All posts by z3u9t.icu

As confirmed by Rangers, striker Jermain Defoe has agreed a one-year contract extension at Ibrox and now moves into a player/coaching role under manager Steven Gerrard.

Defoe, who moved to Glasgow permanently in the summer of 2020 after initially joining on loan Bournemouth, has since gone on to rack up 72 appearances in all competitions for the club.

In that time, the Englishman has netted a brilliant 32 goals whilst also becoming a fan favourite.

Now, as a result, the Gers have announced he will stay for another year but move into a player/coaching role – something which may benefit Rangers given his experience on the biggest stages in football.

As Defoe and the Gers announce his first steps into coaching as well as his continued stay, it’s little wonder many supporters have raved over the development on social media.

Find all of their best verdicts on the big announcement down below.

Gers fans rave over Defoe announcement

“YEEEESSSSS”

Credit: @Pena_Cartel

“Could not be happier. What an amazing role model to have at our club.”

Credit: @ColinEk11

“Tremendous news. A great member of the squad and now coaching team.”

Credit: @55kapow

“Best news today!! @IAmJermainDefoe is exactly what a Ranger is, on and off the field. So glad our club get to help him progress to his next chapter. Good luck champ! #55”

Credit: @RichyTeaBiscuit

“This is exciting stuff! What a fantastic role model for the younger boys!”

Credit: @LauraMurchie1

“Great news”

Credit: @AlanC_44

“Brilliant news. The guy is an absolute credit to Rangers FC.”

Credit: @CraigMacDonald3

“Buzzing for this! Glad he’s moving into a coaching role as well

An amazing guy to have in and around the club.”

Credit: @Geeb1872

In other news: Paddy Kenny tips this colossal forward to join Rangers this summer, find out more here.

Leeds United have emerged as contenders for the signing of West Brom star Matheus Pereira in the summer.

What’s the story?

The Baggies saw their relegation from the Premier League confirmed at the weekend after suffering defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates.

And now, The Daily Express claim that Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds are interested in signing the Portuguese winger this summer, although they are set to face significant competition from the likes of RB Leipzig and Leicester.

The report adds that with West Brom’s Championship status now confirmed, Pereira’s exit from the Hawthorns is now likely, with the Foxes currently at the head of the queue to sign him.

Bye-bye Costa

Dubbed as a “genius” who “who has a technical ability that I have never seen before” by former Nurnberg coach Nate Weiss, Pereira has emerged as one of West Brom’s standout performers since his arrival at The Hawthorns.

Weiss added: “How am I going to tell a player like that how he is supposed to shoot, how he is supposed to pass or how he is supposed to use his body? The things he is doing are so natural. How do you train that? How would you train Lionel Messi?”

That natural ability has been on display all season for the Baggies, with the £17m-rated star scoring ten goals and providing another five assists in the Premier League alone – including a sparking display at Chelsea when he scored two and made two in a thrilling 5-2 win.

With Helder Costa’s future at Elland Road very much uncertain at the moment amid claims that he could be one of the players Leeds look to sell this summer in order to raise some much-needed transfer funds, Pereira could be the perfect replacement for him.

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His performances at Premier League level show that the Baggies’ wing wizard is more than capable of shining in the top-flight, and it’s no surprise Bielsa is eyeing up a move for him.

Pereira’s arrival could then well be the move that sees Costa wave goodbye to Elland Road as well.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United transfer target would be a major upgrade for Marcelo Bielsa…

A fresh name has emerged in West Ham’s search for a new striker this summer…

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, the Irons are keen on signing Wolfsburg talisman Wout Weghorst, although they face competition from Jose Mourinho’s new club AS Roma.

It remains to be seen how much the 28-year-old would cost the Premier League outfit, although CIES Football Observatory currently value him at €30m (£26m).

London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with the Dutchman in the past, so Mourinho’s interest should come as no surprise.

Shades of Vardy?

Despite being a towering 1.97m (6 foot 6), Weghorst has earned some interesting comparisons in the past.

As a late bloomer, perhaps the most obvious one is former Manchester City frontman Edin Dzeko, but even more interestingly, there has been a likeness made to a current top-flight beast in Jamie Vardy.

That’s according to The Athletic’s Bundesliga expert Raphael Honigstein, who wrote: “[Weghorst is] Holland’s taller, chunkier answer to Jamie Vardy — minus the bit with the electronic tag and the Skittles-flavoured vodka — still plays like he’s got a point to prove in every match. He flies into tackles, wins more headers than almost anyone and frequently tops his team’s charts for most distance covered.”

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Indeed, this relentless work rate is a trait which has seemed to follow him throughout his career, only furthering those odd comparisons to the nifty Leicester City star. Wolfsburg teammate Admir Mehmedi described him as “crazy”, claiming: “He runs a lot for the team and has a really strong mentality. I can’t think of another player who is so crazy, in a positive way!”

Their captain Josuha Guilavogui dubbed him “incredible” and “outstanding”, and that’s before even factoring in his impressive goal record.

As per Transfermarkt, the Dutch international has found the net a whopping 25 times in all competitions his term, also providing nine assists, which could suggest that he would be a perfect foil for Michail Antonio as either a partner or rotational option in West Ham’s attack.

It’s no secret that David Moyes desperately needs a new forward to bolster his frontline next season, with no senior alternative to Antonio, and perhaps GSB should look no further than Weghorst.

The Wolfsburg colossus is a different presence to Vardy, but in him they could well get the same hardworking style which fits the Scotsman’s system to a tee.

AND in other news, GSB must secure West Ham swoop for “hardworking” 34-goal beast who’s perfect for Moyes…

Newcastle have suffered a major blow ahead of their Premier League clash against Leicester City on Friday night.

What’s the story?

Steve Bruce’s side face the Foxes off the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at St James’ Park last weekend, with the game seeing Fabian Schar return from injury and get sent off.

Now, The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder has confirmed that the Magpies’ attempt to get the red card rescinded and thus avoid a three-match ban have proved fruitless, and Schar will not be available for the Tyneside club starting with the game against Leicester tomorrow.

Relaying a club statement: “Newcastle United’s appeal against Fabian Schär’s red card, picked up during Sunday’s match against Arsenal, has been unsuccessful.

“Schär was dismissed by referee Mike Dean in the 90th minute of the game following a tackle on Gabriel Martinelli. An independent panel reviewed the incident following United’s appeal to the Football Association but has upheld the decision. The Swiss defender will miss United’s next three matches against Leicester City, Manchester City and Sheffield United.”

Bruce will be gutted

Speaking in his post-match press conference after the game against the Gunners, Bruce said: “The way it is at the moment and the rules are…there’s no tackles anymore. I don’t think it deserves a red. Maybe it’s a yellow.

“Is it dangerous? Not really. I have sympathy for Fabian Schar. He tries to win the tackle. Maybe a yellow card but certainly not a red.”

The Magpies boss clearly felt Schar was hard done by, so news that the FA have upheld the decision to stick with the on-pitch decision will surely leave him gutted.

To make matters worse, the centre-back had only just returned from a lengthy injury that had seen him miss the last ten Premier League games, so for Bruce to lose him again, this time down to suspension, is a hammer blow.

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The three-match ban will now mean Schar will only return for the final game of the season.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are heading for a major mistake over this star…

Two weekends ago, Everton didn’t have very much joy against opposition in claret and blue.

The Toffees were made to bemoan a horrendous defensive mistake from Mason Holgate as they eventually lost 2-1 to Aston Villa.

However, fast forward to a week later and it was a piece of magic from one of Everton’s defenders that set them on their way to victory against a team wearing the same colours; West Ham.

The Irons have been mightily efficient this term but they struggled to find a way past Carlo Ancelotti’s men after an early first-half strike from Dominic Calvert-Lewin meant they won 1-0.

The England international racked up his 21st strike of the campaign but he was set free by Ben Godfrey, the real stand out man on Sunday afternoon.

Godfrey has had an excellent first campaign at Goodison Park but this was undoubtedly one his best performances in blue.

He led from the front defensively but showed what a classy ball player he is by assisting Calvert-Lewin’s goal.

The former Norwich man was allowed to step out of defence before sliding in a lovely ball down the right-hand channel. It was on a plate for Everton’s leading goal scorer who took possession into the box before finding the net.

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However, there was more to Godfrey’s game than his exciting ball-playing abilities. In fact, that wasn’t even the most outstanding part of his day.

The £68k-per-week earner only completed 74% of his passes but he enjoyed a dominating display among Everton’s backline.

Ancelotti mixed things up on this occasion and after the debacle against Villa, he dropped Holgate and played a back three.

Godfrey seemed to relish his role as the right centre-back, stepping forward and winning nearly every single physical battle he competed in.

He won eight of his nine defensive duels (88%), prevailing in a whopping five tackles during the contest.

In completing four clearances, he enjoyed a dominating and imperious display at the back. Everton had to be stern defensively on Sunday and they were definitely that.

The Toffees restricted West Ham to 11 shots, none of which were on target. Considering the Irons are bidding to reach the Champions League, it was a complete defensive display to deny them.

Godfrey rarely let Said Benrahama and Jesse Lingard get the better of him with the duo succeeding with just one key pass and two dribbles between them.

The Everton defender has proven to be a valuable member of the team with his versatility but he looks at complete ease at centre-back.

AND in other news, Move over Gordon: Everton have a future star in never-seen 15 y/o, he’s a big “threat”…

Barry Fry has lauded the job done by Chris Wilder at Sheffield United prior to his exit from the club in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The manager left the Blades at the start of March after a horror run of results that has seen the club rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.

They can still mathematically stay up but the club have won just four of their 29 games, taking 14 points, and they are 14 points behind Newcastle United.

They need a genuine miracle to stay up but Fry thinks that Wilder deserves an immense amount of credit for the work that he did during his time as manager.

Appointed in 2016 after the club finished 11th in League One, he won the league the following season, and then finished 10th in 2017/18 in the Championship. Promotion followed in 2018/19, with the club then finishing ninth last term before this disastrous campaign.

And Fry has waxed lyrical about the job he managed to do during his time at Bramall Lane.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “Chris Wilder is Sheffield United through and through, as a player, as a supporter. He loves the club dearly.

“He’s worked miracles at that club over the years, he got them up in the Premier League on players that he got from League Two, League One.

“He took them up there, he not only took them up there, they survived.”

Wilder also thinks that Sheffield United have struggled this season due to a number of injury issues, from which the club failed to recover.

He added: “He has struggled since day one this year. Every year Sheffield United are odds-on favourites to go down anyway. I think what’s happened this year is, he had horrendous injuries to begin with and he never ever recovered.”

Manchester United reached the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 4-0 aggregate victory against Granada at Old Trafford on Thursday.

In the end, the Red Devils’ 2-0 victory in Spain last week was more than enough to guide them through, with Edinson Cavani then adding to that advantage in the first half last night before Jesus Vallejo put through his own net late on.

Whilst the Uruguayan proved to be the match-winner for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men on the night, it was actually a thoroughly disciplined defensive performance from right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka which made it a relatively worry-free evening for Manchester United.

With Granada needing a handful of goals to progress at the Red Devils’ expense, the former Crystal Palace man proved a formidable wall for the Spaniards to get beyond.

According to WhoScored, Wan-Bissaka produced an impressive five tackles throughout the game. Only Paul Pogba, who was substituted at the break, matched that figure of all the players to take to the pitch.

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Meanwhile, the 23-year-old, who earns £90,000 per week at Old Trafford, also contributed two interceptions and a further two clearances as he continued to keep Granada at bay. His impressive performance did not end there, as Wan-Bissaka won eight of the 13 duels for which he competed, he won eight, only being beaten in the air once according to SofaScore.

Whilst the right-back’s normal assignment is to keep the ball out of the Manchester United net, he was also hugely effective going forwards. Throughout the game, the defender supplied one key pass and also completed two dribbles.

In all, it was a hugely impressive all-round display from Wan-Bissaka, even more so considering that was in a Red Devils’ defence which was missing the likes of first-choice pair Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw due to suspension.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should certainly be thrilled with the 23-year-old’s performance.

AND in more news, read more about the huge boost that Manchester United have recently received in their pursuit of Rennes’ Eduardo Camavinga…

Liverpool could be set to return to Red Bull Salzburg this summer in an attempt to bring striker Patson Daka to the Premier League.

After recruiting Takumi Minamino from the Austrian outfit last January, the Reds are apparently interested in the 22-year-old forward alongside Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal, according to Austrian outlet Salzburger Nachtrichten.

Jurgen Klopp’s men need to make sure they are the ones to secure Daka.

Having started his career Salzburg, the Zambian striker has, slowly but surely, harnessed a reputation as one of the most promising forwards in European football.

He has already made 114 appearances for the club, scoring 61 goals, 54 of those coming in the last two seasons alone.

Daka is currently in the midst of his most prolific season yet having plundered an eye-watering 27 goals in just 31 appearances in all competitions.

His form has certainly been appreciated by Salzburg boss Jesse Marsch, with the American labelling the Zambian as a “fantastic player”.

That eye for goal would also almost certainly be welcomed at Anfield, with current Reds’ striking options Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi having netted just seven times between them throughout the 2020/21 campaign in all competitions.

Whilst it could certainly be said that there is quite a distinct gap between the Premier League and Austrian Bundesliga, Daka has ironically already displayed his quality against the Reds.

He netted two goals as Liverpool drew 2-2 with Salzburg in a pre-season friendly back in August.

Daka is already well-versed in European football, too, having made 10 appearances in the UEFA Champions League throughout his career.

Rated at £18m and with over three years remaining on his current contract at the Red Bull Arena, it might not be easy to prise Daka away from his current employers.

Michael Edwards has to make it happen though and beat their Premier League rivals to the striker’s signature. They could do with his goals and furthermore, preventing him from joining a direct rival.

AND in more news, take a look at which European powerhouse is rivalling the Reds for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar…

Leeds could deliver a big message to Marcelo Bielsa by landing AZ Alkmaar ace Teun Koopmeiners this summer amid reported transfer interest from Liverpool.

What’s the story?

In a list of options suggested by The Athletic’s Phil Hay as potential cover for Kalvin Phillips, Koopmeiner’s name came into the discussion, with the suggestion that he could be set for a move away from his native Netherlands in the summer.

Italian publication Calciomercato have now claimed that fellow Premier League side Liverpool are keen on signing the Dutchman, who they see as a potential replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum.

Could be big message to Bielsa

In some player analysis done by The Athletic, it was suggested that: “Koopmeiners has more of an attacking profile than Phillips (something that might fit with Bielsa’s standards of versatility) and there is a lot to like about him. He stands out as a very good all-rounder in top-flight terms: an extremely strong tackler who mirrors Phillips in his constant attempts to look for forward passes rather than lateral balls.

“While the match with Phillips is not perfect, it is close enough to suggest that Koopmeiners is an asset Bielsa could refine with coaching.”

Described as a “leader” by his former coach Koen Stam, Koopmeiners is AZ Alkmaar’s captain, and as well as being a talented footballer, would be another important voice in the dressing room.

Perhaps just as importantly on a bigger scale, his signing would show that Leeds mean business. Fending off competition from outgoing Premier League champions Liverpool to his signature would signal to Bielsa that the Whites are intent on taking that next step forward – a vital message to convey when you consider that the Argentine’s current contract is coming to an end this summer.

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While Bielsa seems more than happy at Elland Road, landing a key target like this would be the perfect way to prove to the manager that the club are ready to back him in the transfer market.

It’s all in Victor Orta’s hands to beat Liverpool to the 1.83m (6 foot) Koopmeiners now.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign an ideal partner for Kalvin Phillips in this star…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have lauded Dave King after Club 1872’s Twitter account tweeted a photo of the South African businessman and Gers shareholder.

Sunday was a momentous day for the Gers. After a 10-year wait for a Premiership title, the Ibrox outfit confirmed their status as Scottish champions as Celtic failed to beat Dundee United. Gers supporters everywhere have been revelling in the glory of their success ever since it was put beyond any mathematical doubt.

King has been on the board at Ibrox since 2000 and remained with the Gers when they were demoted to League Two after entering administration (BBC). He has helped them return to the top of Scottish football, and many supporters have not forgotten the part he has played in that rise. One even put him in the same bracket as Bill Struth, the legendary manager of the club for 34 years in the 20th century.

These fans were quick to respond to the photo as they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“Love it. Thanks Dave King and all the board for everything you have done. Genuine tears in my eyes and forever legends.”

Credit: @johnmcfo

“Absolute hero. Up there with the founders and Struth for me.”

Credit: @thegandhisflip

“Dave King – Absolute hero to the world family of Rangers”

Credit: @ATCO31

“Cheers to Dave King. Our saviour. After our critiques best efforts we’d still be skint and playing at Clachnacudden if it wasnt for Dave King.”

Credit: @BillyKsOpinion

“Build the man a statue Andy!”

Credit: @MalksBev

“massive thanks Dave for returning our club back to the days of glory. I hope you can come over at some point and celebrate you deserve to hold that trophy above your head also.”

Credit: @GraemeDavis1872

In other news, Rangers failed in a January bid to sign this 23-year-old.