All posts by z3u9t.icu

Despite making his return from injury a few weeks ago, it’s fair to say that Aston Villa winger Trezeguet hasn’t quite hit the ground running.

The Egypt international missed the entirety of December and most of January through injury, and made his comeback in a 2-0 victory over Newcastle.

Since then, however, he has yet to score a goal or provide even a single assist, and it raises some real questions about Dean Smith’s decision to bring him into the starting line-up for the past couple of games in the Premier League.

With Anwar El Ghazi fully fit now, there’s no excuses for Smith to move Trezeguet out and bring the Dutchman back into the team.

The £9m-rated Trezeguet ranks as the second-worst Villa player in the entire squad out of those who have started at least ten games this season, and that’s a damning indictment on just how little he has impressed – even centre-back Kortney Hause has managed to find the back of the net more than him.

Speaking earlier this season to Football Insider, Agbonlahor said about the £9m-rated ace: “I said it after the Brighton game on Twitter and Villa fans weren’t happy with my comment about him not being able to finish his dinner. In the Premier League, you get punished for not taking easy chances like that. If that ball fell to anyone else but Trezeguet, they would have scored.

“I just feel his all game is a bit erratic, he works hard but his final ball at times was poor. He makes the wrong decision a lot. As much as working hard is important in football, there has to be some quality there because otherwise, it’s going to cost you.”

While Trezeguet’s work-rate and endeavour off the ball is all well and good, his lack of quality when in possession is something Villa just can’t keep glossing over.

Smith simply has to drop him from the starting line-up against Tottenham tonight.

Meanwhile, Villa are making a big mistake over signing this midfielder…

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has been under a lot of scrutiny lately due to some of the recent performances of the south London side. Pundit Jamie O’Hara has mentioned a surprising name that he thinks could take over at the club.

What O’Hara had to say about Palace

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has been linked to the vacant role at Championship side AFC Bournemouth. However, speaking on talkSPORT, the former Tottenham footballer said: “It might sound a bit silly but Henry is probably better suited to taking the Crystal Palace job, because he knows the Premier League.”

Would Henry suit Palace?

There is no doubting the quality that the Frenchman had as a player and he will go down as one of the best footballers to grace the Premier League. However, managing a side in the division is much different and his managerial career so far has not been the best.

This claim by O’Hara is a huge one to make as Palace currently have the experienced Roy Hodgson in charge, whilst Henry has barely started his managerial career. He had a short period as assistant manager of Belgium but since then, he has only been manager of Monaco, where he managed 0.95 points per game, and his current job at Montreal Impact (Transfermarkt). At the MLS side, Henry has taken charge of 29 games. His record is not great. He has only won nine matches,  whilst drawing four and losing 16.

Therefore to suggest he can take over a struggling Palace side who have an ageing squad and other problems like being too reliant on Wilfried Zaha would be a huge risk and at this current time the Frenchman would not be a good fit for the Palace role.

In other news, Palace fans fumed over Hodgson’s latest injury update!

According to a report by Football League World, West Ham United and GSB are keen to hold talks over signing Rochdale forward Kwadwo Baah – coming after a recent development that he will be back on the market after his failed move to Manchester City (The Telegraph).

Baah looked set for an eventual move to the Etihad Stadium at the end of this season, with journalist Mike McGrath recently revealing that terms were agreed.

However, the deal reportedly collapsed at the medical stage, with Baah now about to be back on the market when his current contract with Rochdale expires in June.

West Ham interest emerges for Baah

This development has prompted West Ham and GSB to turn their heads as the Irons are now eager to hold talks with Baah over his signing this summer.

Indeed, as per FLW, West Ham are interested in negotiations for his signature among other clubs eyeing a move – with the 18-year-old having no shortage of plaudits.

Transfer Tavern take

Rochdale boss Brian Barry-Murphy has made no secret of his talent in recent interviews with the press, branding Baah as ‘very special’ and ‘very dangerous’ (Evening Express).

Premier League and European clubs, as a result, have targeted the forward for his head-turning performances in England’s third tier – but it remains to be seen whether West Ham now can now nick in first and agree a deal.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to an ExWHUemployee tweet, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey admits he is baffled by the way Crystal Palace have handled Luka Milivojevic’s breach of Covid rules during the winter break.

Reports have emerged over the past week that Milivojevic breached regulations by attending a New Year’s Eve party alongside Fulham striker Aleksandr Mitrovic.

The pair were filmed by Mitrovic’s partner at a house party in London, and the footage was shared on social media.

Several professional footballers have fallen afoul of coronavirus guidelines over the festive period, including Tottenham Hotspur trio Erik Lamela, Giovanni Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilon, who were spotted together with West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini attending a party over the Christmas period.

Whilst Roy Hodgson criticised the club captain, he defended his decision to hand him the armband against Sheffield United last Saturday.

“We condemn it, we certainly apologise for it,” said Hodgson.

“I’m certain Luka will as well. As far as I’m concerned, he should take responsibility for that.

“It’s an internal matter and we will deal with it, but there’s literally nothing positive I can say on the matter.”

But Howey believes he should have been dropped from the squad and slapped with a huge fine.

He told FFC:

“I don’t agree with it at all. I think he should have been taken out and hit with a huge, huge fine.

“I’m not Roy Hodgson, I’m not Jose Mourinho, that’s up to them. They’ve got to deal with it how they see fit and that’s their prerogative.

“Personally, I disagree with it. I think they should get a lot more than what they have done, because it basically shows other players, the punishment isn’t that bad.”

Milivojevic has become somewhat notorious for his bad behaviour after he was sent off for brawling with Tom Huddlestone in Palace’s FA Cup defeat to Derby County last year.

The £10m-rated 29-year-old has contributed to 32 goals in 139 games during his time at Selhurst Park but has yet to find the back of the net this season.

While we can forgive the odd scuffle here or there, his latest indiscretion should be the final straw as it’s frankly insulting to fans and key workers across the country.

If players can’t understand that this behaviour is unacceptable then it’s time they were taught a lesson in humility.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops fresh update on Wilfried Zaha’s future at Crystal Palace…

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Lucas Digne and Alex Iwobi will both be available for Everton’s midweek clash with Leicester City.

The Toffees duo were among a clutch of players to sit out the FA Cup fourth round win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday but were expected to be passed fit to face the Foxes.

They will now return to the fold for the visit of Brendan Rodgers’ side to Goodison Park on Wednesday night, as Everton look to move back inside the top-four of the Premier League table with a win.

Everton trail Leicester by six points in the race for Champions League qualification yet hold two games in hand over the East Midlands outfit, after meetings with Manchester City and Aston Villa were postponed due to coronavirus outbreaks in the opposition camps.

Ancelotti will be without a group of his midfield options for the Foxes affair, with the Italian noting that Allan, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin continue to be ruled out through injury.

Abdoulaye Doucoure will also be absent after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in this month’s 2-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“We have Digne and Iwobi back, and we have out Delph, Allan, Gbamin and [Niels] Nkounkou. The others are all good,” said Ancelotti.

“We don’t have a lot of injuries at this moment because Delph has started to train with us, so practically he is back. We have only Allan, Gbamin and Nkounkou that can recover soon.”

Iwobi scored his first goal of the Premier League season during the 2-1 win at Wolves but faces a challenge to start against Leicester, with James Rodriguez fresh off a Man of the Match showing at home to Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup.

Everton will be boosted greatly by the return of Digne, who will now be expected to return to the starting line-up for only the 10th time in the league this season. But the Frenchman’s availability will likely not leave Ben Godfrey feeling the same way.

Godfrey stood in for Digne at left-back in the FA Cup and fared well with his physical nature enough to stand strong in the face of regular defensive duties, yet will find his place in the XI is now under threat.

Ancelotti saw Mason Holgate and Yerry Mina command the centre of the Blues’ backline against Sheffield Wednesday, with Holgate looking the real leader of the unit in the absence of Michael Keane whilst the England international was rested.

The decision on who faces Leicester will be between the trio of Holgate, Mina and Keane, and not Godfrey – who former Toffees striker Kevin Campbell lauded as an “excellent” and versatile option for his impressive efforts while Digne was sidelined after ankle surgery.

And no matter how well Godfrey deputises for Digne, the £22.5m-rated centre-back is unable to offer the same box-to-box threat as his £90,000-per-week teammate.

Only Rodriguez (2.3) has created more goal-scoring opportunities for Everton per game than Digne (1.9) in the Premier League this season, while Godfrey is yet to record a single key pass when fielded at full-back, per WhoScored.

Godfrey also offers fewer tackles (1.5/2.0) than Digne (1.9/3.4) when selected as the wide defender, and rarely attempts to carry possession out from the back nearly as much with 0.3 dribbles attempted a game to the Frenchman’s 0.8. Thus forcing Ancelotti to look elsewhere for a driving presence on the left-hand channel that can support Richarlison but get back to defend.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit expects Everton to sell a £180k-p/w duo before Monday’s deadline…

According to The Athletic, Manchester United have pulled out of the race to sign Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig.

What’s the story?

United were heavily linked with a move for Upamecano in the summer, with The Telegraph revealing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to pair him with Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence ahead of the new season.

The 22-year-old is one of the most sought after talents in Europe after arriving at the Red Bull Arena from sister club Red Bull Salzburg in 2017.

However, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that the Red Devils have cooled their interest in the RB Leipzig defender, who signed a new contract with the club earlier this year, which reportedly contains a release clause which will be active from next summer.

It’s subsequently been claimed that Upamecano is desperate to move to the Premier League, with former Norway striker-turned transfer guru Jan Aage Fjortoft hinting “the ball will start rolling” next summer.

This could just be the club’s feeble attempt to try and play hardball in transfer negotiations, but whatever the case may be, Ed Woodward simply must sign him at all costs or face serious consequences.

United must sign Upamecano at all costs

While the Red Devils remain interested in Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, Woodward should forget about making a move for the England international, and should instead focus his efforts on prising Upamecano away from the Red Bull Arena – it would be an unforgivable error if he doesn’t land the Frenchman.

It’s fair to say that Solskjaer needs to bolster his centre-back options, as Maguire has had his fair share of criticism so far this season, while Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof simply isn’t up to scratch.

United survived a late scare against Sheffield United after David McGoldrick headed home from a corner to give the hosts a small amount of hope before Dean Henderson exorcised his demons by saving a shot from Lys Mousset.

Upamecano is certainly an option the club legend should look to consider as a genuine contender, having made 28 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, whilst he averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 3 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

Valued at £54m via Transfermarkt, in five appearances in the Champions League, Upamecano is averaging 3.2 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game, as per WhoScored.

By comparison, Lindelof hasn’t even managed one tackle on average per game in any competition so far this season.

It goes without saying that he would be a significant upgrade on most if not all of the options currently available to Solskjaer, with Rio Ferdinand hailed him as a “formidable” beast after an outstanding display against Atletico Madrid last season.

AND in other news, Paul Pogba stole the show for Solskjaer as Man Utd edged past Sheffield United…

Many Wolves fans were sceptical of the performance of Rayan Ait-Nouri during side’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

The 19-year-old started in the left full-back position in what was only his third start for the Black Country club of the season since his loan move from Ligue 1 side Angers back in October.

Ait-Nouri, who is on a weekly salary of £36k-per-week at Molineux, was guilty on occasions of letting the Red Devils attackers run in behind after not getting out quickly enough from the back.

That being said, Wolves had plenty of chances in a game where they were facing one of the better sides in the Premier League and the young full-back was looking to get forward at times, but the occasion did look like it might have been getting the best of him.

Because of all of this, some supporters were critical of the Frenchman and they took to social media to voice their opinions.

Fans scrutinise Ait-Nouri

“Not entirely convinced by Aït-Nouri at Wolves yet.”

Credit: @aepearson02

“Aît-Nouri well out of his depth here. Given the ball away every time he gets it. Mąrcal will have to come on. #wwfc #MUNWOL”

Credit: @GoldenPalaceWW

“Ait-Nouri needs to look across the line #MUNWOL”

Credit: @notsouniquename

“If Ait-Nouri is the answer, I don’t wanna know the question. Wondering is Maguire wants to foul our lot any more and could Rashford possibly spend any more time diving?!”

Credit: @SteveWatkiss

“Ait Nouri loves playing United attackers onside so far. #wwfc”

Credit: @WWFCFancast

“Any danger of Ait Nouri pushing up”

Credit: @mcooperwrites

In other news. Jamie Redknapp makes huge claim about Wolves star who could go “to the top.”

Gylfi Sigurdsson was brought into the Everton starting line-up on Sunday by Carlo Ancelotti for the clash against Southampton.

The Toffees went into the game unbeaten in all competitions, and were also on top of the Premier League. However, versus Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, they suffered their first loss of the season, with the south-coast team winning 2-0. Things were made worse later on, with Lucas Digne receiving a straight red card for a poor, albeit unfortunate, tackle on Kyle Walker-Peters.

Sigurdsson’s display was far from positive. The 31-year-old played just 58 minutes, managing a disappointing 64% pass accuracy, whilst he won just one of his five duels. All in all, the Iceland international failed to take advantage of the chance given to him by Ancelotti.

The Everton fans were also far from happy with his display, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what they had to say about Sigurdsson

In other news, Everton fans react as this Toffees flop scores twice for his new club. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Glasgow Rangers delivered a big statement by beating Aberdeen at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon to send Steven Gerrard’s side six points clear of Celtic at the summit of the Scottish Premiership.

The 54-time Scottish champions struck twice in the first half before a goal from Scott Arfield after the break and James Tavernier’s eighth penalty of the season gave the Gers an unassailable four-goal lead.

However, there was one notable absentee, as Bongani Zungu was nowhere to be seen. It’s since been revealed that the South Africa international is still injured and will miss tonight’s game against Benfica in the Europa League at Ibrox. Ryan Jack also remains a doubt after suffering a knee injury whilst away on international duty.

This means that Gerrard will be without the new summer signing for the next group stage match, whilst Jack faces a race against time to prove his fitness, which may leave the Ibrox boss short of midfield options.

It’s likely the in-form Glen Kamara will be recalled to the starting line-up, which means that Gerrard will have to choose from Arfield, Joe Aribo and Steven Davis to form the midfield three.

Aribo could be in contention with Arfield having played the past two games in a row but the former Canada international has been the trusted man for the big occasion in recent years.

Gerrard has spoken admirably about the Canadian in the past, once describing him as the “perfect professional” and admitting “he’s like the glue in the dressing-room.”

The 32-year-old became Gerrard’s first signing after the former Burnley midfielder signed a four-year-deal in 2018 and he has repaid the favour with consistent performances over the years.

Arfield has made over a hundred appearances for the Gers, whilst he has scored 26 goals and supplied 17 assists in all competitions so far.

Naturally, the new signings have seen him somewhat fall down the pecking order, as he barely featured for the club at the beginning of the campaign, whilst his contract is set to expire in 2022. But this could be the best chance for him to stake his claim for a place in the starting line-up.

The Gers are currently tied with Benfica at the top of the Europa League Group D on seven points apiece, with the two sides sharing the spoils in Lisbon at the start of the month.

Whilst the Super Eagles fought back to tie the first game, Gerrard’s side will be viewed as the slight favourites off the back of their impressive home record, but they cannot afford to take the fixtures for granted, and Arfield will want to put in another commanding performance to send the Ibrox boss a timely reminder.

AND in other news, Davis and Hagi start, no room for Kemar Roofe: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Benfica…

Leeds United face one of the toughest tests they’ll be up against all season this weekend as they host Manchester City at Elland Road.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been one of the dominant forces in world football over the past few years, breaking all sorts of records and consistently picking up silverware each season.

Unfortunately for Leeds, they will be without one of their most important players on Saturday evening as Jack Harrison will be ineligible to play against his parent club, meaning United will have to look towards an alternative.

Marcelo Bielsa has hinted that Ezgjan Alioski will take Harrison’s place, and with the Macedonian struggling for game time so far this season, this will be a huge opportunity for him to stake a claim for a place in the XI.

However, this chance may have come along at the worst possible time, because playing against Manchester City is always a mammoth task.

Both Alioski and Stuart Dallas are able to play as either a left-back or a left-midfielder, so Bielsa could end up playing the Macedonian in either role, but no matter which spot he ends up in, his job will prove incredibly difficult.

He may be tasked with defending Riyad Mahrez, a man in hot form, getting a goal and an assist in his first league appearance of the season against Leicester, while generally being one of the trickiest wingers in the division, contributing to 20 league goals last term.

Or, he may be tasked with trying to attack down Kyle Walker’s side, which is another nigh on impossible task with the England international remaining one of the strongest defenders in the division, being dribbled past just once so far this season.

The Macedonian has his admirers, indeed Danny Mills raved about his form a year ago, praising his “infectious” attitude (Football Insider).

But he is set for a baptism of fire no matter where he is deployed if he is given his first ever Premier League start at the weekend, and he may end up struggling to make the most of taking this chance to cement himself as a regular starter in Bielsa’s XI.

In other news, this Spurs star should try and force through a move to Leeds…