All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to The Evening Standard, Tottenham left-back Danny Rose has dismissed accusations that Tottenham are mentally weak, after they crashed out of the League Cup semi-final to Chelsea on penalties. 

Tottenham, ravaged by injuries, held a slender 1-0 lead going into the second leg at Stamford Bridge, but that was erased by half time, as Chelsea led 2-0 at the break. However, a goal from Fernando Llorente made the scores level on aggregate, forcing the game to penalties. A miss from Eric Dier and a saved penalty from Lucas Moura meant Chelsea progressed to face Man City in the final in February.

Inevitably, the rhetoric surrounding Tottenham being bottle-jobs will emerge, as, after all, that was their third semi-final they have lost in a row, and the fifth in their last six.

However, since their first leg fixture, Spurs have lost Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min, as well as losing Ben Davies and Mousa Sissoko during the match. They have been ravaged by injuries and faced a Herculean task to get through. Furthermore, after going 2-0 down and being resoundingly outplayed during the first half, their task looked even greater.

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To come back from the position that they were in is an indication that Spurs may slowly be losing their reputation of being bottlers. Of course, they did lose, but given the position that they were in, to force the game to penalties was a very impressive effort. What’s more is that they actually had a number of chances to win through Llorente and Moura.

Mauricio Pochettino will still hope that his side get over the hurdle of the semi-final the next time it arises, but this performance, more than most in the past, actually offers Spurs some positives.

Some Southampton fans have been left blasting the performance of Oriol Romeu in their 4-0 loss at Liverpool on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men got a real battering at Anfield, with two goals from Diogo Jota and one each from Thiago and Virgil van Dijk more than enough to give the home side all three points.

Romeu was simply run ragged in the centre of midfield at times, as he lost out on four of his duels, while he also failed to block any shots on his goal and made no key passes, losing possession of the ball 12 times, the seventh-most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, he will now be hoping to make amends when his team host Leicester City in midweek.

Southampton fans on Romeu performance

These members of the St. Mary’s faithful blasted his display on Twitter, with one Saints supporter even going as far as to claim that he was a ‘disgrace’:

“Romeu and JWP are too slow to play PL football together in a two”

Credit: @DanJean09

“Bednarek, Livramento and Romeu have been awful. Should be subbed at half time and dropped until they earn there place back”

Credit: @willdebruin27

“Romeu laughing and smiling with Thiago at the end of that shocking half. Absolute disgrace, how can you be doing that after being hammered for 45 minutes and not having a care in the world?”

Credit: @ralphexpress

“Romeu leave out of respect thanks”

Credit: @Im_Jammyyyy

“Romeu has been way off it today, don’t know what’s wrong with him today, but he could have done a lot better on 3 of the goals”

Credit: @EddySFC

“Jesus, Romeu is having an absolute shocker today”

Credit: @babarussi

In other news, find out whose performance against Liverpool was also slammed here!

Newcastle United have been sent a clear message by Philippe Coutinho’s entourage ahead of the transfer window. 

The lowdown: Record breaker

Coutinho still holds the record for the biggest transfer involving a Premier League club, having left Liverpool to join Barcelona in January 2018 for a fee of £121.5million.

He’s started five La Liga matches so far this season, making a further six substitute appearances. The 29-year-old has scored two goals from 22 shots and also recorded 16 shot-creating actions (via FBRef).

Coutinho is under contract until June 2023 and is valued at £18million by Transfermarkt. His £380,000-per-week salary makes him the highest earner at the Camp Nou.

New Barca manager Xavi adores the playmaker, saying Coutinho is a player he ‘likes personally’ and stressing that he possesses an ‘innate talent’ (via ESPN).

The latest: Fresh update emerges

Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) have again named Newcastle in connection with Coutinho, perhaps unsurprising given his uninspiring time since leaving England and the Magpies’ new-found riches.

However, the position of the Brazilian’s camp ‘to this day’ is that ‘he will not move from Barca in January’.

The verdict: Assist machine, but too risky

Coutinho has racked up a series of honours in his career. He’s won the Champions League and Copa America, whilst at an individual level, he’s been named in the PFA Team of the Year and even led the way for assists at a World Cup.

But according to Xavi, he’s now facing ‘psychological’ obstacles, preventing him from demonstrating that ‘innate talent’.

When you also consider his eye-watering salary, perhaps it would ultimately be for the best if Newcastle missed out on signing him, as signing a hugely costly player who is down on his luck and confidence would be an incredibly risky first marquee signing of the new era.

In other news, Newcastle have offered a record deal to this big-six ace.

Celtic must ruthlessly axe Ismaila Soro in the January transfer window amid a recent update on his future…

What’s the story?

According to The Scottish Sun, the midfielder has emerged as a transfer target for MLS outfit New York Red Bulls, with the Hoops prepared to let him leave on either a loan or a permanent deal.

The report added that they are one of several American clubs interested in landing the Ivorian, and that having fallen out of favour under Ange Postecoglou, he is inching towards an exit from Parkhead.

Time for Soro to go

Dubbed as a player with “explosive power” by his former coach Ori Guttman, comparisons with Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante were also made as some tipped him to become a real star.

Guttman added: “Now he reminds me of N’Golo Kante at Chelsea. Kante maybe doesn’t look like he’s strong, but he is. He wins most duels and tackles. Soro does the same and wins the battles too.

“Both are good at dribbling with the ball. Neither of them score a lot of goals. They need creative guys alongside them in midfield, so they are alike in that way.”

Quite frankly, though, Soro hasn’t lived up to that potential. If anything, he has become somewhat of a liability with his tendency to fly into dangerous and ill-timed tackles – in fact, as per WhoScored, in the Scottish Premiership this season, the midfielder is actually making more fouls per game than successful tackles.

Also, his average match rating of 6.34 is the worst of any Celtic player who has featured more than five times this campaign in the league – a real indication of just how much his performances have fallen, and why selling him could be the right call.

It’s a potential decision which has also previously been backed by Celtic podcaster Patrick McGilp, who said just last month: “I think he’s one that you can try and move on.

“I would move Soro on, try and get something permanent if you can. I’m not too sure about a loan, because I’m talking about how many options we have, but you just never know when an injury crisis is going to hit. So if we can’t sell him, I would just keep him around the place, but if you can get money for him, I’d move him on.”

While at 23 he still has the time to grow and develop, he hasn’t shown enough to suggest that he will do so at Celtic; and even though it may be a ruthless call to get rid of him, it’s perhaps best for both parties to part ways.

The £12.5k-a-week earner simply needs to be moved on.

Meanwhile, Celtic are plotting a January swoop for this forward…

Phil Hay has been reacting to Leeds United’s £15m bid for RB Salzburg attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson.

The Lowdown: Aaronson links

Victor Orta has been busy when it comes to possible additions at Elland Road this month, with a defensive and attacking midfielder on the radar.

Multiple players have been linked with a move to Yorkshire, including Aaronson, who has contributed to 22 goals in 51 Salzburg appearances.

Reports over the festive period claimed that a move to Marcelo Bielsa’s side was unlikely due to Salzburg’s qualification to the last 16 of the Champions League, but that hasn’t stopped Leeds from launching a formal offer.

The Latest: Official bid; Hay reacts

Hay shared news of Leeds’ £15m bid for Aaronson on Twitter on Tuesday evening.

Unfortunately, the Austrian side have turned down the Whites’ opening offer, however, Leeds are intent on signing the American before the end of the month.

He then added his own personal view regarding Aaronson, saying:

“Like the sound of this one if it happens. Good age, operating at a high level already, playing in an area where Leeds need more resources.”

The Verdict: Exciting times

Leeds are yet to make a permanent central midfield addition with Bielsa in charge, but it seems as if that may finally change over the coming weeks.

As Hay mentions, Aaronson is already playing at a high level and has Champions League and international experience under his belt at the age of 21.

You’d expect that a swoop for the Salzburg man could benefit the club in both the short and long term. Should he arrive, he’d provide Bielsa with a much-needed attacking midfield option for the second half of the season, something Leeds currently don’t have.

And, should he continue his impressive form in Yorkshire, Leeds would most likely be in line to make a huge profit further down the line.

In other news: ‘Leeds have also’ – Journalist shares more transfer news after Aaronson bid. 

Rangers currently sit top of the Premiership table and the Ibrox giants are enjoying a fantastic season so far.

The Gers have progressed through to the knockout stages of the Europa League, where they will face Borussia Dortmund, and are four points clear of their nearest challengers in the Scottish top flight.

They have been able to maintain their hunger for success after winning the title last term and that could be partly down to new arrivals freshening up the squad.

Revelation

Ross Wilson brought Fashion Sakala to Glasgow on a free transfer in the summer and he has been a revelation so far this term, proving that it was a masterclass from the Gers’ recruitment team to bring him in.

The 24-year-old had a slow start in front of goal with just one in his first seven matches in the Premiership, but he has been showing positive signs throughout the campaign and has now found his eye for goal. He is currently on five goals and one assist in six starts, having scored four times in his last five matches in the league.

Former Gers boss Steven Gerrard previously lauded the attacker and explained why he is great to work with, saying: “He’s an incredible human being. The way he has come into the club, his smile and demeanour, his attitude and energy, has lifted the whole place. The signs are he is really starting to find his feet here at Rangers. He is a really exciting one for everyone to watch moving forward.

“There will be plenty of opportunities for Fashion, not just in Europe but domestically as well. We are really starting to see his strengths, his consistency from a training point of view.”

This shows that Sakala’s goalscoring record is not his only positive attribute, with Gerrard’s comments suggesting that the Zambian has had an impact on his teammates with his exceptional attitude off the pitch.

Former defender Alan Hutton, added further praise: “He’s like a firework, isn’t he? You just light him and watch him go.

“He’s one of those players who plays at 100mph, he takes players on, he’s aggressive, he can get shots off.”

Irrespective of his goals, he has also been turning in fine displays for the Gers in the Premiership. He has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.13, completing 1.3 dribbles and 1.3 key passes per game. This means that he has dribbled past an opposition player 16 times and created 16 chances, showing that he has more to his game than just finishing.

Therefore, the £8.3k-per-week earner has been a dream this season and is quickly establishing himself as an important player for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side. Hopefully he will be able to maintain his impressive levels of form and continue to catch the eye with his performances for the rest of the campaign.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst could solve big Rangers issue at Ibrox by unleashing “clinical” 21-goal teenager…

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Connor Goldson to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Birmingham Live, who claim that Rangers have already identified their number one target to replace the centre-back this winter, amid the 28-year-old’s links with a move to Steven Gerrard’s side.

Furthermore, in a recent interview with Football Insider, Paddy Kenny suggested that the Scottish Premiership side could be happy to let the defender leave Ibrox in the January transfer window, as the fact the league champions have not yet renewed Goldson’s contract is rather strange.

Speaking about the centre-back’s contract situation, Kenny said: “I find it strange that Rangers haven’t sorted this. The fact that they have let it run down this far is a concern. They must know he can agree a pre-contract in January.

“Maybe Rangers are happy for him to move on, otherwise it makes no sense why they haven’t offered him a deal. As a player, if he has the option to follow Gerrard that might be something he considers.

“There is still time for them to sort a new deal out but it worries me that they haven’t got anything signed considering how big of a player he is for them.”

Lange must move

Considering just how important a player Goldson was for Gerrard during his time in Scotland, should a move for the 28-year-old be realistic in the January transfer window, it would appear highly advisable for Johan Lange to do all he can to lure the 6 foot 3 defender to Villa Park this winter.

Indeed, over his 38 Scottish Premiership appearances during Gers’ title-winning campaign last season, the £6.75m-rated man helped his side keep a mammoth 26 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, three clearances and winning 6.8 duels per game.

The player who Gerrard himself dubbed a “next level” centre-back also impressed going forwards, scoring four goals, registering two assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.1 shots and making 0.5 key passes per fixture.

These returns saw the £27k-per-week defender earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.39, ranking him as the club’s third-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

As such, it is clear to see that Goldson would make a fantastic addition to an Aston Villa defence that has already shipped 20 league goals so far this season, and, considering he is reported to be available for a bargain fee of just £2m, is also a player who Lange and Villa could easily afford.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops promising AVFC transfer claim that’ll surely leave fans buzzing

According to Daily Mail reporter Sami Mokbel, Antonio Conte believed he could turn Tanguy Ndombele’s Tottenham career around, but that is now no longer the case.

The Lowdown: Ndombele booed off…

The club record signing has been at the centre of reports linking him with a move away from Spurs after he was booed off during the Lilywhites’ 3-1 FA Cup third round win over Morecambe.

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Ndombele slowly walked off the pitch and headed straight down the tunnel, drawing the wrath of Tottenham’s home supporters as he refused to vacate the pitch with any real haste.

The Frenchman, among other players who could potentially leave, has his future up in the air under manager Antonio Conte with the Spurs head coach now making a major decision behind-the-scenes.

The Latest: Conte performs Ndombele U-turn…

According to Mail reporter Mokbel, the former Chelsea manager is ‘no longer convinced’ by Tottenham’s midfield man despite originally thinking he could ‘get a tune’ out of the player.

In his report, the journalist explains that Conte ‘had originally planned for Ndombele to stay at the club’ but is now ‘ready to cut his losses’ this month – greenlighting his January exit.

The Verdict: For the best?

Averaging more completed dribbles per 90 than any Spurs player in the Premier League last season (WhoScored) whilst proving his undoubted ability in flashes, doubts have mostly surrounded his application and attitude.

On a reported £200,000-per-week, one of the club’s highest earners, chairman Daniel Levy and managing director Fabio Paratici could be looking for ways to cut the club’s expenses and fund much-needed new additions by offloading Ndombele this month.

If a willing buyer comes in, it would arguably be foolish of Tottenham not to entertain selling before January 31 and indeed cut their losses on a player who has already been given time to prove his worth.

In other news: Spurs agree £33.4m option for sensational player after loan spell with EPL rivals! Find out more here.

Wolves are back in action this evening with a Premier League clash against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.

The Old Gold’s previous outing saw them secure a 2-1 victory over their Midlands rivals Aston Villa at Molineux thanks to an early strike from Jonny Otto and an own goal from Ashley Young.

On the chalkboard

One player that didn’t start against the Villans that should make a return to the starting XI on this occasion is Pedro Neto.

Since making his long-awaited recovery from injury back in February, the £39k-per-week winger has only started one league game for the Old Gold.

Unfortunately, that game saw Bruno Lage’s side fall to a 2-0 defeat at home against Crystal Palace.

Despite failing to score a goal or provide an assist since he’s returned to action, giving him the chance to start against the Toon could be a great opportunity for him to secure his first goal or assist for the season.

With Eddie Howe’s side conceding a total of 54 times in 30 league games this campaign, they could be susceptible to attacking pressure from the Old Gold, especially from a player such as Neto, who “plays as if the ball is attached to his boots with string,” according to journalist John Percy.

Labelled as a “superstar” by Jamie Carragher and a “wonderful talent” by Nathan Judah, the Portuguese international has scored ten goals and provided an equal number of assists in 85 appearances for the Midlands club since his arrival in 2019, showing how capable he can be in front of goal.

Francisco Trincao only managed to have one shot on target against Villa and complete 14 accurate passes in 74 minutes before making way for Neto which should make it a fairly straightforward decision for Lage as to who could make way for the 22-year-old to come back into the team.

Moving forward, if the former Lazio ace does get another chance to show what he can offer the team tonight and is able to find the back of the net, this could set him up for a very productive run of attacking form until the end of the season.

This would then surely be the difference in seeing Wolves secure European football for next season or not.

In other news: Lage handed huge boost as early NUFC team news emerges, it’s great news for Wolves

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has delivered an injury update ahead of his side’s clash against Newcastle United on Sunday.

What’s the story?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Magpies, the Spurs boss said (via Alasdair Gold): “Good news for Oliver Skippy, and Ryan Sessegnon, they are very very close to being back with the team. They are improving a lot. They are having important training sessions, not with the team but apart. I hope next week to have both players back with the team.”

Great news for Spurs

Having been sent off in the disappointing 2-1 defeat to NS Mura in the Europa Conference League earlier this season, Sessegnon has turned things around at Tottenham, leaving insider John Wenham delighted with his impact.

Speaking after a particularly impressive performance from the 21-year-old against Norwich, Wenham said: “Huge credit to Ryan Sessegnon. He produced one of the best performances I’ve seen from him after he came on. Sessegnon looked like a real option, he was really hugging that left-hand side.

“That was much, much better from Sessegnon, I was so pleased. He was rightly sent off against Mura, I have no complaints with that. But what an amazing response from him. Clearly he’s knuckled down at Hotspur Way and I really hope he can build on that now.”

With Spurs heading into the business end of the season in the Premier League, the need for Conte to have a fully fit squad available to him has never been greater.

The Lilywhites cannot afford to have any more injuries, and the news that both Sessegnon and also Skipp will return soon is a huge boost for Conte as he looks to push for that final Champions League spot.

At a time when Spurs need to keep picking up victories, they have been give a huge and timely lift. It’s news which will surely have Conte very much excited.

AND in other news – Spurs now “in the race” for “swashbuckling” 6 ft machine, Conte will be buzzing