All posts by n8rngtd.top

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were delighted with the display of Ryan Kent during the first half of their Scottish Cup fourth round tie on Sunday.

The Gers are in action at Ibrox against Celtic as they aim to progress to the next round. With the Premiership title already sewn up, the 55-time Scottish champions have the chance to do the domestic double if they can get past the Bhoys – St Johnstone await the winners in the quarter-finals.

The home side took the lead through Steven Davis, but Kent was instrumental in the build-up. It was his turn past Scott Brown which started the move, although he was then taken out by Stephen Welsh.

The former Liverpool winger then played a huge part in doubling the home side’s lead on the 34th minute, his pressure on Jonjoe Kenny forcing an own goal from the Hoops defender, to put Steven Gerrard’s men in a commanding position towards the end of the first half.

These Gers supporters were absolutely delighted with what they have seen from the 24-year-old, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

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

“Ryan Kent what a spin”

Credit: @dave_daveframe

“That turn from Kent on Brown was filthy”

Credit: @PaulLinfield

“Kent was electric there.”

Credit: @d6mo

“Fantastic by Kent and what a finish”

Credit: @miltonfox6141

“Kent should be knighted for destroying Brown in the lead up to the goal”

Credit: @garrymoore18

“Ryan Kent despises this mob”

Credit: @davlorn73

“He’s the man”

Credit: @Kirky_8

In other news, many Rangers fans are gutted by news on this 29-year-old.

Southampton are continuing to be linked with a move for Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams ahead of the summer transfer window, and if he were to make the move to St Mary’s, it would perhaps spell the end for Ryan Bertrand on the south coast.

According to The Athletic, the Saints remain keen on the 20-year-old Old Trafford academy graduate, despite seeing a January move for the defender break down.

It is suggested that Williams was keen on a loan move at the start of the season but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to keep him at the Manchester club, which hasn’t done much for the youngster’s development as he has made just two substitute appearances in the Premier Leauge so far this season.

The Saints are clearly in the market for a left-back ahead of next term, with Bertrand’s contract with the club set to expire at the end of the current campaign, whilst both Arsenal and Leicester City are reportedly keen on signing him.

Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see the 31-year-old depart this summer, especially if someone such as Williams is brought in, as it could see the former Chelsea man drop behind the youngster in the pecking order in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

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Truthfully, Bertrand’s performances have declined in recent seasons and his poor average WhoScored rating of 6.44/10 in the Premier League this season speaks for itself, so perhaps the Saints should start looking towards the future by bringing in a replacement for the former England international.

We have already seen Southampton enjoy success in loaning a young defender from a ‘big six’ club, as they initially brought in Kyle Walker-Peters on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in January of last year before making his move permanent in the summer after some impressive performances.

That deal turned into something of a masterclass by the Saints, as he has quickly established himself as a key player this season, so there seems no reason why they couldn’t target a similar ‘try before you buy’ deal for Williams this summer.

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Hopefully, after the move broke down in January, we see Southampton return for the £9m-rated Williams ahead of next season, as his ability to play as both a left-back and a right-back immediately marks him out as someone who would fit in well at the south coast club, where Hasenhuttl appreciates versatile operators.

In other news… Southampton could sign a Diallo upgrade in £4.05m-rated “class act”

Leeds are facing the prospect of missing out on rumoured transfer target Romain Faivre amid claims that he has received an offer from elsewhere.

What’s the story?

French publication L’Equipe recently claimed that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been monitoring the £7.2m-rated ace for several months now, but they face a battle to land his signature in the summer transfer window.

France Football have now revealed (via Sport Witness) that Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have put forward a contract offer for the Stade Brestois ace, and that he stands to make big money by accepting it.

However, the report added that, despite having “received nothing concrete from England for now’, it’s “the football land that makes him dream the most”.

Orta making a mistake

With five goals and four assists in the league this season, the 22-year-old has been a shining light for a team languishing just above the relegation places in 16th.

Olivier Dall’Oglio, Faivre’s manager at Brest, has waxed lyrical about his performances, saying: “He’s a boy with real potential. He’s comfortable on the ball, and fast in possession, he’s got great vision too. He’s got something special. He rarely loses the ball, he can break through the lines by dribbling, and his passing creates so many chances for us. He’s a boy who can provide passes, but who’s also capable of scoring goals.”

By not looking to wrap up a deal for Faivre quickly, Victor Orta has allowed other clubs to step in ahead of Leeds and potentially gazump them in the race to sign the winger.

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With it being suggested that the Whites have been following him for several months now, for Orta to miss out on Faivre because he was sat twiddling his thumbs rather than taking action would surely leave Bielsa fuming.

It would be an unforgivable mistake from the Leeds hierarchy to let Faivre slip through their hands after doing their due diligence on him for such a long time. Orta simply has to step into gear, and fast.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign an ideal partner for Kalvin Phillips in this star…

According to a West Ham United source, speaking to Football Insider, GSB have made contact over a potential summer deal for exciting Dinamo Zagreb forward Mislav Orsic – coming over a week after he put Tottenham to the sword in a memorable Europa League tie.

Orsic, who has bagged an impressive 19 goals in all competitions this season for the Croatian giants (Transfermarkt), has entered West Ham’s radar as the club continue to seek attackers.

West Ham make contact for Orsic

A left winger, the forward player appears to have a prolific eye for goal – as evident by his statistics this season and his masterclass against London rivals Spurs.

The 28-year-old, currently in his prime, bagged a stellar hat-trick to dump Spurs out of Europe and heap pressure on manager Jose Mourinho across the capital.

Now, in a surprising turn of events, a West Ham source has revealed to Football Insider that GSB have made contact to potentially sign him in the summer window.

Arsenal have also enquired about Orsic, with the Irons now entering what seems to be a transfer battle.

Transfer Tavern take

A versatile star, he can play on both flanks and through the middle whilst being valued at a bargain £6.75 million by Transfermarkt.

Whether or not West Ham prioritise him over fellow targets remains to be seen, but he has emerged as an arguably brilliant option.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to links with this ‘superb signing’, find out more here.

Sunderland’s transfer policy this summer will ultimately be dictated by the division they’re in.

Promotion to the Championship would be game-changing for not only keeping hold of their star men, but attracting the right quality of player.

What’s the word?

Sunderland are reportedly keen on bringing Dion Sanderson back to the Stadium of Light on a permanent basis next summer.

However, they have been dealt a blow in their bid to keep fellow loanee Jordan Jones at the club.

According to reports from TEAMtalk, a host of clubs in the Championship have contacted Rangers in a bid to discover the winger’s asking price.

Per the report, Barnsley, Cardiff, Stoke and Middlesbrough are all keen on signing him when the window opens.

Sunderland must get him

If the Mackems fail to earn promotion this season then they can wave farewell to Jones for good.

With a plethora of Championship clubs eyeing a deal, it will be nigh on impossible to keep him under Lee Johnson’s watchful guidance.

Achieve promotion, however, and that stance will surely change. Jones has been a breath of fresh air for the Black Cats since signing and has become a real pillar of consistency on the right flank.

The 26-year-old initially had a tough start to life in the north-east, failing to get many starts. However, after scoring a vital goal in the 2-2 draw with Crewe, he’s become vital to their side.

Jones missed the EFL Trophy final with injury but has been devastating lately, scoring two goals and contributing two assists in his last four outings.

We shouldn’t be surprised with that judging by early appraisals. When he first signed for Sunderland on loan, Glasglow Live reporter Mark McDougall commented: “He can be a joy to watch when he’s on his game because of how direct and tricky he is.”

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His displays have been so good since his arrival that even Kevin Phillips has had positive things to say about him. He told Football Insider: “Jones is one of many players hitting form at the right time with a dozen or so games left. It is exciting times for him and Sunderland at the moment.”

Phillips added: “He will only get better and better, he is a major threat.”

With that in mind, the Mackems would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to sign the £8.5k-per-week winger on a permanent basis.

He has been a massive help to Sunderland’s attack.

AND in other news, Dreyfus could put his SAFC vision in place by signing 20 y/o with “so much ability”…

As France manager Didier Deschamps confirms his 26-man squad for their upcoming international matches, plenty of Manchester City supporters have erupted as Aymeric Laporte misses out on another call-up – with one Sky Blue blasting the decision as ‘disgraceful’ whilst others have their say.

Laporte, who has been utilised more often by Pep Guardiola in recent weeks, rotating consistently in place of strong City partnership Ruben Dias and John Stones, has still not done enough to earn the Deschamps nod.

Instead, the likes of Presnel Kimpembe, Clement Lenglet, Raphael Varane and Kurt Zouma are cherry picked by Les Bleus for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia.

The 26-year-old, who Guardiola has started to use slightly more regularly, has averaged the most aerial duels won per 90 (3.1) in the Premier League out of any City player with more than 10 appearances (WhoScored).

Flocking to this news that he won’t be joining up with his France teammates, it’s safe to say many supporters don’t agree with the decision to omit Laporte once again – branding it a ‘joke’ and ’embarrassing’ as well as ‘disgraceful’.

Find all of their verdicts down below.

Man City fans disgusted by Laporte omission

“This is personal, he will not get a chance until Didier leave.”

Credit: @jgedeon1717

“Laporte being so disrespected as usual.”

Credit: @carla_kmg

“As usual. Smh.”

Credit: @thelordkeepyou

“Agenda”

Credit: @MoNasereldin

“Absolutely disgraceful once again.”

Credit: @mxnciteh

“I feel so sad for Aymeric. First his injuries, then John and Ruben being on top form”

Credit: @Naimaajay

“This is a joke”

Credit: @mcfcmoee

“Imagine putting out laporte instead of lenglet. Its more embarrassing than Goldbridges tweet about city”

Credit: @adityasaivp12

In other news: Man City fans want this star signed as Txiki enters pole position, find out more here.

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish claims he has heard rumours regarding Frank Lampard taking over at Celtic.

The 42-year-old has been out of work since his sacking at Chelsea back in January. He was immediately linked with becoming Neil Lennon’s long-term successor at Parkhead following the Northern Irishman’s resignation.

Lampard’s Celtic meeting?

Lampard was reportedly open to a move to Glasgow back in February, however, those rumours appeared to have died down in recent weeks.

That was until McLeish, talking to Football Insider, revealed he’s ‘heard whispers’ that Lampard has met with the Hoops hierarchy.

He also believes fans would be excited at the prospect of the former England international taking over at Celtic Park.

“I’m hearing whispers that Frank Lampard was seen with the Celtic directors. No matter what, the rumour mill will continue to thrive until an appointment is finally made.

“I think the fans would love a big name. There’s no doubt about it, they’ll be looking for that kind of personality.”

Transfer Tavern take

McLeish’s claim is certainly a bit of a bombshell – just imagine the balance of mutual respect and rivalry between Lampard and Steven Gerrard. However, as he mentioned, the rumour mill will more than likely remain in full flow until an appointment is made.

Bringing Lampard to Celtic, to us, would be an interesting move. He impressed with Derby in the Championship, taking them to the play-off final and led the Blues to a FA Cup Final in his only full season at Stamford Bridge.

A Parkhead rebuild is required this summer, so you could argue that a boss with more experience may be a better choice. However, should Lampard succeed Lennon, we would then see him face off against Gerrard in a different setting, a duel that would only serve to bring more eyes to Scottish football.

In other news: Broadcaster’s six-word admission on Jesse Marsch will come as a blow to some Celtic fans, find out more here. 

Sheffield Wednesday will begin a new era this evening as Darren Moore takes the helm for his first game in charge of the Owls, after Dejphon Chansiri brought him in as the club’s new manager.

The 46-year-old arrives from nearby League One promotion chasers Doncaster Rovers, where he had implemented a progressive attacking brand of football, something that will vastly different to his predecessor, Tony Pulis, at Hillsborough Stadium.

Indeed, he leaves behind the division’s third-highest goalscorers to take over at this sinking ship. There will surely be changes afoot, and as such, long-serving centre-back Tom Lees could be most in danger given the likely change in system.

On the Chalkboard

‘His teams are renowned for playing an attractive, entertaining style of play,’ wrote YorkshireLive reporter Dom Howson following Moore’s appointment on Monday morning.

As per WhoScored, we can see that his Rovers side set-up to play from the back with 73% of their possession coming from their own third, or the middle-third, of the pitch whilst 72% of their goals have been scored from open play, which reinforces that high-intensity build up.

They also manage 12.9 shots per game, compared to the Owls’ appalling 8.7 per outing, so clearly, they do something right in attack given the limited time they spend in the final third and off the ball.

This is where Wednesday’s centre-backs will prove crucial and certainly why the calamitous Lees could be at risk.

Aside from goalkeepers and those with fewer than ten starts, the former club captain ranks third-bottom for passing accuracy this season (66.2%) behind Liam Palmer (63.8%) and Callum Paterson (53.9%), via WhoScored.

The 30-year-old also averages 2.7 long balls per game, the most of any Owls defender, and that won’t be something that pleases Moore as only one of his former defenders matches this number, meaning he clearly would favour the easy ball to midfield rather than hoofing it up the pitch.

Lees, who is valued at £2.25m by Transfermarkt and reportedly earns a whopping £22k-per-week in Yorkshire, has come under fire from several sections of the Hillsborough faithful in recent months.

Reactions have ranged from the extreme – one dubbed him “brain dead” and another called him a “disgrace” – to the less-so with a further fan simply asking the club to get rid of him in the summer.

As outlined in the summer, Lees’ performances regressed last season, and evidently, not much has improved as he’s part of the starting XI that sees the Owls in the relegation zone, having leaked 38 goals this term.

The “true leader” is surely going to face a tough time of remaining in the line-up under Moore if he continues to be abysmal with the ball at his feet.

AND in other news, Sheffield Wednesday: Izzy Brown a big winner from Darren Moore appointment

As Celtic look to kick-start a new chapter in their history, Neil Lennon will be looking around for ways of building a more exciting future at Parkhead.

Ismaila Soro looks to be the kind of midfield prospect who the Hoops can rely on in the engine room, but getting a deal done for Sheffield Wednesday starlet Liam Shaw could give them the perfect partner for the 22-year-old.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has claimed that the Bhoys have expressed interest in signing Shaw, and that the 19-year-old would be available on a pre-contract now, although Wednesday are in talks with him over a new deal.

Dubbed a “very, very promising young player” by his old manager at Sheffield Wednesday, Tony Pulis, Shaw has begun to establish himself in the Championship side’s starting eleven over the past couple of months.

He’s featured in nine of out of the Owls’ last ten games in the league, including starting and completing the full 90 minutes in the previous matches against Middlesbrough and Derby.

Shaw’s ability to play as both a centre-back and in central midfield would give Lennon added flexibility, with his former Owls boss, Garry Monk saying of his versatility: “He has got the capability of playing everywhere. I am not 100 per cent sure what is going to be his final position. But what I do know with him is he definitely has the capabilities of playing in midfield and centre-back.”

Partnering him in the engine room alongside Soro would give Celtic a real strong presence that would compliment the Ivory Coast ace.

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 2, Shaw has won 3.3 duels per game in the Championship this season, with the 5 foot 8 Soro winning 4.5 per match. That little and large partnership would be almost akin to an N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic style seen at Chelsea, with both capable of sticking their foot in and screening the back four well.

Nick Hammond could clinch a perfect partner for Soro in Shaw.

Meanwhile, Celtic can clinch a bargain deal for this one League One sensation…

You can somewhat forgive Sunderland for not being at the races right now.

After having four games postponed and a squad ravaged by the ongoing pandemic, it will take Lee Johnson’s men a few weeks to get back up to speed.

However, what will be so frustrating is a second consecutive draw. Equally annoying, is the 1-1 result against Hull on Saturday evening. Time and time again the Mackems achieve that result and it’s now becoming a tiresome affair for supporters.

In front of the Sky television cameras on Saturday, Johnson’s men were quite poor, something that was typified by an error from goalkeeper Lee Burge. The former Coventry man spilt the ball from a free-kick and as a result, Reece Burke had a tap in.

A ‘keeper’s mistake is always elevated because it normally leads to a goal, but one man in the middle of the park made even more errors; Max Power.

The skipper has been inconsistent this season and this display demonstrated exactly why. In simple terms, he let Johnson down and the manager will have expected a much better performance from someone who should be leading by example.

Power was abject in midfield and was desperately poor in possession of the ball. The 27-year-old lost it on 23 occasions which for someone playing in a central role, is particularly abject.

On top of that, he made just two tackles and to add to Power’s woes, he completed only 69% of the passes he attempted.

In a normal situation, you’d assume that Johnson would take a long hard look at his position in the side. However, because he’s captain, Power has to be one of the first names on the team sheet.

It’s hard to neglect that he cost his team considerably on Saturday, though. If he played with more tempo and energy, taking greater care in control of the ball, it may have led to improved impetus in the final third. As such, there was no real link between defence and attack.

This was not the skipper’s finest 90 minutes. He has to improve.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Grigg: Speakman can boost SAFC promotion bid by signing “terrific” 12-goal gem…