All posts by z3u9t.icu

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Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino’s comments following his side’s 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Fourth Round were baffling to hear, and would’ve been sure to offend a number of the club’s supporters who are desperate to see their beloved Spurs win some silverware.

However, there are also arguments in favour of what the Argentine said, that could also suggest that what used to be considered an achievement in football is now taking a backseat for financial prosperity.

As quoted by Sky Sports, following the loss at Selhurst Park, the former Southampton manager said: “We are going to create a debate that to win a trophy is going to help the club. I don’t agree with that. That only builds your ego. In reality the most important thing is being consistently in the top four and playing in the Champions League.”

For a manager of one of England’s top clubs to say this must be extremely demoralising for those fans who pay their money to travel all over the country to watch their club, all with the slim hopes of seeing their heroes lift a trophy or two at the end of the season.

But Pochettino has his reasons for setting such targets. For a start, just by qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League, a grand total of £13.34m falls into Spurs’ bank account (as per the BBC). In stark contrast, winning the FA Cup final lands just £3.6m (as per the FA).

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accessory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

For Pochettino to be able to land the best players around, he needs to be able to afford them with the extra revenue, along with being able to offer them Champions League football, which is where every top player wants to be.

However, once such players arrive at the club, along with the world-class players already at his disposal such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, they will want to litter their personal cabinets with medals, along with the memories that they contain.

In that respect, it is a bit of a ‘Catch 22’ for most top clubs – abandon the chance to win trophies in order to satisfy the bank account, or abandon the chance to offer your players the top level of European football so the club can fill the trophy cabinet. Of course, managing both in the same season would be nice, but that is starting to prove an impossible challenge – the last three FA Cup winners, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, all failed to finish in the Premier League’s top four as they lifted the trophy.

More than ever, it’s starting to feel as though the FA Cup has become the biggest victim of the Champions League’s relentless rise. But one thing’s for certain; the barometer of success is changing in football – filling the bank account now takes precedent over filling the trophy cabinet.

With West Brom only managing to win one of their five Championship games throughout November, drawing three and losing one, it’s safe to say that it hasn’t been the best month for the Midlands club and their promotion hopes.

Despite their disappointing run of form, one player has stood out to be one of West Brom and Valerien Ismael’s shining lights throughout the month that the fans should be full of praise for – Conor Townsend.

With Townsend having played in the left-back, centre-back and left-midfield positions throughout November, the 28-year-old has shown how much of a capable defender he is whilst proving himself to be a useful creative player he is going forward.

In his five previous league games this month, Townsend has made eight tackles, eight clearances and four interceptions whilst making 12 key passes along the way (as per WhoScored).

Six of those key passes came in West Brom’s 0-0 draw against Blackpool where Townsend managed to earn himself a very impressive overall match rating of 8.2/10 according to SofaScore, making him the highest-rated player on the day.

Since joining West Brom from Scunthorpe United in the 2018 summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of around £750k, Townsend, who is currently valued at £2.25m according to Transfermarkt, has made 95 appearances for the Baggies across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing seven assists along the way.

Two of Townsend’s seven assists have come this season, the first coming on the opening day of the campaign in West Brom’s  2-2 against Bournemouth followed by the other one being provided in their 1-1 draw against Millwall in September.

Labelled as an “industrious” player by Baggies podcaster Chris Lepkowski, Townsend has played more minutes in the league (1795) than any other West Brom player so far this season, showing just how important he is to Ismael with his November performances merely the icing on the cake so far.

Moving forward, if Townsend can keep playing regularly for West Brom from now until the end of the season, he will surely give his side a great chance of securing promotion, especially if he can add some goals and assists to his tally and the players around him can equal the same sort of performances he’s been putting in recently.

In other news: Johnstone tipped to stay at West Brom until summer

Newcastle United finally managed to secure their much-needed first win of the season in the Premier League by beating fellow strugglers Burnley 1-0 at St. James’ Park.

A goal from striker Callum Wilson was enough to see off Sean Dyche’s side and grab all three points for the Toon after drawing 1-1 against Norwich City in midweek.

Despite the positive result, one Newcastle player that didn’t hit the heights that he may have been expected to hit on this occasion is Allan Saint-Maximin.

Even though the winger has three goals and three assists under his belt in the league and is currently listed as Newcastle’s highest-rated player with an overall rating of 7.16/10 according to WhoScored, he didn’t cover himself in glory on this occasion against Burnley.

In the 89 minutes he was on the pitch, Saint-Maximin had a total of 42 touches of the ball but could only complete 13 passes, misplacing one cross and one long ball in the process, losing possession of the ball 18 times in total.

The Frenchman, who has been described as being a “breathtaking” player in the past by pundit Gary Neville, also failed to test Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope on that many occasions as well by having just one clear shot at goal.

Additionally, Saint-Maximin, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £93k-per-week according to Salary Sport, only managed to win two of the 11 duels he was involved in.

This latest performance for the Toon ultimately earned Saint-Maximin an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.1/10 from SofaScore, making him the lowest-rated Newcastle player, showing that it just wasn’t his day on this occasion.

However, given how well Saint-Maximin has done for them prior to this game, a lot of Newcastle fans could be inclined to forgive and forget this performance, especially since Howe’s side managed to win the game.

Moving forward, with Newcastle having a very tough run of fixtures headed their way with the likes of Leicester City, Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs on the horizon, it’s safe to say that Saint-Maximin will have to make sure he’s in top form by the time these games come around to give Newcastle the best chance of getting some more points on the board and away from the relegation zone.

In other news: Forget Wilson: “Important” NUFC ace who made 3 key passes proved fans wrong vs Burnley – opinion

Craig Hope has revealed that Newcastle United have now emerged as contenders to sign Anthony Martial in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

While Martial has been injured for some parts of the season, he has not always been picked when he has been fit, making just ten appearances in total over all competitions, scoring one goal (Transfermarkt).

Thus, he seems to have fallen out of favour at Manchester United, and so a move could well be on the cards for him this month, so long as the Red Devils give it the green light and potentially bring in a replacement.

Various reports have claimed he will indeed be offloaded, leading to delight from some sections of the Old Trafford support.

The Latest: Now a Newcastle target

As per Hope, even though United are ‘reluctant’ to let players go for now due to the situation with COVID-19 cases, the St. James’ Park faithful are ‘monitoring’ Martial’s situation at Old Trafford ahead of a potential move:

“I’m told Newcastle are monitoring situation. Martial perhaps wasn’t high on list pre January, but Wilson injury has changed thinking & increased urgency. One to watch.”

The Verdict: Loan would be perfect

Given Callum Wilson’s injury, the North East club need to bring in cover up top until he comes back.

Thus, signing Martial on loan would be the perfect option for them, as if it does not work out, then he could just return back to the Red Devils.

Even though he has had his fair share of problems this season, he can still be an asset, as shown by his record in the Premier League, bagging 56 times in the competition.

Described as being ‘unplayable’ on his day by former French top-flight striker Louis Saha, Martial will be hungry to prove himself, and with the experience and know-how that he has of the division, moving to Tyneside could be a smart move for all parties involved.

In other news, find out what big transfer claim Hope has also dropped on NUFC here!

Newcastle United are reportedly now ready to make a ‘huge offer’ to sign Jesse Lingard in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Developing story

The Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has recently revealed that the St. James’ Park faithful are now ‘working’ on a loan deal for Lingard, but sources are saying that Manchester United are apparently ‘reluctant’ to let him leave at this moment in time.

However, with just over a week of the window left, both clubs will have to come to a decision over the player, and Lingard’s lack of game time may just be a factor in whether or not he moves to the North East.

The Latest: Offer ready

As per 90min journalist Graeme Bailey, the Tyneside outfit are now readying a ‘huge offer’ for Lingard, and the Red Devils are ‘likely to accept’ their approach.

However, it is not clear if the player himself would be willing to move this month, or wait until the summer, when his contract at Old Trafford expires.

The Verdict: No-brainer

If the Magpies can get Lingard in before the January deadline hits, then it is surely a no-brainer for all parties.

With seemingly no route to regular first-team action in the northwest, Lingard will surely be desperate to play, and the Toon should jump at the chance of bringing a player of his quality in.

Described as ‘phenomenal’ by talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham during his time on loan at West Ham United last season, Lingard showed what he can do when given his opportunity, scoring nine goals and making a further five assists at the London Stadium.

Nonetheless, he would offer another dimension to their attack, and could be the difference in turning draws like the one they picked up against Watford into wins.

In other news, find out which ‘unplayable’ ace Lionel Messi called ‘frightening’ NUFC are now eyeing here!

Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-forward Fabio Silva could be on his way out of Molineux in January.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Tim Spiers, with The Athletic journalist revealing in a recent Q&A that, as long as Jeff Shi can bring in a replacement during the January transfer window, the 19-year-old striker will leave the Premier League club on a temporary basis.

Speaking about the short-term future of the Portugal U21 international, Spiers said: “Heading for a loan in January if they can bring in a replacement.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how much potential Fabio Silva quite clearly possesses, the news that Wolves are looking to loan the centre-forward out this winter, in addition to bringing a new striker into the club, is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, Wolves broke their transfer record to secure the £35.6m signing of the teenager in the summer of 2020, with Shi appearing to be incredibly excited by his side’s acquisition of the youngster, stating upon his arrival: “Our recruitment team have been watching Fabio since he played for Portugal U16s.

“They feel he has always been the best number nine coming through his age group anywhere in Europe. Fabio is a young player who shows not only incredible technical ability but also his game intelligence for a player of his age is top class.”

However, despite the club’s high hopes for the £22.5m-rated man’s development, Fabio Silva has so far started just 11 Premier League games in his Wolves career – making a further 33 appearances from the bench – scoring four goals and registering three assists along the way.

As such, in order to further the 19-year-old’s development in the professional game, a loan away from Molineux would indeed appear to be an extremely wise move by the club – allowing the youngster to enjoy a great deal more first-team minutes, while simultaneously bringing a new forward into the club who is perhaps more Premier League ready than the Portuguese starlet currently is.

In other news: Forget MGW: Fosun could solve huge Wolves’ problem with £27m-rated “freak of a talent”

Everton are set to have an interesting transfer window if speculation is to be believed, with many players already being linked with moves to the Merseyside club.

Rafa Benitez will be keen to add quality to their team after an injury crisis in attack and the swift departure of James Rodriguez, a key area they will be looking to enhance is their midfield.

Manchester United misfit, Donny Van De Beek, would be the ideal addition to the Toffees, with previous links to a move in the summer transfer window.

Van De Beek’s agent gave an interview on deadline day to Ziggo Sport, where he claimed Manchester United and Solskjaer refused to escalate a move for the midfielder to join Everton.

Guido Albers said;

“We had conversations with Solskjær and the board. We took the initiative to find a club and our search ended up at Everton. We opened talks with Marcel Brands and Farhad Moshiri.

“On Monday night [before deadline day] we received a call from Solskjær and the club who told us that a transfer was out of question and that he had to report himself to training the next morning.”

Everton have a fantastic forward line in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, with the Brazilian returning from injury recently and the former due to return in the next few weeks. Thus, sourcing the Dutch playmaking midfielder to link up with the dynamic duo would be advantageous to Everton as they attempt to make top six and European football.

Calvert-Lewin has been a fantastic attacking presence for Everton, with 56 goals and 16 assists for the Toffees in 176 appearances and will look to add more many goals when he returns from injury in the coming weeks.

Despite not being utilised at Manchester United, the 24-year-old Netherlands native, was highly impressive at Ajax with 41 goals in 175 appearances, his efficiency playing in multiple midfield and attacking roles, as he did at his former club, would be highly beneficial to the attacking prowess at Everton.

There is a with huge opportunity for fantastic link-up play with Calvert-Lewin especially. Having previously been described as “perfect” by Owen Hargreaves, the thought of the United midfielder lining up in the same side as Everton’s star striker is mouth-watering.

Benitez must act fast swooping in for £22.5m-rated van de Beek, as he is a sought after hot target for other Premier League clubs in the upcoming transfer window, including Newcastle United, who are expected to go all out in the winter transfer window after their billion-pound takeover.

In other news: Benitez must unleash Richarlison against Man City…

Craig Hope has revealed that Newcastle United are now eyeing up a move for Gleison Bremer in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Third signing pending…

With both Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood already through the door at St. James’ Park, it looks as if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium are now working on their third signing of the month.

Interestingly, Bremer shares the same agent as both players, and so there could be an easier route to signing him.

Nonetheless, with bringing in a new central defender the ‘priority’ for the new owners, this is certainly a deal to keep an eye on as the days progress – the Magpies have the second-worst defensive record in the league.

The Latest: Bremer eyed

As per Hope, the North East club are now eyeing Bremer as their potential new centre-back, but The Daily Mail journalist has warned that he may be ‘expensive’:

“Another name to add to list of centre-back options… Torino’s Gleison Bremer.

“Seems like another expensive one but I’m told NUFC have taken a look at 24-yr-old Brazilian.”

The Verdict: No-brainer

Bringing in Bremer would be a no-brainer, as he would immediately be an upgrade on their current options.

He is currently averaging more tackles and interceptions and completed passes at a higher success rate than Ciaran Clark, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles in their respective domestic leagues so far this season (WhoScored), and so would instantly slot into Eddie Howe’s side.

Described as ‘powerful’ by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, the six-foot-two Brazilian is a beast, and at 24 years of age, he will only get better.

Nonetheless, the Magpies should look no further if they want to sign a solid centre-back for the second half of the campaign.

In other news, find out what transfer claim Pete Graves has dropped from the new owners here!

Liverpool are close to completing a summer move for exciting Fulham youngster Fabio Carvalho, journalist James Pearce has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Almost joined in January

The Reds had a productive January transfer window by signing Luis Diaz from Porto but they were also strongly linked with a move for Carvalho.

It looked as though a deal would happen at the eleventh hour, but instead, the young midfielder ended up staying put after the necessary paperwork couldn’t be completed in time.

It certainly felt likely that Liverpool would go back in for Carvalho after Jurgen Klopp said they would be ‘crazy’ not to, and now that looks to be the case.

The Latest: Pearce confirms imminent deal

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Pearce confirmed that new transfer chief Julian Ward is on the verge of making the 19-year-old his second signing after Diaz:

“Fabio Carvalho will join #LFC this summer. Deal agreed. Fell through on deadline day due to time constraints on paperwork but move always looked likely to still happen. Exciting youngster who is relishing the chance to work with Jurgen Klopp.”

Ward was largely responsible for the capture of Diaz in the winter window as he looks to pick up where Michael Edwards leaves off, and it looks as though he has already wrapped up another great talent before the next window has even opened.

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The Verdict: Great signing for Reds

This is a mouthwatering piece of business by Liverpool, with Carvalho a huge talent, playing a starring role for Fulham this season as they cruise back into the Premier League. He has registered seven goals and assists apiece in the league.

It is imperative that Klopp builds for both the present and the future, and the youngster is someone who could be a future superstar at Anfield, along with the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, once the current crop of key men age and move on.

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has called Carvalho a ‘perfect’ signing by Liverpool and looks as though Ward is set to have a similar impact to Edwards at the club.

In other news, a fresh Liverpool transfer claim has emerged. Read more here.

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic have been handed a huge boost ahead of their upcoming Premiership clash on Sunday.

What’s the talk?

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm encounter (via BBC Sport), Gers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed that, after being sent home from international duty with Colombia due to a thigh injury, Alfredo Morelos has not only been ruled out of his club’s meeting with Celtic but could also miss most of the remainder of the season as a result of his knock.

Regarding the 25-year-old’s setback, the Dutchman said: “Unfortunately, he won’t be with us on Sunday, we won’t have him back in the next couple of weeks that’s for sure. I think a long-term injury, but we don’t know how long yet Hopefully we can give more news after the weekend.”

Postecoglou will be buzzing

Considering just how important Morelos has been to Rangers this season, the news that the striker will be unavailable for selection this weekend, and for a number of his team’s remaining league fixtures, is sure to have left Ange Postecoglou buzzing.

Indeed, over his 26 Premiership appearances in the current campaign, the £11.7m-rated hitman has been in breathtaking form for the Gers, bagging 12 goals, registering seven assists and creating nine big chances for his team-mates, also taking 4.3 shots and making two key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £31.5k-per-week forward average a sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.32, ranking him as the seventh-best player in the Scottish top flight.

As such, it is clear to see that Rangers being without their talismanic centre-forward on Sunday could greatly improve Celtic’s chances of securing what could well be a season-defining victory at Ibrox. With just six games left of the Premiership season to play after tomorrow’s meeting, the Light Blues closing a six-point gap at the top of the table would be a near-impossible feat in such a short space of time, particuarly with the Hoops landing a huge psychological direct blow.

AND in other news: £3m wasted as Celtic had a shocker on £7.9k-p/w “loner” who rinsed Desmond for 129 weeks