All posts by z3u9t.icu

If Sunderland don’t achieve promotion this season, they will be desperately unfortunate.

At the moment, the Mackems are a winning machine. They haven’t lost since early February in the league, a run stretching 11 games.

Lee Johnson has led a phenomenal revival and we saw their fighting spirit once again versus Oxford United on Good Friday. The Black Cats went 1-0 down and then had to deal with a fired-up Karl Robinson, who was sent to the stands.

Sunderland fought back, though, eventually prevailing 3-1. It was a victory which keeps them in third place with just three points separating them and top spot. Johnson’s men also have two games in hand, meaning that promotion is well and truly in their own hands.

Life at the Stadium of Light is incredibly positive right now but, if you could pick one negative, it would probably be Callum McFadzean.

The left-back scored his first league goal for Sunderland in the 1-1 draw with Lincoln recently but, for the most part, he’s had a desperately poor campaign.

It all started when the defender gave away a penalty against AFC Wimbledon back in December. Since that moment he’s been danced around consistently by opposition wingers and full-backs.

McFadzean has been a constant scapegoat for Sunderland and showed again in the Papa John’s Trophy final that he’s not too adept defensively. On that occasion, Otis Khan completed a considerable four dribbles for Tranmere.

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Unfortunately, the 27-year-old was well below par again in the win over Oxford United. Writing at half-time, Sunderland journalist James Hunter said he was “being led a merry dance by Shodipo.”

Indeed, McFadzean was consistently caught out by the winger, who proved to be one of the opposition’s most dangerous players.

It was in possession where the defender was arguably the worst. He surrendered the ball on 18 occasions and completed a measly 57% of his passes. On top of that, he made just two tackles against the lively Olamide Shodipo.

It was a performance which will have left Johnson rather displeased. Time and again over the last few months, he has been let down by McFadzean. The manager can take solace in the fact that the 27-year-old may not be in the starting XI for much longer, though.

Denver Hume wasn’t ready for this clash but he completed 75 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly earlier this week.

With McFadzean in such torrid form, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him quickly usurped by Hume once the latter is back from injury.

AND in other news, SAFC flop has seen his value rise by £14.4m since leaving, he’s a “powerful” beast…

Fans of West Bromwich Albion have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the Baggies shared their appreciation for the club’s left-back, Conor Townsend.

So far this season, Townsend has performed impressively over his 17 appearances in Sam Allardyce’s backline, with the 28-year-old making an average of 1.5 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 2.1 clearances per game, culminating in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.77 – ranking him as the club’s sixth-best player in the top flight.

Seemingly in reaction to these admirable displays, the West Brom Twitter account shared an image of Townsend in action for the club, captioning the picture: “Conor Townsend appreciation post.”

And, in response to the club’s post, fans of West Brom flocked to have their say on the matter, with many heaping a considerable amount of praise on the defender, with some dubbing him as the Baggies’ most improved player this season, while others picked out their favourite Townsend moments of the season.

So, what exactly did these West Bromwich Albion fans have to say in reaction to the club’s Conor Townsend tweet?

“That backheel vs Chelsea was the greatest thing ever.”

@WbaOllie

“Probably my favourite current player! Fantastic on the pitch and has really bought into the ethos of our club and the family feel it has, I love how involved he is with the Albion Foundation too.”

@gemmadowneswba

“Most improved player, 100%. An example to the better-known players with appetite and application on point, no matter who we are playing. Love him, keep up the great work Conor.”

@SimonHargest

“Playing out of his skin.”

@TheSweetestKid

“That backheel was absolute filth!”

@paulbeech100

“Brilliant player.”

@StevoSmith0

“Saw a bit of Derek Statham in Conor this week. Much improved player, going to be a star.”

@IJLibDem

In other news: ‘Get him signed’ – Allardyce reveals £31k-p/w priority target outperforming every WBA player – find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 150 appearances for Newcastle United, has claimed that the way Steve Bruce is handling Andy Carroll’s situation and the minutes he is giving him is being done to potentially just annoy the academy graduate.

Since joining Newcastle as a free agent in 2019, Carroll has been handed just eight league starts, four in each season thus far. This had yielded a reward of one goal and four assists across 35 Premier League games.

Carroll made his name at Newcastle during the 2009/10 Championship season under Chris Hughton when he scored 17 times in 39 appearances, leading the line at just 20-years-old as the Magpies won promotion straight back to the Premier League.

Speaking on why he can’t understand Steve Bruce’s substations, especially when they involve Andy Carroll, Howey told FFC:

“I don’t know why they play without a striker and I can’t understand what the point is in bringing Andy Carroll on for 30 seconds.

“What’s the point? Unless Bruce has done it to annoy him? If that’s the case, then he’s done a good job because it would annoy me.”

Carroll got his first goal since returning to Newcastle at the end of last year when the Magpies were beaten 3-1 by Leicester City when he volleyed home in added time.

This season the £75,000 per week striker has been afforded just 385 minutes and has not featured from the start even when Callum Wilson has been sidelined.

Tottenham Hotspur have held ‘concrete discussions’ with Jerome Boateng ahead of the summer transfer window, according to Sky Germany…

What’s the word?

They claim that the north London outfit are interested in signing the 32-year-old centre-back, with his contract set to expire at Bayern Munich at the end of the current campaign.

The 2014 World Cup winner has also been linked to Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund as well as Barcelona, but both of these destinations are played down in the report, meaning that Spurs are surely the frontrunners to secure him.

Boateng is currently valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, although he will not cost Daniel Levy a penny in terms of transfer fees, but his reported £210,000-a-week wages could prove to be a stumbling block.

Free solution?

Despite having the joint fifth-best defensive record in the Premier League, it has been a sorry season at the back for Spurs, with individual errors a worrying and defining trend. Jose Mourinho has chopped and changed his backline constantly – against Manchester United on Sunday, the Portuguese selected his 16th different defensive combination.

Therefore, it’s no surprise to learn that Spurs have made the arrival of a central defensive leader their top priority when the transfer market reopens in the summer. That’s according to football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold, who also claims ‘there has been a clear lack of cohesion at times in the backline and leadership.’

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This is where Boateng could provide an intriguing solution, especially as someone with his experience is available for free. The 32-year-old colossus has played 356 matches for Bayern, winning eight Bundesliga titles, two Champions Leagues and many a domestic cup.

No one in the current Spurs defence can match his illustrious career, which is why Levy should act quick to snap him up and at his age, he should still have a lot to give.

In addition to that, current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola once lauded him “like a quarterback” for the way he would dictate games from central defence before adding that he had “developed into a world-class player,” as per Bundesliga.com.

The quarterback is the leader of the team and almost like a manager on the pitch in American football, so you’d have to imagine this would fit the requirements for the current Spurs vacancy.

Boateng was nearly a Tottenham player back in 2007 as he was offered the chance to join the north London outfit alongside his brother Kevin-Prince, but he turned them down for a move to Hamburg.

The 1.9m-tall (6 foot 3) ace still sits amongst Bayern’s most consistent performers, even despite the lack of a contract extension.

No other player at the Allianz Arena manages more clearances (2.1) per game, showing he’s still quick to snuff out the danger whilst a passing accuracy of 87.7% from an average of 69.4 passes per league outing merely emphasises his quarterback-like ability, per WhoScored.

If Levy wants to give Mourinho a fair crack at resolving his defensive nightmare, then a swoop for Boateng makes the world of sense. It’s time to right this glaring issue.

AND in other news, Spurs regular drops another clanger against Man Utd, Mourinho should now be hugely concerned… 

Heading into Leeds’ titanic Premier League clash against Liverpool on Monday night, the one major concern Marcelo Bielsa has surrounds the fitness of Raphinha.

The Brazilian has been the shining light of the Whites’ Premier League campaign thus far, scoring six goals and providing a further six assists in his debut season in English football.

The winger was forced off towards the end of Leeds’ historic 2-1 win over Manchester City, and there remain doubts over whether he will make it back in time for the game against the Reds at Elland Road.

If Raphinha is out, then Bielsa must turn to Jack Harrison.

The English ace missed out the win against his parent club City last week due to the terms of his loan agreement, but must surely be in contention to come straight back in against Liverpool.

Former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson has waxed lyrical about what Harrison brings to the table, and insisted that he’s become a key figure under Bielsa.

He said: “I think the player he has developed into, not just on the field, but his stature and physical fitness, I think he’s becoming an all-round key component of this Bielsa side.

“I like Jack, he’s got a lot of talent, he’s got speed, he’s direct, scores goals, creates goals and for that price tag, I think it’s an absolute no-brainer. They have to make that signing.”

Robinson added that the £40k-a-week earning Harrison “creates, he scores, (and) he offers Leeds something else”, and has been one of Leeds’ most prolific campaigners this season with seven goals and five assists in 29 Premier League games for the club.

In fact, only Patrick Bamford has scored more than him, while only Raphinha and Leeds’ number nine is ahead of him in the assists charts.

Dubbed as “under-rated” by pundit Adrian Clarke, Harrison has fond memories of playing Liverpool already this season, having been the scorer of a wonderful individual goal in the reverse fixture at Anfield.

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The winger will fancy his chances of doing something similar at Elland Road tonight, and will be keen to try and be involved himself in another major Leeds scalp.

As Robinson says, Harrison “offers something else” and could well be Bielsa’s game-changer when Liverpool come to town.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing a summer swoop for this European star…

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, Dean Windass has claimed that Ralph Hasenhuttl has not underachieved during his time at Southampton and that he has, perhaps, been a victim of his own success.

In an exclusive interview with FFC, Windass said:

“There’s a lot of managers now and it will depend on how they start next season off next season, the first points on the board, they will want to win the first game as quickly as possible, because he’s underachieved this year.

“But that’s a big statement – have Southampton underachieved [overall] this season? No. But because of where they were at, and then all of a sudden they have dropped.

“If you asked Matt Le Tissier, ‘are you happy with Southampton’s season?’, he would go ‘unbelievable’. Delighted. When I played, Southampton were always in the bottom four or five. It’s about results and staying in the Premier League.”

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However, plenty of Southampton fans might disagree with Windass’ comments.

The Austrian endured a nightmare start to his Southampton career, with the Saints looking like serious relegation candidates for a lot of last season, before they turned their season around in the second half of the campaign, particularly impressing after project restart.

This left a lot of Saints fans extremely optimistic for the season ahead and it was easy to see why when they started the season in superb fashion, topping the league after a 2-0 win against Newcastle United in November.

However, their league form since January has been abhorrent, with just two wins against Burnley and Sheffield United to their name, with a solitary draw against Chelsea meaning they have taken seven points from their last 15 top-flight games – managers have certainly been sacked for less.

This is undoubtedly relegation form and whilst their early-season performances should be enough to save them this season, it is a huge concern ahead of the next campaign.

The FA Cup semi-final defeat against Leicester City recently may well have been the final straw for some Southampton fans, as they failed to register a single shot on target at Wembley.

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Granted, the Austrian manager has had to deal with injury problems that have seriously exposed the lack of squad depth at the club but if they are able to strengthen the squad in the summer and results do not improve, then club chairman Jisheng Gao could soon be left with a huge decision to make regarding Hasenhuttl’s future at the club.

And, in other news… Southampton suffer huge injury blow to “outstanding” gem, Ralph will be fearing the worst

Celtic don’t currently have a manager in place but that hasn’t stopped their recruitment team from considering new signings.

The Hoops are in danger of losing fearsome striker Odsonne Edouard and thus, the first topic on their agenda is finding a replacement.

What’s the word?

Dominic McKay has had a busy start to life behind the scenes at Parkhead. Not only is he trying to find a new manager but he’s already addressing the playing squad.

One player that’s emerged on their radar is Young Boys forward Jean-Pierre Nsame. With 25 goals to his name this term, he certainly knows where the back of the net is.

However, the Bhoys are targeting an even more prolific forward, one that may not cost them a penny.

That’s because they’re considering a move for Sunderland forward Charlie Wyke. He has netted 30 times in 2020/21 and is out of contract in the summer so could be lured to Glasgow on a free transfer.

The news was revealed by Mark Wilson on the Celtic Huddle podcast (27/04/21). He said: “It is understood that Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke is on a list of potential summer signings.”

Celtic’s new Sutton?

When you think of former Celtic striker Chris Sutton, what do you think of?

The footballer turned pundit is an outspoken voice on the television but on the field of play, he was equally as brutal and ruthless.

A powerful and robust forward, he would frighten the life out of centre-backs with his immense strength and ability to out jump nearly every defender that dared to challenge him in the air.

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In an article in the Independent by Ryan Baldi, he described Sutton’s greatest weapon; “Throughout spells with Norwich City, Chelsea, Celtic and a Premier League triumph with Blackburn Rovers, the 6ft 3ins centre-forward was renowned for the power and accuracy of his heading,” Baldi began.

“With a strong leap, well-developed neck muscles and precise timing, Sutton’s aerial abilities made him a constant threat in the opposition’s penalty area. And the remarkable range from which he could land powerful headers on target brought him solace in one of the most difficult periods of his career,” the writer concluded.

Indeed, those are the type of qualities that Wyke could bring to Celtic if he was signed this summer.

A powerful and tall force, the Sunderland forward has netted 40 times in his Mackems career, 30 of which have come this term. 12 of them, meanwhile, have been scored with his head in League One this season.

After scoring a hat-trick against Wimbledon earlier this term, the Sunderland manager Lee Johnson said: “I’m delighted for Charlie (Wyke), like any striker he’s had to work his socks off, battered from pillar to post by the two centre-halves and he’s dealt with it, and he earned his opportunities, I thought he could have scored five.”

Sutton regularly found himself battered about by centre-halves, but very much like Wyke, he got the better of defenders with absolute ease.

“A top striker can slow down his mind’s eye in the box, be like ice in the box, and Charlie certainly finished with that look,” Johnson added after a 2-0 win over Rochdale.

Wyke has really come into his own this season and if Celtic are looking for a different route to goal, he’d certainly provide them with that next season.

AND in other news, Move over Howe: Desmond could revive Celtic by hiring “kamikaze” 52 y/o boss instead…

It looks as if Aston Villa have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham this summer.

According to sources from ESPN, the Blues are willing to offload the 23-year-old in the upcoming transfer window. Villa, Newcastle and West Ham are all credited with an interest, with the report suggesting that a return to Villa Park could appeal to the striker.

A £40m fee had been touted, but there is confidence from the interested clubs that a deal can be struck below that figure. Abraham will have two years left on his Stamford Bridge deal in the summer and it seems as if Thomas Tuchel is happy to let him go on a permanent basis.

Transfer Tavern take

Villa are thought to be after a striker this summer to challenge Ollie Watkins, so bringing in Abraham could be a shrewd piece of business. He knows the club well following his 26-goal season on loan in the Midlands and, should he sign, it could give Dean Smith the option to play two out-and-out centre-forwards.

Abraham’s power and presence could ideally complement Watkins’ work-rate and speed, and it seems as if Villa may well look to bring him back to the club over the coming months.

Even if Smith sticks with one striker, having Abraham to rival Watkins may well be crucial. That’s because Wesley Moraes has only recently returned to action after more than a year out injured and reports have suggested that Smith wasn’t convinced on the Brazilian prior to his serious injury and the club would look to move him on this summer.

Should that be the case, bringing in another striker could be pivotal.

In other news: Villa plotting huge bid for Premier League winger, find out who it is here. 

If West Ham United are to be contending in Europe next season, then David Moyes and the Irons hierarchy will need to shift some deadwood on in the summer.

There are several players on the fringes or are completely out of first-team reckoning that are merely wasting the club’s finances. They must be moved on to free up funds for a productive summer transfer window.

One name that should sit high on the list of priorities is Andriy Yarmolenko, who is still struggling for game time despite Michail Antonio’s recent injury problems.

The 31-year-old forward joined from Borussia Dortmund for around £18m in 2018 and is thought to be amongst the Hammers’ highest-earners on £115k-per-week at the London Stadium.

Yarmolenko was crucially not involved on Monday night as Moyes’ side gave their top-four dreams a huge boost, defeating Burnley 2-1 and his absence may not have been injury-related as he had been on the bench with Antonio out himself.

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It’s clear that to see that the 58-year-old Scotsman doesn’t fancy the 92-time Ukraine international anymore as he has played just 992 minutes in all competitions throughout the 2020/21 campaign.

Across three years, Yarmolenko has only made 53 appearances, where he has scored ten goals and provided six assists, via Transfermarkt. In the same time frame, he has cost David Sullivan and co approximately £35m – and counting – when fees and wages are factored in.

That’s an excruciating £1.5m per appearance, and a disastrous £3.5m per goal scored.

These are finances that would be better off spent on players that are going to contribute to the cause, or those that are already lifting the club into European stardom.

Moyes will certainly need reinforcements this summer, especially in attack as he only has one senior striker at his disposal and having Yarmolenko continue to steal a living from the club is only going to hinder their plans.

Once lauded as “really special” by teammate Declan Rice, it’s time for the East London outfit to show no mercy and shift him on this summer.

AND in other news, Cresswell 2.0 – West Ham could land another bargain in 6 foot 4 “leader”…

Leeds United star Patrick Bamford has reportedly extended his stay at Elland Road until 2023, acting as a huge boost for anyone of a Whites persuasion.

The Lowdown: Bamford excels for Leeds

The 27-year-old has overcome some previous struggles to become one of the star men at Leeds these days, excelling upon their return to the Premier League. Bamford has scored 15 times in 35 league appearances this season, also chipping in with seven assists, outlining the effectiveness of his all-round game.

The striker’s form could even see him make England’s Euro 2020 squad this summer, although that remains to be seen.

The Latest: Striker extends stay at Elland Road

According to a fresh report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Bamford discreetly signed a new one-year extension to his current Leeds deal, keeping him at Elland Road until 2023.

The journalist revealed: “A careful look at the Football Association’s intermediary transactions list published in March — covering February 1, 2020, to February 1, 2021 — shows an ‘updated registration’ for Bamford.

“It seems to have gone under the radar but The Athletic has learned that last summer the 27-year-old signed a one-year contract extension that means he is actually tied to Leeds until June 2023.”

While it doesn’t guarantee that the Englishman won’t move elsewhere before then – Liverpool are mentioned as being interested in him – it is stated that the Whites are now in a ‘position of strength’.

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The Verdict: Huge boost for Whites

This revelation comes a massive boost for Leeds, with Bamford such an important piece of Marcelo Bielsa’s jigsaw, leading the line superbly this season and more than justifying his £34,000 weekly wage.

His goals and assists are both vital, of course, but his work-rate has also stood out, with his fitness levels clearly exceptional thanks to working under Bielsa. Indeed, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hailed that very trait in the 27-year-old as “outstanding”.

The hope is that Bamford remains at Leeds until 2023 and beyond as he approaches the peak years of his career.

In other news, one Leeds player’s lack of football this season has left a former Whites defender baffled. Find out who it is here.