All posts by z3u9t.icu

David Moyes must step in and block Robert Snodgrass’ potential Deadline Day move to Celtic after West Ham United reportedly stated their demands for a late deal.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports News’ Anthony Joseph, West Ham denied Celtic over the weekend in their approach for Snodgrass after the Scottish Premiership champions sought to sign the 33-year-old on loan.

The Irons are open to parting with Snodgrass before the summer market slams shut at 11pm on Monday but would require the Hoops to pay a significant fee for a one-season deal.

Sources at the London Stadium have also informed West Ham insider ExWHUemployee that Snodgrass had been considered as a potential make way in a deal for Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer, but plans were derailed by Moyes having no intentions of signing the Norway international.

Snodgrass, who is in the final year of his £40,000-per-week contract, has only featured in the Carabao Cup so far this season with Moyes happy to overlook the veteran midfielder in each Premier League fixture played to date.

The Glasgow-born wide man was also left at home on Sunday as West Ham thrashed Leicester City 3-0, despite Snodgrass contributing a superb equaliser just 25 seconds into the second-half during the Hammers’ EFL Cup exit to Everton during the week.

Moyes must block Snodgrass exit

While Moyes has so far been happy to omit Snodgrass from the Iron’s Premier League squads, the Scottish coach would be wise to step in and block the veteran midfielder from joining Celtic on Deadline Day should the Hoops present a fee matching West Ham’s valuation.

Snodgrass not only accounted for the Hammers’ initial equaliser against Everton in the Carabao Cup last week, but his performance showed the tiresome workrate he brings to each of his appearances and that quality will come in handy for Moyes down the line.

At some stage of the season, West Ham will know they must play with their backs to the wall to grind out results, and Snodgrass’ experiences will help in those scenarios in the same way James Milner is still frequently relied on by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

A wise head on old shoulders matters more in those scenarios than a team a young hot-shots capable of producing a moment of magic, as those moments cannot develop without a player like Snodgrass scuttling around the pitch to interrupt the flow of affairs.

AND in other news, West Ham United are considering a late move to sign a Premier League player who recorded just 0.8 key balls a game in 2019/20.

With the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League’s top-ten, it’s no surprise to see Tottenham being linked with a whole host of centre-backs ahead of the summer transfer window.

The futures of the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Juan Foyth are also very much up in the air, so a new central defender is likely to be even more of a major priority for Jose Mourinho’s side.

And according to The Daily Telegraph, the Lilywhites are looking at Sevilla powerhouse Diego Carlos.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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

The report claims that whilst Spurs are involved in the race to sign Beijing Guoan defender Kim Min-jae, Carlos is another viable alternative for them. However, the one main sticking point behind doing a deal for the Brazilian, is his asking price, with Sevilla reportedly wanting in excess of £35m to part ways with the 6 foot ace.

After hearing about their links to Carlos, Spurs fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.

A few fans insisted that Daniel Levy simply wouldn’t be willing to shell out to sign someone like Carlos, and with that reported £35m asking price, it’s clear to see why.

Another Spurs fan in particular questioned why the club just didn’t go for a more proven and elite option like Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.

Part of a Sevilla side currently lying in fourth place in La Liga and well in the fight for Champions League football next season, Carlos has been one of the standout performers.

The 27-year-old has featured in all but two of Sevilla’s league games this season, and boasts some pretty impressive defensive and passing stats when compared to someone like Toby Alderweireld.

As per Sofascore, he wins more total duels (4.1), averages a better passing accuracy (84%), and has committed no errors that have either led to a shot or goal this season, unlike Alderweireld who has made two.

Spurs have got plenty of options to decide over, but Carlos is playing in a side competing with the big boys in Spain, and seems to be more than holding his own.

Aston Villa are among a list of Premier League clubs reportedly showing interest in Queens Park Rangers midfielder Eberechi Eze.

After a final day draw with West Ham United, Villa’s top-flight status has been secured and the focus will now be on manager Dean Smith to utilise the transfer market and potentially improve his squad options.

Finishing 17th in the Premier League table, the Claret and Blue outfit face a number of potential summer exits with club captain Jack Grealish linked with a departure, whilst the likes of John McGinn have also received interest from elsewhere.

Whilst Smith will be keen to keep hold of those two players, it has now been reported that he could be set to swoop for QPR’s Eze, who was in superb form over the course of the 2019/2020 season.

The 22-year-old London-born footballer featured in no less than 46 Championship games for Rangers, netting an impressive 14 goals and securing eight assists in the process.

That form has now seen the likes of Villa, joined by West Ham United, Crystal, Palace, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion with interest in the £20 million valued youngster.

Reacting via Twitter account @villareport, who shared the news of Villa’s reported interest in Eze, fans gave their opinion on a potential move for the youngster. One suggested that he would be an ideal replacement for Grealish – indeed he plays as an advanced midfielder or wide on the left, just as the current Villa captain does.

Do you think Eze would make a good signing for Villa this summer? Let us know in the comments section below…

Jermain Defoe has played in some massive derbies throughout his career.

The North London Derby and Tyne-Wear Derby are widely recognised as two of the biggest derbies in the UK and the striker has scored in both, but he’s also had a taste of the Old Firm Derby during his time at Rangers, and it’s this hotly contested rivalry that has impressed the 37-year-old the most.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Defoe said: “It’s the best. It’s unbelievable. I appreciate all the derbies I’ve played in but when I spoke to Graeme Souness before I signed for Rangers, he told me it’s the best football match in the world.

“But you have to experience what it’s like, it’s a special game. When we beat them 2-0 at home, the atmosphere was incredible. I was looking around, almost in a trance, looking at the crowd bouncing, it gave me goosebumps.

“It really was amazing.”

Rangers won the last Old Firm derby and while Defoe is yet to get himself on the scoresheet for Rangers against Celtic, with a one-year Ibrox contract agreed ahead of next season he’ll have a few more chances yet to add yet another derby goal to his impressive goalscoring record.

And it’s making his name at Rangers that is driving Defoe forward, with dreams of making history at the forefront of his focus once football restarts.

“When you walk down the tunnel and on to the pitch at Ibrox you can see the names of great players on a board and I say to the players, if we can be on that board one day then we’ve done something special,” Defoe added.

“I’m just focused on being a part of Rangers history.”

You can read the full interview with Jermain Defoe, in conjunction with On The Ball Global, here.

Alex Bruce has praised Tottenham talisman Harry Kane for his heroics since the Premier League restart while at the same time condemning his critics.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Hull City defender claimed it is “ridiculous” that people are still doubting Kane’s commitment following his return from a hamstring injury.

Jose Mourinho has never been one to shy away from confrontation and fired a barb at Paul Merson after the Sky Sports pundit implied the Spurs striker could question his future at the club as a result of Mourinho’s methods.

Kane scored his 18th goal of the season as Spurs thumped West Ham at home to leave their London rivals in a precarious position.

The ex-Premier League ace lauded Kane for his successful comeback after a lengthy layoff.

Bruce told assistant editor Russell Edge “the one person who stood out the other night, because of all the criticism which I thought I was absolutely ridiculous, was Harry Kane.

“The way he bounced back showed his strength with a great finish and good composure in front of goal in the last minutes of the game.

“To go and burst through and slot it into the back of the net showed what a quality player he is. He’s been out for a long period of time and to have criticism after just one game I thought was ridiculous.”

It is hard to argue with Bruce here, as Kane is the club’s top scorer this season, despite the fact he missed a huge chunk of games after sustaining an injury in the defeat to Southampton on New Year’s Day.

Moreover, Merson’s suggestion seems rather unjust.

In Mourinho, Kane finally has a manager who has won it all, as his track record more than speaks for itself.

Unlike his predecessor, the Portuguese actually knows what it feels like to win the Champions League, and has made it clear he wants to win trophies with the Lilywhites.

As it stands, Mourinho’s side are currently seventh in the table, nine points away from fourth-placed Chelsea.

While a top-four finish seems evermore unlikely, it is not too far-fetched to believe Spurs can at least make it to the Europa League.

Tottenham fans, do you think Kane can catapult the team into European contention? Let us know down below!

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

Joelinton’s goal drought continued against Aston Villa but his all-round underperformance suggests he isn’t suited to playing as a loan striker in this Newcastle team.

On the chalkboard

Aside from the opening couple of games of the season, Steve Bruce has played the Brazilian up-front on his own, and too often he has been left isolated and unable to influence the game despite his best efforts.

That theme reared its ugly head once again at Villa Park, mostly in the first half, where a combination of Joelinton’s poor quality and a lack of support meant the Magpies offered very little in the way of an attacking threat.

The 23-year-old failed to get into the game, making just 11 passes in his 72 minutes on the pitch, and though he possessed an aerial threat as usual – with seven aerial duels won – there was nobody around him to make any use of it.

A lack of support was most glaring when he was unleashed on the counter-attack on the halfway line, and to his credit he managed to create an opening in the Villa penalty box, only to see his closest teammate was miles away from him.

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Changes needed

Joelinton’s frustrating performances are leading to growing impatience amongst the fanbase, as the few opportunities that did arise saw him shoot off target, and he made so few passes partly due to the fact he achieved 61% pass accuracy – which indicates a lack of quality.

He did show some glimpses of what he can provide, however, and with better support he may be able to have a more positive influence on proceedings in future.

Compared to his teammates, he has created the most chances per 90 minutes from open play in the Newcastle team, with 14, and he displayed that knack once again on Monday with two key passes.

If he had a striker to play off he could show more of what he has to offer, whether it is Andy Carroll or Dwight Gayle partnering him.

He has the physicality and aerial edge, as evidenced above, to win knock-downs for Gayle, and against Villa he also displayed a pace and power when taking on Tyrone Mings, which means he could run onto chances Carroll provides.

That means Bruce has to consider playing someone in support of the former Hoffenheim man. Newcastle were far too unambitious against Villa in the first half, enjoying just 23% possession the first 12 minutes, and if that continues then so will the disappointing results.

With Miguel Almiron continuing to stutter in front of goal there is a case that he should be dropped too, and replaced with a more natural goalscorer like Gayle, who struck 24 times in the last campaign.

Read here to find out how Newcastle fans are feeling about Joelinton after he drew a blank once more against Villa.

A lot of Crystal Palace fans are discussing Stan Collymore after a fan made a point about the player after seeing his highlightsÂin a victory when he played for Nottingham Forest.

FYPFanzine commented on the player, saying: “Watching this does make you wonder how Palace had let Collymore go just three years previously.”

After nearly two years of learning his trade as an understudy to the prolific Crystal Palace partnership of Mark Bright and Ian Wright, Collymore dropped down a division in the autumn of 1992 to sign for Southend United and there scored 18 goals in 33 games to help keep the club in Division One.

He would later move to Nottingham Forest and then in 1995 score a great goal in a 2-1 victory against his old club Crystal Palace.

His career continued to be successful as he moved to Liverpool, scoring 35 goals in 81 games, via LFChistory.net, but failed to pick up any silverware. The attacker is now a pundit, both online and on the radio.

It would have been interesting whether the forward would have had a similar rise in his career had he stayed at Selhurst Park.

Here is what fans had to say about the player:

Palace fans, how good was Collymore? Let us know down below!

Liverpool fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment at seeing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain named on the bench for the clash against Manchester City on Sunday.

The 33-cap England international shone in the midweek win over Genk in the Champions League, scoring the match-winning goal in the 2-1 victory.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has netted four goals in just six starts across the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup this term, and seems to be finding his mojo again after an extended period of absence with a knee injury.

However, his midweek heroics in Europe weren’t enough to see him named in Jurgen Klopp’s XI to take on Pep Guardiola’s back-to-back champions, a side who Oxlade-Chamberlain has netted twice against since arriving on Merseyside.

One fan said the decision from Klopp was “atrocious”, whereas another supporter said that they were “disappointed but not surprised” by the former Borussia Dortmund manager’s call.

Let’s take a look at what the disappointed Liverpool fans on Twitter have been saying…

After Hatem Ben Arfa cemented his mixed status as one of Newcastle United’s most exciting players of the last decade, being a crucial component to their incredible 2011/12 season, supporters have yearned for a player with the flair to match – with some thinking they have found one in Allan Saint-Maximin.Â

Saint-Maximin, who got off to a slow start in a Newcastle jersey, has been flying recently with a string of influential performances that have been key to Steve Bruce’s side upping their momentum in recent games.

The Frenchman played a ‘lively’ role in their 1-0 victory over Manchester United at St. James’ Park, whilst also putting on man-of-the-match displays in their recent back-to-back victories against West Ham and Bournemouth.

Although he is yet to open his account for the club with a goal, he has arguably been unlucky – finding himself through on goal twice away to the Hammers but failing to capitalise.

The 22-year-old also couldn’t take advantage of a great chance to put Newcastle further in front against Bournemouth on Tyneside, but judging by his recent showings, it’s only a matter of time.

As a result, supporters have credited him with being the second coming of Ben Arfa – showing just as much flair and creativity.

Here’s what they had to say on Twitter:

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…

Paul Merson has launched into a passionate rant insisting that nobody was surprised by Arsenal’s defeat to Sheffield United, per Sky Sports.

What’s he said?

The Gunners fell to a disappointing loss at Bramall Lane, as Lys Mousset’s goal capped a fine result for Chris Wilder’s men.

Merson, though, was unsurprised and has passionately called for the club to change their ways, making a particular point that he cannot imagine any player “going ballistic” in a bid to change their fortunes.

He said: “It’s accepted. Nobody is going to work the next morning and saying: ‘Oh my God, did you see Arsenal getting beat by Sheffield United?’ Those days are gone. It’s accepted through the club, the fans, the manager, everyone.

“Sheffield United played as much football as Arsenal. They didn’t kick them off the pitch.

“What has improved? Really, what has improved? Not a lot, at all.”

He added: “Even at the end, with four minutes to go, I’m thinking: ‘Do they know how long is left?’ I’m sure there’s an electric clock at Sheffield United, there was when I played there! ‘Is there going to be a bit of urgency?’

“It was rolled along the back, back to the goalkeeper, and then back again. I thought there were 20 minutes to go!

“Overall, it was poor. This was a very difficult game, but there are ways to lose football matches, and this wasn’t it. I didn’t see the urgency, and I can’t imagine anyone in that dressing room going ballistic. It’s just accepted: ‘Who have we got next week?’ It drives me up the wall. It’s so frustrating.”

Spot on

Merson has nailed it.

He might be something of a figure of fun because of his performances on Soccer Saturday, where he all too regularly mispronounces names and comes out with the odd left-field opinion.

But here, when talking about his club, it becomes patently obvious that he cares deeply about Arsenal.

And he was forced to sit and watch as 90 minutes slipped by at Bramall Lane, along with three points.

Unai Emery is in his second season at the club and, yet, the same old failings are rearing their ugly heads: the lack of desire, the lack of energy, the lack of passion.

Of course, simply adding a few players who would shout and scream in the dressing room isn’t going to improve things overnight.

But one has to believe that there is a need to have more leaders in that squad than it currently has.

As Merson says, very few people will have been surprised by Monday’s result.

That is perhaps the Gunners’ major failing.