All posts by z3u9t.icu

When it comes to Everton star Richarlison, there are few more enigmatic players in the entire Premier League.

The Brazilian epitomises a frustrating winger, someone who on his day is electrifying. He can beat players for fun and find the back of the net in ruthless fashion.

He is an exciting talent but he also has the tendency to blow hot and cold.

The attacker managed a haul of 13 goals this season which deserves an ounce of praise. However, his form towards the back end of the campaign left a lot to be desired.

Richarlison only scored once in his last 12 matches and struggled to create many opportunities for his colleagues to score from.

He ended the campaign with only three assists, the last of which came in December. That means the winger hasn’t supplied a goal for his teammates in 26 league outings.

For a player of his quality, it almost defies belief that his return in that aspect of the game is so poor.

Signing somebody to replace Richarlison would be foolish but at the age of 24, he does need to start showing more signs of consistency.

Perhaps he could be driven on by the arrival of another rampant forward player.

In May, it was revealed by Get Football News France that Everton had made an approach to sign Moussa Diaby.

The Frenchman has been a livewire for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this term and has the seal of approval from former Toffee, Michael Ball.

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He told This is Futbol: “Diaby is all pace, it’s a great outlet. Everton usually like playing on the front foot, especially at home, and they haven’t had those types of players at the club this season to play in that style.”

Ball continued: “I think his assists this season have been very high. If we look at who Everton have got at the moment, I think Richarlison has only had three or four assists this season which is not good if you want to be touching top four or top six.”

There lies the reason Everton should go out and get Diaby.

Described as an “explosive” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 21-year-old is a true creative force, beating players for fun and then laying the ball on a plate for a teammate.

Throughout 2020/21, the youngster produced 15 assists in all competitions, 12 more than Richarlison managed.

On top of that he provided goals too. Diaby bagged ten strikes across various tournaments, including four in the Europa League.

Compared to Arjen Robben, the Leverkusen flanker is a devastating threat when he cuts inside, possessing frightening traits and qualities.

To sum things up, Leverkusen midfielder Kerim Demirbay once exclaimed: “Players with his quality don’t come along often.”

Based on that quote alone, a good case can be built for Everton to sign him this summer. He’d certainly offer more creativity than Richarlison.

AND in other news, Imagine him & DCL: Everton must complete swoop for 30-goal gem who is “crushing it”…

Leeds United are back on the road again on Monday night with a showdown against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Heading into this clash off the back of a 3-0 win against Watford, Jesse Marsch’s side have the chance to secure another victory and move away from the relegation zone.

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In terms of what the travelling squad could look like for Monday’s match, it seems as though an early clue has been dropped over the possible inclusion of two players in particular.

What’s the news?

In response to the announcement of the Leeds U23 starting XI for their league clash against Manchester City on Friday evening, journalist Phil Hay had this to say about the absence of attacking duo Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood.

He said: “Marsch hinted that certain players might be missing tonight ahead of Palace away on Monday. Cresswell and Summerville start but Gelhardt and Greenwood not involved.”

This suggests that rather than be involved with the U23s on Friday, the attacking pair could be in the senior squad to take on the Eagles at Selhurst Park.

Fans will be delighted

Taking into account how Leeds have striker Patrick Bamford out with an injury, having the option to rely on Gelhardt and Greenwood if needed will be the best way forward for Marsch.

Should the young duo find themselves in the squad on Monday, as they were for the win over Watford, this would surely delight a lot of Leeds fans, especially if they manage to get any minutes on the pitch or even grab a goal or assist.

As this is what Greenwood managed to do when he provided the assist for Jack Harrison’s goal at Vicarage Road after replacing Dan James, Marsch could give him a chance to shine once again this time around as he is evidently improving game by game.

Gelhardt, meanwhile, has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign where he’s become a fan favourite in Yorkshire. He has found the back of the net twice and provided three assists in 14 league appearances this season, showing that he is also capable of being an attacking threat for the side.

As a result of their youthful exuberance and newfound importance to Marsch’s charges, supporters will be delighted that they’ll be rested and fully fit to play on Monday evening.

Moving forward, with Leeds needing to rack up as many points as possible to make sure they don’t end up back in the Championship, the 48-year-old could be relying on the young duo for the remaining games of the season.

In other news: 150% hike: Leeds United hit the jackpot on “real technician”, he’s a “proper talent”

Lots of Arsenal fans have been criticising the performance of Bernd Leno in their 1-0 home defeat to Everton in the Premier League on Friday night.

The Germany international made an almighty blunder as he somehow managed to divert Richarlison’s tame cross into his own net, which ended up costing his team all three points at the Emirates Stadium.

It is not the first time he has made a bad mistake which has ultimately cost his side, notably receiving a red card away at Wolves in February when the Gunners were already down to 10 men, bizarrely deciding to rush out of his goal and handling the ball outside of the penalty area.

With such a vital game coming up away at Villarreal in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final on Thursday night, Mikel Arteta now has a big decision to make in terms of whether he should drop the 29-year-old for Mat Ryan.

Arsenal fans on Leno display

These Arsenal supporters on Twitter blasted Leno’s performance, with one Gooner even going as far as to claim that the goalkeeper is a ‘fraud’:

“I’ve always been Arteta in but if he persists with Leno I fear I will lose faith in the process #AFC #Arteta #Leno”

Credit: @JakeHutchfield

“How’s Leno pitting that in!?! Nah that is dreadful. Wasn’t even an effort on target! #AFC”

Credit: @JonnyAFC

“Leno should be dropped for rest of season. Give Ryan the shirt, at least he tried hard. #KroenkeOut #ArtetaOut #AFC”

Credit: Marly_MarlsT

“Bernd Leno is a shambles who gets away with murder every week #afc”

Credit: @lee45301292

“Leno is such a fraud, not even in the same league as Martinez. But I guess he is not the only 1 in the club that’s just there for the pay check. #Arsenal #Afc #Leno”

Credit: @ReeceMayberry

“Bernd Leno is an absolutely abysmal keeper. Since the injury he has been worse than useless #Arsenal #afc”

Credit: @Gunnm_Angel

In other news, find out whose display was also slammed by numerous Arsenal fans.

Speaking to club media, as shared by The Peterborough Telegraph, Director of Football Barry Fry of Peterborough United has shared an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of defender Benjamin Mensah.

The Lowdown: Spurs make enquiry…

First breaking the news, Sky Sports (13 Jan, 12:46) claimed that Spurs had made an enquiry to sign the 19-year-old amid manager Antonio Conte’s hunt for a right-wing back.

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Alasdair Gold says that the search for a player in that position is among the Italian’s and transfer chief Fabio Paratici top priorities for January with Mensah now attracting interest.

It is believed that the young ace would go straight into Tottenham’s Under-23s set up as the club seemingly look at RWB options for the future also, with Mensah capable of slotting in there as well as in a traditional back four.

The Latest: Fry confirms talks with Spurs…

As per club chief Fry, Spurs do indeed hold an interest and have ‘suggested one or two things’, with the Peterborough chief revealing he has in fact ‘talked to Tottenham’.

“I have talked to Tottenham and they have suggested one or two things to me,” he explained.

“Which I told the manager and the chairman about but they were adamant it was a no. Tottenham are still monitoring the situation.”

The Verdict: Interesting development…

It’s not everyday club officials come out to confirm transfer rumours, so this comes as an interesting development.

In terms of Mensah, he could be a brilliant option for the future with Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson already raving over the teenager after he signed his first professional contract.

The former Manchester United player called his youngster ‘aggressive’ and ‘excellent’ in one-vs-one situations with the English-born Ghanian ace seemingly one to watch out for.

If Tottenham can get him over the line and reach an agreement with The Posh, it’ll be fascinating to see his development at N17.

In other news: ‘This will excite Tottenham fans…’ – Sky Sports drop major live TV transfer claim, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur are said to be on the tail of Crotone striker Simy as they turn their eyes towards striking reinforcements [The Telegraph].

The Lowdown: Tottenham gear up for new era under Nuno

Progressing towards the new campaign, reinforcements will be necessary to give new Lilywhites manager Nuno Esparto Santo a genuine chance at success.

Already making moves from a recruitment perspective, the Portuguese boss has brought in Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Golling alongside Sevilla wide-man Bryan Gil [Transfermarkt].

With a centre-back still not signed, it looks like they are making progress at the other end of the pitch, as they target depth in the centre forward position.

The Latest: Simy eyed by Spurs

The north Londoners are said to be monitoring 6 foot 6 giant Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo, known simply as Simy, due to his exploits in Serie A last term [The Telegraph].

He is believed to potentially be available for a cut-price fee this summer, owing to his current employers’ recent relegation from the Italian top-flight.

Seemingly putting together a shortlist of striker targets, Danny Ings and Dusan Vlahovic are also rumoured to being targeted by the Premier League side [The Telegraph via The Boot Room].

The Verdict: Simy would be an astute signing by Tottenham

Providing a physical threat alongside clinical finishing on the pitch, Simy would be a smart signing for Spurs who could immediately contribute to the first-team fold.

In 2020/21, the Nigeria international was excellent for Crotone, registering 20 goals in 38 Serie A appearances [Transfermarkt], an incredible return for a side struggling in the relegation battle.

He was a constant threat in attack for I Pitagorici, recording an average of 1.7 shots on goal per game across the campaign [WhoScored].

At 29-years-old, he would be a fairly short-term solution to a long-term issue of striking depth at Tottenham, but his traditional target man style would be suited to the physicality of Premier League football.

Indeed, having FIFA 21’s 14th-tallest striker in the world on the bench would offer a notably different option to the all-round brilliance of Harry Kane.

With the beginning of the campaign just around the corner, Spurs could do a lot worse than Simy.

In other news, an ex-Spurs ace has tipped the Lilywhites to sign an England international.

Newcastle boss Steve Bruce is heading for a major howler as some eye-opening news emerges from Darsley Park.

What’s the story?

In what has been another difficult Premier League season for the Magpies, one of the big eyebrow raisers of Bruce’s tenure has been the real lack of first-team minutes given to some of the club’s brightest young academy talents.

Barring the Longstaff brothers – even Matty has fallen out of favour this season after his breakthrough Manchester United performance – the Tyneside club haven’t really seen anyone else come through, with Elliot Anderson surely deserving of more opportunities.

And now, some more bad news on the academy front has emerged.

According to Football Insider, fellow Premier League side Spurs have been offered the chance to sign the 16-year-old Bobby Clark, son of former Magpies hero Lee.

The report adds that a Spurs source has revealed “they have been offered the chance in recent weeks via intermediaries to take Clark to London”, and that “the Premier League giants are expected to run the rule over the teenager before making a decision”.

Newcastle fans would be fuming

Called up to the club’s U18s side when he was just 14, Clark has long been touted as one of Newcastle’s best academy players, so news that he’s been offered to Spurs is particularly damaging.

What makes it even worse is the claim that the teenager’s “progress has seemingly stalled”, and that the “youngster has struggled for game time this season after being handed a scholarship deal by the north-east giants”.

While Bruce may not be running the club’s academy, he should have a keen eye over what’s going on, and really should have been on top of something like this, well before these suggestions that a promising young player could just leave.

Magpies fans have already made it clear before, when Clark was linked with Spurs a couple of years ago, that they would want him to stay, so fresh news that he could be set for an exit would surely have them fuming at seeing one of their most highly-rated starlets leave.

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It would be a real howler from Bruce and the Magpies to see the 16-year-old go without first having seen him make an impression on the first-team at St James’ Park.

Meanwhile, this Newcastle man was Bruce’s unsung hero vs Leicester…

Many Wolves fans have been left to buzz as a transfer update emerged on Billy Gilmour.

As per The Athletic, the Chelsea ace’s display for Scotland in their 0-0 draw with England at Wembley Stadium in the Euro 2020 group stages has caught the eye of the Midlands club, as they have now registered an interest in signing him on loan in the summer window.

However, they may face competition from Norwich City for his signature, of whom are also looking for new recruits in the centre of midfield.

Gilmour has done very well to be called up to the Scottish national team despite being just 20 years of age, and he has also made no fewer than 22 senior appearances for Chelsea over the last two consecutive seasons (Transfermarkt), competing with household names in N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.

Nonetheless, he would certainly add a lot of creativity in the middle of the park for new manager Bruno Lage.

Wolves fans on Gilmour transfer update

These members of the Molineux faithful buzzed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter:

“Get him in”

Credit: @wynn_____

“Get it done now”

Credit: @WWFCNK

“Please please please please please and please again”

Credit: @parker_bradley

“Take him all day long! #wwfc”

Credit: @deanfinney999

“Quality young player!! One that Wolves really should pursue!!”

Credit: @SteveWiles20

“Would take him in a heartbeat. Cracking little player and gonna be a huge player in the future. Got nowhere near enough playtime last season.”Credit: @TonyWilde99In other news, find out worrying transfer update Tim Spiers has dropped on two WWFC fan favourites here!

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has confirmed a major Aston Villa boost over Leon Bailey.

What’s the story?

The Jamaica international has had an injury-disrupted start to life at Villa Park, playing just 85 minutes of football in the Premier League.

His latest issue saw him forced off in the second-half against Everton, and Dean Smith would later reveal that he wouldn’t be back until after the international break.

And now, Preece has delivered an update on where things stand with the winger.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Just the 9 outfield first-team players in at Bodymoor this week, with Morgan Sanson, Leon Bailey, Trezeguet & Keinan Davis still on the treatment tables. #avfc expect Bailey to be in contention vs Wolves in 9 days’ time, though, with Sanson set to be eased back later this month.”

Fans will be buzzing

Even in just 85 minutes of top-flight football, Bailey has shown just why Villa fans should be excited about their summer signing.

After coming off the bench to great effect against Watford on the opening day – he marked his Premier League debut for the club by setting up John McGinn’s goal and almost sparking a late comeback – the Jamaican flier showed just what he can bring to the table when he delivered another barn-storming cameo against Everton.

Having come on as a substitute once again, Bailey whipped in the corner that was turned in by Lucas Digne, before firing in a superb strike to seal an impressive 3-0 win for Villa.

Speaking before the Midlands club officially confirmed the deal to sign the winger, Alan Hutton threw his backing behind a move for the Jamaica international.

He said: “I’m so excited to see this one. I’ve heard a lot about him over the past two or three seasons. He’s obviously still very young but he’s electric, he gets people off their seats. That’s what you want in a player.

“But what’s more impressive, 15 goals and 11 assists from wide areas in the German league. That’s unbelievable. It’s the kind of consistency you want from your wingers.”

Former Ajax youth coach Ronald de Boer once said of the Jamaican: “He’s so fast it’s not normal. His speed, combined with his technique, is very rare. Exceptional. He has no weak points.”

Given that ability and the early impression he has already made at Villa Park, fans will be rightly buzzing with Preece’s latest injury update.

Meanwhile, Villa are interested in signing this Premier League striker…

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson has suggested that Glasgow Rangers target Siriki Dembele is on the transfer list this summer.

The Lowdown: Gers eye Dembele

The Gers have been heavily linked with a move for the winger in recent months, as per Peterborough Today.

Along with the Ibrox club, their fierce rivals Celtic are also said to be in pursuit of the 24-year-old.

The Latest: Dembele on transfer list?

Speaking to Peterborough Today, Ferguson provided an update on the future of one of his star forwards. He said:

“I can’t see us selling anyone before the season starts. Championship clubs have been very quiet in general and we have had no offers for Siriki, not ones that will turn our heads at least.

“Siriki is therefore very much part of my plans. If he trains well he will be in contention to play and he has trained very well so far.“All the players on the transfer list will be considered for selection while they are still here.”

The Verdict: Worth a puntDembele enjoyed a fantastic campaign for Posh last time out as they were promoted to the Championship from League One. In 45 games in all competitions, he scored 12 goals and provided 12 assists, and he has now found the back of the net 29 times throughout his career (Transfermarkt). He has proven himself to be a dangerous talent, and it will come as no surprise that plenty of clubs are interested in signing him.It is said that Peterborough are looking for a multi-million pound offer for Dembele, but it is unclear exactly how much Posh are seeking for him. Still, currently valued at just £1.08m by Transfermarkt, his signature is  not likely to be an unattainable one for Rangers. He is worth a punt from Ross Wilson and co.In other news, Alex McLeish is worried about the future of this man.

Southampton made light work of a potentially tricky trip to Newport County on Wednesday night as they thrashed the League Two side 8-0 to earn a record cup win.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were in complete control from the word go, with goals from Armando Broja, Nathan Tella and Kyle Walker-Peters giving them a 3-0 lead at half-time.

The Saints showed no signs of slowing down after the break and it was 6-0 before the hour mark, with Broja scoring his second after a quickfire double from Mohammed Elyounoussi – his first goals for the club.

Nathan Redmond then got the goal his performance deserved, before Elyounoussi made it a hattrick late on to consign the Exiles to a heavy defeat, whilst Southampton matched their record win against Sunderland from the 2014/15 Premier League campaign.

Although Elyounoussi deserves a lot of credit for his hattrick, especially considering he had failed to score in 19 appearances before Wednesday night, it was arguably Redmond who was the star of the show against the League Two outfit.

As per SofaScore, the former Norwich City man would earn a 9/10 rating for his display, with only Elyounoussi (10/10) rated higher from both sides.

Redmond was instrumental in the first half and was unfortunate not to give Hasenhuttl’s side the lead when his thunderous effort was tipped onto the bar by Joe Day, only for Broja to tuck away the rebound.

He would then provide the assist for Walker-Peters’ goal to seal the win before half-time, before smashing past Day from the edge of the box for Southampton’s seventh of the night.

During the 90 minutes, the 27-year-old winger would contribute four key passes, which was the most of any player on the pitch, whilst he also came close to scoring on a number of occasions, with Day denying the £16.2m-rated Englishman with a super save in the first half.

Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach was certainly impressed with Redmond’s display, rating him a 9/10 and writing:

“He was central to both of Southampton’s early goals, setting one up and providing the pre-assist for the other. He should have scored himself during the first ten minutes but dragged his shot horribly wide. He got his goal late one, thundering into the net from 20 yards.”

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Therefore, whilst Elyounoussi’s performance was great in terms of his hattrick and two assists, Redmond was heavily involved in Southampton’s build-up play throughout the night and deserves a lot of credit for his display.

And, in other news… Semmens should seal Southampton swoop for 21 y/o gem with “enormous ability”