All posts by n8rngtd.top

Overall, Celtic enjoyed a rather fruitful summer transfer window as Neil Lennon brought in no fewer than six new additions.

The likes of Vasilis Barkas, David Turnbull, Alban Ajeti, Shane Duffy, Diego Laxalt and the returning Mohamed Elyounoussi all walked through the door at Parkhead.

However, the Hoops chief did fail to clinch one of his mooted targets with Hammers winger Robert Snodgrass nearly joining the club on deadline day.

The Glasgow Times claimed that a move for the 33-year-old, who is a Bhoys supporter himself, hinged on whether or not the defending Scottish champions could ship out “one or two” players.

In reality, Lennon could probably have done with another wing option, especially if he ever wants to revert back to the 4-2-3-1 he sometimes deploys as the squad depth out there is particularly poor.

On the left, it’s only really Elyounoussi with Mikey Johnston still out through injury whilst on the right, it’s James Forrest’s position to lose with Ryan Christie being able to play wide on the odd occasion.

So it’s not really a surprise to see Lennon opt for a 3-5-2 recently and even less of a surprise to see he wanted Snodgrass.

But now that’s out of the question – until January at least – perhaps the 49-year-old should look to the academy setup and he may well stumble across Cameron Harper, who could be worth unleashing as a back-up choice.

Karamoko Dembele isn’t the only generational talent hiding amongst the Parkhead ranks.

Speaking to Celtic TV last year, the 18-year-old American said: “I feel like I’m quite dangerous, I feel like I’m an exciting player. If I get the ball I can make things happen. So I like to get the ball in dangerous areas and I feel like something in the front three is where I am going to make the most impact.”

Capped at U20 level for USA, Harper could continue his upward trajectory if he’s handed the opportunity to do so by Lennon.

Given the injuries suffered to Ajeti and Odsonne Edouard, his versatility to play all three positions in attack as well at wingback, which could be a valuable threat as the congested campaign rumbles on.

AND in other news, Celtic must secure £5m speed demon who’s a nightmare for defenders in January…

Leeds United’s return to the Premier League has certainly lived up to the billing.

The free-flowing attacking football that Marcelo Bielsa is famous for hasn’t disappointed with the Whites enduring two seven-goal thrillers in their opening matches.

However, despite their incredible attacking intent, there have been some glaring issues going forward, and they were incredibly evident on Saturday.

Yes, Leeds may have netted four against Fulham, but two of those strikes came from set-pieces, while another came from a quick counter-attack.

The possession-hogging chance-creating machine that Bielsa built in the Championship was nowhere to be seen at Elland Road this week as United had just 50% possession and actually had fewer shots than their opponents.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

There is a glaringly obvious reason as to why Leeds weren’t as creative on Saturday, and that’s due to the fact that their best playmaker picked up an injury in the warmup.

Indeed, Pablo Hernandez played no part in Saturday’s fixture, being replaced in the XI late on by Rodrigo, but the 29-year-old couldn’t fill his fellow countryman’s shoes.

No shots, no key passes and just a 66.7% pass accuracy showed that the 29-year-old isn’t suited to play the midfield role that was asked of him on Saturday, and his underwhelming showing saw him hooked at half-time.

Now, we can’t completely write Rodrigo off, after all, he was playing out of position in a system he may not have fully learnt yet, but the fact that he’s seen as the number one Hernandez alternative should have some alarm bells ringing.

If anything, this strengthened the case for paying the £35.7m asking price for Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul as having him able to slot in for Hernandez would have been a much more comfortable switch, considering that he plays that exact position while also being a similar creative force, averaging 2.5 key passes per game in Serie A last season.

Hopefully, this showing has opened Victor Orta’s eyes to the lack of depth in that area and he will pay the money to get the Argentine in before the window closes.

Name: Bukayo Saka

Club: Arsenal

Date of Birth: 5 September 2001

Position: Full-back/Wide midfielder/Winger

Bukayo Saka – his career so far

There are not many youngsters in the world football that are as well-developed and already such big profiles at their respective clubs as Bukayo Saka of Arsenal. Of course, putting the Kylian Mbappes and Erling Braut Haalands aside, who are still very much anomalies in their own right.

But Saka is a Gunner through and through, having practically blazed through their academy to solidify himself as a fully pledged first-team player and even a regular starter under Mikel Arteta’s stern but just hand.

The now 18-year-old ace started the 2018/19 season with Arsenal’s U18s, but by the end of the campaign, he became a star for the Gunners’ U23s before moving up once again to slot right into the seniors’ team.

His stay in the younger ranks at the Emirates, however, was truly successful as he can boast with 16 goals and seven assists in a total of 26 games for the U18 squad and further six goals and ten assists in 25 games for the U23 squad.

But when it comes to Saka, it’s already all about the first team rather than the youth squads and 33 senior appearances can surely attest to that statement. He made his debut aged 17 last year against Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League back in November and has not looked back since, even netting three goals and a total of nine assists for the Gunners in the process as well.

For a player of such a young age, that is undoubtedly a brilliant return and Saka is surely only going to improve even further in the not so distant future. Once football finally makes its grand return, we should definitely expect to see him don the colours of the Gunners, most likely from the starting lineup, once again.

Transfer latest

The most important Arsenal news the fans must be waiting for is the verdict on Saka’s contract extension which is reportedly being discussed as we speak. Of course, that was the only logical course of action but transfer rumours suggesting there was some interest from other big clubs could definitely have forced their hand on the matter.

The likes of Manchester United and Liverpool were mentioned as interested parties and seeing all the hype around the youngster build in the last months, it doesn’t really come as a surprise at all.

In other Arsenal news, however, Arteta has also talked at length about Saka and his role at the club, and the gaffer has been really optimistic and always seemed rather impressed by his young ace, which can only mean great things for his future at the Emirates.

Whenever there’s such a bright young talent emerging at a big club, there are bound to be transfer rumours surrounding him and Saka is no exception. Now, however, everything seems to be in Arsenal’s hands.

Player profile

Saka was a prolific winger or at the very least a wide midfielder before Arteta joined the squad and injuries and absences forced him to experiment with the young gem. And luckily for him and the whole squad, the experiment was a big success and Saka was a perfect fit, showcasing his extreme versatility and adaptability, something every manager in the world values highly.

According to Transfermarkt’s database, the 18-year-old has played at three major positions in Arsenal’s senior team: left-winger, left midfielder and left-back. At the moment, it definitely seems like Saka will prosper wherever he’s deployed and that’s the best Arsenal news the fans could’ve gotten when it comes to their young talent.

He also featured as a right-winger as well but that only happened once so it’s not really relevant to the analysis. But the best thing about this versatility means that he’s used to both defensive and attacking duties.

That makes him a huge asset when he’s on the pitch because he will often advance into the opposition half and threaten their defence even when he’s deployed as a full-back and can then use his pace and awareness to still ensure his side remains defensively solid.

He is also especially deadly when he comes at the defenders with pace and his technical skill which enables him to easily beat his markers and carry the ball further up the pitch.

Whether it’s defending or attacking, he seems like a solid overall pick that’s bound to remain in Arsenal’s plans for the future.

Manchester City might now be one of the richest clubs in the world now, but they are still a great example that having loads of money doesn’t necessarily make you perfect when recruiting players.

Even before the takeover, they were guilty of bringing in some big flops and that hasn’t necessarily changed over the last decade or so, although it has admittedly become a little rarer under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.

The successes 0f Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta make the failed transfers a little easier to accept, but sometimes you just can’t ignore how made some of the less successful signings have been at the Etihad Stadium.

So we’ve taken a look at Man City’s 20 biggest flops of the Premier League era, and it could’ve been more…

Maicon

First up is Brazil legend Maicon who would have perhaps have gone down as a completely different signing had the Sky Blues captured him four or five years earlier.

When the right-back arrived at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2012 for £3m, still a fair sum of money back then, he was the wrong side of 30 and beginning to battle with repeated injuries.

He would only appear 13 times before being shifted onto Roma a year later.

Bernardo Corradi

Would it be fair to say that Man City’s current Bernando (Silva) was inspired by his club’s Bernando from a decade before (Corradi)? No, probably not.

The hot-headed former Italy international striker was signed by Stuart Pearce prior to the 2006/2007 campaign and lasted just one term in Manchester before his loaning out to Parma and subsequent departure the following summer, scoring just three goals and collecting two red cards.

Nolito

Pep Guardiola’s Citizens forked out the best part of £15m for a Spanish centre-forward in his pomp in the summer of 2016, Nolito – a year later the Spanish international was to return to his homeland with Sevilla.

In reality, the former Barcelona man, who impressed at EURO 2016, never adapted to the English game or way of life, infamously commenting not long before his City exit that he and his family had changed colour due to the lack of sunshine in England’s climate.

Roque Santa Cruz

Early in the reign of what is now known as the City Football Group, the east Manchester outfit were like a teenager after just receiving their first pay packet, splashing their cash on any old thing just because it’s their money and they can.

The £17.5m acquisition Roque Santa Cruz is certainly an example of that having been purchased based on a half-decent scoring record at Blackburn Rovers and a grand total of four goals for the Etihad side goes down as one of their worst PL era signings.

Christian Negouai

How could we not include in this list the only player in Premier League history to have been sent off in his only match in the league?

The great irony here is that Christian Negouai only made 11 appearances in total for the club but he somehow managed to get himself sent off on three occasions, with the other two coming in the League Cup and the FA Cup.

Jack Rodwell

Last seen refusing to give up his extortionate contract on the Sunderland documentary on Netflix, Jack Rodwell was one of the rising stars of English football when he swapped Merseyside for east Manchester in 2012 in a deal worth £12m.

But injuries limited the ex-England central midfielder to just 15 outings in his first season with the Citizens and even fewer the following term meant he was offloaded to the Stadium of Light after just two years, leaving the Etihad in a downward spiral in such contrast to the way he had arrived.

Laurent Charvet 

The story of Laurent Charvet is rather similar to that of Rodwell; captured for big money after a couple of impressive seasons in England and moved on after two campaigns having barely made 25 appearances.

The right-back was simply never up to the task, utterly woeful, and the fact that he was deemed not even good enough to play for Sochaux in the year after his City exit says it all really.

Gerry Creaney

City fans might well want to look away for this one.

Imagine swapping one of your best players and fan favourites in Paul Walsh for someone as ineffective as Gerry Creaney, and also paying £500k for the pleasure, well that’s exactly what City did in 1995 and three years and four outbound loans down the line Creaney was released!

Jo

Talking of shocking moves, this one is up there with one of the worst transfers of all time in world football, let alone just for City and in the Premier League era.

Jo, who’s somehow played 20 times for Brazil and scored a few goals as well, signed for a fee believed to be a club-record £19m from CSKA Moscow in the 2008 summer transfer window and the Sky Blues certainly got value for money, if you count that as a miserly six goals in 42 games.

Jerome Boateng

On paper, Jerome Boateng was a huge waste of money for Man City but in reality, the move could have paid off if they were a little more patient with him.

Roberto Mancini saw his potential whilst he was playing for Hamburg, though the centre-back only remained under his reign for one injury-affected season and played out of position at right-back for most of it.

Nowadays we, of course, know Bayern Munich’s Boateng as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and seven-time Bundesliga-winning global star.

West Ham United must focus on rebuilding their defence this summer, according to Football.London.

What does the report say?

After a summer of investment, this has been a disappointing season for the Hammers, who sit 16th in the Premier League table with just nine matches to play.

With just a goal difference advantage over the relegation zone, the appointment of David Moyes following Manuel Pellegrini’s sacking has not yet born fruit.

According to Football.London, the club needs to overhaul their defence this summer, with the piece highlighting Ryan Fredericks, Winston Reid, Pablo Zabaleta Arthur Masuaku and Fabian Balbuena as players that could leave.

Meanwhile, it highlighted the emergence of Jeremy Ngakia and Ben Johnson, players with whom they can plan for the future.

 Wholesale change

West Ham have conceded 50 goals in 29 Premier League matches this season and it is clear that change needs to be made.

Balbuena has seen his form depart him after a promising start, while injuries have hampered Fredericks and Reid.

The club have recently been linked with moves for both Matty Cash and Joe Worrall and further names could be put into the frame in the coming weeks.

In Issa Diop, the club have a player around which they can build, but elsewhere it is clear that a significant renewal is needed.

Despite finding himself on loan once again at Sheffield United, it appears Manchester United fans haven’t forgotten about Dean Henderson – certainly not after his very impressive comments.

The 22-year-old has yet to play a game for the Red Devils’ senior side, but only headed out to the Blades for another year after signing a new long-term contract at Old Trafford earlier in the summer.

Now, speaking to The Daily Mirror, the goalkeeper admitted that he still doesn’t believe he is a United player yet, and that he feels as though he has a lot of work to do.

The 6 foot 2 man further insisted that the reason behind his loan moves were for him to seize the initiative and not simply stay in a “comfort zone”.

After hearing Henderson’s words, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts about their loanee.

Many supporters of the Manchester side insisted that the young shot-stopper proved he has an “elite mentality” and that he has an attitude that will take him very far in the game.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Southampton legend Terry Paine has been speaking to The Daily Echo about Moussa Djenepo, and the 80-year-old has managed to slip a sly dig at Ralph Hasenhuttl into his comments.

Paine’s playing career for the Saints spanned across a whopping 17 years after he broke into the first-team, and also earned 19 caps for England during his incredible career which also saw him become a World Cup winner.

The Southampton legend has shared his views on one of the Saints’ most exciting players in Djenepo, who has scored two goals for the club since his £15m summer move from Standard Liege.

What did he say?

Paine told The Daily Echo: “I’d like to see the young Djenepo play on Saturday and get a sustained run, free of injury. He’s given glimpses of hope and if he can get a run in the side and settle down in the side he might just be the difference.

“He’s only 21 and only come in this season and got the injury so hasn’t really had a chance to establish himself.

“If he can adapt to the Premier League he’ll be big asset. But he needs to play in his right position to benefit the team.”

Sly dig at Hasenhuttl is fair, and isn’t a one-off issue

The final sentence from Paine’s comments make for interesting reading.

The 80-year-old has basically aimed a subtle dig at Hasenhuttl for his use of Djenepo, perhaps in reference to the fact that the former RB Leipzig boss deployed his £15m attacker at left wing-back against Sheffield United earlier in the campaign, as well as in the second half against Everton before the international break.

Incidentally, that wasn’t the only instance in which the Austrian forced a square peg into a round hole.

Hasenhuttl also put Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at left-back for the trip to Manchester City, which was strange seeing as the Dane is a centre-midfielder.

Furthermore, Hasenhuttl played Stuart Armstrong – who is also a midfielder – at right wing-back last time out against Everton, and was made to pay for his decision as Richarlison’s winning goal came from the Brazilian running in from the left unchallenged.

The Southampton boss simply has to start using his players in their natural positions.

Leeds United fans on Twitter have made their feelings known after recent reports have linked them with a move for Middlesbrough’s Daniel Ayala.

The United fanbase would like to see the 29-year-old signed as he would provide some much-needed cover at centre-back as well as helping them with their ongoing set-piece problems.

You can understand that as well, Leeds have conceded 44% of their goals from dead-ball scenarios this season, so they could do with a defender with Ayala’s aerial prowess in order to combat those problems as he wins 3.9 aerial duels per game.

Depth is also a little bit of a problem in defence as well. Marcelo Bielsa has just three senior centre-backs in his squad, so the addition of Ayala would help alleviate some pressure there, especially when you consider the number of injuries Liam Cooper has been picking up as of late.

Whether or not the Spaniard ends up playing for the Whites remains to be seen, but the fans have made it clear that they want to see this transfer go through.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

Manchester City fans have laughed off the idea that Bayern Munich will not have to pay over €100m for Leroy Sane.This comes after it was reported by Christian Falk that the president of the club does not believe he will have to pay that amount.Sane joined City for £37m and has since become a vital player in the club’s dominance of English football.The German has bagged 20 goals and provided 25 assists over the past two Premier League seasons, establishing himself as a wanted man in his homeland in the process.However, fans are unhappy with the idea that Bayern may try and pay less than €100m to prize the winger away from Manchester. One fan stated it was a “disgraceful pursuit”, whilst another supporter simply said it is “not up to the buyer to set the price”.Sane has been a target for the German giants for some time to the point in which Bayern had to squash the rumours over the summer.

Recently, Sky Germany reported that the club are still seeking his signature, with Mikel Oyarzabal lined up as a replacement for City.

Here’s how the fans have reacted to Bayern’s latest pursuit of the 23-year-old…

Tottenham Hotspur fans want Japhet Tanganga to play a more prominent role in the first-team after it was reported that the club have offered him a new contract.

Football Insider claims that manager Mauricio Pochettino has signed off on the offer, with the 20-year-old’s current contract set to expire at the end of the season.

The report states that the Spurs boss believes Tanganga has the ability required to establish himself as a first-team player, along other youth hopes Troy Parrott and Oliver Skipp.

An England U20 international, the central defender made his first-team debut earlier this season, playing in the Carabao Cup defeat to Colchester United.

He has not been played since, however, and supporters are keen to see him integrated into the first-team set-up properly, particularly if the club are serious about keeping him in north London.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!