All posts by z3u9t.icu

Aston Villa want to sign Joe Gomez in January, and that could spark the end of Tyrone Mings’ time in the starting lineup under Steven Gerrard.

The new manager has started his tenure in a great way, winning three of his four fixtures with the only defeat coming to league leaders Manchester City at Villa Park. After a clean sheet in his first game though, Villa have conceded four goals in the following three games to add to their woeful defensive record this season.

So far in the current campaign the Midlands side have conceded 24 goals in 15 games, with only five teams conceding more than they have. Of those five teams, Norwich and Newcastle are both in the relegation zone – which shows the size of the problem that Gerrard has in front of him.

Reports suggest he is keen to bring the £27m-rated England international Gomez into the fold on a temporary basis to help bolster the defence, with the 24-year-old currently fourth choice centre-back at Anfield behind Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.

He has made just three starts this season in all competitions, with only two appearances off the substitutes bench to his name in the Premier League. His total of 13 minutes of action in the league means his chances of getting back into the England squad are very slim and with a World Cup coming up next year, he will be keen to get more regular game time.

But should he arrive then Gerrard will have a decision to make over whose place in the team he will take between captain Mings and Ezri Konsa. But after his brace in the win over Leicester at the weekend, Konsa has made his claim to keep his place.

This season Konsa has averaged 0.7 tackles per game, 0.7 interceptions per game and 0.4 fouls per game in comparison to Mings’ 0.4 tackles per game, 0.9 interceptions per game and 0.9 fouls per game per WhoScored.

There is next to nothing between them, but it should be remembered that Mings was dropped by Dean Smith before he was sacked due to his poor form. With that in mind, there is strong evidence to suggest that an additional defender arriving would be the end of his days as a regular in the starting XI.

During Gomez’s last full campaign, where he was labelled “exceptional” by Jurgen Klopp, he averaged 0.8 tackles per game, 1.4 interceptions per game and 0.8 fouls per game, demonstrating that his reading of the game is considerably better than what the Villans already have at their disposal.

Mings isn’t the quickest and with Gerrard preferring to play a possession-based game with a higher defensive line, Gomez could slot in alongside Konsa for a better partnership to help the system. The 28-year-old captain will be competing with Gomez for an England and Villa place should the move happen, so expect the former Charlton man to be gunning for his place.

AND in other news, Joe Gomez could move to Aston Villa in January for sake of England place.

It’s set to be an intriguing summer for everyone involved with Leicester City Football Club as they attempt to build a side capable of breaking into the Premier League’s top four.

The Foxes have narrowly missed out on a Champions League qualification spot in the last two consecutive campaigns, but it appears as though the board are backing Brendan Rodgers in their pursuit of a place at Europe’s top table.

With experienced defenders Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs calling time on their illustrious spells at the King Power Stadium and Jamie Vardy visibly declining at the top end of the pitch, Leicester are entering the next phase of their recent development.

It may be a period fraught with danger as Rodgers attempts to replace his reliable stars with youthful potential, however, it’s also an exciting new chapter for the current FA Cup holders.

Several big names such as Odsonne Edouard and Boubakary Soumare have been heavily linked with the Midlands outfit, although one of their prized assets has also been attracting admiring glances.

Youri Tielemans shone throughout 2020/21 and has reportedly been the subject of attention from Manchester United and Liverpool, but with the feel-good factor surrounding Leicester, we can’t see the 24-year-old departing just yet.

With that in mind, how would Rodgers’ starting XI look next season once the summer transfer window has concluded? Here’s our prediction…

In truth, it’s hard to predict how Rodgers will set up on any given day due to the fluid nature of the former Celtic and Liverpool boss’s style.

He often switches between a back three and a back four, but we’re opting for a back four on this occasion as the Northern Irish manager will want to make a winning start of the front foot.

In goal, the virtually ever-present Kasper Schmeichel is bound to start, yet ahead of him, the Denmark international may be faced with several changes.

Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand has been linked with a move to Leicester on a free transfer this summer as Rodgers looks to replace Fuchs and provide cover for the 19-year-old Luke Thomas.

James Justin is expected to be sidelined for many months yet, so Bertrand may find himself in the starting XI come August.

The centre of defence may provide Rodgers with the biggest headache. Morgan’s exit means a new man will be needed and Burnley’s James Tarkowski (£30m) appears to be their number one priority. The highly-rated Wesley Fofana could edge ahead of the ageing Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu in the race to partner the England international.

On the right side, a fully-fit Ricardo Pereira will battle with Timothy Castagne for a starting berth, while the Leicester engine room should also have a more familiar feel.

The immoveable duo of Wilfried Ndidi and Youri Tielemans will take up their usual occupancy in the centre of the pitch, but they could be joined by the powerful and technical Soumare (£18m) to add some extra stability.

In attack, the return of Harvey Barnes will add pace, directness and goals to what became a slightly limp forward line in his absence and the clever interchanging of Edouard (£18m) and Kelechi Iheanacho should compensate for Vardy’s drop off.

And, in other news…Get it done: Rudkin must seal Leicester City swoop for “complete” 21-goal sensation 

Pundit and former Parkhead star Andy Walker has dropped a huge claim on Celtic in relation to the proposed European Super League, saying the Hoops would gladly jump at the chance to join if they could.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has recently talked about the need for a club like Celtic to be involved in UEFA competitions, but Scottish football pundit Walker has slammed the Hoops’ ‘hypocrisy’ over the proposed European Super League, saying that as much as fans have made their displeasure clear, those at board level for both Glasgow clubs would love to be involved.

‘Absolute hypocrisy’ from Celtic board

Walker was recently talking live on air for Sky Sports Scotland and he gave his views about Celtic’s perception of the Super League and their wishes to potentially support it or join it. He made it clear that while Celtic supporters would also react in the same, negative way as the Manchester United and Liverpool fans, senior people at Parkhead would want a slice of it.

The pundit claimed: “I think you’ll hear supports say ‘We don’t want to be a part of this‘, we’ve heard from Gary Neville with regards to Man United supporters, we’ve heard that from Jamie Carragher with regards to Liverpool supporters.

“I think it would be absolute hypocrisy if you were to speak to any senior person at Celtic or at Rangers, and they did not want a slice of this.

“How often have they tried to get involved into English football? How often have they discussed the idea of an Atlantic League? All of that was to generate more money. This European Super League as far as Celtic and Rangers are concerned is just another way to generate more money.”

Jean-Pierre Papin has also spoken about Celtic’s value to European football, saying that the clubs like the Hoops could disappear from the European stage because of the Super League.

Old Firm clubs have threatened to break away in the past

Breaking away from the Scottish Premiership isn’t a completely alien concept to Celtic (and the Gers). There have been rumblings of them moving to the Premier League or creating a new Atlantic League as well. Having said that, it is believed that Peter Lawwell is well against the ESL breakaway, despite the financial gap between Celtic and the other Premiership clubs.

Walker’s claim is massive as it goes against everything that fans of both Glasgow clubs stand for – in fact it may be the one thing that could unite both sets of supporters.

For all the fan desire to be on a level playing field with England’s big guns, this is certainly not how they’d like to do it, and if Celtic do follow Walker’s suspicion and jump in, the fan backlash could be enormous.

In other news, Pundit delivers new info on Hoops manager hunt, shares what ‘Celtic want’ – read more here.

Aston Villa journalist Ashley Preece spotted manager Steven Gerrard turning away in ‘disgust’ after a Leon Bailey mistake against Leicester City. 

The lowdown

Gerrard named Bailey in his Premier League starting line-up for just the second time in 2022 ahead of the clash with the Foxes.

He played the full 90 minutes against Wolves at the start of the month, but aside from that he’d been limited to six substitute appearances since returning from a thigh injury.

The £28.8million, £85,000-per-week summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen slotted in alongside Philippe Coutinho and behind Ollie Watkins in the 4-3-2-1 formation.

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The latest

Preece noted shortly before half time at The King Power Stadium that Gerrard was left fuming after Bailey conceded a ‘daft’ free-kick 25 yards from the Villa goal.

It was ‘so sloppy’ from the Jamaican, he remarked, leading to the manager’s ‘disgust’.

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans tweeted that Bailey was ‘really struggling’ in the first 45 minutes.

The verdict

The 24-year-old was unable to make any real impact in the first half against Brendan Rodgers’ side.

He finished the period with a meagre tally of 14 touches and four passes, having only attempted eight overall (via SofaScore).

Bailey won only one of the three ground duels he contested, and so it was no surprise to see Gerrard’s frustration mount.

Indeed, Preece also spotted the 41-year-old going ‘on at Bailey’ as he gathered his team near the touchline during a break in play.

It was something of a shock, then, to see him emerge for the second half. The manager might well have considered a change at the interval.

In other news, Villa are now in advanced talks over this signing.

An arbitrator has dropped an inside claim on Michael Beloff amid the pending takeover court case between Newcastle United and the Premier League.

Beloff is in line to chair the three-man arbitration panel that will attempt to sort out the ongoing legal disputes between the two parties over the failed takeover of the St. James’ Park faithful by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

Jeffrey Benz, who is an arbitrator and has sat on a number of different CAS arbitration panels with Beloff, has since dropped some interesting insight to The Chronicle on what can be expected of him:

“In cases, Michael comes to a conclusion pretty quickly. He will consider all the evidence before reaching that conclusion and he is not afraid of sharing his views with his fellow arbitrators.

“At the same time, if people disagree with him, he will listen and has been known to be persuaded and change his position. He has copious experience running successful arbitration proceedings.”

Newcastle takeover hope?

Despite the best efforts of the North East club in trying to remove Beloff from the panel due to suspected bias, what can be gathered from Benz’s comments is that the case may not be prolonged but also that he is very careful when it comes to his final decision.

The Tyneside club will want a decision as quick as possible so that it can give them enough time to prepare for what may or may not be a takeover at the Magpies.

However, they will also want that decision to be the right one and will of course hope that Beloff and his panel rule in their favour come the end of the hearing.

Nonetheless, it is interesting to hear how he goes about his business and certainly a positive that those fears of bias may have been quashed.

In other news, find out who Lee Ryder has confirmed the Toon are close to signing here!

Manchester United could be about to make a huge mistake in the transfer window after Diogo Dalot was linked with a permanent Old Trafford exit.

What’s the story?

According to The Express, the 22-year-old is one of several fringe players who will be allowed to depart Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this summer.

Despite struggling for form throughout his United career, Dalot impressed during a season-long loan spell with Italian giants AC Milan last term, showcasing his top-class potential.

Manchester United heading for a mistake

Throughout his 12-month spell at San Siro, the Portugal Under-21 international made 33 appearances in all competitions, achieving a highly respectable 6.76 WhoScored rating along the way.

His contribution to the success of Stefano Pioli’s charges was sizeable, making 1.5 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, and 1.8 clearances per league game as the Rossoneri finished in second place in the Serie A standings.

Dalot’s aforementioned figures had him amongst the top-six performers compared to his teammates for each attribute, highlighting the progress he made in his time away from English football.

The youngster’s impressive displays earned praise from Milan manager Pioli, who claimed the United gem “will become a complete player” in the future.

Although it’s easy to understand why large sections of the Red Devils’ fanbase and the club’s hierarchy may be prepared to cut ties with Dalot, selling him this summer could prove to be a costly error.

After making just 35 first-team appearances since making a £20 million move to United from Porto back in 2018, the pacey full-back found himself on the fringes of Solskjaer’s squad.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was brought in as the club’s long-term solution to their right-sided conundrum, but the former Crystal Palace man’s own attacking deficiencies have seen Kieran Trippier linked with a move to the 20-time English champions.

While the England international may be a sensible short-term signing, he’s fast approaching his 31st birthday, and before long, Solskjaer will be faced with the same issue.

However, allowing Dalot another campaign or two to develop on loan away from the intense spotlight at United could be the perfect solution.

He appears to have the potential to turn into the ideal modern-day full-back, and Solskjaer should keep faith in him a little while longer, even if that means loaning him out for another season.

And, in other news…Man United handed huge transfer boost over “perfect” £77m beast, Ole will be buzzing 

Crystal Palace must revive their interest in Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard after his transfer to Leicester City collapsed.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to the King Power Stadium in recent weeks until well-respected journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claimed talks had ended over a potential deal.

Palace were credited with an interest in Edouard 12 months ago before he stayed in Scotland, but now they must return to the France Under-21 international as they look to move on from Roy Hodgson’s time in charge.

Palace need him 

A reunion between Edouard and Brendan Rodgers at Leicester looked inevitable this summer. However, with the Midlands outfit opting to sign RB Salzburg forward Patson Daka instead, the Celtic man is back on the market.

After leaving boyhood club Paris Saint-Germain back in 2017 in search of regular game time, the £13. 5m-rated marksman has gone from strength to strength at Parkhead.

In 168 appearances for the Hoops, Edouard has bagged 83 goals and laid on a further 37 assists, winning nine major trophies along the way.

His impressive displays have caught the eye of a host of top teams across the continent, although it’s unlikely any of them need the 6 ft 2 ace more than Palace do.

It’s no wonder he’s been lauded as “unstoppable” and as a “big talent” throughout his time at Parkhead.

Although Christian Benteke has committed his future to the south London outfit by putting pen to paper on a new two-year deal, Chelsea loanee Michy Batshuayi has returned to his parent club, leaving a void at the top end of the pitch.

With talisman Wilfried Zaha lining himself up for a move away from Selhurst Park and creative midfielder Eberechi Eze out injured until the new year, Hodgson’s successor could be desperately short of attacking options.

The potential arrival of Edouard, therefore, would be a hugely significant coup for the capital club in their bid for Premier League survival next season.

Once described as an “outstanding footballer” by former Celtic striker Frank McGarvey, the ex-PSG man would be a valuable addition to Palace’s ranks and could prove to be the difference between relegation and a 10th consecutive top-flight campaign.

And, in other news…Parish spends £93m, Zaha axed: Predicted Crystal Palace XI if Frank Lampard is hired 

Celtic are intent on signing AC Milan’s Diego Laxalt permanently at the end of the season, according to a report from Italian outlet Tutto Mercato.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph reported when the loan deal for the £57,000-a-week defender was struck back in October that Milan wanted a fee of around £9m to let him go for good.

Tutto Mercato claim that Celtic have been convinced by the Uruguayan’s performances and may now enter negotiations to drive down that price tag. A £9m deal would almost equal the club’s record outlay – they paid £9.27m to sign Odsonne Edouard from PSG in the summer of 2018 (via Transfermarkt).

How has Laxalt fared at Celtic?

Versatile left-back Laxalt has made 24 appearances this season and started all six of Celtic’s Europa League matches.

He has only scored one goal, but his numbers going forward are still reasonably good. He has averaged 1.1 shots, 0.6 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game; while going the other way, he boasts 1.7 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

Although ex-Hoops striker Chris Sutton said Laxalt hadn’t done enough over the season as a whole to ‘warrant a big fee’, the Uruguayan’s former manager Neil Lennon raved about his performances at Parkhead.

As per Daily Record, the ex-Celtic boss said of the 28-year-old: “Diego has been an excellent addition, a superb asset to the squad…He’s aggressive in his play and in his passing. I’ve been absolutely delighted with him.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

Laxalt has been decent at Celtic, but unless they can convince Milan to significantly lower their asking price, they shouldn’t pursue this deal.

It would be reckless to nudge transfer records for a 28-year-old left-back in this market, particularly when they’ll have to come through three qualifying rounds just to secure Champions League group stage revenue.

In other news, Frank McAvennie is worried about this planned move.

Steven Gerrard has revealed that Borna Barisic is unlikely to be available for Glasgow Rangers’ final game of the season against Aberdeen on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Gers chase history

Although the Premiership title has long been won, Rangers are still chasing a notable piece of history. If they avoid defeat against the Dons, they will have gone the whole league campaign unbeaten (BBC), the first time they will have done so in more than 120 years of existence.

At Ibrox, the Rangers players will also lift the trophy today, with fans expected to gather across Glasgow to celebrate the achievement.

The Latest: Barisic potentially unavailable

Unfortunately, it seems that left-back Barisic will be unable to feature. Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Gerrard said:

“Arfield is training this morning, an outside chance for Saturday. Barisic is unlikely to feature. Other than that the team news is the same as the other day.”

The Verdict: Crying shame

While this match is of little importance in the grand scheme of things, it is a shame that Barisic will be unable to play on a day of joy for the 55-time Scottish champions. During what has been a fantastic campaign, the Croatia international has been a reliable option on the left side of the back four, while he has contributed going forward by scoring five goals and providing 14 assists (Transfermarkt).

With Calvin Bassey unable to play as he continues to serve his ban for breaking lockdown regulations earlier this year, it is unclear who will feature in place of £4.95m-valued Barisic (Transfermarkt). It would have been a far easier decision for Gerrard had the Croatian been available.

In other news, many Rangers fans are livid over this journalist’s comments.

Many West Ham United fans have been delighted on Twitter, after comments emerges from star man Pablo Fornals suggesting that he would be open to retiring with the Hammers [Hammers News].

Over the course of his time in East London, it is fair to say the Spaniard has made a notable impact after a slow start, not only in terms of his playing style but his strong rapport with Irons fans.

In particular, 2020/21 was a season to remember for the 25-year-old, registering ten goal contributions in 36 appearances; six goals and four assists [Transfermarkt].

Now, his stock has been elevated to an all time high at the London Stadium, following a recent interview with Spanish outlet La Media Inglesa on YouTube.

As translated by Hammers News, the former Villareal man signified he’d be open to seeing out his career at West Ham, stating: “Now I am at that point where I am delighted here and I would stay until the end of my career because I am delighted”.

In light of hearing the comments, no wonder loads of West Ham United diehards took to social media to buzz over the prospect of Fornals playing out his career in the claret and blue.

West Ham United fans react:

Replying to West Ham Central on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about the discussion:

“Just love this guy. I genuinely believe he would stay here for the rest of his career. Fornals”

Credit: @RockyWhu

“Top man! He is a great character and seems to be getting better and better”

Credit: @ExWHUemployee

“Genuinely refuse to believe there are hammers that don’t like this man. Legend”

Credit: @JJK996″Like I’ve always said, this guy understands the club 100%.”Credit: @FortunesAH”I would die for this man”Credit: @54fc875286444f7″One of my favourite players of recent years, gives everything for the badge”Credit: @samdruiffIn other news, West Ham United fans blast a poor performance. Find out more here.