All posts by z3u9t.icu

Manchester United have suffered heartbreak at Wembley Stadium this afternoon after losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup Final and Erik ten Hag will surely be disappointed with the performance put on by his team.

The Red Devils were on course to secure the domestic double after winning the League Cup earlier this year, but it wasn't meant to be on the day with the undeniable force of their local rivals presenting itself in just seconds of the game commencing in London.

Over the monumental occasion, United struggled to dominate in any area of the pitch with just 40% possession, fewer shots on target (3 v 5), fewer accurate passes completed (267 v 450), fewer duels won (40 v 48) and fewer tackles completed (11 v 19), proving that Ten Hag's side were outplayed in both attacking and defensive play.

In the first half, nobody could have predicted that Man City would be breaking records just 12 seconds into the Wembley clash but Ilkay Gundogan's stunning volley secured the lead for the Sky Blues and became the fastest ever FA Cup goal in the history of the competition.

Following the German's strike, the spotlight was stolen by VAR and refereeing decisions with Jack Grealish penalised for a controversial handball in the box, which gave the Red Devils the golden opportunity to get back into the game with Bruno Fernandes converting a spot kick to equalise in the 33rd minute.

In the second half, Gundogan punished the Red Devils again early with another goal in the 51st minute to take the lead once again which ultimately turned out to be the match-winner, delivering the seventh FA Cup in the club's history.

Whilst Ten Hag will be proud of the achievements that his team have delivered with Champions League football and a trophy secured this season, this afternoon's outing will serve as a reminder that the rebuild is still very much in progress at the club with the need to offload some of the players clear.

How did Fred get on vs Manchester City?

The Brazilian midfielder – who was signed for £47m back in 2018 – has had a rocky tenure at Old Trafford, and if reports are to be believed he could be one of the players who will be shown the exit doors this summer.

Man United have been linked with a number of midfielders who could be set to replace Fred this summer with Declan Rice, Manuel Ugarte and Mateo Kovacic all named as potential targets for the Dutch coach this summer, and the midfielder did himself no favours to stake his claim to stay in his outing at Wembley this afternoon.

Over his 90-minute performance, the 30-year-old dud lost 81% of his duels (3/16), misplaced 100% of his crosses, lost possession of the ball ten times and was dribbled past twice, whilst he even failed in 100% of his dribble attempts too.

Whilst Fred cannot be blamed for the entirety of the uninspiring display at Wembley, it is painfully obvious that Man Utd are crying out for a more energetic presence and a player who can look after the ball better going forward in the important position.

With that being said, Ten Hag must take a good look at his starting players and improve in key areas to ensure their pursuit for trophies and dominance doesn't stagnate again next season and Fred should be one of the players who shouldn't ever wear the shirt again.

Manchester United target Neymar is seemingly keen on a move to Old Trafford this summer, with prospective new owner Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani open to a deal.

What's the transfer gossip on Neymar to Manchester United?

Foot Mercato shared an update on United's interest in signing Neymar this summer in the last 48 hours, saying the Red Devils have the advantage when it comes to the attacker. The Brazilian appears to be on his way out of PSG with the Ligue 1 outfit open to getting his incredible €3.6m-a-month (£3m-a-month) salary off the books.

Most recently, the PSG hierarchy has been irritated by Neymar after he missed the final game of the season due to injury before appearing in Monaco to watch the Grand Prix. The Brazilian's trip was seen as a "provocation" and "seals his fate a little more."

Foot Mercato note that PSG tried to sell Neymar last summer and are looking to sell him again this year, with Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea named with an interest.

United, as mentioned, are said to hold the advantage, with the player, who has contacts with the Qatar brand, seduced over a move to Old Trafford and can only see himself playing in Manchester or staying with PSG.

The 31-year-old reportedly wants to continue playing in Europe for the time being after an offer of around €400m (£343m) from a Saudi Pro League side was rejected by the forward.

Is a Man Utd move to sign Neymar wise?

Labelled as "one of the best players on the planet" in the media, Neymar has already won plenty in the club game, nine major honours with PSG in fact, and a move to Manchester United could be an opportunity to grow his personal brand even more.

The Premier League appears to be a popular attraction for the top stars, although it's unclear whether or not Neymar's body is strong enough to cope with the demands of England's top flight. According to Transfermarkt, the Brazilian missed 15 games after undergoing ankle surgery on a nasty injury sustained against Lille in February.

Potential new owner Jassim is said to be keen on signing Neymar should he complete a takeover at Man United. If he was able to remain fit, Neymar is the type of player that could restore Erik ten Hag's side back to the top with 293 goals and 188 assists in his club career, and by the looks of it, a move may well be one to keep an eye on.

Gianluca Di Marzio has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a move for Sven Botman this summer.

What’s the talk?

In a recent article posted on his own website, the Italian journalist revealed that, despite AC Milan being believed to be in advanced negotiations for the signing of the LOSC Lille centre-back, Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle United are all keeping a very close eye on the situation of the 22-year-old ahead of a potential move of their own in the summer transfer window.

In his piece, Di Marzio wrote: “Both Tottenham and Manchester United could contest – together with Newcastle – the profile of Sven Botman at Milan – [who is in] negotiations with the Rossoneri. Both clubs have a sizeable budget to get to the defender. Even the Rossoneri club, therefore, must carefully monitor the current situation.”

Forget Bastoni

While missing out on the signing of Alessandro Bastoni will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to both Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte, considering just how impressive Botman has been for Lille in recent seasons, it is easy to see why the Spurs sporting director could be targeting the Netherlands U21 international as an alternative to the Inter Milan starlet.

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Indeed, over his 25 Ligue 1 appearances in 2021/22, the £27m-rated talent was in astonishing form, helping his side keep eight clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.0 interceptions, 1.0 tackles, 4.5 clearances and winning 4.0 duels – at a success rate of 66% – per game.

The £18k-per-week left-footer also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring three goals and registering one assist, in addition to completing an average of 53.4 passes, 4.1 long balls and taking 0.6 shots per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Matt Spiro dubbed an “exceptional centre-back talent” average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Jocelyn Gourvennec’s best performer in the top flight of French football.

As such, with Botman clearly being an incredibly talented left-footed ball-playing centre-back – not to mention a cheaper option at €45m (£38m) than the £54m Bastoni – it would indeed appear as if the Dutch defender would be a fantastic alternative to the Italy international for Paratici and Conte to pursue this summer.

AND in other news: Conte could land “dream” transfer alternative as Paratici now begins £50m Spurs talks

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in singing Ali Al-Musrati, according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Al-Musrati’s areer so far

Signed on a free transfer from fellow Portuguese Primeira Liga outfit Vitoria Guimaraes in 2020, the defensive midfielder has gone from strength to strength at Braga.

In 89 appearances for his current club, Al-Musrati has scored six times and provided five assists whilst playing an instrumental role in the team’s Portuguese Cup triumph last season.

It now appears that the Libya international is destined for pastures new this summer, and Wolves have seemingly joined the party…

The latest: Wolves linked with Al-Musrati

As per O Jogo, translated by Sport Witness, Wolves and newly-promoted Fulham are both attentive to the possibility of signing the 26-year-old.

It is claimed that Braga are now waiting for the ‘best offer’ after the 40-cap Libyan was allowed to miss international duty in order to resolve his future.

The report suggests that, with Bruno Lage beginning to prepare for life after Ruben Neves, Al-Musrati – who has been hailed as a ‘special talent’ by journalist Zach Lowy – is among those on the radar at Molineux.

The verdict: Special player

Albeit predominantly a defensive-minded operator and therefore perhaps not a like-for-like replacement for Neves, the combative Libyan would nevertheless be a superb capture for Wolves this summer.

During the 2021/22 campaign, Al-Musrati made 45 appearances across all competitions and earned an outstanding 7.13 Sofascore rating, making 1.4 interceptions and completing 1.1 key passes per league game.

Perhaps most impressively, the £10.8m-valued Braga ace won 4.6 duels per match, comfortably more than the Old Gold midfield trio of Neves (3.8), Joao Moutinho (3.4) and Leander Dendoncker (2.8) per Premier League game.

Holding a close stylistic likeness to Liverpool destroyer Fabinho (FBRef) and boasting an array of impressive attributes including tackling, aerial ability and concentration, adding a player of Al-Musrati’s quality to Lage’s ranks appears a no-brainer regardless of what happens with Neves.

In other news: Two EFL clubs target Dion Sanderson…

Crystal Palace has shown interest in signing Watford’s Senegalese winger, Ismaila Sarr.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from JeunesFooteux who claim that Watford’s relegation to the Championship suggests there is a “good chance” of the 24-year-old leaving.

The French outlet suggest that Sarr “will not be retained by his club in the event of an interesting offer.”

Several Premier League teams are said to be interested in securing the services of the Watford star, with the likes of Newcastle, Everton and “especially Crystal Palace” mentioned – with Vieira said to “greatly appreciate” Sarr’s profile as a player.

Vieira’s admiration

With Vieira’s admiration for Sarr stated in the report, amidst Watford’s relegation to the second tier of English football, a move for the Senegalese forward makes complete sense from a Steve Parish and a Crystal Palace perspective.

Though, the potential £30m signing would represent what is, on the face of it, a project for Vieira and at a fee that would fall just short of the £32.5m deal that saw Christian Benteke make the switch from Liverpool to make him the record arrival at Selhurst Park, it could be a risky move.

This season, the 24-year-old, who has been dubbed a “champion” by previous manager Claudio Ranieri, has been a bit of an enigma. His five goals and two assists are a solid return for a player who has operated in a shaken up Watford side and had his fair share of injury woes but it has added to his career total nicely, which now stands at 47 goals.

The aforementioned factors form the collective reason as to why he has made just 22 Premier League appearances this season. Sarr’s returns could not have been predicted by his numbers over the last year. It’s a valid case for the “eye test” endorsers who rubbish statistical analysis, with the Senegalese’s average of 0.73 shots on target, 15.96 passes completed and 2.13 shot-creating actions demonstrating what would appear to be a lack of involvement in the game.

Yet despite this he has drummed up an xG total of 5.6 in the league this season, with stat advocates like me left with egg on my face in this particular case.

In other news: Vieira can unearth CPFC’s very own Saka in “impressive” rarely-seen 19 y/o sensation 

Now that Everton have secured safety in the Premier League they can focus on improving the squad this summer to avoid a similar situation next season, and they are wasting no time in identifying their transfer targets.

What’s the latest?

According to MLS football journalist Larry Henry Jr, Everton have joined the race to sign Tottenham Hotspurs defender and current Celtic loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Henry Jr tweeted:

“Everton and Fulham are in the race for Cameron Carter-Vickers, should Celtic not agree to a transfer with Tottenham prior to June 12, a source close to the player confirmed. CCV heading to June USMNT camp and coming off two trophy haul with Celtic this season.”

Lampard needs him

There is no doubt that improvement and changes will be made at Goodison Park this summer as Everton narrowly missed relegation from the Premier League this season, and one area that has come under harsh criticism is the defence.

Jamie Carragher dubbed the Toffees’ backline a “Championship back four” a few months ago after a humiliating 5-0 loss to Spurs, with the side conceding the fifth most goals in the league out of 20 teams during the 2021/22 campaign, something they must improve upon next season.

Carter-Vickers who was hailed “solid as a rock” by pundit Simon Donnelly, has been impressing at Celtic on loan and his impact has led the team to their Scottish Premiership title win this season and the defensive qualities he has displayed prove that Lampard needs him.

According to SofaScore, the £10m centre-back has scored three goals and contributed one assist, making an astonishing 99.5 touches, 1.2 interceptions and 4.1 clearances on average per game as well as winning the majority of his duels (68%) and successfully completing an overwhelming amount of his dribbles (86%) in 33 league appearances.

When you consider these statistics the American native is clearly a huge threat both dominating defensively and offering a great attacking output too, something that would be highly valued at Everton if Lampard could secure the signing this summer.

However, it has been reported that Celtic have managed to agree on personal terms for a permanent deal with the player so Farhad Moshiri will need to work fast if he wants to hijack the deal before they lose out to the Scottish Champions.

AND in other news: Forget Iwobi: Everton’s “waste of space” who made just 6 passes today has got to go

Manchester United are eyeing up a move for a striker to boost their attacking options ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

According to ESPN, Erik ten Hag is monitoring the performances of Reims marksman Hugo Ekitike, and they have reportedly made an enquiry over the 19-year-old.

They could face a battle for him though, as Bayern Munich have also been linked with a move, and the player could be available for a bargain price of €15m (£12.7m).

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Ten Hag could find the next Mbappe in Ekitike

With Manchester City announcing the signing of Erling Haaland earlier this week, that news would have come as a blow to United, especially given their prior interest in the Borussia Dortmund striker.

However, in Ekitike they could well have “the next Mbappe”, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, and this could well be music to the Old Trafford faithful’s ears ahead of next season.

With his market value currently sitting at £18m, almost 50% more than the aforementioned transfer fee, it represents an excellent deal and one that the Red Devils simply can’t let slide.

The 19-year-old has scored nine times this season and possesses a 33.3% goal conversation rate, which places him fifth out of all players in the top five leagues in Europe. This actually ranks above the likes of Haaland and Robert Lewandowski, illustrating what an immense talent he is.

In one sense, it may be wise for the teenager to remain in France for another season to continue his development. The new project at Manchester United under Ten Hag could go either way and it would be a shame to see a young prospect’s career being derailed if the club have yet another poor season.

However at the price quoted, it might be tough to resist for United, especially if they dither and allow rival suitors to nip in and sign Ekitike instead.

AND in other news, Man United plotting bid to sign “complete” £63m monster, he’d be their own De Bruyne

Phil Hay has reacted to news of relegation for Leeds United’s under-23s over the weekend.

The Lowdown: Another weekend to forget

Jesse Marsch’s first team dropped into the bottom three for the first time since October following a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday and have just three Premier League matches remaining to pull themselves out of trouble.

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Former Whites loanee Eddie Nketiah scored twice early on at the Emirates before captain Luke Ayling received a straight red card for a terrible tackle on Gabriel Martinelli. It was arguably one of Leeds’ worst first-half displays all season, and things got worse for the club at half-time in that match.

The Latest: Hay’s tweet

At the same time that Leeds’ first team were heading into the dressing room two goals down at Arsenal, Chelsea’s under-23s managed to turn things around against Tottenham, meaning that the Whites have been relegated from the top tier of Premier League 2.

Hay took to Twitter to react to the news, stating: “Sad to report, Leeds U23s have been relegated. Chelsea stay up after beating Spurs.”

The Verdict: When it rains, it pours

It looked as if the under-23s would avoid the drop as Chelsea were trailing with 10 minutes to go in a must-win game, but two goals in the final 10 minutes for the Blues summed up how things have gone at Elland Road this season from top to bottom.

Hopefully Hay won’t have another Leeds relegation to report on over the coming two weeks, but Marsch’s side will need to pick up some points against either Chelsea, Brighton or Brentford to ensure their Premier League safety.

They are also without numerous senior players for the final three games, with Ayling joining that list following his ridiculous sending off, so Leeds will have to do it the hard way if they are to survive.

In other news: Marsch now set to lose Leeds player with ‘incredible engine’ this summer. 

It’s crunch time for West Ham United on Thursday evening, as David Moyes’ side take on Eintracht Frankfurt in what is set to be an enthralling, Europa League, semi-final, second-leg clash.

The Hammers head into the game on a run of four matches without a win in all competitions – having lost their last three both in Europe and domestically – although all hope is not lost with the current aggregate scoreline at just 2-1 in favour of the Bundesliga side.

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The London Stadium outfit weren’t at their best in that defeat on home soil, although that one-goal deficit ensures it is all still to play for, with history seemingly on their side as they overcame the same opponents at the last four stage of the European Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1976.

Ahead of this pivotal encounter, here’s how the Football FanCast think that Moyes will line his side up…

With the former Manchester United boss announcing a clean bill of health in his pre-match press conference, the only changes to be made are likely to be tactical ones, with the Scotsman having shuffled his pack in the weekend defeat to Arsenal. As such, we are predicting that the 59-year-old will make four alterations from the side that lost at home to the Gunners.

One of those tweaks will see Alphonse Areola return in goal having featured in nine of the ten games in the competition, while ahead of him Craig Dawson returns to the backline after his brief suspension on Sunday, lining up alongside Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma and Aaron Cresswell.

The latter will return to his usual left-back berth, meaning that £38k-per-week dud Ryan Fredericks will drop out – the full-back having been dubbed a “shocker” by journalist Thomas Clark earlier this season.

In midfield, the club’s “man mountain” Tomas Soucek, as he has been described by pundit Micah Richards, replaces club captain Mark Noble alongside talisman Declan Rice, while ahead of them should be the attacking trio of Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini and Jarrod Bowen.

Leading the line will almost certainly be Michail Antonio – with Said Benrahma making way – although as his manager admitted, the Jamaica international is in desperate need of a goal, having scored just twice in all competitions since New Year’s Day.

In other news, Forget Rice: Moyes now set for West Ham disaster on “remarkable” £125k-p/w giant

Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips is likely to be sold permanently at the end of the season, with plenty of interest in the Englishman.

The Lowdown: Phillips out on loan

The 25-year-old became an unlikely hero for the Reds last season, filling in during a defensive injury crisis and helping Jurgen Klopp’s side finish third in the Premier League.

Phillips has been largely deemed surplus to requirements in 2021/22, however, making just three appearances for Liverpool before joining Bournemouth on loan in January.

The centre-back has played his part in the Cherries sealing promotion from the Championship, making 16 league starts.

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The Latest: Permanent summer exit?

According an early morning report from The Liverpool Echo, the Reds will listen to offers for Phillips this summer, especially if Joe Gomez ends up signing a new deal at Anfield.

Bournemouth are thought to be eyeing up a permanent move for the defender, whose current Liverpool deal runs out in the summer of 2025.

The Verdict: Time to move on

Phillips will always be appreciated for his efforts last season – Klopp hailed one performance as ‘absolutely insane’ – but the truth is that he is not at the required level to make it at Liverpool, meaning he should be moved on.

Bournemouth are perfect for the Englishman, in terms of being a lower Premier League or upper Championship side, and he could thrive there over a long period, as evidenced by his role in their promotion.

With Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez all ahead of Phillips in Klopp’s centre-back pecking order, it is impossible to see him getting many chances from this point on.

In other news, another Liverpool player is also expected to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.