All posts by z3u9t.icu

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City supporters have gone wild for an update on transfer target and Borussia Dortmund striker sensation Erling Braut Haaland.

The Sky Blues and manager Pep Guardiola look likely to be quiet in the January window with City’s boss recently admitting that he does not plan to sign a striker mid-season.

His side currently sit 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League and are in pole position to retain their English top flight crown after last season’s memorable triumph.

Guardiola’s has had to improvise without a natural senior frontman by use of a false-nine system, with their only natural senior striking option Gabriel Jesus instead thriving in a new role on the right-hand side of City’s forward line.

However, the club and sporting director Txiki Begiristain look almost certain to target a world class striker in the summer as reliable reporter David Ornstein of The Athletic shares news.

He claims that City’s most ‘significant’ transfer priority is the signing of a forward and confirms that Guardiola’s ‘first choice’ target is Haaland.

It is believed Begiristain and co will ‘push hard’ to seal the Norway international’s signature as City plan to ‘hold meetings’ with Haaland’s entourage over the coming months.

City fans go wild…

Signing the £135 million-valued superstar would undoubtedly be a major coup given all the competition for his signature and scintillating form.

Haaland, racking up 19 goals and nine assists across 17 appearances for Dortmund this season, is arguably the best striker in the world on current form and City could do no better – especially considering he is still just 21-years-old.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder Sky Blues are excited their side are set to prioritise him in the summer and think this is ‘very big’ news.

Find all of their best reactions down below:

“LETS GOOOOO”

Credit: @TshepiMoji

“YES! DO IT MATE”

Credit: @stephentpen

“Big if true, very big”

Credit: @Jdesrochers_

“At last some common sense”

Credit: @NijinskyCB

“Get it done”

Credit: @sentosabahari8

“please bring him home”

Credit: @ThisisGreatt

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @4Foden

“Wow”

Credit: @Oilfc96

Nottingham Forest will take on Arsenal in the FA Cup after the draw took place on Monday evening.

And a number of Forest fans have been giving their thoughts to the confirmed news on social media, delighted at the prospect of another ‘cupset’ like their clash with the Gunners in 2018.

Forest began their busy December schedule with a 2-0 win over Peterborough United on Saturday and still have five Championship fixtures to fulfil before attention can be turned to a meeting with Mikel Arteta’s side.

Forest and the north Londoners were the final two teams to be drawn, with the tie set to be scheduled between January 7-10.

Arsenal have won the FA Cup 14 times but were dumped out at the third round when they last visited the City Ground, losing 4-2 with right-back Eric Lichaj an unexpected hero for the Reds, scoring twice back in January ’18.

Forest fans react

Forest shared the news regarding the third-round tie on their official Twitter page. This is what these Reds supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling it as ‘beautiful’ and others referencing Lichaj.

“Here we go……. coyr”

Credit: @bdosanjh_9

“JUST DO IT”

Credit: @Jose_J95

“beautiful”

Credit: @aamyy_xox

“Bring @EricLichaj back for 1 game only. Let’s do it again”

Credit: @Joel_Bryan1999

“Tasty”

Credit: @Timgledstone

“Love it”

Credit: @AWRads94

An update has emerged on Celtic’s current injury situation ahead of their League Cup final clash with Hibernian on Sunday…

What’s the latest?

Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou has come out with a promising claim as he has revealed that a couple of players could return for the match.

He told The Scottish Daily Mail, via 67HailHail: “It’s hard to say who will be back, we left yesterday and I will see the boys we left back at Lennoxtown tomorrow.

“I’m still hopeful one or two of them will be available for Sunday, but which ones I’m not sure yet. They are all pretty keen to be involved but we will have to be smart in who we use.

“Liel was good through the middle, we knew we’d have to be creative and we scored a super goal.”

Fans will love it

Celtic fans will surely love this update from the head coach as it leaves the door open to the possibility of some key players returning to the fold for the final.

Kyogo Furuhashi, James Forrest, Mikey Johnston, Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis were all missing against Ross County in midweek through injury and it remains to be seen when the majority of them will return. Jota is a certainty to miss the Hibernian match after damaging his hamstring.

Postecoglou said of his injury: “He won’t be right for the cup final.

“It’s going to be three-four weeks recovery depending how he goes so if you look at timelines it gets pretty tight for between now and the break.”

However, his comments suggest that perhaps someone like Kyogo could return to the team, which would be a big boost for Celtic heading into the game. The summer signing has been in fantastic form for the club this season, with 14 goals and five assists in 24 matches.

He has eight goals and two assists in just 13 Premiership outings and has scored once in his two League Cup matches to date. This highlights how much of a boost it would be to have him fit for the final as he has shown that he has the magic touch in front of goal and his ability in the final third could prove crucial to the Hoops’ chances of lifting the trophy at the end of the match.

Therefore, fans will love this update from Postecoglou as it suggests that a potential boost could be on the way and leaves the possibility of Kyogo, and others, being fit for the match alive and kicking.

AND in other news, Celtic can finally axe “stupid” Lennon signing by landing “unstoppable” 30 y/o machine…

Rangers manager Gio van Bronckhorst will be unveiled at Ibrox for the first time on Thursday as he prepares for his first match in charge of the club.

The Gers are set to face Sparta Prague in their fifth group stage game in the Europa League. They lost 1-0 to them in the reverse fixture and a win would send them up into second place in the group.

Forget Roofe

FFC published an article explaining why Alfredo Morelos should be axed from the XI for this game. This would leave the number nine position vacant, with Kemar Roofe and Fashion Sakala competing to be named in the team from the start.

Van Bronckhorst should forget about the former Leeds United man, who is a minor injury doubt, for now and unleash Sakala against the Czech outfit tonight. He came off the bench against Hibernian and should now be given the chance to show what he can do from the start.

The 24-year-old is coming off the back of a sensational international break where he scored four goals in two games for Zambia. He has now scored seven times in his last six appearances for club and country, having also bagged a hat-trick for Rangers against Motherwell at the end of October.

This shows that the £8.3k-per-week gem has the ability to be a match-winner for van Bronckhorst as he has been consistently finding the back of the net of late. Goals win games and Sakala could potentially win the match for Rangers if he starts against Sparta, given his recent record.

Ex-Gers boss Steven Gerrard once hailed the forward as an ‘incredible’ person and praised his quality in training for the club. He said:

“He’s an incredible human being. The way he has come into the club, his smile and demeanour, his attitude and energy, has lifted the whole place. The signs are he is really starting to find his feet here at Rangers. He is a really exciting one for everyone to watch moving forward.

“There will be plenty of opportunities for Fashion, not just in Europe but domestically as well. We are really starting to see his strengths, his consistency from a training point of view.”

These comments suggest that he has the attitude and mentality to thrive at Rangers and is willing to put his head down and work hard for the team. This should be encouraging to van Bronckhorst as he will surely want his players to put the hard yards in against Sparta to impress him in his first game.

AND in other news, 129 appearances: Rangers secured dream deal with £0 gem who “embodies professionalism”…

According to Turkish news outlet Fotospor, as shared and translated by Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur are taking an interest in Fenerbahce defender Kim Min-jae yet again after their links with the player last year.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyed 2020 move…

Over the summer of 2020 during Jose Mourinho’s tenure at the club, Tottenham were linked with a move for the South Korea international.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, as explained by sources from the player’s homeland, he was once heavily courted by some of Europe’s top clubs, including the Lilywhites, before he eventually sealed a move to his current club from Beijing Guoan in August.

Korean Sports reporter Jason Lee, sharing a report from SPOTV News, relayed that Kim himself was particularly keen on a move to Spurs back in September 2020.

Indeed, the 25-year-old was apparently ‘waiting for Spurs to make their final offer to Beijing’ and preferred a move to north London over Serie A giants Lazio, who were also interested at the time.

The Latest: Spurs back in…

As per Fotospor, Tottenham are seemingly back in for the towering defender, with the club, and managing director Fabio Paratici by extension, now ‘preparing to make an offer’.

However, Fenerbache don’t intend on making things simple for Spurs as they outline ‘very difficult demands’ – especially considering they plan on keeping him past January.

The Turkish Super Lig giants apparently want €25m (£21.07m) for Kim, whilst also demanding a lofty 25% sell-on clause.

The Verdict: Right move?

The 6 foot 3 colossus comes as an outside option to strengthen Antonio Conte’s defence over a year after Tottenham first registered interest. While Kim doesn’t exactly come as the most blockbuster defensive target when compared to the likes of Stefan de Vrij or Matthijs de Ligt, he could be a shrewd one.

Nicknamed the ‘Monster’ back in South Korea for his large, imposing frame, £21.07m is arguably a small price to pay considering that he is still fairly young. The 37-cap international’s price tag is also far less than that of De Vrij or De Ligt, with the former valued at around £40m and the latter £63m.

After Tottenham announced pre-tax losses of £80.2m, taking their debts to £706m in total (The Guardian), Kim’s signing could be a cheaper alternative to the bigger names.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist makes exciting Spurs transfer claim with offer on the table, find out more here.

Everton will be aiming to return to winning ways when they welcome Watford to Goodison Park for their Premier League clash this afternoon.

The Toffees suffered their first home loss of the season against high-flying West Ham United last time out, and Rafa Benitez will be looking for a positive response from his side.

However, the Spaniard will be forced to cope without several key players for the visit of the Hornets as his injury list continues to grow.

Star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has suffered a setback in his recovery process from a muscle issue, while Abdoulaye Doucoure and Yerry Mina have also been ruled out of action with a foot injury and hamstring strain, respectively.

However, there is one piece of good news as Richarlison is available once again after being sidelined since the 3-1 victory over Burnley on 13 September.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects Benitez to line up against Watford, with just two changes from the side which started last weekend…

In goal, England’s number one Jordan Pickford will retain his between the sticks after keeping two clean sheets in his seven league outings to date.

Ahead of the 27-year-old is likely to be an unchanged back four given Mina’s enforced absence, with Lucas Digne, Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Seamus Coleman making up the defensive unit.

The engine room could have a couple of fresh faces, though. The £19.8m-rated Alex Iwobi could find himself relegated to the bench due to Richarlison’s return and his own ineffective performances, while Tom Davies may get a rare opportunity to impress from the off because of Doucoure’s injury.

Allan and the in-form Andros Townsend will complete the Everton midfield, with the two experienced campaigners charged with leading the team to another three points.

Summer signings Demarai Gray and Salomon Rondon will complete the starting XI and will hope to provide the goals to see off an out-of-sorts Watford.

In other news… Report drops worrying Everton update over £40.5m-rated gem, fans will be concerned 

Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey was ‘blowing’ after returning from injury last time out against Arsenal, manager Dean Smith says. 

Bailey was introduced at half-time at The Emirates, with Villa trailing 2-0.

It was his first appearance since a goalscoring cameo in the 3-0 win over Everton on 18 September.

A hamstring injury had sidelined him for three games.

Finally a full debut for Bailey?

Bailey could be in line to make his start for the club since his £30million summer move from Bayer Leverkusen in Sunday’s clash with West Ham United.

But that will only be if Smith believes he is fit enough after he undergoes an assessment on Saturday.

Selecting a winger in Bailey could see Smith change formation, moving away from 3-5-2 in favour of a front three.

Villa are looking to halt a run of three consecutive defeats against the Hammers, who travel to the Midlands buoyed by back-to-back wins.

Birmingham Mail journalist Ashley Preece relayed Smith’s press conference comments, and here’s what Villa supporters made of them.

These Villa fans want to see Bailey start

“Bailey needs to play a few games before is contract runs out if possible, him and Sanson have hardly kicked a ball this season”

Credit: @FabledSage

“Only way to build up his fitness is game time. Start him and try and get an hour or so out of him”

Credit: @Avillafan

“Even if he’s blowing he still better than anything we saw in that wretched first half. If Deano persists with this flawed, unbalanced 352 he will alienate the fans and eventually the owners.”

Credit: @willsterdavies1

“The hope of Bailey starting and us going back to 4 at the back with wingers is the main thing keeping me attending Sunday with positivity”

Credit: @matty__jeff

“Can see exactly where this is going, more of that 3-5-2 to look forward to then”

Credit: @MarkRee37875029

“If he doesn’t start Bailey he’s going to get it in the neck from the fans. Time to be bold, or at least pander to the fans a bit!”

Credit: @PeterStevens82

“Pain”

Credit: @Joe_E_Young

In other news, what did fans think of Smith’s Morgan Sanson reveal?

Aston Villa confirmed on Monday that a road at Bodymoor Heath will be permanently named Withe Way following an $AVL Fan Token vote.

And a number of Villa supporters have been reacting to the news on social media.

Villa revealed details regarding the launch of the $AVL Fan Token last month, with fans offered the opportunity to vote for a road name at Bodymoor Heath in celebration of the club’s 40th anniversary of the 1982 European Cup Win.

Season ticket holders and members were entitled to receive a free token, whereas it would cost others £2 to get involved.

The choices were Withe Way, Mortimer Avenue and Rotterdam Lane, with Withe Way winning in reference to the match-winner Peter Withe.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the news regarding the winner of the fan vote on their official Twitter page.

This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with a mixed response and one calling it ‘crazy’.

“Wow I’m sure the three currency speculators who voted are really pleased with their decision. Just cancel this total disgrace of a partnership”

Credit: @dvtavfc

“Erm”

Credit: @LeoAVFC82

“Crazy that the man who nearly missed the tap in reaps the rewards”

Credit: @EllisHines27

“Didn’t realise one player won the trophy.”

Credit: @LeeJClark76

“Love it.”

Credit: @MemoryL66809557

“Rotterdam Way is so much better than the winning name.”

Credit: @IngeniousVillan

In other news: Villa now ‘in the queue’ to sign £14.4m-rated striker; he wants to leave. 

Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Santo is facing plenty of selection decisions heading into his side’s return to Premier League action this afternoon.

The north London outfit head to the northeast to face Newcastle United at St James’ Park but preparation has been far from ideal this week.

Spurs’ quartet of South Americans only returned to the club yesterday, whilst reports suggest that two first-team players have tested positive for the ongoing pandemic, meaning they’ll miss this encounter.

It certainly hands the Portuguese head coach a massive headache ahead of kickoff but what sort of lineup could we see today? Here’s what we are predicting…

There could be just one change from the side that defeated Aston Villa last time out.

With four players featuring in South America before returning to N17 only yesterday, it would be a surprise to see many feature. As a result, Cristian Romero, who has dealt with his fair share of injury problems since the summer, is not risked and the spot is handed to Joe Rodon instead.

However, Brazil right-back Emerson Royal makes the starting XI and they are joined by Sergio Reguilon and Eric Dier, in front of club captain Hugo Lloris.

It means that Nuno’s engine room is unscathed, so Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp feature alongside Tanguy Ndombele.

Heung-min Son emerged as a doubt but according to reports in his home country, South Korea, he is expected to feature, with the £18m-rated Lucas Moura, who Dier once dubbed a “nightmare” to train against, getting the nod over Steven Bergwijn and Bryan Gil.

Meanwhile, upfront, Nuno keeps the faith with Harry Kane despite his lack of goals in the Premier League. He is yet to score in his five starts.

It means there is no place for the likes of Dele Alli, Davinson Sanchez, Giovani Lo Celso or Bryan Gil.

AND in other news, Spurs’ £27m-rated “big talent” can spoil Newcastle’s takeover party at St James’ Park…

Everton beat Burnley 3-1 on Monday night to move into the Premier League’s top four, but some supporters weren’t happy with the performance of Lucas Digne. 

Ben Mee put the visitors in front after 53 minutes before Everton turned the game around with three goals in an incredible six-minute spell.

Former Burnley centre-back Michael Keane struck first before superb goals from Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray.

Digne ever-present but not quite hitting heights

Digne has played every Premier League minute thus far under Rafael Benitez.

Here, the Frenchman lined up as a left-wing back as the manager switched to a 3-4-3 formation from the start (via WhoScored).

He lost possession 23 times over the course of the match though, more than any of his team-mates (via SofaScore).

According to WhoScored, Digne is currently falling marginally short of his performance levels from last season. His average rating across the first four league games is 6.99, down on last term’s average of 7.08 over 30 games.

Here’s what Toffees fans made of Digne’s display.

These Everton fans want more from Digne

“Great win last night. 2 things that weren’t great, the 4 mile queue for the Goodison Chippy and Lucas Digne”

Credit: @ridroberts

“Digne’s form is not good at the moment and no one to take his place”

Credit: @RoyEFCPeo

“Is it me or is Lucas Digne not having a great season so far?”

Credit: @EFC_RI

“One for the “Digne doesn’t even approach Baines in quality” believers this”

Credit: @Will__EFC

“Digne’s been very disappointing”

Credit: @EFC_Wolfstein

“Think even Digne has lost confidence in his corners”

Credit: @_beanatron_

In other news, Noel Whelan has backed this potential Everton move.