All posts by z3u9t.icu

Numerous fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter in which Declan Rice looked back on the Hammers’ weekend draw with Arsenal.

Despite having raced into a 3-0 first half lead against Mikel Arteta’s side on Sunday, own goals from both Tomas Soucek and Craig Dawson, as well as an 82nd-minute Alexandre Lacazette strike, saw West Ham take just one point from the fixture, with the match ending 3-3.

Following the result, Rice took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the stalemate, claiming that it was a “disappointing end to such a bright performance”, before turning his attention to the remainder of West Ham’s Premier League campaign, calling for fans to “stay positive” and reassuring them that he and his team will “keep giving our all for the end goal”.

However, in reaction to Rice’s post on Twitter, plenty of West Ham fans flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to ignore the England international’s advice on staying positive as they lambasted West Ham’s capitulation against the Gunners.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to Declan Rice’s post on Twitter?

“Playing well Dec but have a word with Moyes and get him to actually analyse a game before it happens. All this sitting in just invites pressure and hasn’t worked for quite a few games now. Need results against Chelsea and Leicester now.”

@westhamhour

“Embarrassing but 3 points against Wolves.”

@willearle_

“You need to get into the game more and settle it down somehow when we can’t get the ball, like the last 60 minutes. Not sure what the answer is just yet but it needs a discussion with David Moyes. We need you on the ball, not being bypassed. Games can’t keep going like this.”

@wasntme23

“Not good enough.”

@con_whu

“Need to keep more offence and stop trying to protect a slim lead – never works for us.”

@ClaretnBlueLife

“Very. Let’s hope we can step up in the remaining games.”

@Deal770M

“I’m gutted Dec.”

@WHUFC_Dan78

“Don’t let us bottle this I beg man.”

@finley_mclellan

“Rubbish.”

@Drj751

In other news: these West Ham fans flocked to a claim from ExWHUEmployee – find out more here!

Leicester City will play host to Europa League opponents Slavia Prague this evening following their 0-0 stalemate in the reverse fixture at the Sinobo Stadium. The Foxes are unbeaten in their last six fixtures and will hope that a win at the King Power will keep their positive streak running.

James Maddison will be unavailable for selection after he was forced off the pitch against Aston Villa. He sustained a hip injury and Brendan Rodgers confirmed he will miss out on the Europa League action, but admitted the midfielder shouldn’t requite any more surgery.

Whilst this will be a blow to Leicester in midfield, all eyes will be on how they set up without the influential England international. Football FanCast has predicted what team Rodgers will field this evening…

With Maddison not available to slot into the attacking midfield role as normal, Rodgers may opt to revert to a 3-4-3 formation and make use of his full-backs. This could see both Luke Thomas and Ricardo Pereira start in a more advanced role in order to contribute to the attack. The latter started further forward on the right flank against Villa and put in a solid performance considering it was out of his comfort zone.

In the heart of the midfield, Youri Tielemans’ presence will add creativity, but Wilfred Ndidi could be demoted in place of Hamza Choudhury. Leicester have a Premier League match against Arsenal just three days after their meeting with Slavia Prague and Rodgers can’t afford for key players to burn out. This could also be the reasoning behind a Cengiz Under start, which will be just his ninth for Leicester if he’s named amongst the 11 tonight.

The £94,000 per week loan signing has been limited with his game time since joining the Premier League outfit, but has been given a good run in the cup competitions. As per Transfermarkt, Under has played just eight league matches but has been a regular in the Europa League. He will fill in for Marc Albrighton, who was quite disappointing in the reverse fixture. He managed just 11 passes and 32 passes in total, which was less than goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel with 20 and 47 respectively, according to Sofascore.

With all to play for, Leicester must strike early and ensure the grab themselves the upper hand on home soil. An attack of Under, Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy will be hungry secure their spot in the next round of the Europa League.

In other news, Steve Howey labels James Justin injury as a “huge blow”…

Southampton failed to find the back of the net for the fourth time in their last seven Premier League fixtures with a 1-0 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park on Monday night.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side rarely looked like scoring against the Toffees until the final moments and they could only muster one shot on target in the 90 minutes.

One key factor behind the Saints’ woeful recent form has been the lack of goals from Che Adams, who has now failed to score since the 3-0 win against Sheffield United in December.

Recent fixtures have seen Hasenhuttl utilise Nathan Redmond as a striker alongside Danny Ings, but the injury to Oriol Romeu meant that Stuart Armstrong moved from the wing into central-midfield, with Redmond starting in his usual position at Goodison Park.

This left a gap up front for Adams to partner Ings, but the duo showed no signs of the partnership that worked so well earlier in the season, with the former Birmingham City man anonymous throughout the game.

As per SofaScore, the 24-year-old would earn a disappointing 6.4 match rating for his display, with only Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond earning lower (both 6.3/10) of any player who started the game.

During his time on the pitch, Adams, who joined Southampton from Birmingham in a £15 million deal in the summer of 2019, would complete just 8/17 of his passes, resulting in a shocking 47% pass accuracy.

This was the fewest amount of passes played by any player who started the game, whilst it was also significantly lower than the 17.8 passes per game and the 69.8% pass accuracy he has averaged this season in the top-flight.

Despite having just 29 touches of the ball, Adams still managed to give the ball away 15 times, whilst he also failed to have a single shot on target, which emphasises that on the rare occasions here he did have the ball at his feet, he was extremely wasteful with it.

Everton’s centre-back pairing of Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane enjoyed a relatively stress-free game, as they both picked up solid match ratings, and were rarely troubled by Adams, who was only able to win four of his 17 total duels during the game, suggesting that he was simply outclassed by Carlo Ancelotti’s defenders at Goodison Park.

Therefore, it seems fair to suggest that Adams was completely anonymous in the defeat against Everton and that he let Hasenhuttl down when the Austrian manager needed him to deliver.

And, in other news… Saints handed big boost with £13.5m-rated gem who can put relegation fears to bed

Glasgow Rangers are back in action after inflicting defeat on Celtic in the Old Firm derby when they travel to Pittodrie to take on Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

Steven Gerrard’s Gers beat Neil Lennon’s side in a hotly-contested clash at the top of the table last weekend and the Ibrox boss will most likely name a largely-unchanged squad to face the Dons, in what will be another big game for his side.

Rangers will be hoping to avoid of a repeat of the 2-2 draw with Derek McInnes’ side last season and instead, they’ll want to grab three more points.

They will have to do so without Scott Arfield, Ryan Jack and Kemar Roofe, who have all been ruled out due to injury.

Here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up for this afternoon’s action, which sees Gerrard make a few changes from the Old Firm derby.

Veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor will start in goal behind a back four of Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and James Tavernier.

This means Leon Balogun will be forced to settle for a place on the bench as one of three rotations, such is Rangers’ strength in depth.

It’s likely the Ibrox boss will stick with his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, which means Gerrard will deploy a midfield three of Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Bongani Zungu.

Asking Steven Davis to play again after such a taxing Old Firm derby may be a step too far, so giving Zungu a run out in the midfield alongside Aribo and Kamara may be a good idea. The South African international has largely been restricted to a smattering of substitute appearances this season so far.

Upfront, Alfredo Morelos is likely to lead the line with Ianis Hagi and Ryan Kent on either side. Hagi is set to start on the right wing after he replaced Kemar Roofe at half-time against Celtic and put in a very impressive display.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must sanction Rangers swoop for Bright Osayi-Samuel…

Tottenham Hotspur are their sights set on a new central defensive addition, according to recent reports this week, and it could be bad news for the recently linked-away Davinson Sanchez.

What’s the word?

Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed to We Are Tottenham TV that Spurs are keen on signing Fiorentina colossus Nikola Milenkovic, but may have to wait until the summer to seal any move.

It’s not the first time that the north London outfit has been linked to the imposing 23-year-old centre-back as claims from Italy emerged last month suggesting he could be available to Daniel Levy for just €25m (£22m).

Bye-bye Sanchez?

If Jose Mourinho is to bolster his backline, whether that’s now or in the summer, then you’d imagine that Davinson Sanchez is in grave danger of becoming even more of a forgotten man in N17.

Ever since West Ham’s shocking comeback in October, the Colombian one-time club-record signing has been heavily out-of-favour. Indeed, he has been snubbed from the starting XI a total of 11 times in all competitions since that day, starting just twice in the Premier League in the same timeframe, per Transfermarkt.

And according to The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare in December, the 24-year-old defender “would be open to a move next month if the right opportunity comes up.”

Whilst Eurosport’s Dean Jones believes the Spurs hierarchy would be willing to listen to offers for Sanchez during this current transfer window.

Therefore, it seems viable that Milenkovic could be signed as a potential replacement and possibly as an upgrade in the role too.

The 26-time Serbia international has drawn comparisons to Premier League legend Nemanja Vidic over the course of his career to date. Mozzart Sport journalist Dejan Stankovic told ESPN:

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field. He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

His old Partizan head coach Ivan Tomic also lauded his ability in a positive manner, claiming: “Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him.”

Milenkovic has been La Viola’s star performer, topping the charts with a WhoScored rating of 6.92 and when delving into the numbers, it’s hardly a surprise as he’s also first in Cesare Prandelli’s squad for key defensive attributes such aerial duels won (3.8) clearances (3.4) tackles (1.5), interceptions (1.5) and blocks (one) per game in the Serie A this term.

These are hugely encouraging returns for someone nowhere near hitting the peak of his career – by comparison, Sanchez can only match his tackling statistics having averaged 1.6 tackles per game over the course of his career, per WhoScored.

Evidently, the 6 foot 5 powerhouse would be a viable option for Spurs to consider and if Levy can afford to, he absolutely must sanction a £22.5m swoop either this window or in the summer.

Milenkovic would be one hell of an addition at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news, Levy could find Alderweireld’s dream CB partner in £22.5m-rated “leader”…

Ross Wilson could give Steven Gerrard the perfect Alfredo Morelos replacement by signing Piast Gliwice striker Jakub Swierczok from his parent club PFK Ludogorets Razgrad.

What’s the word?

According to Polish publication Newonce Sport, Rangers are keeping tabs on Swierczok’s transfer situation ahead of the winter transfer market, as Morelos has once again attracted attention from a whole host of clubs across Europe.

Swierczok is widely regarded as one of the best players in the Ekstraklasa after he established himself as a first-team regular starter at Ludogorets Razgrad following his arrival from Zaglebie Lubin in 2018.

The 27-year-old spent two years with Ludogorets, during which time he scored 36 goals and supplied 10 assists in 83 games for the Eagles in all competitions, before leaving on loan for Piast Gliwice in the summer, where the in-form striker has continued his red-hot streak.

Swierczok is currently under contract until June 2021 and is expected to leave in the upcoming winter transfer market or in the summer.

Perfect Morelos replacement

If Rangers decide to sell Morelos in January, they will need a sure-fire replacement, and Gerrard, Wilson and the rest of the club’s hierarchy will be hard pressed to find a striker better suited to Scottish conditions than the former Poland international.

Despite their spending spree in the summer, it’s inevitable the Light Blues will need to find players to replace aging veterans Jermain Defoe and Greg Stewart at some point in the not too distant future, and Swierczok has the potential to become Gerrard’s new Morelos, which seems a little strange as he is three years older than the Colombian star striker.

Valued at £2.16m via Transfermarkt, the right-footed forward is considered to be one of the best players in the Polish top flight and he’s shown that he can be a force to be reckoned with, with four goals in his past ten games in the league, via WhoScored.

Standing at 5 ft 8 in tall, the diminutive striker isn’t the tallest of centre-forwards, but he makes up for his lack of height with guile and cunning, and he could be a real bargain, as he will be available for a free transfer in the summer.

Per SofaScore, Swierczok won two ground duels, created one big chance and was fouled at least once on average per game during the 2018/19 Europa League season, which suggests that he was a real menace throughout the campaign.

This kind of combative nature is exactly what Gerrard will need to replace if and when the time comes for Morelos to leave the 54-time Scottish champions, as the Colombia international is fouled at least once per game in the Europa League this season so far, as per SofaScore.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers chief Ross Wilson must deliver Billy Gilmour or face consequences…

Celtic look to have missed out on a potentially brilliant signing, as Philip Zinckernagel, who signed for Watford earlier this week, has confirmed that the Hoops were one of the sides who were showing an interest in him.

After he joined the Hornets on a free transfer, he revealed that:

“I could have chosen to go to clubs where I would have earned more money. I preferred the sporting challenge to money. Not that it’s a bad package I’ve got at Watford and it’s a five-and-a-half-year contract.

“I had offers from clubs in Turkey, the Netherlands, Schalke in Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and a lot in Eastern Europe. And additionally, Celtic were also involved.”

It is no surprise to hear that the 26-year-old was attracting so much interest, as he enjoyed an incredible campaign for Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt in 2020.

The winger contributed a remarkable 19 goals and 24 assists in 30 appearances in the Eliteserien last year, resulting in a total of 43 goal contributions.

Considering Mohamed Elyounoussi is Celtic’s current top scorer with just 11 goals, it definitely could be argued that Zinckernagel would have been an excellent addition to Neil Lennon’s squad.

The Bhoys may also be without the Southampton loanee’s goals next season if he stays with the Saints, so it seems likely that the club will have to bring in a replacement on the wing. The Danish international could have been a perfect choice, especially as he was available on a free transfer.

Therefore, it could definitely be considered a huge error by Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell in not signing him, as any potential offer made by the Bhoys was clearly not enough to convince him to make the move to Scotland, with him instead choosing to join Watford in the Championship.

Zinckernagel’s form last year certainly proves that he has an eye for goal and had Lawwell managed to seal his transfer, perhaps he could have been the difference in the rest of the season, with Lennon’s side facing an uphill battle to overtake their rivals in their hopes of securing a tenth successive Scottish Premiership title.

And, in other news… Lennon handed huge injury blow with 27 y/o beast

Rekeem Harper’s contract extension at West Brom is surely looking like one strange decision.

The 20-year-old can’t be happy with his lack of playing time since signing fresh terms last summer. It was one of the first piece of business that Baggies manager Slaven Bilic made following his appointment.

Since that day, Harper has played just 16 times, four of which were starts in the Championship whilst he’s not been seen in the Premier League since a 21-minute cameo on the opening day.

Prior to signing on the dotted line, the Albion academy graduate was attracting the interest of top-flight duo Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur as well as Serie A giants Juventus, as per the Mirror.

That’s three major teams that wanted the youngster on a free transfer yet whatever Bilic told him was enough to convince him to stay and fight for a place.

Following the arrival of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea and the late return of Filip Krovinovic, both on loan, Harper could well find it harder to stake a claim amongst the senior set-up.

Thus, he should look to force through an loan exit during the January transfer window, so that he can go out and catch Bilic’s eye – very much in the same way Sam Field did at Charlton Athletic last season.

If he wasn’t currently injured, he’d be way more involved as the only out-and-out defensive midfield option at the club.

“Rekeem is one of the players who has made the biggest progress since lockdown, and before lockdown as well,” Bilic told the Express & Star in July. “Rekeem had started to play really well, he had started to train consistently – power, movement, tactics, stamina, skill, everything. He’s becoming more and more mature. I never denied that I love him as a player – I love those kind of players, who are powerhouses but can pass the ball, that’s great.”

If that’s the case, then just why hasn’t he been utilised more often? As mentioned, Albion lack real power in the engine room.

Even Tony Pulis spotted his potential back in 2017, claiming the starlet has “got all the tools to be a player.”

It’s on Harper himself, go out on loan and impress Bilic or quickly become the club’s next Sadio Berahino – a homegrown talent with bags of potential that was never fulfilled at the Hawthorns.

AND in other news, West Brom must not offer £7m LIABILITY a new contract…

Liverpool return from the international break with an injury-ravaged squad and Jurgen Klopp’s side couldn’t have asked for a much tougher game in their return fixture, as they face top-of-the-table Leicester City at Anfield on Sunday evening.

The German manager will be without first-team regulars Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold for the visit of the Foxes, meaning he will have to make some serious changes to his defence.

Fortunately for the Reds, it was confirmed earlier this week that both Fabinho and Thiago could be fit to play on Sunday evening, so it is perhaps likely that the Brazilian will return to the side as a starting centre-back, alongside Joel Matip.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Klopp to line his side up against Leicester City on Sunday, with the German manager forced into four changes from the side that faced Manchester City before the international break…

Even if Fabinho isn’t completely match fit, it would be a surprise if Klopp didn’t start the Brazilian against Leicester City, as the inexperienced Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips may both struggle to deal with the threat of Jamie Vardy in the Foxes attack.

Andy Robertson did have a slight injury concern during the international break but played the full 90 minutes against Israel on Wednesday, so should be fit to keep his place at left-back.

Meanwhile, with the injury to Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams could make his first Premier League appearance of the season at right-back, having been described as a “machine” by Klopp in the summer.

If Thiago is fit to play, the Spanish midfielder should come in for the injured Jordan Henderson, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum keeps his place and Curtis Jones should start ahead of Naby Keita after the Guinean’s poor start to the season.

Mohamed Salah misses out after testing positive for the current viral outbreak, so Diogo Jota takes his place on the wing, making up an attacking trio that also includes Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

Although Liverpool are seriously blighted by injuries at the moment, they cannot let the chances of a second-successive title slip away from them early in the season, so this will be a hugely important game against Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester side.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown has tipped the club to go for Swansea City defender Joe Rodon as a ‘typical’ signing whilst also lavishing praise on Spurs manager Jose Mourinho. 

After a summer of numerous marquee deals, with six new additions in total coming through the door at Hotspur Way, Brown has waxed lyrical over the ‘very exciting’ business being done and has tipped Spurs to bring in a seventh new player before Friday’s transfer deadline.

Rodon still on Spurs’ radar

Rodon, who emerged as a target in the final hours of deadline day, was reportedly ‘close’ to a Tottenham move according to Sky Sports, but journalist Alasdair Gold has claimed they are still in talks.

Football Insider echoed this report, stating Daniel Levy submitted a fresh £13m bid for the 22-year-old earlier this week.

Tottenham have already signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Hart, Matt Doherty, Sergio Reguilon and Carlos Vinicius whilst securing the return of club icon Gareth Bale on loan.

According to these recent reports, the 6 foot 4 (1.93m) Swansea powerhouse could be set to join them before the domestic transfer deadline on Friday.

Brown very excited about Rodon

Brown has issued his take on these developments, claiming the Welshman could be a ‘typical’ Lilywhites signing who Mourinho can mould into a world-class asset.

“I think it’s very exciting with all the signings coming in,” the 43-year-old explained to Football Insider.

“I think anybody can be moulded by Jose Mourinho, he’s got that special talent that we’ve seen. He says he’s the special one, as we know.

“He’s a very experienced manager, someone you’d want to play for and it’s a typical sort of Spurs signing, isn’t it?”

Transfer Tavern take

Still only 22, Rodon has already been described as a ‘quiet leader’, with Wales international teammates Bale and Ben Davies reportedly being huge admirers.

A regular for the Swans last term, Rodon has already displayed his consistency at Championship level; and at good value for money (£15m and upwards), he could be a noteworthy signing if Spurs get him.

Lilywhites, should your club sign Rodon before Friday’s deadline? Have your say in the comments section below…