All posts by z3u9t.icu

Everton slumped to their second consecutive defeat in the Premier League after they were thrashed 5-2 by Watford at Goodison Park.

It seemed as though it was going to be an easy afternoon’s work for the Toffees after Tom Davies’ third-minute strike gave them an early lead, but the visitors equalised through Josh King just 10 minutes later.

Former Hornets striker Richarlison then restored Everton’s lead after coming off the bench for Rafa Benitez’s charges ahead again, although their joy was short-lived once more. Juraj Kucka’s header drew Watford level late on before King then struck twice inside six minutes to complete his hat-trick, with Emmanuel Dennis putting the seal on an incredible comeback victory.

It was the Norwegian who stole the show as he fired Claudio Ranieri’s side to a much-needed three points, yet several Everton players were hugely disappointing throughout the 90 minutes.

Although goalkeeper Jordan Pickford conceded five goals in a humbling defeat for the England international, it was arguably midfielder Allan who put in the most underwhelming display among the home side.

As per SofaScore, the Brazil international received a match rating of just six out of 10, the second-lowest rating awarded to anyone on the pitch.

When taking a closer look at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why he was rated so low. Allan was dribbled past a whopping five times by an opposition player, won only three of his 11 duels (73% lost) and had a passing accuracy of just 77%.

With Abdoulaye Doucoure out injured, the 30-year-old was the most senior player in Benitez’s engine room, but he let his manager down with a hugely below-par showing this afternoon.

Both Allan and Benitez will be hoping for a much-improved performance against Wolves next time out, especially as Everton’s injury list shows no sign of diminishing for several weeks.

In other news… Report drops worrying Everton update over £40.5m-rated gem, fans will be concerned 

West Ham manager David Moyes has now made Torino star Andrea Belotti one of his side’s main transfer targets…

What’s the story?

According to WestHamFans.org, the Italy international has been identified by the Irons boss as one of his principal striker targets, and the 28-year-old has recently snubbed a move to the likes of Newcastle and Al-Hilal.

The report adds that West Ham would be able to sign him on a pre-contract deal for this summer due to his contract expiring rather than right now in this January transfer window.

Fans will be buzzing

If Hammers fans wanted a genuinely proven option up front to help compete with Michail Antonio, then Belotti certainly does fit that bill to a tee.

Vastly experienced with his time in Italian football, the forward was of course part of the Italy side that won last summer’s EUROs, and has got a phenomenal goal-scoring record, bagging 107 goals in just 238 games for Torino, and 137 goals over his senior club career.

Joe Hart, who played with Belotti in his time at Torino, praised him for his “instinct for goals”, and that kind of knack is something that you just don’t lose.

In the £25.2m-rated Belotti, they would be getting someone who has been banging in the goals in Serie A for a number of years now. The 28-year-old is the man who wears Torino’s armband, and has been hailed as a “real captain” for his performances for the club.

As well as the supply of goals that he would bring to the table, Belotti would bring some real leadership too, and fans will surely be buzzing at seeing him join.

Meanwhile, West Ham are also eyeing this “unplayable” winger…

Newcastle failed to escape the bottom three as they were swept aside 4-0 by Leicester City at the King Power on Sunday.

Jamaal Lascelles was adjudged to have brought James Maddison down in the box and Youri Tielemans stepped up to fire the ball into the top corner from 12 yards out.

Patson Daka then doubled the lead in the second half as he tapped into an empty net after brilliant work from Maddison and Harvey Barnes. Tielemans and Maddison both then found the back of the net in the final 10 minutes to complete the scoring.

Whilst it was a dismal afternoon for the Magpies and many players struggled, one player who failed to pull their weight was striker Callum Wilson.

Newcastle fans know how good he can be on his day, but he was unable to make a positive impact on the game. He has scored six Premier League goals this season, showing that he can make the difference in the final third at this level, but came away from the King Power without getting his name on the scoresheet.

Against the ball, he was a liability for the Magpies. As per SofaScore, he lost eight of his 12 duels – including all four of his aerial battles against the Leicester defenders. He also gave away two fouls and completed two tackles, which meant that he was successful in 50% of his challenges. This shows that he was too weak off the ball as he was shrugged out of the way too easily by the opposition.

The forward, who had fewer touches (23) than goalkeeper Martin Dubravka (35), was disappointing on the ball. Via SofaScore, he gave possession away 10 times from his 23 touches, resulting in just six completed passes out of nine attempts. He failed to create a single chance or manage a shot on the Leicester goal, whilst also failing with his one attempted dribble.

Given his goalscoring record and what is he capable of delivering at the top end of the pitch, this worrying performance will surely have left Howe feeling frustrated.

He was not the sole problem with the team’s display, given it was a 4-0 loss, but he did not do enough up front to drag them back into the game or cause Wilfred Ndidi and Caglar Soyuncu any real problems to deal with.

AND in other news, “Seriously interested”: Romano drops fresh NUFC transfer claim which fans will love…

As per TUTTOmercatoWEB, West Ham United boss David Moyes is ‘ready’ to offload another one of his players this summer – but on one condition.

The Lowdown: West Ham exits take shape?

Recent reports out of West Ham suggest that Moyes and co have made their decisions on certain squad members as summer exits begin to shape before July.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-newest-updates/” title=”West Ham newest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

As per Claret & Hugh, defender Ryan Fredericks, whose contract expires at the end of 2021/2022, is almost certain to leave the club as is fellow soon-to-be free agent Andriy Yarmolenko.

GSB are unlikely to offer the latter man fresh terms despite his Aston Villa and Sevilla heroics recently and it appears Moyes could be ready to axe another in loanee midfielder Alex Kral.

The Latest: West Ham open to Kral deal…

Currently on a temporary deal from Spartak Moscow, which contains an option to buy, it is believed that the Czech Republic international ‘could land in Italy this summer’ (TMW).

While West Ham consider Kral a ‘precious’ asset, Moyes and co are ‘ready’ to offload him if they receive an ‘excellent proposal’.

This comes as pre-summer ‘contacts’ emerge with both Bologna and Atalanta reaching out to the Irons.

The Verdict: Time to go?

Unable to get a look-in past Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, who have been mainstays in the middle of the park under Moyes, it may be time to let Kral leave the London Stadium in search of more game time.

Coming to east London with a fair bit of promise, it clearly hasn’t worked out for the 23-year-old and a move away may be best for both parties.

Perhaps the only scenario which would allow Kral more chances is the departure of Rice, but that is the last thing supporters want to see.

In other news: Sky Sports say West Ham could sign £21.6m-rated star who’s set to leave this summer! Find out more here.

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some manager news involving Duncan Ferguson.

As per the official website of the Merseyside club, he has now been appointed as the caretaker manager for the upcoming matches, after Rafa Benitez left his post following the 2-1 loss away at Norwich City in the Premier League.

Ferguson took charge of training at USM Finch Farm on Tuesday morning, as they prepare to face Aston Villa at Goodison Park at Saturday lunchtime, and he will be supported by John Ebbrell, Leighton Baines and Alan Kelly.

Of course, the Scotsman is a Toffees legend after so many years as both a player and coach, scoring 72 goals in 273 games in total. In his first stint as an interim manager, he was impressive, winning his opening fixture 3-1 at home to Chelsea back in 2019, while also picking up draws against both Manchester United and Arsenal (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, he seemingly looks to be a very popular appointment among the Blues supporters.

Everton fans on Ferguson manager news

These Evertonians buzzed as the manager news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that they are ‘delighted’:

“DUNCCC SIUUUUUUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @jayefc_

“Superb. I’m a big fan of this decision.”

Credit: @HeidiInteriors

“Brilliant news @Everton sensible decision”

Credit: @RichieRowlands

“The news I have been waiting for all week”

Credit: @Babby008

“Delighted.”

Credit: @stugriff31

“Yesssss”

Credit: @_Rob1878_

In other news, find out what interesting EFC claim Benitez has now made here!

Michael Ball has dropped a key claim on Rangers centre-forward Alfredo Morelos’ future…

What’s the talk?

Former Rangers defender Michael Ball has claimed that Alfredo Morelos ‘will’ leave the club as the Gers will want to maximise their profits on him.

He told This is Futbol:

“We know he will move on in the future, Rangers will want to capitalise on a good fee for him but it’s down to him, he’s got to be the key player week in and week out.”

Frustration

Rangers fans will surely be left feeling frustrated by this key transfer claim from Ball. Why is it inevitable for the club to sell star players? Supporters will want to see some ambition from Ross Wilson to retain Steven Gerrard’s top performers, rather than conceding that they will 100% leave.

Of course, there is sometimes little that can be done if a player is desperate to go and play for a top European side who are competing for the best trophies in football. For example, if Real Madrid, Manchester City or Chelsea came calling then you could excuse a player for wanting to move on, but is competing in midtable in the Premier League better than winning trophies with Rangers?

It is a subjective question and one that there is little point arguing over right now, but Wilson needs to put up a convincing case for the Gers in order to keep hold of players like Morelos. The Colombian striker has proven his worth in the Scottish Premiership and losing him would be a huge blow for Gerrard’s side.

Speaking anonymously to The Athletic in 2019, a Scottish Premiership player labelled Morelos as “non-stop” and praised the way his movement made him difficult to defend: “In my experience, he is just non-stop.

“There’s never a time when he’s walking about or not interested in the game. He’s always involved, whether that’s taking you away or dragging you closer to the ball.

“He’s kind of dropping deep now and going out wide. That’s a nightmare for defenders because he’s your player that you’re meant to be man-marking but then you’re dragged out of position and you’ve got midfield runners taking his space. That means you need to start talking to your full-backs and centre-mids to start swapping players, which makes it a lot more difficult.”

This highlights the problems he can cause defenders in Scotland, which is why Wilson must avoid a disaster over the gem. Fans will be frustrated if the club actively looks to sell him on without trying to pin him down to a new contract to keep him at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Gerrard must unleash “exciting” £4.5m-rated Rangers beast, he may get fans off seats…

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On Wednesday, a message on Leeds United’s official Twitter account revealed that Hadi Sacko had moved on loan to MKE Ankaragucu for the remainder of the season.

Sacko moved to Las Palmas on loan last summer, but only made five league appearances for the Canary islanders before returning to Elland Road.

The 24-year-old joined Leeds on a permanent deal from Sporting Lisbon in 2017 and he has actually made 60 appearances for the Whites in all competitions.

Sacko has been seriously out of favour for some time now, however, and it is not a surprise to see him leave the Whites on another loan.

The 6 foot ace does have a contract with Leeds until the end of next season though and it will be interesting to see what happens at the end of the current campaign.

For now, the winger has moved on and the Leeds fans have been on social media reacting to the exit:

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst is closing in on his first transfer window at Ibrox following his move to the club in November.

The January transfer window is just over a week away and with it comes heaps of speculation regarding players coming to and leaving Glasgow.

One player who could be on his way out is midfielder Ianis Hagi. It was recently reported that Galatasaray are set to have a meeting to discuss a potential swoop for the Romanian international, whilst Aston Villa have also been touted with an interest in his services.

Bye-bye Hagi

Rangers may well be waving bye-bye to Hagi if Galatasaray and Villa firm up their interest in the playmaker, but the Gers could sign a dream replacement in the form of Bologna’s Andreas Skov Olsen.

Italian outlet il Resto del Carlino recently claimed that Ross Wilson has made an enquiry to see if a deal is viable next month and the forward could solve a major problem for van Bronckhorst in terms of replacing Hagi should he leave Ibrox.

FFC published an article explaining why it could be beneficial for Rangers to sell the Romanian to kickstart a business model based around buying young talent and selling them on for profit. This would require the Gers to use a portion of their profits to sign prospects who could be worth more in the future and the signing of Olsen would tie in with this strategy.

The 21-year-old winger fits the profile of player the club should be looking at to continue to develop talents that they can sell on; young, experienced, potential, pedigree. He has already played 67 games in the Serie A and been capped 15 times by Norway at senior level, showing that he has been able to play regularly at the top despite his age.

Olsen has also shown promise with an impressive record in attack. He has scored 51 goals for his club sides and 19 for Norway at youth and senior level, meaning that he has 70 career strikes to date. In his last ten World Cup Qualifying outings for his country, he has averaged a superb WhoScored rating of 7.39 – with five goals and three assists to his name.

Consider those stats and his lethal left-foot, and it becomes clear to see why he models his game on Dutch legend Arjen Robben.

Therefore, the £5.85m-rated gem could be the perfect candidate to replace Hagi as his statistics suggest that he has the quality in the here-and-now to make an impact in the final third for Rangers to make up for the ex-Genk man’s exit.

Olsen also has the potential, given he is only 21, to improve further and be sold on for a profit further down the line, which could benefit the Gers in the short and long-term.

AND in other news, “He’s not going to” – Huge Rangers claim made that’ll have GVB and fans running scared…

Newcastle just recently got signed by the Saudi backed consortium, meaning the finances of the club have been positively impacted. The ambitions that Newcastle could have now when it comes to making signings on the market are hugely promising and are being spoken about in anticipation. It is believed that a reported £250 million has been added to the pot for the next player re-make and infrastructure meaning the next transfer opening couldn’t come quick enough.

The latest football betting odds around Newcastle and their possible next player signings are talk of the sporting realm at the moment, and for good reason really. The previous owner Mike Ashley did not really spend a great amount in the past transfer windows, so we could see a huge flip in the flexibility that comes with the next signings to come. The question is, who should Newcastle sign now and who should be on their radar?

Aaron Ramsey

The past couple of years have been quite tough on the player. Running his contract through to the end from Emirates, he then went to join Juventus in the year 2019. While he won in Serie A for his first season, this did not allow him to be established as a key player within the city of Turin. In total within his time at Juventus, he made just 24 appearances, in the first year of debut and only 22 within the term to pass. Ramsey has an uncertain future within the club and a transfer most definitely is imminent for the player. It would make complete sense for the player to come back to the Premier League, and Newcastle to welcome him with open arms.

While there is still no news to make this idea promising, it is a fact that several clubs within the Premier League are considering reaching out to give Aaron a chance. It is believed the current high wages are what make Ramsey one to be scratched off the list, however Newcastle now have the funds to expedite him if they feel he is worth the splurge. While this decision is nowhere set in stone, January’s short transfer season will most definitely reveal all. Ramsey just needs to replicate his English football career and skills, to be a decent offer to consider-especially with Juve’s fee to offload him being pretty minimal most likely. Suppose time will tell on this one.

Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho is another player like Ramsey, who was in the league and pinnacle point of his career within the Premier League, yet it never went to plan seeking opportunities abroad. Once quite influential within his time at Liverpool, Coutinho struggled to find space to settle at Barcelona F.C., nor did he manage to convince Bayern to make his loan become a permanent position of a transfer, despite winning the treble of Germany.

Since 2020, he has been with Barcelona, and it is believed Coutinho is the next casualty that is set to go because of Barcelona’s financial worries. While Phillippe is still a good player, his age and skills are not on level with Liverpool today, to be given another shot of a return. For that reason, Newcastle could be a super fit and solution for the player, to help the club climb up the ladder in terms of rankings.

Milan Skriniar

Inter Milan is another club that has entered financial difficulties recently. After investing so much to build the team that is readily able to win Serie A, they were forced to tear down components of their team to make way for the financial issues that they face. One of those is Milan Skriniar.

While Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi were necessary sacrifices, there is still pressure for the owners to dissolve some unnecessary expenses on the team at hand. The annual wage bill is reported to be massively high and not sustainable if they want to see through the years ahead. Even though Milan is very happy being at Inter, with his contract expiring in 2023, it would make sense for him to possibly be put on loan until, or be transferred permanently to a different team and league all together. Newcastle would certainly benefit here, and it is very likely that it would become a possibility within January’s approaching transfer window.

Despite all the talks of transfers, it is believed that Saudi PIF are in talks of buying Inter Milan too, however this will only be approved once new stadium plans are verified to move forward. In the meantime, there are other potential players for Newcastle, including Lautaro Martinez and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side heading into Tuesday evening’s Europa League tie knowing that nothing but a win would keep their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition alive, it would appear a fair assumption to make that the 56-year-old Hoops manager would have been extremely nervous ahead of kick-off.

However, despite failing to open the scoring, a dominant first half will undoubtedly have calmed Postecoglou’s nerves, before an extremely well worked Kyogo Furuhashi goal gave the Bhoys the lead early in the second half of the fixture. An 81st minute Balint Vecsei own goal then sealed the much-needed three points in an impressive 2-0 win over Ferencvarosi TC at Parkhead.

And, as is to be expected after such a result, a number of Postecoglou’s side turned in extremely impressive displays against the Hungarian champions, with eight of the 11 Celtic starters earning a SofaScore match rating of 7.00 or above.

However, despite the positives, one player who will more than likely be disappointed with his performance on Tuesday afternoon is Israeli winger, Liel Abada.

Lost 90% duels

Over the course of his 71 minutes on the pitch, the £2.7m-rated man put on a particularly abject display, contributing very little to the Celtic attack, nor helping his side much in a defensive capacity.

Indeed, the 20-year-old forward failed to hit the target with his one shot at the Ferencvarosi goal, in addition to not completing his one attempted dribble, failing with all five of his attempted crosses and his one attempted long ball and completing no key passes.

The Israel international also won just one of his 10 duels – a failure rate of 90% – ceded possession of the ball on 13 separate occasions, gave away two free-kicks and was dribbled past by an opponent twice.

These returns – or lack thereof – saw Abada receive an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.4, by far and away the worst rating awarded to any of the Celtic starters in the fixture.

As such, with both Mikey Johnston and Giorgos Giakoumakis appearing to be close to returning to full fitness – both of whom were introduced in the second half of the game – Postecoglou will certainly have a decision to make as to whether he sticks with the 20-year-old for the visit of St Johnstone this weekend, as the winger quite clearly failed the 56-year-old’s trust on Tuesday.

In other news: Celtic handed major injury boost on £2.25m-rated “monster”, Postecoglou surely buzzing