All posts by h716a5.icu

Every club has stories of players they almost signed whether it’s Alex McLeish claiming that he almost signed Lionel Messi or Arsene Wenger saying that he almost signed Kylian Mbappe, but in Fulham’s case, they almost landed a future world superstar when he was just 21 years old.

Indeed, Robert Lewandowski was set to sign for the Whites back in January 2010 on a loan deal with an option to buy, and it’s scary to think of what could have been had the Whites landed the future Champions League Golden Boot winner.

Lewandowski would certainly have added something to Roy Hodgson’s side that possessed Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson as main striking options, but if the £54m-rated striker had signed, he may have completely changed the course of the club’s history.

The Bayern Munich star would have been arriving at Craven Cottage in the midst of their historic Europa League run that saw them lose a cruel final in extra time to Atletico Madrid, but if the Whites had a young and hungry Lewandowski rather than a semi-fit Zamora starting that final up front, you can’t help but feel that things could have turned out so differently.

Of course, winning a Europa League could have had a huge domino effect on the next decade at Craven Cottage.

The Whites have been a much more lucrative destination for any potential signings and the impending sale of the club to multi-billionaire Shahid Khan may have gone a different way if the club were consistently challenging in the top-half of the table with one of the best strikers in the world developing at the club.

However, for one reason or another, that loan deal never came to fruition and neither did the option to buy. Fulham would get their striker that winter in the shape of future Watford flop Stefano Okaka, not the future world-beater they had lined up in Lewandowski.

This is certainly one of the most painful transfers that didn’t come to fruition to look back on in hindsight.

After a debut season in English football saw him initially fall afoul of injuries before establishing himself as a key part of Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph, Kieran Tierney has endured a rather disappointing start to this new campaign.

The Scotland international has played 11 games across all competitions, and is yet to score or get an assist, and his latest performance against Aston Villa in the Premier League was arguably one of his worst since moving south of the border from Celtic.

Whilst he may feel unlucky not to have seen a stunning cross being scored by Alexandre Lacazette, his overall display was rather disappointing.

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As per Sofascore, he lost possession a staggering 23 times over the course of the 90 minutes, by far the worst of any Arsenal player on the pitch. He made no tackles or interceptions whatsoever, and lost seven of his ten total duels too.

It was a far cry from the kind of monumental displays he put in both the FA Cup semi-final and final, with the former even seeing him pick out a lovely assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s second goal.

There was no composure to his game on Sunday, and he looked increasingly awkward on the ball. The five-at-the-back formation that Arteta has employed has in general given the Gunners more stability defensively, but it has taken away some of the more dynamic movements that Tierney possesses.

Playing as the left-sided centre-half, and with Bukayo Saka playing as the wing-back, has restricted to his usual energetic game, and his display against Villa was very poor by his standards.

His attempt at a reverse rabona inside his own half and seeing it spectacularly fail to come off just typified both him and Arsenal on the night. No substance whatsoever.

Tottenham Hotspur asserted their dominance in their first match back from the international break. Going into a clash against Manchester City is never viewed as an easy task for any team, but Jose Mourinho and his men had the last laugh as they emerged 2-0 winners last night.

Son Heung-min and substitute Giovani Lo Celso were on song to give Spurs the three points, which sees them leapfrog into first place in the Premier League table.

Tottenham as a whole put in a solid performance against the six-time league champions, with often overlooked players like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg receiving huge praise. However, one man who went a little under the radar with his display was stand-in right-back Serge Aurier.

Serge Aurier vs Man City

With Matt Doherty currently self-isolating, Aurier has been given his chance to pile pressure on the summer signing by taking his place in Mourinho’s starting lineup. He certainly didn’t disappoint against City and was in fact Spurs’ best performing defender statistically.

According to Sofascore, the Ivorian contributed a solid four clearances and five tackles to keep the threat of Ferran Torres at bay. Aurier also won ten of his 14 attempted duels and completed 100% of his crosses.

At the moment, Spurs have just the two recognised senior right-backs in the 27-year-old and Doherty, who has made an immediate impact since joining the club from Wolves. But now, with Aurier proving he can put in important shifts against elite sides like Man City, Mourinho may decide to switch up his decisions to cater to different opponents.

Charlie Eccleshare recently predicted that having two in-competition right-backs is “exactly what Mourinho wants”, during an episode of The Athletic’s ‘The View from The Lane’ podcast.

The Ivory Coast international, who earns £70,000-a-week according to Spotrac, has been linked to move away from north London, particularly after Doherty’s arrival. The club rejected a bid from AC Milan over the summer but he has proven that he still has a lot to give to Spurs and he could may well play a key part in Mourinho’s quest to a shock Premier League title win this season.

In other news, Levy lost £15m with controversial sale of this Spurs player…

This season has been a disastrous state of affairs for Celtic, one that could well cost Neil Lennon his job.

After last weekend’s SPFL action, they fell 11 points behind their arch-rivals Rangers.

The manager’s head was called for but he received the backing of the board after their 2-2 draw with Hibernian.

However, few Celtic chiefs can defend the result that occurred on Thursday evening.

In being unceremoniously dumped out of the Europa League with two group games still to play, the Hoops were beaten 4-1.

The defending on show was abysmal as countless times the men in green left their opponents unmarked and with easy goal-scoring opportunities.

The worst performer from Lennon’s point of view was undoubtedly Kristoffer Ajer, someone who has looked a shadow of his former self this season.

It wasn’t long ago that Ajer was being linked with both Tottenham and Leicester, but any thought of claiming a high-end fee for his services now look shot.

The fact of the matter is that the centre-back has been poor this term and is doing himself no favours if he wants to earn a move to a bigger club in England or Europe.

Ajer’s display against Sparta Prague on Thursday just about summed things up. He completed one tackle and made zero interceptions. The defender also lost possession 11 times and completed just two of seven long balls attempted.

His marking was also particularly poor, especially for the first goal when he was nowhere near David Hancko who tucked the chance away from close range.

For someone who prides himself on being a ball-playing defender, Ajer was particularly poor in this phase of the game too. To highlight his poor day at the office, the Dane completed just 76% of his passes. For context, he is usually successful with 88% on average.

It speaks volumes about Ajer’s game when he’s not even on song with one of his strongest attributes.

Thus, should Celtic look to cash in on the 22-year-old in January? Undoubtedly so.

Reports from Italy this week stated that AC Milan were interested in completing a swap deal for Ajer with Diego Laxalt who is currently on loan in Glasgow.

A claim from Football Insider, meanwhile, claims that Celtic are looking to sell some of their star men – currently valued at £90m – including Ajer. That’s because of a £13m drop in turnover.

If Celtic want to get a decent fee for his services they must sell as soon as they can before his value plummets further.

He showed on Thursday he is not indispensable to the Bhoys.

Meanwhile, check out how Celtic can FORGET all about Odsonne Edouard if he leaves…

If reports are to be believed, Slaven Bilic is facing a job-defining game later this afternoon as his West Brom side head north to face Newcastle United in the Premier League.

According to the Telegraph’s John Percy, another capitulation or embarrassment at the hands of the Magpies at St James’ Park and it could be curtains for the Croatian.

The ten men of Albion were thrashed 5-1 by Crystal Palace on Sunday and things aren’t going to be much better with Matheus Pereira confirmed as suspended for the next three games, so what sort of Baggies side will we see today?

Here’s what we are predicting…

There could be as many as three changes as well as a fresh system.

In terms of replacements for the influential Brazilian playmaker, we may see skipper Jake Livermore return, meaning Conor Gallagher can be pushed further forward with Romaine Sawyers also keeping his place.

One of the players to make way in defence is veteran Branislav Ivanovic after he dropped a stinker against the Eagles, instead, Kieran Gibbs returns to form a back four.

It also means that Matty Phillips drops to the bench as his position as fill-in left wing-back is effectively void.

Semi Ajayi, Kyle Bartley and Darnell Furlong make up the backline, heralding regular first-choice goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

Bilic could stick with Karlan Grant upfront, but there is a return for the £9m-rated Callum Robinson, who is deployed on the other wing to Grady Diangana after being snubbed last time out.

The £18m summer signing was hooked off at half-time against Palace, but should keep his place with Pereira out suspended.

It means the likes of Dara O’Shea, Kyle Edwards, Kamil Grosicki and Hal Robson-Kanu are all restricted to the bench.

AND in other news, Albion should cash in on “exciting” £30k-p/w outcast…

West Ham United have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of Omar Richards after the Reading full-back sustained an injury at the worst possible moment for David Moyes.

What’s the word?

According to Berkshire Live, the Royals have been hit by a triple injury setback with Richards and top-scorers Lucas Joao and Yakou Meite set for a spell on the sidelines over the festive period.

Reading maintained their push for Premier League promotion with a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, but lost Richards when the 22-year-old was forced off with a hamstring injury just 27 minutes into his 18th appearance of the second-tier season.

News of Richards’ issue will be irksome at the London Stadium, where club chiefs are reportedly paying close attention to the £1.35m-rated left-back’s situation with Reading considering cashing in on their rising star, whose contract is due to expire in the summer.

Richards is in discussions over penning a new four-year deal, but if terms are not agreed by late January, it is said Reading will look to offload the rumoured West Ham and Crystal Palace target tracked by several Premier League sides including Wolves, Newcastle and Southampton.

Moyes will be particularly dismayed to hear of Richards’ injury as he weighs up a winter pursuit, having lost Arthur Masuaku for the foreseeable future after the DR Congo international underwent career-saving surgery on a knee injury.

Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan believes Masuaku’s operation comes as a “worst nightmare” scenario for Moyes, having called on the 27-year-old to start 10 Premier League games this season.

Injured at the worst possible time

An impressive showing from Richards over the festive period could have sealed the London-born left-back a move to West Ham in January, but he may now find his route back to the capital blocked through no fault of his own.

Richards has impressed in the Championship this season as an integral aspect of Veljko Paunovic’s promotion-chasing plans, having missed just four minutes of action over his first 17 appearances before limping off in game 18.

The 22-year-old is yet to score or assist but has created three big chances for the Royals to find the back of the net while averaging 0.6 key balls and 0.3 shots a match. He has also averaged 77.7 touches a game, plus 38 accurate passes and 0.8 accurate crosses, per SofaScore.

His defensive efforts of 2.7 successful tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.5 clearances a game have further helped to six clean sheets while winning a mammoth 7.4 duels shared between 6.6 on the ground and 0.8 in the air with 66% and 50% success rates respectively.

His career trajectory was certainly on the up before the injury, and a Premier League future is almost guaranteed for Richards, regardless of Reading’s promotion hopes, but it remains to be seen if West Ham will be the destination for the man former Royals boss Mark Bowen once lauded for being “outstanding”.

AND in other news, a £27m-rated West Ham dud is playing on borrowed time after a shocking showing at Leeds United.

Glasgow Rangers seem to have weathered the storm, for the time being at least, after Steven Gerrard’s side came from behind to beat Motherwell to move 16 points clear of Celtic at the summit of the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers have won 16 of their past 18 games in the Premiership this season, having dropped points against Livingston and Hibernian so far, via Transfermarkt.

But for all of their recent success, it has failed to cover up some of the cracks, as their unbeaten start to the season was abruptly cut short after they were dumped out of the Scottish League Cup by St Mirren, despite the board splashing the cash in the summer.

Gerrard finally got what he wanted all along when Ross Wilson brought in Bongani Zungu from French Ligue 2 side Amiens on an initial loan deal with the option to buy, but the South African midfielder has arguably struggled to hit the ground running.

This means that the Ibrox boss only really has two viable options for the central midfielder role – until June at the very latest, with Steven Davis and Zungu vying for a place behind any combination consisting of Scott Arfield, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Ryan Jack.

Barring a coronavirus outbreak, an injury crisis could cause some awkward problems, which is why Gerrard should consider recalling Rangers loanee Stephen Kelly in January, and he really ought to do so after Ross County manager Stuart Kettlewell was sacked after the defeat to Hamilton.

The Staggies slumped to a 2-0 defeat to the Accies in Dingwall on Saturday afternoon as their dreadful run of form continued, leaving them four points adrift at the bottom of the table.

But Kelly has been one of the few bright sparks in a dismal campaign for the Highlands club, having contributed to two goals in four starts so far this season.

The 20-year-old central midfielder starred as the Staggies battled to a hard-fought draw with Livingston, setting up Oli Shaw to open the scoring in the first half before Livi hit back after the break.

His former loan manager Ian McCall hailed the young talent after he scored his first league goal for Ayr United, saying: “It was a touch of absolute class to win the game for us. Total technique, he’s a wonderful footballer. I love him to death. I think he’s magic to watch.”

With Davis entering the final few months of his current deal, this is where Kelly can come into the foray. Just like he did with Davis, Gerrard can transform the Scotland U21 international into a deep-lying playmaker, capable of playing further forward and unlocking defences with long balls over the top.

He’s certainly shown he has the ability, as he has managed more assists than Zungu across all competitions this season so far.

It’s about time the Ibrox boss started to put his faith in the youth system, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit drops big claim about Alfredo Morelos’ future at Glasgow Rangers…

Southampton are continuing to be linked with a loan move for Manchester United defender Brandon Williams this month and if he were to join, it will surely prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Sam McQueen.

According to Sky Sports, Southampton are interested in signing the youngster on loan this month and he is keen to leave to get regular first-team football under his belt.

Back in 2018, Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer was full of praise for the defender’s performance against AZ Alkmaar, saying:

“The performance and debut of Brandon, fantastic. You can’t see any nerves, he’s so brave, the courage to take the ball and go forward. Great defending, very pleased, some big, big pluses today.”

If he were to sign, it could be bad news for McQueen. The Saints man unfortunately injured his cruciate ligament in 2018 and hasn’t made a senior appearance since, after one of the screws in his knee became infected.

The left-back looked to be destined for a bright future with the South Coast club, having made 29 first-team appearances during his time there and he also enjoyed loan spells with Southend United and Middlesbrough.

However, the injury looks to have all but ended his hopes of making it at Southampton and with his contract set to expire at the end of the current season, it seems very unlikely that he will be offered a new contract with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

The Saints are perhaps low on left-back options, with just Ryan Bertrand and 20-year-old Jake Vokins currently the only options available to the Austrian manager, so McQueen may still be holding out hope that he could make a return, with a report from The Athletic suggesting a few months ago that January could be a target for when he can have a ball at his feet again.

It seems unfortunate for the left-back therefore, that Southampton are showing heavy interest in Manchester United’s Williams this month, as if he were to join, it would surely prove to be the final nail in the coffin for McQueen, especially if Hasenhuttl saw enough from the 20-year-old to make his deal permanent in the summer.

Whilst the Southampton academy graduate may be something of a forgotten man amongst Saints supporters, he was included in their 25-man Premier League squad earlier this season, which suggests that the South Coast club are not desperate to see him cut adrift, despite his injury concerns.

Hopefully, if the signing of Williams does lead to McQueen leaving Southampton this summer, he can go on to have a successful career elsewhere.

And, in other news, Hasenhuttl handed devastating injury blow to 21 y/o with great potential ahead of FA Cup tie…

It’s been reported that Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has rejected the club’s ‘very lucrative’ initial new contract offer, with the 2018 World Cup winner’s current deal set to expire a year and a half from now.

This news comes after reports emerged claiming that Lloris is wanted by former Tottenham boss, and new Paris Saint-Germain manager, Mauricio Pochettino.

Long-term Levy plan

This contract update on Lloris was originally reported by Football Insider, who have claimed that the Lilywhites’ owner and chairman Daniel Levy, who Lloris claimed to have a good relationship with back in 2016, is keen to sign the Frenchman to a long-term deal that would effectively see him spend the rest of his career at Spurs.

It’s claimed in this report that the Lilywhites hierarchy ‘still have great faith’ in the £10.8m-rated man, as does Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.

Tottenham Hotspur knocked back

Pochettino’s appointment at Le Parc des Princes seems to have thrown a spanner in the works of this long-term Levy plan to tie Lloris down to a long-term deal, which the club has reportedly been working on since August, as Mourinho’s side are now said to be prepared to try and battle ‘strong interest’ from PSG for the goalkeeper’s signature.

With Spurs’ early attempts to get Lloris tied down to a new deal having been knocked back, and the club said to be determined not to allow their captain to enter the final year of his contract amid interest from PSG, it certainly seems that unless they can convince Lloris to change his mind and commit his future to Tottenham in the next few months, a summer departure could well be on the cards.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Spurs and Levy’s negotiations over a new deal for star attacker, Son Heung-min.

Tottenham Hotspur return to FA Cup action as they head to Championship strugglers Wycombe Wanderers for a fourth-round clash later this evening.

And Jose Mourinho will be left with some major calls to make over his squad – should he rest his key starters? or does he need to go for it?

Everton awaits the winner in the next round.

Spurs thrashed non-league outfit Marine in the last round and continued their good form with a draw at Fulham and then a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United last weekend.

It saw the Portuguese boss revert to a back-three for the first time since the Wolves encounter a month ago, but it’s not a system that should be deployed here, meaning at least one defender ought to be in the firing line.

On the Chalkboard

That man should be Ben Davies, who was utilised as a third centre-back instead of his more natural left-back position and despite the win, it can be argued that it simply didn’t pay dividends.

The 27-year-old Welsh international was graded as Spurs’ second-worst player (6.8) per SofaScore ratings and it’s easy to see why as he’s simply not suited to the role.

At just 5 foot 11, Davies is not suited to those physical aerial battles which will be a key attribute they will need to counter against Adebayo Akinfenwa, who has been described as “the beast.”

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Against the Blades, the £18m-rated defender won just two of his six aerial duels (33%) whilst overall form the campaign, Davies ranks tenth in the squad for average aerial duels won (1.2 per game), via WhoScored.

Akinfenwa, despite being 38 years of age, averages a whopping 9.5 aerials won per game in the Championship this season, the second-most of any player in the division.

That is exactly why Mourinho will have to either revert back to a flat back-four which sees two of Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier and Joe Rodon start, or he will have to swap the diminutive Davies out for the Belgian colossus.

In addition to that, of any Spurs player to start eight or more games in the Premier League this term, Davies ranks second-worst for average rating (6.54), which only goes to show the level at which he’s underperforming, according to WhoScored figures.

Earlier in the season, former Leeds man Noel Whelan savaged Davies to Football Insider after a disasterclass against Liverpool, he said:

“That’s embarrassing for any senior pro, appalling, really, even against a side who dominate possession and pen you into your own half all the time. Ben Davies is a solid defender and you can see why Mourinho picks him, he does a decent job there. But, we know with full-backs these days, a huge part is contributing to the attacking play, bombing forward, overlapping and sending into crosses.”

As brutal as it would be, there just is no place for the £65k-per-week lightweight this evening as he shouldn’t be starting over the impressive Sergio Reguilon in his natural role let alone through the middle.

AND in other news, Spurs can finally end a 4-year headache by landing £20m “special player”…