All posts by z3u9t.icu

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

Everton have made three signings during the January transfer window, however, they have not made any further additions since they sacked Rafa Benitez over a week ago.

Though, with less than a week to go they have been linked with a player who could potentially change the fate of their season.

The Toffees are struggling in the Premier League so far this term, finding themselves teetering on the edge of the relegation zone only three points clear of the drop.

Their defensive record has been shocking, with the side scoring 11 fewer goals than they have conceded and several shocking performances at the back that have cost Everton points, most recently Michael Keane’s own goal at Carrow Road which led to their tenth defeat and the firing of Benitez.

Further bolstering the defensive line is something Farhad Moshiri and Duncan Ferguson should be looking closely at in the last week of the transfer window, with Malang Sarr linked with a move to Goodison Park.

Yerry Mina has recently returned from injury and adding a high quality centre back partner could be the change that Everton need to reignite their campaign and save themselves from a relegation battle at the bottom of the Premier League table.

Sarr can play both left back and left sided centre back, which would complement Mina on the right side perfectly, with the £5.4m-rated titan being hailed by his current manager Thomas Tuchel, who said:

“I have the feeling that he knows his role very clearly, he appreciates being in the team and when necessary, he steps up and shows he can be a strong teammate and a strong player.”

The 22-year-old is not currently first choice at Chelsea, making just ten appearances so far across all competitions but has clearly impressed his manager due to the praise he has received, and even his little experience playing in a competitive and successful side could be something that could add value to the Everton defence right now.

Ferguson could form a terrifying defensive duo by deploying Mina and Sarr together, with the 6 foot 3 Everton defender returning to the side.

The Colombian will offer a fresh perspective in the backline following the confidence knocks the other central defenders are likely to be rocked by after several poor performances this season.

Combine that with Sarr’s eagerness to prove he is good enough for first-team football, whilst offering experience of playing alongside some of the most pedigreed defenders in football like Thiago Silva, and it bodes well for the future of the Toffees’ backline.

There has been no official approach or bid made for the young Chelsea defender, but this could change in the last week of the window as Moshiri will surely be keen to make sure Everton have everything they need to stay in the Premier League next season.

In other news: Moshiri could cause chaos by appointing Vitor Pereira

A reason has now been given why Newcastle United’s Deadline Day offer for Boubacar Kamara was rejected.

The Lowdown: Late offer

As per Le Phoceen, the St. James’ Park faithful made a last-minute offer to try and sign the Marseille ace on Transfer Deadline Day.

However, he would have been ‘extremely hesitant’ to have made the move to the North East.

The Latest: Deal off

As per The Athletic, Kamara decided that he wanted to stay at Marseille in the end, despite offers from both Wolves as well as the Tyneside club.

The Ligue 1 team had hoped to move him on given that he only has a year left on his current deal, and now it is anticipated that he will either sign a new contract or leave on a free transfer in 2022.

The Verdict: Shame

It is a shame that a move for Kamara to Steve Bruce’s side eventually fell through.

Once dubbed a ‘phenomenon’ by his former teammate Rolando back in May 2020, the Frenchman still has a lot of potential at just 21 years of age, and his ability to be equally as comfortable at centre-back as well as in defensive midfield (Transfermarkt) would have been a valuable asset to have in the squad.

Nonetheless, the Magpies only managed to bring in one player on a permanent deal in Joe Willock from Arsenal, and given that he was on loan there last season, fans have every right to be worried about the lack of improvement from last term.

In other news, find out why this Toon ace’s move was blocked 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…

Loads of Everton fans have been making their feelings known as a transfer update emerged on Denzel Dumfries.

As per Italian football journalist and transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, Inter Milan have reopened talks to try and sign the PSV ace, who remains their first-choice signing for right-back.

There have been a number of reports throughout the window so far of both Everton and Inter fighting over the signature of Dumfries, but it now looks as if the latter may beat the Toffees to him.

It would be a real shame for Rafa Benitez’s team to lose out on signing Dumfries, as he has shown just how much of an attacking threat he can possess from right-back. He scored two goals in the group stage at Euro 2020 for the Netherlands (Sofascore), with a further four goals and nine assists in 41 matches for PSV across the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt).

Everton fans on Dumfries transfer update

These Toffees fans raged as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one Evertonian describing the latest turn of events as ‘awful’:

“Needed a RB for 3 seasons now and STILL its not sorted…every club is going to target the right-hand side. Awful”

Credit: @matthew53366583

“Do you not realise Brands is killing us? He’s a massive reason why we can’t spend this summer”

Credit: @Everton1878___

“Been a really great day this for Everton. Another season of Coleman and the Ken Ken it is then”

Credit: @efcsam16

“Here we go again”

Credit: @efcbenji

“Here we go.”

Credit: @Jackdoggydogg

“Please no”

Credit: @ParrettGost

In other news, check out what footage has left these Everton fans fuming

Celtic have reached an agreement with Benfica for the transfer of winger Filipe Jota, according to Portuguese outlet Record, cited by HITC.

The Lowdown: Jota profiled

Jota is 22 years of age and is primarily a left-winger but can also turn out on the right when required.

A Portugal Under-21 international, Jota is thought to be on £7,100-a-week and spent last season on loan at Spanish side Real Valladolid, making 18 appearances.

He’s won two major honours with Benfica and was the top scorer at the 2018 Under-19 European Championships.

The Latest: Agreement reached

According to Record, translated by HITC, a loan agreement has been reached between Celtic and Benfica for Jota.

The report claims that there will be a clause included where the Hoops can make the move permanent during the temporary move.

The Verdict: Ange gets what he was after

Ange Postecoglou was after a winger at the beginning of the month, and it seems as if he’ll be getting just that in a transfer involving Jota.

Dominic McKay also appears to have worked a clever clause in where it could be made permanent, which could be a shrewd move if Jota impresses in Scotland, although a specific fee isn’t included in the recent report.

Jota could well join Georgios Giakoumakis in sealing late moves to Celtic Park, with the attacker expected to undergo a medical in France on Sunday.

In other news: ‘Tremendous’ Celtic ace could now leave Parkhead with Edouard before the deadline; offer made.  

Following on from their disappointing 2-2 draw against AFC Wimbledon which saw Sheffield Wednesday blow a 2-0 lead in their previous League One clash, Darren Moore side are in action again on Tuesday night with a league clash against Cambridge United.

Ahead of tonight’s game at the Abbey Stadium, Wednesday will be without Sam Hutchinson and Lewis Gibson through injury but should have Dennis Adeniran available after he missed out at Plough Lane on Saturday with a minor muscular injury.

Taking this into account, here’s how we feel Wednesday will line up against Cambridge, with three changes from the side which started against AFC Wimbledon.

In goal, we think Moore will go with Bailey Peacock-Farrell after trusting Joe Wildsmith against AFC Wimbledon as he let in two goals to see the Owls’ commanding lead slip.

For the defence, assuming Moore preserves his 3-4-1-2 formation, we think he will stick with the trio of Dominic Iorfa, Cheyenne Dunkley and Liam Palmer as Wednesday’s centre-backs.

On the right, we can see Jack Hunt keeping his place in the team as an attacking threat considering that he sent in five accurate crosses at the weekend. On the left, however, we think Moore will go for Marvin Johnson ahead of Jaden Brown, who failed to impress on Saturday.

The 22-year-old earned a rather disappointing overall match rating of 5.8/10, which made him their lowest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

For the central midfield roles, we think the manager will stick with the pairing of Barry Bannan, who grabbed an assist against AFC Wimbledon, and Lewis Wing to see if they can help the team pick up all three points here.

Further up the pitch, even though Oluwafisayo Dele-Bashiru played most of the match against AFC Wimbledon, we reckon Moore will freshen up his side even further by putting Saido Berahino in the starting XI alongside Callum Paterson and Lee Gregory, who scored both of Wednesday’s goals in their previous match. The 20-year-old could then get a rest after his heavy involvement on Saturday.

Whether or not Moore decides to go with this exact starting XI that we have suggested, we feel as though this game against 18th-placed Cambridge will provide the Owls with an ideal opportunity to secure another win and put their disappointing draw in south London behind them.

In other news: Forget Brown: Moore must unleash £1.35m-rated SWFC gem v CUFC, could be game-changing – opinion

According to Portuguese source A Bola. as shared by Sport Witness, some transfer news has come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving Benfica star Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Spurs in race…

As previously reported elsewhere, the Lilywhites and transfer chief Fabio Paratici are well in contention to sign one of the most in-demand attacking stars in Europe right now.

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90min shared late last month that Spurs are one of the clubs who have made contact with Nunez’s representatives with the attacker telling Benfica he is ‘ready to move this summer’.

The Daily Express also claimed this week that Tottenham officials were sent on a Benfica scouting mission to run the rule over their star striker as they faced off against Liverpool in the Champions League.

The Uruguayan, who’s scored an incredible 28 goals in 35 appearances across all contests this season, looks set to be one of the big name transfers of this summer as A Bola (via SW) now share an update.

The Latest: A Bola share Nunez update…

According to the newspaper’s sources, Tottenham, and by extension Paratici, have indeed made their first move, emerging as one of the sides who have been in touch before the summer to get more information over signing Nunez – opening a dialogue.

However, in some potentially bad news, A Bola also say that the striker’s club want a lofty €100 million (£84m) to let him go in the next transfer window.

The Verdict: Turn away?

Nunez’s quality is no secret, with Anfield Index podcaster Hari Sethi branding the South American ‘rapid quick’ and an ‘absolute beast’ of an attacker (Twitter) after their clash in mid-week.

His form and obvious ability, though, has seemingly allowed Benfica to demand huge money with Tottenham arguably not in the best financial position to smash their transfer record.

Their mounting club debt off the field could mean Spurs may have to turn elsewhere for a striking back-up to Harry Kane, unless of course they have to end up replacing the England international after receiving a big enough bid.

In other news: Tottenham eye agreement ‘in the coming weeks’ as they make offer for exciting midfielder, find out more here.

Pundit Michael Dawson was left shocked by something that he saw the Aston Villa players doing during the first half of their game away at Wolves in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Derby to forget

It was ultimately a Midlands derby to forget for Steven Gerrard’s team, who found themselves 2-0 down within the first 36 minutes of the match, while Lucas Digne was forced off injured after only 13 minutes.

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They simply had no answer for Jonny’s early goal, while Ashley Young putting through his own net summed up their afternoon. The hosts picked them apart on the counter-attack, even despite Ollie Watkins scoring late from the spot.

The Latest: Dawson reacts

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Gillette Labs Soccer Saturday (15:50pm), former Tottenham Hotspur and England central defender Dawson was left shocked by how many men Villa were throwing forward just before half-time, with the score only at 2-0:

“You’re only 2-0 down, it’s nearly half-time, it’s ridiculous what I’m seeing.

“Gerrard looks absolutely fuming.”

The Verdict: Detrimental

The fact that Villa seemed to lack any tactical nous in the first half was ultimately detrimental on them getting any kind of result.

They should have known that while the Wanderers do not concede many goals, they do not score many either judging by the table, and so there was still a way to get back into the game in the second half without needing to play quite so last-ditch.

Instead, they almost threw it away by playing gung-ho football, and ultimately poor defending and not enough creativity going forward has ended up costing them.

In other news, find out who Villa have now been linked with in a club-record move here!

A number of Everton fans have been left gushing over some news involving Rafael Benitez.

As per The Northern Echo, the Spaniard has now ruled out walking from his job at Goodison Park to go and manage one of his former clubs in Newcastle United, believing that it would be wrong to turn his back on the Toffees even though he retains a strong affinity to the Magpies.

This comes after a report emerged that the new owners at St James’ Park were plotting a move to get him back in charge after the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium was completed.

Benitez only took charge of the Toffees in the summer after the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid and has started off well, with Everton currently sitting fifth in the Premier League.

Reports that he has now ruled himself out of joining a top-flight rival have unsurprisingly been met with delight by many Blues supporters.

Everton fans on Benitez news

These Everton fans gushed as the news was shared on Twitter:

“Was never worried as Rafa has always been an honourable man and has never broken a contract.”

Credit: @toffeecrunch25

“Rafa the gaffer, up the Toffees”

Credit: @AJGardensEFC

“Great news, now we need to back him properly”

Credit: @jaysmith1878

“That’s great news!!”

Credit: @ALANBRO32378008

“Happy days”

Credit: @CalumGahan

“In other words Rafa has principles and his word is his bond unlike a few previous managers I bet you could name!”

Credit: @JimFromWoodburn

In other news, find out what club announcement has left these Evertonians buzzing