All posts by z3u9t.icu

Despite an electric start, Ademola Lookman’s career at Everton never really got going.

The winger was signed in 2017 after scoring 12 goals in 49 games for Charlton Athletic as a teenager, with him costing the Toffees £11m. He could hardly have hoped for a better start, scoring within minutes of his Premier League debut against Manchester City in a 4-0 win.

However, he would end up making just 48 appearances all in all for the Merseyside outfit, scoring just four times. That didn’t stop RB Leipzig spending £22.5m to take him to Germany after he bagged five goals and four assists in 11 games on loan at the Bundesliga outfit in 2018. He managed just 13 games, though, before joining Fulham on loan in the summer.

On Sunday, he was in action against Sheffield United, and put in an impressive display. He even scored a wonder goal in a 1-1 draw, and that led to plenty of praise from Everton supporters. There were many who even suggested that the Toffees should never have let him go, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what they had to say about Lookman

Let us know what you think!

Chelsea could be closing in on a deal with Juventus who are interested in taking Jorginho off their hands this summer. 

According to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), the 28-year-old is no longer viewed as a first choice option for Frank Lampard and the Italian giants are hawking his situation. Juventus are reportedly thinking ‘seriously’ about making an official move for the midfielder.

A report from June stated Jorginho is ‘willing to leave’ the London outfit in search of pastures new. Since the Premier League restarted, the Italy international hasn’t played a single minute of football under Lampard.

Calciomercato have reported that Jorginho would command a fee of about €50million (£44.5m) with three years still left on his current contract. However, due to the current financial climate, Juventus could chisel the asking price down to a more affordable amount.

With Ross Barkley performing well since the restart and Mason Mount a favoured choice of Lampard’s, it seems there’s no room for Jorginho in the current Chelsea midfield. Particularly with the heightened interest in Bundesliga star Kai Havertz.

The Blues are looking to make a move happen to bring the German ace to Stamford Bridge, with Roman Abramovich himself getting in touch with Havertz to convince him to sign (via Express). However, Bayer Leverkusen aren’t budging on his mammoth £90m asking price so Lampard and Co will need to find the funds from somewhere.

Offloading Jorginho – who hasn’t made much of an impact this season – would essentially be easy money towards a transfer target they really want. The 28-year-old has made just six goal contributions in the Premier League this season (via Transfermarkt), but it seems that ex-Blues manager Maurizio Sarri could be willing to pay a decent fee to take him back to Italy.

Lampard seems to be transitioning this Chelsea side into what fans will hope is a title-challenging team, the addition of Kai Havertz along with Timo Werner would really boost their chances of silverware next season. The club should do what they can to raise the funds and make a move for Leverkusen’s star happen.

What’s your take, Blues? Should Chelsea keep or sell Jorginho this summer? Have your say in the comments below!

West Ham appear to be edging closer to their first signing of the summer as their latest bid is being mulled over.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mirror (page 54, 12th August), Championship outfit Nottingham Forest may accept the Hammers’ £10m bid for their right-back Matty Cash.

It’s claimed that they want an extra £5m for his services after knocking back a similar offer from Premier League rivals Sheffield United.

But David Moyes’ side aren’t prepared to budge, meaning Forest may have to sell the 23-year-old for a lower fee than expected if they want to cash in on their first-choice defender.

Bye-bye Fredericks

Whether the Irons get their man for £10m or are forced to pay that extra amount remains to be seen, but it does spell bad news for Ryan Fredericks.

The 27-year-old has been wholly underwhelming from an attacking standpoint this season, averaging a mere 0.8 key passes and 0.6 crosses per game, via WhoScored.

In fact, West Ham rank third-worst for attacking the right flank in the Premier League this season with just 35% of their advances coming from Fredericks’ side.

This is where Cash can elevate Moyes’ side onto a new level next term. He’s provided three goals and five assists whilst averaging 1.1 key passes, 1 shot and 0.7 crosses per appearance in the Championship.

The Times’ chief football writer Henry Winter claimed back in November that the Forest man “looks Premier League class” whilst Quest TV pundit Sam Parkin has described his season as “outstanding”.

If the Irons want to progress further under Moyes next season, then a swoop for the attack-minded Cash makes the world of sense – they just need to stump up the cash to land their man.

AND in other news, Hammers preparing new £8m offer for seven-goal forward…

Paul Robinson believes Tottenham Hotspur could sign Philippe Coutinho this summer after Bayern Munich pulled out of negotiations. 

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former player suggested Coutinho would be “a great signing for Spurs” given his experience at the top levels of the game.

He has spent the past season on loan at the Allianz Arena but Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently announced the Bundesliga club do not intend to sign him permanently.

Sources previously told the outlet his parent club Barcelona are looking to offload the midfielder before the start of next season.

A number of Premier League clubs, including the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton, are also interested in the playmaker as Barca will accept offers at a significantly reduced price.

Robinson feels Spurs chairman Daniel Levy should try and take advantage of the situation, in light of the economic uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.

He told Football Insider: “The market will take a hit but there will still be movement of players.

“I can still see the Coutinho deal being done. Bayern have not taken the option and he has clearly not been part of Barcelona’s plans for a while now and I can see a move back to the Premier League happening.

“I think he would be a great signing for Spurs. I do not think he has settled since leaving the country and he is clearly a player that suits the Premier League. The league is stronger with him in it, certainly.”

Although Coutinho has struggled to find the form that earned him Liverpool’s Player of the Year in 2015, it is difficult to disagree with the pundit here.

After arriving at the Nou Camp for £142m in 2018, the 27-year-old has made 76 appearances for the Blaugrana, scoring 21 goals and creating 11 assists in all competitions.

He has won La Liga twice with the Spanish giants, but was forced to make way for Antoine Griezmann.

The Brazil international has shown flashes of his overall brilliance at Bayern Munich, registering 8 goals and 6 assists in the Bundesliga this season, taking 2.6 shots per game, making 1.4 key passes, and completing 1.5 dribbles on average. He has been awarded a solid statistical rating of 7.29 via WhoScored at the time of writing.

While it is fair to say he hasn’t hit the same heights he enjoyed with the Reds, the £50.4m-valued ace would certainly be an upgrade on Jose Mourinho’s midfield options at present.

Indeed, the club’s record signing Tanguy Ndombele has largely failed to live up to expectations so far, receiving a low overall rating of 6.9 per WhoScored.  Similarly, Giovani Lo Celso is rated at 6.65 according to WhoScored.

As it stands, Coutinho could provide Mourinho with the experience he needs to challenge for silverware next season, as well as acting as a mentor on-and-off the pitch for the likes of Ndombele and Lo Celso.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sign Philippe Coutinho in the summer? Let us know down below!

Norwich’s chances of Premier League survival are not impossible, with eight matches still to play, although time is certainly running out for them to haul themselves off the bottom and out of the relegation zone.

This evening the Canaries host Everton at Carrow Road five days after they were thrashed at home by Southampton and Daniel Farke must be hoping that the additional two days of rest for his team compared to the Toffees will stand in their favour.

Norwich have only three more home games after today and still have to travel to Chelsea and Manchester City (as per TransferMarkt), so we are at a point in the season where wins become imperative and gallant draws aren’t of much benefit.

That is why Farke is defiantly insisting that he will set up his team with an attacking mindset, although his to 4-4-2 from the 4-2-3-1 that he had employed all season did not have the desired effect against Southampton.

With the need for wins growing by the week, though, Football Transfer Tavern predicts that the manager will stick with two up top this evening, with a slight alteration in midfield from last week.

No prizes for guessing that Tim Krul will again be in goals, while Farke’s defensive options are severely limited by the injury absences of Sam Byram, Grant Hanley and Christoph Zimmerman. Even though the Canaries shipped three goals on Friday, they could line up with the same back four of Jamal Lewis, Timm Klose, Ben Godfrey and Max Aarons given the lack of viable alternatives – there wasn’t one defender among their nine substitutes against Southampton.

In midfield, the wide duo of Todd Cantwell and Emiliano Buendia didn’t manage a single shot between them last week but, with a combined tally of six goals and nine assists for the season, their ability to unlock opposition defences will be crucial to Norwich’s hopes of Premier League survival.

Kenny McLean will likely retain his place in the middle of the park, although there could be a different man alongside him. Tom Trybull was poor on Friday, being dribbled past no fewer than eight times and losing 10 of his 15 duels, so Farke may opt for Alexander Tettey in his place. Marco Stiepermann has returned to training after previously testing positive for coronavirus (as per WhoScored) but this game could come too soon for him.

Farke broke with convention to field a two-man attack last time out, handing Josip Drmic a first Premier League start alongside top scorer Teemu Pukki. Neither man got on the scoresheet but the Canaries’ need for wins should see the same attacking duo being deployed. The manager might also take a punt on youngster Adam Idah, who showed how potent he can be with an FA Cup hat-trick against Preston.

Maybe the 4-4-2 isn’t to everyone’s liking but Norwich need results swiftly and the deployment of as many attacking options as reasonably possible is what they require in their current predicament.

Norwich fans, can you see this being the team chosen by Farke or should he revert to 4-2-3-1? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to some comments made from TalkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, as the former Crystal Palace owner lambasted clubs for using the government’s furlough system.

The Ibrox faithful weren’t happy with comments from Chris Sutton this week about potential wage cuts, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of clubs will have to find a way to trim costs in the coming weeks and months if football does not return.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Logic would suggest that the easy way to do this is to take wages off the players, and clubs like Leeds and Barcelona have led the way in reducing player salaries to ensure non-playing staff continue to be paid.

However, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley became the first Premier League owner to place staff on the 80% pay furlough scheme this week, per The Guardian, while Tottenham and Daniel Levy have since followed suit.

Of course, Gers fans know all about Ashley’s tricks, and they are in complete agreement with Jordan, who slammed clubs for using taxpayers’ money to pay their staff while players make millions.

You can find some of the best reactions from Rangers fans down below…

What did you make of Chris Sutton’s comments on potential cuts at Rangers?

With 227 games for the club, Kris Commons was a Celtic regular in the time that he was at the club.

The former Scotland international was a consistent performer for the Hoops too, netting an impressive 89 goals and providing a further 72 assists – a key reason behind the side’s domestic dominance during the early to mid 2010s.

Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can you name them?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

But for all his quality on the ball, Commons certainly had his fair share of troubles off the pitch and problems with attitude. There was that infamous night in Norway against Molde, when the now 36-year-old threw his toys out of the pram following his substitution – he would then admit that it was “idiotic behaviour”.

And after a thread posted on Twitter by Celtic1967.com, fans of the Hoops flooded the replies section with their thoughts on the midfielder.

One Celtic fan meanwhile accepted that whilst he was a “great player”, his disagreement with Ronny Deila should have seen his time at the club come to an end.

It’s safe to say Celtic fans still haven’t forgotten about Commons.

He certainly had his moments of inspiration, but as some supporters alluded to, it’s difficult to ignore some of the more negative aspects that also came with him too.

Since the international break is now already in full power, so are the numerous transfer rumours that are usually pretty active around those times of the footballing calendar.

And Barcelona, just like many other big clubs, are always linked with a plethora of different targets.

Watch Spanish Football Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Sport have come out with a story stating the Blaugrana are interested in Juventus outcast, Emre Can.

The 25-year-old midfielder has only managed to tally 150 minutes for the Bianconeri across all competitions this season, taking part in just four games in total.

But the same source claims the Catalans would be interested in case one of their own midfielders were to depart the club in the not so distant future.

And upon seeing this report, many of the Barcelona fans couldn’t believe that their club was once again linked with a player they are deeming sub-par.

Some of them were comparing this transfer to the ones of Arturo Vidal and Paulinho, and one fan would even prefer keeping Ivan Rakitic if it meant Can would not be on the agenda.

You can see some of their replies down below:

West Bromwich Albion will be looking to keep their place atop the Championship table this weekend as they finally return to league action after the international break.

They welcome playoff-hunting Sheffield Wednesday to the Hawthorns this afternoon.

Baggies boss Slaven Bilic has guided his side to 33 points from their 16 matches this term, and with just one defeat on their record, the club look likely to be in the hunt come the end of the season.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Meanwhile, The Owls are currently sat three points from a playoff berth, but they may soon face sanctions from the EFL after they were charged for financial misconduct – this game is the first time they will have played competitively since then.

Here’s how we expect West Brom to line up…

We know that Bilic will be forced into making at least two changes as captain Jake Livermore and his midfield partner Romaine Sawyers face one-match suspensions after picking up five yellow cards.

This game should come too early for Gareth Barry, who has only played one reserve game since he re-signed for the Baggies earlier this month, while it is clear to see that the manager doesn’t quite fancy young prospect Rekeem Harper having not featured since his six-minute cameo on the opening day.

Instead, the most likely pairing will be Filip Krovinovic and Chris Brunt.

Aside from those changes, Bilic is unlikely to alter much else, which means Hal Robson-Kanu wins the battle of the 30-year-olds, so Charlie Austin is once again resigned to the bench.

[ad_pod ]

As too is Ahmed Hegazi who simply cannot break into the team ahead of either Semi Ajayi or Kyle Bartley while Conor Townsend continues to deputise at left-back as Nathan Ferguson serves the final game of his three-match ban.

Matheus Pereira, Grady Diangana, and Matty Phillips will undoubtedly continue to be Albion’s primary source of attacking threat as the trio have combined for 82% of their 29 league goals this campaign.

Everton fans have given their opinion on Jack Rodwell’s potential move to Roma, with the former Blues man in Italy to complete a move to the Italian giants. The BBC state that no deal has been agreed for the 28-year-old just yet, however.

In what is a bizarre transfer scenario, Rodwell could end up going from being relegated to League One to the Europa League in just over a year. Sunderland did indeed cancel his deal with the club, and he would then go on to leave Blackburn Rovers after just 22 appearances a year later.

Prior to these moves, Rodwell was with Everton, which is where he made his name as one of England’s brightest young talents. However, a move to Manchester City crushed his career, playing just 25 times in two years.

Ultimately, since his move from Goodison Park, the past seven years have been completely abysmal for him. Both spells with Championship clubs were dreadful, whilst he never once became a regular with City.

But now, it seems that somehow he has managed to score a transfer to Roma, and you can find some of the best Everton reactions down below…