All posts by n8rngtd.top

Leicester City turned in one of their most impressive performances of the season on Sunday by dismissing relegation-bound Sheffield United 5-0.

It was a stunning afternoon for the Foxes as they displayed a lethal and cutting edge to continually slice through their visitors.

Kelechi Iheanacho was, of course, the star of the show, securing his first-ever Premier League hat-trick with a perfect performance.

However, despite not managing to get his name on the scoresheet, as he has done in three out of his previous four appearances against the Blades, it was still a supremely impressive showing from Foxes’ frontman Jamie Vardy.

All afternoon, his constant running and hassling caused problems for the Championship-bound Sheffield United.

Without Vardy, Iheanacho would unlikely have scored his treble, with the 34-year-old twice setting up the Nigerian with perfect, low crosses to power home. As well as the two assists, the Englishman also contributed a further two key passes, more than anyone else in the game, according to WhoScored.

His afternoon was not done there though as he forced his low shot in off of Ethan Ampadu late in the game to round off a resounding win for the Foxes.

Despite the fact that Vardy only had 21 passes throughout the entire match, so many of them being vital highlights his stunning showing.

The former England forward may also have felt extremely unlucky to have not scored throughout the game. He had five shots throughout the 90 minutes, with just treble scorer Iheanacho having more, getting three on target.

However, each time he fired at goal, he was denied by Blades stopper Aaron Ramsdale, leaving him on 14 strikes in all competitions for the season.

Despite having now just scored once in his last 12 Premier League games, more performances like this from Vardy for the remainder of the campaign will surely set the Foxes firmly on the road to the UEFA Champions League.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Kelechi Iheanacho’s ruthless treble performance against the Blades…

Liverpool will be able to park their Premier League woes in midweek as they take on RB Leipzig in the second-leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

The Reds head into the clash on Wednesday evening, holding a 2-0 aggregate advantage after goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane in Budapest, where they will return to play this defacto ‘home’ tie.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have to be wary though, having lost seven out of their last 15 matches in all competitions since the turn of the year, including the 1-0 defeat to Fulham last time out, a match where the German elected to make sweeping changes.

What could his starting XI look like against Leipzig then?

There could be as many as six alterations to the Liverpool side on Wednesday.

Alisson and Andrew Robertson will be a few of those selected against Fulham to be retained. They will be joined in the back-line by Fabinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ozan Kabak, who was injured last time out.

The centre of midfield should have a totally different complexion to it as Thiago and Curtis Jones earn recalls to be deployed alongside Georginio Wijnaldum. One of the duo will replace £36m-rated midfielder Naby Keita, the other comes in for James Milner.

The final alteration will occur in the frontline. It has already been confirmed that forward Roberto Firmino is a doubt for the game so Diogo Jota will lead the line, with the returning Sadio Mane coming in to replace Xherdan Shaqiri.

Mo Salah struggled hugely against Fulham at the weekend so he too could be dropped with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain recalled into the starting XI alongside Mane and Jota. We explained earlier today why we’d have played Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield instead of Thiago, but we think Klopp will not go down that route, instead, we think he’ll use the former Arsenal man on the wing.

AND in more news, take a closer look at why the Reds must make a move for PSV Eindhoven’s Donyell Malen…

According to a report by club insiders Claret & Hugh, West Ham United will push on with their interest in Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham despite his £80,000-per-week wages having the potential to cause ‘unrest’ in the dressing room. 

West Ham have been heavily linked with a move for Abraham over the last week, with ExWHUemployee, the Daily Star and Eurosport all claiming that the Irons do hold an interest in the Englishman.

Now, C&H have supported Eurosport’s claim that the Hammers have made a tentative enquiry for Abraham – and the insiders believe that West Ham will push on with their interest – GSB failed to sign a forward in the January transfer window

Reacting to this development, as shared by West Ham news, supporters had very mixed views on social media – flocking to share their range of opinions on Abraham as this transfer claim emerges.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans flock to Abraham claim

“No no no, he is dreadful”

Credit: @rogerc32

“Hope this isn’t true doesn’t suit out our system and does miss a fair few opportunities. Although he has got age on his side. Personally would prefer a lump/ beast up front arnie and antonio both fit that mould and have both improved under moyes”

Credit: @bengonzalaz

“He’s just a poor mans Calvert Lewin”

Credit: @Reeko007

“Ok well the wage ain’t a problem because I swear yarmolenko is on above 100k”

Credit: @Reece_WHU_

“Quality players love to be overpriced”

Credit: @DuhigAlan

“Young English striker would love him at West Ham”

Credit: @moower

“Hold me”

Credit: @_JackWHU

In other news: West Ham are also eyeing this Championship star, find out more here.

Aston Villa were desperately out of sorts when West Ham put three goals past them in midweek.

It was a performance distinctly out of character with what has been a terrific season for Dean Smith’s team.

After bravely fighting relegation last term they have bounced back in remarkable fashion. Their 1-0 win over Arsenal epitomised everything they’ve become.

It was steely, aggressive and most importantly, it was clinical.

The Villans didn’t need many chances but were gifted the game’s only goal early on. Bertrand Traore seized on possession after Cedric gave it away and he then put the ball on a plate for Ollie Watkins to roll the ball home.

Villa troubled the Gunners on numerous occasions but it was their defensive performance that stood out so much.

They restricted Arsenal to just three shots on target and what typified their resilience was the fact that Alexandre Lacazette failed to have a single touch in the penalty area.

Tyrone Mings was given BT Sport’s Man of the Match award for the performance but we think someone else deserves some recognition too.

That happens to be Matt Targett, a defender who has to go down as one of their shrewdest captures since returning to the Premier League.

The former Saint was charged with defending Bukayo Saka for the majority of the game and once the full-time whistle was blown, he would have looked inside his pocket and found the dazzling Arsenal winger sat there.

Saka has been one of Arsenal’s main creators this term but Targett stifled him and fellow youngster, Emile Smith Rowe, in dominating fashion.

He won nine of the 14 duels he completed, losing out just once aerially. This had the potential to be a tricky encounter for the 25-year-old but he made it look comfortable.

Only Marvelous Nakamba (6) won more tackles than Targett’s five. That was a tally which just so happened to severely usurp Mings. As for aerial duels, only Watkins won more than Targett’s four.

This was as complete a performance as they come from the Villa defender. Saka tried time and time again to get down the right but he failed to complete any of the four dribbles he attempted. That was a testament to Targett’s magnificent display.

The Arsenal academy graduate has been their match-winner on a regular basis in recent weeks so this was a pivotal fight on the pitch. The fact that the £35k-per-week Villa earner overcame the challenge made him Smith’s true hero.

AND in other news, Villa may rue not signing 5 ft 11 gem with “unique pace”, Dean Smith will be worried…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee has been discussing the situation of Dele Alli at Tottenham Hotspur.

The former MK Dons man has found himself on the fringes of Jose Mourinho’s squad this season, having made just one start in the Premier League this season, featuring for just 75 minutes in the top-flight.

As a result, the England international has been heavily linked with a move to PSG during the winter transfer window, where he could link up with his old manager Mauricio Pochettino, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

However, with the transfer deadline day set to close on the 1st February, no deal has been agreed, which could result in the £100k-per-week 24-year-old spending the rest of the season warming the bench at Spurs.

Here’s what Lee had to say about Alli when speaking exclusively to FFC:

“I don’t see the point in him staying at Spurs. I think it’s pointless. I think there will be lots of clubs after him but you have to play a certain way to play with a 10. Jose Mourinho just doesn’t play that way. Dele Alli – you have to allow him to do what he wants to do.”

Lee clearly feels that there isn’t much point in Alli staying with Spurs and that unless Mourinho drastically alters the way his side plays, then the attacking-midfielder is unlikely to see his game time with the Lilywhites increase.

Unfortunately for Alli, the latest reports are suggesting that Daniel Levy is not willing to let him leave until a replacement is brought in, and with time running out, it is looking more and more likely that the out-of-favour midfielder will be stuck at Spurs for the rest of the season.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-and-rumours” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, injury latest and more!”]

If he doesn’t leave during the winter transfer window, then it may not be a surprise to see the €40m-rated (£36m) ace depart in the summer, as he clearly isn’t held in the same regard by Mourinho as he was by Pochettino, who dubbed him an “unbelievable player” during his time in charge of the Lilywhites.

And, in other news… Levy can finally sign Spurs’ Vertonghen heir with swoop for £36m beast who’s “on the same level” as Upamecano

With Celtic badly depleted ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash against Hibernian on Monday night, it was a much-changed line-up from the one that lost to Rangers last time out.

And one of the changes came up front, where 19-year-old Cameron Harper got a rare chance to impress – the American hadn’t made a single competitive appearance for Neil Lennon’s side before then.

The Hoops, who had Gavin Strachan in the dugout at Parkhead, badly needed the teenager to offset the loss of both Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths, but sadly for both him and the team, he just struggled to deal with the pressure.

As per Sofascore, he won just two out of the seven duels that he contested, whilst he just couldn’t get involved in the game either, making a measly total of 13 passes.

Apart from one effort that saw him hit the side-netting, Harper didn’t look anything remotely like someone who could be challenging for a first-team spot at Celtic Park anytime soon.

GlasgowLive gave him a match rating of 5 for his performance, saying that whilst he had “lots of energy”, he “didn’t have the end product to match”.

And it was a display that left some fans really scratching their heads about whether he can make a real career at the club, with a few insisting that he just looked so out of his depth.

Harper was gifted an opportunity to really put a marker down and send a message to Lennon about being involved in the first-team for the rest of the season.

But instead, he badly fluffed his lines, and once both Edouard and Griffiths return, it’s hard to imagine Harper seeing any meaningful action anytime soon.

Celtic’s year has been an absolute whirlwind.

Because of the current pandemic surrounding us, the Scottish season was curtailed early. Thus, the Hoops took home the league title because of their emphatic lead at the top of the table.

Since then, they’ve had aspirations of winning a tenth-successive domestic crown. That, however, looks a far-fetched dream, mainly because Rangers have gone 11 points clear.

To be that far behind their rivals has been unthinkable in the last decade but it’s clear that not everything has been done right in 2020.

On the transfer front, things have also been largely unimpressive. The Hoops missed out on the likes of Joe Hart, Ivan Toney and Fraser Forster in the summer but we want to focus on someone they failed to sign in January.

Nearly 12 months ago it was reported that Celtic had been offered the chance to sign Ian Poveda at Manchester City. Lo and behold, Nick Hammond failed to get his cheque book out and he signed for Leeds United instead.

The pacey prodigy started just once last season so initially, it didn’t look like a loss. However, Poveda’s vibrant cameos from the substitutes bench in 2020/21 lead us to believe he would have added a great deal to Celtic’s side.

Of course, the vast majority of their problems lie in defence but Celtic aren’t exactly as free-scoring as they were last year, failing to find the net against Ross County last weekend.

Although Poveda is yet to score a goal for Leeds, he resembles the qualities that Daniel Arzani showed for Celtic. Both diminutive wingers with tricky abilities, the Australian unfortunately had an injury-hit spell in Glasgow and played just twice.

Hoops supporters didn’t get a clear inkling of his ability but he is a superb dribbler, just like Poveda, someone who could have made up for the loss of Arzani when he returned to Manchester City.

Both have come through the academy at City and given the technical attributes they possess, it’s clear to see why.

According to Twenty3, Arzani has managed 13.85 successful dribbles per 90 minutes for FC Utrecht in the Netherlands. On the other hand, Poveda has registered 9.61 over the same metric.

In terms of touches in the opposing penalty area, the Leeds winger is ahead by quite the distance – 5.56 v 1.15. Coincidentally, they are vastly similar when it comes to the number of accelerations they make over an average of 90 minutes. Arzani has 3.46 compared to Poveda’s haul of 3.03.

Considering Poveda was acquired on a free transfer, you can’t help but feel as though Hammond and Celtic missed a trick here.

After all, Pep Guardiola once said the 20-year-old had an “incredible power to develop.”

He is one that undoubtedly got away.

Meanwhile, Celtic could fix their HUGE Scott Brown problem in the following way…

Sunderland midfielder Josh Scowen has offered Black Cats boss Phil Parkinson plenty of food for thought after producing a stellar display in Saturday’s 2-0 win away to Gillingham, having been benched for the midweek draw with Rochdale.

Scowen initially joined Sunderland in January from Queens Park Rangers, but could have walked away from the Stadium of Light this summer through a clause in his £8,100-per-week contract that became active when the League One season was curtailed early due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The clause allowed Scowen to move on if the Black Cats failed to secure promotion out of the third-tier and if the North East giants received an offer from a club competing in the Championship.

Scowen ultimately stayed yet sat out Sunderland’s season-opening draw with Bristol Rovers after sustaining a bruised ankle late in the Black Cats’ pre-season programme, but soon enjoyed a consistent run in the starting line-up until Tuesday’s draw with Rochdale.

Parkinson opted to drop the 28-year-old to the bench at the Crown Oil Arena and only called on him to feature for the final 16 minutes, though offered Scowen a recall at Gillingham and started the London-born midfielder.

The former QPR ace proved to Parkinson why he should be one of the first names on the teamsheet at Priestfield Stadium, with Scowen offering an excellent display and a persistent goal threat worthy of much more.

Scowen was guilty of blazing arguably his best chance of the first-team over the bar, before spurning a handful of good openings in the second period as Sunderland pushed for the opening goal.

But the £720,000-rated ace impressed nonetheless, as Chris Maguire and Lynden Gooch scored the goals to seal all three points, with SofaScore data showing Scowen as recording the game’s joint-most shots (four) with Gillingham’s Dominic Samuel.

Scowen was additionally successful with his only attempted dribble of the match, while completing 78% of his 32 passes for two key balls and three accurate crosses. He failed to direct a shot on target, though, with three efforts sailing wide and one blocked, including missing the one big chance to score.

Parkinson also witnessed Scowen contribute defensively with one clearance and one tackle, along with winning two of his five duels on route to registering 51 touches.

The Black Cats boss will find it very challenging to justify again benching Scowen when Sunderland host Ipswich Town on Tuesday night after the sensational efforts he produced at Gillingham.

AND in other news, Phil Parkinson risks a naïve call on a Sunderland man Jack Ross claimed had “not achieved anything”.

Napoli have lowered their asking price for Tottenham Hotspur target Arkadiusz Milik, as reported in the Sunday issue of Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness).

They had previously been demanding €40m (£37m) for the Poland international, a fee Spurs were not willing to match, though they have now reduced that to €25m (£23.1m).

Can you name every one of Spurs’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

This decision comes after Roma came in with an offer of €15m (£13.9m) plus a couple of youth players in an effort to sign the 26-year-old, who scored 14 goals across all competitions for Napoli last term.

Spurs are looking to sign a frontman who can act as back-up to the talismanic Harry Kane, and it is claimed they have already sent an offer to Milik’s entourage in the hope it will help to bring about a move.

The offer is said to relate to wages, which could see the former Ajax man sign a pre-contract agreement and join next season, when his contract comes to an end.

However, Napoli want to get rid of Milik, the player is keen to leave and Jose Mourinho feels he needs another striker as soon as possible, so it is likely that work will be done to make the move come about sooner.

As things stand, Spurs don’t have a single recognised senior striker to fill in if anything were to happen to Kane.

Gareth Bale and Tottenham Hotspur are a love story of old. Of course, their relationship goes way back to the times when the Welshman was one of the hottest players on the planet, blazing through teams in the Premier League. And all those years ago, Real Madrid made him the most expensive player in the world at that time.

But, his stay at the Spanish capital was all but rewarding. Yes, Bale won trophies and delivered some excellent performances but his relationship with the current gaffer, Zinedine Zidane, is mostly non-existent. As a result, the forward is no longer being used and he spends his time either yawning in the stands or playing golf under the Spanish sun.

Recently, however, he was tipped to join Spurs once again by former teammate Andros Townsend. He explained that the 31-year-old would be much happier back in London despite sitting on a £600,000-per-week contract at Real Madrid. Here’s what he said, as quoted by Express: “I think if anything Bale wants to go back to Spurs, the memories of Spurs, his happiness… he was the main man, he was loved. He was at the top of his game. So, if anything I think it would work the other way.”

Reportedly, the Welshman is refusing to be transferred despite Real’s best efforts and is adamant on seeing out his contract that runs until 2022. This is seen as some kind of vengeance for the club blocking his mooted move to China at the 11th hour last year and this is how he’s punishing them.

A move back to Spurs, however, at least according to Townsend, would be a much better alternative for everyone.

Verdict

It may not seem that way but Bale still has a lot to offer despite already being in his 30s. The Welshman has enough quality to play at the top level for at least a couple more years and maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Jose Mourinho to pull the trigger.

Real are desperate to get rid of him and that means the price could be just right. If Daniel Levy was to ever open the war chest, this is the time to do it.