All posts by z3u9t.icu

Former Portugal international Jorge Costa has torn into West Ham United winger Felipe Anderson for the Brazilian’s slack efforts whilst on loan with FC Porto.

Costa, who graduated from the Porto academy before captaining the Liga NOS giants during his playing days, has brandished Anderson as a “big disappointment” during a recent interview with O Jogo.

Anderson joined the Estadio do Dragao natives on a season-long loan this summer after failing to impress David Moyes last term, with the Scot ultimately preferring a sizable loan fee and the Brazilian’s wage being covered than to utilise his services after failing to secure a permanent transfer.

Moyes called on the 27-year-old to start just four of his 10 Premier League appearances between replacing Manuel Pellegrini at the London Stadium and sanctioning the temporary transfer, with Anderson also offering his first and only goal during the Scot’s first top-flight fixture back with the Hammers.

Porto are yet to see any return from their agreement to cover Anderson’s wages, said to be in excess of £100,000-per-week, as the former SS Lazio star Pellegrini signed for a then-club-record £36million has featured for just 49 minutes across all competitions to date.

Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is yet to award the one-time Brazil international his first start, either, instead favouring Anderson from the bench while even leaving the attacker out of his matchday squad to face Olympique de Marseille in the Champions League entirely.

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The forward’s struggles saw Costa, who currently manages Romanian club CS Gaz Metan Medias, tell O Jogo: “Anderson is, for now, a big disappointment.”

The 50-cap ex-international is not the first to question Anderson, either, as Porto boss Conceicao recently told Desporto Ao Minuto that his early impression of the Irons outcast was that he is not committing his all to the Liga NOS side and must forget his prior achievements in order to be a success in the future.

“Felipe has this notion, that in order to return to having brilliant moments as he had, it is necessary to work hard,” he said.

“Anything he does now can have beautiful consequences in the future, and everything that happened no longer matters, he stays at home in the museum. The important thing is what you will do at FC Porto.”

Moyes will undoubtedly agree with Conceicao that all that matters for Anderson right now is what he can achieve with Porto, as any further failings in Portugal this season will cause the West Ham manager to have nightmares in 2021 should he again try and sell him.

Any hopes Anderson has of reviving his Irons career next year will also come short, unless he can prove to Moyes that he can offer more than the one goal from four big chances and four assists recorded throughout the 2019/20 Premier League campaign, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, David Moyes enjoyed a narrow escape on a £31.5m sensation West Ham courted this summer.

Leeds made a big mistake by letting Premier League rivals Crystal Palace edge them out of the race for rising talent Eberechi Eze.

The Eagles snapped up the attacking midfielder from Queens Park Rangers during the summer window, landing a deal worth £16million, plus a reported £4million in add-ons (via Sky Sports). He is reportedly earning a respectable £30,000 per week – not a deal that has broken the bank at Selhurst Park by any means.

For Leeds, who didn’t hold back when it came to splashing the cash over the summer, it was an odd decision to let talks with Eze falter.

Particularly at the moment, the Whites would hugely benefit from having a new attacking midfielder as their current roster is under threat. Tyler Roberts was recently predicted to undergo a January loan move and Pablo Hernandez has disappointed Marcelo Bielsa following his blow up during the Leicester game.

Orta dropped the ball by not signing Eze

Victor Orta has signed some brilliant players for Leeds over the years, but this is a deal that he will be disappointed not to have landed. The 22-year-old has already opened up his account for Crystal Palace, tallying a goal and an assist and proving that he can adapt easily to the high demands of the Premier League.

It’s no surprise though that he has taken to life at his new club so easily as his 2019/20 stats for QPR were astonishing. The midfielder notched a superb 14 goals and eight assists in the Championship, outscoring Jordan Hugill and finishing only behind striker Nahki Wells, who netted 18 for the league campaign, in the QPR top-scorer charts.

These numbers are hugely impressive for a midfielder and the Premier League is currently undergoing a new birthing of playmakers exactly like Eze. With the addition of the likes of Kai Havertz and Bruno Fernandes, England’s top flight is boasting an array of world-class goalscorers from the engine room. Eze could certainly be up there as one of the league’s best if he can recreate last season’s numbers on a consistent basis for Palace.

Mark Warburton heaped praise on the 22-year-old for his contributions to QPR and labelled him as a “tremendous talent”. If Eze does start to really showcase his goalscoring abilities, Bielsa and Orta will have their heads in their hands after missing out on him.

In other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer not surprised Marcelo Bielsa has succeeded with Leeds…

Glasgow Rangers need Jermain Defoe more than the Rangers striker needs them.

The 38-year-old is used to playing at the highest level, but finds himself below Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe in the pecking order, as he was axed from Steven Gerrard’s Europa League squad to make room for new summer recruit Bongani Zungu.

But, after Defoe found the net for the third time in six games in the previous fixture against Falkirk in the Betfred Cup, it’s fair to say that the Ibrox boss was wrong to sideline one of his best strikers.

Whilst the wily veteran has only scored three times so far this season, he has still scored the same amount of goals as Cedric Itten and Ianis Hagi combined, and he was the club’s top scorer in the Scottish Premiership last season.

Gerrard must regret his decision to axe the former Tottenham Hotspur striker from his Europa League squad as Itten has struggled to hit the ground running so far, scoring just two goals in 14 games this season, via Transfermarkt.

The Swiss international is simply too young, too fresh and too raw, whereas Defoe has been there, seen it and done it all at European level.

Marlon Harewood recently described his former teammate as an “unbelievable” talent in an exclusive interview with FFC and it’s easy to see why.

In five appearances in the Europa League in the 2013/14 campaign, he scored seven goals for Spurs, including a brace against Tromso IL in the group stages.

The former England international appears to be back to his very best, having shaken off a recurring hamstring injury at the start of the season, as his performance against Falkirk at the weekend showed that perfectly.

Valued at £1.3m via Transfermarkt, the monster centre-forward has scored one goal and supplied an assist in his past three games in all competitions.

There’s no doubt that Gerrard has put himself in a tough position by dropping him from the Europa League squad, as an injury crisis or positive coronavirus cases could quickly cause problems, as Itten cannot be expected to lead the line.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers wonderkid Chris McKee is the ideal heir to Jermain Defoe…

West Brom are certainly being punished this season as they find themselves second from bottom going into the festive period, and perhaps they are now truly regretting their failed move for Ismaila Sarr…

What was the word?

Back in September, Senegalese news outlet Wiwsport reported that the Baggies had entered the race to sign the 22-year-old alongside the likes of defending champions Liverpool, arch-rivals Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.

At the time, a £50m price tag was set but Sarr is now currently valued at just shy of £20m by Transfermarkt.

According to the Watford Observer, no offer came in for the 6 foot 1 winger, much to the delight of Hornets boss Vladimir Ivic.

Too good for the Championship?

Since then, Sarr has already proven to be too good for the English second-flight and that may well spell trouble if Albion had any intentions to revisit the speed demon next month.

In 14 starts, he has contributed to five goals whilst also averaging 2.4 shots, 2.2 dribbles, 0.9 key passes and even 0.9 tackles per appearance, via WhoScored.

These are numbers that far exceed the returns of £18m summer signing Grady Diangana thus far. The former Hammers ace has scored just once in ten appearances and is starting to look a tad out of his depth at this level of football, averaging just 1.6 dribbles and one shot per game, also via WhoScored.

Given his nationality, the 32-cap sensation has drawn comparisons to fellow Senegal international Sadio Mane, who himself lauded Sarr as “very, very fast” as well as claiming that “defenders will struggle” against him in the Premier League during an interview with The Athletic.

Such praise is reflected by former teammate Abdoulaye Doucoure, who did earn himself an instant return to the top-flight as he joined Everton in the summer, he told RMC Sport (via talkSPORT): “I’ve told him as a joke that he’s a Champions League player, but I really think it’s because I know he has exceptional qualities. He’s not just quick, he’s incredible at finishing, he can find space, keep the ball and I hope he’ll go very far.”

The Baggies have been seriously lacking on that right flank and a player like Sarr would’ve quite understandably been the perfect signing, especially given his experience in the PL last term.

Sporting and technical director Luke Dowling dropped the ball over this one, a decision Albion could long regret.

AND in other news, Lai could REVIVE West Brom’s season by hiring 43 y/o “man-manager” who’s shades of Darren Moore…

Arsenal travel to Everton on Saturday evening looking to snap a torrid run of form that has seen Mikel Arteta’s side claim a sole win in their last nine Premier League fixtures.

The Gunners’ results have helped to capitalise their worst start to a season in 46 years, and languish in 15th place ahead of travelling to Goodison Park where Carlo Ancelotti’s Toffees are flying high and can move within the Champions League places with a win.

Everton will be fancying their chances of claiming only a second victory over Arsenal since the start of 2017 when the two sides meet at the weekend, having lost five and drawn one of their prior seven top-flight meetings.

But Ancelotti will be unable to name a full-strength line-up after injuries to several key players in recent weeks. So, with that in mind, here’s an XI the Italian could favour…

Ancelotti has confirmed that goalkeeper Jordan Pickford will return to his position between the posts when Everton host Arsenal on Saturday, after benching the England international for AS Roma loanee Robin Olsen at Leicester City during the week.

The decision was purely tactical as Ancelotti sought to keep his options well rested ahead of the hectic festive schedule, and always intended to favour Pickford at home to the Gunners no matter how well 42-cap Sweden colossal Olsen fared at the King Power Stadium.

“Just to rotate the players and keep him involved. He’s a serious professional, good goalkeeper with experience and that’s it. Saturday will be Jordan in goal,” Ancelotti said.

Everton’s makeshift backline of central defenders Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate all stood up to the task of keeping Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester quiet during the midweek encounter, so would expect to start once more on Saturday evening.

However, Ancelotti has confirmed that full-back Seamus Coleman is in line to make his return to Goodison Park following a reoccurring hamstring injury that has prevented the 32-year-old from featuring in Everton’s last five fixtures, likely at the expense of Holgate.

Ancelotti faces question marks over who he fields in midfield for the visit of Arteta’s Gunners to Goodison Park, too, after losing Allan for a “period of matches” after being forced off with a hamstring injury at the King Power Stadium.

Tom Davies should be the man who Ancelotti looks favourably upon to replace the summer arrival from SSC Napoli, having trusted the Toffees product to serve a similar role against Brighton and Hove Albion in October after losing Allan through injury.

Gylfi Sigurdsson will be heading into the Arsenal affair after one of his better performances of late, and will expect to join Abdoulaye Doucoure, Alex Iwobi, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in retaining their starting roles from the Leicester win.

AND in other news, an £18m-rated Everton ace once an automatic pick for Carlo Ancelotti faces a huge hurdle to regain his place at Goodison Park.

It’s not often things go wrong for this Wolves side. Usually, they quietly go about their business in swashbuckling fashion.

That was all too evident when they beat Arsenal a few weeks ago.

However, they are feeling the effects of a negative they were forced to take away from the Emirates Stadium. After a sickening clash of heads with David Luiz, Raul Jimenez was stretchered off with a fractured skull.

It was an almighty injury to receive and since he’s been missing, Wolves have failed to score.

A 4-0 loss to Liverpool was followed by a disappointing defeat to Aston Villa as try as they might, Nuno Santo’s men couldn’t find the back of the net.

Some added firepower in January could do the trick and one of the latest names to be linked with a move is Brazilian forward Hulk.

The powerful stocky striker is currently playing in China but according to Football Insider, Wolves could sign him on a free transfer.

The player himself admitted over the weekend that he’s set to depart Shanghai where he’s enjoyed a fabulous stint.

Hulk has accumulated over £90m in wages during his four years in China and has scored 76 goals in 145 games in the process. Clearly, he knows how to find the back of the net.

Evidently, the Chinese Super League is several steps below the Premier League in terms of quality but if he does sign, there are reasons to believe he could replace Adama Traore.

The Spaniard had a brilliant season last term, contributing to 13 goals, but this campaign he doesn’t have a single goal or assist.

A player known for his dribbling, he still terrifies defenders but Hulk could do that and provide goals on a regular basis.

He has eight strikes to his name this term and has performed 3.4 successful dribbles per match. Compared to Traore, he is fractionally behind. The devastating winger has registered 3.5 dribbles a game in 2020/21.

It’s clear to see why we’re comparing the two and if Wolves continue to be frustrated by a lack of progress in Traore’s contract talks, he could depart.

Hulk would be an absolute bargain of a replacement if they can convince him to move to English shores.

In other news, Wolves’ £60k-p/w dynamo was their ONLY positive against Aston Villa…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho could be eyeing a reunion with one of his former stars, and it isn’t likely to cost Daniel Levy a penny…

What’s the word?

According to La Razon, ex-Chelsea nemesis Diego Costa is a ‘priority’ for the Spurs manager after he had his contract cancelled by La Liga giants Atletico Madrid earlier this week.

The 32-year-old has also been linked to Premier League rivals Everton as well as Serie A outfit Napoli.

Reports suggest that the Brazilian colossus, who is actually capped 24 times by Spain, was earning around €120k-per-week (£108k-per-week) at Los Rojiblancos, but he is now free to join any club.

Free bargain

You would imagine that any addition in the striking department spells serious trouble for Carlos Vinicius, who is only on loan from Benfica right now.

He has featured just six times in all competitions this term, of which only four are starts and even with the increase of numbers on the bench in the Premier League, the 25-year-old hasn’t even made three of their last four squads, via Transfermarkt.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to throw doubt on Spurs activating his £41m option to buy, especially if a player who has had success under Mourinho before is there for nothing.

The ‘Special One’ knows exactly what he’d be getting with his former Blues talisman – he once lauded him as an “animal” and is said to adore him despite their often public clashes.

In 120 appearances across the border, Costa bagged 58 goals, whilst in five appearances against Spurs, he contributed to three goals, as per Transfermarkt.

Costa is perhaps most known for his livewire and erratic nature, but perhaps that is something that the north London outfit lack in abundance – that scare factor.

It would certainly be a surprise move that would all but end Vinicius’ hopes of forging a career in N17, but ultimately, it could be a massive bargain on Levy’s part.

Give him six months and see what happens.

AND in other news, Levy can land Mourinho his new Essien with Spurs swoop for £16.5m “outstanding talent”…

When Kieran Tierney left Parkhead behind it was a sucker punch to their ambitions.

Yet again, a Celtic player was leaving for the Premier League, and once more, it was one of their star men.

The Hoops have been no strangers to seeing their most valuable assets leave. From Victor Wanyama to Moussa Dembele and Virgil van Dijk, a plethora of their top players have left in search of a top-five league.

Tierney is the most recent example, swapping Glasgow for London, joining Arsenal for £25m – a record sale for an SPFL player.

He has taken to the English top-flight like a duck to water, scoring and assisting in a rampaging display against West Brom last weekend. It was the type of performance that will have Celtic supporters craving a return.

However, for the time being, they have to settle for Greg Taylor and Diego Laxalt at left-back, two players who seldom replicate what Tierney can offer down the left flank.

Fortunately, they could be on the verge of finally landing the Scot’s true replacement. That happens to be Charlton winger Alfie Doughty.

Capable of playing as a left-back or further forward in attack, he has been continuously linked with the Bhoys since last summer. Though, in order to sign him, they will now have to fend off interest from Rangers.

Doughty is out of contract in the summer and thus, can be signed on a pre-contract agreement for a fee of absolutely nothing.

But why is he similar to Tierney? Well, a glowing review from The Athletic’s Nick Miller tells all: “Pace is the first thing you notice about Doughty. Remarkable pace. Relentless pace. The sort of pace that makes defenders cower and do very silly things indeed,” he wrote.

That is a frightening assessment, one that could well describe their former left-back. He demonstrates sheer speed on a regular basis, and like Doughty, makes defenders do rather strange and peculiar things.

Tierney showed that vs West Brom, taking Darnell Furlong for a walk before finding the back of the net in emphatic style.

Aged just 21, Doughty is the future and could well inspire Celtic to greater things.

AND in other news, 83 aerials: Celtic can sign big Bitton upgrade in 7-cap tank, he’s a “complete player”…

Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked with a move for Juventus’ Douglas Costa.

Reports in Italy have stated that Douglas Costa’s ongoing loan stint at Bayern Munich could be cut short this month and Wolves could be one of the clubs interested in the Brazilian.

Wolves linked with the Juventus man

Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy talk about Costa’s current situation at Bayern, stating that he wasn’t even in the squad for Bayern’s recent game against Freiburg and the absence wasn’t injury related either. They go on to state that Costa’s loan stint at the Allianz Arena could be cut short this month.

The report states that there has been some interest from England recently, especially from Wolves and Manchester United. It is also said that because of the impact of the pandemic, Costa would be allowed to play for a third European club this season.

SportWitness have added detail to this report, saying that Wolves will not be able to match his €6m after tax wages and the links seem more about hope than expectation.

Costa has made nine Bundesliga appearances this season, scoring once and assisting once for the Bavarians. He played six Champions League games too, getting two assists (as per Transfermarkt).

Wolves should avoid Costa move

Costa has been injury prone over the years and he had a rather concerning fitness record during his time at the Bianconeri. The Brazilian was constantly troubled by muscle injuries and that should be a warning sign for Wolves (as per Transfermarkt).

While the 30-year-old is still valued at £18m, he has played only 281 minutes of league football this season. In the 2019/20 campaign, he played only 792 minutes of Serie A football for Juve.

This shows that he’s not really capable of playing regularly anymore and signing him won’t make sense for Wolves.

In other news, Wolves have rejected a move for a defender – read more here.

According to The Guardian, Crystal Palace have set their sights on signing Demarai Gray, who appears set to leave Leicester City this week.

What’s the word?

Gray has been frozen out of the first-team picture at Leicester by boss Brendan Rodgers and is being chased by clubs across Europe as they seek to secure his services for a cut-price fee.

The versatile forward, who is out of contract at the King Power Stadium this summer, has also been linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen. The Bundesliga giants are believed to have made an approach for Gray but it’s unlikely a move to Germany is on the cards following his swift rebuttal.

As per the report, Roy Hodgson’s side have now entered the race to sign the uncapped Englishman. They are willing to integrate him into his plans for the second half of the season by reaching an agreement with his representatives regarding a move to Selhurst Park.

Imagine Gray and Eberechi Eze

Born in Birmingham, Gray joined Leicester for £5m from the Blues back in 2016 and was part of the squad that famously won the Premier League under manager Claudio Ranieri.

After impressing for Ranieri, the 24-year-old has featured 40 times for Brendan Rodgers over two seasons but has made just one solitary appearance in the Premier League so far this season. In all competitions so far, he has tallied a total of 169 appearances across all competitions for the Foxes.

Palace are crying out for a new winger right now, especially after Jeffrey Schlupp succumbed to injury. When he is fit, and with Eberechi Eze already a regular starter and Andros Townsend providing competition for places, the Eagles are actually quite well-stocked out wide.

However, Schlupp hasn’t featured since the start of the year as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. Although he will be sidelined for at least three months, the Ghanaian is still expected to be a part of Hodgson’s plans when he makes a comeback, having scored two goals in 15 top-flight appearances this season.

The future of Townsend, though, remains up for debate as his contract is set to expire in the summer. It appears that Hodgson is open to the prospect of making further additions to his options out wide with one eye on the future.

Given his age, there’s no doubt that Gray, who earns around £55,000-per-week at the King Power Stadium, ticks plenty of boxes for Palace as a fully-fledged professional who still possesses plenty of untapped potential. Rodgers previously praised him for his “excellent” display after he dazzled during a brief cameo back in 2019.

Last season, the attacking midfielder managed to score two goals and supply three assists from just three starts in the top flight, averaging 1.1 shots per game, via WhoScored. For context, that’s more than Townsend himself has managed this season (0.9), which suggests that he could provide more of a cutting edge for the Eagles.

Capable of playing on the left, on the right or in the midfield, his ability to play in three positions across the midfield would be an added bonus for Hodgson.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace can sign their next Scott Dann in Stoke City’s Nathan Collins…