All posts by z3u9t.icu

Everton have suffered a big injury blow ahead of their Premier League encounter with West Ham United on Sunday week after Lucas Digne picked up a hamstring injury on international duty.

What’s the word?

The 28-year-old was called up to Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the Nations League finals but will now return to Merseyside after playing no part in their semi-final victory over Belgium.

A club statement read: “Lucas Digne has withdrawn from the France squad due to a minor hamstring injury. The Everton left-back will return to USM Finch Farm to be assessed by the Club’s medical team.

“Digne was on the bench for France’s 3-2 Nations League semi-final victory over Belgium in Turin on Thursday night and will now miss the world champions’ final clash against Spain on Sunday.”

Rafael Benitez will be gutted

Although the severity of Digne’s injury has not yet been confirmed, it seems likely that he’ll miss the Toffees’ next clash against high-flying West Ham on Sunday 17 October.

If the left-back is deemed unavailable for selection, Everton manager Rafael Benitez will be left feeling gutted at his enforced absence given the defender’s importance to the club. Digne has played every minute of the Merseysiders’ top-flight campaign so far this season, captaining the side in their last three matches.

His magnificent form has played a pivotal part in Everton’s impressive displays of late, with Benitez’s men sitting pretty in fifth position after collecting 14 points from seven games, and his attacking influence is evident in his match average of 1.9 key passes, the joint-highest in the Toffees’ squad.

The visit of the Hammers is set to be one of their toughest tests yet, though, and they’ll be hoping that Digne recovers in time to play some part against the capital club. If he misses out, Everton will be deprived of one of their main attacking outlets and most trusted players.

In other news…Brands must sanction Everton swoop for £12.6m-rated gem, he’s an “outstanding technician” 

Everton are back in Premier League action today with an early afternoon kick-off against Aston Villa at Goodison Park in what will be Duncan Ferguson’s first game in charge of the team since he was appointed as caretaker manager following the sacking of Rafael Benitez after their disheartening 2-1 defeat against Norwich City at Carrow Road last weekend.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Ferguson could pick to be in his starting XI to take on Steven Gerrard’s side, one Toffees player who did not start against Norwich but we feel should be in the team from the outset on this occasion is Richarlison, who is currently on £110k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

After coming on with 54 minutes on the clock against Norwich, the 24-year-old not only managed to pull a goal back for the visitors with a brilliant bicycle-kick goal, he also completed two of his three dribbles and completed 11 of his 12 passes and won four duels, showing how much of an attacking threat he was for Everton and how much of a nuisance he was for the opposition.

This cameo performance earned the Brazilian an overall match rating of 7.3/10, making him Everton’s highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore, highlighting the quality he has and showing the sort of impact he can have on the team.

With this in mind and the 24-year-old having 46 goals in 131 appearances for Everton across all competitions, it shows why having him in the starting XI to take on Villa would give Ferguson a great chance of getting his tenure off to a flying start, especially if they can pick up all three points.

Richarlison’s attacking talents have been praised in the past by former Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has previously hailed the Brazilian as “outstanding” in February 2020.

In terms of who could make way for the Brazilian if Ferguson decides to start him today, Salomon Rondon has only scored one goal in 13 Premier League appearances and register just one shot at goal in the defeat at Norwich, so perhaps he should be the one to drop out on this occasion.

Looking ahead to today’s game, if Ferguson can secure a win for his beloved Everton, this would surely be a massive boost for the club by moving away from the relegation zone and pulling to within just one point of Gerrard’s men in the table.

In other news: Everton must avoid another manager disaster with “arrogant” 58 y/o, he’d be Rafa 2.0

It seems that football has been around for ever and has come along way to the multi-million pound transfers that we see now. The game has its roots firmly stuck in mid-nineteenth-century England. Earlier versions of the game do exist but are not quite the same as the game that we have all grown to love today. The precursors to what would one day become football originate in Mesoamerican cultures more than 3,000 years ago. The ancient Aztecs used the word “tchatali” to describe the game, which by 1600 BC had spread far and wide across the Americas. Some Mesoamerican cultures conducted elaborate rituals of sacrifice and splendour. In their ancient traditions the football represented the sun, so in order to appease the gods, a sacrifice was made – in most cases the losing team’s captain!

One of the reasons why Mesoamerican culture had such an appetite for football goes far beyond chance. The landscape at the time was covered by vast swathes of rubber trees, which gave the indigenous cultures everything they needed for a sustained exploration into the game. It was only after first contact was made by European colonists that they discovered the staggering benefits of the rubber tree and along with it the football.

Let’s Not Forget China

China has records dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC that detail a popular kicking game. It was called “cuju” and like the Mesoamerican version seemed to have religious and cultural importance. The ball was made out of a type of stitched leather and was generally stuffed with animal fur or feathers. The game consisted of a small square, usually etched onto an elaborately decorated paving stone, with the objective being to “score” a goal. The Chinese Han dynasty is credited with inventing the first goalpost-like openings, providing the basic structure and netting practises we see today.

One of the reasons why European civilisations of the time were not holding football with significant cultural importance is likely because the Ancient Greeks prohibited ball games in their amphitheatres. So the humble ball was banned from the larger arenas and was confined to the back alleys of the burgeoning city of Athens. The problem was the stigma attached to football; the game was seen as a sport for the lower classes. The fall of Ancient Greece saw the rise of Roman dominance in Europe. The Romans had an affinity for football and found the game amusing. They exported the game to Britain, along with much of Europe, who all developed their own versions. Surviving Roman texts and manuscripts speak fondly of the game and described epic matches taking place on palace grounds. These matches are described as lavish occasions with the whole family taking part in the fun. The game would have been played on top ornate mosaic tiles, which depicted the grandeur of the families playing their own versions of ancient football.

Punching Not Kicking

It is more than likely that the first versions of football saw players using their fists to punch the ball. The game saw dramatic development during the 12th century and was most likely played on streets and meadows before a designated pitch would become the norm. Football during this period was a lot more hands-on than it is today. Without many rules, the game often spun into complete chaos, with multiple football-related brawls recorded throughout the ages. The resulting violence of the daily brawls may have been a direct reason why using hands would eventually be outlawed. The lawmakers at the time often associated the sport with drunkenness and tomfoolery, so removed the use of one’s hands to provide some much-needed respite.

Football as we know it today was conceived by Charles Goodyear in 1844, after filing a patent for the invention of vulcanised rubber. For a while, there was no formal difference between football and rugby. This caused a problem for both the football association and the rugby union who wanted clear distinction to be made between the two sports in order for them to happily coexist. The guidelines at this time were sparse, which resulted in several different versions simultaneously hitting the streets of eighteenth-century England. There was a call for proper rules to be developed during a meeting in Cambridge during the winter of 1848. The administration set out to establish the fundamental rules and principles that would go on to govern the game. Everything from ethics, game length, and team size were all discussed, and a uniform structure was agreed upon.

Some of the first bets to take place in England during the 1800s were likely to have been informal in nature. This means that these bets took place between friends, with little or no securities for their wagers. This soon developed into often illegal back-alley bookmakers who would happily take bets on upcoming football matches. Fixed-odds sports betting wasn’t legal during this period and could land you a hefty fine and significant jail time. The football odds and bets we place today, and so love by the way, evolved over time, just as football itself has done over the course of many centuries.

West Bromwich Albion are working on a number of deals to bring new players to The Hawthorns in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, the 45-year-old Albion manager revealed that he and his team are still currently active in the summer market, with the Frenchman hoping to bring in at least one more signing prior to the transfer deadline at the end of the month.

The report goes on to state that Ismael is thought to be primarily targeting the signing of a new centre-forward, with Orlando City’s Daryl Dike and Manchester City’s Liam Delap reported to be on his shortlist, however, the Baggies boss claimed he will not be rushed into making any further additions to his side.

He said: “We are still observing the market. We have an idea. We have names on our list. We need to see all the aspects we need to make a transfer.

“The first thing, is it the right player? Does he have the right quality for us? Can we afford to pay for him? There are so many topics involved before we make the decision. But we have time at the minute. We are working on all fronts but there is no rush.”

The Frenchman continued: “I want to stay fair to the guys, they have worked really hard, all the players. I feel that the players want to be part of the process. As long as I have got that feeling, we can wait – we are in no rush.

“Unless there is an injury or something unexpected happens, but at the minute we need to find the right balance. For sure we are looking in [the] market, we are looking at what is going on and what we can afford.”

Fans will be buzzing

While two of Ismael’s current options at centre-forward, Callum Robinson and Karlan Grant, have already scored Championship goals this season, both players appear more suited to operating from the wider attacking positions, with Kenneth Zohore being the 45-year-old’s only real candidate as an out-and-out number nine.

As such, the fact that the Frenchman appears to be keen on bringing in a fresh face in this position before the transfer window closes is sure to have fans of the club buzzing.

And, considering how much promise both Dike and Delap appear to possess, the argument that the addition of either player being a very impressive signing for Albion this summer is easy to make.

Indeed, over Delap’s 20 Premier League 2 appearances for Manchester City’s U23 side last season, the £5k-per-week centre-forward scored 24 goals and registered five assists, with the 18-year-old playing a key role in his side winning the Premier League 2 title.

Meanwhile, Dike is a player Ismael already knows extremely well, with the 21-year-old having spent a spell on loan at Barnsley last term, where, over his 19 Championship appearances, the £7.2m-rated striker scored an impressive nine goals.

As such, if it is indeed either of these players that the 45-year-old brings to The Hawthorns this summer, Albion’s chances of securing an immediate return to the top flight of English football would appear to receive a rather significant boost, something that would go down extremely well with the West Brom faithful.

In other news: Lost possession 24x: £1.8m-rated West Brom lightweight badly let Ismael down vs Luton

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. 

After a delightful opening day win over Fleetwood in League One last weekend, Portsmouth failed to carry on their momentum as they were sent crashing out of the League Cup by Millwall on Tuesday night.

Despite taking the lead through Reeco Hackett-Fairchild in the fourth minute, Portsmouth were unable to progress through to the next round as the Championship side ultimately showed their class. Goals from Scott Malone and George Saville, within the space of six minutes in the first half, turned the game on its head and that’s the way it stayed.

One player, in particular, who struggled was summer signing Gassan Ahadme. The Norwich loanee scored a stunning eight goals in four pre-season outings for Pompey, which helped build an air of excitement over what he could do for the club when the real stuff kicked off.

Unfortunately, he has been unable to translate his form into the competitive matches as of yet. He lined up behind John Marquis against Millwall and failed to grasp his opportunity to impress, with a nightmare performance on his second appearance for the club. SofaScore handed him a rating of 6.3, which was the second-lowest in the Pompey team – only behind Callum Johnson who was sent off.

In fact, Ahadme was so poor that he was hooked off soon after Johnson’s red card as Pompey had a re-shuffle.

Danny Cowley will be fuming with the loanee’s display, as he noticeably looked off the pace throughout his time on the pitch. To this point, Hampshire Live reporter Jonty Colman gave Ahadme a score of 5/10 after the game in his player ratings piece. He wrote: 

“A tough night for the Moroccan, whose only sniff of goal came on the end of an early cross where he failed to get a shot off. Tried to do too much and was often smothered on the ball in possession. Sacrificed early in the second half when Johnson departed.”

Ahadme gave the ball away nine times despite only having 24 touches, which shows that he was not reliable with the ball at his feet. He also only won four of his 13 ground and aerial duels during the match, highlighting how he off the pace with the opposition beating him to the punch in challenges both on the ground and in the air.

You could possibly forgive all of these lapses in concentration and losses of possession if he produced a moment of magic to score or create a goal, but he did not create a single chance for his teammates.

He also had two efforts on goal and both of them were off target, which further goes to show why Cowley will be frustrated with the forward’s nightmare showing.

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…

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for one of manager Antonio Conte’s former stars this week.

Reports in Spain have suggested that the Lilywhites are prepared to offer a large amount for Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni as the Italian looks to bolster his backline ahead of next season.

It’s said that the 22-year-old is a player hugely admired by the 52-year-old head coach and that Spurs have even submitted an offer of around €50m (£42m).

Conte has largely utilised his typical three-at-the-back formation since taking the helm in N17 and he could really do with another option as full-back Ben Davies has featured alongside central defenders Eric Dier and Cristian Romero.

Therefore, there’s a need for another addition in the role and there won’t be many better options out there than Bastoni, who Conte is clearly a big fan of.

The 6 foot 3 colossus made 33 appearances during their title-winning campaign, where he averaged 1.2 interceptions and 1.1 tackles per game. He has since progressed further under new management, managing an average of 1.5 tackles and 1.3 interceptions from 27 matches this term, via WhoScored.

Some have even likened the Italy international to his Euro 2020-winning teammate, veteran Leonardo Bonucci.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

“He controls the opponent, space and with a refinement that has rarely been seen, reminds me of a young Bonucci,” said Italian journalist Mario Sconcerti.

Meanwhile, according to talent scout Jacek Kulig, Bastoni is “perfect” as a left-sided centre-back in a three – the exact positon Conte needs this summer – and is “complete,” “dominant,” and “very comfortable on the ball.”

Transfermarkt currently value the 22-year-old defender in the region of £54m, so he’s not going to come cheap, especially if Spurs want to sanction permanent moves for Romero and Dejan Kulusevski.

Once dubbed a “Rolls-Royce” with world-class potential by analysts Top Bins Talk, it’s evident that Bastoni would be something of a dream signing for Conte at Spurs, as such sporting director Fabio Paratici should do all he can to secure his signature.

In the Italian, the Spurs head coach could have a new left-sided and Bonucci-like animal in defence next season.

AND in other news, 95 touches, 69 passes: £36m-rated Spurs “monster” was Conte’s big unsung hero vs Villa…

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”…

Celtic are back in action this afternoon with another clash against their Old Firm rivals.

This time, the duo are both looking to secure a place in the Scottish Cup final.

The last meeting between the two Glasgow rivals saw Ange Postecoglou’s side secure a 2-1 win at Ibrox in the SPFL earlier this month.

However, heading into Sunday’s showdown, it seems as though the Hoops will have to make do without one of their key players.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the semi-final, Postecoglou revealed that striker Giorgos Giakoumakis will not be available to play as a result of an injury he picked up during Celtic’s 7-0 win over St. Johnstone last weekend.

Since arriving at the Parkhead club during the previous summer transfer window from VVV-Venlo in a deal worth a reported fee of up to £2.5m, the striker has made 16 appearances in the SPFL.

In those appearances, the 27-year-old has found the back of the net nine times, with only Liel Abada (10) having bagged more league goals this season.

Postecoglou will be fuming

Having appeared in all three of Celtic’s Scottish Cup games this season, the centre-forward has scored four of their nine goals against Alloa Athletic, Raith Rovers and Dundee United.

With that in mind, not only will it be a huge blow for the player to miss out on the chance to fire his team to the final this afternoon, but it is sure to have also left both Postecoglou and the Parkhead faithful fuming given how deadly he’s been in front of goal.

To highlight how much of a danger the Greek international has been for his new club, he currently boasts the highest average of shots on target and goals per 90 minutes in the league, according to FBref.

Moving forward, with the Bhoys having Kyogo Furuhashi back in the frame after recovering from his hamstring injury, Postecoglou will have to hope that he and the rest of the attacking players at his disposal can make up for Giakoumakis’ absence on this occasion.

Looking beyond that, everyone at the club will undoubtedly be hoping that the £1.8m-rated striker can recover from his injury soon enough to help his side see out the remainder of the season.

AND in other news: Signed for 7 figures, left for peanuts: Celtic had a mare on “unplayable” £15k-p/w dud