All posts by z3u9t.icu

According to a West Ham United source, speaking to Football Insider, the club and GSB have set sights on Preston North End starlet Lewis Leigh.

The Lowdown: West Ham academy booming…

After superstar Declan Rice emerged through the Irons’ academy, there has been no shortage of young talent following in his footsteps.

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The likes of Conor Coventry, Ademipo Odubeko, Jamal Baptiste and Emmanuel Longelo have all been nurtured, while West Ham also brought in a plethora of talent from elsewhere over the summer.

Indeed, the club signed promising young starlets Armstrong Oko-Flex, Pierre Ekwah Elimby and Thierry Nevers, with news now emerging about yet another talented target.

The Latest: GSB now eyeing Leigh…

As per Football Insider, sharing information from a club source, West Ham have ‘set their sights’ on Preston hotshot Leigh following his performances for the Championship side’s youth setup.

Rush Green scouts have apparently been ‘hugely impressed’ by the midfielder and are set to keep further tabs in the coming months.

However, while West Ham are very keen, they are not the only club keeping close watch as Premier League rivals Everton also hold an interest.

Despite only just signing his first professional deal until 2024 last month, Leigh is already a wanted man at West Ham and has been on the fringes of Preston’s first team squad without yet being given a senior debut.

The Verdict: Carry on…

Following on from their astute transfer window business regarding young talent spotting, it appears that West Ham scouts are showing no sign of stopping.

This could be great news for the club over these next few years, and in particular for manager David Moyes, who is looking to not only restructure his first team but the academy as well.

In other news: ‘Had a shocker’, ‘Offered nothing’…West Ham fans slam ‘poor’ ace who lost the ball 16 times against Southampton, find out more here.

Cristian Romero was a shining light for Tottenham Hotspur as they crashed to a second successive defeat in the Premier League on Sunday evening.

Nuno Santo’s side have endured a tough week, losing to Crystal Palace last weekend before salvaging a point against Rennes a few days ago, and their poor run of form continued at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After a positive first-half performance, the Lilywhites looked to have been holding their own in the London derby against Chelsea but soon things turned sour as the visitors found the net three times to win 3-0 in the second half.

But the showing from the summer signing will have left Nuno and sporting director Fabio Paratici hugely delighted as it was an encouraging outing before he was withdrawn in the 83rd minute with a knock.

In fact, you would not have realised that it was his first start in the English top-flight. If he stays fit, he’ll have done himself plenty of favours with his head coach looking on.

As per SofaScore, the £31.5m-rated colossus was rated as Spurs’ best player (7.2) alongside fellow new addition Emerson Royal, so despite them conceding three times, it suggests that they were perhaps not the two at fault.

Romero displayed plenty of attributes that saw him earn Serie A’s ‘Defender of the Year’ award in 2020/21.

In terms of defensive output, the 23-year-old was rock solid, recording three tackles (third-most in the game), two interceptions, two blocks, whilst he also won 83.3% of his ground duels, via SofaScore.

It suggests that he was all over the pitch in a bid to stop Chelsea’s frightening frontline involving Romelu Lukaku, who was largely kept quiet for the first time this season, and Kai Havertz.

Romero was equally adept with the ball at his feet, too, managing an 86% passing accuracy, which was better than the likes of Dele Alli (77%), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (84%) and Eric Dier (85%).

It’s no wonder he was one of the few to be lauded by the press and the Lilywhites faithful.

Alasdair Gold at football.london claimed that it was ‘a positive first Premier League start on the whole for the Argentine’ and that ‘he dealt with much that came his way before cramping up in the final 10 minutes.’

Whilst “world-class”, “the only positive” and a “centre-back gem” were just three phrases amongst many others used by supporters, as relayed by HITC.

After signing him on an initial loan deal from Atalanta, Paratici will surely be delighted by this showing as it provides further encouragement to what Romero could bring to Spurs in the long run.

AND in other news, Worse than Kane: Anonymous £70k-p/w Spurs star who lost 100% duels badly betrayed Nuno…

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their upcoming Championship clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments made to the Nottingham Forest YouTube channel, Steve Cooper revealed that he expects to be unable to call upon Lewis Grabban for the trip to Barnsley on Wednesday evening, as the centre-forward picked up a thigh injury in the Reds’ 1-1 draw with Millwall last weekend.

Speaking about the condition of the 33-year-old, Cooper said: “He’s doubtful. That’s obviously a little bit disappointing for him because he did so well against Huddersfield and started quite well the other day. We’re working as hard as we can to get him ready but whether he features again this week, I’m not too sure.”

Cooper will be gutted

While Grabban has not exactly been in the best form of his career so far this season, considering the fact that Cooper dubbed the centre-forward a “really important” player in his Forest side after the Millwall game, the absence of the Jamaica international for the trip to Oakwell is sure to have left the 41-year-old gutted.

Indeed, over his eight Championship appearances this term, the £1.08m-rated man has scored two goals and registered one assist, as well as taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the 33-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.70, ranking him as the Reds’ joint 10th-best player in the second tier this season.

As such, despite his rather average level of performance so far this term, the loss of the striker will nevertheless dent the club’s chances of picking up a positive result against Barnsley – with Cooper undoubtedly being desperate to secure his first win as the new Forest manager, in order to start moving his side up the Championship table.

In other news: Forest dealt potential blow on “incredible” £3.6m-rated ace, Cooper would be gutted

Celtic returned to winning ways on Thursday evening and it was probably just as well.

The atmosphere surrounding Parkhead was starting to become toxic again after back-to-back defeats over the last seven days, but the Hoops now look in a better place after reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup.

Ange Postecoglou’s men beat Raith Rovers 3-0 in a display which was significantly better from an offensive and defensive point of view.

Sadly, Celtic are struggling to escape the negatives at the moment. They had already come into the match without the services of Kyogo Furuhashi, Greg Taylor and Callum McGregor through injury.

Summer signing Giorgos Giakoumakis was initially named in the matchday squad for the first time since his arrival from VVV-Venlo.

Unfortunately, the Greek forward never took to the field after sustaining a calf injury in the warm-up which now requires a scan.

Giakoumakis hadn’t been named in a single squad yet while he built up his fitness in training at Lennoxtown. The news that he could now be set for an increased spell on the sidelines, therefore, has hardly come at an ideal time.

Lamenting the club’s unbelievable misfortune when it comes to injury problems, the manager groaned at full-time: “I don’t know what it is mate, I’ve definitely walked under a ladder.”

With Kyogo currently out too, it would have been the ideal time for Giakoumakis to gain some important minutes under his belt and start finding the net regularly.

It’s a seismic blow that the 26-year-old is not available because he scored as many as 29 goals in all competitions last term. Clearly, that kind of record would have improved Celtic enormously.

Frustratingly, Albian Ajeti is also starting to look more rugged in front of goal.

He returned to the team with a bang in the 3-0 win over Ross County by netting twice. He beat the goalkeeper against Betis in the Europa League as well but his performances have dwindled since.

The Swiss was extremely isolated against Livingston and once again failed to find the net against Raith Rovers before being dragged off just after the hour mark.

With Giakoumakis now sweating over his fitness even more, Ajeti will need to step up to the plate.

This news won’t just upset the manager but it will also leave supporters asking questions of the club’s recruitment this summer. A plethora of their new signings have picked up injury problems or haven’t been ready from a fitness perspective.

Giakoumakis ticks both of those boxes.

AND in other news, Celtic may discover their new Ralston in rarely-seen 21 y/o with “excellent pedigree”…

With Wayne Rooney’s Derby County side undoubtedly heading into Wednesday night’s Championship clash with the Rams’ numerous off-field issues in the back of their mind, a positive result may have not appeared highly likely before kick-off.

However, as has so often been the case so far this season, the 35-year-old’s side demonstrated a tremendous amount of spirit and fight in the fixture, with Craig Forsyth’s first-half strike being enough to secure all three points against Reading, with the Rams running out 1-0 winners.

Indeed, a number of Rooney’s team turned in highly impressive displays in the fixture, with Forsyth, Ryan Allsop and Jason Knight being among the top performers against the Royals, however, it was undoubtedly Tom Lawrence’s showing which will have pleased the Derby manager most.

Won seven duels

Having moved back to the left-hand side of the Rams attacking midfield against Reading, while Lawrence did not offer all that much going forwards – as Derby were under defensive pressure for much of the fixture – the 27-year-old turned in an extremely gritty performance in order to secure the three points for his side.

Indeed, over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £27k-per-week man took a total of five shots at goal, completed three of his three attempted dribbles and three of his four attempted long balls.

The player Steve Evans dubbed “unplayable” also impressed in a defensive capacity, winning seven duels, making one interception, one tackle and drawing two fouls for his side.

These returns saw the Wales international receive a SofaScore match rating of 7.8 in the fixture, with only Allsop between the Derby sticks earning a higher rating than Lawrence on the night.

As such, while Derby will need something of a miracle to secure survival in the Championship this season, should the 27-year-old be able to keep up this level of performance throughout the remainder of the Rams’ campaign, the Pride Park faithful will know that the midfielder gave his absolute all for the club’s cause.

In other news: Fresh claim emerges on “brilliant” £2.7m-rated DCFC gem, Rooney would be gutted

Rumoured Wolves transfer target Aaron Ramsey is believed to be keen on returning to the Premier League, having struggled for minutes at Juventus.

The Lowdown: Wolves linked with Ramsey move

Bruno Lage is likely to be looking for midfield reinforcements in January or next summer given their lack of depth in that position and Ramsey is a player who has been linked with a move to Molineux.

The 30-year-old has struggled to make his mark at Juventus since leaving Arsenal in 2019, making just one start in Serie A so far this season despite earning £187,000 per week in Turin.

The Latest: Premier League return mooted

According to Calciomercato, Ramsey is open to the idea of returning to England, giving Wolves hope that they could get their man.

It is claimed that he rejected a move to Molineux in the summer transfer window, with Crystal Palace, Everton and Newcastle United all now in the battle to sign him along with the Midlanders.

The Verdict: Shrewd addition?

At 30, Ramsey is still somewhere close to the peak of his powers and he could be an excellent signing for Wolves if they get him, adding quality in the middle of the park.

He possesses a huge amount of experience at club and international level, scoring 17 goals in 67 appearances for Wales and playing more than 400 times combined for Arsenal and Juventus, and he has the all-round game to thrive under Lage. Indeed, his former Gunners team-mate Sol Campbell has dubbed him a “top, top class player” and “very intelligent”.

Ramsey is admittedly an injury-prone figure, but it would be worth taking the risk for someone who has proven himself at the very top level as a frequent Champions League performer.

In other news, one Wolves player has been linked with a January exit. Find out who it is here.

Arsenal finally return to Premier League action following the international break later this evening as they welcome Patrick Vieira and his Crystal Palace side to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners head into kickoff on an unbeaten run of five matches and will be looking to extend that here tonight.

A victory could see them rise from 13th to ninth, whilst the visiting Seagulls could leapfrog the north Londoners should they pick up all three points.

Mikel Arteta has plenty of decisions to make in terms of team selection and barring one long-term absentee in Granit Xhaka, he has a full squad at his disposal.

Here’s the XI we’re predicting…

There may well only be one change from the side that drew to Brighton at the Amex over two weeks ago.

That being an alteration in the attack as Martin Odegaard is axed for Alexandre Lacazette. The £19.8m-rated Frenchman’s introduction, his first in the league this term, sees Pierre-Emerick Aubamyang go out on the left flank, with Emile Smith Rowe being deployed in the no.10 role.

Bukayo Saka takes up a place on the right side, too.

It means there is no place for Nicolas Pepe once again in what is surely a big decision from the Spanish boss. The £72m club-record signing has not started either of their last two matches in the Premier League and he is likely to be snubbed once again.

In the absence of Xhaka, Arteta could stick with Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga, meaning Ainsley Maitland-Niles has to settle for the bench once again.

And his newly-improved backline remains untouched, having kept three clean sheets in their last four matches.

Gabriel and Ben White will marshall Aaron Ramsdale in the middle, with the industrious Kieran Tierney on the left and summer signing Takehiro Tomiyasu on the right.

AND in other news, Arteta may have another Saka in “sensational” teen who can help save Arsenal millions…

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has delivered some insight into some of the problems facing the new Newcastle United owners amid their search for a new manager.

What’s the story?

Responding to a few fan questions for The Athletic, he said: “You’re right, the league position makes it a lot more difficult, unfortunately, as does the state of the defence. I do think Fonseca would be very intriguing, but defensively there has to be a concern. As you rightly say, getting the appointment above the head coach in place is vital, too – although they don’t just want to rush into that and they need to get that one right.

“I genuinely don’t know which way they’ll go yet, but Fonseca has had a few conversations now. The fact Newcastle are in the relegation zone really does make this far more complicated. It perhaps adds further doubts towards moving for certain managers because they have no track record of saving a club from this position.”

Difficult dilemma for Newcastle

While the Magpies can call themselves the richest club in the world following their new takeover, one thing it doesn’t change is the fact they are currently in the midst of the bottom three in the Premier League and in a genuine battle to stay up.

As Waugh says, the question is now whether the Tyneside club approach a manager who they feel confident of rebuilding the club in its current state and simply steadying the ship before passing on the baton in a couple of years, or whether they go for more of a gamble.

Fonseca, despite his managerial experience with the likes of AS Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk, has yet to cut his teeth in the Premier League, and appointing him mid-season with the team the way it is, would have its risks. He, like fellow target Antonio Conte, are used to competing at the top end of leagues, rather than towards the relegation zone.

So while all these new links to trophy-winning managers are exciting to say the least, there’s surely a worry among supporters about getting this new manager appointment wrong.

Meanwhile, Craig Hope has delivered an update on Newcastle United manager target Paulo Fonseca…

Celtic have been dealt a huge injury blow regarding Karamoko Dembele ahead of their upcoming Premiership fixture.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on his Instagram account (via Daily Record), the 18-year-old winger – who has been sidelined since Celtic’s pre-season tour of Wales – revealed that he has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury, having to undergo surgery on an ankle fracture, which will keep him out of action until at least the turn of the year.

Regarding his injury, the England under-18 international said: “Unfortunately I’ve had some problems with the healing process of my ankle fracture, so I’ve had to get surgery done. Back on the field soon!”

Fans will be gutted

Considering the sheer amount of potential Dembele seems to possess, the news that he looks set to remain sidelined until at least 2022 is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful gutted.

Indeed, the £225k-rated teenager had started to feature more regularly for the Bhoys towards the back end of last season, playing in three of the club’s last four fixtures of the 2020/21 Premiership season, in which the winger scored his first senior goal for the club in a 4-0 drubbing of St Johnstone.

Prior to his injury, Dembele was also heavily involved in Celtic’s pre-season fixtures, featuring in both the 2-1 win over Charlton Athletic – a game in which the 18-year-old opened the scoring for the Hoops – and the 0-0 draw with Bristol City.

However, following his recent update, it now looks as if the teenage forward will not only miss Saturday’s visit of St Johnstone but also many more fixtures before he makes his return to first team action. That will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Ange Postecoglou, who had admitted that he was looking forward to working with the youngster upon his arrival at Celtic this summer.

In other news: Ange makes approach for tough-tackling £3.2m sensation, Celtic fans will be buzzing

Some West Brom fans have been blasting the performance of Robert Snodgrass in their 3-0 loss at Fulham in the Championship on Saturday.

The Scotland international produced a slack back-pass which allowed Aleksandar Mitrovic to score his second goal of the game, and the striker eventually netted a hat-trick to give the home side all three points.

Snodgrass was also shown a yellow card with just under 15 minutes to go in the game, and some Baggies fans thought that he should have been sent off.

For such an experienced player, he seemed to lose his head on Saturday, as he lost out on four of his duels and failed to record a single shot on goal, dribble, interception. He also lost possession of the ball on 14 separate occasions in the match, the joint-fifth most out of any of his teammates (SofaScore).

West Brom fans on Snodgrass display

These West Brom fans on Twitter blasted the 34-year-old’s performance, with one Albion supporter even going as far as to claim that Snodgrass was ’embarrassing’:

“Particularly given his experience, Snodgrass has been disgraceful and embarrassing today”

Credit: @pennwba

“I’d have Sawyers back if it meant Snodgrass didn’t get a game again”

Credit: @electricelery1

“Snodgrass has had a mare there”

Credit: @Woz_gog

“Pathetic from Snodgrass!!! What was he even thinking about and why is he always so deep? Garbage Albion and virtually game over with our poor forward play.”

Credit: @Stevotop

“Snodgrass shocking. Ajayi shocking. The front three are ghosts. Not sure our wing-backs are playing either. Shocking.”

Credit: @wookiedacookie

“Horrible….horrible play by Snodgrass.”

Credit: @Kilrah01

In other news, find out whose display against Fulham was also slammed by numerous West Brom fans