All posts by z3u9t.icu

Many Liverpool fans voiced their frustration with Jordan Henderson during the Premier League clash with Leicester City on Tuesday night. 

Liverpool were looking to return to winning ways after their six-game streak was halted by a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 19 December.

Leicester, meanwhile, were facing a title contender for the second time in three days, having lost 6-3 at league leaders Manchester City on Boxing Day.

Henderson’s Leicester struggle

Henderson returned to the starting line-up after missing the Spurs draw through illness.

Jurgen Klopp selected him alongside Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his three-man midfield.

He took on three shots from range in the first half of the match, but all three of them missed the target.

The Reds skipper also misplaced 13 of the 47 passes he attempted, meaning his accuracy was only 72 per cent.

Here’s what a selection of supporters on Twitter made of the 31-year-old’s display at The King Power Stadium, as he was eventually withdrawn for Roberto Firmino while the Reds fell six points behind Manchester City…

These Liverpool fans lay into Henderson

“Henderson has been abysmal”

Credit: @Liverpxxl

“Every week I shed another tear at the fact that we extended henderson’s contract”

Credit: @RHLFC7

“Henderson can’t keep getting away with these performances”

Credit: @kwaku_tvb

“Henderson disasterclass and mane awful”

Credit: @kop_for_ever

“Love watching Henderson sky volleys into the 30th row”

Credit: @commenterlfc

“Get Henderson off immediately and terminate his contract. Awful awful player, who gave this imbecile an extension?”

Credit: @LaVillanelle

In other news, fans mocked this Mohamed Salah claim.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte could be without one of his key first-team stars this afternoon…

What’s the latest?

Spurs welcome Newcastle United to north London as both teams return to Premier League action following the international break, and the Italian will be hoping to maintain ground in the race for a top-four finish.

But ahead of kick-off, some worrying news has emerged as Sergio Reguilon could be a surprise absentee after pulling up in training on Thursday, as revealed by football.london reporter Alasdair Gold.

‘football.london understands that Sergio Reguilon pulled up in training on Thursday with a problem and had to leave the session,’ he wrote.

Huge blow

Whilst not in the best of form, the absence of the Spanish wing-back would still be something of a major blow to Conte and the Spurs squad, especially as this game will be too soon for his alternative, Ryan Sessegnon, to return.

“The good news is that [Oliver] Skippy and Sessegnon are very close to being back with the team, to having training sessions with us. They are not yet ready for the game against Newcastle, but they are improving,” the Italian revealed in his pre-game press conference.

The prospect of playing the Magpies without an out-and-out left wing-back is certainly cause for concern, even more so given the fact that Conte’s system relies so heavily on attacking influence in the role.

Reguilon is amongst Spurs’ most creative options, averaging 1.3 key passes per game, a feat only bettered by frontline duo Heung-min Son (two) and Dejan Kulusevski (1.7), as per WhoScored.

Elsewhere, the former Real Madrid dynamo has been a key influence defensively too, where he has registered an average of 1.6 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game; numbers that exceed that of Sessegnon.

If unavailable, it leaves Conte with little options.

Matt Doherty could switch across to the other flank, something he has done only three times across his last 50 competitive appearances in all competitions, whilst there could be a change in formation that sees Ben Davies deployed in his natural left-back role amongst a back four, rather than three.

That’s something the Italian has done just once since being appointed as Nuno Santo’s successor, resulting in a 2-0 defeat to his former club, Chelsea.

Without Reguilon, Conte will be handed a late dilemma over team selection and that will surely leave him absolutely gutted, if not fuming as injuries show no sign of easing up at Hotspur Way.

AND in other news, Forget Davies: Conte must start £27m-rated Spurs “beast” today, it could be game-changing…

West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee claimed earlier this week that the London Stadium natives were in talks with Joao Mario’s agent over a potential return to the Premier League, which could see David Sullivan acquire superb midfield depth for David Moyes.

The Irons are expected to strengthen their engine room in the upcoming off-season, to add numbers to a unit currently featuring just Tomas Soucek, Declan Rice and veteran captain Mark Noble.

Mario may emerge as an option for the east Londoners as he will enter the final year of his Inter Milan contract this summer, and is currently on loan with Liga NOS giants Sporting CP.

The Leoes are keen to retain Mario beyond his temporary spell, with reports by O Jogo last month stating that discussions were already underway after Inter Milan let it be known that the 28-year-old is available for a fee of €10m (£8.5m).

There is confidence at the Estadio Jose Alvalade that Mario will stay at the club, and it is believed that he is likewise keen to secure a permanent move following the performances of Ruben Amorim’s side this season.

But Irons insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that Mario’s agent has been in touch with the London Stadium natives to sound out any interest in a return to the Premier League, following a loan spell for the latter half of the 2017/18 season.

A return is expected to hinge on whether or not Moyes feels Mario can still perform in the English top-flight, yet word of a potential reunion has excited some supporters.

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Moyes was at the West Ham helm when Mario moved to England in the final days of the 2018 winter market, and was left impressed by the 46-cap Portugal international’s performances over the following months.

“I think Joao Mario has done well since he came in,” Moyes said that April. “He brings a little bit of flair, he’s good on the ball, and a bit of natural talent. What goes unnoticed is that he’s actually a really hard-working boy as well.”

Mario only scored twice and offered one assist over his 14 appearances in claret and blue, but his importance on the pitch helped the Hammers to stave off the threat of relegation after arriving with the club just four points clear of the bottom three.

A return to Inter Milan only saw him start 12 of 20 Serie A outings before a move to Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow and later Sporting CP for the current term, where the midfielder has been a mainstay missing just two Liga NOS fixtures and starting 19 of 22 appearances.

His creativity has again been lacking for the Leoes with two goals and one assist to date, but the hard-working £88,000-per-week maestro has offered a box-to-box presence that could offer Moyes superb depth if signed this summer.

Mario has offered Sporting a higher average volume of shots from central and holding midfield positions per 90 minutes (0.9) this season than West Ham have seen from Rice (0.8) in the Premier League, and records 1.4 tackles to the Englishman and Soucek’s 1.9, per WhoScored.

He further carries possession up the field more successful with 2.1 dribbles per 90 to Rice (0.9), Noble (0.8) and Soucek (0.4), and provides more key passes (1.3) than each of the Irons trio (0.7 Rice, 0.5 Soucek, 0 Noble).

Mario may not prove to be a ground-breaking signing if brought back to the London Stadium, but Sullivan would add experienced depth capable of delivering when needed if he convinces Moyes to accept a summer transfer.

AND in other news, David Moyes could discover his Jesse Lingard replacement in a “gifted” £18m-rated maestro…

Craig Hope has dropped a big revelation on the potential new owners amid the ongoing Newcastle United takeover saga.

Writing in his latest piece for the Daily Mail, the football journalist has revealed that the St. James’ Park faithful’s proposed new owners ‘do not wish to keep’ any of the staff working at their retail store, with Mike Ashley closing it down and making all of the staff redundant.

Hope has also claimed that the developments around the club store is a move that insiders say ‘points towards a development’ in the proposed deal between Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

It is understood that the change is one of the conditions of the bid, and there is a mention of incoming owners in a letter that has since been sent to staff with regards to the situation.

Newcastle takeover sign?

There would not be any talk of the potential new owners and what they want to do with the Magpies if there was not still a chance that they could take over.

Thus, it is an encouraging sign that the takeover could still go through for the Toon, even if it is followed by the sad news of redundancies being made.

Nonetheless, the saga does not seem to be dead in the water just yet, with a pending arbitration case between NUFC and the Premier League to come.

It could also mean the end of Steve Bruce’s time at the club, something which is sure to be music to fans’ ears, as one pundit claimed this week that the new owners want the former Aston Villa boss out on arrival.

In other news, find out who the potential new owners have been claimed to want out if the takeover is completed here!

Glasgow Rangers recorded a 3-1 victory over Motherwell on Saturday lunchtime, with the win moving the Ibrox outfit to within three points of the current Scottish Premiership leaders.

The Light Blues scored the opener after only 15 minutes, with James Tavernier swinging a cross in that eventually resulted in Motherwell’s Liam Kelly scoring an own goal, harshly denying Scott Wright.

Leon Balogun was sent off for the Gers after half an hour following a poor challenge and this initially swung the momentum to the home side, who equalised shortly after.

However, following the half-time interval, Rangers went up a gear and secured all three points with goals from the impressive Wright and Tavernier sealing the victory at Fir Park.

And, in the absence of both Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos, the real hero for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side was Fashion Sakala, who terrorised the Motherwell defence throughout the tie.

Sakala passed Van Bronckhorst’s test

In possession, the Zambian was a constant threat in the final third, registering one shot, making two key passes, completing all four of his attempted dribbles and creating one big chance for his teammates – proving that he was extremely lively in Rangers’ attempts to secure the win.

However, the biggest moment came when the player Alan Hutton claimed “plays at 100mph” was through on goal and managed to win a penalty for Gers, giving Tavernier the chance to put his side two goals ahead, with the captain duly delivering.

The Zambian international also made two tackles, one clearance, and won eight of his 12 duels – a success rate of 67% – showing that he can get his hands dirty and help the team out defensively, this was vital when Motherwell had all the momentum after Balogun’s sending off.

Overall, Sakala was fantastic – something that was reflected in his 7.6 SofaScore match rating, the best of any Gers player on the day – with his performance undoubtedly pleasing Van Bronckhorst greatly, as the £10k-per-week hitman certainly passed the Dutchman’s big test ahead of the club’s upcoming Europa League semi-final.

AND in other news: Van Bronckhorst can brutally axe “shaky” Rangers dud in deal for “annoyingly brilliant” £0 machine

Celtic will continue to monitor Airdrie winger Thomas Robert over the coming months after he impressed on trial in recent weeks.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who claim that the Hoops are yet to offer the 20-year-old a deal, or hold talks with the League One side over a potential transfer.

Celtic’s reasons for Robert stall

The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the season after being watched by Nick Hammond back in December, so could end up joining the club for a nominal fee.

Football Insider claim that Celtic have decided to hold off on tying up a deal for Robert due to the club’s ongoing search for a director of football, as well as a new manager.

There have been reports of a mass overhaul at the club this summer, and it seems the club have decided to halt transfer activity while they sift through the impending chaos.

Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if Robert impressed at Lennoxtown, but holding off on a potential transfer until off-field positions are filled seems to be a sensible decision.

Liam Shaw’s summer move was officially announced on Wednesday, however, that deal was reportedly secured during Neil Lennon’s tenure in the Celtic Park hotseat.

Lennon’s long-term successor and the new director of football may well end up giving the green light to a deal for Robert, who has been involved in six goals this season. However, holding off for now appears to be the correct decision.

In a recent interview, former Southampton sporting director Les Reed has confirmed that Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy was once on the Saints’ transfer radar.

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview, Reed confirmed that Vardy is one of a number of Leicester players who was admired by Southampton during his time at the club.

Since signing from Fleetwood Town in 201,2 the striker has well and truly established himself as a legend at the King Power Stadium, playing a key role in their shock title win in 2015/16.

In 352 appearances for the Foxes, he has contributed an impressive 147 goals and 61 assists, whilst he also earned 26 caps for England.

Whilst he is now 34-years-old, he shows little sign of slowing down, as he managed 15 goals and nine assists in 34 Premier League appearances last season, earning a superb 7.11 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

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Although Southampton have a talismanic striker of their own in Danny Ings, the former Liverpool man has hit just 55 Premier League goals in his career, which is significantly fewer than the 118 scored by Vardy.

That Southampton were interested in the “unbelievable” Vardy during his time at Fleetwood, when he cost Leicester just £1m, then he surely would’ve proven to be a superb bargain signing at St Mary’s had they made a move for him,

It is difficult to know whether he would’ve enjoyed the same almost inconceivable success he has managed with Leicester City with the Saints, but it’s hard to think he wouldn’t have justified that £1m, at worst, so looking back with hindsight, Reed not managing to bring him to St Mary’s looks like a bit of a disaster.

And, in other news… Semmens signs Danjuma, no Djenepo: How Southampton could look under Hasenhuttl next season

Everton are reportedly in pole position to sign Denzel Dumfries in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Coleman replacement needed

Given that Seamus Coleman is now 32 years of age, and will turn 33 near the start of the new season in October, the Goodison Park faithful really need to start thinking about replacing him for the longer term.

At just 25 and also captain of his own club in PSV, Dumfries could well be an ideal fit.

The Latest: Everton eye Dumfries

As per Il Mattino (via Sport Witness), the Merseyside club ‘seem to be on pole’ with regards to the potential signing of Dumfries, with Napoli also interested in his signature.

However, given that he has been picked for the Netherlands for their Euro 2020 squad, a lot more clubs are likely to join the race come the end of the tournament if he performs well.

The Verdict: No brainer

It is surely a no brainer for the Toffees to go out and sign Dumfries, as he could well turn out to be the perfect long-term replacement for Coleman.

The right-back, currently valued at £14.4m by Transfremarkt), showing just how much of a threat he is going forward from defence.

Being the captain of a club with huge domestic expectations in PSV, he would also bring extra leadership qualities, and at 25, he is also of a good age as opposed to the 32-year-old Coleman.

Marcel Brands is thought to be a big fan, and it is not hard to see why.

Nonetheless, it is surely a no brainer for the Blues to bring in Dumfries, before he starts to attract attention from top clubs during the Euros.

In other news, find out what manager update has left EFC fans fuming here!

Rob Lee has exclusively told Football FanCast that Callum Wilson could be the key to Newcastle’s survival chances.

Newcastle slipped further into trouble following their defeat at Brighton on Saturday, leaving Steve Bruce’s team just two points above the bottom-three heading into the international break.

That result was the Magpies’ sixth Premier League game without victory, which has coincided with the injury to top scorer Callum Wilson.

The former Bournemouth striker sustained a hamstring problem during Newcastle’s win over Southampton last month, which was the last time Bruce’s men tasted victory.

Prior to his setback, Wilson had scored 10 Premier League goals this season, which is more than 30 percent of the goals they’ve netted in the league.

And Lee told Football FanCast that Wilson’s return can’t come soon enough for the St James’ Park oufit:

“You get him back after the international break, he’s the one that can save the season because he’s the guy that can score goals out of nothing.

“Even when we’re not playing well, which is a lot, he can still score. And that’s the different between somebody staying up and going down.”

Newcastle have won seven Premier League games this season, with Wilson scoring in five of those. So if Bruce’s men are to finish above the dotted-line, Wilson is certainly going to play his part.

Luke Edwards has dropped a worrying claim involving Newcastle United and the chances of late transfer business.

The Lowdown: Low-budget deals

The St. James’ Park faithful have been linked with a number of low-budget deals involving players such as Hamza Choudhury, Mouctar Diakhaby and Lee Kang-In.

However, with only a few days left until the summer window ends, they need to seriously get a move on if anyone else is planned to arrive in the North East.

The Latest: Edwards on transfer

Writing in his official Twitter page, Edwards has claimed that now ‘there is a growing possibility’ that the Tyneside club will not add any more players to the squad before the deadline hits.

This is because the Magpies are saying that ‘there isn’t money to do it’, even on loan, meaning that they may need to sell players first.

The Verdict: Worrying

It is certainly worrying to hear for the Toon Army that they may not be able to bring anyone else in before the deadline.

Joe Willock has been the only player that has been brought in on a permanent deal so far from Arsenal, and he was in the squad last season anyway, albeit on loan.

Nonetheless, serious questions will need to be asked of the board and Mike Ashley in particular that Steve Bruce is not been given more money to spend in this window.

In other news, find out whose display against Southampton was criticised here!