All posts by z3u9t.icu

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 260 appearances during his career, believes if Liverpool re-signed Luis Suarez it would be a step in the wrong direction as they look to solve their problems in front of goal.

Since leaving Anfield, Suarez has gone on to score 214 goals in 315 games for both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid and he has been linked with a shock return to Merseyside.

Liverpool are the joint-fourth top scorers this season with 51 goals in 30 games, however, since the turn of the year, they’ve netted just 12 goals in 14 league games, with nine of those coming against West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal respectively with them scoring three in each.

Speaking on why they should avoid bringing back Suarez and what he thinks of the standard of La Liga, Howey told FFC:

“No, I think his legs have gone to be quite honest.

“So he’s one of the top scorers in La Liga but Chelsea played them in the Champions League and brushed them aside, and yet they’re top of the league.

“So you’ve got to think if that’s the best La Liga have got, then I’d say it’s a backwards step as far as I’m concerned.”

There has been reports linking both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane with moves away this summer which, if true, would leave two huge holes to fill at Liverpool.

Liverpool are currently five points behind Chelsea in fourth with just nine games left, so it is seeming more and more likely that they may have to settle for the Europa League.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted after it was revealed that Calvin Bassey, Nathan Patterson and Bongani Zungu will all be free to play in the Scottish Cup fourth round after their ban for breaching lockdown regulations was appealed.

The aforementioned trio – along with Brian Kinnear and Dapo Mebude, who are currently away from Ibrox on loan – were found earlier this year to have broken lockdown laws to attend a small house gathering. They have since been hit with six-game bans as punishment.

However, the Gers have moved to appeal the sanctions. While there is no guarantee that the bans will be overturned, it does now mean that Zungu, Bassey and Patterson will be able to play in the Scottish Cup fourth round against Celtic as they wait for the outcome of their case (Sky Sports).

The news was shared on Twitter by @ibroxrocks, and it delighted many Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one describing it as a “masterstroke” by the club.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“Meltdown incoming”

Credit: @Glasgowsredwhi1

“Great decision by the champs!”

Credit: @Wom8le

“Wonderful”

Credit: @King_Kamara18

“Got to love that system”

Credit: @anton_foster

“This will get them going”

Credit: @woofly32

“Just in time for Tav to return to match fitness, hopefully. Masterstroke.”

Credit: @jordanrmckay_

In other news, many Rangers fans slam this broadcaster’s comments.

Leicester City’s Champions League chances took a huge blow with a drab 3-1 defeat against West Ham on Sunday.

Two first-half goals from Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard put the Hammers in control before Jarod Bowen scored right after the restart. Kelechi Iheanacho pulled two goals back but it was not enough for a fantastic comeback.

We take a look at how the Foxes’ rated:

Starting XI

Kasper Schmeichel – 5/10: He could not do much about two out of the three goals but was caught in no-man’s land for Lingard’s second. His kicking was very wayward.

Timothy Castagne – 5/10: It was a difficult afternoon on the left for the former Atalanta man. He did not complete a single tackle for the visitors according to WhoScored in a poor defensive showing from his side.

Wesley Fofana – 4/10: An uncharasterically erratic performance from the Frenchman who dove in a little too often. The 20-year-old made it too easy for the second West Ham goal by allowing a ball to float over his head and was caught out of position for the third. Should have scored a late equaliser.

Jonny Evans – 5/10: Another who struggled quite considerably against a rampant West Ham. He wasn’t at fault for any of the goals but struggled to really get a hold of Jarod Bowen throughout the afternoon.

Daniel Amartey – 3/10: Very poor. The Ghanaian was hauled off at the break by Brendan Rodgers after a shaky performance in which he played numerous backwards passes short.

Ricardo Pereira – 6/10: Deployed at wing-back, the former Porto man really struggled to have an impact from a defensive standpoint but did play an important role in Leicester’s goal by robbing Arthur Masuaku. He did, however, contribute three key passes.

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Wilfred Ndidi – 5/10: The midfielder was nowhere near his best, losing the midfield battle with Tomas Soucek and only contributing two tackles. He was somewhat fortunate to not have been sent off for two yellow cards.

Dennis Praet – 6/10: Playing in the absence of James Maddison and Ayoze Perez, the Belgian was middling upon his return but could not provide a single key pass and was substituted in the second half.

Youri Tielemans – 6/10: One of those to actually come out of the game with credit for Leicester. The Belgian contributed some eye-catching passes through the game, having more touches and completing more passes than anyone in the Leicester team.

Kelechi Iheanacho – 7/10: In the end, his two goals ended up being consolations but the finishes were clinical and strikes that continued his great recent form. However, his six unsuccessful touches took a lot of shine off of his performance.

Jamie Vardy – 5/10: It was another extremely quiet display from the Leicester frontman whose record now sits at just one goal in his last 14 Premier League matches. His solitary shot on target did nothing to trouble Fabianksi.

Substitutes

Luke Thomas – 6/10: Introduced as the first Leicester substitute, the youngster did not do any harm. Could not really do anything about any of the West Ham goals.

Marc Albrighton – 7/10: The winger produced another standard performance full of effort after replacing Praet. He provided 13 crosses in his time on the pitch, teeing up Iheanacho late on.

AND in more news, find out which current PL defender Leicester must sign…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 267 appearances for Newcastle United in the Premier League, admits he feels sorry for Steve Bruce because he’s just like the fans.

Many journalists, players and fans expected and thought Bruce would be relieved of his duties as Newcastle manager after their 3-0 defeat against Brighton last month, but instead he received the full backing and support of both Lee Charnley and Mike Ashley, bouncing back with four points from two games.

Bruce has experienced a turbulent season on Tyneside as they gave Sheffield United their first win of the season, required penalties to get past Newport County in the Carabao Cup before subsequently being knocked out by Championship side Brentford with ease.

Speaking on why he has sympathy for Steve Bruce at Newcastle and what fans must realise, Lee told FFC:

“He’s a Geordie and surely Newcastle fans realise that. I’m not a Geordie but I think I’m an honorary one and If you can’t play football anymore, then surely that’s your ultimate goal to manage Newcastle.

“It’s his dream job. So, regardless of what the fans say, he does have the club’s best interests at heart but like I’ve said on TV, he should have done better.”

Newcastle face a tough run of fixtures now which includes games against the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Leicester City.

The Magpies face Sheffield United and Fulham in their last two games of the seasons which could be where their fate is sealed.

Steve Bruce must urge Newcastle United to re-sign Jetro Willems at the end of the season after the Eintracht Frankfurt defender was backed for a return to Tyneside.

What’s the word?

While speaking with the Transfer Tavern, Daniel Pinder, the editor-in-chief at Get German Football News, claimed Willems has his heart set on returning to the Premier League with the Magpies.

Willems joined the Toon on loan for the 2019/20 campaign in a deal that carried an €11m (£9.5m) clause to buy the Dutchman, but plans were derailed after he sustained a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament rupture in January.

The left-back had been keen to secure a permanent stay in the North East before the devastating blow, but was denied the chance and moved back to Germany where he is yet to feature since returning to fitness.

Newcastle had explored a potential return for the 27-year-old during the winter market when contact was made with his agent, but opted against pursuing a deal as “Jetro hasn’t played enough” as Bruce would later confirm.

Yet a possible summer switch was not scrubbed from the cards as Willems will be out of contract in June and is refusing to sign a new contract at Deutsche Bank Park, and Pinder believes a deal is entirely possible.

“I think Newcastle is where he wants to be, and I’ve seen him like tweets from Newcastle fans on social media about a return,” he told TT. “He hasn’t really played for Eintracht Frankfurt this season as he’s down the pecking order behind the likes of [Filip] Kostic and Erik Durm.

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“Obviously, his contract is up in the summer as well, so yeah, I think Newcastle will be the club for him.”

Should Newcastle re-sign Frankfurt’s Willems?

There are no guarantees of Newcastle re-signing the same player they saw during Willems’ time at St. James’ Park on loan if the Toon were to explore a summer swoop, but getting a full pre-season under his belt could see the left-back alleviate Bruce’s winter concerns.

Bruce was full of praise for Willems during the Dutchman’s five months in the North East that saw him score twice and offer three assists in 20 games across all competitions, noting via quotes by The Northern Echo:

“He was playing week in, week out and had done very well [before the injury], and his goals against [Manchester] City and Liverpool were there for everybody to see.”

The Shields Gazette’s Liam Kennedy also claimed on NUFC Matters: “He’s a player that really impressed a lot of people at the football club – not only with his performances, but his attitude.”

Bruce should now urge Newcastle to rely on those positive positions in the off-season with the Toon on the search for a new left-back at a time when funds are expected to be almost non-existent – surely making a free move for Willems all the more appealing to Mike Ashley.

The £2.5m-rated beast returned to fitness this January and has been named on the bench for 10 Bundesliga fixtures by Adi Hutter to date, and would likely have been given a chance to feature if it were not for Eintracht Frankfurt’s immense run of form.

After claiming 27 of a possible 51 points while Willems was in the treatment room, Die Adler have since taken 29 of a possible 39 – only runaway leaders Bayern Munich (32/39) have taken more since January 21.

It remains to be seen if he can get back onto the pitch before the season draws to a close next month, but that should not stop Bruce from making Willems a Newcastle player again if the chance arises.

AND in other news, an “absolutely awesome” Newcastle colossus is wanted in a £6m summer switch…

Back in June 2016, Crystal Palace were linked with a move for Slovenian international Josip Ilicic.

As reported by TuttoSport, as cited by Sport Witness at the time, the Eagles were rivalling the likes of Watford, West Bromwich Albion and even AC Milan for his signature.

Indeed, a move did not come to fruition, with Ilicic remaining with Fiorentina for a further year before making a move to Atalanta. Steve Parish will certainly regret not managing to secure the forward.

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Since being linked with a move to Selhurst Park, the now 33-year-old has been one of the most consistent attackers in Europe.

He has scored a total of 62 goals in all competitions, his best season coming last term as he found the back of the net a total of 21 times in all competitions.

Meanwhile, the 70-cap international has managed to provide a further 43 assists having twice reached the UEFA Champions League with current employers Atalanta.

Ilicic, once rated at a peak of £19.8m, has certainly drawn praise for those performances with Gian Piero Gasperini hailing him as “incredible” after his four-goal haul in a 4-3 win against Valencia in 2020.

Palace could certainly have done with such displays in the time since they were linked with the Slovenian.

For comparison, even the mercurial Wilfried Zaha has not even got close to matching Ilicic’s output having managed just 39 goals and 33 assists in the time since he was linked with a move to Selhurst Park.

It goes without saying then that should Parish have secured his signature in 2016, the Eagles would certainly have improved on their four consecutive bottom-half Premier League finishes since they reportedly considered a swoop for Ilicic.

It is a decision that they will certainly regret to this day.

AND in more news, find out why Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be the perfect signing for the Eagles this summer…

Xisco Munoz’s Watford side head into their weekend fixture having already secured promotion to the Premier League, but know that only a win will maintain their hopes of clinching the Championship title.

Having beaten Millwall 1-0 last time out, Watford remain five points behind the Championship leaders Norwich City in the race for the first place.

While a Norwich win would make it mathematically impossible for the Hornets to be in with a chance of clinching the title on the final day of the season, Xisco will still be hoping for a victory against Brentford at the Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

So, will the Spaniard make any changes to his starting XI last time out? Here’s our predicted XI, along with the latest team and injury news…

Considering the fact that the title is still to be played for, as well as the challenge of Brentford not being an easy one – with Thomas Frank’s side undefeated over their last 10 league games – we expect Xisco to field a strong XI, making two changes from his starting line-up against Millwall.

Firstly, Kiko Femenia – who was withdrawn 31 minutes into the Millwall clash due to injury – is replaced by Craig Cathcart at right-back, with the 32-year-old putting in a solid performance  during his hour-long runout against Gary Rowett’s side.

The second change sees Dan Gosling drop out of the XI, with 26-year-old Philip Zinckernagel coming in as the third central midfielder, as none of Gosling, Carlos Sanchez or Nathaniel Chalobah particularly impressed against the Lions.

The front three remains untouched, with Joao Pedro retaining his centre-forward berth ahead of Andre Gray.

In other news: Get him gone: Xisco must ruthlessly axe £18k-p/w Watford flop with “great qualities” – opinion

Steven Gerrard could be set to suffer a significant blow at Rangers as interest develops in one of his Ibrox stars.

Champions League regulars Sevilla are reportedly looking to prise Ianis Hagi away from Rangers this summer.

What’s the word?

According to reports from Spain, Sevilla ‘insist’ on signing the Romanian international and have been long-term admirers of the Rangers ace.

Lazio have also been linked with the 22-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window and it looks as if Gerrard will have a battle on his hands if he wants to keep the winger at Ibrox.

Will it be a blow for Rangers if Hagi leaves?

Hagi has impressed for Rangers ever since he joined the club on loan from KRC Genk in January 2020, as he clearly did enough to convince Gerrard and Ross Wilson that he was worth signing permanently last summer.

In 55 appearances for the Light Blues, Hagi has contributed 10 goals and 14 assists, which includes six goals and nine assists in the Premiership this season.

Whilst he is yet to live up to the performances of his legendary father Gheorghe Hagi, the young attacker has played a key part in Rangers’ title win, averaging a solid 6.93 rating for his performances in the Scottish top-flight.

This is an impressive return for his first full season at the club and Gers fans were undoubtedly looking forward to seeing him continue to improve when they return to Ibrox for the next campaign.

Rangers reportedly paid £4m for Hagi’s services last summer and considering he is contracted until 2024, you would hope that the Gers would be able to hold out for a decent fee if Sevilla do make an official approach.

Julen Lopetegui’s side have been a regular in the Champions League in recent seasons and look well on track to be there next season, as they currently sit fourth in the La Liga table, just three points off current leaders Atletico Madrid, so Hagi could well have his head turned by the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium outfit.

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Certainly, the “outstanding” Hagi has continued to get better and better during his time at Rangers and looks to have the potential to be a key player for Gerrard next season, so it would undoubtedly be a huge blow for the 40-year-old to lose him this summer ahead of their own Champions League campaign.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Jones: Wilson should seal Rangers swoop for 26 y/o beast this summer

A number of Liverpool fans have been lauding Harvey Elliott’s new tattoo, highlighting how much the Reds mean to the on-loan youngster.

The 18-year-old looks one of the most exciting young players at Anfield, having initially arrived from Fulham back in 2019.

Elliott managed to make eight appearances last season, catching the eye for his boyhood club, but Jurgen Klopp felt a loan move was required in 2019/20.

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Blackburn Rovers snapped up the young forward back in October and he has excelled in the Championship, scoring six goals and registering 11 assists.

Elliott could return to Liverpool this summer and become a fixture in the first-team squad  if that form is anything to go by, and it’s clear to see what he thinks of life at Anfield.

On Thursday, LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) shared an image on Twitter of the forward having a new tattoo done – one that seemingly shows him as a young boy in a Liverpool shirt.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/liverpool-latest-news-and-updates/” title=”Liverpool latest news and updates!” poster=”https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-01-02T123739Z_1934422778_UP1EH120Z2RVI_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-SCOTLAND-RFC-CEL-REPORT-2-640×853.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans react to Elliott’s tattoo

These Reds supporters took to Twitter to react to the photo, hailing Elliott in the process.

“This kid is never leaving us, he’s here forever! Loves the club more than some of the players there even”

Credit: @radzjeewa7

“This is boss. Yes lad!”

Credit: @ShaunFagan91

“My hero. My mate”

Credit: @Liverpool_Col

“He’s destined to be a legend for us, he loves the club and always has. I hope he lives up to the player we all know he can be, special talent our Harvey”

Credit: @bussinbissouma

“He will be our greatest player of all time”

Credit: @nniroC

“Superb from the lad Elliott”

Credit: @mickbarrett72

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming about one thing ahead of Saturday’s clash with Southampton. Read more here.

Many West Ham United fans were livid with the performance of Said Benrahma during their 1-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday.

The Hammers’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were dealt a  blow against the Toffees as they succumbed to a single Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal. They remain in fifth place in the Premier League table but trail Leicester, the team directly above them, by five points with just three games left to play (Sky Sports).

Algeria international Benhrama was named in the starting line-up by David Moyes but he flattered to deceive. He lost possession of the ball 17 times throughout the match (SofaScore) and failed to have a telling impact on the game. Despite signing for the Irons last October, he is yet to score a goal in the Premier League in 27 appearances (Transfermarkt).

These Irons supporters were far from happy with what they saw from the former Brentford man, who ne fan disparaged as a “waste of space”, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Benrahma

“Benrahma was a waste of space today, nothing like PL quality. Sick to death with hearing this fans love in that he is a new Payet. Nowhere near a £30m player. Who bought him, Moyes or Sullivan and his agent mate?”

Credit: @DreamerHam

“Personally I always thought Moyes seemed a little harsh on Benrahma but he’s 100% spot on.”

Credit: @SeanSweeney09

“He’s a letdown and feel he should be sold, Eze clearly was the player we should have got.”

Credit: @IamChadbacca

“Benrahma was poor today and probably isn’t a 30m player, but Lingard has been terrible last few too and Bowen had been very average for a while”

Credit: @marksearle87

“He’s just so bad. And the people who go on like he’s our best player make me hate him even more”

Credit: @JoelBids_

“Benrahma is the worst West Ham signing in the past 10 years Has 1 good game in every 20”

Credit: @Jimmy__1

In other news, many West Ham fans want the club to sign this goalkeeper.