All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leicester City are set to open talks with Youri Tielemans over a new contract at the King Power Stadium, and Brendan Rodgers will surely be delighted at the prospect of the midfielder extending his stay.

The 24-year-old hit a stunning strike over the weekend to seal a historic FA Cup final win for the Foxes against Chelsea, and the Midlands outfit are set to reward the Belgium international with improved terms.

According to the Daily Mail, Leicester are planning on significantly increasing Tielemans’ wages, making him one of the club’s top-earning players alongside Jamie Vardy and Kasper Schmeichel.

The former Monaco man has been crucial to the Foxes’ success this season, starting 35 of Leicester’s 36 Premier League games, scoring six goals and providing four assists in the process. His exploits have helped the 2015/16 champions to break into the top four once again, and a place in the 2021/22 edition of the Champions League is well within their grasp.

As the Foxes continue to assert themselves at the top end of the table and disturb the established ‘Big Six,’ keeping hold of their best assets will be critical to their continued progression.

Tielemans’ impressive 7.09 WhoScored rating illustrates his importance to Leicester and his quality was further highlighted by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola after an impressive display against the Cityzens earlier in the campaign.

“Tielemans is a top, top-class player. I remember when I arrived, my first season, and Vincent Kompany started speaking about him when he was in the national team for Belgium, how good he was in that period. Vincent, as always, he was right,” recalled the Spaniard.

Building on their incredible FA Cup triumph will now be the main focus of Rodgers and everyone at Leicester, and the importance of Tielemans in those plans cannot be downplayed.

His 1.3 key passes, 82.6 touches and 2.1 tackles per game (SofaScore) this season showcase how the Anderlecht academy graduate is at the centre of everything his team does, and if Tielemans puts pen to paper on this proposed new contract, then it could be the start of an exciting new chapter for Leicester.

In other news…Forget Tielemans: “Colossal” Leicester gem who won 78% of his duels was Rodgers’ FA Cup star – opinion

A number of Aston Villa fans were unimpressed with winger Anwar El Ghazi in the 2-1 win over Tottenham on Wednesday evening.

Dean Smith recorded his 50th win as Villa boss, with a Sergio Reguilon own goal and an Ollie Watkins winner silencing 10,000 Tottenham fans.

However, it was El Ghazi’s display that had plenty of Villa supporters talking on social media, and not for the right reasons.

The 26-year-old made his 16th Premier League start of the season and 30th appearance in all competitions, playing the entirety of the game.

He was actually Villa’s worst-rated performer, as per SofaScore, with a match rating of 6.5/10. The Dutch international was coming up against Japhet Tanganga and lost 13 duels in total, while also losing possession 16 times.

El Ghazi also missed a great chance to put Villa 3-1 up after being set up by club captain Jack Grealish.

Villa fans react

This is what these Villa fans had to say about the wide man, with one describing his performance as ‘putrid’.

“El Ghazi having a bad game, Maybe time for a change”Credit: @helena_geary”El Ghazi been really poor again today.”Credit: @caguitar”El Ghazi has been putrid today. So lightweight.”Credit: @Holy_Trinity_AV”Absolutely shocking miss from El Ghazi”Credit: @Hodsie”El Ghazi an important part of the attacking quartet tonight, but my God he is frustrating”Credit: @AVFC_AndyC”El Ghazi isn’t having the best of games is he”Credit: @FloppyChicken92

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Exactly what we need’ – Many Aston Villa fans erupt as links to ‘unreal’ ace emerge, find out more here. 

Manchester City ended the Premier League season in superb fashion as they thrashed Everton 5-0 at the Etihad, before lifting the trophy in front of 10,000 fans.

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring with a typically brilliant finish from outside the box before Gabriel Jesus quickly added a second with a well-taken finish.

Phil Foden added a third for Pep Guardiola’s side after Ederson had saved Gylfi Sigurdsson’s penalty, with Sergio Aguero then coming off the bench to score a brace to sign off a wonderful spell with the Citizens.

Although a lot of the focus after the game will be on the Argentinian, whilst De Bruyne also dazzled on his return, a lot of credit has to go to 36-year-old Fernandinho, who was incredible once again in midfield.

As per SofaScore, the Brazilian would earn an excellent 8.4/10 match rating for his display, which was only bettered by De Bruyne (9.1) and Aguero (8.9).

During the game, Fernandinho would have 84 touches of the ball and would impressively complete 65/69 of his passes, resulting in a 94% success rate, which is a big improvement on the 87.2% he has averaged in the Premier League this season.

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The veteran midfielder would also complete four key passes during the game, which is far more than the 0.7 he has averaged per game in the top-flight this campaign, which helped him to pick up two assists for Aguero’s goals, as he robbed Tom Davies for the first, before putting in a superb cross for him to head home a second.

He was also solid from a defensive perspective, managing three interceptions and two tackles, which again is more than the 1.1 interceptions and 1.5 tackles he has averaged this season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936″]

Therefore, the “magnificent” midfielder has emphasised just how much quality he still has, and should have nailed down a starting spot for the Champions League final against Chelsea later this month.

And, in other news… Imagine him and KDB: Txiki should seal Man City swoop for “spectacular” £39.6m-rated beast

On-loan St. Johnstone goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal believes the racism row involving Glasgow Rangers’ Glen Kamara was “great” for the Gers.

The Lowdown: Kamara racially abused at Ibrox

During Rangers’ 2-0 defeat to Slavia Prague at Ibrox in the Europa League, Kamara was racially abused by opponent Ondrej Kudela towards the end of the game.

Kudela has since received a 10-game ban, while Kamara was given a three-game suspension after assaulting Kudela in the tunnel (The Guardian).

The Latest: Zlamal makes astonishing claim

35-year-old Zlamal, however, has not only questioned the validity of the judgement, but also suggested the race row was good for Rangers. He told idnes.cz:

“We had a lot of discussion about the match at my club. There are a lot of guys at Hearts who are die-hard Rangers fans.

“Only the racism was discussed. They saw it differently than I did. The subject was quite hot and explosive, now it is calmer.

“No one in Scotland spoke about the tackles, only the racism. I pointed out how the match was played. Aggressive football is standard for Scots, but this went too far.

“Kemar Roofe kicked Ondrej Kolar in the head. It was a clear intention from him because strikers can peripherally see where the goalkeeper is. The apology was nothing.

“The racism was great for Rangers because it covered up all their shortcomings as Slavia beat them. Rangers players are definitely no saints.

“The whole thing annoys me because no one has presented any evidence. Innocent until proved guilty is supposed to be a big thing in the west, but that has not happened. I hope that Ondrej will be able to play in the Euros.

“If he said something racist, I agree with the maximum punishment, but there is no evidence.”

The Verdict: Outrageous

It is hard to know where to start with these comments. A player was racially abused during a football match, and now someone is saying it was something Rangers wanted? That is an absolutely outrageous claim. While Kemar Roofe’s challenge on Ondrej Kolar was awful – he received a four-match ban himself for it (Sky Sports) – it does not excuse the comments for which Kudela has been prosecuted. There was no need for Zlamal, who has career 276 appearances to his name (Transfermarkt), to share this opinion.

For some reason, it feels as though Czech figures are taking the punishment personally, as if the whole country was on trial for Kudela’s words. That, quite obviously, is not the case, nor should it be. Kudela is the man clearly in the wrong here, and is the one taking the heat for it, not the whole Czech Republic.

In other news, Danny Mills slams the Gers’ treatment of this midfielder.

Chris Wilder is eager to bring Dwight Gayle back to The Hawthorns if he is appointed West Bromwich Albion manager, according to the Sunday Mirror’s print edition (via The Chronicle).

The lowdown

The Athletic have reported that the striker has agreed to a new three-year contract at St James’ Park, but that could be a move to protect his value. He accepted reduced terms in that deal after scoring only one goal in the 2020/21 season, during which he played 543 minutes across 20 appearances in all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has nonetheless labelled him an ‘invaluable’ asset given that he is a ‘natural goalscorer’, something he demonstrated during a spell on loan at West Brom in 2018/19 when he netted 24 goals in the Championship.

The latest

Sam Allardyce has walked away from the Baggies after failing to keep them in the Premier League and, according to the Sunday Mirror (via The Chronicle), former Sheffield United boss Wilder is expected to be appointed as the 66-year-old’s successor.

The West Brom managerial candidate has already identified Gayle, valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, as one of his transfer targets if he gets the Albion job.

The verdict

From West Brom’s point of view, the move clearly makes sense given that Gayle has proven he can be prolific in the Championship.

Newcastle may consider the 31-year-old to be an important back-up option but should sell him if the price is right given his age and the options elsewhere.

Joelinton can function as Callum Wilson’s direct deputy (the Brazilian scored four league goals to Gayle’s one this season, and the path to first team involvement for academy talents can be widened if a centre-forward spot is freed up.

In other news, this midfielder is keen to leave Newcastle this summer.

A major update has emerged about Southampton central midfielder James Ward-Prowse, with Aston Villa eyeing the England international.

What’s the talk?

According to The Guardian, Aston Villa are preparing to make an offer for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse. The Premier League side want to improve their midfield options and have targetted Ward-Prowse because of his impressive set-piece ability, with Villa now seemingly set to open the bidding.

Villa are on the verge of completing a deal to sign midfielder Emi Buendia from Norwich for a club-record fee of in excess of £30m. However, the report does not state how much they are willing to pay for Ward-Prowse or how much Southampton would demand for their star man.

Ralph Hasenhuttl lauded the “fantastic” right foot of Ward-Prowse in 2020 and admitted that he is on his way to becoming the full package as a midfielder. He told the Daily Echo:

“I think it was the biggest change in his game since I’m here.

“He was always a good player and had a fantastic right foot but never nobody saw him defending or winning balls like he does at the moment.

“This is maybe something he had to learn, and he had to show me, he did it.

“After a few weeks when I was here, I could see this transformation in his game was there and in the end, in modern football, every player has to have everything, also the strikers have to work against the ball, and the centre-backs or the full-backs must be a number 10 when they have the ball.

“This is in modern football necessary, you cannot have any weakness and Prowsey is on the way to getting a full package.”

Frustration for Saints fans

This news will surely lead to frustration and anger from Southampton supporters. They have become accustomed to seeing their best players walk out of the door over the past five or six years, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana just a few of the many players who have left to join top-six sides in the Premier League.

However, this would not be the case with Ward-Prowse and Villa as the clubs are considerably closer in the standings. Villa finished 12th in the Premier League in the 2020/21 campaign, whilst Southampton finished just three places lower in 15th.

Therefore, Southampton would not be selling to a top club battling in Europe and would, instead, be allowing one of their key players to join a close rival in terms of the final standings.

The £35k-per-week Saints captain was crowned the club’s Player of the Season last month after enjoying a sublime campaign in midfield. Ward-Prowse averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.07 in the Premier League and was the only Saints player to achieve a score of higher than 7.00, with Oriol Romeu (6.93) in second place.

This suggests that he is Southampton’s best player and they cannot afford to lose him this summer, let alone to a team who could be a direct rival, which is why fans could be forgiven for being extremely angered by this story.

AND in other news, Hasenhuttl heading for disaster with “fast” £4.9k-p/w flop, Saints fans would hate it…

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could finally replace England international Ben White by signing Middlesbrough defender Dael Fry this summer.

What’s the story?

After enjoying a successful loan spell at Elland Road last season, that saw the Whites clinch promotion back to the Premier League, White made his return back to parent club Brighton, with Leeds unable to agree a permanent deal for him.

Now, Football League World claim that Bielsa’s side are one of a number of Premier League clubs who have scouted Boro’s Fry recently, although it’s currently Championship play-off winners Brentford who are in front at the moment.

Leeds’ new Ben White

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 4, Fry has got many of the same attributes that marked White out as a real stalwart in his loan spell at Leeds last season.

The centre-back, just a couple of months older than White, has proven to be a real man-mountain for Boro at the back, averaging an impressive 7.06 match rating in the Championship as per Whoscored, making 1.8 interceptions, 3.9 clearances and being dribbled past just 0.2 times per game – compare that to the former Leeds man who averaged 2.5 interceptions, 2.7 clearances and was dribbled past more than double that.

It’s no surprise then that Boro boss Neil Warnock has been quick to praise the 23-year-old, even drawing comparisons with Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.

He said: “The headlines that shocked me yesterday were a group of people wanting Jurgen Klopp out. That is football at its craziest. He has lost the best centre-half in the world (Virgil van Dijk) and you cannot replace them.

“You can put people in and think you can do this. But you cannot replace quality like that. And we cannot replace Dael. He is our best centre-half by a mile. We can play around him and if Dael is fit, we have got different people to fit here and there. But we cannot replace Dael. He is the complete player for me.

“He just gives us so much confidence. I am sure Jurgen, when Van Dijk is there, never thinks about the back four because he does it for them. You just have to hope your best players don’t get injured. Whatever level it is.”

The season before last saw White become a real cornerstone of the Leeds defence for Bielsa, playing every single game in the Championship. For the Whites to lose him after a campaign where he held that much importance would have been a real gutting blow.

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But in Fry, they could find someone who’s similarly influential and has the same kind of defensive nous and strength to become a real force at Elland Road under Bielsa.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa must avoid selling this star; it’s not Raphinha…

Birmingham City are in talks regarding a deal to bring Alex Pritchard to St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claim that the former Huddersfield Town attacking midfielder is in early talks with Lee Bowyer’s side over a summer move to Birmingham.

It had been previously reported that a number of Championship sides were considering a move for the 28-year-old, including the likes of Bristol City, Derby County and Queens Park Rangers, although the Blues now appear to be in the driving seat over a deal for the former England U21 international.

Big mistake

Despite impressing early on in his career in professional football, scoring eight goals and providing 11 assists over 44 appearances on a loan spell at Swindon Town, bagging 12 goals and registering seven assists over 47 fixtures while on loan at Brentford and scoring eight goals and providing 12 assists over 43 fixtures after joining Norwich City on a permanent basis, things have taken a turn for the worst for Pritchard in recent years.

Having made an £11.12m move to Huddersfield Town in January of 2018, the £2.52m-rated man went on to score a mere three goals and provide just three assists over his 81 appearances across four campaigns for the Terriers, averaging disappointing seasonal WhoScored match ratings of 6.70, 6.51, 6.54 and 6.16 in chronological order.

As such, the attacking midfielder, who was earning a weekly wage of £30k at Huddersfield, very much appears to be a player on the decline, something that has not likely been helped by the fact he has struggled with a number of injuries in recent years.

So, when taking into account the fact Pritchard would almost certainly be demanding a rather considerable salary to join Birmingham this summer, particularly as he would be arriving on a free transfer, the 28-year-old would simply not appear to be worth the cost for the Blues.

And, if Bowyer does go on to complete a deal to land the midfielder in the coming months, and he subsequently returns similar numbers to that of his time at The John Smith’s Stadium, the argument could easily be made that the signing would be one of the 44-year-old manager’s worst transfer mistakes so far at St. Andrew’s, with fans likely to be livid with Pritchard’s potential arrival.

In other news: Bowyer heading for grave Birmingham transfer mistake over £3k-p/w “danger” this summer

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could sign his club’s new Ian Harte in Rangers star Borna Barisic.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that the Whites are one of the sides interested in signing the Croatia international this summer as they make signing a new left-back a priority in the transfer window.

The likes of Arsenal, Aston Villa and Wolves are among the Premier League clubs interested in luring the £15k-a-week earning full-back south of the border, but if Bielsa can convince Barisic to come to Elland Road, then he could well have his club’s new Harte.

A new Ian Harte

A profile done by Marching On Together, said: “Ian Harte found himself become Leeds’ regular left back in 1998 under the stewardship of George Graham, after featuring frequently in the previous two seasons.

“Harte was a dead ball specialist becoming the free kick and penalty taker for the club, leading to him scoring 39 goals in 288 appearances. Had the season of his life during Leeds’ Champions League run of 2000-2001.”

That ability to find goals despite being a left-back – namely through set-pieces – but also from some powerful strikes as well, was a real feature of Harte’s game, and his attacking threat is equally matched by the destructive Barisic.

Hailed as “outstanding”, the Croatian flier racked up 14 assists in 50 games across all competitions last season, including enjoying an impressive Europa League campaign too – he bagged three goals and set up another three as the Gers made it to the last 16.

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The sporting director at his former club, Osijek, Alen Petrovic even said: “Borno isn’t just the best left-back in Croatia but the whole region. I’ve watched him all my life and he is the best crosser of the ball in the country.”

And, the man who signed him for his former club, Osijek, Zoran Zekic, said: “We used to make a made a plan for every game and every game we made that plan 90 per cent around playing it to Borna Barisic. He is technically good, understands football, his timing is very good too and he has great crossing ability.”

Having someone like Barisic flying up and down the left touch-line, delivering superb deliveries into the box either through open play or from free-kick and corner situations, would be very much reminiscent of Harte in his pomp.

Victor Orta could strike gold with a move for Barisic this summer.

Meanwhile, Bielsa must make a ruthless call on this Leeds United star…

A major update has emerged about Sunderland’s Aiden McGeady, regarding his contract situation at the Stadium of Light.

What’s the talk?

According to the Sunderland Echo, Irish winger Aiden McGeady is expected to put pen to paper on a contract extension with the club this month. McGeady’s current deal expires at the end of June and he is due to leave on a free transfer as it stands.

The report claims that all parties are hopeful that McGeady will extend his stay at the Stadium of Light, with the winger happy living in Sunderland and content with playing in League One next season.

Speaking after a game in 2019, former Sunderland boss Jack Ross hailed the “special quality” of McGeady. He told the Chronicle Live: 

“I thought he was bright today. He is the type of player who responds well to other players coming into the club and the challenge of proving the quality he has. In the first half I thought we were too short and too narrow in terms of how we made the pitch, so in the second half we widened and lengthened it a bit and that’s where the goal comes from. You had the execution of the pass from Grant [Leadbitter], but then you need that bit of special quality and Aiden has done that a lot for us this season.”

Fans will be ecstatic

Sunderland fans will be ecstatic with this news as one of the club’s top performers now looks set to stay at the club next season.

Kristjaan Speakman is seemingly headed for success with McGeady and fans should be delighted with the Sunderland sporting director if he is able to get this deal over the line. McGeady has proven his worth to Lee Johnson’s side in League One and he could be a key player yet again next season.

In 81 League One appearances for Sunderland, McGeady has provided an impressive 19 goals and 23 assists. This shows that he is valuable both in terms of his goal scoring and his creativity, with 16 assists in League One during the 2020/21 campaign for Sunderland.

Sunderland may not get many more years out of McGeady, at 35, but his experience could be vital in the development of the younger players at the club. McGeady has 92 caps for Ireland and has played in the Europa League and the Champions League during his career. He could use what he has learned throughout his time across Europe, with Spartak Moscow, Everton, Celtic and Sunderland, to give advice to the talented prospects coming through and potentially progress into becoming a member of the coaching staff at the club.

If McGeady does put pen to paper on a new deal, fans of the Black Cats will rightly be thrilled.

AND in other news, Speakman must reluctantly axe “strong” £6.4k-p/w Sunderland beast after major update…