All posts by z3u9t.icu

Lots of Everton fans have been left reacting to some news involving Rafa Benitez.

As per Football Insider, the soon-to-be new owners at the St. James’ Park faithful are now plotting a move to bring the Spaniard back to the North East once the proposed takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium goes through.

He was given a three-year deal by the Merseyside club this summer after replacing Carlo Ancelotti, who went on to manage Real Madrid.

Of course, even though the new owners may have the financial muscle, it does seem very unrealistic that Benitez would leave the Toffees after such a short spell in charge, especially given the fact that they are currently sitting in a healthy fifth spot in the table in the Premier League at the moment.

Everton fans on Benitez news

These Blues rubbished the news as it was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it was ‘laughable’:

“Hahahahahaha! Not happening”

Credit: @D_Hart11

“In addition to the fact he’s at a much bigger club, they will still be under the same PL restrictions as we are and Usmanov will be pumping millions into EFC when he can anyway. File under not happening”

Credit: @EFCTweeter1878

“Honestly, this is getting boring now. A club with little or no history suddenly hits the big time with a mega bucks and all of a sudden, they’re going to poach our manager. Some of the names I’ve seen linked today by deluded ‘journalists’ are laughable. Money ruining the game.”

Credit: @chumble9

“Not going to happen.”

Credit: @SheepFlavour

“The ‘mega transfer kitty’ talk is being insanely overstated. The Elite pulled up the ladder several years ago. They barely tolerate Man City. FFP is king these days, to stop another City/Chelsea happening instantly as in the past, as Everton’s situation has shown.”

Credit: @UpperGwladysBlu

“The takeover will put Newcastle in the race for 5th to 10th. FFP will limit their ability to buy top players, who in all likelihood won’t move to Newcastle in any case….the top 4 ship has sailed…it’s funny watching them talk about it though…..”

Credit: @saus1878

In other news, find out what club news has Evertonians buzzing here!

West Ham United’s hectic festive fixture list continues later this evening as they make the short trip across London to face Arsenal in the Premier League.

Only a few days ago, the Irons were held by Burnley up at Turf Moor, making it just one win in their last four matches across all competitions. And heading into kick-off, their place inside the top four is at risk as the Gunners could leapfrog them with a victory at the Emirates Stadium tonight.

This encounter will be their fifth game since the turn of the month, so manager David Moyes has plenty to ponder in terms of team selection, not least because he is dealing with substantial injury problems in defence.

Both Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma seem likely to be out for the majority – if not all of – the remainder of the season, whilst academy gem Ben Johnson has only just returned to training this week and doubts still linger over Aaron Cresswell, who has not been seen since the Manchester City defeat.

However, having kept a clean sheet with the four players to replace the aforementioned quartet, it is in attack where the worry may lie as the Hammers registered only three shots on target from 16 attempts against the Clarets. It was also another blank for Michail Antonio, who has scored only once in ten games now.

Is it a case of him not being provided with adequate service? Or him being completely knackered from the sheer volume of minutes as Moyes’ only senior striker? Perhaps a combination of both.

It’s a catch 22 for the Scot as he cannot really turn to any other options in the role, having not signed a backup forward in nearly two years now, so it would be wise for him to help support him in the best way he can and that may be through the introduction of Pablo Fornals, who has been snubbed in successive league games for the first time this season.

The £18m-rated dynamo would be a far better option than Said Benrahma, whose struggles continue just like with Antonio. The Irons’ squad cannot afford to carry the pair of them against a side like Arsenal.

Benrahma has provided just one goal and one assist in his last 14 league appearances and six games without either, per Transfermarkt.

By contrast, the Spain international has doubled that tally (two goals, two assists) in the same timeframe and on his day, he could hold the keys to unlocking the Gunners’ defence this evening.

In terms of average WhoScored rating, Fornals edges Benrahma too, whilst he is also clear for creating chances, averaging 1.4 key passes per outing, 0.3 more than the Algerian.

According to club legend Trevor Sinclair, the attacking maestro has been a bargain at £25m for the club.

“Fornals’ rise has been incredible. [Spurs midfielder Giovani] Lo Celso has stood still, gone backwards,” he claimed to talkSPORT last month. “Two players who were on level pegging – one of them is absolutely flying and the other one’s gone backwards. Look at what Pablo Fornals is doing now at West Ham – he’s done unbelievable.”

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners side have been a little suspect against the teams inside the top six this season and Moyes can continue that trend by unleashing Fornals back into his starting XI here in north London this evening.

AND in other news, Moyes handed big West Ham injury boost this week…

Manchester City are set to rival Manchester United in the race to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice this summer.

The Lowdown: Transfer interest in Rice

A recent report from The Guardian has claimed that the 23-year-old has rejected a third contract offer with the east London club and is therefore ‘open’ to a move away in the summer.

However, Irons manager David Moyes has previously put a staggering £150m price tag on his vice-captain, following reports claiming that the Hammers would let him leave for £100m. This comes as Manchester United have frequently been linked with a move for the England international.

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The Latest: Man City join the race for Rice

According to a fresh report by the Daily Mail, Manchester City are also ready to launch themselves into the race to sign Rice in the summer.

The Premier League champions have asked the Hammers to keep them informed on the 23-year-old’s future as he evaluates his options, although it is claimed that the Irons’ demands could prove to be problematic for Pep Guardiola’s side.

The Verdict: Huge blow for West Ham

Rice’s refusal to sign a third contract offer will come as a huge blow an anxious sign of things to come for Moyes and everyone at the London Stadium.

With the likes of Manchester City joining the race to secure his signature, the midfielder’s pursuit of silverware could become far more attainable.

Therefore, West Ham must do anything they can to keep hold of their “outstanding” star man – in the words of Gareth Southgate – for as long as possible as they look to cement themselves as part of the top six. If even three contract offers can’t persuade Rice, it looks increasingly as if the Irons could lose their grip on the 23-year-old.

In other news: West Ham are in the race to sign this Championship gem

Aston Villa defender Axel Tuanzebe looks set to cut his loan from Manchester United short to join Napoli, Fabrizio Romano reports.

The Lowdown: Tuanzebe’s struggles

Tuanzebe made the move to Villa Park in the summer when Dean Smith was in charge, penning a season-long loan deal.

However, things haven’t exactly worked out for the 24-year-old back in the Midlands. Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings have been first choice under Smith and Steven Gerrard, limiting Tuanzebe to just six Premier League starts.

It now seems as if he will be recalled by the Red Devils, with another loan already lined up.

The Latest: Romano’s tweet

Romano took to Twitter late on Thursday evening to reveal the defender has now completed a medical with Napoli.

An official announcement is expected ‘in the next few days’ over another loan for Tuanzebe, in what will be his first move abroad.

The Verdict: Villa to act?

Villa confirmed a loan move for Philippe Coutinho on Friday morning, so their attention may now turn to replacing Tuanzebe with a centre-back signing.

Gerrard is thought to be after a centre-back and a defensive midfielder this month, so he may now prioritise the former of the two with Tuanzebe’s departure all but confirmed.

Villa will have only Konsa, Mings and Kortney Hause as senior options, so the quicker they can get one in, the better.

In other news: ‘Shocker’, ‘Sell’ – Many AVFC fans flock to Preece’s inside Bodymoor Heath update. 

Journalist Pete O’Rourke says that he ‘could see’ Celtic bringing in further attacking reinforcements before the window is out.

He was discussing The Hoops’ January transfer business with GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

Celtic have made four signings so far this month, shelling out a total of £2.2m. In addition to midfielders Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi, they’ve recruited Daizen Maeda, who can play as a left winger and through the middle, and centre-forward Johnny Kenny.

It is worth noting, though, that the latter is only 18 years old and is making a step-up from the League of Ireland (ranked 40th in Europe) to the Scottish Premiership (ranked ninth), so he may not be expected to make an impact at first-team level straight away.

The latest

O’Rourke alluded to how Celtic’s plethora of injuries, particularly among their forward players, has perhaps led to summer signing Jota being overburdened, but he believes the club could address that by doing further business in the remaining two weeks of the transfer window.

He told GiveMeSport: “I could see that being the case, that Celtic are looking to strengthen (in attack). Obviously, we know that they’ve had lots of injury problems this season.

“James Forrest has been in and out of the side, Mikey Johnson struggled as well. So, a lot of it’s been down to Jota, who is just recovering from injury himself.”

The verdict

Who could the next attacking addition possibly be?

One name to have been linked with a move to Celtic is Shabab Al-Ahli’s Mehdi Ghayedi. Varzesh Seh have reported that Ange Postecoglou is very keen to land the Iranian forward, who has been labelled an ‘extraordinary killer’.

The 23-year-old, who is valued at just shy of £1.1m by Transfermarkt, can play across the frontline, offering tremendous versatility. Also, with 41 career goals to his name, he could be a smart signing for the club if they can bring him in.

Given the injury issues that O’Rourke has mentioned, Celtic could do worse than further reinforcing their attacking ranks while they are getting the chance this month.

In other news, Celtic have taken this bold contractual step

New Forest manager Martin O’Neill must want to add to his squad on transfer deadline day after replacing Aitor Karanka.

The Reds possess one of the largest squads in the Championship but O’Neill should move to bolster his ranks after replacing the Spaniard. The Northern Irishman hasn’t had much time to assess his current options but incomings and outgoings can always happen on deadline day. Still, funds may be limited so loan moves will be their best course of action.

O’Neill sould look to the Premier League for some new recruits after enjoying plenty of success at his former clubs.

One man he could target is Liverpool wonderkid – Ben Woodburn. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the Wales international has long been considered one of the brightest talents on Merseyside after becoming the club’s youngest ever goal scorer against Leeds United. With his route to the first-team blocked, Woodburn was loaned to Sheffield United in the summer but failed to make an impact with Chris Wilder’s men and was sent back to Anfield.

The 19-year-old remains one of the top prospects in the country and could have a big impact at the City Ground. Woodburn is a versatile forward who can play through the centre or on either wing making him a useful option for O’Neill to have at his disposal. Once he rediscovers his confidence, Woodburn would add another quality option in the final third. His time with the Blades should not be indicative of his abilities.

Klopp will be eager to see the starlet get some regular playing time under his belt in a competitive division – this is a move that would benefit all parties involved on deadline day.

Nottingham Forest fans, thoughts?

A number of Liverpool supporters are delighted after new footage showed Harvey Elliott making good progress in his injury recovery.

The Reds have made an excellent start to the season, still remaining unbeaten in all competitions and sitting second in the Premier League table.

Tuesday’s 3-2 win away to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League was another statement of intent and victory at Manchester United on Sunday would also feel huge.

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One player who won’t be involved is Elliott, with the 18-year-old absent since a serious injury sustained at Leeds United back in September.

On Thursday, Watch LFC on Twitter posted a video of the midfielder working hard on his recovery, after he shared the footage on Instagram.

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Liverpool fans react to Elliott video

Needless to say, these Liverpool fans were excited to see the clip emerge, with Elliott hopefully returning sooner rather than later.

“Come back soon Starboy”

Credit: @tarapapa__

“If this boy gets the work rate of Salah and has an injury-free career, he’ll be boss. I like his mentality already.”

Credit: @Yawadumensah

“I cannot wait for him to come back man. Our midfield was so good with him, Fab and Thiago against Leeds”

Credit: @ALI__2318

“Words can’t describe how much I cant wait for him to return”

Credit: @zeeyardtrix

“This young man is an amazing example”

Credit: @mcos72068

“Ah man, this is a blessing. So happy for the lad”

Credit: @agaffar09

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming at a piece of news that has emerged. Read more here.

Celtic winger Karamoko Dembele may not be in line for a return to first-team action any time soon.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Kieran Devlin, with The Athletic journalist revealing in a recent Q&A that the 18-year-old’s injury sustained in pre-season appeared to be a break rather than a less serious knock, something which could see the forward ruled out until well into the new year.

When asked by a fan why Dembele has not featured for Celtic so far this season, Devlin said: “He’s also injured, *think* it turned out to be a break in the end but conflicting information on that.”

Postecoglou will be livid

Considering Dembele’s regular involvement in Celtic’s pre-season campaign this summer, in addition to Ange Postecoglou appearing incredibly excited to work with the teenager this season, the news that Dembele could remain sidelined until well into next year will undoubtedly have left the 56-year-old manager livid.

Indeed, shortly after his arrival at the club, the Greek-Australian coach singled the winger out for praise, stating: “He is obviously a hugely talented boy. He has been here for a while and I guess he gets an opportunity now.

“I think the way we play will suit him. He was positive [against Charlton Athletic], not just with the ball, he also worked hard without the ball. Yeah, I thought he did well. I never worry too much about age, at either end of the spectrum. It is more about can they do what we want them to do.

“He has been in and around the first-team squad for a little while now. I think he wants to break through and be a first-team player so I see no reason why anybody needs to protect him from that.”

And, when taking into account the excitement that surrounds the youngster, – the prolonged absence of the forward will undoubtedly start to raise questions as to whether he can indeed go on to fulfil his undoubted promise.

For instance, French publication L’Equipe once named Dembele as one of “the wonders of European football” alongside the likes of Ansu Fati, Joelson Fernandes, Sebastiano Esposito, Mohamed Ihattaren and Karim Adeyemi back in 2019.

Indeed, should the England U18 international find himself ruled out of action until after the rapidly approaching January transfer window, in which Postecoglou will look to bring in further reinforcements to his current attacking options at Parkhead, Dembele could well find his route to first-team football even more blocked than at present – something that does not bode well for his development in professional football whatsoever.

In other news: “Continuing talks”: Sky journalist reveals transfer update that Celtic fans will love

It wasn’t long ago that Tom Rogic’s Celtic career looked in significant doubt.

The attacking midfielder was only a bit-part player at Parkhead during various points of Neil Lennon’s tenure and was linked with a regular exit from the Hoops.

Yet, step forward Ange Postecoglou, who has revived his fellow countryman’s career in Glasgow, with the Australian playing 44 times this term and contributing to 16 goals in the process.

Rogic is now a key player again and in the words of The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin, he is becoming a “Celtic great.”

It’s hard to argue against that considering his 266 outings in the green and white but he does have competition from David Turnbull, someone who has spent plenty of time on the sidelines this term.

He will also have to look further behind him in Matt O’Riley, who has very quickly become a fan favourite at Celtic Park.

The Denmark U21 international signed from MK Dons for a bargain fee of £1.5m in January and he has been a revelation since penning terms.

The 21-year-old already has three goals and three assists in Celtic colours and that tally will surely rapidly improve.

His performance off the bench in the 7-0 drubbing of St Johnstone was one of his best performances yet, with the £405k-rated attack-minded player finding the net twice.

Capable of playing in central areas or on the flanks, the youngster is starting to show shades of a certain Stuart Armstrong, someone who stood out in a similar position before being snapped up by Southampton.

Armstrong scored 28 times and supplied another 25 for his teammates in Glasgow and the more intricate stats suggest how alike they are.

In 2021/22 so far, the Scotland international has recorded 1.7 shots per, 1.1 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per match in the Premier League.

O’Riley on the other hand has registered 1.4 shots, 2.5 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per match, although that final statistic was better at 1.3 while he was still playing in England’s third tier.

With those stats in mind, they both appear to glide past players with ease, while they’re also extremely dangerous in front of goal.

Celtic’s new recruit does appear to be more creative but it’s clear to see why this comparison is being made.

Described as “silky” and “classy” after yesterday’s win by pundit Michael Stewart, the future is a hugely exciting one for O’Riley in Glasgow.

AND in other news, Forget Jota: Ange must clinch huge Celtic signing in 54-goal gem who is “like Mbappe”…

Aston Villa have always been rather active in the transfer market over the past number of years, whether they’ve been in the Premier League or Championship.

Numerous players have moved in and out of the Midlands club either on loan or permanent deals.

However, one player the Villans were linked with that didn’t end up donning a Villa shirt is Wesley Sneijder, someone they quite clearly made a huge mistake over.

Back in the 2009 summer transfer window, it was reported that the Midlands club were favourites to sign the Dutchman from Real Madrid after his agent revealed that Inter Milan, who were also after him at the time, were quite some way from offering the sort of money that the Spanish side were looking for.

Unfortunately for Villa, the midfielder did end up joining the Italian club that summer after racking up a total of 246 appearances for Madrid and his original club Ajax, scoring 69 goals and providing 57 assists along the way.

During his time with Inter, Sneijder found the back of the net 22 times in 116 appearances, delivering 35 assists in the process.

In the 2013 January transfer window, the 37-year-old, who has been described as a “monster” by journalist Grant Wahl, then moved to Turkey after signing with Galatasaray where he delivered 89 goal contributions in 175 games.

He then went on to have spells in France with OGC Nice and Al-Gharafa in Qatar before retiring in 2019 having won numerous trophies in Spain, Italy and Turkey.

Labelled as a “lethal” player in terms of his dead-ball ability by the official Copa90 Twitter account following his induction to Inter’s Hall of Fame, Sneijder ended his playing career with a total of 295 club goals and assists to his name.

Having also racked up an accumulative transfer fee of £44.6m from his moves to Real, Inter and Galatasaray according to Transfermarkt, Villa and their then-owner Randy Lerner certainly made a mistake by not splashing the cash when they had the chance and bringing the Dutch maestro to England.

Bearing in mind this was a player that claimed he could have been on the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of talent, having a figure of his footballing calibre in a Villa shirt could have been a sight to behold for the fans.

In other news: Huge boost: Gregg Evans reveals fresh Villa development, it’s great news for Gerrard