All posts by z3u9t.icu

Sunderland have been linked with some big names over the years, which in some circumstances could have led to a complete turnaround from where the club is now.

There is no touted move with more potential to have done this than when the Black Cats were linked with Virgil van Dijk back in 2015.

Gus Poyet even recently came out to claim that he had watched him in the Dutch league when he worked for Brighton & Hove Albion, so whilst he was manager of the Wearside club he was “very, very interested” in the then-Celtic defender.

In fact, the Daily Mail even reported that they had an £8m bid lined up for the defender.

Everyone now knows his story though, of how that transfer didn’t materialise as he moved to Southampton, before joining Liverpool in a world record fee for a defender.

It all could have been so different had Sunderland just taken the plunge on the Dutchman who was on fire for the Scottish champions.

He has since gone on to win nearly everything at the Reds whilst being crowned the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and UEFA men’s Player of the Year in 2019. CIES Football Observatory even rates the defensive “monster” at €50m (£45m) nowadays.

The 31-year-old, for a period, was widely recognised as the best centre-back in world football and has been mentioned in conversations with some of the greatest ever to do it.

Whilst the £220k-per-week star has completed his rise, Sunderland have fallen from the Premier League all the way to League One and are now stuck hoping for promotion from the Championship.

Not only was he immense for the Saints, where he recorded a 7.48 SofaScore rating during the 2016/17 season, but also the £75m fee they ultimately received would surely have gone a long way towards preventing the massive slump they faced.

One example that would not have been as high profile was Jack Rodwell’s refusal to leave the club, as he drained them with his £70k-per-week wages whilst in the Championship.

So many things would have been different had they just taken the risk, and this transfer will forever remain one of the biggest ones that got away from Sunderland.

Phil Hay has dropped an early team news hint ahead of Leeds United’s upcoming Premier League meeting with Aston Villa.

What’s the latest?

Speaking on a recent episode of The Phil Hay Show, the titular journalist suggested that, following his goal-scoring outing in the U21’s 6-2 victory over Southampton U21s last Friday, he would expect Liam Cooper to come into Jesse Marsch’s starting XI when Villa make the trip to Elland Road on October 2.

The Athletic journalist then went on to state that, after enduring a torrid few weeks in the heart of the Leeds backline, he would expect that it is Diego Llorente who makes way for the return of the 31-year-old Scotland international.

Regarding Marsch’s central defensive decision against Villa, Hay said:

“Cooper importantly [got game-time] because I would imagine there’s a decision to be made there about whether it’s Llorente who starts against Villa at Elland Road or whether Cooper comes back in.

“Personally, I would be leaning towards Cooper coming back in but then again, I’ve always been a Cooper fan in comparison to a lot of other people and I do think the defence is far more sturdy with him in it, generally.”

Huge boost for Marsch

Considering how reliable Cooper has been in the centre of defence for Leeds over the past few years, coupled with just how shakey Llorente has been at the back in recent fixtures, it is not difficult to understand why Hay would prefer Marsch to start the Scot against Villa in 11 days’ time.

Indeed, while the £6.3m-rated centre-back is yet to feature in the league this season, the 31-year-old nevertheless proved over his 21 fixtures last term just how important he is to the Whites, helping his side keep five clean sheets, as well as making an average of 2.0 interceptions, 2.0 tackles and 3.4 clearances per game – ranking him first, eighth and second in the Leeds squad for each metric respectively.

These returns saw the £6.5k-per-week talent average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as Marsch’s best performing outfielder in the 2021/22 campaign – playing an absolutely crucial role in the club retaining their top-flight status last time out.

Meanwhile, over Llorente’s six Premier League appearances so far this term, the £14.4m-rated Spain international has not exactly impressed, having already made two mistakes that led directly to a goal and averaged an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.67 – currently ranking the 29-year-old as the Whites’ seventh-worst performer in the league.

As such, with Cooper’s performance in the U21’s demolition of Southampton last week very much appearing to suggest the defender is finally back to full fitness, it is clear for all to see that the Scot’s return will come as a huge boost for Marsch and his side – with the 48-year-old manager simply having no other choice than to start the 31-year-old ahead of the Spaniard.

talkSPORTtalkSPORT’s Mark Goldbridge has been reacting to the news of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag receiving the Premier League Manager of the Month award for September.

The Lowdown: Four in a row

The 52-year-old appears to have steadied the ship at Old Trafford after back-to-back league defeats to Brighton and Brentford at the beginning of the season.

The Red Devils are currently on a four-match winning run in the top flight, with wins over Liverpool and Southampton in August preceding victories over Leicester and Arsenal at the beginning of last month.

Ten Hag won the award ahead of Tottenham’s Antonio Conte and Bournemouth caretaker boss Gary O’Neil, with United’s Marcus Rashford winning the Player of the Month accolade.

The Latest: Goldbridge reacts

Taking to Twitter, Goldbridge said that Ten Hag winning the award ‘in only his second month is massive’.

The United Stand presenter gushed: “Ten Hag getting Premier League MOTM in only his second month here is MASSIVE! Pep, Klopp, Conte, Arteta & many others to compete with. Love it” And to think most ‘experts’ wanted Poch”.

He scores goals galore! Pay homage to one of his best with this amazing t-shirt! Click here to buy…

The Verdict: Good signs

United should go into this afternoon’s Manchester derby full of confidence, knowing that a win at the Etihad Stadium would take them into the top four.

That should be the minimum target for the club, especially with Ten Hag seemingly getting his message across to the squad in recent weeks.

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There have been plenty of promising signs under the Dutchman, and he’ll be hoping that the manager of the month curse doesn’t strike during October, with the Red Devils set to play five Premier League fixtures this month.

They don’t come much bigger than the one which awaits at 2pm…

Wolves’ hopes of appointing Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim look to be all but over, with the majority of reports suggesting that the 37-year-old will stay in Portugal in order to compete in the Champions League with his current side.

What’s the word?

Following the sacking of Bruno Lage, the up-and-coming Amorim has been heavily linked with a switch to Molineux, after leading Sporting to their first Portuguese title in 19 years.

His side are also impressing in the Champions League this season, winning 2-0 against Tottenham Hotspur and 3-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt in their opening two fixtures.

Unfortunately for Fosun and the Wolves board, it seems unlikely that he could be tempted by a move to the Premier League, as Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth revealed in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT.

He said: “A lot of the other experts in Portugal are saying it’ll be simply impossible for him to go from Sporting Lisbon in this season.

“Particularly because he’s doing so well with them, in particular in the Champions League, and swap that for a relegation battle because that’s what it looks like at the moment at Wolves.”

Big blow for Fosun

After winning just one game in the Premier League season, following a woeful end to the 2021/22 campaign, Wolves need to appoint a new manager with a winning mentality and Amorim would have provided just that.

The young manager has won 83 of his 117 games in charge of Sporting Lisbon, having won ten of his 13 games in charge of Braga previously, so he clearly knows how to get the best out of his squad.

Goalscoring has been a real issue for Wolves under Lage but Amorim’s Sporting side have averaged 1.94 goals per game across his tenure which, if applied to the Old Gold this season, would have seen them score around 16 goals in the top flight, rather than the measly three they currently boast in the Premier League.

Given they are missing Raul Jimenez and Sasa Kalajdzic through injury, with Diego Costa also lacking match sharpness, perhaps he’d have been the manager to find creative and alternative solutions up top.

His fresh and exciting football will have been a big boon for Fosun and indeed the club’s supporters who are looking for a quick revival under their new head coach.

Therefore, it is undoubtedly a big blow for Wolves that Amorim looks set to stay with Sporting, as he looks to have all the makings of a top manager.

Wolves’ search for a new manager has taken another twist, with former boss Nuno Espirito Santo now reportedly under consideration by the Old Gold.

According to the Express and Star, the Portuguese manager is keen on a return to Molineux 17 months after being sacked and is being considered by Jeff Shi and Fosun as they assess a number of options.

Bruno Lage was sacked nearly two weeks ago and the Old Gold seem no closer to selecting their new boss, with top choice Julen Lopetegui turning down the position earlier this week due to the ill health of his father.

This disappointment has seemingly turned the Wolves board back to Nuno but it points more towards poor planning and desperation rather than the Portuguese manager being the best fit for the job.

The 48-year-old manager took charge of 199 matches in his first spell at Wolves, winning the Championship title in the 2017/18 campaign before earning a spot in the Europa League after a superb debut season in the Premier League.

While he will be fondly remembered for bringing in players such as Diogo Jota, Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, his time at the club did not end well, as he left by “mutual agreement” after the 2020/21 season, despite signing a new three-year deal in 2020.

Wolves finished that season in 13th position in the Premier League, scoring just 36 goals in the top flight, which suggests that the Portuguese boss would not be the man to solve the Old Gold’s current woes in front of goal, as they sit on just three goals from the opening nine Premier League fixtures this season.

After his Molineux exit, Nuno would join Tottenham Hotspur, where he lasted just 17 matches, with his style of play not winning over any Spurs fans, and he was swiftly sacked by Daniel Levy after winning just nine of those games.

Now in charge of Al-Ittihad in the Saudi League, having only joined in the summer, it is difficult to argue a case for Nuno returning to Premier League management, especially with his old side.

However, Fosun are clearly getting desperate in their search for a new manager and you worry for Wolves’ Premier League safety if they bring in the former manager as Lage’s replacement.

Journalist Dan Woffenden has slammed the ‘blatant decision’ ignored by referee Peter Bankes which went against West Ham United as they faced Southampton this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Disappointing result

The Hammers held out for a disappointing draw as Declan Rice equalised with a dazzling shot from 20 yards out after playing a quick one-two with Said Benrahma.

Despite the equaliser, the result was made all the more galling for David Moyes and co as the Saints’ goal, which came from Romain Perraud after 20 minutes, was laced with controversy.

The Irons argued that Kyle Walker-Peters’ foot appeared to be over the line for when he took the throw-in which led to their goal, with further shouts claiming that the referee impeded Jarrod Bowen from getting the ball moments prior.

The Latest: Woffenden’s claim

Woffenden slammed the referee’s decision to allow the goal, with the alleged impediment coming from Walker-Peters’ throw-in.

Taking to Twitter, the Irons-supporting journalist fumed: “Absolutely no surprise to see that West Ham have had a blatant decision go against them once again. The standard of officiating in the Premier League declines every week. Shambles.”

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The Verdict: Needed three points

With the chance to climb several places in the Premier League table, a point will come as a huge disappointment for David Moyes’ side, ending a run of four successive victories in all competitions.

With the Saints in the relegation zone and manager Ralph Hasenhuttl reportedly close to getting the sack, this felt like a must-win game for the Hammers, who now sit 11th in the league table.

After such a poor start to the season, three points at St Mary’s would have solidified West Ham’s form going into the final month of the campaign before the start of the World Cup.

Therefore, an apparent mistake by the refereeing team will come as a painful wound for the Irons, who were on the wrong end of a controversial call not for the first time in the season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers currently occupy 18th place in the Premier League table after winning just two league matches all season.

Their biggest downfall is a lack of goals, with the Old Gold only scoring five times in 11 league matches, the lowest out of any side in the top flight.

Former manager Bruno Lage brought Sasa Kalajdzic to the club to solve these woes, however, he got injured in his first match, while Diego Costa hasn’t exactly set Molineux on fire so far, averaging a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.35.

Lage might still be in a job if Wolves signed one of their targets during the summer, especially with his goalscoring record and Premier League experience…

Dzeko would have solved Wolves’ goalscoring crisis

Edin Dzeko was linked with the club back in July as Lage looked to add some firepower to his misfiring squad.

A move didn’t materialise and it appears Wolves are paying for that mistake now, especially with their woeful goal return this season.

The £155k-per-week forward has plenty of Premier League experience, winning two league titles with Manchester City, scoring 50 goals in 130 league appearances for the club in a four-year spell.

Despite being two years older than Costa, the Bosnian might have been a better option due to the form he showed last season for Inter Milan.

The 36-year-old scored 17 goals in all competitions, chipping in with a further ten assists, proving his game doesn’t just rely on goals and he is still performing at the highest level.

Eusebio Di Francesco, his manager at AS Roma, supported this claim, saying: “He’s an extraordinary player, and not just in terms of his finishing – he gets the team playing, brings the ball down, and produces good service for his teammates.”

Compared to positional peers in the big five European leagues, Dzeko ranks in the 93rd percentile for total shots (3.56 per 90) and the 90th percentile for progressive passes (3.06 per 90), with these stats alone proving that Wolves should have brought him back to England.

With their current form and evident woes in front of goal, the club will surely regret their decision to pursue other targets.

Journalist Dean Jones has shared some news on Tottenham Hotspur and the future of summer signing Djed Spence.

The Lowdown: Spence joins Tottenham…

The Lilywhites right-back was among a contingent of new players brought in to back Antonio Conte and make Spurs a force to be reckoned with this season.

Ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, Spurs signed the former Nottingham Forest loanee along with sealing Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Destiny Udogie and a permanent deal for Cristian Romero.

However, it hasn’t exactly been a dream start to life in north London for the defender, with Conte only calling on Spence for two league minutes in total despite his ability.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a brilliant campaign at Forest last season, with some members of the media calling him an ‘incredible’ player.

The Latest: Jones shares Spence update…

However, speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has now claimed that Spurs are set for internal exit talks over Spence’s future at the club, with a potential loan move away deemed a possiblity.

He explained: “I have said for a while that it would not surprise me if Djed Spence was made available for loan in January.

“I think it will depend on the depth of options Spurs have by that stage but, certainly, it is something that is going to be discussed.”

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The Verdict: He needs minutes…

Spence going out on loan for the second half of this season could be best for all parties.

Tipped to be a ‘great signing’ by some pundits within the media, the 22-year-old needs regular minutes to continue developing and potentially one day become a real mainstay in the Tottenham squad.

The fact that he hasn’t even had a look-in despite Emerson Royal’s current suspension does not bode particularly well for him in N17 right now.

Glasgow Rangers return to Premiership action this afternoon as they look to bounce back from their midweek Champions League defeat.

The 3-0 loss to Napoli on Wednesday means that the Ibrox club haven’t won since the narrow victory over Dundee in the League Cup on 19 October, and the pressure is piling on Light Blues manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

With a win over Aberdeen today, though, Rangers can cut the gap at the top of the table to just one point overnight.

League leaders and arch-rivals Celtic don’t play until Sunday afternoon, and there is no greater incentive than claiming all three points before your rivals take to the field and firmly remaining in a title challenge.

The Dutchman is likely to rotate against Aberdeen, and here at Football FanCast, we predict that four changes will be made from midweek as we predict the Rangers starting XI…

Rangers predicted starting XI vs Aberdeen

Allan McGregor will once again start between the sticks, despite conceding four goals in his previous two matches.

The back four is set to remain unchanged from the game against Napoli. Leon King and Ben Davies will start at the heart of defence, while Ridvan Yilmaz – who was recently dubbed “positive” by Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie – will start at left-back. Captain James Tavernier will start in his usual right-back slot.

The midfield axis comprises John Lundstram and Steven Davis, the latter coming in for James Sands, while American Malik Tillman will feature in the number ten role, playing just off the striker.

The front three is where we could see plenty of change. The “misfiring” Ryan Kent – as labelled by Derek Clark – could be dropped, having not scored since the win over Hearts nearly a month ago, with Fashion Sakala taking his place on the left flank, while Rabbi Matondo comes back into the starting XI on the right.

Jonny McFarlane lavished praise on Antonio Colak at the beginning of the month, describing him as “absolutely lethal”, and the 13-goal Croatian will likely take over from Alfredo Morelos in leading the line for the Light Blues today.

The pressure is on the Dutchman to secure all three points this afternoon, and with Aberdeen rapidly improving under Jim Goodwin, it won’t be an easy task for Rangers at Ibrox.

Leeds United are once again interested in a move for Martin Terrier in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that – after being heavily linked with a move for the Stade Rennais centre-forward in the summer – Victor Orta is once again keeping a very close eye on the 25-year-old ahead of the winter market, with the Whites believed to have scouted the former France U21 international in the last two weeks.

The report goes on to state that Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa are also interested in a move for the attacker, for whom the Ligue 1 side are believed to be demanding a figure in the region of £30m in order to part with in January.

Orta must move

Considering just how impressive Terrier has been for Rennes since his move to the club back in the summer of 2020, the argument that Orta must amend his mistake in not making a move for the Frenchman this summer by launching a bid for the 25-year-old in January is an easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 37 Ligue 1 appearances last season, the £40.5m-rated talent was in sensational form for Bruno Genesio’s side, bagging 21 goals, providing 88 shots, making 42 key passes and completing 28 dribbles over the course of the campaign.

These metrics saw the £22k-per-week attacker average a remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.30, not only ranking him as Rennes’ second-best performer in the league but also as the joint 11th-best player in the French top flight as a whole.

This is form Terrier has continued over his 13 league fixtures in the current campaign, with the striker having already bagged eight goals, registered three assists and created three big chances, as well as taking an average of 3.0 shots – 1.6 of which have been on target – making 1.6 key passes and completing 0.6 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the player who Genesio dubbed a “high-level” forward average an even more breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.59, not only ranking him as his club’s best performer in the division but also as the sixth-best player in Ligue 1 as a whole.

As such, considering the fact that Patrick Bamford is yet to score in the league this season, coupled with Rodrigo currently being in a turbulent run of form, it is clear to see that Jesse Marsch could use a more consistent goal scorer in his attacking arsenal at Elland Road, a role that it would appear Terrier is more than capable of filling for the 48-year-old manager.