All posts by z3u9t.icu

After falling to yet another poor result in London last week to West Ham, Leeds United welcome another one of the capital’s Premier League sides in Chelsea on early Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men are going through a bit of a sticky patch in terms of their form, with just one win in their previous five top-flight games.

A clash against Thomas Tuchel’s Blues, who are yet to lose under their new manager, is hardly the kind of easy game to get the Whites back on track, but it’s one they may feel they could play without pressure.

The Leeds boss has also been boosted by the return to fitness of a couple of key players ahead of the game, and he may be tempted to make some changes to just freshen things up a little after the 2-0 defeat to the Hammers last time out.

With that in mind, below is a look at how Leeds might line up when Chelsea come to Elland Road.

In goal, Illan Meslier will be hoping to keep his ninth Premier League clean sheet of the season, and the Frenchman could see one big change ahead of him in the back four.

If Stuart Dallas continues in central midfield, Gjanni Alioski could come in at left-back, with the 29-year-old having come on at half-time to good effect at the London Stadium – his total of three key passes was better than any Leeds player on the pitch, despite only playing half the game.

In midfield, the £45k-a-week earning Mateusz Klich’s half-time withdrawal has surely seen Bielsa run out of patience with him, and Rodrigo’s return to full fitness could see the Spaniard come into the starting line-up in his place – putting the summer signing so soon after his injury comeback would be a bold call, but it’s one which could just inject some fresh energy into the side.

Out wide, Helder Costa’s poor run of form in the last couple of weeks is deserving of being dropped, and that could open up a spot for Jack Harrison to reclaim his place in the team.

Predicted XI: Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Cooper, Alioski; Phillips, Raphinha, Dallas, Rodrigo, Harrison; Bamford.

Meanwhile, Leeds are facing a potential transfer mistake with this man…

Lee Ryder has named five different managers who could eventually replace Steve Bruce at Newcastle United.

However, writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the football journalist has also claimed that Mike Ashley wants to give the former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss ‘every chance’ to save the season and avoid being relegated from the Premier League.

The chief executive of Sports Direct would also like to avoid paying out a potential seven-figure sum to Bruce if he was to decide to let him go.

Nonetheless, Ryder has named Eddie Howe, Mark Hughes, Frank Lampard, Arsene Wenger and Roberto Martinez as potential replacements for the 60-year-old should he leave the St. James’ Park faithful.

Bruce should be under pressure

There is no doubt whatsoever that Bruce should be put under pressure to deliver results given that the North East club are currently in serious danger of going down, with a crunch game against fellow relegation rivals Brighton and Hove Albion just around the corner.

All of the managers mentioned above by Ryder have previous experience of managing in the top flight, and in Wenger’s case winning the league on no fewer than three separate occasions, including the Invincibles season with Arsenal, while Lampard has won it three times as a player with Chelsea.

Nonetheless, Bruce’s position may finally be looked at by Ashley if the Tyneside club are to suffer relegation, and if any of these five men are still out of work in the summer, then it could be an ideal opportunity for the Magpies to pounce.

In other news, find out what claim an arbitrator has dropped on Michael Beloff amid the pending takeover hearing here!

According to information courtesy of Daily Mail correspondents Jack Gaughan and Matt Hughes, via City Xtra, Manchester City star Raheem Sterling is setting up his own football agency and will conduct his own Sky Blue contract negotiations with legal advice.

Sterling, who was Pep Guardiola’s top scorer in all competitions last season with 31 goals (Transfermarkt), has been the subject of speculation linking him with a new and improved deal at the Etihad Stadium.

Providing the latest update, journalists Gaughan and Hughes claimed that the Englishman will look for improved terms on his current £300,000-per-week contract and is now setting up his own football agency, meaning he will conduct his own negotiations with legal help, per City Xtra.

This could mean that Sterling looks set to be without the traditional football agent for his talks as he takes charge of his own affairs – an interesting move given the debatable stigma which surrounds representatives like Mino Raiola, for example.

Amid the 26-year-old’s bad run of form, with his latest outing against Leeds United attracting some criticism, this move by Sterling has still been praised by many City supporters on social media.

Some fans also believe he deserves a new deal, which is understandable considering he is still yet to hit his prime and has bagged an incredible 113 goals and 86 assists in all competitions since signing in 2015 (Transfermarkt).

While the vast majority of supporters praised this development, with one labelling it ‘brilliant’, there was also some who called it ‘ridiculous’ given Sterling’s current form – he is without a goal in his last seven appearances.

Find some of the supporters’ verdicts below.

Man City fans flock to Sterling contract claim

“Give Sterling whatever he wants”

Credit: @AK10_03

“Sterling making big moves”

Credit: @MrBowser1YT

“Very Deserved”

Credit: @mcfcR16

“Love this. Says something about the way contract negotiations are handled at City these days”

Credit: @Bubbleg58159799

“Brilliant stuff”

Credit: @ctiddanny86

“City players love it so much at City they don’t use agents.

We are many levels above the rest”

Credit: @MCFCTone

“Sterling is a club legend by now tbf”

Credit: @SsonSummerbee

“This is just ridiculous , a player on this amount shouldn’t be disappearing when we need him most , man has been scamming City”

Credit: @fredijeh2

In other news: Man City fans weren’t impressed with his ace’s performance, find out more here.

Lee Johnson may have got this Sunderland side playing better football but there is one thing he cannot seem to control – injuries.

It has been a wretched few months in terms of fitness for his players. At the moment, he is missing Conor McLaughlin, Denver Hume, Bailey Wright, Jordan Willis and Grant Leadbitter.

He was set to receive an injury boost this week with Tom Flanagan approaching fitness again. Last week, the manager admitted that he was a week away from returning. That meant he should have been fit to face Rochdale on Saturday.

However, as revealed by Johnson this week, Flanagan has suffered a setback in his bid to return and now looks as though he’ll miss this weekend’s game.

Speaking this week, the Mackems boss said: “Tom has got a deferred injury.

“He broke his foot and that caused him to run differently, that led to the calf injury, and now compensating for his calf he has now felt his hip flexor. He’s like the man who swallowed the bird to catch the spider to catch the fly!”

Johnson further commented on his injury on Friday afternoon, suggesting the defender wasn’t a million miles away from coming back.

Johnson must be tearing his hair out at the moment. Very rarely has he been able to play his strongest XI and, with Sunderland aiming to get promoted, that’s far from ideal.

If he is searching for positives, however, it’s that the Black Cats have coped adequately without Flanagan in the side.

It’s been a risk but the Mackems have converted Luke O’Nien into a centre-half and, alongside Dion Sanderson, they have been superb.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-news-and-gossip” title=” Latest Sunderland news and gossip!”]

Sunderland have kept three clean sheets in their last four, even with five defenders all on the treatment table.

With Flanagan set to miss out again this weekend, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he keeps faith with Sanderson and O’Nien.

That being said, just imagine how good Sunderland could be once everyone is fit and healthy. This squad has high potential under Johnson if he ever gets the chance to harness it.

Sitting fourth in League One, this could be the year they finally bounce back to the Championship.

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

Manchester City moved up to second place in the Premier League after a comprehensive 4-0 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday evening.

Goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Raheem Sterling and a brace from centre-back John Stones secured the three points as Pep Guardiola’s side continued their superb run of recent form.

However, not every City player would impress against the Eagles, with Bernardo Silva extremely disappointing on the right-wing for the Citizens.

As per SofaScore, the former Monaco man would pick up a 6.6 rating for his performance, which comfortably ranked him as City’s worst player of those that started the game.

During his hour on the pitch, the winger completed 29/34 passes, resulting in a pass accuracy rate of 84%, which is lower than his season average of 89.8%.

After his brace in the FA Cup against Birmingham City last weekend, there were perhaps hopes that Silva’s form would improve but he is still without a single goal or an assist in the top-flight so far this season, something which will certainly concern Guardiola.

During his time on the pitch against Roy Hodgson’s side, the 26-year-old failed to find a City shirt with either of his two crosses, whilst neither of his two long balls were accurate, suggesting that his passing was nowhere near his best standards on Sunday evening.

Whilst winning duels is not the winger’s strongest point, the fact that he failed to win any of his four duels during the game is slightly concerning, as it represents a real decline from his performance against Brighton in midweek, where he won seven duels and earned an impressive 7.6 rating.

Silva also lost possession on 10 occasions against Palace, whilst he failed to attempt a single dribble, or even have a single shot on goal with the Crystal Palace defenders clearly getting the better of him.

Therefore, it would definitely be fair to suggest that Silva was nowhere near his usual standard son Sunday evening and as such, he will be Guardiola’s one disappointment from a hugely positive win.

And, in other news… Manchester City can sign their Gundogan heir in £30m beast who “dreams of playing in the CL”

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers are struggling to offload Brandon Barker due to the huge wages he is on after being signed by Mark Allen.

Barker remains a problem

Barker signed for the Gers in August 2019 on a free transfer from Manchester City (Transfermarkt), but he has struggled to make an impact at Ibrox, scoring just three times in 26 appearances. During the previous transfer window, he moved on loan to Oxford United.

This latest report suggests the Gers are struggling to sell the 24-year-old permanently due to the “huge” wage he was given by previous sporting director Allen.

Difficult situation

While the 54-time Scottish champions may seem well-run right now, that wasn’t always the case. Nine years ago, they entered administration (BBC) and were demoted to the fourth tier of Scottish football, and some of the deals even in more recent years have not made too much sense.

Barker is under contract at Rangers until the end of the 2021/22 season. If they cannot find a buyer for him in the summer, the next-best solution would be another loan deal. At least in that case, a club would contribute to his wages, freeing up some space in the Gers’ financial books as a result. Either way, it is hard to see how he works his way into Steven Gerrard’s plans on the field.

In other news, Rangers fans slam this Ewan Murray tweet.

Many Aston Villa fans are reacting to the latest comments from Dean Smith on injured star and attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

Grealish’s return date is unconfirmed at the moment, but the Villa manager tried to shed as much light as possible as he said: “I saw him before the game and he said to me if he gets on the grass he’s playing (vs Newcastle). But I said to him, ‘I’ve got to pick you first!’ which he laughed at…”

The Villans are definitely missing an attacking threat without the talisman as they drew 0-0 against rivals Wolves on Saturday night. With the English international picking up six goals and ten assists this season (WhoScored), he could have been the difference between a draw and a win.

The only worrying thing about this latest update on the player is that he is still not back on the grass, and this may be a cause of concern for many fans of the club.

Hopefully the fact that they are mentioning the Newcastle game as a possibility means that he will be back, but for now it seems “touch-and-go”, in the words of Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece.

Here is how Villa fans reacted to the comments from Smith:

“I don’t get it. Surely if he’s pain free and the players wants to play, no-one knows better than the player? Our medical staff are OTT.”

Credit: @AvfcSims

“That sounds hopeful that he will be back for Newcastle. Thought that midfield in first half was excellent, jack in the team and Traore other side or another winger and that is a real strong team”

Credit: @NashNash194

“We need Jack even if he is limping!”

Credit: @techvesting1

“Shouldn’t be needing to rush Jack against the likes of Newcastle, on the bench would still be a boost.”

Credit: @CS_UTV

“Don’t rush him back half fit we’re not in a relegation battle now.”

Credit: @jamsey55

“Judging by the second half display today, he will need to pick Jack even if he is half of his usual self”

Credit: @Berdan08914685

In other Villa news, some fans have been piling praise on one star at the club following his latest comments. Have a read who it is here!

Aston Villa’s summer transfer window may not have been the meteoric affair of 2019, but they still spent a hefty amount of cash.

Ollie Watkins arrived for a fee of £28m while Matty Cash also walked through the door. However, it’s been a player they signed on a mere loan deal that’s arguably been the most impressive.

We’re talking about Ross Barkley, a man who has established a tremendous partnership with Jack Grealish. The Chelsea loanee has contributed to three goals in just six Premier League games and is very quickly proving himself to be a creative gem once more.

However, in landing the Englishman, Johan Lange turned down the opportunity of trying to sign Norwich wizard Emiliano Buendia.

The Argentine scored just once in the Premier League last season but has earned talk of a move to the likes of Villa (print version of The Sun, 8/9/20), Leeds and Arsenal.

His form in the Championship dictates how good he can be, finding the back of the net on seven occasions and registering six assists.

Yet, he saved one of his best displays of the season for Barnsley last weekend. Buendia was the game’s only goal scorer as he demonstrated outstanding qualities, ones that typify the “revelation” tag he was given by Chris Sutton.

Against the Tykes, he was absolutely mesmeric, performing as many as six dribbles and producing three key passes. Judging by that performance it was somewhat surprising that the Canaries only managed to score once.

Buendia was everywhere, winning 12 duels and producing 86 touches, drifting inside from the left-hand channel on a regular basis. It’s that type of style that makes him so dangerous, picking up little pockets of space between midfield and attack.

In some senses, he does what Grealish does but from the opposite flank. Just imagine what the pair of them could do in the same team – it really is a frightening prospect.

This display only demonstrated why Villa have to try and sign Buendia this month – he is a creative genius and would undoubtedly improve Dean Smith’s side.

AND in other news, Forget Ramsey: Lange must seal bargain AVFC swoop for 5-goal gem with “good physique”…

Marlon Harewood has tipped Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard to give Jermain Defoe a new contract.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast reporter Tom Ward, the former Premier League striker believes the Ibrox boss is most likely to green light a new deal for the veteran, 38, at the end of the season.

Defoe recently revealed he wanted to earn a contract extension in an interview with the BBC’s Football Daily show as his current contract is set to expire in 2021.

His £65,000-per-week wages make him the club’s highest-paid player, which could somewhat complicate the matter, especially when you consider the fact that he earns nearly double what Alfredo Morelos currently receives.

But Harewood insists his former teammate has more than justified a new deal as he has continued to score goals on a good level consistently.

He told FFC: “I played with him at West Ham and he was unbelievable.

“Knowing Stevie G [sic], I would’ve thought so because at the same time it keeps the other strikers on their toes, knowing you’ve got this legend who can still bang goals in at his age, they’re the sort of players that you want around your squad.

“So, I would give him a new contract because he’s just going to go somewhere else and do what he’s got to do. At his age, he’s still proving he can score goals and be a threat.”

Gerrard has some big decisions to make regarding the first-team squad as he has several players with deals running out next summer, with Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Leon Balogun also on the list.

Defoe has consistently been one of the most prolific centre-forwards in the world as his impressive resume more than speaks for itself – over 300 goals in his club career so far. He hit the milestone during the 2-0 win over Livingston in the Scottish Premiership last month.

Rangers reached a pre-contract agreement with the former 57-cap England international that saw him join from English Championship club Bournemouth in the summer, after initially arriving at Ibrox on loan in 2019

Since then, he has made 56 appearances for Gerrard’s side, scoring 27 goals and supplying 10 assists in all competitions.

Recently described as a “superb” beast by Gers assistant manager Gary McAllister after the Livingston win, Defoe has still found his chances limited this season, having made just three appearances in the Premiership, as he faces stiff competition from Morelos as well as new recruits Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe for a place in the starting line-up.

As we’ve previously discussed, we would have no qualms if Ross Wilson ultimately decided to cash in on him, as he has less than 12 months left on his current deal.

With that being said, these kind of numbers would be equally hard to replace, as Itten has arguably struggled to hit the ground running, with just two goals in his last ten games for his new club to his name. One more year will hardly hurt, that’s for sure, as he may be willing to take another wage reduction as well. Let’s face it, the Gers are probably better off getting rid of Greg Stewart instead.

AND in other news, Rangers receive huge injury boost as Leon Balogun survives unscathed against Sierra Leone…

David Moyes must wield the axe on Sebastien Haller and strive to sign a replacement in January after the West Ham striker’s struggles against Manchester United on Saturday.

The Frenchman once again led the line at the London Stadium after Michail Antonio developed a second hamstring injury of the season, opening the door for Haller to well and truly establish himself.

Moyes had been reluctant to trust Haller before losing Antonio during October’s draw with Manchester City, with the Ivory Coast international playing just 29 minutes over the opening five games of the league campaign.

The moment Moyes felt he had Antonio at his services again, he started the English centre-forward but he was made to regret the decision when forced to introduce Haller at half-time in Monday night’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

Moyes would have hoped to see Haller bounce back from his benching when he started him against Manchester United with West Ham enjoying by far the better start of the two sides, yet instead the 26-year-old was made to pay for a costly slip after rounding Dean Henderson.

Haller had the chance to double West Ham’s advantage after Tomas Soucek headed home to open the scoring, but failed to keep his balance and the chance to strike his third Premier League goal of the season went begging.

Moyes tried to hide his disappointment after the match, claiming Haller was offside before the slip. Though his frustration at West Ham’s overall slack shooting proved he can never trust the £45million club-record signing to deliver when it counts.

“I think the big thing, I think it was offside. Because the linesman didn’t flag you put it down as a chance and in my book, it was an offside decision so it never became a chance,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london. “I haven’t looked back at it but the word I got was that it was offside anyway.

“I thought the biggest thing tonight was that we had a great chance to go two or three up, maybe even more. We played really well but we didn’t kill it off when we had the chance to do so, show a clinical edge to our finishing or our final pass which was needed. I think that was what cost us tonight.”

Haller had the perfect chance to prove himself to Moyes against Manchester United, yet now has an uphill fight to potentially save his London Stadium future amid claims the West Ham boss “isn’t convinced” by him and that the club may listen to offers this winter.

Moyes should not need to call on the £27m-rated striker to improve having done so already, claiming last month via quotes by the Evening Standard: “He’s got a very good capacity to run, he’s an incredibly fit athlete, a powerful man, 6tft 4in. So, he’s got an awful lot of good attributes, and let me tell you he can run.

“He’s got a very good reputation. He’s the one who has to maintain that, and that’s by showing what he can do.”

West Ham are continually being linked with potential attacking reinforcements ahead of the mid-season market, with Real Madrid duo Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz plus Olympique Lyonnais’ Moussa Dembele and alleged top-target AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King among the many to have been touted.

And Haller, after 27 games under Moyes, has been given plenty of opportunities to prove he can be trusted but Saturday showed he cannot.

AND in other news, David Sullivan has landed a huge boost in West Ham’s pursuit of a “very unique” gem.