All posts by z3u9t.icu

Rangers failed to return to winning ways as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox by Motherwell on Sunday afternoon.

Fashion Sakala got off the mark with his first goal for Rangers to put the club in front, but a second half equaliser from Kaiyne Woolery secured a point for the away side.

Motherwell only managed one shot on target in the entire match, compared to the home team’s 24 shots and seven on target at the other end. However, Steven Gerrard’s side were unable to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal.

Despite Sakala finding the back of the net, the Zambian forward did not quite steal the show for Rangers. Instead it was central midfielder Joe Aribo, who took his place in the midfield three after a difficult night out wide against Lyon on Thursday.

The former Charlton man was deployed as a winger against the French outfit and struggled to show his best qualities, but that changed against Motherwell as Gerrard placed him back in his more favoured central role.

Offensively, he was outstanding today. As per SofaScore, he created six chances, including two ‘big chances’, and set up Sakala’s opener. He also completed all four of his attempted dribbles and 76% of his passes. This shows that he stepped up in terms of creativity and was able to hand his teammates opportunities in front of goal, but Rangers were only able to make the most of it on one occasion.

Aribo was also not afraid to put himself about in the midfield and win his 50-50s. As per SofaScore, he won an impressive 69% of his duels on the pitch, coming out on top in seven of his 10 ground duels and two of his three in the air, whilst also making one tackle and one interception.

This shows that he stood up to the physical test of Motherwell and was able to hold his own. He was then able to merge that with his quality on the ball, with the aforementioned creative statistics showing that he put in a complete performance.

Rangers did not win but Aribo created enough chances for them to do so, which is why he stole the show ahead of other players. Gerrard must be buzzing with the midfielder’s display and hoping that the Nigerian can keep up a similar level of performance throughout the rest of the campaign.

In other news: Wilson must work his magic to strike deal for Rangers “mountain”, fans would love it

Michael Bridge has raised question marks over how serious Nuno Espirito Santo is prepared to take the UEFA Conference League.

Following their final-day victory over Leicester and fifth consecutive finish over Arsenal, Tottenham qualified for the inaugural competition after coming 7th.

However, it’s not exactly an attractive proposition for Spurs, with the winners qualifying for the Europa League, something Santo’s team will be expected to achieve via their league position.

For Tottenham’s opening game in the competition, the Portuguese made 11 changes for their play-off round first leg tie against Pacos de Ferreira, although the game was just four days after Spurs defeated Manchester City on the opening day of the season.

In fact, not one of the starters against City made the trip to Portugal.

With away goals a thing of the past in European competition, Santo’s side remain heavy favourites to overturn the one-goal deficit and progress to the group stages on Thursday.

But Bridge told Football FanCast that he’s unsure how seriously the club will take it:

“It’s up to Spurs fans what they think of it. I find it hard to be in it, it’s not arrogance, it’s just such a low competition.

“I don’t know how far they want to go, and I don’t know how important Nuno will see it.”

Former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has said that Liverpool’s squad depth is a major concern. 

Writing in his talkSPORT column, the 34-year-old described the Reds as a ‘top team’ but said that injuries would leave them in ‘big trouble’ because they have the bench of a ’10th-place team’.

Do Liverpool find themselves light on options?

Liverpool made only one signing ahead of the 2021/22 season, bringing in central defender Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig for £36m. In fact, only six Premier League clubs spent less than the Reds over the course of the summer transfer window (via Football Transfers).

Jurgen Klopp’s side lost Georginio Wijnaldum to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after the Dutchman reached the end of his contract and also sold Xherdan Shaqiri to Lyon.

Klopp appears to have little faith in his attacking reserves in particular, with neither Takumi Minamino nor Divock Origi seeing a minute of action across the first three games of the season.

Liverpool fans hit back at Agbonlahor comments

Twitter an feed Anfield Edition relayed Agbonlahor’s warning, and here’s what some Liverpool supporters made of his verdict on the Reds’ squad depth.

“Liverpool bench in last game: Konate, Thiago, Keita, Gomez, Ox, Minamino, Jota, Tsimikas and Kelleher. Go back to bed Gabby”

Credit: @CannonChico

“Another ex footballer making a silly statement, they’ll say anything to keep their seat as a pundit”

Credit: @ramzanamin

“We’ve actually let these people disrespect us. Our squad is poor, yes but are there 9 teams that can boast of having better than Konate, Jota, Keita, Chamberlain, Gomez, Tsimikas, and Thiago on their bench? I think not.”

Credit: @Shuaibu_Mk

“Some of that 10th place bench were directly involved in winning Champions League”

Credit: @MICKDARKVOICE

“Well that’s funny because that bench got 3rd last season”

Credit: @Johnb2005

“Someone should show him last season’s league table with our 7th/8th choice centre halves.”

Credit: @lfc_mnm

In other news, fans react to Liverpool’s reported interest in this midfielder.

Former All Leeds TV presenter and JustJoe Football Show frontman Joe Wainman does not want Wolves winger Adama Traore anywhere near Elland Road.

Traore has been continuously linked with a move to Leeds this summer, with journalist Duncan Castles reporting that the Whites recently made a £30m bid for the 25-year-old.

While Traore struggled last season, not producing much in the final third, he was very impressive back in the 2019/20 campaign.

That term, Traore scored four goals and conjured up nine assists in the Premier League as Wolves went on to finish in seventh.

Going off that season, it is not hard to see why Marcelo Bielsa would want Traore at Leeds. For Wainman, though, English football’s top flight does not see enough of that Traore, who he has compared to former Leeds player Hadi Sacko.

“We used to have a player called Hadi Sacko. He was so fast, could dribble with the ball and then his final pass or his effort at goal was so poor,” Wainman told FFC. “For me, Adama Traore’s just a bigger Hadi Sacko.

“Honestly, there is a lot of fans that would like Adama Traore but, no, not for me.”

According to Castles, speaking on The Transfer Window podcast, Traore is not actually interested in joining Leeds and is holding out for a Champions League club, so it is currently looking like the Spain international will not end up at Elland Road.

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford should sign a new Whites contract in the near future, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Bamford stars for Leeds

Marcelo Bielsa’s side shone in their first season back in the Premier League, with a number of individuals standing out, from Kalvin Phillips to Raphinha.

It was Bamford who was arguably Leeds’ star man, however, scoring 17 goals, registering seven assists and clearly improving in his all-round game under Bielsa’s guidance.

The 27-year-old’s current deal expires next summer, so the Whites run the risk of losing him on a free transfer soon if they don’t take action.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Hay provides update

Writing in a Q&A for The Athletic on Friday [via MOT Leeds News], Hay said he is confident that Bamford will extend his stay at Elland Road: “They have been talking for a while and it’s never sounded like it was widely complicated.

“I’m pretty sure they’ll get there and an announcement on that shouldn’t be too far away. But whereas it became clear last night that Meslier was about to sign new terms, I’m yet to get the nod about Bamford.

“Suffice to say, he’s still massively part of the plans – and set up to be Bielsa’s number nine again this season.”

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The Verdict: Extend his stay

Ensuring Bamford signs a new deal is of the utmost importance, considering how superbly he has led the line under Bielsa.

He has improved his game so much, both in terms of attacking output and defensive work – he averaged one clearance per game in the league last season, compared to 0.4 and 0.5 during two years at Middlesbrough in 2016/17 and 2017/18 – and he is at an age where he can go up another gear as he enters his prime.

Bamford’s performances will again be vital to Leeds having a successful season and if he can replicate his 2020/21 form, an England call-up could even come his way.

In other news, a fellow Premier League club have reportedly hijacked Leeds’ attempts to sign one player. Read more here.

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield reckons Chelsea will struggle to sell Ross Barkley due to his inflated wages.

Barkley has returned to Stamford Bridge after spending last season on loan with Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

Villa opted against pursuing Barkley in a permanent deal after the midfielder made just 27 appearances as a hamstring injury limited his progress.

Barkley has two years remaining on his £96,154-per-week deal, which was signed following his £15million switch from Everton in 2018.

Reports suggest West Ham United are interested in the 27-year-old, with Hammers boss David Moyes keen to reunite with Barkley having played a key role in the early stages of his career at Everton.

Barkley is seen as a back-up option if the east Londoners fail to sign Jesse Lingard, who spent the second half of last term on loan from Manchester United.

However, Hatfield – who watched Barkley closely during his temporary spell at Villa Park – would not be surprised to see Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel struggling to offload the former England international midfielder.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think Chelsea will struggle to ship him out, especially with the wages and money they want for him.

“They paid an awful lot for him and I don’t think there is a club who’s going to be willing to match that outlay.

“It’s unfortunate for the player because he could find himself in a sticky situation.” 

ExWHUemployee has dropped a fresh transfer update on all things West Ham and it’s not great news for the Irons faithful…

What’s the word?

The anonymous but ever-reliable Hammers insider described the ongoing situation as “quite frustrating” to his Patreon site earlier this week.

He claims that the latest major developments are surrounding David Moyes’ central defensive targets, which right now seems to be between Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma and Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic, though neither deal is close with the East London outfit yet to match their respective valuations.

Meanwhile, a move for West Brom playmaker Matheus  Pereira “hasn’t been close for a while” and any return for last season’s loan sensation Jesse Lingard appears to be dead in the water until at least January, when things could change, as revealed in the update.

That’s not to mention the recent blow to their chances of signing top centre-forward target Tammy Abraham, who is said to be against a move to the London Stadium, with Arsenal and Aston Villa more likely destinations.

“There is no close move for attackers at this point,” ExWHUemployee added.

Running out of time

The Hammers will kick-off the new season in less than two weeks time with a trip to Newcastle United and at the time of writing, they have only signed one new player – goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.

Moyes still needs a new striker to provide the perfect foil to his only senior option, Michail Antonio, who has been rather injury-prone in recent seasons.

The 58-year-old also desires a centre-back, even more so after the departure of Fabian Balbuena, whilst a replacement for Lingard and back-up options in central midfield and on the wing wouldn’t go amiss either.

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Of course, the club still has the remainder of the month to complete their business but leaving it this late is a risky game to play, especially as there will be no time for new additions to settle in quickly.

Moyes and co risk watching their targets go to other clubs, as seen with Abraham, and that’ll only frustrate the London Stadium faithful even more.

They simply cannot afford to go into September without several more signings as the current squad is likely to struggle with a possible 50-plus game campaign after they qualified for the Europa League.

Two matches a week will quickly become the norm but Moyes does not have the strength in depth to allow him to remain competitive whilst also rotating the starting XI.

Right now, the Irons fanbase has every right to be angry, worried and just as frustrated as Ex.

AND in other news, Moyes masterclass: West Ham keen on mouthwatering swoop for “dangerous” £18m-rated gem…

Former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he would go for Burnley’s Nick Pope over Aaron Ramsdale of Sheffield United.

The MailOnline reported last month that Tottenham are interested in signing Ramsdale as they look for a long-term successor to current first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who is out of contract next year.

Ramsdale, a part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad that reached the Euro 2020 final, looks to be a very attainable option following Sheffield United’s relegation to the Championship.

Roberts, though, would prefer someone like Pope over the 23-year-old. Speaking exclusively to FFC, the Spurs legend said:

“He’s young. I’m not so sure. Me personally, I would have gone for the lad Pope; I think he’s a better goalie.

“I think the lad at West Brom [Sam Johnstone] is a better goalie. So those two I think are ahead of Ramsdale.”

If Spurs did consider a move for Pope, the Burnley ‘keeper looks like he could be a very good option.

He obviously has plenty of Premier League experience and has kept 37 clean sheets since making his top-flight debut.

Ultimately, with Lloris now 34 and his contract running down, that goalkeeper position is something Nuno Espirito Santo will have to look at.

West Ham United fans have been reacting to the news that David Moyes son, David Moyes Jr, is now working with his father at the club as a scout.

The previous term was a marvelous one for the Hammers that exceeded almost all expectations. After narrowly avoiding relegation during the 2019/20 term, the Irons finished in sixth place in the Premier League table last time out – that means they will be competing in the Europa League this coming campaign.

While there are plenty of people who deserve credit for this turnaround in fortunes, it is Moyes himself who has arguably played the biggest role. It seems his success has earned him a bigger say in how the club is run – he has been able to to bring his son on board as a club scout, as per The Daily Mail.

The news was shared on Twitter by @WestHam_Central, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Moyes news below

“Reminds me of Pellegrini and Husillos bringing their kids on board…”

Credit: @USAWestHamUSA

“Oh here we go .”

Credit: @hibs74

“What experience has he got – just asking?”

Credit: @JohnProtheroe

“Nepotism corruption rules from Sullivan to Moyes where a professional structure should exist Just cheap WHUFC & disgusting”

Credit: @nubaka

“Having the managers son as one of a handful of scouts has worked out really well for us previously”

Credit: @GrazaWhu

“The nepotism in football is shocking. Wonder what the selection process for this was?”

Credit: @BroadleyLewis

In other news, West Ham receive a boost in their pursuit of this Serie A defender.

Just as things were appearing to rumble on in the background quietly in Mike Ashley’s legal battle against the Premier League, he released another statement on behalf of the club, and Liam Kennedy, journalist at the Shields Gazette, would not be surprised to see more problems arise.

The open letter that Newcastle released on Thursday evening was received with mixed reactions as many agreed with Ashley in saying that if the Premier League have nothing to hide then the court case should be played out in public, but others called it hypocritical considering the owner has done two interviews in 14 years.

Newcastle fans have had to put up with plenty of obstacles, hurdles and red flags over the last year and this is just yet another way of making things drag on even further for fans who are likely sick of all the talk now.

Ashley has confirmed through his sources that he’s confident of getting the takeover passed through and beating the Premier League in court, but when asked if there could be more problems around the corner, Kennedy had this to say to Football FanCast:

“Could there be another spanner thrown in the works from the Premier League side? That wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.”

From the statement that Newcastle released on Thursday evening, it appeared that it could be a final throw of the dice to try and get the Premier League to cave in before arbitration begins later this month.

That would appear to be a sign of weakness from Ashley’s party and that they may not be as confident as first thought that they can win the respective legal battles.