All posts by z3u9t.icu

Many fans of Manchester City have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relayed Sam Lee’s article regarding the future of Erling Haaland.

In his article for The Athletic, Lee claims that City representatives have been in contact with Haaland’s father in recent weeks, meaning that the “wheels are in motion” regarding a move for the £141,000-per-week centre-forward this summer, in addition to the fact that the club have “sanctioned” the potential transfer.

So far this season, the £99m-rated 20-year-old has been in astonishing form for Borussia Dortmund, scoring 21 goals and providing four assists over his 21 Bundesliga appearances, as well as bagging 10 goals and one assist in just six Champions League fixtures.

After City Xtra relayed Lee’s report on Twitter, these fans of Manchester City flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to be ecstatic at the prospect of Pep Guardiola’s side landing Haaland this summer.

So, what exactly did these Manchester City fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Erling Haaland?

“This is genuinely happening.”

@OliverBoisen

“OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG.”

@SilkyCyrus_74

“Wow.”

@Vrishab05777495

“He’s coming home.”

@CityJoul

“SAM LEE? This is becoming serious man.”

@agboladephilip

“This is what we like to see.”

@alexpaolo9

“OHHHHHHHH.”

@Prince_Ederson

“IT’S HAPPENING! IT’S REALLY HAPPENING!!”

@Citizenani06

In other news: loads of Manchester City fans loved this news about a former Etihad hero – find out more here!

Carlo Ancelotti should ruthlessly axe James Rodriguez from his starting line-up when Everton host Manchester City on Wednesday night, because the Colombian cannot play in the same side as Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Rodriguez and Sigurdsson both started Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Fulham as Ancelotti sought to find a solution for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s absence – a boat the Italian finds himself in again after ruling the Toffees’ top-scorer out with a hamstring injury.

It was Rodriguez whom Ancelotti turned to in his search for an attacking partner for Richarlison, rather than hand Deadline Day arrival Joshua King his first start in royal blue.

Ancelotti’s decision to field Rodriguez in the front line of his attack initially appeared well conceived when the Colombian found Seamus Coleman, before the right-back’s shot ricocheted off the post.

But the 29-year-old’s creativity would be short-lived, with the former Real Madrid superstar recording each of his two key passes in the 33rd and 34th minutes, via WhoScored, miraculously enough for a joint game-high tally in an Everton side severely lacking imagination.

And as the game wore on, Rodriguez’s impact waned further to see that he was eventually replaced with 20 minutes remaining, having failed to take a single shot on goal against a Fulham side that Sigurdsson tested on three occasions.

No Toffees player struck more efforts on Alphonse Areola’s net than Sigurdsson, who accounted for 42% of his side’s total seven shots, as the Iceland international sought to build on his FA Cup heroics that returned one goal and three assists.

Though it was ultimately not Sigurdsson’s day, either, as he struggled to pull the strings as Fulham took control, partly down to the lack of a designated striker to bounce off in an almost de facto false nine role at points.

The picture was vastly different for Sigurdsson when he had Calvert-Lewin stretching Tottenham Hotspur’s defence in the FA Cup, and with players like Richarlison and later Bernard making incisive runs from the wider roles.

On that night, Sigurdsson could play with his head up and nonchalantly pick out the passes which returned his hat-trick of assists. But that option was not there with Ancelotti tasking Rodriguez with partnering Richarlison in the attack.

Ancelotti unleashing Sigurdsson in the no.10 role against Fulham would also suggest he feels that is where he can get the most out of the 31-year-old, while Rodriguez can be utilised elsewhere.

But against Manchester City on Wednesday night, it may be best to drop Rodriguez to the bench for Sigurdsson to do against Pep Guardiola’s title-chasing side what he could against Spurs.

Rodriguez may well feel aggrieved to fall to the reserves with the £90k-per-week maestro scoring his side’s second in the 3-3 draw with Manchester United earlier this month, but the change in system used against Fulham did not suit the £31.5m-rated star.

And with Ancelotti likely to utilise the system against Manchester City with Calvert-Lewin still nursing an injury, Rodriguez playing a similar role could only serve to hold Everton back.

Both King and Alex Iwobi are alternatives to the Colombian sensation this time around.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is willing Everton to pay £26.5m for a £176k-p/w gem…

Nottingham Forest host Luton Town on Tuesday night in a match that could see them continue their rise away from the Championship bottom three.

Chris Hughton has managed to transform the East Midlands side, with the team having won four out of their last seven league games.

They head into the clash against the Hatters with a man in-form in James Garner and the on-loan Manchester United midfielder could be key to their hopes of victory once again.

The 21-year-old comes into the game against Luton fresh off the back of scoring his first senior goal. It could not have come in a more crucial game – the East Midlands derby.

According to WhoScored, Garner, who is valued at £3.15m, is the best performing Forest player this season with a rating of 6.97.

Whilst his attacking statistics are not the most inspiring with just 0.7 key passes per game and 0 assists, he is still attempting 1.9 shots per 90, which could be an extremely useful asset in a game where Forest will be eyeing victory.

Garner himself has even admitted that he needs to keep ‘adding’ goals to his game. It is not just offensively where the young midfielder could be key though.

His opposite number, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, is having a brilliant season for the Hatters so far. Whilst he hasn’t been as effective recently, Luton boss Nathan Jones has elected to play him through his tough run of form.

Garner’s battle against his opposite number could be key then, and his defensive numbers suggest he could be the victor. Only three players in the Forest squad produce more tackles than his 1.6 per 90, whilst his interceptions are also high at the same number.

If the youngster can operate effectively in midfield and ensure he gets the better of Dewsbury-Hall throughout the 90 minutes, there is an extremely good chance that Forest could earn three points against Luton.

Forest shouldn’t really be worried about relegation given that they are in 16th place, but there are teams below them with games in hand so a run of poor results could easily see them dragged into a dog fight. However, a win over Luton will take them to 43 points, which, given they’ll still have 12 games to play to pick up more points, should kill any talk of relegation.

David Sullivan could waste further millions if West Ham United seal a £13.5m swoop for Cadiz CF striker Anthony Lozano to replace Sebastien Haller.

What’s the word?

According to Diario de Cadiz (13/1, p. 50), the Irons are set to imminently offer €15m (£13.5m) for 27-year-old forward Lozano as boss David Moyes is desperate to bolster his attacking options after Haller’s move to AFC Ajax.

Haller’s departure left Michail Antonio as the sole recognised senior striker at the London Stadium, and deprived Moyes of the man responsible for three of the Hammers’ 24 goals in the Premier League so far this season.

Only Tomas Soucek (5) and Jarrod Bowen (4) had scored more often than Haller in the top-flight this term, and would be joined by a forward hardly boasting a prolific record if Lozano is signed with the Honduras international having found the net just three times in La Liga.

Lozano has been a regular for Cadiz since their promotion to the highest level of Spanish domestic football last season, starting nine of his 14 appearances after missing two games through coronavirus in November, but had only scored once prior to the New Year.

Wasting further millions

Sullivan would be taking a massive gamble by backing Lozano to be the forward to offer Moyes what Haller could not, as the 33-cap marksman’s frequent struggles to score in La Liga this season are nothing new.

Lozano hit home just once in 34 La Liga outings for Girona before joining Cadiz in 2019, and is proving immensely wasteful at the Nuevo Estadio Ramon de Carranza with a return of just 0.2 goals a game despite fashioning 1.3 shots per match so far this season, per SofaScore.

He has further missed five clear-cut chances to score over his 14 appearances, and rarely creates opportunities for his teammates, despite penning one assist, as the former Valencia and Barcelona trainee offers a mere 0.3 key balls from his paltry 19.4 passes per game.

Sullivan opting for the £7,500-per-week man would likely only serve to see the West Ham co-owner and Chairman flutter his millions down the drain once again, having lost close to £25m on the sale of Haller having allowed the Irons’ club-record signing to leave for less than half of the fee paid to Eintracht Frankfurt just 18-months earlier.

The fee the Irons are touted to pay for Lozano is additionally far beyond his considered market value, as TransferMarkt tout the attacker to be worth £2.25m less than a year on from considering the 6ft hitman to be worth just £1m.

West Ham’s need for another striker is clear in their lack of depth, but Lozano’s ability to fill the void would be questionable.

AND in other news: Exclusive: West Ham’s Declan Rice tipped to join Chelsea on one condition…

While Victor Orta was busy readying Leeds United for their assault on the Premier League over the summer, he was also hurrying around improving the club’s academy.

The Spaniard welcomed a host of fresh young faces to Thorp Arch, with the likes of Joe Gelhardt, Cody Drameh, Crysencio Summerville and Sam Greenwood all arriving.

Though, one player out on loan but still lurking as part of the academy is Mateusz Bogusz.

The 19-year-old is a superb midfielder and after rejecting advances from Brighton, he moved from Poland to Yorkshire in 2019.

It’s not the most conventional of routes to take in your football career but he has been improving at a steady rate in the club’s development sides. That being said, he has played just three times for the first-team.

He is now out on loan at UD Logrones in La Liga 2, the second tier of Spanish football where he’s gaining his first consistent taste of senior team football for a number of years. Bogusz has played 14 times for his loan club and has managed two goal contributions in the process.

Those numbers may not be too significant, but his overall performances have demonstrated that he could well make an impact on the Leeds side when he returns. By unleashing him next season, he may well save the club millions in terms of transfer fees.

Pablo Hernandez is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and with Tyler Roberts potentially departing too, there may well be two vacant areas in the middle of the park for someone like Bogusz to exploit.

Leeds have been linked with a number of players in that area, namely Julian Draxler and Rodrigo De Paul. Though, they have also been touted with making a switch for Swansea youngster Yan Dhanda.

We suggested that Dhanda may have what it takes to break down a low block – one of Leeds’ chief problems right now – but they could have a ready-made Hernandez heir right in front of them.

That’s because the teenager is a bundle of attacking energy, someone capable of carving out regular opportunities like Leeds’ Spanish hero.

In the 2020/21 season so far, Bogusz has created 0.8 key passes per game, which, for someone that hasn’t started every match, isn’t bad at all. For context, it’s a tally that would make him the seventh-best creator at Leeds this season.

Of course, he’s playing at a different level, but pivotally, he’s managed more key passes a match than Stuart Dallas, Helder Costa and Hernandez.

Though, the similarities with the Spaniard don’t stop there. He is adept at dribbling and typifies composure and confidence.

Bogusz’s most impressive stat this term is undoubtedly the 1.5 dribbles per game he’s amassed. No player at Leeds this season has managed more, while Hernandez’s best season for take-ons at Leeds saw him register 1.8 successful dribbles on average. Thus, there isn’t a great difference.

The youngster’s improvement and impression this season won’t be a surprise to some, however, especially to his manager at international youth level, Czeslaw Michniewicz. He once told reporters: “He is at a similar level as (Poland international) Sebastian Szymanski in his previous youth. He has great talent.”

Having also received the seal of approval from fellow countryman Mateusz Klich, he possesses a whole range of talents that could benefit Leeds.

If they chose to unleash him when he returns from Spain, he could well stop Orta from dipping his toes into the transfer market.

AND in other news, Leeds must axe £2.2m-rated gem who looks totally “out of place”, Bielsa can’t be happy…

For the first time in Nuno Santo’s Wolves tenure, he moved to a four-man defence against Southampton a few weeks ago.

He then continued that theme when they travelled to Arsenal, sweeping aside the Gunners 2-1.

In 166 of his 166 matches prior to the clash against the Saints, he had gone with three at the back but Nuno is now unbeaten since changing things up.

However, with a match against Premier League champions Liverpool to come, they would arguably be taking a risk by not setting up with a more familiar system.

Thus, we’re tipping the manager to go back to his three-man defence, with the following XI predicted: Patricio, Semedo, Boly, Coady, Kilman, Marcal, Neves, Moutinho, Neto, Traore, Silva.

We think that Nuno will go back to the formation in order to give his side a bit more cover against a free-flowing Liverpool attack.

The man sacrificed to make this work is Daniel Podence. He scored against Arsenal but with no number 10 needed, unfortunately drops out on Sunday.

Ruben Neves missed out last weekend but comes back in for Leander Dendoncker to offer an extra layer of security on the ball in the middle of the park.

The final change we think could occur is at the back where Max Kilman comes in to play as the left centre-back.

Raul Jimenez is ruled out after fracturing his skull. He was involved in a nasty collision with David Luiz and thus, will miss an extended period of time.

Therefore, Fabio Silva faces his first run in the side.

Wolves’ big-money signing is yet to start in the Premier League so this will be a real test for the young Portuguese.

Having cost the club £35.6m, these are the occasions where he has to show up.

In other news, Wolves are interested in signing a player with enormous physicality… 

Sheffield Wednesday may effectively be managerless at present, but they head into this afternoon’s Championship encounter in a rich vein of form – for the Owls, at least.

The South Yorkshire outfit are unbeaten in three matches and won last time out despite the sacking of Tony Pulis less than 24 hours prior to kickoff.

Caretaker boss Neil Thompson guided them to a 2-1 victory over Boro at Hillsborough Stadium, and now they host a Derby County side who too have turned their fortunes around somewhat.

But will he stick or twist with a winning side? Here’s the XI we’re predicting today…

There could be as many as three changes as Thompson may have some first-team regulars back from injury.

Between the sticks, veteran stopper Keiren Westwood should remain, though he could have a returning centre-back in front of him in Joost van Aken, who may come back in to partner Chey Dunkley and Tom Lees.

He’s a natural central defender, so it makes sense for versatile 29-year-old, Liam Palmer, to make way.

At wing-back, there could also be a return for £20k-per-week Adam Reach on the left, replacing Kadeem Harris with Moses Odubajo continuing on the right.

In midfield, the three-man engine room that dominated Boro in midweek will surely remain – Liam Shaw bagged his first goal for the Owls, whilst Joey Pelupessy and Barry Bannan pulled the strings all game.

The third and final change may be upfront as Thompson brings Jordan Rhodes into the mix. He’s not afraid to play two up top, so it would make sense for their only centre-forward to get involved.

He may replace Josh Windass, perhaps unfairly, but Calum Paterson’s strike on Tuesday earns him another shot to partner the 30-year-old frontman.

AND in other news, Howard Wilkinson 2.0: Sheffield Wednesday must appoint 42 y/o miracle worker…

Newcastle are still paying a heavy price for letting Kevin Mbabu go in the summer of 2017, when Rafa Benitez was still the club’s manager..

What was the story?

The Magpies signed the Switzerland international back in 2013 when Alan Pardew was boss, giving him a three-year deal after seeing him impress in a trial.

At the time, reserve team manager, Willie Donachie said: “Kevin is strong, confident, skilful and a very good prospect.” But after making just five appearances for the first-team, Mbabu was sent out on loan, before completing a permanent move back home to Switzerland to BSC Young Boys for just £106k.

Since then, he has played numerous times in the Champions League and Europa League, and is now playing for Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg.

Rafa’s mistake

Whilst it’s always easy with hindsight to say that a club should never have let a certain young player go, Mbabu’s raw talents even in his short time with Newcastle surely warranted more patience and time.

His problems with injuries of course didn’t help his cause, but his promising display against Chelsea in 2015 showcased the kind of potential he had. The Independent gave him a seven match rating, and said that he enjoyed “an impressive starting debut”, praising him for his “series of threatening runs down the flank”.

When you look at the fact the Magpies have mixed and matched with the likes of Emil Krafth, Javier Manquillo and DeAndre Yedlin in recent times for the starting right-back slot, it’s a painful reminder of how if they had just kept the faith and ridden out the bad times, they could have had a star in the making in Mbabu.

Leicester City will have chance to put even more daylight between them and Europa League opponents Sporting Braga this evening as they face off at the Braga Municipal. As it stands, the Foxes lead their group by three points after winning all three of their games so far. They also have the best goal difference of Group G, having conceded just one and netting nine of their own.

It will be a relatively easy decision for Brendan Rodgers when it comes to picking his starting lineup. With Jamie Vardy likely to sit the game out, the manager is comfortable knowing that Kelechi Iheanacho is at his disposal. The back-up striker hit Braga for three last time out and will be hungry for more in the reverse fixture.

However, one man he should drop to the bench is Harvey Barnes following his wasteful performance against Liverpool.

Leicester hit a road block in their strong Premier League run when the reigning champions beat them 3-0 at Anfield. Whilst many will point the finger at City’s defence, the attacking personnel could’ve done more to force their way back into the game.

Indeed, Barnes was one main culprit of lacking composure in front of goal. According to Sofascore, the midfielder missed two big opportunities to tuck away a goal and he completed just 11 passes in the 62 minutes he was on the pitch. Barnes also lost the ball on 11 different occasions and was dribbled past twice.

Whilst Rodgers will be confident his side can grab another win, he won’t want to tempt fate. The 22-year-old’s disappointing performance should be enough to earn him a seat on the bench rather than a spot in the starting XI. Although the boss is a big fan of the £60,000 per week midfielder and has lauded him as a “big talent”, he mustn’t play favourites.

As Leicester look to re-establish themselves as a side that can challenge, they can’t afford any mistakes. Missing big opportunities to score against elite sides is not an option.

In other news, Andy Robertson’s performance against Leicester City wasn’t as good as you might think…

Liverpool have just hours left of the summer transfer window to make another statement signing before they really knuckle down and try for their second Premier League title.

Whilst they currently boast one of the best attacks in world football and have wowed fans with the additions of Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota, the Reds still have some weak points in their side. Jamie Carragher has highlighted exactly where Jurgen Klopp needs to be focusing on as time ticks down on the final day of the business window.

“I said before the game, with the amount of injuries at the moment that Alisson’s getting, Adrian’s not good enough as a backup – and he showed it again there,” the Anfield icon told Sky Sports (04/10, 7:20pm).

The Spaniard stepped in for the absent Alisson against Aston Villa on Sunday night and had a nightmarish performance between the sticks. As well as being at fault for Ollie Watkins’ opening goal, Adrian conceded a humiliating seven goals as the Villans had a field day in attack.

Liverpool have been linked to last-gasp transfer target Paulo Gazzaniga, but so far no talks have materialised. With Alisson reported to be out for 4-6 weeks though, the Reds can’t continue with Adrian in goal. His continued blunders in between the sticks have caused a lot of upset amongst fans and Klopp must be willing to set things right.

“It’s always a big worry when your backup goalkeeper comes in, and at this moment, it looks like Liverpool need a better backup goalkeeper,” Carragher continued.

Whether it’s Gazzaniga or someone else, the manager must take this season as seriously as he did last time round and bring in a suitable back up to Alisson. The gulf in quality between him and Adrian is far too vast for the Spaniard to be a viable option and Klopp needs to take the advice of Carragher.

In other news, Jurgen Klopp makes smart choice to keep Xherdan Shaqiri at Anfield…