All posts by h716a5.icu

Spurs midfielder Gedson Fernandes has been linked with a move to Serie A club Torino recently and considering his lack of game time with the North London club, Daniel Levy should allow him to go back to Benfica so he can then move on to Italy.

The Portuguese youngster was brought in on loan from the Liga NOS side in January of last year but has managed just 14 appearances in all competitions.

The 22-year-old has failed to make a single appearance in the Premier League this season and was also left out of Jose Mourinho’s Europa League squad, so it seems clear that the former Real Madrid boss does not feel that the midfielder is of a high enough quality to be a regular in his team.

Whilst he did feature in the FA Cup win against Marine recently, Torino’s reported interest represents an excellent opportunity for Spurs to cut short his disappointing loan spell, and send him back to Benfica, which could also open up an opportunity for another loan player to be brought in.

The 22-year-old is reportedly earning £55k-per-week whilst on loan with Spurs and given that he has been with the North London club for 53 weeks now, Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board have shelled out nearly £3 million in wages for his services.

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You could certainly suggest this money has gone down the drain, considering his most memorable moment in a Tottenham shirt to date was perhaps his awful penalty in the FA Cup defeat against Norwich City last season.

Fernandes would feature in just 63 minutes of Premier League action last season and now that Spurs have added Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in midfield, as well as Tanguy Ndombele establishing himself as a regular in Mourinho’s side, it seems extremely unlikely that he will feature in the top-flight any time soon.

Therefore, Spurs should certainly consider ending his loan spell early, as whilst he may not be currently good enough for Mourinho’s side, the £12.15 million-rated midfielder deserves the chance to play regular football elsewhere, something he could perhaps achieve with Torino in Italy, and such a move could get him off the wage bill tooo

And, in other news… Spurs will massively rue not signing £36.5m beast tipped to become the “best in Europe”

Mike Ashley can end Steve Bruce’s defensive dilemma with a late Deadline Day deal for Newcastle United to sign FC Schalke 04’s Ozan Kabak.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Bruce had sought to acquire Kabak on loan until the end of the season but the Toon deemed a move too expensive.

The 20-year-old has not missed a second of action across his Bundesliga side’s last 11 top-flight fixtures following a challenging start to the campaign, with Kabak seeing an indirect suspension result in a four game ban.

West Ham United and AC Milan have previously been credited with interest in Kabak after Schalke warmed to offloading the Turkey international for €15m (£13m), having accepted that the centre-half is one of few Die Konigsblauen could still demand a lucrative fee for.

Liverpool have also now entered the race for the defender, who Stuttgart sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger lauds as a “role model”, with Sky Sports (Transfer Centre, 1/2, 10:21) claiming Kabak is prepared to undergo a medical in Germany if the two sides are able to agree on the terms of a deal with the Reds proposing a £2.5m loan fee.

He was formerly considered unsellable among the Schalke hierarchy, who recognised that the Gelsenkirchen outfit would have to sell some of their key players to fund arrivals in the winter market who could steer the club away from the relegation zone.

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Should Newcastle pursue Kabak further?

Kabak would appear to have been an option very much on the market in the winter sales, with reports in Germany claiming Schalke were open to selling the 7-cap beast and reports in England suggesting Newcastle only walked away from a loan after hearing the financial terms needed.

But Bruce should not relent on his interest in the Turkish youngster and should urge Ashley to dig a little deeper to meet Die Konigsblauen’s demands, as Kabak could help solve the Toon’s defensive nightmare.

The Magpies have just lost captain Jamal Lascelles again after the centre-half sustained a hamstring injury in United’s win over Everton on Saturday, which is expected to keep him sidelined for several weeks.

Lascelles had only just returned to Premier League action 12 days prior following a lengthy period out after testing positive for coronavirus, and now joins Federico Fernandez in the medical room just as Ciaran Clark and Paul Dummett returned to training.

Newcastle’s spate of injuries have forced Bruce into fielding midfielder Isaac Hayden in the backline recently, but no such thoughts would cross the Magpies boss’ mind if Kabak were signed.

Despite Schalke’s torrid campaign that sees the Veltins Arena natives sit rock bottom of the Bundesliga, Kabak has been a star as he comfortably collects possession with 1.2 successful tackles and clears danger 3.9 times a game. He also wins a mammoth 4.1 aerial duels and 3.0 ground duels game, per SofaScore.

Only Fernandez (1.5) has been successful in as many tackles a game in the Premier League for Newcastle this season among Bruce’s current centre-halves, with Lascelles offering 0.83, Clark 0.82 and Fabian Schar 0.71.

Schar further offers fewer clearances (3.36), while no Toon defender wins as many ground duels or aerial duels with Fernandez (2.25 ground) and Clark (3.73 air) the top-performers.

Bruce faces a race against time to get Ashley to dig a little deeper and sign Kabak, but Newcastle would stand to benefit greatly from beating out Liverpool’s late interest and getting a deal done.

AND in other news, Newcastle United have faced enquiries over a £15m deal to sell a Steve Bruce outcast…

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard recently confirmed Nikola Katic has suffered a setback which has ruled him for the rest of the season.

What’s the word?

The Rangers defender sustained an injury during pre-season training last summer but his agent had insisted his client was pushing for a return in early 2021.

However, it was subsequently revealed he has not managed to recover as quickly as previously hoped, and as such will be forced to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.

And now, former Rangers fullback Alan Hutton has claimed the Croatian centre-back may be missing from first-team action for a full year following Gerrard’s latest update.

He said: “I think he’s an excellent player but these are injuries you must take your time with, you can’t rush him back. You don’t want it happening again just for the sake of pushing yourself to get an extra month and trying play a few games.

“You may as well take your time, get it right, have a full pre-season because that’ll be him out for a full year, so it’s going to be difficult for him to get back up to the level that we’re used to seeing him play. It’s going to take some time so think pre-season is a good time for him to build up slowly with the rest of the team and then get back into action.”

Gerrard faces a selection dilemma

The timing of the injury blow almost couldn’t be much worse after Rangers sent George Edmundson out on loan to Derby County in the January transfer window, with Gerrard’s side facing a very busy fixture list between now and the end of the season.

Kilmarnock are next on the agenda, and then there are Europa League games and an increasingly hectic Scottish Premiership schedule subject to Covid-19.

Prior to his injury, Katic had established himself as an integral part of Gerrard’s side, including getting himself into the Ibrox faithful’s good books with a dramatic winner at Parkhead to beat Celtic. In his last season alone, he averaged two tackles per 90 in the Europa League. For context, even Leon Balogun and Filip Helander have only managed 1.4 and one respectively.

Now, the long-term absentee is expected be sidelined for several more months to recover from the blow. This means that the 24-year-old will not only miss the Europa League, but he’ll also be unavailable to help the Gers in their push to regain the title for the first time since the 2010/11 season.

Having just Connor Goldson, Balogun and Helander available at the back leaves little margin for error, with the relatively inexperienced Calvin Bassey also an option in the central defensive role if required as a last resort.

Barring a coronavirus crisis, an injury crisis could quickly cause problems, so Gerrard will have to consider managing his options carefully to avoid a potential catastrophe.

Ultimately, the key thing for the Gers boss is making sure the £10k-a-week earning Katic can get up to speed as quickly as possible without suffering any more setbacks. Rushing him back into the equation would do both him and the club more harm than good, so as Hutton rightfully says, it’s better for the Ibrox side to really play it safe with the 6 foot 4 titan.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must secure the future of Rangers centre-back Leon Balogun…

David Moyes should urge West Ham United to trigger their clause to sign Craig Dawson permanently, regardless of the Watford defender meeting the number of games needed to make the deal obligatory.

What’s the word?

According to Claret & Hugh, the Irons hierarchy are 99 per cent certain that Dawson will remain at the London Stadium beyond the end of his season-long loan.

Dawson moved to east London following the Hornets’ relegation to the Championship, after West Ham’s efforts to land Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski and a number of other targets fell through.

The Hammers’ agreement with Watford has always been said to feature a £2m option to purchase the 30-year-old at the end of the season, though is now thought to also feature an obligation based on a set number of appearances.

Both West Ham and Watford are understood to be keeping the exact number close to their chests, but claims coming out of the London Stadium suggest that a deal will go through either way.

Fellow Irons insider ExWHUemployee has also shared that West Ham’s deal for Dawson features an obligation to buy dependent on games played, and that the claret and blue outfit believe Dawson will remain under Moyes’ wing next term.

Dawson had to wait until December to make his West Ham debut when fielded away to Southampton, but is yet to miss a beat in the Premier League since with 10 starts and 900 minutes of top-flight action to his name this season.

The Rochdale-born enforcer also opened two of the Hammers’ three FA Cup ties, scoring the winning goal away to Stockport County in the third round for his first of three West Ham goals across all competitions to date.

Should West Ham retain Dawson?

While the exact number of appearances needed for West Ham’s option to purchase Dawson to become obligatory remains to be seen, what is no longer in doubt is the defender’s importance to Moyes and the Irons’ push for a European qualifying berth.

He certainly had to bide his time on the bench and even out in the cold, having not featured in a matchday squad until Premier League game-week 12, but Dawson is firmly one of the first names on the teamsheet now.

A £2m fee will also prove a bargain for a player who is offering as much as Dawson with the Watford loanee a vocal presence at the back every week, which proved a welcome boost for Issa Diop when the Frenchman deputised for the injured Angelo Ogbonna against Sheffield United earlier this month.

Dawson guided Diop through the game while Liverpool’s alleged January target earned only his second top-flight start since September, and it allowed the pair to form a formidable wall that stayed mostly intact during Sunday’s London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur as well.

Moyes always considered Dawson to be a “fantastic” and experienced defender, who was also singled out for praise by Arsenal icon Martin Keown recently.

“I think Dawson is a great bit of business. Tarkowski was meant to be coming in for £35m and Moyes has said: ‘No, I don’t pay that sort of money’. He came in as fourth-choice and now he’s key,” Keown told talkSPORT.

It will surely take a startling turn of events for West Ham to now pass up on the chance to sign Dawson permanently, especially at such a low fee, even if their option only ever stays an option to buy.

AND in other news, West Ham may rival a top-six Premier League side for a 16-y/o whizkid this summer…

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa will not renew Ahmed Elmohamady’s contract this summer.

What's the story?

The versatile wide player’s contract with Dean Smith’s side is nearly at its end, and it’s now being reported that Villa do not plan to offer an extension on his current deal. Football Insider claim that Smith is ready to let the defender go amid plans to use Frederic Guilbert – who is on loan in France – as Matty Cash’s back-up and competition moving forwards.

Sawiris may be relieved

The Egypt international has simply not forced his way in as a key player in the last couple of seasons, making just five appearances in the top flight until mid-February, which suggests he is nowhere near the top of the pecking order in a fully fit Villa squad.

With Cash currently injured, the 33-year-old has come back into the fold, playing 90 minutes in each of the past three games, but he has also come in for some criticism from his own manager, with Smith not impressed by his defending in the 2-1 defeat against Leicester.

Then, against Sheffield United on Wednesday night, he produced a shocking display, and one that surely would have left his manager worried. It’s no surprise then that the boss is happy to let him go, and considering he earns a decent £45k-a-week salary, owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens (NSWE) may well breathe a sigh of relief to get an unwanted player off the wage bill, allowing the pair to reinvest elsewhere in the squad.

It would be a ruthless call to get rid of a player who has played 124 times since moving to Villa Park, especially given his impact when they earned promotion, but it seems to be a wise call that simply must be made.

Meanwhile, this Villa man let Dean Smith down against Sheffield United…

Whilst Rangers enjoyed nearly complete domination over St Mirren at Ibrox on Saturday, the performance of all of Steven Gerrard’s players was extremely professional.

The front three were dangerous, as they have been all season, with Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi all getting on the scoresheet for the Gers.

However, the decision to drop Joe Aribo back into midfield after he played on the right wing against Livingston in midweek proved to be an inspired one by Gerrard, as he completely ran the show at Ibrox.

As per SofaScore, the former Charlton Athletic man earned a solid 7.2 match rating for his display, which wasn’t quite on the level of Kent or Connor Goldson, but he was still an important part of Rangers’ victory.

During his time on the pitch, Aribo would have 125 touches of the ball, the most of any player on the pitch from both sides.

The Nigerian international, who reportedly earns £7,500 per week at Rangers, completed 94 of his 102 passes, resulting in a superb 92% pass accuracy during the game, which is a drastic improvement on the 84.5% pass accuracy he has averaged in the Premiership so far this season.

Whilst he didn’t score or assist, nearly every Rangers attack ran through him, as he was hugely involved throughout, whilst also managing one key pass from midfield. His 125 touches was the most of anyone on the pitch at Ibrox, per SofaScore.

It wasn’t just his attacking play which was impressive, however, as he also won all three of his aerial duels during the 90 minutes, as well as winning two tackles, which emphasises that he was just a class above the St Mirren midfielders at Ibrox.

So far this season, Aribo has averaged a superb 7.44 rating for his performances in the Premiership, having contributed six goals and four assists in 25 appearances – which is enough to see him rated as the second-best performer across the season. per WhoScored.

Therefore, the decision to sign him from Charlton in the summer of 2019 looks to have been a superb piece of business, as he has been vital to Rangers’ success so far this season.

And, in other news… Gerrard should unleash “big talent” at Rangers next season 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United centre-back Steve Howey bemoaned Brighton & Hove Albion’s cutting edge in front of goal as they continue to battle against relegation.

The Seagulls have scored just 27 goals in the Premier League this season despite having 345 shots in the league, with their problems glaringly obvious for everyone to see.

Brighton have not been afraid to try their luck in front of goal, however, they find themselves bottom of the league for percentage of shots on target with just 26.4% of their efforts testing the goalkeeper.

Since they won promotion to the Premier League in 2017, Brighton have failed to register more than 40 goals in a season, with their highest being 39 which they achieved last campaign as they finished seven points clear of the bottom three.

Speaking on Brighton’s troubles in front of goal and if they can ever improve without being clinical in the final third, Howey told FFC exclusively:

“If you don’t score goals you’re not going to win games, and that saying certainly applies to Brighton and it needs to be addressed.

“Other than that, their play is very good and they’ve got some very good players. I’ve always liked Dunk, I think he’s good and I’m surprised nobody has come in for him.

“They’ve got some very good players technically but, as I said, it’s all about just putting the ball in the back of the net.”

Graham Potter will be looking to address his side’s ability to finish if they are to start picking up points which their play and endeavour perhaps deserve.

Brighton face Southampton and Newcastle United in their next two figures which could see the Seagulls pull away from the relegation scrap if they can pick up maximum points.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Kevin Phillips, who made 149 appearances for Sunderland, spoke of how much Jordan Jones has impressed him when called upon since signing on-loan from Rangers in January.

After starting just one in his first six games for Sunderland, Jones has settled into Lee Johnson’s side. The Northern Ireland international had started the last three league matches scoring once and registering two assists, before he served a suspension against Accrington.

Jones arrived at Sunderland after being suspended for seven games by the Scottish Football Association for breaching Covid-19 rules, as well as having to self-isolate for 14 days but has settled into life on Wearside well.

Speaking on Jones’ settling in period and believes the Rangers striker has shown he has something about him, Phillips told FFC exclusively:

“He’s taken time to settle in but now we’re seeing it pay off. He scored an unbelievable goal against Crewe and then scored a lovely delicate chip the other night and he’s playing with confidence.

“It’s great to have players like that and you don’t play for Rangers unless you’ve got something about you.

“In League One, if you’ve got something about you, then you’ll perform. So, the good thing about these players is that they’re performing at the right time.”

Jones has two goals and three assists in his nine appearances for Sunderland and seems to be complementing Charlie Wyke and Aiden McGeady well.

Sunderland find themselves just two points adrift of Peterborough in second place, so they will be targeting automatic promotion.

According to a recent report, Tottenham Hotspur have been alerted to the availability of Lucas Vazquez, who looks set to become a free agent this summer.

The report by The Mirror claimed that the Real Madrid winger has rejected the offer of a new contract at the La Liga side, as the proposed three-year deal includes a 10% reduction to the 29-year-old’s current weekly wage of £113,000.

It is also claimed that the £13.5m-rated Spain international has informed his representatives to find him a new club in the Premier League, with the player believed to be keen on a reunion with his former boss Jose Mourinho at Tottenham, while Arsenal have also been contacted due to the Spaniard’s desire to live in London.

Transfer Tavern Take

So far this season, Vazquez has impressed over his 22 La Liga appearances for Zinedine Zidane’s side, scoring two goals and registering four assists, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.17 – ranking him as the club’s fourth-best performer in the Spanish top flight.

The 29-year-old has been in similarly fine form in the Champions League, providing two assists and averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.18 over his seven appearances in the competition.

As such, should Spurs indeed have been offered the chance to land the winger this summer, especially on what would potentially be a free transfer as his contract expires in just over three months’ time – something which is likely to entice Daniel Levy – it would appear to represent a magnificent opportunity for Mourinho to land a relatively hassle-free addition of a top-level player to the Tottenham ranks.

In other news: Tottenham have identified a potentially ‘perfect’ heir to Mourinho – find out more here!

Glasgow Rangers defender Connor Goldson has revealed he dreams of playing in the Premier League.

Goldson wants Premier League move

Goldson moved to Ibrox from English outfit Brighton, for whom he appeared in the Premier League on three occasions (Transfermarkt). At Rangers, he has had a big hand in helping the club win their 55th Premiership title, being rated as one of the team’s best performers according to WhoScored.

However, speaking to The Times, the £4.95m-valued 28-year-old has shared his desire to again play amongst the elite south of the border. He said:

“My dream was always to play week in, week out in the Premier League. Whether that happens, time will tell but I think for any English player that’s the dream.”

Hammer blow

This revelation will come as a huge blow to Steven Gerrard. Of all the talents to have contributed to the Gers’ success this campaign, few can claim to have had the same influence as Goldson. He has played in every single minute of every single game, regardless of the competition, and has played at the heart of the defence beside both Filip Helander and Leon Balogun.

Rangers have conceded just 10 goals in 33 matches in the league (BBC), while Goldson has even managed to hit the back of the net on eight occasions – he scored twice against Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the campaign. Were he to depart, a huge hole would be left in the Gers’ defence which could well take some time to fill.

In other news, Danny Mills believes this man could leave Rangers without any Champions League football.