All posts by z3u9t.icu

A number of Manchester City fans have been reacting to reports that the Citizens could allow Bernardo Silva to leave on loan until the end of the season.

So far this term, the 27-year-old has featured heavily, making nine appearances in all competitions under Pep Guardiola (Transfermarkt). He made the switch to the Etihad Stadium in 2017 and has already played 210 games for the Cityzens, scoring 36 goals and providing 44 assists.

However, it seems that he could be out the door in January. As per Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), Juventus are interested in capturing the £63m-valued Portuguese international (Transfermarkt), and City would be open to an “interest loan”. However, the Turin club would first need to offload players to be able to intensify negotiations with the Premier League champions.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from Man City supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the transfer rumours, and it is fair to say they were not best pleased with the notion of loaning out Silva. Indeed, one even said that club executives Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano should be sacked if they sanction any such move.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Silva news

“Txixi and Soriano out if this happens”

Credit: @ThomasSowell90

“NO! I want to retire at City, he loves this club”

Credit: @mcfcrr

“What? Why would we do that when he is one of our best players so far”

Credit: @RealSlimFoden

“If we do this then Txiki needs deporting to North Korea”

Credit: @TeacherOfBall

“Simple, if Bernardo left permanently or on loan it would be one of the biggest mistakes that the club had ever made regarding transfers, madness”

Credit: @BowdenJoniebee

“Yes let’s loan him for a year making maybe a couple mil, then discuss a straight loan to run down his contract and let them sign him for free or peanuts. Who comes up with this… surely they’re writing this laughing knowing it’s a complete joke”

Credit: @ManCitizen06

In other news, lots of Man City fans were gutted with this news on one of Bernardo’s team-mates

Leeds United midfielder Adam Forshaw will miss Monday’s meeting with Crystal Palace and the five games that will follow due to a fresh knee problem.

The Lowdown: Forshaw’s season

Forshaw, who missed a whopping 71 games with a hip problem, made a long-awaited return to action last August against Crewe Alexandra.

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The Englishman has gone on to make 26 appearances in all competitions, 22 of which have come in the Premier League.

He missed his first game under new manager Jesse Marsch against Watford earlier this month, and he won’t be featuring again as the Whites look to avoid relegation.

The Latest: Six-week absence

Football Insider were the first to break the news regarding Forshaw after being informed by a source on Friday morning.

They described it as a ‘devastating blow’, with the 30-year-old in a leg brace after suffering a knock in training.

Jesse Marsch confirmed the injury at his pre-match press conference, revealing the midfielder has a fractured knee cap and will be sidelined for six weeks.

The Verdict: Never ending…

Marsch has already suffered three big injury blows since taking over from Marcelo Bielsa in Tyler Roberts, Junior Firpo and Patrick Bamford, so this update on Forshaw is another problem he’ll have to deal with.

The good news is that Kalvin Phillips will make his first start since December, while Mateusz Klich and Robin Koch look set to battle it out for a place next to the England international at Selhurst Park.

Another midfield setback would leave Marsch extremely short of options, but fingers crossed that won’t happen with the battle to avoid the drop getting tense.

In other news: Leeds on alert as Tottenham now willing to sell ‘flawless’ gem who Orta wants at Elland Road. 

West Ham United were dealt a frustrating setback in their quest to qualify for the Champions League this season after they were held by relegation-battling Burnley at Turf Moor.

And it was yet another game in which Michail Antonio struggled in the final third.

The Clarets, who have won just once all season, largely matched the fourth-placed Irons and were resolute enough to not hand them many chances. That said, the 31-year-old put in another lacklustre display and that would’ve undoubtedly contributed to their futile attempts up top.

Across the 90 minutes he had on the pitch, Antonio failed to register a single shot on target, with both his efforts going wide. Even central defenders Issa Diop and James Tarkowski managed to hit the target.

His lack of influence for the visiting east Londoners was reflected by the fact that he recorded the fewest touches of any Hammers starter (34). One less than even goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (35), as well as managing only ten accurate passes all game, too.

Elsewhere, the Jamaican international struggled to combat the physical threat on offer from the home side, losing possession a whopping 16 times, almost once every other touch of the ball, whilst he also won just 46% of his 15 battles, both on the ground and in the air, only further highlighting the way in which he was dominated by Sean Dyche’s towering backline.

‘Another Hammer who had a quiet game with the striker’s poor touch on a couple of occasions costing him the chance of a sight of goal,’ was how football.london reporter Tom Clark described Antonio’s performance after the match.

Indeed, that was the case and it has been that way for several games now. The former Nottingham Forest ace has scored just once in ten games and has now failed to surpass a 6.9 WhoScored rating in five of his last six matches.

His form has to be a major cause for concern to manager David Moyes and the club. He will certainly feel badly let down by his star man once again because if Antonio isn’t firing, West Ham often aren’t either.

The £70k-per-week forward must do better in the coming weeks, especially as he’s the only option in the role. He must do better.

AND in other news, Rob Newman can seal West Ham’s biggest signing since Payet in “complete” £24.3m-rated gem…

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Zinedine Ferhat to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Foot Mercato (via Daily Record), who claimed that Ange Postecoglou has identified the Nimes playmaker as a potential target in the winter market, with the 28-year-old believed to be available on a cut-price deal due to his contract with the Ligue 2 side expiring at the end of the current campaign.

The report added that, as a result of his contract situation, the forward is expected to move onto pastures new in the January transfer window, with French duo Montpellier and Saint-Etienne also reported to be interested in the wide midfielder.

He loves to “turn on the style”

While Ferhat has not been in the best of form so far this season, having failed to score a goal or register an assist over his seven Ligue 2 appearances, it is undeniable that, should Postecoglou manage to seal a deal for the Algeria international this month, it would still be something of a major coup for the Bhoys.

Indeed, over his 33 Ligue 1 appearances in Nimes’ 2020/21 campaign, the £4.05m-rated man scored six goals, registered a whopping 10 assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.9 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £13k-per-week winger who he himself claimed loves to “turn on the style” earn a rather astonishing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him by far and away as his side’s best performer in the top flight of French football.

As such, it is clear to see that the Algerian forward would make a fantastic addition to Celtic’s current options out wide, leading us to believe that Postecoglou must do all he can to seal a swoop for Ferhat in the January transfer window.

In other news: Celtic confirm major transfer update which will leave Bhoys fans buzzing

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted negatively to a claim that Roberto Firmino hasn’t decided if he will stay put at Anfield or not.

The Brazilian has been a wonderful servant for the Reds, joining from Hoffenheim in 2015 and becoming one of the poster boys of the Jurgen Klopp era.

Firmino has made 311 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 94 goals and registering 73 assists, proving to be the perfect foil for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

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At 30, the striker is not getting any younger, however, and his current Reds deal expires in the summer of 2023, with little sign of a new contract being agreed.

According to journalist Florian Plettenberg on Twitter, Firmino will be the man to decide over whether or not he stays at Anfield, with talks taking place in the coming months.

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Liverpool fans react to Firmino claim

It suggests that a Liverpool exit isn’t out of the question and these fans reacted negatively to that possibility on Twitter.

“Never want to see Bobby leave, whatever his role in the squad becomes I hope he retires here”

Credit: @JoshuaKekana

“It will be a sad, sad day when Bobby moves on. He might not be quite what he was but the integral part he’s played can’t be overstated and his personality and selflessness has been invaluable to the culture and success of the side. One of my favourite ever #LFC players”

Credit: @reid1892

“I want Bobby to stay at Liverpool”

Credit: @JuniArga2

“Really hope we keep Bobby. Legend such a great player”

Credit: @MartinT_LFC75

“He’s a legend whatever decision he takes”

Credit: @supermanelfc

“HE CANNOT GO ANYWHERE”

Credit: @dantewillz

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited after a transfer claim emerged. Read more here.

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Aston Villa are desperate to sign Newcastle United’s Isaac Hayden before the transfer deadline, according to the Birmingham Mail.

The club are reportedly hoping to sign three players before the end of the transfer window and have made Hayden their top priority.

What’s the word?

Hayden is keen to leave Newcastle this month, according to the Birmingham Mail.

They quote him as saying, at the weekend: “The clubs that are interested in me are waiting, and the clubs that I want to go to are waiting.

“It’s just a case of whether Newcastle say: ‘Yeah, you can go’. If they say that, I can go. That’s where it is really.”

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Villa are keen to bring in a number of players, as per the Birmingham Mail, before Thursday’s deadline, but Hayden is their top target and contact has been made between the two parties.

Newcastle have so far refused to sell the defensive-minded midfielder but he could be allowed to leave if the Magpies are able to sign a replacement; they are closing in on signing Andreas Samaris, according to Sky Sports.

West Bromwich Albion are also said to be interested, but the Birmingham Mail claim that the Villans are at the front of the queue to secure his signature.

Shore up leaky defence

Villa have struggled to keep clean sheets this season.

They are currently four points adrift of sixth-placed Derby County in the play-offs.

However, they have conceded 46 goals thus far this season, with only Rotherham (48) and rock-bottom Ipswich Town (50) letting in more.

Hayden, though, would go a long way to remedying the issue.

He is a defensive-minded midfielder and he has the ability to get stuck in without picking up too many cards.

Bringing him in is a logical move and will help Villa fix one of their biggest problems: conceding goals.

Interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Conor Coady is growing ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Alan Nixon’s recent report for The Sun, with the journalist claiming that insiders close to Newcastle United have revealed that the England international is an active part of the newly-rich Magpies’ discussions regarding January transfers.

Nixon continues to state that Coady is a favourite of leading advisor to Newcastle and trusted friend of Amanda Staveley, Frank McParland, who is set to be instated in a senior position at St. James’ Park ahead of the winter window.

Finally, it is claimed that Wolves have no intention of parting with the 28-year-old in the January transfer window, and would command a fee of £20m or more in order to consider his sale.

Fans would be gutted

Considering just how important a part of the Wolves team Coady has become in recent years, should Newcastle lodge an offer that the club simply cannot refuse in the winter window, it would undoubtedly leave the Molineux faithful gutted.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League appearances this term, the £22.5m-rated man has helped his side keep two clean sheets and has scored one goal, as well as making an average of one interception, one tackle, 2.7 clearances and winning 2.2 duels per game.

These returns have seen the player Tim Spiers dubbed an “authoritative” figure average a SofaScore match rating of 6.93, ranking him as Bruno Lage’s seventh-best performer in the top flight.

Furthermore, the £62k-per-week defender also ranked as Wolves’ 10th-best player in the club’s 2020/21 campaign, the club’s ninth-best performer in 2019/20 and the 12th-best in 2018/19 – demonstrating the 28-year-old’s impressive consistency for the Premier League side.

As such, should Wolves indeed lose the former Liverpool centre-back in the January transfer window, it would undoubtedly be something of a disaster for Lage – not only because of Coady’s impressive level of performance for the club but also as the 45-year-old is already extremely short of options in the heart of his Wolves backline.

In other news: Forget Dendoncker: “Frustrating” £84k-p/w liability who made 8 passes let Wolves down

Ibrahima Konate will be left out of Liverpool’s starting lineup to face Manchester City this weekend, according to reliable journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Konate impresses despite error

The Frenchman started alongside Virgil van Dijk at Benfica in midweek, as the Reds won 3-1 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg clash.

Konate may have made an error for Darwin Nunez’s goal, air-kicking an attempted clearance, but he produced a superb overall performance in Portugal, drawing praise from Alisson for his display.

The 22-year-old made two tackles and one interception on the night, as well as the small matter of opening the scoring with a well-taken header – his first-ever goal for Liverpool.

The Latest: Pearce makes key claim

Despite this, Pearce believes Joel Matip will come in for Konate for Sunday’s huge trip to City, taking to Twitter to provide his thoughts:

“Some big decisions for Klopp v City. Matip back in for Konate pretty clear.”

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The Verdict: Correct decision

While Konate undoubtedly impressed against Benfica, bringing Matip back in for him is still the right call, should Jurgen Klopp do that.

He possesses more experience in such big games and he has been the superior player this season, performing magnificently next to Van Dijk and averaging 3.9 aerial duel wins per game in the league.

It would be a big shock if Konate was now picked, given his rawness, and his pace isn’t needed as much against a City side who are more intricate than fast.

In other news, Pearce has also made an exciting Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Aaron Hickey to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed on a recent episode of The West Ham Way podcast that, after pulling out of the race for Everton left-back Lucas Digne, David Moyes has now turned his attention to younger options in the position this month, with the 19-year-old Bologna left-back being one of the 58-year-old’s targets.

Speaking about the Hammers’ interest in the Scotland U21 international, Ex said: “I’ve been told there’s another Scottish left-back that we may have an interest in, he currently plays for Bologna and is called Aaron Hickey.

“He was on the brink of joining Aston Villa, and Aston Villa are on the brink of signing Lucas Digne – the Everton left-back – who we were also showing a distant interest in. That interest stopped quite early on when we discovered his wage demands.

“I think Moyes is looking to get someone a bit younger with a bit more to prove, and someone who more fits the bill. So this Scottish left-back at Bologna… he’s a very good player with a lot of potential.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the sheer amount of potential Hickey quite clearly possesses, the news that West Ham are interested in a move for the 19-year-old this January is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 19 Serie A appearances in the current campaign, the £11.7m-rated left-back has helped his side keep five clean sheets and scored four goals, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 0.8 clearances and winning 62% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £16k-per-week defender who Daniel Stendel dubbed an “extraordinary talent” average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as Sinisa Mihajlovic’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of Italian football.

As such, with Ex claiming that Digne was demanding between £160k and £180k-per-week in order to make a move to West Ham, it would indeed appear that pulling out for the race for the 28-year-old in favour of a move for Hickey was a very wise move by the Hammers boss.

The youngster will undoubtedly be a much cheaper option for the club – as well as one who could well turn out to have a higher ceiling than Digne.

In other news: “We do like..”: Ex drops big transfer update on WHU-linked beast, Moyes would love him

Aston Villa have been dealt a big injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report by Birmingham Live, after sitting out Zimbabwe’s World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia last weekend due to a groin strain, the 27-year-old is now a doubt for Steven Gerrard’s first game in the Aston Villa dugout against Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday.

The report goes on to state that the defensive midfielder is set to be assessed ahead of the weekend’s clash, however, at present, it looks unlikely that the former Club Brugge man will be available for selection for the visit of the Seagulls.

Gerrard will be gutted

While Nakamba had not exactly been a guaranteed starter under the leadership of Dean Smith, with the midfielder being selected from the off in just three Premier League fixtures this season, the absence of the 27-year-old will nevertheless come as a blow to Gerrard, who will be gutted to have already lost a first-team member to injury before even taking charge of a match.

And, while the £6.3m-rated man has not had much of a chance to impress this term, he did turn in a decent display over his 63 minutes on the pitch in the club’s most recent fixture, making two tackles, one interception, blocking two shots and winning four duels against Southampton – with these returns seeing him earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.00.

Furthermore, with Gerrard favouring a three-man midfield during his time at Rangers, it would seem likely that the 41-year-old will look to set Villa up in the same fashion going forwards, meaning that Nakamba will more than likely be much more involved in games than under the leadership of Smith, potentially even becoming a key figure.

As such, the injury to the £32.5k-per-week midfielder will come as a blow to the former England international, who will undoubtedly be hoping to get his tenure at Villa off to a win against Brighton.

In other news: Purslow must sanction AVFC move for “outstanding” £18k-p/w ace, Gerrard would love him