All posts by z3u9t.icu

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Michael Bridge of Sky Sports has been praising the recruitment of Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou. 

The lowdown: Shrewd spender

Since being appointed at Celtic Park in June 2021, the 56-year-old has set about scouting world football for high-quality options to bolster the Hoops’ squad.

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Signings such as Liel Abada from Maccabi Petah Tikva, Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan and Kyogo Furuhashi from Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe all arrived as relative unknowns before becoming almost instant successes in Glasgow.

As the Bhoys stand on the brink of winning the Scottish Premiership title, much of the credit is being placed at the door of Postecoglou…

The latest: Bridge hails transfer nous

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Bridge, who works for Sky Sports, has lauded the Greek-Australian’s impact in the market.

“You’ve got to give credit to Celtic and their manager Ange Postecoglou. He’s just come in and steamrollered it. If you look at Rangers in the table, they’re not actually doing that bad, they’ve not lost a lot. They’ve just drawn too many games, and they’ve lost to Celtic a couple of times.

“Celtic have brought in this manager from Japan, people scoffed at it. Let’s not forget, that’s where Wenger came from. He’s bought four Japanese players who’ve absolutely ripped the league to shreds. He’s bought other good players as well.”

The verdict: Unequivocal success

It’s hard to argue with Bridge’s view as the Hoops march on towards a potential league and cup double in Postecoglou’s first season at Parkhead.

Having walked into a squad devoid of confidence, the former Australian national team coach has galvanised those existing players whilst also unearthing a host of diamonds in the transfer market.

Kyogo, Abada and Starfelt have all settled into life at Celtic seamlessly, whilst the likes of loan arrivals Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers have been nothing short of a revelation this season.

January signings Daizen Maeda, Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate have all made bright beginnings in their own Bhoys careers too and it would appear inevitable that Postecoglou would be back once again in the upcoming summer market.

In other news, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has been left fuming. Read more here.

Gabriel Agbonlahor has offered his thoughts on Rangers defender Connor Goldson’s future…

What’s the talk?

Former Premier League forward Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that Connor Goldson may leave Rangers in order to earn £50k-per-week in the Premier League.

West Ham are reportedly keen on the defender, who is out of contract next summer, and Agbonlahor believes that wages hold the key to his future.

He told Football Insider:

“I don’t know what Rangers are offering him but maybe Rangers can’t pay very well.

“These players, when they’re doing well, they’re going to try and maximise their earnings. They will hear about the crazy money flying about in the Premier League.

“That’s why Odsonne Edouard left Celtic, that’s why Ryan Christie left for Bournemouth because they will offer more money than Celtic.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Goldson and his agents are looking at it and thinking ‘Maybe Rangers can pay £20,000-£30,000-a-week, but maybe we can get £50,000-a-week in the Premier League’. You can’t really blame the player. At his age, it could be his last big deal so he’s got to maximise his earnings.”

Get it done

Ross Wilson must sanction offering the type of big contract offer that Goldson could get in the Premier League in order to keep him at the club. He is reportedly on £27k-per-week at the moment and a big boost to his pay packet could persuade him to put pen to paper and commit his long-term future to the Gers.

It would be a disaster for Rangers if they watch one of their key performers leave the club for nothing next summer because they refused to match what the likes of West Ham could potentially offer him. Losing Goldson on a free transfer would be a bitter blow for the fans to take, given how important he has been in recent seasons.

Gerrard once hailed the ex-Brighton man as a mountain for the club, praising his on and off the pitch leadership. He told The Scotsman: “Connor has been an absolute mountain for this team, a warrior.

“I can’t describe to you how well he has done for this team, not just in terms of what you have seen on the pitch but also his leadership on the inside of the club and his availability every single day.”

This shows how highly Gerrard rates him behind the scenes and his statistics on the pitch back up his overall impact on the side. He started 38 Premiership matches last season and Rangers accrued an incredible 26 clean sheets in that time, with Goldson averaging a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.39.

Therefore, Wilson must avoid a disaster by offering Goldson a bumper new deal before the January transfer window. Keeping him would be a major boost to the club, given what he was able to achieve last year.

AND in other news, McAllister drops fresh update on “outstanding” Rangers gem that’ll leave fans buzzing…

An update has emerged on Sunderland target Daniel Jebbison regarding his thoughts on a move to Belgium.

What’s the talk?

The Sun’s Alan Nixon has revealed that the Sheffield United forward has opened the door on a domestic loan by turning down Belgian outfit Beerschot.

Sunderland are reportedly interested in signing the striker on loan this month, but could still face issues with his potential loan fee.

Johnson will be delighted

Lee Johnson will be delighted with this news as it hands Sunderland a boost in their efforts to land Jebbison before the transfer deadline. As Nixon stated, the door has now been opened to a loan move to an English club as the player is not interested in moving to Belgium for a temporary switch at this point in his career.

This is where Sunderland can swoop in and offer him the chance to play regular League One football, or at least the opportunity to win his place in the XI to play consistently. The Black Cats have already signed Nathan Broadhead on loan from Everton, but the Toffees youngster is capable of playing on either flank. This means that he could provide a versatile option across the frontline whilst Jebbison competes with Ross Stewart for the number nine role.

Former Premier League defender Micah Richards lauded Jebbison as Sheffield United’s shining light during the 2020/21 campaign. He told Sky Sports (via Yorkshire Live): “I really like the look of him. He just gets in the right areas, and they needed that with all the negativity that’s gone on at the club.

“You want to bounce back straight away, and you want to go to the end of the season with positivity. They’re playing for pride, and he’s the shining light.”

The £900k-rated gem averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.60 in the Premier League term as he started in three of his four appearances. He scored one goal and showed off his defensive work rate as he won 4.3 duels and 1.5 tackles per game.

Given that he was able to stand out to Richards at Premier League level, along with scoring in the top flight, he could thrive by dropping down to League One. At the age of 18, he has plenty of potential left to fulfill, and Johnson could love having the chance to coach him this season whilst also adding a player who could make a big impact in the third tier.

AND in other news, Lee Johnson provides injury update on £4k-p/w “revelation”, Sunderland fans will be relieved…

Crystal Palace’s under-23s enjoyed a fantastic night in Premier League 2 on Monday, recording a 6-1 win away to their Leicester City counterparts [cpfc.co.uk].

In a comprehensive victory away to the young Foxes, David Omilabu, Rob Street and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi all scored braces as they ran riot at the Midlands club’s training facility. Wanya Marcal-Madivadua hit back with a consolation strike for the home side. [cpfc.co.uk].

Summer signing Michael Olise made his first start in Palace colours, playing 60 minutes before being replaced by Nya Kirby.

The victory takes Crystal Palace into seventh position in the Premier League 2 table [Premier League].

In light of this news, it’s little wonder that loads of Crystal Palace diehards took to social media to express their reaction to the “outstanding” result.

Crystal Palace fans react

Replying to the Crystal Palace Academy Twitter account, here is what some Eagles supporters had to say about the under-23s’ emphatic triumph:

“Amazing performance from the boys. Rak-Sakyi is so close to being in the first team squad. Amazing from all of them and some valuable minutes for Olise”

Credit: @redandbluesite

“Congratulations boys. Fantastic effort. Keep it going.”

Credit: @LeeJack1905″Absolutely brilliant boys, well done”Credit: @cpfcmaz”Absolutely outstanding”Credit: @Ukhilal1957″You’ve just got THRASHED by the best academy in the country @LCFC”Credit: @eliascpfc”Brilliant performance by our young Eagles and a well deserved victory! The front three of Omilabu, Street, and Rak-Sakyi all got a brace.”Credit: @alex_westryIn other news, a former Crystal Palace man has given his prediction regarding where the Eagles will finish in the Premier League.

Liverpool have enjoyed a rather successful start to their season with Jurgen Klopp’s side currently unbeaten across the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup.

However, there is one player that has not been a massive part of Liverpool’s season so far that could be on their way out of the Merseyside club in the near future.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by The Mirror that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be looking for a way out of Liverpool to get more game time elsewhere and save his career.

Liverpool signed Oxlade-Chamberlain back in the 2017 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League side Arsenal for a fee of £35m.

Since then, the 28-year-old, who is currently valued at £16.2m according to Transfermarkt, has made 109 appearances for the Reds across all competitions in which he has managed to score 14 goals and provide 12 assists in the process.

So far this season, the Englishman, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £120k-per-week according to Spotrac, has made just five appearances across all competitions for Jurgen Klopp’s side, starting just two of them.

Time to move on

Taking into account how Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been labelled as “outstanding” by Klopp in the past, has been very unlucky with his injury issues during his time with the Merseyside club, this is undoubtedly a factor that must be acknowledged regarding his lack of games since his arrival.

That being said, we feel that if Oxlade-Chamberlain thinks it would be a better option for him and his career to leave Liverpool and join a club where he would be playing regularly, then the Reds should definitely consider letting him go.

They must do so if they get a financial offer they deem suitable for the player either in the upcoming January transfer window or the next summer window. After all, they cannot continue to pay someone who has missed so much football.

The attacking midfielder has missed 72 matches during his Liverpool career, sitting on the treatment table for a period of 493 days. It’s been a sad few years for Oxlade-Chamberlain but unfortunately, now is the time for Klopp to wield the axe on his time in Merseyside.

Whether or not any club would be willing to take a gamble on a player like that only time will tell, but we feel it would be in Liverpool’s best interests to get his salary off their wage bill.

In other news: 100% ground duels lost: Klopp surely worried about “exceptional” Liverpool gem on loan – opinion

No talks have taken place between Lewis O’Brien and Leeds United over a summer move, according to Yorkshire Post journalist Leon Wobschall.

The Lowdown: O’Brien linked with Leeds move

O’Brien has been a key player for Huddersfield Town in recent years, making 80 Championship appearances in the last two seasons.

The 22-year-old has been linked with a summer move for Leeds, however, with Marcelo Bielsa potentially seeing him as a good squad depth addition with plenty of room to develop at such a young age.

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The Latest: Journalist provides update

Despite the Whites’ apparent interest, however, a fresh update has been provided by Wobschall on Twitter.

He confirmed Huddersfield head coach Carlos Corberan’s comments regarding a possible move to Elland Road, saying there have been “no talks with Leeds United”.

That suggests O’Brien could stay put at the Championship club and leave for free next summer, with his current deal expiring in 2022.

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The Verdict: Not a must-need signing

Not signing O’Brien would be no great loss for Leeds, considering he is unlikely to come in as a key man for Bielsa’s side.

That being said, acquiring the midfielder’s signature would still represent positive news, considering he would add depth in the middle of the park behind Kalvin Phillips and won Huddersfield’s Player of the Year award in 2019/20.

The fact that the Terriers could lose O’Brien on a free transfer next year could make them more willing to accept an offer, so it will be interesting to see if anything develops over the final weeks of the window.

In other news, a fresh update regarding Leeds’ interest in one player has emerged. Find out who it is here.

After being forced off the pitch through injury during their 2-2 draw against Brentford, Leeds United have been sweating over the fitness of midfield maestro Kalvin Phillips.

With the England international also missing Leeds’ recent 3-2 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, there has finally been some clarity about Phillips’ injury.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report from The Athletic, Phillips has undergone surgery to repair the hamstring injury he suffered and is now expected to be out for at least two months, which is news that will surely have a lot of Leeds fans fuming.

With Marcelo Bielsa’s men having the tough task of taking on Manchester City at The Etihad Stadium later tonight in their latest Premier League match, it seems that they will have to take on the reigning league champions without Phillips.

Last season, Leeds lost seven of the nine league games that the England international wasn’t involved in and haven’t managed to win any of the league games that he’s not played in this term, highlighting just how important he is for the team and how much of a major blow it will be to have him out of action for two months.

This season, the 26-year-old has managed to rack up an average of 2.3 tackles per game and 1.2 interceptions per game in the league, which is a clue as to why the Yorkshire side don’t win many games when he’s not playing given how much of a useful defensive player he is from midfield.

This, therefore, doesn’t make Leeds’ chances of picking up too many points in the next two months look very high, especially with the Whites also having the likes of Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk out injured as well.

Their period without Phillips could get off to a bad start tonight when they take on Pep Guardiola’s side who have scored a total of 33 goals and conceded just nine so far this season in the league.

However, with Leeds managing to secure a win at The Etihad last season thanks to a brace of goals from Stuart Dallas, they should be heading into this game with the confidence and belief that they can cause another upset and come away with three points again.

Although, their injuries will undoubtedly make it much more difficult for Leeds.

Now, everyone at the Yorkshire club will have their fingers crossed that Phillips will be able to make a full recovery as soon as possible and end the season fit and firing with Leeds and away from a potential relegation scrap.

At the moment, though, it’s nothing short of a huge blow to see him ruled out for so long.

In other news: Exciting 4-word January transfer claim emerges that will have Leeds fans buzzing – opinion

Tottenham Hotspur have now been dealt a double injury blow before their game at home to Manchester United in the Premier League this evening.

The Lowdown: Nuno under pressure?

As per The Sun, there has been some disagreements between Nuno Espirito Santo and some members of his squad, with some in the latest UEFA Europa Conference League team ‘seriously angered’ because of his tendency to think too far ahead.

This has reportedly created a ‘needless chasm’ at the North London cub, and left the side’s morale in ‘tatters’, given it was a largely understrength team against Vitesse.

They ended up losing that game, and then lost 1-0 away to London rivals West Ham United, which coupled up with the dismal 3-1 defeat at Arsenal earlier on in the season, means that Nuno is under some serious pressure already as the manager.

The Latest: Team news

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team, Nuno has now revealed (via Football.London) that Bryan Gil has a ‘problem’, while Ryan Sessegnon will definitely not be involved:

“Let’s see. Bryan we have a problem with. We are assessing. Sessegnon is not involved, still not in the group. Normal knocks after the game.”

The Verdict: Double blow

Sessegnon has been cursed with injury problems throughout his career, and that has not changed since signing for the Lilywhites (Transfermarkt) for a £24.3m fee from Fulham back in the 2019 summer transfer window.

He needs a run in the team to get his fitness levels up and get used to playing regularly, and sadly that will not be the case against the Red Devils.

Likewise, Gil has barely featured at all for different reasons since arriving in the summer, playing in just 57 minutes in the Premier League so far.

The Spurs fans will surely want to see more of their new recruit, but it looks as if he could miss out too.

In other news, find out whose agents Fabio Paratici is talking to about a potential move here!

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Christian Eriksen back to north London in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian journalist and transfer insider revealing in a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast that, despite there currently being no talks between the 30-year-old and Tottenham, a move for the midfielder is something Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici will consider at the end of the season.

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Speaking about Spurs’ links with the Denmark international: “The answer I’m always receiving on Eriksen’s side is: ‘He’s not deciding in April, he’s not deciding in May. He wants to wait until the end of the season to meet with Brentford and speak with them – as a matter of respect – and then he will make a decision on his future.’

“But we have rumours of Tottenham because of Antonio Conte. The relationship with Conte was terrible two years ago and then it changed, it completely changed in the second half of the last season with Inter Milan. So, this is why we have rumours. It is not something close, but it is something Tottenham could consider after the meeting with Brentford.”

Conte would love him

While it is true that, following his £24.3m move to Inter back in January 2020, Eriksen initially struggled for game time under the 52-year-old manager, the Dane eventually worked his way into the Italian’s starting XI, before becoming a key player for the Nerazzurri last season.

Indeed, over his 27 Serie A appearances last time out, the £13.5m-rated midfield maestro highly impressed in Inter’s title-winning campaign, scoring three goals and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £23k-per-week playmaker average a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 7.02, ranking him as Conte’s 11th-best player in the Italian top-flight.

This is form that the 111-time capped international has continued following his switch to Brentford in the January transfer window, with the player who Thomas Frank dubbed “world-class” very much proving he is still exactly as his manager claims.

Indeed, over his six Premier League fixtures for the Bees, the 30-year-old has already bagged one goal, provided two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as made an average of 1.8 key passes and taken 1.7 shots per game.

These returns have seen the Dane average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.47, not only ranking him as Brentford’s best performer in the league but also as the fourth-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, Romano’s claim that Tottenham will consider a move to bring Eriksen back to north London this summer is hardly surprising, as it is clear that the midfielder is a player Conte would love to have in his side next season.

AND in other news: Spurs plotting £58m bid for “perfect” target who “Paratici loves”, he’s Conte’s dream

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed striker Giorgos Giakoumakis suffered an injury during the 7-0 hammering of St Johnstone.

The lowdown: Celtic go nine clear

The Hoops moved nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership (ahead of St Mirren vs Rangers) with a resounding victory at Celtic Park thanks to a brace from Matt O’Riley and single strikes from Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Liel Abada and Josip Juranovic.

The Greek frontman netted a 13th goal of the season across all competitions before being forced off after 27 minutes with a suspected hamstring issue.

With a huge fixture schedule coming up, Postecoglou is hopeful that the 27-year-old will make a swift recovery but is ‘concerned’.

The latest: Ange provides an update

Speaking after the match (via Scottish Daily Express) the boss said it is unfortunate: “I’m not too sure at the moment. He didn’t think it was too bad but he could feel something.

“It’s always a concern when players do that. He’s had an enormous load the last few weeks.

“It’s unfortunate for him but I’m hopeful he’ll still be available for us in the run-in.”

The Bhoys manager also has fitness worries regarding Tom Rogic after the Australian was replaced at half-time.

The verdict: Can’t afford a setback

Aside from the injury suffered by Giakoumakis – who was recently hailed as ‘lethal’ by Kris Commons – this was nigh on a perfect afternoon for the Hoops.

Whilst Postecoglou is clearly optimistic the issue won’t keep the frontman sidelined for a significant period, with a hectic fixture schedule starting against Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park coming up, there aren’t many opportunities remaining to ease a player back to fitness.

Therefore, with any hamstring injury likely to be troublesome, versatile Japanese forward Maeda may well be asked to lead the line in the absence of the £1.8million valued man (Transfermarkt).

In other news, Ange Postecoglou praises Celtic chief. Find out who it is here.