All posts by z3u9t.icu

Sheffield United parted ways with Chris Wilder on Friday, ending his five-year stint at Bramall Lane.

And, following that big development,  Sheffield United News report that sources have dropped an eight-word claim regarding a move to Glasgow, saying ‘he could be on his way to Celtic’.

They believe he could be the new man at Parkhead following his United departure, with the Blades winning just four of a possible 28 league games this season.

Wilder’s impressive Sheffield United spell

The 53-year-old took charge of 227 games for the Blades, taking them from League One to the Premier League.

Even though Sheffield United sit bottom of the Premier League this year, Wilder picked up 1.59 points-per game in Yorkshire, slightly up on his career average of 1.57 points-per game.

The Hoops have been linked with a number of managers to fill the Parkhead void left by Neil Lennon, who has actually been tipped to replace Wilder.

Transfer Tavern take

Wilder has won three promotions during his career and his recent experience of rebuilding the Blades is impressive.

On that basis, he could be a shrewd appointment by Celtic, who seemingly need to undergo a rebuild of their own following a woeful 2020/21 campaign.

It remains to be seen how concrete the links are, but we feel this is certainly a major development in regards to Celtic’s search for a new manager.

In other news, pundit tips Celtic to swoop for Rafa Benitez!

West Ham United have landed a potential boost in their aspirations of signing Andre Silva following reports Eintracht Frankfurt are willing to sell the striker in the summer.

What’s the word?

According to Bild, La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid plus Wolverhampton Wanderers are eyeing a move to snap up Silva at the end of the season following his sublime efforts in Germany this term.

Silva took his tally to 18 goals in 21 games across all competitions on Sunday when he fired home in Die Adler’s 3-1 win over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, following back-to-back braces in Bundesliga victories over Arminia Bielefeld and Hertha BSC.

Only Bayern Munich’s UEFA Men’s Player of the Year winner Robert Lewandowski (24) has scored more often in the German top-flight this term than Silva (17), while the duo each account for 41% of their respective side’s goals for the division’s third-highest rate.

Silva’s impressive efforts have caught the attention of Atletico, who are now said to be planning on bidding for the 25-year-old in the summer, but face offering in excess of €30m (£26.5m) to open negotiations with Eintracht for the forward once lauded by Cristiano Ronaldo for his “phenomenal” record.

The chances of the 37-cap Portugal international leaving Frankfurt at the end of the season are expected to increase should Adi Hutter fail to secure the Deutsche Bank Park natives European football, though Die Adler are currently fifth in the Bundesliga table and a point outside the Champions League places.

West Ham were linked with Silva during the recent mid-season market with David Moyes said to have considered the former AC Milan flop as an option to replace Sebastien Haller.

Should Silva be an option for the summer?

With Moyes eventually opting against signing a striker to replace Haller in the winter transfer window, West Ham will have to be in the market for a new centre-forward to help support Michail Antonio in the summer.

And Silva should absolutely be an option the Irons explore, given how he has turned his career around with a €9m (£8m) move to Germany on the back of scoring just 10 goals in 41 games with AC Milan.

Silva also seems to thrive on competition having netted six of his 18 goals for the season since Luka Jovic returned to Frankfurt on loan on January 14, and even welcomed the return of the Real Madrid striker.

“I spoke to Andre and he said that it’s very, very important for him to have competition for places, that we have quality in the side,” Hutter said, via quotes by Bundesliga.com.

“That doesn’t bother him at all. Andre’s played at AC Milan and Sevilla, so it’s not like he’s not used to it, and we’ll see in the next few weeks that he’s able to cope with the competition.”

Silva would not be guaranteed a starting role at West Ham with Antonio the firm first-choice of Moyes, who the buck for the decision not to sign a striker in January stops at, as the West Ham boss was adamant that his side would not waste the £20m made from Haller’s sale.

“We didn’t get one, but we were looking, and we wanted to try and pick correctly. We had money to spend, we sold Seb earlier in the window so we had that,” the Hammers boss said, via quotes by the Evening Express.

“But we are trying to do things different at West Ham and we’re not going to follow the same path we have been following before. I chose to keep my money and hopefully we can start another rebuild come the summer.”

It remains to be seen if West Ham can sign Silva in the summer, but Moyes should absolutely urge the Irons to swoop in and test the waters in his eventual striker search, as the Frankfurt star can prove his decision not sign a Haller replacement in January was a masterclass and not a mistake.

AND in other news, West Ham failed to offload a £70k-p/w outcast in January despite a manager’s intent efforts…

Kevin Phillips believes West Ham United may make a summer move for Glasgow Rangers’ Calvin Bassey during the summer after he broke coronavirus regulations.

Bassey could depart

Bassey only signed for the Ibrox outfit last year from Leicester City. He has not been a regular, making just 13 appearances in all competitions (Transfermarkt), but many believed he was set for a bright future.

Unfortunately, he let himself, his teammates and his manager down when he decided to break lockdown rules recently to attend a small house gathering (The Guardian). It is unclear what is now in store for the 21-year-old.

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips believes the Hammers, who were interested in him before he moved to Ibrox, may make an approach. He responded when asked whether they would reignite their bid:

“I think they will have an eye on the situation.

“West Ham might think to test the water in the summer just in case the club do want to move him on.

“It is a tough one because when you make a mistake everyone jumps on you but Stevie G isn’t daft. I think he will give him the benefit of the doubt.

“I’d presume that he wants to keep Bassey for next season. The last thing you want to do is win the Championship and then get rid of one of your best young players because he has slipped up during the previous season.

“Bassey is a talented player so I would be surprised if Stevie G was to move him on. If anyone was to make an enquiry I think he would squash that straight away.”

Benefit of the doubt

There is no doubting the very disappointing nature of Bassey’s actions over the past week or so. Given the scrutiny players are under at the moment, it is incredibly naive from the youngster to believe he could get away with flaunting the rules so openly.

The club have launched an investigation, and Bassey is likely to be punished. Fortunately for him, it will not have too big an impact on the Gers’ season – they are currently 15 points clear at the top of the Premiership with just nine matches left to play (BBC).

He is clearly a player with talent, and young men are always going to make mistakes. This time around, he should probably be given the benefit of the doubt. However, should he not learn his lesson, there will be nowhere for him to hide.

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this SFA appointment.

Mike Ashley must sanction a January exit for rumoured West Bromwich Albion target Andy Carroll with the striker far from who Steve Bruce needs at Newcastle United.

What’s the word?

According to The Mirror (21/12, p. 63), Sam Allardyce is keen to be reunited with the centre-forward he spent £15m to sign whilst in charge of West Ham United having taken over from Slaven Bilic at The Hawthorns.

Carroll is yet to score a single goal for the Magpies since returning to St. James’ Park last year, and is believed to have been left frustrated by Bruce’s decision to leave him on the bench during this month’s 5-2 thrashing at Leeds United.

Allardyce is expected to contact Bruce to discuss a cut-priced winter deal for Carroll, who has just six months remaining on his £75,000-per-week contract, feeling the £3m-rated target man can prove very beneficial during the Baggies’ fight for Premier League survival.

Former Albion striker Kevin Phillips would urge the relegation-threatened side to complete a swoop for Carroll if Newcastle are open to a deal, as well, believing 6 ft 3 titan would offer Allardyce a different dimension compared to his current options.

“If you could guarantee he was going to stay fit for the rest of the season, I would certainly consider it because he gives you a different style,” Phillips told West Brom News.

“There might be a lot of people who say ‘oh this is going to be route-one football’ but it’s about winning a football match. And if that means bringing in a 6 ft 5 or 6 ft 6 centre-forward and you play a different style of play, we know Andy Carroll on his day can be unplayable.”

Time to leave, again

Allardyce was a firm supporter of Carroll’s talents during his spell in charge of West Ham, claiming the Toon product could be “unstoppable” when given space to operate in the penalty area.

“He is unstoppable when he gets that space,” Allardyce said in 2014, via quotes by BBC Sport. “Movement in the box is what it is all about, the heading ability only comes after the movement is right to give you the space to attack the ball and that happened with his two goals [vs Swansea].”

Carroll has been far from unplayable since re-joining Newcastle over a year ago, and Ashley must sanction a winter exit for the attacker who is bleeding the Toon chief dry with nothing to show for his lucrative wage.

Bruce has awarded just four players a lower haul of top-flight minutes than Carroll thus far this season, with the 31-year-old featuring for only 199 minutes over eight outings, of which he’s started just two.

Carroll should not be surprised to see Bruce explore alternative options, either, having failed to find the target with either of his seven shots recorded thus far, while only offering one key ball and winning just under two in three aerial duels, per WhoScored.

Newcastle certainly need further strikers beyond top-scorer Callum Wilson with Jeff Hendrick the sole additional Toon player to have scored more than once, but Carroll is unlikely to be Bruce’s answer and must be allowed to join West Brom in January.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce can scare Jurgen Klopp by unleashing a £4.5m-rated Newcastle talent on Liverpool.

According to Football Insider, Burnley are preparing to make the first move for Aston Villa transfer target Josh King.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer transfer window, and in recent weeks too, have suggested that Dean Smith’s side are very much interested in the Bournemouth forward.

But now, Football Insider claim that it’s Villa’s fellow Premier League side Burnley who are putting in motion a plan to lure him away from the Vitality Stadium, offering Matej Vydra in a part-exchange deal.

The report adds that Vydra is seen as a potential sweetener in a cash-plus-player deal for King, and that Bournemouth would rather sell King for a transfer fee now, than lose him on a free transfer in the summer when his contract expires.

Lange must act now

After months and months of speculation that Villa have got their eyes set on King, for Johan Lange to allow Burnley to swoop in at the last minute and strike a deal for the Norwegian from right under their noses would be a complete travesty.

Able to play all across the front-line and with bags of Premier League experience in his time at Bournemouth, King’s the kind of proven attacking option that would be able to hit the ground running for Smith in the second-half of the season – he’d scored 48 goals in 161 games in the competition before the Cherries’ relegation last season.

Ollie Watkins just seems to have hit an understandable brick wall in terms of his recent form, not scoring a single Premier League goal in his last nine games. Given he had never played top-flight football before this season, and the fact he’s had to play week-in and week-out with the likes of Wesley being out injured, it’s no surprise the striker’s form has tailed off massively.

Bringing King in would allow Smith to rest his summer signing or even make a tactical tweak where the two of them could even play together, but, at the very least, it would ease the goal-scoring burden on the 25-year-old.

Described as a “complete package” by former Cherries boss Eddie Howe, the 51-cap King is exactly what Villa need. Burnley’s late involvement in the race has left them facing a transfer nightmare however, and it desperately needs Lange to strike now.

Meanwhile, Lange might be making an unforgivable Villa mistake…

According to HampshireLive, Southampton striker Michael Obafemi could be forced to leave the club on loan in January as he looks for more game time.

Obafemi may move on loan

Despite making 21 appearances in the Premier League last term, Ireland international Obafemi has appeared in just one match in the English top flight so far this campaign.

As such, this latest report suggests he will need to leave St. Mary’s Stadium on a temporary basis as he looks for regular first-team football.

Just the ticket

Obafemi has been in and around the first team for about two years now since he was a teenager making his first steps into the game. Mark Hughes lauded the 20-year-old during his time on the south coast, saying the striker has “unbelievable pace”, while Mauricio Pellegrino called him a “good finisher”.

With Che Adams and Danny Ings in good form so far this campaign – they have eight goals between them this season – it doesn’t look as though Obafemi will be starting regularly any time soon, especially when Ralph Hasenhuttl also questioned his professionalism. It seems that, at this stage in his career, a loan move until the end of the season could be the best thing for the £4.05m-valued (Transfermarkt) youngster.

In other news, Southampton fans love the club’s tweet on this former star.

Federico Fernandez is set to hand Steve Bruce a Boxing Day boost with the Newcastle United defender on course to make his return to action at Manchester City.

According to The Northern Echo, the centre-half is being assessed ahead of Saturday night’s clash with Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues after he was substituted off at the half-time break during last weekend’s draw with Fulham having shown signs of serious fatigue.

Bruce linked the Argentine’s issues to Newcastle’s recent coronavirus outbreak, and was forced to tackle Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat to Brentford without Fernandez plus fellow defensive options Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles.

Bruce is hopeful Fernandez will be passed fit to face the Citizens on Boxing Day as Newcastle begin a testing run of festive fixtures, with a midweek meeting with champions Liverpool to follow before hosting Leicester City next Sunday.

Fernandez is well-regarded as being the Toon’s most consistent centre-half thus far this season and one who could ease Bruce’s defensive concerns, after being forced to start Isaac Hayden out of position to help cover with his mounting challenges.

“I sincerely hope we’ll have a few back, certainly in the defensive areas, which then leads to putting midfield players in their right positions,” Bruce said. “It’s been very difficult for the last week or ten days.

“We have freshened things up, but we are desperately short in defensive areas where it has hit us most badly. We will be looking to freshen things up if we can, and it’s vitally important we do that because we have some big games coming up.”

Fernandez’s return would certainly be a welcome boost for Bruce against Manchester City, providing the £4m-rated 31-year-old has regained his match-fitness and will not need replacing at the break once again.

The former Swansea City man, who Bruce lauds as a “great professional”, has started all 12 of his Premier League appearances thus far this season, only sitting out the Magpies’ 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion earlier this month.

His efforts in those fixtures have returned 64 clearances and blocked a team-high 19 shots – almost twice as many as any other Newcastle player in both accounts – plus 10 successful tackles and five interceptions while winning 18 ground duels and 22 aerial contests, per SofaScore.

Fernandez’s return to fitness would come at the perfect time for Bruce, after Manchester City appeared to near the best with a dominant win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night to stretch their unbeaten run to nine games across all competitions.

AND in other news, an £11m-rated Newcastle star betrayed Steve Bruce with an invisible display at Brentford.

Glasgow Rangers crushed Celtic in a comprehensive 2-0 win at Parkhead to take all three points in the first Old Firm derby of the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership season.

For the first time since taking charge of the Ibrox outfit, it’s safe to say that Steven Gerrard isn’t exactly short of options. Glen Kamara, Scott Arfield and Steven Davis bullied their biggest rivals on the pitch, whilst Ryan Jack was a surprise substitute as Bongani Zungu was ruled out of the top of the table clash after being forced to quarantine upon his arrival in Scotland.

Competition for places isn’t exactly a bad thing, but it can cause a few headaches here and there, and it looks like there is a growing problem that could cause Gerrard a few sleepless nights.

Brandon Barker stakes his claim!

Rangers are absolutely stacked on the right wing, that’s for sure, after the addition of Ianis Hagi in the summer and the re-emergence of Jordan Jones in recent weeks but Brandon Barker gave a good account of himself after earning a rare start on Saturday, so you can see the problem that Gerrard faces. Both full-backs Borna Barisic and James Tavernier ran riot on the flanks, combining with Barker and Ryan Kent whenever they wanted to.

Per SofaScore, the 24-year-old, who earns wages of around £10,000-per-week, received a pass accuracy rating of 85%, won four out of seven ground duels, completed one successful dribble attempt, and made two tackles, which shows that the right winger put in a defensive shift too.

The Daily Record gave him a solid 6/10, whilst The Sun went one higher and awarded him a 7/10 for his efforts.

Tough choice

He is clearly highly rated by Gerrard as he was given the chance to show what he can do against Celtic instead of Hagi and Jones, but it’ll be hard to justify spending £4m on the 13-cap Romania international if he stays on the bench.

Jones could also be in with a shout. He received praise from Gareth McAuley after fighting back from the brink of an Ibrox exit, but was benched for the trip to Celtic Park. One thing’s for sure, with all three players competing for a space in the starting XI, one unlucky contender is almost always guaranteed to miss out on the matchday squad, as it is highly unlikely that there will be two spots on the bench for one position.

The ever-reliable Kent has started every game he has played this season so far, so that rules out any of them starting on the opposite wing anytime soon. Either way, we wouldn’t want to choose between the trio, so we’re glad it’s Gerrard’s decision at the end of the day!

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers show they are early favourites for the title but must avoid a repeat of 2019…

Tottenham Hotspur could have been given a golden chance to make a handsome profit on outcast midfielder Dele Alli. Leeds Live have reported that bookmakers have made Marcelo Bielsa’s newly promoted side 25/1 to land a deal for the England international.

After falling out of favour under Jose Mourinho, Daniel Levy will be looking at his options and whether the time has come to cash in. According to CIES, Alli’s value has skyrocketed to a mammoth €70million (£62.2million), a huge spike from the initial £5million Spurs paid for his signature back in 2015.

Should Spurs look to sell Dele Alli?

It seems a surreal concept that the man Mauricio Pochettino loved so much would have his Tottenham future hanging in the balance. During the Argentinian’s reign, Alli flourished into one of the league’s most clinical midfielders. His best season was unarguably in 2016/17, where he netted a superb 18 Premier League goals and contributed an additional eight assists (via Transfermarkt).

Pochettino lauded Alli for his influence on the Spurs attack, generously comparing him to the likes of Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho. Even new boss Mourinho values the playmaker despite his decision to drop him on nine occasions this season.

“[Alli’s] too good to not be one of the best players in the world and not playing with the national team,” the three-time Premier League winner said last season (via The Independent).

But despite his comments on the 24-year-old, it seems that Mourinho has moved his team on as he looks to push Spurs up the Premier League table. Alli is a solid option to have on the bench and the club will be in no hurry to sell considering the fact he is contracted until 2024.

However, if Leeds are seriously considering bringing him to Elland Road, Levy and co could target their need for an attacking midfielder and push to bank a healthy sum of cash from the Yorkshire club, even if it doesn’t quite reach the £62m mark.

In other news, Spurs could unearth their next Dembele in teen prodigy Harvey White…

It’s safe to say it’s been a very enjoyable few weeks if you’re an Aston Villa fan.

Dean Smith’s side kicked off the new Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United, eased past their first two ties in the Carabao Cup, and have been doing some major business in the transfer market.

Now, French publication Foot Mercato claim that their work in trying to strengthen their first-team squad is not over yet, with a €17.5m (£16m) offer being made for Nice midfielder Wylan Cyprien.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The report reveals that Villa are convinced of the 5 foot 11 ace’s potential, and even see him following a similar trajectory to that of Idrissa Gueye – the club’s former midfield ace who now plays for Ligue 1 and European giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Cyprien is a goal-scoring midfielder who has the ability to do most things in the engine room, with his former teammate at Nice, and current Fulham star, Jean Michael Seri, saying: “He is very capable and he knows how to do everything with the ball: dribble, shoot, score. And then, honestly, a 6 who can attack as well as he can defend, I have rarely seen that.

“I saw from the get go what he brings, but the moment at which I said to myself that he is a top player was at the Parc (des Princes – PSG’s stadium). In Paris, he showed that he is a phenomenon. Very few midfielders, at his age, take their responsibilities. He did and had a huge game. He is a great player, he can play anywhere.”

£16m seems like an absolute bargain for a player who can do all that.