All posts by n8rngtd.top

West Brom’s survival bid took a drastic turn for the worst on Tuesday night as they were beaten by rock-bottom Sheffield United.

It leaves Sam Allardyce’s men some nine points away from safety, and ultimately, one point against the two sides above and below them is simply not good enough and could suggest that the writing may already be on the wall.

And it’s hardly a surprise given the performances of some of his current players, they’re simply letting him down in these crucial games. None more so than young defender Dara O’Shea.

The 21-year-old has been deployed at centre-back and right-back this season without settling on a true position, which tells you that Big Sam likes him enough to keep him among the starting XI despite some questionable performances – not least against the likes of West Ham and Arsenal in recent weeks.

Once again, he struggled to deal with top-flight opposition, and that’s a worrying sign given the Blades are not just below them in the table but also one of only two teams the Baggies have actually beaten.

In terms of overall performance, the Irishman graded as Albion’s worst defender with a 6.5 rating on SofaScore, and when delving into the numbers deeper, it’s easy to see why.

O’Shea lost possession more than anyone else on the pitch (23 times), meaning he was sloppy and wasteful in giving the ball back to the opposition. Indeed, he lost the ball once every 3.9 minutes and once every 2.5 touches (59 total).

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/west-brom-deadline-day-latest-news-transfer-rumours-and-more” title=”Deadline day is here: Read the latest West Brom news, transfer rumours and more!”]

He was also hugely lightweight in his battles, allowing match-winner Jayden Bogle in frequently along that right flank. O’Shea won 55% of his duels, including just twice on the ground, which only shows how the Blades wing-back dominated him.

In addition to his inability to keep hold of possession, O’Shea was diabolical with his passing, managing to make only 54% of his passes – the worst of any Albion outfield player, via SofaScore.

It begs the question to just why skipper Jake Livermore received so much flak on social media when evidently, it’s that leaky backline that’s causing their downfall again. No team across Europe has conceded as many goals as West Brom.

As BirminghamLive’s Joseph Chapman said in his post-match ratings, O’Shea ‘lost a crucial duel which United scored their winner from,’ and that’s perhaps why they lost such a vital encounter.

The calamitous O’Shea badly let his manager down with such a weak display and that’ll surely have Big Sam pondering his place going into the weekend.

Livermore may be the fans’ scapegoat, but it was Albion’s defender who looked completely out of sorts on Tuesday night.

AND in other news, West Brom eye bargain deal as Big Sam reveals “good news”…

Manchester United have a chance to get back to winning ways when they take on West Ham at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side go head-to-head with the Hammers in the FA Cup tonight. United have only won one of their past four matches, thrashing Southampton 9-nil before being held to a six-goal thriller by Everton.

Eric Bailly remains a major injury doubt, whilst the Red Devils will be without Paul Pogba for the foreseeable future after the midfielder was injured during the draw with Everton.

Bearing this in mind, here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up, which sees Solskjaer ring four changes from the thrilling 3-3 draw with the Toffees.

Solskjaer is set to hand Dean Henderson a rare start with the Englishman expected to replace David de Gea between the sticks, having kept four clean sheets in ten appearances across all competitions this season.

The Norwegian could have somewhat of a selection dilemma in defence with Bailly a major doubt and Victor Lindelof clearly struggling from a lingering back injury.

This means that Axel Tuanzebe could be given another chance to impress alongside club captain Harry Maguire in the heart of the defence, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka keeping his place at right-back.

Alex Telles could also come in for Luke Shaw, having been left on the bench for the last three Premier League games in a row.

Elsewhere on the pitch, Fred came off the bench to replace Pogba against Everton, and the Brazilian could be handed a starting berth next to Scott McTominay behind Bruno Fernandes in the advanced playmaker position.

Anthony Martial’s struggles in front of goal this season – he’s managed just four goals in the top-flight – means Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood are most likely to resume their roles on the wings with Edinson Cavani leading the line.

AND in other news, Ed Woodward must tie down Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes to new deal…

Carlo Ancelotti can overlook Tariq Lamptey’s height being a potential flaw preventing the Brighton and Hove Albion defender from joining Everton this summer.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Lamptey is one of several right-backs that the Blues are assessing ahead of a potential investment in the position during the next off-season.

The Toffees are keen to secure the services of a long-term successor to Seamus Coleman, but feel there is a lack of available targets who fit the desired criteria set out by Ancelotti.

Height is one factor the Italian tactician has placed a great emphasis on, with the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss keen to sign a tall option having named a back four of 6 ft plus quartet Mason Holgate, Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey at times this season.

Everton consider Lamptey to be a ‘great talent’ but his 5 ft 5 stature could prove to be a stumbling block, while versatility is another aspect important to Ancelotti.

Max Aarons is another option but Ancelotti is yet to cast his final judgment over the Norwich City star, who Bayern Munich are no longer thought to be pursuing after the Canaries slapped a £30-35m asking price on the England U21 international.

Zeki Celik is no longer seen to be a target of the Goodison Park outfit despite talks over a move taking place during the recent winter market, while Jonjoe Kenny is expected to be sold at the end of the season.

Should Everton sign Lamptey?

Like a pursuit of Aarons from Norwich, Lamptey would set Everton back a large sum with the Liverpool Echo adding that Brighton are likely to demand in the region of £30m for the Chelsea flop they signed for only £4m in January 2020 that could rise to just £6m.

Ancelotti’s preference to sign a taller option will no doubt cause problems for Lamptey, too, but the Italian can overlook that factor and still consider a deal for the £40,000-per-week 20-year-old.

Brighton boss Graham Potter finds it “exciting” how Lamptey has settled at the Amex Stadium after failing to make the grade at Stamford Bridge, and now having the chance to watch as the London-born full-back continues his development in the Seagulls first-team.

“If you speak to Tariq, I think he will say he has every area of his game he can improve. And that’s not to say he’s not doing really, really well,” Potter said, via quotes by Sky Sports. “I think he has got that mentality that he wants to improve, he wants to get better. He has got that ambition.”

Lamptey also has “unbelievably quick” speed and the ability to influence games, with an average of 0.5 shots and 0.9 key passes per game in the Premier League this season, per WhoScored, before being sidelined for the past two months with a hamstring injury.

Coleman averages 0.5 key balls a game when fielded at right-back to Holgate’s 0.3 in the position, while the pair also record a respective 0.5 and 0.3 shots.

Potter believes Lamptey is close to a return, at which point he can further prove Ancelotti’s concerns over his height are nothing to worry about.

While a diminutive figure at 5 ft 5, Lamptey contests 1.5 aerial duels a game and wins 33% of his challenges, comparable to both Coleman – who wins 0.7 of 1.4 (50%) – and Holgate – who wins 0.8 of 2.1 (38%).

If Lamptey were to increase his involvement in aerial challenges upon his return, he would likely only further show Ancelotti that his concerns are misplaced and justify Everton splashing out to land his services this summer.

AND in other news, Everton are likely to sell a £6.5m-rated dud this summer after pricing him out of a January move…

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and BBC regular Noel Whelan has touted an exit for Ezgjan Alioski – coming after he reportedly instructed his agent to find him a new club. 

Alioski, who has been used fairly regularly by Marcelo Bielsa this season, starting 18 Premier League games (WhoScored), could leave as a free agent at the end of this campaign as his contract expires in June.

A Leeds United favourite before his contract fiasco, Alioski is expected to leave Elland Road at the end of the season by former Whites striker Whelan – coming after the 29-year-old told his agent to start looking for other options according to Football Insider.

Whelan tips Leeds exit for Alioski

“He will be on his way in summer, now. I kind of thought that anyway before he’s been sitting on the bench for a few games,” explained Whelan.

“We are now beginning to see signs about who might not be at the club next year. If you ask the majority of Leeds United fans, they will probably all say the same few players. Their time has come and we need better at the football club.

“That’s no disrespect to players like Alioski. They’ve done their job, they’ve played their part. But I think it’s time now.”

Transfer Tavern take

Time will tell whether he does exit at the end of this campaign, but the key development of Alioski instructing his agent to search for new suitors could be crucial.

A new contract is seemingly unlikely at this stage, and only time will tell where he could move upon its expiry.

In other news: Marcelo Bielsa loves this 31-cap attacker, find out more here.

Wolves youngster Andreas Sondergaard gave an exclusive interview to Football FanCast where he spoke in detail about making his dream move to England.

The Danish shot-stopper grew up wanting to play in England’s top league, so when Wolves came calling it was something he could not turn down.

Having the opportunity to ply his trade alongside world-class players is something that will only make Sondergaard a better player and aid his development.

Moving to a different country is too much for a lot of young players who end up back in their homeland, but Sondergaard wants to prove to people that he is different and ready to make this move work.

The motivation to prove people that doubted him when moving to Wolves wrong is something that drives him to be the best keeper every day.

He spoke at length to Football FanCast about moving away from home in Denmark and making his opportunity count at Wolves, he said:

“I always wanted to go to England at a young age if the possibilities were there.

“When I found out that I had the opportunity to go to England at a young age, I was quite clear about it that I wanted to take the chance.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“This is because when I was young, I heard that there was a lot of young players going abroad. There was a lot of talk that they didn’t manage to settle in and they kind of went back to their home countries again, after a short while.

“I wanted to prove that you can actually go at a young age and you can do well and you can settle in and have some success actually.

“That’s definitely giving me some motivation to go and do that.”

Sondergaard is ready to grasp his chance at Wolves with both hands and forge a career for himself in England.

Many come to England and can’t deal with the intensity and focus on players, however, Sondergaard seems prepared and willing to tackle anything if it means he plays in the Premier League.

This summer could well see a mass exodus at Celtic. We’ve already seen Neil Lennon depart Parkhead while Peter Lawwell, the club’s CEO, is set to retire in a few months time.

Scott Brown has been widely tipped to see out of contract, but he’s not the only member of the playing staff who could walk out. In fact, The Athletic are predicting as many as 12 players to leave Paradise this summer.

One of those is Karamoko Dembele. The teenager has found first team opportunities hard to come by this season and is set to leave on a free transfer.

He could be joined in packing his bags by Armstrong Oko-Flex. The forward arrived from Arsenal in 2018, inspired by the work Brendan Rodgers had done with Raheem Sterling at Liverpool.

The youngster thought that Rodgers could do a similar job with his game but it simply hasn’t worked out for him. Oko-Flex wanted to earn his Celtic debut by the time he was 17, but he had to wait another two years until he was given his bow.

Indeed, that came about as a result of coincidence. With 13 players self-isolating, it meant that Lennon had to pick a number of the club’s reserve players in the matchday squad.

Oko-Flex earned two substitute appearances against Hibernian and Livingston but didn’t provide much for his troubles, making just seven touches per game.

It was a very brief glimpse, but not enough to make an impact. It has been a disappointing few years for the 19-year-old and he now looks set to walk out of the club.

Like Dembele, the Irishman is out of contract in the summer. It’s a harsh story for someone Rodgers called “very talented” back in 2018. He was seemingly promised an opportunity to break into the senior set-up but under Lennon, that simply didn’t happen.

Watching him walk out having made such minimal impact will be disappointing. However, they could hand him first team opportunities in the remaining weeks of the season. After surrendering the league title to Rangers, they have nothing to play for besides pride.

Blooding some of their young talent, therefore, would certainly not be a bad idea from John Kennedy. He was the man to nurture Kieran Tierney and, if any Bhoys coach knows how to develop up-and-coming players, it’s probably him.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-transfer-news-onuachu-edouard-dembele-turnbull” title=”The latest Celtic news and views!”]

Kennedy has already mixed up his selections since being given the Celtic job on an interim basis, choosing Patryk Klimala up top against Aberdeen. He missed a sitter, however, and made just eight passes in the entire game. With that in mind, he clearly isn’t good enough to lead the line for Celtic.

Adam Montgomery has since been chosen on the bench but he must now be joined by Oko-Flex.

Having played for Arsenal at youth level and then been signed by Celtic, there is clearly a talented player in there. Will Kennedy be the first manager to really harness his powers? Time will tell.

AND in other news, 108 aerials won: Celtic could replace Edouard with “special” 6 ft 7 colossus…

From a defensive point of view, this season has been difficult for Leeds United.

It has often been a tale of whether the Whites can outscore their opponents. In the final third, they are swashbuckling and relentless in their approach. Very often do they come out second best, unless they’re left open at the back.

It’s unsurprising that’s been the case though when you consider some of the injury problems they’ve had. Liam Cooper missed the first few weeks of the season while Diego Llorente has been largely anonymous for the first five months of his Leeds career.

Robin Koch has also missed a large portion of the campaign through injury.

With that in mind, it’s rather amazing to see them occupy a place just outside the Premier League’s top ten.

Bielsa has patched together his backline and they have still managed to gain results. Llorente is now back fit and his influence in the middle of the defence is proving invaluable.

The Spaniard made his debut in a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea but after missing six matches prior to that with a groin problem, would then sit out a further half a dozen outings with the same injury.

Llorente would play ten minutes against Newcastle in January before being absent for another four games; this time because of a hamstring problem. Since then, however, Llorente has played four consecutive 90 minutes.

Very quickly, we’re starting to see why Victor Orta put in so much effort to bring him to Elland Road.

Signed from Real Sociedad last summer for £18m, this addition was a bit of a coup given his status in La Liga. He was a Spain international trading European football for a potential relegation battle.

Indeed, he must have been left wondering what on Earth he’d done after playing just twice before the New Year period. Though, with Leeds in 12th place and Llorente now proving so important, he is beginning to pay back his fee.

In the summer months, Orta had a few options. Koch was one, but there were failed attempts to sign both Ben White and Josko Gvardiol. After last season’s performances, White would have been the cherry on top of the cake.

Though, after missing out on him, Llorente was the next best thing. His performances of late are finally proving why this is a dream deal for Leeds.

Despite conceding against Aston Villa, he was imperious, fending off Ollie Watkins and regularly stopping the Villans in their tracks by intercepting the passing lanes. The £52k-per-week earner made four tackles during that game but arguably saved his best performance for Chelsea last Saturday.

The 27-year-old was a force to be reckoned with, winning 100% of his ground duels and completing 81% of his passes in the process. It was a performance that Phil Hay rightfully described as “impressive.”

Since Llorente came back into the side, Leeds have kept two clean sheets; something that’s a bit of a rarity this term. Although Bielsa will be pleased with his defensive capabilities, it’s the Spaniard’s ability to drive the team forward that stands out.

Like White, the centre-back is capable of picking out a pass and dribbling out from the back. With that in mind, he is the perfect Bielsa player.

He has missed much of the season but in double-quick time he has now shown what an impressive capture he was. The £18m they paid is beginning to look like very shrewd business.

AND in other news, Leeds have their perfect Pablo heir in rarely-seen 19 y/o, he’s a “great talent”…

Richard Keys feels vindicated after questioning Everton’s signing of James Rodriguez in the summer.

Keys said on the eve of the season that he wasn’t ‘convinced’ by the Colombian, who ‘wouldn’t be signing for Everton’ if he was truly a ‘top-drawer’ player; and the former Sky Sports anchor revisited the comment on his blog this week.

“I didn’t fancy James Rodriguez,” he wrote. “And who was right? Correct. I was.

“After a couple of good games in blistering sunshine – against run of [the] mill opposition – James disappeared, as I knew he would. And Everton are better without him.”

James’ season so far at Goodison Park

Rodriguez has scored five goals and set up eight since his arrival from Real Madrid. He has been directly involved in four goals against top-seven opposition, contributing assists in both Merseyside derbies and netting against Manchester United and Leicester.

The Colombian has missed Everton’s last four league matches through injury. Carlo Ancelotti’s men won the first two – against Southampton and West Brom – before consecutive defeats against Chelsea and Burnley.

Unsurprisingly, Keys’ staunch defence of his stance on Rodriguez did not meet kindly with these Everton fans on Twitter:

These Everton fans dismiss Keys criticism

“Haha, I’d have been happy to pay what we pay him just for Spurs, Utd & Liverpool away”

Credit: @EFCMatt1

“His blog is full of stuff like that. It’s going back in time. That being said there are some who seriously think we’re better off without James, as hard as that is to believe.”

Credit: @RyanSoccerAA

“He’s probably going to be the difference between Europe or not in our last 10 fixtures”

Credit: @bluesofgoodison

“Scored against United away, assists against Liverpool away, clearly been managing an injury when he has played”

Credit: @stebowy1

“Hahahahaah better off without him aye, at the start of the season we were scoring for fun, now this ‘run of the mill opposition’ beat us at home.”

Credit: @Owens_EFC

“He must be mad, James is our best player, the only genuine top class player we’ve got.”

Credit: @EvertonAllSorts

“And this is why we’re all better off not having @richardajkeys on our screens. The man who said Pep needed to watch how Sam Allardyce sets his teams up.”

Credit: @Mightymj1

In other news, many Everton fans loved this player’s rallying cry after FA Cup exit.

Southampton midfielder Alexandre Jankewitz produced an excellent display for Switzerland under-21s in their 1-0 victory over their England counterparts on Thursday, which begs the question – why hasn’t he featured more under Ralph Hasenhuttl this season?

The 19-year-old earned a lot of plaudits for his display in the first group game of the Under-21 European Championships and helped Switzerland pick up a much-deserved win against Aidy Boothroyd’s lacklustre England side.

Football Scout Jan Perret named Jankewitz as his man of the match on Twitter and suggested that he dominated the midfield, which is an impressive feat when you consider England had Oliver Skipp and Tom Davies in the middle, both of whom have plenty of experience in the Premier League and Championship.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook agreed, suggesting that the Saints youngster was “very impressive” and that he bossed the game.

Despite his obvious talent, the teenager has been limited to just three senior appearances for Southampton in his career, all of which have come this season. He did well in the Saints’ 2-0 win against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup and made his Premier League debut as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa.

He was then handed a start at Old Trafford and was sent off inside two minutes, which is probably the main factor behind him not featuring in Hasenhuttl’s side since.

Although it was a nasty challenge from the midfielder which earned him that red card, he is very inexperienced and will learn from that mistake, so it is a shame that the Austrian has decided not to utilise him since then.

Considering Southampton have lost Oriol Romeu for the rest of the season, you would have perhaps expected the 19-year-old to feature more regularly, but the fact that they now find themselves in a relegation battle perhaps means that Hasenhuttl isn’t willing to risk playing the Swiss youngster on a regular basis in the top flight.

Their latest match against Bournemouth in the FA Cup would have perhaps been the ideal time to reintroduce Jankewitz, considering the comfortable nature of the result, but he was left on the bench, which arguably doesn’t bode well for his future at Southampton.

It was suggested in January that Jankewitz had handed in a transfer request due to a lack of first team opportunities with the south coast club and, following his impressive international display earlier this week, he should not be short of suitors if he does want to leave in the summer.

Therefore, it could well go down as a mistake by Hasenhuttl if he fails to select him again between now and the end of the season, as it wouldn’t be a surprise if Jankewitz moved away and became a success elsewhere.

And, in other news… Signed for £8 million, left for nothing: Les Reed endured nightmare with Saints disaster

Manchester City return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon as they take on Leicester City away from home in their first game after the international break, and Pep Guardiola will know that three points will see his side take another huge step towards the title.

The Spanish manager could still win the quadruple with City this season but Leicester will undoubtedly be a tough test for his side, with the Foxes once again impressing under Brendan Rodgers this season as they currently occupy third place in the top-flight.

Leicester were superb in their 5-2 win at the Etihad Stadium earlier in the season, with Jamie Vardy causing the City defence on that day all sorts of problems. However, since Guardiola introduced a centre-back partnership of Ruben Dias and John Stones, his side have looked impenetrable at times.

It seems as if City have a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of the game at the King Power Stadium, although plenty of Guardiola’s players featured heavily in the international break, so we may well see some rotation from the former Barcelona boss.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the Spaniard to line his side up on Saturday, with five changes from the team which started against Everton in City’s last game…

Ederson replaces Zack Steffen in goal after the USA international made a rare appearance in the FA Cup win at Goodison Park.

There’s one change in the defence as Joao Cancelo replaces Kyle Walker at right-back, with Aymeric Laporte continuing alongside Ruben Dias after John Stones played the full 90 minutes against Poland for England in midweek.

Rodri comes in for Fernandinho in defensive midfield to partner Ilkay Gundogan, with the “exceptional” Kevin De Bruyne returning to the starting XI after some impressive performances for Belgium recently, as well as his goal from the bench against the Toffees last time out, as he replaces Bernardo Silva.

Riyad Mahrez also returns to the side in place of Raheem Sterling, who is dropped to the bench, with Phil Foden moving to the left-hand side to accommodate the Algerian on the right against his former club, and they support birthday boy Gabriel Jesus in the attack.

In other news… Bye-bye Laporte: Txiki should seal Man City swoop for “top-class” £67.5m-rated beast