbers alone, the Scottish U21 international is light years ahead of the 28-year-old. The highly-rated teenager is currently averaging more tackles and interceptions per 90 across all competitions and commits fewer fouls than Zungu, via WhoScored, whilst he also boasts a better passing accuracy too.

It’s evidence of Tuchel’s verdict that the £10k-a-week earning Gilmour is quick both on the ball and in his mind too, and would have offered a sense of control and discipline to the Rangers midfield. The fact Zungu has barely featured this season says everything about just where he ranks in Gerrard’s plans at the moment, and so the Chelsea youngster would surely have fancied his chances of muscling in ahead of him and getting more game-time.

He could, perhaps, have returned to Ibrox on a short-term basis had the Gers conducted their business earlier in the latest transfer window but they may have missed their chance to sign him as it’s unlikely he will be short of suitors in the summer.

Premier League club Leicester City were among the parties previously credited with an interest in the former Rangers kid and could return for him in the near future.

Gilmour’s arrival in the January window would have given Gerrard an added option in the middle of the park, but Chelsea’s late stance means the Gers have missed out on a talented starlet for the rest of the campaign.

AND in other news, Rangers should unleash Cedric Itten against Hamilton Academical…

Many Manchester United fans were left to slam the display of Fred in their 0-0 away draw at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men really struggled to break the South London club down at all and in the end had to settle for a point, which meant that they lost further ground on their local rivals Manchester City in the title race and will now surely be looking more over their shoulders than in front of them.

Fred’s performance in particular flattered to deceive several members of the Old Trafford faithful, as the central midfield player lost out on no fewer than eight of his duels in the game, while also failing to record a single clearance and losing possession of the ball eight times, earning him a quite measly 6.6 overall rating on Sofascore, the second-lowest out of any of his teammates to have started the match.

Manchester United fan reaction to Fred display

These Red Devils slammed his performance on Twitter, with one MUFC supporter saying that the Brazil international was ‘poor’ while another claimed he is ‘one of the worst players’ in the team:

“Fred is one of the worst players in the @ManUtd team. He cannot pass or shoot. To think we had midfielders like Scholes, Carrick and Keane and now we rely on Fred and Matic. I would rather we lose a game 1-0 but have ten shots on goal. This park the bus tactic is sickening #MUFC”

Credit: @mojodurbs

“You could see Rashford especially get frustrated playing in front of Fred and Matic because they offered absolutely nothing to the forward players. Zero service all night. Way too safe. Which is their job. It’s the attributes they have. They just shouldn’t be #mufc starting CMs.”

Credit: @Kyles_Page

“Fred was awful and not for the first time but why wait 75 minutes when it was clear from the first half? We do the same things and expect different results. Einstein’s definition of insanity is proving true #mufc”

Credit: @thereddevilway

“One of the worst collective performances I can remember in the Bruno era. Marcus, Fred & Bruno particularly off it. Henderson and Bailly probably the only players who were up to the standards tonight #MUFC #CRYMUN”

Credit: @BenrubiLiam

“United are dropping more points then leaking tap l have say there was no creative in United team apart from Bruno. Needs some help. Fred was poor again but no one mentions it he’s not good enough #mufc”

Credit: @mahadnur93

“I AM SICK OF #FRED… THAT’S A BRAZILIAN WHO CANNOT PASS OR SHOOT #MUFC need to move these players”

Credit: @SebastienRault5

In other news, find out whose display against Palace was also slammed here!

Sam Allardyce needs crucial additions at West Brom this January if he’s to even stand a chance at upholding the impressive feat of never being relegated from the Premier League, though one target is far from the answer next month…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Steve Madeley, the 66-year-old has former centre-back Mamadou Sakho high on his shortlist going into the transfer window.

The Frenchman is a player Big Sam signed for Crystal Palace from Liverpool in January 2017 for £26m, despite reported interest from then-Baggies boss Tony Pulis.

It’s claimed that he would command a sizeable loan fee as well as a commitment to pay the majority of his £100k-per-week wages, and there is even a prospect to buying him permanently after the loan should they stay up.

Transfer disaster?

It’s no secret that a new central defender should be among the top priorities for Allardyce in January, but perhaps he should be looking elsewhere to the hardly-seen 30-year-old.

Over the course of the past 18 months, Sakho has only managed to start 14 times for Roy Hodgson – for good reason too, he’s failed to average over 0.8 tackles or even 1.5 aerial duels won per game, via WhoScored.

For someone that is 6 foot 2 and was once a first-choice under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, that is a shocking return.

Earlier in the current campaign, Sakho came under fire from the Exiled Eagles podcast. One of the pundits dubbed the veteran a “liability,” he said via This is Futbol:

“At the time we signed him, I remember saying that that was not a signing the manager wants, that’s a signing [Steve] Parish made to appease the fans after the loan spell – simple as. He’s a liability, he’s gone downhill – another one – we cannot give him away. Who is going to sign him?”

Sakho is far from your conventional defender, a maverick who is more reckless than not – something backed up by his poor disciplinary record – and that is exactly what the Baggies need to steer clear of if they are to survive this current plight.

If Luke Dowling has any sense, he’ll reject this suggestion at the first point of asking.

AND in other news, West Brom exclusive: Sam Allardyce tipped to sign forgotten PL man in January…

Sam Allardyce will be hoping his West Brom side can build on Saturday’s Black Country derby victory with another result at West Ham United this evening, though he’ll have to do it without first-choice winger Grady Diangana.

According to BirminghamLive reporter Joseph Chapman, the 22-year-old attacker picked up a hamstring injury during training on Friday, which explains his absence against Wolves the following lunchtime.

He claims that he will not feature on his return to the London Stadium this evening and this will come as a huge blow to Big Sam, who also goes back to his old stomping ground in pursuit of back-to-back wins.

Indeed, the 3-2 victory over Wolves at the weekend was the Baggies’ first under the 66-year-old after taking over from Slaven Bilic in mid-December. However, it still leaves them four points from safety, making tonight’s encounter just as important as the derby.

Albion’s task will be even harder without Diangana as he’s a player that has started all four of their games since Allardyce was appointed until being forced out of the match at Molineux.

The £18m summer addition from the Hammers will have undoubtedly loved to feature tonight as he’d certainly have a point to prove to David Moyes, who was seemingly more than happy to sanction his exit.

He’s also started 14 of his 15 appearances in the top-flight this campaign, so clearly, the £37.5k-per-week man is an integral part of the West Brom side even if the young winger has only contributed towards one goal, via Transfermarkt.

Two of the Baggies’ three goals against Wolves came from the spot, the first of which being hugely dubious as initial contact looked outside the penalty box on the first, second and third viewing. They won’t always get the rub of the green.

Allardyce’s men struggled to create chances from out wide, between Kamil Grosicki, Robert Snodgrass and then Hal Robson-Kanu, they managed only one key pass between them throughout the 90 minutes.

By comparison, Matheus Pereira managed double that on his own, whilst Wolves’ Pedro Neto notched five key passes despite being on the losing team, that only further suggests that West Brom perhaps got away with it just three days ago.

Diangana is an “explosive” attacker who is a “total nightmare” to play against, according to Sky Sports duo Keith Andrews and Lee Hendrie. At the same time, the £13.5m-rated star has also been lauded as a “fantastic talent” by Baggies legend Carlton Palmer in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

West Brom are a much weaker proposition without the enigmatic sensation, who contributed towards 15 goals last term, bombing down that left-flank.

He’ll be a massive miss tonight.

AND in other news, Big Sam must unleash West Brom gem who Pulis once dubbed “gifted” tonight…

Although Leeds’ focus during the summer transfer window seemed to be signing Ben White from Brighton and Hove Albion, the Yorkshire club also had a bid rejected for another Brighton defender in Haydon Roberts.

It was reported during the summer that Leeds tabled a second bid of around £800k for the young centre-back, who was also attracting interest from the likes of Brentford, Derby County and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.

However, Brighton were seemingly desperate to keep the teenager at the club and instead loaned him out to League One side Rochdale to aid his development.

Since then, the 18-year-old has demonstrated his quality with the Dale, as in the eight appearances he has made for Brian Barry-Murphy’s side, he has been on the losing side just twice.

This is impressive when you consider that the Greater Manchester club were widely expected to struggle this season, but the signing of Roberts has really added quality to their squad, despite him being just 18-years-old.

The centre-back showed his class in Rochdale’s latest match, earning a 7.26 rating from WhoScored for his display in a 4-0 win against Plymouth Argyle.

Therefore, it is fair to suggest that the Brighton man looks destined for a big future in the Premier League, especially as he has already made three appearances for Graham Potter’s side.

You can understand why the Seagulls manager was keen to keep hold of him, and Roberts could well end up following a similar career path to Ben White, with the 23-year-old having enjoyed loan spells in the lower divisions, before rising to fame with his superb performances at Leeds last season.

If Roberts can continue his excellent form with Rochdale for the rest of the season, his value will only increase further, especially if he can do enough to show Potter that he can be a first-team regular in the Seagulls’ side next season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“562145″]

Therefore, Marcelo Bielsa may well be frustrated that his director of football Victor Orta was seemingly only willing to bid £800k for the young defender, as it seems likely that he will be worth significantly more than that in the not too distant future.

And, in other news… Forget Shackleton: Bielsa has his next academy sensation in 21 y/o with “bags of quality”

It’s the sign of the times that Aston Villa drawing 1-1 at Premier League title contenders Chelsea just doesn’t even seem that much of a surprise.

Dean Smith’s side have been a breath of fresh air this season, playing fantastic attacking football – they’ve already scored 28 goals in the top-flight – and picking up some big results against the division’s elite.

And whilst they may not have claimed all three points at Stamford Bridge on Monday night, they can be hugely proud of their efforts given they were in action just over 48 hours ago.

One man who put in an incredible shift for Smith, was John McGinn. The Scotland international hasn’t scored since early October when he netted in that famous 7-2 rout of Liverpool, and whilst he didn’t get on the score-sheet again against Chelsea, he looked in supreme touch in every other aspect.

Playing in that slightly deeper role, the 26-year-old went to war with the likes of N’golo Kante and Jorginho in the middle of the park, and came out on top.

As per Sofascore, he won a mammoth 13 of his 19 total duels on the night, by far the most of any Villa player on the pitch. As well as that, he also made three tackles and provided two key passes, whilst he was so unlucky not to be rewarded with a goal when he saw his thunderous long-range strike cannon off the crossbar.

His display led to Villa podcaster Ty Bracey to suggest that McGinn appears to be “back to his best”, and that’s surely something that could be a game-changer for the side going forward.

The likes of Ollie Watkins and Jack Grealish have carried a lot of the goal-scoring and creative burden this season, but if McGinn gets back to his usual self, then Smith will have another formidable weapon in his ranks.

The Scot’s display against Chelsea would surely have left his manager purring.

If reports are to be believed, West Brom boss Slaven Bilic has just a couple of games left to save his job at the Hawthorns…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable John Percy at the Telegraph, the Croatian’s position is under further scrutiny following Monday’s shocking defeat to relegation rivals Fulham.

It’s claimed that this weekend’s match against Spurs is potentially pivotal in deciding his fate with the international break to follow suit. After then, it’s the small matter of Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Albion are yet to win in seven attempts and find themselves third-bottom on just three points.

Cowardly move

It’s no secret that frustrations have reached a boiling point in the west Midlands.

Bilic and the board didn’t see eye-to-eye all summer and that hit a climatic and bitter end when they decided to sell Ahmed Hegazi to Saudi side Al-Ittihad behind his back last week – outside of the English window.

The Baggies only had about £20m to spend, as per the aforementioned report, with the bulk of the spending going on Grady Diangana and Karlan Grant.

But that failed to deal with several issues across the squad. There’s a serious lack of experience of playing at the top right across the pitch, notably in core positions like central defence and in midfield.

It would be an awfully cowardly move to even consider sacking Bilic this early on in the season, considering he wasn’t properly backed and it’s the club who made them weaker through Hegazi’s sale.

Getting rid of the former Hammers boss would be an even more inexcusable mistake from Lai and the board.

Albion need to get to the January transfer window, which is less than two months away, and use it to give Bilic what he needs – fill in those gaps. Go get that centre-back who can come in and have a Virgil van Dijk-like impact; go upgrade the right-wing position to free Matheus Pereira centrally.

Lai won’t have a leg to stand on if he stabs his manager in the back once again.

AND in other news, West Brom must steer well clear of £45k-p/w liability this January…

Aston Villa appear to have fully moved on from that fateful 2015/16 season which saw them relegated to the Championship for the first time in their Premier League history.

They narrowly missed out on a return to the second-flight last season but have come on leaps and bounds since, smashing Liverpool for seven goals earlier this season and now, they find themselves inside the top six going into the international break.

Many at Villa Park would’ve been glad to see the back of much of Tim Sherwood’s faltering squad but one player has actually thrived since then, clinching four major trophies.

That man is Idrissa Gueye, who originally signed for the Midlands outfit in a £9m deal from Lille before his £7.1m release clause was triggered by Everton.

Where is Gueye now?

The decision to include such a low figure was a disastrous decision from then-chairman Randy Lerner as Gueye’s value has skyrocketed since.

As per Transfermarkt, the Senegalese international is now worth around £21.6m, which is rather generous in itself as he’s cemented his place down among some huge names like Neymar, Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappe.

The 31-year-old has started seven of ten Ligue 1 matches this term, as well as featuring against Manchester United and RB Leipzig in the Champions League too.

Gueye averaged 3.3 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.2 key passes per game, via WhoScored, on PSG’s way to winning the domestic quadruple.

And whilst Villa now have the likes of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn pulling up trees in Smith’s midfield, you can’t help but feel the club could have benefitted more from a player that Sherwood once lauded as a “monster.”

The French giants paid the Toffees £30m for his signature in the summer of 2019, which makes Lerner’s call to put a £7.1m release clause within his contract look like one of the worst pieces of business Villa has ever seen.

AND in other news, Aston Villa dodged a £18.5m bullet with one target this summer…

Coventry are not expected to make a move for Manchester United midfielder James Garner, as per a report by the Manchester Evening News. 

After a successful title-winning League One campaign, Sky Blues boss Mark Robins has been working hard over the summer to add strength and depth to his squad.

The likes of Gustavo Hamer, Julien Dacosta and Callum O’Hare have all come in to hand Robins a strong squad as the Championship season begins.

An opening day defeat to Bristol City sees Coventry approach Friday evening’s game with Queens Park Rangers looking for their first league victory.

With the transfer window open until October 16, another talented young player in the name of Garner has been linked with Coventry.

The teenage Man United talent is said to be available on a season-long loan deal with the likes of Huddersfield Town also showing interest.

However, it is now being reported that United are unsure whether a loan move to the Sky Blues or Huddersfield will work, looking at other Championship clubs as potential suitors for the midfielder.

Highly regarded as one of the brightest talents at Old Trafford, the 19-year-old has so far made seven first team appearances for the Premier League side.

Coventry boss Mark Robins may feel slightly frustrated over this but he has already made good enough signings this summer that should be adequate enough to have a productive Championship season.

The squad in general does look in a good place, although Robins may opt to add a couple of extra names before the window shuts.

Do you think Coventry City are missing out on a good player for James Garner? Let us know in the comments section below…