All posts by z3u9t.icu

When it’s come to Wolves’ Premier League form, there hasn’t been much to criticise in the previous two years.

They have been a breath of fresh air to the top-flight but now they are facing doubters and criticism. Nuno Santo’s men have won just three of their last 13 matches and pressure is building upon the management.

So, where is it all going wrong?

On the chalkboard

One of Wolves’ biggest problems at the moment is their midfield. When it comes to creativity and scoring goals, none of their central players have a particularly outstanding record throughout there respective careers.

For context, Ruben Neves has netted just 21 goals in over 250 career appearances while Joao Moutinho has only 50 strikes in 714 outings. It’s pretty grim reading for Leander Dendoncker too. The Belgian has 20 goals in 292 club appearances.

Though, they are also struggling from a defensive point of view and with dictating the rhythm of the game. That has never been more evident than in their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace last Saturday.

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Ebere Eze ran riot at Selhurst Park as he scored the goal that separated the two teams. There was a lack of dynamism in the middle of the park as Moutinho significantly struggled with the pace of the game.

He was dribbled past on four occasions and failed to play a single key pass. It’s been a dismal campaign for the Portuguese ace and it’s already been suggested that this could be his final campaign as a regular in the starting XI.

The solution

Wolves’ midfield desperately needs improving but fortunately, there could be a quick fix. The transfer window closes on Monday evening but they have a midfielder on their radar.

According to reports in Spain (via The Mirror), the Old Gold are one of a number of teams interested in signing Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour on loan.

They face competition from Aston Villa, West Ham, West Brom and Crystal Palace so it won’t be straightforward pursuit.

Yet, given their struggles in the middle of the park, he’s someone they simply have to sign.

Gilmour’s record in front of goal isn’t the best – the 19-year-old hasn’t scored at senior level yet – but crucially he has plenty of other attributes that the Wolves midfield is missing.

Speaking about the Chelsea teenager when he burst onto the scene in a win over Everton, Roy Keane waxed lyrical about the Scot.

He said: “As the game started I literally got out of my seat, which I very rarely do, and I thought, ‘Who is this kid?’ There are certain traits you want from a midfielder, quality on the ball, football intelligence, composure.”

Keane concluded: “He had everything, it was one of the best performances I have seen in a long, long time.”

It’s rare a player has the former Manchester United man standing up and taking notice but he didn’t stop there with his appraisal: “He makes the game look easy, he looks forward, he’s got his head swivelling, looking over the shoulder, he was very positive with his passing,” Keane added.

Wolves are missing someone like that at the moment. During their defeat to Palace, Dendoncker made just four progressive passes – balls further than ten yards towards the opponent’s goal – while Moutinho managed just two. On top of that, the pairing didn’t attempt a single dribble.

In Gilmour’s only start of the season – a 1-1 draw with Krasnodar in the Champions League – he was far better in these two statistics. He completed five progressive passes and also attempted four dribbles.

If Wolves want a better transition between defence and attack, then signing the £43.2k-per-week teenager on loan from Chelsea would certainly be a good idea.

AND in other news, Shi must reignite Wolves swoop for 23 y/o “Rolls-Royce of a player” who bullied Traore…

West Ham United may rue David Moyes’ decision not to submit a bid for Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong in January after Michail Antonio produced a tired display at Fulham.

According to The Sun, Moyes had weighed up an £8m offer for Armstrong in the mid-season market after selling Sebastien Haller to AFC Ajax, but chose against pursuing a deal for the 23-year-old at the time.

The Hammers boss has now instructed the east London outfit’s team of scouts to continue monitoring Armstrong’s performances at Ewood Park, to assess whether or not the former England U21 international is worth the in excess of £10m his Championship side reportedly want.

Other Premier League sides are also now showing signs of interest in the Newcastle United reject, with Everton and Fulham both said to be carrying out checks on Armstrong.

Rovers are expected to part with Armstrong at the end of the season should they fail to secure promotion into the Premier League. Tony Mowbray’s side are currently six points outside of the Play-Off positions but have a game in hand over sixth-placed Bournemouth.

Ivan Toney is the only player to have scored more often in the Championship this season than Armstrong, with the Brentford star – also said to be a target for West Ham – netting 22 goals to the Rovers striker’s 17.

Armstrong, who Sky Sports pundit David Prutton lauds for “pulling up trees”, was unable to add to his tally as Blackburn lost 1-0 away to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, but his overall performance at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium was everything Antonio was unable to show at Fulham.

Antonio looked tired at Craven Cottage and ultimately let Moyes down having failed to offer any offensive threat, with the 30-year-old taking no shots, offering no key passes, making no successful dribbles, offering no crosses and losing four of five ground duels in 74 minutes, per SofaScore.

Meanwhile, despite not scoring thanks to an exceptional block from Rob Dickie, Armstrong never let his confidence dip as he proved to be a relentless menace for Mark Warburton’s outfit.

The 23-year-old attacked the left-hand side of the field against Dickie, Geoff Cameron, Dominic Ball and Todd Kane and by the end of the 90 minutes, he had taken six shots with three of them being on target, per SofaScore.

He also offered two key passes but failed to see either turned home, made five successful dribbles from five attempts at charging possession up the field, won five of his six ground duels and delivered two accurate crosses from three deliveries.

One of Armstrong’s key passes also created a clear-cut chance for Blackburn to score through Harvey Elliott, but the 17-year-old Liverpool loanee missed the mark with his effort.

Trying to contain Armstrong and his teammates on QRR’s right-side additionally saw Dickie lose three of his five ground duels, Cameron one of three and Ball a whopping six of seven.

Moyes clearly had second thoughts about Armstrong’s ability to make the step up to the Premier League in the winter transfer window, but West Ham may now be left to rue that decision with them having no real alternative option for when Antonio is off the pace like he was at Fulham.

AND in other news, David Moyes can give a £3.5m-rated outcast a new lease of life at West Ham with one decision…

Former West Bromwich Albion player Paul Scharner has suggested he would be eager to return to the Baggies in the role of Technical Director.

Scharner spent just two seasons with West Brom between 2010 and 2012, but he earned himself a place in the hearts of the supporters thanks to his desire and commitment on the field. He also had plenty of talent, having made 40 appearances for Austria throughout his career.

On the Liquidator podcast recently, Scharner was asked what he would do to restructure the club, and he gave a clear and precise answer. The Official Croatian West Brom Supporters Twitter account asked whether fans would like to see him take up the role of Technical Director, currently held by Luke Dowling, and when Scharner himself replied saying he would be up for it, the fans confirmed they would love to see him return to the Hawthorns.

The fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Scharner below

“Now this. This could be sensational”

Credit: @MattS_121098

“didn’t think i could love him anymore”

Credit: @joebell45

“Please come”

Credit: @ftblchaz

“Get him in ASAP”

Credit: @Luis_C11

“COME HOME KING”

Credit: @ConnormooreWba

“I bought into everything Paul said… I’m sold”

Credit: @dunnda

In other news, West Brom failed in a move for this striker in January.

Lee Johnson is doing marvellous things with this Sunderland side. He has taken them to fourth in the League One table and is extracting the very best from the Mackems’ front line.

Aiden McGeady has recorded ten assists in just 16 outings for Johnson while Charlie Wyke has become the second top scorer in the entire division, although injuries are still wreaking havoc with the team.

On the chalkboard

Every week seems to spring more bad news for Johnson in the injury department. Last weekend the casualty happened to be Grant Leadbitter. The experienced midfielder was introduced as a substitute in the draw with Crewe but hobbled off within a matter of minutes.

The stretcher was brought out for Leadbitter, who went down in enormous pain. The positive was that he eventually walked off the field of play but he had still sustained a dislocated shoulder, the second such injury of this variety after Luke O’Nien’s dislocation a few months ago.

He is now set for a number of weeks on the sidelines, which could open up other opportunities for players to step up and take on the mantle in the middle of the park.

The solution

Josh Scowen has started two successive games in the middle now, but with games coming up thick and fast, Johnson will have to use the very depths of his squad to get Sunderland over the line and promoted.

O’Nien has been playing as a makeshift centre-half with further injuries to Bailey Wright, Tom Flanagan and Jordan Willis.

As a result, he won’t be able to offer a solution in midfield. Instead, the manager should turn to Carl Winchester, someone that started against Swindon last time out.

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The midfielder signed in January from Forest Green Rovers but has been used sparingly since. Winchester has only started three matches and is yet to really see his career take off at the Stadium of Light.

That being said, he’s a player that Johnson and indeed managers throughout the EFL rate incredibly highly. The Black Cats boss took charge of the 27-year-old during his days at Oldham, where he waxed lyrical about his qualities.

“He’s been superb,” Johnson began. “He’s had a really good pre-season and I think he’s been Championship-class at least since the start of the season,” he concluded.

That was a number of years ago but the sentiment has remained. Mark Cooper commented last year: “He’s a top, top player and should be playing at a much higher level. He’s at least a seven and a half out of ten each week.

“He’s a Championship player and if I was a Championship manager, he’d be one of the first players I would take.”

Like Leadbitter, Winchester possesses the ability to gently keep things ticking over. His passing success rate is north of 85% while he’s strong in the tackle, producing two successful challenges per game for Forest Green this season.

With Sunderland’s options consistently dwindling, Johnson could do far worse than turning to the midfielder this weekend. He simply has to be unleashed in the starting XI during the run-in.

AND in other news, Move over Wyke: Sunderland should swoop for 57-cap gem who Moyes dubbed a “predator”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Rob Lee doesn’t believe Gabriel Jesus is good enough to succeed Sergio Aguero when the Argentine eventually moves on from Manchester City.

Jesus has been with Man City since 2016 but has failed to score more than 14 goals in a Premier League season, suggesting he might not be the regular answer up top in the long term.

The Brazillian was signed as a promising 19-year old who could lead the line for City in the future, however,as Lee explains he’s only ever been a squad player and not a regular starter. He’s only managed 13 Premier League starts this season even with Aguero being out injured.

Speaking on whether Jesus could replace £230,000-a-week man Aguero, Lee told FFC:

“I think he’s a talented player but he’s always a bit-part player for me.

“I would have thought they’ll be looking for someone to replace Aguero who guarantees them 20-30 goals a season, just because that’s what he did.

“There’s not many around but you know what Pep’s like, maybe he won’t buy a striker ever again.

“He’s that far ahead of everybody else in what he does and how he plays football that he could do anything.”

Still just 23-years-old there could still be a future for Jesus at the Etihad, however, he will have to improve his goalscoring record to be recognised as a natural replacement for Aguero.

The Argentine has been a great player for City and has scored over 250 goals in all competitions, being a mainstay during their rise to the top of English football.

Aston Villa should make a summer push for Jack Hendry, with the centre-back potentially available for a transfer following a permanent move to Oostende.

What’s the story?

The 25-year-old currently plays on loan for the Belgian side, with the club having an option to sign him on a more permanent basis from Scottish giants Celtic for less than £2m.

Now, 90min claim that Oostende are “well aware” of the interest being generated from Premier League sides, including the likes of Villa, Brighton, Wolves, West Ham and others.

It’s suggested that “Oostende feel they may be able to sell Hendry on to one of the English sides for a fee of around £10m”, and that “there is a big chance to Hendry will end up in England next season”.

Built for the Premier League

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 4, Hendry looks like he’s perfectly built for the Premier League in terms of his sheer size and presence, but according to his manager at Oostende, Alexander Blessin, he’s also very much a leader in the mould of a Tyrone Mings.

He said: “He’s a great talker in defence. He makes the people he’s playing with better. You can see them listening to him. He’s been a tower of experience for us.”

“Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league. He can defend, he’s fast and he’s also a useful weapon at attacks because of his height.”

That leadership quality and ability to rally those around him is something Villa have been seeing with Mings and his progression over the past couple of seasons into an established England international.

At 25, Hendry’s no longer a young talent waiting for his break. But his performances at Oostende this season show he could still be a very shrewd signing from Johan Lange.

As per Whoscored, he averages 1.2 tackles and 2.9 aerial duels won per game in the Belgian top-flight, which are both better than what Mings has managed in the Premier League (0.6 and 2.8 respectively) – the duo’s height certainly a major factor in why they are so successful in the air.

While, of course, Hendry’s been playing in a far less competitive league, his previous experience with Celtic, and the way Blessin has raved about his leadership skills, makes him a potentially good signing for Smith at Villa.

Meanwhile, this Villa target is perfect for Dean Smith…

According to a recent report, Tottenham Hotspur will have first refusal for the signing of Gareth Bale this summer due to Daniel Levy’s negotiations.

The report by Eurosport claims that the Tottenham chairman inserted the first refusal clause when negotiating the season-long loan deal of the forward with Real Madrid in last summer’s transfer window.

As a result, should Jose Mourinho wish to do so, Spurs are all but guaranteed to sign the Wales international in the summer market, providing they can reach an agreement with Real Madrid regarding the 31-year-old’s price, with it being reported the La Liga side will ask for between €20m (£17m) and €30m (£26m) to part with the winger.

Transfer Tavern Take

Aside from an abject performance against Arsenal last weekend, in recent fixtures Bale has started to show signs that he can replicate his form of old, bagging four goals and two assists over his last five Premier League fixtures, as well as three goals and one assist over his last five Europa League appearances.

However, with Spurs reported to be paying £240,000 of Bale’s £600,000 weekly wage at Real Madrid, any move permanent move to Tottenham would likely require the 31-year-old to take a rather substantial pay cut.

Despite his aforementioned upturn in form, with Mourinho singling out Bale for his lack of intensity in the North London derby defeat, it could be argued that the Welshman still has a little way to go in convincing the 58-year-old he is worth keeping at the club.

In other news: Tottenham have been sent a warning over Harry Kane – find out more here!

Manchester City have been linked with a summer move for Aston Villa star Jack Grealish recently and the England international could be a superb addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, City are now favourites to sign the 25-year-old this summer, having stolen the march on Manchester United, who failed to stump up the cash to sign him from the Villans last summer.

Grealish signed a new five-year contract with Dean Smith’s side on the eve of the 2020/21 campaign but his superb performances this season mean it is perhaps likely he will depart this summer, although it is suggested that Villa value him at £100m.

Would he be a good signing for City?

Grealish has been one of the star performers in the Premier League so far this season, with his 7.73 average rating from WhoScored second to only Harry Kane out of all the players in the top flight.

The attacking midfielder has contributed an impressive six goals and 10 assists in 22 appearances for the Villans this season, helping to transform them from relegation candidates last season to European hopefuls this campaign.

WhoScored also suggests that the Englishman’s key strengths include his dribbling and passing ability, which immediately marks him out as having the techincal ability to be part of Guardiola’s side.

Grealish has featured mainly as a left winger in Villa’s side this season but is able to drift inside and influence the play in a similar mould to Bernardo Silva on the opposite flank at City.

Considering his excellent returns for Villa this season, you feel that playing under Guardiola and alongside some truly world-class players could help the 25-year-old reach a new level in terms of goals, assists and general all-round play.

Although City’s focus for the summer seems to be on bringing a world-class striker such as Erling Haaland to the Etihad Stadium, perhaps they should focus on an “outstanding” player (in the words of Gareth Southgate) who is at his peak and has already cut it in the Premier League, as Grealish has shown enough in recent seasons to prove that he could make it at a top club such as City.

Therefore, sporting director Txiki Begiristain should definitely consider trying to bring Grealish to Manchester this summer, as he could develop into a world-class player in Guardiola’s side.

In other news… Txiki may be regretting £25m City decision with “phenomenal” beast

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to the club’s official Twitter post regarding Premier League dates for next season.

The Premier League have announced that the 2021/22 campaign will start on the 14th August 2021, and end on the 22nd May 2022.

It seems extremely likely that the Eagles will be taking part in the top-flight once again next season, with Roy Hodgson’s side 11 points clear of the drop zone with nine games still to go.

Hodgson will turn 74 days before the new season kicks off though, with his Selhurst Park future up in the air and time on his contract ticking down.

Reports last month suggested the Englishman was ‘undecided’ over his future at the club, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the season.

Palace fans react

Palace posted the dates regarding next season on their official Twitter page on Thursday afternoon.

This is what these Eagles fans had to say, with some poking fun at Hodgson’s expense.

“Hopefully the start of a new and better era!”

Credit: @CPFCAlfie

“Just don’t tell Roy”

Credit: @Ukhilal1957

“Can’t wait to be back”

Credit: @cpfc_sean

“Sack Roy”

Credit: @DonnyToIiver

“Will we have a squad”

Credit: @rickyj555

“Announce Hodgson octogenarian contract”

Credit: @JA9GOAT

In other news: Palace eye Championship centre-back valued at just £450k, find out more here. 

It’s been a promising month for West Brom’s goalkeepers, as both Sam Johnstone and Josh Griffiths have been called up for their respective England squads.

The Baggies no.1 was an injury replacement for Jordan Pickford in Gareth Southgate’s latest squad, whilst the 19-year-old starlet has been named alongside Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher for the U21 squad.

Both could lead a different path at the Hawthorns this summer.

Given Albion’s likely relegation to the Championship – only a shock turnaround will stop that from happening – the 27-year-old has been linked with several top-flight teams after a string of impressive performances between the sticks.

That has clearly culminated in international recognition.

Recent reports have surfaced linking Tottenham Hotspur with a move for the former Manchester United graduate ahead of the summer transfer window, as per The Sun.

Indeed, it will likely be hard for West Brom to keep hold of him.

Perhaps, then, his successor can be found in Griffiths.

The teenage glovesman has been impressing on-loan to League Two promotion hopefuls Cheltenham Town, undoubtedly helping them towards having the third-best defensive record in the division with 17 clean sheets in 35 starts.

Griffiths was only part of the Three Lions’ U19 set-up as recently as November so that only shows how quickly he has progressed this campaign.

Ex-Albion star Boaz Myhill, now development coach at the club, has spoken glowingly about the 19-year-old shot-stopper. He told BirminghamLive:

“One of his biggest strengths, not just that he’s a good player, is that he’s the kind of boy and man that people will do things for. Everybody likes Josh. It’s all credit to him that he’s having the season that he is,” before adding: “He’s got undoubted ability. I saw that when he was training with me as a player, when he was 16. He’s just continued to grow.”

It says a lot that he’s managed to push out a seasoned veteran in Scott Flinders, who has played over 550 times in his career and given the uncertainty between the sticks heading into the summer, Luke Dowling could save the club millions by pushing the manager to promote Griffiths next season.

He’s doing exactly what’s asked of him, and that’s all he can do for now. If Johnstone leaves, then the Baggies already have his long-term heir at the club.

AND in other news, West Brom must secure “dangerous” £6m-rated beast, he could be unstoppable next season…