All posts by z3u9t.icu

David Moyes will be eager to receive some good news on the fitness of Pablo Fornals after the West Ham midfielder missed Sunday’s defeat to Manchester United through injury.

That’s according to football.london, who note that Fornals was a late withdrawal from the squad at Old Trafford after sustaining a minor knock.

But the Irons are unlikely to be without the Spaniard for long, with it expected that the 25-year-old should make a quick return.

Fornals’ recovery is likely to hand Moyes a triple boost after the upcoming international break, with Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku also said to be closing in on a return to first-team action.

Fornals had started West Ham’s past three Premier League fixtures before missing the 1-0 loss to Manchester United, having been given a surprise recall against Tottenham Hotspur last month after playing just six of the previous 270 available minutes of top-flight action.

Ogbonna has been in the treatment room since the FA Cup fifth-round loss at Old Trafford at the start of February when he sustained a high ankle sprain, ruling the 32-year-old out of five league games and counting.

Masuaku, meanwhile, has been sidelined since the Red Devils’ visit to the London Stadium in December, 20 games ago, having undergone career-saving knee surgery following the 3-1 defeat in what was his 11th start in all competitions.

Speaking ahead of the weekend’s action, Moyes had said: “Angelo is doing great. He’s back in the gym regularly. He’s out of his [protective] boot and we’re expecting him to start some running on the AlterG, which is the machine that takes a bit of your bodyweight off.

“He’s coming along and I’m hoping that, maybe by the end of the international break, we might have him back on the grass in some capacity. Arthur’s trained two or three days this week with the U23s and trained with me for a couple of days now, so Arthur’s getting much closer to match fitness and all-round fitness generally.”

Moyes will be eager for good news on the potentially swift return of Fornals to action, having missed the Spaniard’s energy during Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Old Trafford.

Fornals had proven a vastly important cog in the West Ham attacking midfield line with his performances against Tottenham, Manchester City and Leeds United, while assisting Jesse Lingard’s winning goal in the London derby with Spurs.

Beyond penning his first assist in 17 Premier League games, Fornals justified his appearance against Jose Mourinho’s north Londoners as he was lively throughout the tie with a tireless persistence to his efforts, which returned more tackles (4) than his per-game average (1.2), per SofaScore.

He was the energetic star once again at Manchester City the following week, constantly driving the Hammers up the pitch and proving a handful for the runaway league leaders.

West Ham were without that presence at Manchester United on Sunday, where Moyes felt his side’s offensive moves were often “really poor” and sloppy, leading to a lack of sustained efforts to hit the Red Devils on the break.

AND in other news, West Ham in four-way Premier League battle for 13-goal striker who is “annoying to the defender”…

According to The Daily Mail, Southampton could move to sign free agent Ahmed Musa as West Bromwich Albion struggle to get a deal over the line.

Saints eye Musa

It seemed the 28-year-old was on the verge of completing a move to The Hawthorns – he was said to have even had a medical (Football Insider) – but it now seems the Midlands outfit do not have the funds to get the deal done.

As the Baggies flounder, Ralph Hasenhuttl and co are said to be interested in signing the Nigeria international just a number of days after bringing in Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino on loan.

Interesting option

With Danny Ings and Che Adams to rely on up front, you would think that Hasenhuttl would be happy with his forward options. However, the arrival of Minamino indicates that the Austrian wants to improve things in the final third, and Musa could be an astute bargain signing.

While he had a disappointing spell with Leicester City, Musa has 88 career goals to his name (Transfermarkt) and has netted four times across two World Cups. Capable of playing on either wing as well as centre-forward, he would provide Southampton with some versatility that could be welcome as they look to kick on again after defeats to Manchester United and Newcastle.

Should the deal to take Musa to West Brom fall apart completely, the Saints should be waiting to pick up the pieces.

In other news, Southampton fans slammed this man against Newcastle.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s injury woes at Southampton have taken another turn for the worse as it has been confirmed that on-loan winger Takumi Minamino will miss the trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on Monday night.

The Japanese international picked up a hamstring injury in the 3-0 defeat against Leeds United last time out, with Hasenhuttl citing the ‘slippery’ Elland Road pitch as the reason for the issue.

The 26-year-old has impressed since joining on loan from Liverpool in the January transfer window, having scored twice in his opening four appearances for the South Coast club.

Therefore, it comes as a big blow for Hasenhuttl that he won’t be available for the trip to Merseyside, especially with Moussa Djenepo, Che Adams and Nathan Redmond having all struggled to find the back of the net this season.

The former RB Salzburg man had taken some of the pressure off Danny Ings with his goals since joining but it now seems as if the Saints will be completely reliant on the former Liverpool man against Carlo Ancelotti’s side on Monday, especially with Adams so low on confidence in front of goal at the moment.

During his time with the Reds, with whom he earns £75k per week, Jurgen Klopp described Minamino as a “machine” after his performance against Ajax in the Champions League and the South Coast club will undoubtedly miss his attacking and defensive work rate against the Toffees.

With Stuart Armstrong also perhaps likely to move into central-midfield against Everton in the absence of Ibrahima Diallo and Oriol Romeu, it could potentially leave the Saints will very little attacking threat out wide, meaning Minamino will potentially be missed even more.

Fortunately, it seems as if the Japanese forward will make his return next week, with Hasenhuttl describing his injury as “not a big one” but he will undoubtedly be missed on Monday night.

AND, in other news… Better than Jankewitz: Saints made grave transfer error with £8m gem 

Joelinton badly betrayed Steve Bruce by producing a horror show performance as Newcastle United’s sole centre-forward in his side’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Boxing Day.

Bruce was forced into facing Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues without the Toon’s leading goalscorer Callum Wilson after the eight-goal striker sustained a knock that prevented his involvement.

Wilson was sorely missed by the visiting Magpies side throughout Joelinton’s time on the field, which ended whilst when he was replaced midway through the second half by Andy Carroll, with Bruce seeing United’s record-signing forced off after sustaining an apparent hip injury.

Joelinton often lacked any clear intelligence with his forward runs and hardly displayed any serious threat to Ederson’s net, as he rarely acted as Newcastle’s main goal threat whilst the now-£18m-rated man earned his 13th outing of the Premier League season.

The 24-year-old had struck just one goal in his prior 12 appearances this term and Bruce will be hoping for positive news on Wilson’s fitness ahead of the game against champions Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Joelinton was far worse than Matt Ritchie against Manchester City, despite Bruce feeling the need to haul the former AFC Bournemouth maestro off after 66 minutes having seen the winger lose all five of his ground duels and possession 14 times, per SofaScore.

Joelinton was by far the worst-performing Newcastle player at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day, where he lost four of his five ground duels, five of 11 aerial contests and possession 11 times while failing to direct his sole shot of the night on target.

Bruce never saw Joelinton attempt, let alone complete, a dribble, either, as he sought to palm off possession with 11 accurate passes despite taking 30 touches of which, a majority came in the middle third of the pitch.

The Brazilian attacker was additionally caught offside once, committed two fouls and offered zero key passes, and will now be fearing for his place in the starting line-up regardless of the extent of his potential hip injury.

Should Wilson not be passed fit to face Liverpool, Bruce will be able to call on Andy Carroll or Dwight Gayle after the pair entered the action as late substitutes on Saturday night.

AND in other news, a Newcastle gem with his “best years ahead” was Steve Bruce’s sole positive at Brentford.

Leeds United have previously been named as one of the clubs interested in rising talent Louie Sibley in what could be an exciting end to the January transfer window.

According to Football Insider pundit Kevin Phillips, the Derby starlet would be tempted to make the switch and play under Marcelo Bielsa, who guided the Whites to a long-awaited return to the Premier League.

As it stands, Leeds are 12th in the Premier League on 23 points. Patrick Bamford is currently their leading scorer on ten goals, seven ahead of the next highest, as per BBC Sport. But this isn’t good enough for a side looking to reassert themselves in England’s top flight and stay there for seasons to come.

Would Sibley fit in at Leeds?

The 19-year-old has attracted a lot of attention thanks to his progress with the Rams. Last season saw Sibley contribute ten goals and nine assists across all competitions, which is a solid return for a midfielder. He was also recently lauded as an “outstanding” player following his youth level hat-trick for Derby.

Leeds would hugely benefit from signing a player who can conjure up some creative genius in the middle of the park. Bamford is currently out on his own trying to find his team the results they need to survive. He needs all the support he can get from any new addition that Victor Orta brings to the club this month.

However, should the Whites make a move for Sibley, who was rated at £15m by Derby in October, it would heap a lot of pressure on fellow young talent Jamie Shackleton. The 21-year-old was recently axed from Bielsa’s lineup after a string of disappointing performances.

As per Transfermarkt, Shackleton hasn’t started under Bielsa since their 4-1 loss to Leicester back in November. He has since been dropped from the squad, left on the bench or reduced to cameo appearances in a Leeds shirt.

He is already struggling to grab minutes and with an added competitor, he could be in serious trouble.

Either he is would potentially be cast aside, ir it could turn out to be the huge motivational boost he needs to impress the boss on the training pitch and re-establish himself as a regular starter.

In other news, Leeds will be kicking themselves over missed Jean-Philippe Mateta move…

Liverpool look to have been handed a transfer blow in their chase for Dominik Szoboszlai, as RB Leipzig now seem to be favourites to sign the Hungarian international.

The Reds have been linked with the 20-year-old wonderkid recently but it seems as if he is likely to join Die Roten Bullen following an update from Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.

He confirmed on Twitter that the Bundesliga side are likely to win the race to sign him, as they are keen to activate his €25 million release clause ahead of Christmas.

Considering the history of RB Salzburg players joining RB Leipzig, it is no surprise that they are now the favourites to sign Szoboszlai, however, this still comes as a blow for Liverpool, as he has shown in recent seasons that he is an incredible young player.

In 80 appearances for the Austrian side, the midfielder has contributed an impressive 25 goals and 33 assists, so it is no surprise that he is being linked with a move away.

So far this season, the midfielder has notched eight goals and nine assists in 19 appearances in all competitions, which definitely seems to suggest that he should be playing at a higher level.

The 20-year-old has already earned the praise of one of the greatest to ever play the game in Lothar Matthaus, with him saying:

“He is a gem. He’s like Kai Havertz. He could move to RB Leipzig in January, but I’m convinced that every top club in Europe has him on their list, including FC Bayern. In Hungary, Szoboszlai is already being compared to the great Ferenc Puskas.”

This is high praise indeed, although it is no surprise to hear that the RB Salzburg man is already revered by Hungarian fans, after he helped them secure European qualification by scoring an injury-time winner against Iceland last month.

Considering he is reportedly available for as little as €25 million (£22.9 million), this definitely could be a transfer Liverpool regret making in the future, particularly when you consider the success of former RB Salzburg man Erling Haaland since his departure from the Austrian side.

Therefore, Leipzig being close to his signing is definitely a blow for the Reds, but fans should certainly keep an eye on him as a potential star of the future.

And, in other news… Forget Jota: Klopp must unleash £120k-p/w gem who “offers something totally different”

Carlo Ancelotti is facing the “impossible” task of finding a like-for-like replacement for Richarlison with Everton potentially without the Brazilian at Sheffield United on Boxing Day.

According to The Guardian, the Goodison Park natives are waiting anxiously for word on whether or not Richarlison can take to the field at Bramall Lane on Saturday night as he continues to be assessed for a potential concussion.

The 23-year-old was substituted off during the Toffees’ Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday night under the orders of the club’s doctor, having received an elbow to the head in an accidental collision with Eric Bailly.

Ancelotti has insisted Everton will not breach the Football Association’s concussion protocols and field Richarlison regardless, after he claimed “everything is fine” in a message shared on Twitter.

Everton will be hoping Richarlison can feature at Bramall Lane as they strive to secure a fourth-straight Premier League victory to maintain the club’s position in the top-four places, as the Toffees are yet to win a top-flight fixture without the Brazilian since his arrival in 2018.

Ancelotti will also be without James Rodriguez after confirming the Colombian will miss the festive meetings with Sheffield United and Manchester City with the same calf injury that has sidelined the 29-year-old for the Blues’ last three league games.

“Without Richarlison, we know it will be difficult,” Ancelotti said. “If he had a concussion he has to stay out, we have to follow the protocols, and we have to be able to replace him better than what we did when he was not here.

“James will not be available for the next few games and it is a challenge for us to replace them both.”

Everton lost all three Premier League fixtures while without Richarlison earlier in the season following his red card at home to Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby, during which Ancelotti admitted it is “impossible” to find a like-for-like replacement for the 23-year-old with who he already has at the club.

Ancelotti will be keen to see Everton avoid a repeat of their struggles while Richarlison was suspended should he not be able to feature against Sheffield United on Boxing Day, knowing the £50m record signing accounts for much of the Toffees’ offensive advances.

No Everton player has registered a higher number of successful dribbles than Richarlison (32), who ranks second to Dominic Calvert-Lewin (39) for total shots (24) in Premier League fixtures and third for big chances created (3), per SofaScore.

Only Calvert-Lewin (11) and Rodriguez (3) have scored more often than Richarlison (2), too, with fellow forwards Alex Iwobi, Anthony Gordon and Cenk Tosun yet to find the back of the net.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands will have to ditch his favoured Everton approach to sign a sought-after £18m enforcer.

West Brom’s return to the Premier League couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start as they find themselves winless after seven matches.

The Baggies sit third from bottom on just three points – and with basement boys Burnley holding a game in hand, it could be ever so much worse.

It’s thought that the pressure is now on Slaven Bilic and his position as manager of the Midlands outfit, perhaps quite unfairly given it’s Spurs before the international break, and then Manchester United after it.

You’d imagine the benchmark for those two matches would be two points, even if they had been unbeaten thus far.

As we have already mentioned here at Football FanCast, the Croatian really needs to deploy his star man, Matheus Pereira, through the middle. After all, he provided five goals and 13 assists playing in the number ten role during their promotion-winning campaign.

To enable this to happen, Bilic needs to find a viable option to play on the right flank and he can take his pick from Kyle Edwards, Matty Phillips, Callum Robinson and Kamil Grosicki.

There are serious doubts over the first two names and their suitability to this level of football whilst Robinson, who joined permanently this summer, is primarily a left-sided option that can also play up front.

That leaves an interesting question mark next to Poland’s recent hat-trick hero, Grosicki. Indeed, the 32-year-old was on the verge of leaving the club on the domestic deadline but his loan move to Nottingham Forest fell through.

Although it was a switch that the veteran winger didn’t really want to make as he wanted to stay and fight for his place, as revealed in an interview with Sportowefakty. That’s what Bilic needs, fighters.

He’s since been linked with a January move to Championship rivals Middlesbrough (per the Sunday Mirror (02/11, page 65) – but let’s try him out in the Premier League first, Bilic.

Grosicki has only ever played 15 times in the English top-flight and that was during Hull City’s relegation campaign. He still managed to deliver five assists, which is a pretty decent return.

His form for the Yorkshire outfit newcomers, delivering 26 goals and 22 assists from two-and-a-half Championship seasons, was enough to convince Luke Dowling to strike in January.

Former Tigers teammate Jackson Irvine once dubbed the Poland star “unplayable” and claimed that “you can’t afford to give him that much pace to run in behind” whilst ex-boss Nigel Adkins described him as a “massive threat to anyone.”

Whilst Grosicki is still at the Hawthorns, Bilic ought to utilise him, starting this weekend.

AND in other news, Guochuan Lai on verge of a cowardly move that would eclipse Hegazi sale…

With the transfer window set to start in a few months’ time, there is bound to be speculation about Ryan Kent, which will put the winger in an uncomfortable position over his Glasgow Rangers future.

Kent’s relationship with Rangers almost seems to be too perfect to break. Beloved by fans, players and pundits alike, the former England U20 international, who turned 24 earlier this week, has burst onto the scene at Ibrox since he first arrived at the club from Liverpool on loan in 2018.

Reports in recent times revealed that Ibrox bosses want the left winger to renew terms for the second time in 18 months after an impressive start to the season.

Kent has been in fine form in recent months, although his performances somewhat tailed off before the international break. Despite this, he has still scored five goals and supplied four assists so far this season, making him the club’s third-highest goalscorer in all competitions.

But former Celtic and St Mirren striker Frank McAvennie has questioned whether or not the Ibrox outfit will be able to offer him new and improved terms. Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “I am not sure if Rangers could afford to pay him the money he would want to renew terms again.

“If they win the league and do well in the Europa League then there is a chance but who knows.”

As is often the case, Rangers are in danger of losing one of their best players if Premier League clubs come calling once again, as they simply do not have the financial firepower to fend off the potential suitors.

Recently described as an “unstoppable” dynamo by former Aberdeen and Leeds striker Noel Whelan, Kent has made nearly 100 appearances for the Light Blues, whilst he has scored 19 goals and supplied 19 assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt. Remarkably, he has not been sent off once in his entire club career so far, despite being on the receiving end of some hair-raising tackles.

If he helps Rangers reclaim the elusive Scottish Premiership this season, he may feel as if he has achieved everything possibly he can with Gerrard’s side, and consider a move elsewhere for a new challenge. However, a lucrative contract extension would throw a real spanner in the works, as it would tie him down to a new long-term deal.

Kent currently earns wages worth £18,000-per-week, per SalarySport, but a new contract could make him one of the club’s highest paid earners. He is arguably one of the club’s most influential players on the pitch alongside club captain James Tavernier. Should no transfer come to fruition in the not too distant future, it looks like he could spend the next couple of years of his career at the club. Bringing down the wage bill would create some space to increase his salary, so getting rid of Jermain Defoe would be a good step in the right direction.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must give Connor Goldson a bumper new deal in Nikola Katic’s absence…

Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of a new striker is now bordering on desperate and the latest name linked with a move to north London should be avoided like the plague…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Spurs have turned their attentions to Crystal Palace centre-forward Christian Benteke after moves for other targets have failed to come to fruition.

Jose Mourinho is on the search for a new back-up to Harry Kane but with less than a week until deadline day, he’s running out of time quickly.

It’s claimed that the Special One is a huge admirer of the £32m Eagles flop and with Roy Hodgson looking to get his £100k-per-week wages off the finances, a move could be made.

Smacks of desperation

The report mentions that moves for both Alexander Sorloth and Arkadiusz Milik have collapsed throughout the transfer window though opting for Benteke fails to make much sense at all.

Mourinho might have called the 29-year-old a “special player with special qualities” back in 2013 but the striker has just failed to impress since that emphatic campaign at Aston Villa.

Benteke’s bagged just 23 goals in 113 appearances for Palace, including a disappointing two strikes from 25 matches last term, via Transfermarkt.

It’s no wonder that Charlie Nicolas slammed the decision to offer him a new deal in 2019, he said: “I am amazed that Christian Benteke has been offered a new contract.”

Whilst BBC pundit Garry Thompson describes the 6 foot 3 Belgian is a “broken centre-forward” who isn’t likely to refind that goalscoring form anytime soon.

Even Eagles legend John Salako has changed his tune on the “beast,” slamming him for a “shocking” goals-to-game ratio.

You can’t help but feel that Spurs would be walking into a possible disaster if they brought Benteke in, even if it’s on the cheap in terms of a transfer fee, his wages are still well above what first-team regulars Lucas Moura, Toby Alderweireld and Harry Winks are earning, per Spotrac.

If Levy has any sense, then this one is simply a complete non-runner.

AND in other news, Spurs’ £100k-p/w lightweight dropped a clanger vs Newcastle on Sunday…