All posts by n8rngtd.top

Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed one hell of a transfer window.

Gareth Bale made a sensational return to the club where he made his name. Sergio Reguilon accompanied him from Real Madrid. Matt Doherty, Joe Hart and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg joined from other Premier League teams and a back-up striker was finally found in Carlo Vinicius.

However, could Daniel Levy already be rueing the decision to not sign one mooted summer target?

Over the weekend, Football Insider revealed that former Brentford striker Ollie Watkins held “extensive” talks with the north London outfit and was “desperate” to make the move to the club prior to signing for Aston Villa for £28m.

They also claim that Levy would not meet the Bees’ asking price and tried to keep driving down the deal.

And despite costing a whopping £28m, it appears that the Midlanders have truly won from this saga.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a phenomenal start to life in the Premier League, culminating in a recent hat-trick against defending champions, Liverpool.

Whilst they are the only three goals he’s scored in Villa’s opening three matches, he’s still contributed massively to their encouraging start – per WhoScored, Watkins is averaging 3.3 shots, 1.7 key passes and one shot per game, so he’s clearly doing more than just finding the back of the net.

His form has already drawn high praise indeed. Alan Shearer told Match of the Day: “It wasn’t just his goals that impressed me – it was his hold-up play, the strength. He’s too strong for you. Bringing people into the game. Running in behind he was a constant nuisance, they just couldn’t live with him. We said he should have scored more – he perhaps should have.”

Whilst Exeter City boss Matty Taylor believes he’s on the cusp of an international call-up. He said: “If you perform well then the next level is international football, and to see him in an England shirt would top the lot – it would even top the hat-trick against Liverpool.”

Watkins is managing more shots at goal each game than Heung-min Son (2.5), so you could only imagine the threat Spurs would have if it was a front three involving the Villa man, the South Korean and Harry Kane.

Levy may well have made a mistake with this one.

AND in other news, Levy hardball could cost Spurs in the race to land £20m “special talent”…

Sunderland’s sensational piece of summer business to sign Bailey Wright on a free following his release from Bristol City has proven to be an even better deal than first thought, with the defender now being likened to Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk by Black Cats icon Kevin Phillips.

What’s the word?

Wright initially joined Sunderland on a half-season loan in January and made five appearances for the North East giants before the campaign was cut short, only to return this summer and sign a two-year contract following the expiration of his Bristol City deal as CEO Jim Rodwell got a deal over the line.

The Australian has proven an integral aspect of manager Phil Parkinson’s side since, with Wright starting all six of the Black Cats’ League One fixtures and captaining the Stadium of Light natives against Peterborough and Charlton Athletic.

Parkinson has been more than happy with the form seen from Wright, too, noting ahead of this weekend’s clash with Portsmouth how the 28-year-old is offering Sunderland a leader he feared the Black Cats would not be able to sign permanently.

“Bailey was a great signing for us in the summer,” said Parkinson, via quotes by the Northern Echo. “He was a player I’d been speaking to all through lockdown, although we weren’t sure we would be able to get the deal done.

“Credit to the owner of the football club for enabling us to do that, and also to Bailey as well because he was realistic. He can see the potential at Sunderland, and enjoyed his loan time here.

“He’s a very good player. He’s a leader, he’s been a captain at Championship level, and he’s a great influence, on and off the pitch.”

The praise for Wright has kept on coming, too, with Sunderland icon Phillips taken back by what the centre-half has brought to his former home.

“He’s been a great signing,” Phillips told Football Insider. “I don’t know the player, but I just get the feeling that he’s a leader and a voice in the dressing room.

“Sometimes the manager can only say so much and then you want of your senior experience players to pipe up and put a few people in their place and give encouragement and be a leader. He seems like that.

“The stats just show what an important player he is. He’s almost to Sunderland what van Dijk is to Liverpool at the moment with those incredible stats.”

Sunderland’s Van Dijk?

Van Dijk is among the world’s best centre-halves with no better proof than in the Dutchman being named the runner-up to Lionel Messi for the 2019 Ballon d’Or, having already been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.

For Wright to be compared to a player of that calibre shows what Sunderland were able to acquire this summer, while the leadership that Parkinson and Phillips both laud the Australian for will prove pivotal to any promotion push as the Stadium of Light natives strive to avoid a fourth campaign in the third-tier.

One of the standout aspects of Wright’s game that warrants the comparisons with van Dijk is that the Sunderland ace is yet to be dribbled past in a League One fixture this term, something the Liverpool star has frequently been praised for by using his pace and strength to devastating effect.

Liverpool’s £75million man restricted just eight players into being able to record successful dribbles against him over the last three full Premier League seasons, with no single player able to get the better of the Dutchman on multiple occasions.

Wright has also stood out this term with an average 5.8 duels won a game in the league, plus 5.7 clearances, 1.2 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 0.8 shots, though missed his best chance to score his first Sunderland goal, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, a selection dilemma must see Phil Parkinson award a 20-year-old talent his Sunderland debut.

Robert Platek, who was once linked with a takeover of Sunderland has purchased a new club in Danish side SønderjyskE Fodbold.

With the new 2020/21 season underway for Sunderland, talk of a potential takeover has somewhat softened.

Current Black Cats chief Stewart Donald has pressure mounting on his shoulders as his search for a new buyer of the club continues, having took over the Wearsiders in 2018 before sensationally revealing after just 19 months in charge that he wanted to sell the club.

A whole host of names have since been touted as his successor, including Sammy Yu, Mark Campbell, Michael Gray and energy drink entrepreneur William Storey to show an interest.

Linked with a potential takeover previously, Platek was a key member of FPP Sunderland, the trio of New York-based businessmen who held talks with Donald last year.

A deal did develop but not for Platek and his partners to take over but instead to loan Donald money to operate the club.

Taking over SønderjyskE Fodbold, a statement from the Danish club said: “The Platek family has just bought SønderjyskE Fodbold, which will thus have the opportunity to consolidate and develop further in the 3F Superliga.

“The organization will be the same, and so will the values ​​and the light blue colors. If the local support continues unabated, there is good reason to see light blue on the future of the South Jutland Superliga project.”

With talk somewhat subduing regarding a potential takeover at Sunderland this year, William Storey, linked with the club, has been the most recently vocal, providing fans with an update on how his talks with the Wearsiders are progressing.

Another potential owner takes his money elsewhere and it does look extremely unlikely that a takeover deal will develop anytime soon.

Stewart Donald continues to want to sell but little talk has seen a deal progress and focus must remain on the pitch at this present time.

Do you think someone will takeover Sunderland before the end of the season? Let us know in the comments section below…

Manchester United were one of the busiest sides on Deadline Day, signing several players including Brazilian left-back Alex Telles from FC Porto.

What’s the word?

According to the BBC’s Simon Stone, Telles has signed a four-year deal with the Red Devils retaining the option to extend his contract for a further year.

The Brazil international, who has won one cap for his country at the time of writing, has moved to Old Trafford for a reported fee worth £13.6m with add ons.

It means that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally has a full-back who can compete with Brandon Williams and Luke Shaw for a place in the starting line-up.

Solskjaer had been desperate to add a player in this position all summer and now he has hit the jackpot.

Shrewd signing

By all accounts it had been a relatively quiet transfer window at Old Trafford by their standards but the club were forced into a dramatic upturn after missing out on Jadon Sancho.

The Red Devils are in dire need of a full-back, even more so after Solskjaer’s side were on the receiving end of a 6-1 drubbing by Spurs which saw Shaw exposed several times.

And they have brought in Telles from Porto which may not only bring Solskjaer’s nightmares at the back to an abrupt end but could also stop Harry Maguire from dramatically regressing even further.

Per SofaScore, Shaw may live to regret his mistakes, as he lost possession 16 times throughout the game, whilst he committed three fouls and failed to make a single tackle.

The 25-year-old played 24 games in the Premier League last season, averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.3 clearances and at least 1 interception per game, via WhoScored.

In contrast Telles made 31 appearances for Porto in the Portuguese top-flight, averaging 1.1 tackles, 1.2 clearances and 1.8 interceptions per game, as per WhoScored. He also scored 13 goals and supplied 12 assists in all competitions for the club last season.

Solskjaer insists that “he is a fighter and a winner” which is surely a sign of things to come.

And former Brazil left-back Roberto Carlos believes that “Alex is a phenomenon. He is another player who, before long, will be part of the national team.”

Whilst it may seem like a press of the panic button, this is a transfer the club have been pursuing for some time, and it could turn out to be a shrewd bit of business by Ed Woodward. It could take the club to the next level from a left-back point of view as he is surely an upgrade on what they had at Old Trafford.

AND in other news, Man United’s failure to sign Jadon Sancho spells certain doom for Solskjaer…

Rangers failed to capitalise on Sunday afternoon with their arch-rivals not in league action, though Steven Gerrard’s side are four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership after the opening four games of the season.

The Light Blues struggled to find a way past Livingston at Almondvale Stadium, drawing 0-0 with the winless SPFL outfit.

On the face of it, Gerrard’s men dominated in terms of possession (79%) and total shots (23) but when digging deeper, only three of those attempts at goal were actually on target and nearly half were from outside the penalty box – it’s no wonder they failed to score.

Much of the Ibrox faithful were quick to hammer midfielder maestro Ryan Jack following the full-time whistle. He was labelled a “waste of a jersey” as well as “shocking” whilst one supporter went as far as claiming that he had “done nothing” for months.

Well, this doesn’t appear to be the case whatsoever. In fact, the 28-year-old ran the show in the heart of the pitch, picking up a squad-high 7.8 rating.

Per SofaScore, Jack also made a whopping 128 passes at an accuracy rate of 90%, two of which were key passes and even recorded two tackles, two interceptions and won 100% of his duels.

Therefore, the blame should be attributed elsewhere as the engine room were clearly creating opportunities.

For example, Alfredo Morelos had a rare off day, failing to record a single effort on target from five attempts and likewise with Gerrard’s two new strikers that were introduced in the second half, Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe, who both failed to even have a shot at goal.

Jack’s midfield partner Glen Kamara has been linked with an exit since the 19/20 season finished prematurely – according to 90min, Premier League duo Everton and Newcastle are keen on the Finland international.

Perhaps fans should get used to seeing their Scotsman as clearly he’s going to be able to continue in Kamara’s absence should he depart Ibrox before October.

He certainly deserves less flak than what he got post-game.

AND in other news, Rangers could give Gerrard a different threat in young sensation dubbed the next Arjen Robben…

Glasgow Rangers are set to settle for a fee between £12m and £15m for Alfredo Morelos as a late-window sale becomes increasingly likely, according to Football Insider.

The Colombia international was thought to be close to a move to Lille, with the two parties reportedly agreeing personal terms.

However, their interest has diminished following the capture of Jonathan David, and it now seems that a deal could be done later on in the window. As such, the Ibrox outfit may be willing to settle for a fee below what they were previously asking for.

There was a time when the 54-time Scottish champions’ asking price was said to be at £20m, but the figure continues to decrease as time goes by. A fee of £12m would be someway off what they were originally looking for, and it would be a blow to the club to lose him for such a fee – given he has a record of 79 goals in 141 matches for the club, and with a Transfermarkt value of £13.5m, he is surely worth more than that.

Worryingly, it seems that the Gers are panicking, and may be concerned that he does not leave at all. Indeed according to the report from Football Insider the Ibrox club need to make a big sale to balance their books, otherwise they risk a financial black hole.

The double signing of Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe indicates that Steven Gerrard is prepared for the eventuality that Morelos does depart, but of course the boss will not be too eager to lose his star player. Quite frankly, unless the 24-year-old makes the situation difficult and demands to leave, they may be better off waiting another year and making a real tilt at the Premiership title rather than underselling themselves.

Let us know what you think below!

Name: Ethan Laird

Club: Manchester United

Date of Birth: 5 August 2001

Position: Full-back (Right, left)

Ethan Laird – his career so far

Ethan Benjamin Laird has been a part of Manchester United’s family ever since a young age and has progressed through the academy ranks and into the development squads, impressing the right people and turning some heads along the way.

The academy graduate became a regular presence as he broke into the squad in the season 2017/18 as a first-year scholar. That marked the beginning of a great journey full of success and impressive feats in the process as well.

Interestingly enough, despite being the youngest player in Man United’s academy intake for the year 2017, he ended up with 19 appearances under his belt and also featured for their U23 squad and in the UEFA Youth League as well.

Still, he continued his stay with the U18s throughout 2018/19, which was unfortunately marked with an unlucky injury that prevented him from registering meaningful minutes across some parts of the campaign, and would then explode in the following season, staking his claim once again.

Apart from scoring his first EFL Cup goal in a win at Rotherham United, he would also bounce back from another injury setback to finally make his full senior debut in the Europa League match against Astana in Kazakhstan at the end of November. That one would be followed up by his second first-team appearance in a 4-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar not even a month later.

As a whole, Laird registered 28 appearances for the U18s, scoring three goals and assisting further seven as well. Across 14 games he played for the U23 squad, however, he mustered one goal and three assists.

Of course, he would also feature in the UEFA Youth Cup, tallying 11 appearances and three assists once again. Unfortunately, he is yet to register another senior team game after the initial two in November and December of 2019.

But given his talent and ceiling, that could still very well be on the agenda in the not so distant future for the youngster.

Transfer latest

Laird’s current contract is still viable until 2023 and the youngster seems to be in the Red Devils’ plans for the future at the very moment. At least that’s what some of the recent transfer rumours surrounding his teammate Diogo Dalot could suggest if we try to read between the lines.

Reportedly, Dalot is linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain and just the fact that the transfer is a possibility could be a big sign for the young 19-year-old full-back. If Man United were to be deprived of another wide defender, that could possibly suggest they do have faith in their academy graduate as well, otherwise there’d be no chance of that going through.

Of course, no Manchester United news can actually confirm Laird is in Solskjaer’s plans for the future but there’s also nothing out there among the transfer news that would suggest otherwise.

One way or the other, the following season could be a huge one for the young full-back.

Player profile

Laird is a pacey full-back who has always excelled defensively but has managed to add more attacking flair to his profile over the years of his development at Man United’s academy. When he does enter the final third, either with or without the ball, he has the ability to link up with his teammates well and even threaten the goal himself.

But it’s his ability to keep the defence organised and ticking that makes him a huge asset in the backline. Apart from being quite solid in duels as well as a commanding presence on the pitch, his work rate and determination could be what makes the difference further down the line of his career.

And Laird can also boast with good technical abilities which make him cool in possession and secure on the ball. Overall, he has the makings of a great modern defender who can excel in both the attacking and the defensive phases of play.

This week sees the launch of Football Beyond Walls, an initiative that pairs young people and professional footballers for a game of FIFA and a meaningful conversation about their lives in lockdown.

Ahead of the launch, Fulham’s Cyrus Christie spoke to Football FanCast about his involvement in the initiative and his thoughts on mental health and Fulham’s promotion chances.

It’s a very strange time for a lot of us right now, but there are still some things that remain the same, the joy of FIFA bringing people together.

Now the popular video game is being used as a tool to help people open up about their mental health and how they can deal with the stresses of the lockdown whilst at the same time coming together to talk about their problems whilst with the comfort of a controller in their hands.

Speaking to FFC, the Fulham defender talked about how the idea of using FIFA to inspire teenagers to open up about the subject came about.

“I spoke to Jasper [Jasper Kain, Director of Football Beyond Borders] and I was speaking to him about running a FIFA tournament that I was running, which is still ongoing now. I was speaking to him in the build up to it and I was saying that maybe we can partner with him and do it. And then he mentioned that they’ve also been speaking about a thing for FIFA and they said “Are you interested in playing FIFA against some of the kids and talking to them.”

In the film, Christie talks with his FIFA partners about how they are all coping with isolation during the lockdown and when speaking to Football FanCast he talked about how difficult a time like this is going to be for a lot of people given the circumstances.

“In general it is going to be tough for a lot of people. A lot of people obviously are going to be in certain different situations, maybe their home life might not be great. I think the cases of domestic abuse has gone up, and there are obviously people out there that are struggling on a day to day life of being locked in because they have got their freedom that potentially bravely keeps them sane.”

When asked whether or not he felt that there were enough safeguards in place to help people cope with their mental health, Christie felt that the way things were handled so haphazardly by those in charge, there wasn’t really a lot of time put aside to make sure that every single aspect of society was taken care of.

“I think on that kind of aspect, this obviously has not been thought about, but there’s not many measures are in place because we reacted so late to the virus that it kind of all come out at once, so people weren’t able to maybe plan and get themselves right for the potential of what’s happened. So, you know, it’s I think it’s like we said, it’s great that with the FIFA thing that their kids were able to talk and express themselves.”

The good thing about FIFA, and technology the way that it is today, is that it has allowed people to connect with others that they wouldn’t have had before, and Christie notes that for kids today, having this technology at their disposal has opened up great new possibilities that might not have come about if it were not for the lockdown.

“I think really, for a lot of people, especially when you look at the older people, their social life is people coming round to see them and them talking to people so I think you might find that a lot of these old people haven’t got maybe haven’t got the internet to talk to people. Whereas obviously, with a kid, it’s easy to communicate with others.

I think it’s been a blessing that it’s allowed other people to maybe give themselves a mental break and explore different avenues that they’re in, and work on themselves that they might not have had the time to do.”

The first footballer taking part in Football Beyond Walls is Fulham’s Cyrus Christie, who took on two teenagers at FIFA. You can see the results in this brilliant film – https://vimeo.com/415466197/45f135a012

According to RMC Sport, Lille’s sporting director Luis Campos has made a formal request to leave his position, via @TranSPURS. 

The French outlet claims Campos has asked to be released from his contract after becoming unhappy that he has not been involved with key decisions, amid links to Tottenham Hotspur.

Football reporter Alasdair Gold noted the Portuguese is only employed as a consultant, rather than being tied down to a normal agreement, and the current deal is set to expire in three years time.

The 55-year-old is close with Jose Mourinho, as the two worked together during his compatriot’s stint in charge of Real Madrid, and has recently made it clear he wants to work with an experienced manager again.

Although nothing is guaranteed, The Guardian claimed Spurs were eyeing up Campos as the club’s new director of football back in December, and this latest update may provide Daniel Levy with the boost he needs to make a move.

Predictably, plenty of Spurs fans raved over the “amazing” news, with one supporter tweeting it is a “match made in heaven,” and another cheekily adding “Dybala here we come.”

Scroll through some of the glowing reactions down below…

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should bring Luis Campos to North London before the start of next season? Let us know in the comments section!

Fans of Leeds United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which highlights footage from Sky Sports News, in which Jim White reports that Leeds players, coaching staff and senior management have taken a wage deferral for the foreseeable future.

After a remarkable campaign so far, Leeds United currently top the Championship table, having amassed 71 points from 37 games.

However, due to unforeseen circumstances, all football in the country has come to an abrupt halt, leaving many clubs concerned about their future, having lost the usual income of match-day revenue.

While the Premier League is currently in discussions with its players regarding a pay decrease throughout the break from football, and so far, getting nowhere, Leeds United became one of the first English clubs to voluntarily differ their players, coaching staff and senior management’s wages, so that the club could continue to pay all non-playing or coaching staff throughout the break.

Leeds director of football Victor Orta stated on the matter: “My players have demonstrated an incredible sense of unity and togetherness. To Marcelo [Bielsa] and his staff and all of the players, we thank them for putting our wider team first and taking care of family.”

In reaction to the reports, which were relayed on Twitter here, fans have flocked to have their say on the matter, with many praising Bielsa and his players for their selflessness, while others have stated that this is the reason why they love Leeds United.

You can see more of their reactions below:

One fan even stated that they are surprised that they aired it on Sky Sports, which could relate to the fact that Leeds have had a previous incident with Sky Sports.