All posts by n8rngtd.top

West Brom boss Slaven Bilic has an interesting selection dilemma facing him this weekend after a busy summer of transfer activity.

The Baggies are yet to win in the Premier League since their return this season and have conceded a whopping 11 goals from three matches, so it’s fair to suggest that change is needed somewhere on the pitch.

Perhaps, the Croatian will look to tinker his midfield, particularly as he’s brought in two (kind of) new additions in Conor Gallagher from Chelsea and the returning Filip Krovinovic.

Could one, both or neither start at St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday?

A case can be made for Krovinovic after he became an integral part of seeing Albion over the line post-Christmas. However, it’s the young English starlet he should look to unleash.

The 20-year-old enjoyed a barnstorming season in the Championship last term, playing for both Charlton and Swansea on loan, he provided six goals and eight assists.

Gallagher also averaged 1.8 tackles, 1.7 shots, 1.2 dribbles and 1.2 key passes per game as well as earning his side a free-kick 2.1 times per match too, via WhoScored.

He’s very much a box-to-box threat, so it’s no wonder he’s drawn comparisons to Frank Lampard – Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews said: “But for me, he’s a classic No 8; he has an unbelievable energy, he does the ugly side of the game, but you have to let him off the leash and let him get forward.”

Whilst former manager Lee Bowyer was gutted to lose him in January, claiming he was “impossible to replace” as it’s rare to find a “jewel like that.”

Bilic is yet to try him out in the big time and it would seem that a player of this calibre is too good to be merely sitting on the bench or on the fringes.

Krovinovic contributed to five goals, averaging 1.4 shots and 1.1 key passes but clearly, Gallagher was much better and deserves the opportunity here.

AND in other news, Bilic outcast is quickly becoming West Brom’s expensive forgotten man

Leeds United’s great start to life in the Premier League continued this afternoon as they edged past old Championship foes Sheffield United this afternoon.

And whilst they were making moves on the pitch, they appear to have been doing the business off it too.

According to the Press Association, the Yorkshire giants have launched a £15m bid to sign Norwich City playmaker Todd Cantwell, although no agreement has yet been reached.

The 22-year-old was absent from the Canaries’ matchday squad earlier this afternoon.

It’s also claimed that Norwich want add-ons involved in any deal.

During his first-ever season in the top-flight, Cantwell provided six goals and two assists whilst averaging 1.4 tackles, 1.3 dribbles, 1.1 shots and 0.9 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

He could well be a viable alternative to the host of midfield options the Whites have been linked with in recent weeks, namely Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul, Fiorentina’s Erick Pulgar and Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskiy.

Cantwell has drawn plenty of plaudits since his meteoric rise up the Canaries ranks. Danny Murphy once told Match of the Day that he’s a “terrific player,” adding: “I like his creativity. I like his bravery on the ball. Good awareness of where players are. With and without the ball he does his job.”

Whilst former youth coach Gary Cockaday believes the young sensation is a “God-given” talent whilst he’s been likened to Spurs’ Dele Alli for similar playing styles.

Without Pablo Hernandez, Marcelo Bielsa has been torn between Tyler Roberts and summer signing Rodrigo to play out of position in his absence, thus a player like Cantwell could help fill that void substantially.

He also fits the mould of being a player that can improve tenfold under the Argentine’s stewardship – ala Ben White, Robin Koch and many more.

AND in other news, Bielsa may have already found his new Ben White right under his nose…

The transfer saga of Wilfried Zaha and his potential move away from Crystal Palace has been one of the biggest stories in recent years. Of course, it was never going to break records or write history but the Ivory Coast forward has managed to turn a lot of heads when he was suddenly available on the market.

But he ended up staying at Palace and slowly but surely, the story died down a little bit. Now, however, a couple of seasons into the future, he might be set for a move once again. Darren Bent spoke exclusively to Football Insider and talked about how it is time for the 17-cap superstar to make a step up in his career. The destination? Everton.

Here’s what he said for Football Insider: “I know you might look at where they are in the league but I’d say it’s a step up in regards, they have a top manager, he’s going to attract top players. I like what they’re doing down there, they’re building something quite special, so it would be nice for Zaha to go there and transform them to where they feel they should be.

“I really like it, it suits him well and he’d do well going there. It’s about going to the best fit for him and if he goes to Everton he’d get a lot of game time and he’d go well.”

Of course, this would not be the first time Carlo Ancelotti’s side tried to snatch him up. Palace had rejected £70m plus James McCarthy and Cenk Tosun last summer and stated their star is worth £80m.

It is not known how much would the Eagles ask for now but it would definitely be a formidable amount either way.

Zaha has played a total of 362 games in all competitions for the club since his arrival and has managed to net 57 goals in that time as well. For that reason, he would not go for cheap.

Verdict

If Ancelotti is really to strengthen his team for the upcoming 2020/21 Premier League season, he will have to add quality firepower to the Toffees’ ranks. Zaha certainly falls under that category.

However, his availability is questionable. Palace would probably be open to selling but it still might cost an arm and a leg.

Michael Edwards looks to have done it again.

Liverpool look set to receive around £11m for Dejan Lovren as the Croatian’s move to Zenit looks set to be finalised in the coming days.

The defender has made just 10 Premier League appearances this term, and while he has been a good servant over the years, it’s fair to say that he won’t be missed all that much after falling out of favour.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

There’s no reason why Liverpool’s defence can’t remain just as strong without Lovren in the squad as Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip remain as the spine of what makes the Reds’ backline one of the best in the world.

Of course, only having three senior centre-backs is a dangerous game. We all saw how much Man City struggled after Aymeric Laporte’s injury, and that was partially down to their inability to replace Vincent Kompany in the summer, but despite this, Liverpool don’t need to replace Lovren.

Sepp van der Berg and Ki-Jana Hoever are two highly-rated young centre-halves who could easily fill the void left by Lovren in the cup games or off the bench, while any serious injury to one of their stars could be covered by Fabinho dropping back and playing in defence, a position he’s adept at, playing there three times under Jurgen Klopp.

Rather than spending their windfall on a replacement for Lovren, they should take the fee and the money they’re saving on his £100k-a-week wages and use that to bolster another area of the squad, perhaps it could even go towards that elite attacker James Pearce spoke about a few weeks ago.

Liverpool should put their money straight in the bank for later use rather than spending it on a replacement for Lovren.

Newcastle United fans have been going nuts over the latest news surrounding the prospective takeover of the northeast club this week.

The Express reported on Wednesday evening that it is thought the Premier League have given the green light over the Magpies’ Saudi takeover and an official announcement could be made in the coming days.

This was relayed to Twitter by popular fan account @NUFC360 and supporters have been going wild in response.

A deal worth approximately £300m has been agreed between current owner Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners, who are backed by the Saudi public investment fund and the Reuben brothers, for over a month now.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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

The decision has been in the hands of the top-flight decision-makers for several weeks with the report claiming that they have finished their owners and directors test and found no wrong-doing over the takeover.

Here’s how the St James’ Park faithful have been reacting to the news…

AND in other Magpies news, Mark Douglas provides update into Newcastle takeover…

Newcastle United’s prospective £300m takeover by Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabia-backed consortium has been delayed, according to The Sun’s Neil Custis.Speaking on Twitter on Thursday morning, he claims that the Premier League are concentrating on ‘Project Restart’ with plenty of their clubs resuming training this week and that the issue of the Magpies’ changing ownership could be resolved next week instead.He said:

It comes less than a day after the Express reported that the Premier League had given the green light on the deal.

Supporters at St James’ Park have been growing tired over just how long this process has taken as it’s been well over a month since news first broke suggesting that Mike Ashley was going to sell up at last.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

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

If Custis’ statement rings true, then it’s going to be another week before fans hear the official word on their new era.

AND in other news,ÂMark Douglas makes Steve Bruce claim amid Newcastle takeover…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Wolverhampton Wanderers look set to be active in the January transfer window.

Previous reports from Birmingham Live suggested that the club were keen on adding central options in both defence and midfield, and that was before mainstay colossus Willy Boly went down injured.

[ad_pod ]

While in the past seven days or so, the possibility of Real Madrid recalling Jesus Vallejo has gained traction following a story in Spain suggesting that the La Liga giants have been unhappy with the amount of game time the 22-year-old has played this campaign.

The Spanish centre-back has managed just 162 minutes in the Premier League with the likes of Romain Saiss and midfielder Leander Dendoncker being preferred over him, so Madrid could well exercise their right to cancel the loan deal in January.

However, this doesn’t come as majorly bad news as fans simply do not rate the European U21 Championship winning captain, although, this would make a move for a defensive option in the winter window of utmost importance.

On the Chalkboard

Wolves could well have a solution, as well as an upgrade, in one of their reported targets.

According to The Sun, the west Midlanders are one of three top-flight teams chasing SC Freiburg centre-back Robin Koch, who is currently valued at £9m by Transfermarkt.

The report suggests that the Bundesliga outfit would be willing to listen to offers of £15m should any bids come in for him in a few weeks.

Koch, who made his senior debut for Germany just last month, is a player that fits Nuno Santo’s profile almost perfectly as he has been utilised in midfield before, playing 49 of his 155 games in the role, per Transfermarkt’s recorded matches.

He’s also able to play on either side of defence at full-back, which means he should be comfortable slotting in either side of sweeper captain Conor Coady.

The 23-year-old’s ball-playing abilities are displayed by his passing success rate of 84.5% this term with WhoScored also showing his aerial ability – 3.8 aerial duels won per game – and defensive strength – 3.8 clearances, 1.3 interceptions and 1.1 tackles per game.

Bundesliga’s official website has even drawn comparisons to Bayern Munich stalwart Javi Martinez, labelling him a ‘rangy battering ram’ who has a ‘tremendous willingness to get stuck in.’

Koch has been a regular appearance in Christian Streich’s backline with 14 appearances this term, and his stock is only going to rise now that he’s been given an opportunity by national team coach Joachim Löw, so Wolves must act now and clinch him in January – irrespective of if Vallejo stays or goes.

Meanwhile, Nuno Santo has been left drooling over one ‘exceptional’ player in his side…

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…

Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has said at Sportsmail’s “A Pint with Piers” event that Liverpool could have the title won by Christmas.

What did he say?

The Reds currently top the Premier League by eight points from Leicester City and Chelsea, whilst Manchester City are a further point behind. As it stands, they have to be regarded as the favourites to win the title.

[ad_pod ]

72-year-old Redknapp certainly thinks they will be top at the end of the season, and he even believes they could be too far ahead to be caught as early as Christmas. He explained:

“If you look at Man City’s remaining fixtures, if it’s not won already now then I think it will be won by Christmas because they play Chelsea next, then they play Newcastle, Burnley away, Arsenal, they play Manchester United in a derby game finished off by Leicester.

“I know there’s a difficult period for Liverpool and their fixture load but it certainly looks prettier than Man City’s.

“I think it could all be finished by Christmas. Liverpool’s fixture list looks a lot prettier than City’s.”

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Fixture list has been kind to Liverpool

Although the Reds do have to contend with two games in 24 hours due to their participation in both the League Cup semi-finals and the Club World Cup, the Premier League fixture list has at least been kind to them.

Before the start of 2020, they will face Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Leicester City away from home, whilst Brighton, Watford, Everton and Wolves will all travel to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp’s team. Only three of those sides are in the top ten in the division, and even then, Wolves and Bournemouth are eighth and ninth respectively.

The Citizens, meanwhile, have it a lot harder. They face third-placed Chelsea this Saturday before back-to-back away fixtures against Burnley and Newcastle. After that, they take on Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester in successful matches, before a trip to Wolves and a home match against Sheffield United round off their year. Out of those teams, only Newcastle are not in the top half.

Redknapp is right. Such is City’s fixture list, there is a real chance they could drop a chunk of points before the year is even out, whilst Liverpool have a far easier set of matches to handle – that works out perfectly given their international commitments.

If they can navigate this busy run of games, then it will seem all but impossible for them to be caught by the Citizens.

A few Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters have been reacting on social media after the Molineux outfit shared that Conor Coady’s outing against Aston Villa on Sunday was his 200th for the club.

Coady moved to the Midlands outfit from Huddersfield Town in 2015 for a fee in the region of £2m, after the Liverpool trainee made 45 league appearances a year after leaving the Reds.

In his debut season with Wolves, Coady made 37 outings in the Championship predominantly from the centre of midfield, and went on to make 40 appearances in the 2016/17 term in a more defensive role.

He would later earn 45 outings in ’17/18 following a change to central defence, as Wolves secured promotion into the Premier League.

The £13.5m-rated defender has been a mainstay of Nuno Santo’s plans in the top-flight, featuring in all of their matches last season and is yet to miss a league teamsheet this term.

Wolves’ captain has also played the full ninety-minutes in each of the West Midlands outfit’s Europa League fixtures so far this season, where he has helped to two clean sheets and his side’s second-place standing in Group K.

Coady is one of only three Wolves player to have started each of their Premier League fixtures this season, along with Raul Jimenez and Rui Patricio.

Here are some of the messages shared to Coady’s achievement of making 200 outings for Wolves across all competitions…

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…

Leeds United have been struggling for goals this season, and that’s at least partly down to their lack of firepower in the midfield this term.

After 15 matches last campaign, United’s midfielders had contributed to 15 of their 26 goals with Mateusz Klich scoring five of those. However, the goals have dried up this term as Leeds have scored just 19 goals all season, nevermind just from their midfield.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if those problems will be fixed anytime soon as one of their most important goalscoring midfielders from last term seems to have lost faith in his own abilities.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

What’s been said then?

The midfielder spoke in a Q&A session on Thursday evening, and he mentioned how hard it would be for him to match his goal tally from last term.

“It’s going to be difficult to repeat that… I was surprised… but I’m trying my best & to play like last season. The only thing I’m missing is goals because I play a very similar game. I try to cooperate with the front 3.”

Goals may not come

It seems as if Klich thinks his high goal tally from last season was a bit of a fluke, but if he has that attitude when he steps onto the pitch he won’t find the back of the net like he used to.

The Pole scored a number of his ten goals from outside the box last term, which even led to the supporters creating a song about it.

If the 29-year-old doesn’t believe that he can repeat those feats then he’ll either stop taking these shots from range or he’ll hesitate just that split second too long and he’ll be closed down.

His confidence seems to be somewhat thin on the ground and his lack of prowess in front of goal was never more evident than when he missed a penalty against Derby.

Klich needs to change his attitude towards finding the net, or else it might not come for him as it did last season.

Perhaps all it’ll take will be one goal. Either way, he admits reaching the same heights will be difficult.