All posts by h79snht.top

Ange Postecoglou had dropped a worrying injury update concerning Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments made to Celtic TV, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss revealed that, after being withdrawn due to taking a knock to his ankle in the Hoops’ victory over Ross County last week, the 29-year-old now looks set to be ruled out for the medium-term – with the midfielder unlikely to take part in first-team training this week.

Speaking about the current condition of the Australia international, Postecoglou said: “We’ll see how it all transpires. Unfortunately, he couldn’t go back and represent his country which was disappointing for him.

“He’s still sore. He probably won’t train this week and we’ll just assess how he goes in the week leading up to the next game. But suffice to say he was pretty sore after it. He probably could’ve been a hell of a lot worse, but at the same time it’s enough to keep him out for the medium-term.”

Supporters will be gutted

While the 4-0 thumping of Ross County was a game in which David Turnbull finally made his long-awaited return from a hamstring injury, the news that – as a result of a setback sustained in the same fixture – Rogic could now be sidelined for the potentially season-defining Old Firm clash on April 3 is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful gutted.

While it is true that the £1.35m-rated midfielder’s form has tailed off somewhat in recent weeks, generally speaking, the 29-year-old has enjoyed something of a renaissance under the management of Postecoglou this season.

Indeed, over his 25 Premiership appearances in the current campaign, the £21.5k-per-week playmaker has scored five goals, registered six assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making 1.7 key passes per game – with these returns seeing the Aussie average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.00.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

As such, considering just how important Celtic’s upcoming clash with Rangers is in the Premiership title race – with a victory at Ibrox potentially putting the Hoops six points clear of their rivals with just six games of the season left to play – should Rogic indeed be ruled out of the fixture, it would undoubtedly come as a huge blow – not only to Celtic’s chances of securing an Old Firm victory but also to the Bhoys’ hopes of reclaiming their Scottish crown.

AND in other news: £3.5m down the drain: Celtic’s “rank rotten” £43k-p/w “passenger” rinsed Peter Lawwell

Newcastle United are interested in signing Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Phillips indispensable at Leeds

The 26-year-old has arguably been the most important player at Elland Road over the past five years, maturing into a truly formidable footballer.

Not only has Phillips shone for Leeds, making 226 appearances for the club, he has also become a key figure for England, scooping his country’s Player of the Year award in 2021.

However, it could be that the midfielder looks for a fresh challenge this summer, despite his love for his boyhood club.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Newcastle eye up move for Phillips

According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle have emerged as potential suitors for Phillips’ signature, with their big-money takeover allowing them vast sums of money to spend on new signings.

Aston Villa are also mentioned in the report, with the Leeds hero ‘prepared to assess his options’ once this season reaches its conclusion.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-37/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Survival paramount for Whites

It could be that Phillips decides to leave Leeds whatever happens this season, but there is no denying that relegation back to the Championship would almost certainly lead to his departure.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

An England regular simply isn’t going to be content with playing in the second tier, regardless of his love for the Whites, so that makes it all the more crucial for Jesse Marsch’s team to retain their top-flight status over the coming weeks.

The hope is that Phillips stay at Elland Road for the rest of his career – Tony Adams has hailed him as ‘fantastic’ – but it would be hard to begrudge the 26-year-old a move elsewhere considering the service he has given to Leeds, especially if a Champions League club were to come in for him.

In other news, Andrea Radrizzani has made a key claim regarding his future as Leeds owner. Read more here.

It is believed that Curtis Jones could be given a start tonight against Inter Milan in Liverpool’s Champions League round of 16 second leg, given the Reds’ advantages of playing in front of the home crowd as well as already having a 2-0 lead to hold on to.

While the English midfielder has found playing time hard to come by of late, the 21-year-old has the same amount of goals and assists in the Premier League as the returning Thiago, and has also provided two Champions League assists in two games.

With Naby Keita also having picked up a knock recently as well as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner all having played a lot of football, it’s likely that those four will all be rested in games over the next few weeks, as Liverpool continue to compete for trophies on all fronts.

The homegrown ace has averaged a 6.97 match rating across all competitions this season for Liverpool, making 14 starts and six appearances from the bench, and his best performance so far this season saw him earn an 8.5 after setting-up two goals against Porto in the Champions League back in September.

In comparison to other central midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions, Jones ranks in the top 1% for assists per 90 minutes (0.43), shots on target per 90 (0.97), progressive carries per 90 (8.81) and short pass completion percentage (95.3%).

His numbers are a reflection of his excellent attitude and mentality, as despite not being considered a key player for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side, he has constantly and consistently performed extremely well when called upon – much like Takumi Minamino. Those statistics also provide a glimpse into how he could run their opponents ragged.

Reds captain Henderson believes the midfielder has all it takes to become a star, saying once in an interview at the start of the season, “He has all the attributes to be a top player.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Tonight can be another key demonstration of Jones’ potential – should Klopp opt to start him vs the Italian giants.

In other news: Klopp axes “frightening” 25yo, “world-class” gem starts in 3 changes: LFC predicted XI

Diogo Dalot called Bruno Fernandes’ injury a “massive” blow and said the Manchester United skipper would not have left the game without a serious injury.

The ever-impressive 31-year-old has started every Premier League game for the Red Devils this season, scoring five goals and providing seven assists along the way.

But United boss Ruben Amorim fears Fernandes will now be ruled out for “a while” due to a soft tissue injury that led to his withdrawal at half-time of Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.

Bruno injury must be bad – Dalot

Dalot, who took the captain’s armband from his compatriot, told MUTV the players were sad and know Fernandes would not go off if it weren’t serious.

While the prognosis is unclear, Amorim has already ruled Fernandes out of United’s Boxing Day clash against Newcastle.

Natural replacement Kobbie Mainoo is also set to miss out with a calf issue sustained in training on Saturday, meaning United could be without seven first-team players in their next match.

Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui are at the Africa Cup of Nations while Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire have missed recent games, which has seen Amorim turn to the academy.

Related Man Utd flop is fast becoming the "worst" signing INEOS have ever made

Ruben Amorim now has a huge decision to make on the future of one Manchester United star.

Posts ByEthan Lamb

Jack Fletcher, son of United favourite Darren, and Shea Lacey came on for their senior debuts at Villa Park and other academy talents are knocking on the door.

“This is the moment,” Dalot said. “I mean, we have so many players missing that this is the opportunity for those who didn’t have so many chances to step up now and show that they deserve more minutes.

“I’m very happy that they could make their debuts and hopefully in the next games they are available and they can help us as well.”

United head into Christmas seventh in the Premier League, whereas Sunday’s victors Villa are third – just three points behind leaders Arsenal – having racked up a 10th-straight win in all competitions.

Rogers "playing the best I’ve ever played"

Morgan Rogers was the star man on Sunday as he followed up last weekend’s impressive brace at West Ham with another matchwinning pair to help Unai Emery’s side over the line.

Subscribe for deeper Manchester United squad coverage Want deeper context on Manchester United’s recent developments? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear match analysis, lineup breakdowns and informed perspective on squad changes to stay better informed about club coverage. Subscribe Subscribe for deeper Manchester United squad coverage Want deeper context on Manchester United’s recent developments? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear match analysis, lineup breakdowns and informed perspective on squad changes to stay better informed about club coverage.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“I feel like I’m playing the best I’ve ever played,” the in-form England international told VillaTV.

“I’m the most confident but that’s also within the team. The team is the most confident it’s been since I’ve been here.

“It’s no surprise individual performances rise when we’re doing well as a collective.

“We’re all confident in each other, the manager’s confident in us and we go out there and we feel like we’re going to win every game.”

Newcastle United have been mentioned as one of the clubs to have agreed personal terms with Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele.

What’s the story?

The Frenchman is out of contract the Camp Nou come the summer, and according to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), the Magpies are one of the “suspected” clubs to have agreed terms with him.

The report adds that while Dembele may have told teammates he is keen to stay at Barcelona, the suspicion behind-the-scenes at the La Liga giants is that the winger has already made a deal elsewhere, with Newcastle and PSG chief among those.

Statement of intent from Newcastle

Talk about a statement signing.

A World Cup winner with France back in 2018, and with a whole host of domestic trophies to his name in his time with both Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, the still only 24-year-old Dembele comes with a stellar reputation as a global star and someone who could get significantly better in the years to come too.

Ex-teammate Lionel Messi dubbed him a “phenomenon”, while Barcelona’s former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu even once claimed “he is better than Neymar.”

The winger has of course been hampered by injury troubles during his time in Spain but whenever he has featured on the pitch, he has mostly shown just why Barcelona shelled out big money to sign him in the first place – he’s provided 62 goal contributions in just 139 games for the club.

And, if Newcastle fans were worried those injury issues had robbed Dembele of his talents, then they should look no further than his recent performances for Barcelona since coming back into the fold under new manager Xavi.

In his last five La Liga games, the flying Frenchman has managed an impressive one goal and seven assists, including setting up two in the recent 4-0 El Clasico thrashing of Real Madrid.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

If the Magpies can reach a deal now with Barcelona themselves, and manage to bring the £27m-rated Dembele to the club in the summer, then St James’ Park will no doubt be absolutely rocking at the signing of a world star with the peak years of his career in front of him.

AND in other news – Sold for £36.9m, now worth £720k: Newcastle enjoyed a blinder with “unplayable” flop

Liverpool have submitted a £53m offer for a Tottenham Hotspur star, and they are confident it will be accepted, with talks now progressing.

Reds survive late scare to secure win at Tottenham

With Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike scoring to give the Reds a 2-0 advantage at 10-man Tottenham on Saturday afternoon, Arne Slot’s side appeared to be cruising to an easy victory in north London, but they ended up making hard work of it.

Richarlison’s goal just minutes after being brought on as a substitute offered the hosts a route back into the game, and they continued to push right until the very end, despite captain Cristian Romero being given his marching orders in injury time.

It wasn’t a vintage performance, with Slot’s men recording an xG of just 0.66 throughout the match, but the three points is what matters, and the victory means the Merseysiders have now moved up to fifth in the Premier League table.

Having got one over on Thomas Frank’s side, Liverpool are now looking to sign one of Spurs’ stars, according to a report from Spain, which states they have submitted an offer of €60m (£53m) for Lucas Bergvall, and they are confident it will be accepted.

As such, although talks are still at an early stage, negotiations are now progressing, with the north Londoners not completely opposed to cashing-in on the central midfielder, who they signed from Swedish side Djurgården back in 2024.

Bergvall is now considered a priority target for the Reds, and they are trying to move ahead of the other clubs in the race for his signature by submitting a mega-money bid.

"Super creative" Bergvall could be future star

Scout Ben Mattinson has provided an overview of the Swedish maestro’s key strengths, saying: “The Swedish playmaker has great football IQ. A super creative midfielder who loves to pass through the lines and has top vision to play key passes/through balls to advancing teammates.”

The 19-year-old’s ability to create chances has been on display this season, registering four assists in 21 matches for Spurs across all competitions, with perhaps his best performance coming in a 3-0 win against West Ham United, during which the youngster scored one goal and created another.

Related Liverpool now on red alert in race to sign £66m VVD successor ahead of Real Madrid

Van Dijk has less than two years left on his current deal.

Posts ByTom Cunningham

The six-time Sweden international is exhibiting very promising signs, and he could be a future star, but there are doubts over whether Liverpool need to bring in another central midfielder, given the number of options Slot already has at his disposal.

Unlock transfer insight — subscribe to our newsletter Subscribing to the newsletter provides focused analysis of transfer targets like Bergvall – tactical fit, market context and playing-time projections, so subscribers gain clear, football-focused insight into how moves could reshape squads. Subscribe Unlock transfer insight — subscribe to our newsletter Subscribing to the newsletter provides focused analysis of transfer targets like Bergvall – tactical fit, market context and playing-time projections, so subscribers gain clear, football-focused insight into how moves could reshape squads.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

In the summer, Harvey Elliott had to join Aston Villa, having been unable to displace the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister in the starting XI, while Liverpool also have Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch on the books, so Bergvall could struggle for game time.

Sunderland have now revealed a triple injury boost before they play Charlton Athletic away from home in League One on Saturday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Back on track

Alex Neil finally got his first win as manager of the Wearside club with an emphatic 3-o win away at Wigan Athletic over the weekend, which in turn lifted them back into the playoff spots.

They now face a Charlton team on Saturday who are looking over their shoulders after five losses in a row in the division, and so the Stadium of Light faithful should now be full of confidence that they can go on and clinch another result.

The Latest: Training update

Taking to Twitter, the Black Cats have now posted training photos of Aiden McGeady, Luke O’Nien and Nathan Broadhead, who are all returning from injury, ahead of the match against the Addicks.

They captioned the post: ‘On the way back,’ suggesting that they are all set to return to the squad soon.

The Verdict: Boost

If all three could be deemed fit enough to come back in against CAFC, then it would certainly be a big boost for Neil.

They all rank in the top six players for SAFC in terms of performances in the league so far this season, according to WhoScored, and have contributed ten goals and five assists between them combined.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Nonetheless, if they can stay fit from now until the end of the term, it will give Sunderland the best possible chance of promotion up to the Championship.

In other news, find out whose display against Wigan Neil lauded here!

Newcastle navigated their way through the January transfer window without a permanent director of football in place at St. James’ Park.

PIF delayed making an appointment and were still able to enjoy a strong month, with Chris Wood, Kieran Trippier, Matt Targett, Dan Burn and Bruno Guimaraes all coming in.

However, they are reportedly ready to bring Dan Ashworth to the club at the end of the season to oversee all footballing matters to assist Eddie Howe moving forward.

Early disaster

The ex-Brighton chief will be thrown in at the deep end in the summer to bolster Newcastle’s team with new signings ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. He must also engage in squad management with the current crop of players by deciding who should and who should not stay.

One player he must avoid an early disaster with is central defender Fabian Schar. Ashworth is heading for a quick blunder as it stands as the Switzerland international is out of contract at the end of June and is set to leave on a free transfer.

Unless the situation is resolved before the former FA supremo officially takes the role on, it would be a huge howler not to hand the centre-back a fresh deal. Thus, Ashworth’s first decision in the job should be to offer him a new contract to extend his time with the Magpies as he has been in sensational form of late under Howe.

Since the turn of the year, Schar has played seven matches for the Magpies in all competitions and averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.31. Newcastle won four of those games and kept three clean sheets, with the defender also picking up an assist in the win over Brentford as he teed up Joe Willock for the second goal.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Journalist Dominic Scurr recently dubbed him as “absolutely outstanding” and his statistics certainly reflect that. A rating of 7.31 in the Premier League would place him second, only behind Kieran Trippier (7.68) in the Newcastle squad this season – highlighting just how impressive he has been for the team.

Therefore, it would be a major blow to lose the £40k-per-week tank for nothing in the summer. The Magpies cannot afford to let him leave for nothing and Ashworth must make keeping him on a long-term contract one of his priorities at the end of the season, as losing him would represent an early disaster for the Englishman in the role.

AND in other news, “I know..”: Journo delivers exciting Newcastle claim that’ll leave fans buzzing…

Aston Villa have been one of the more active clubs over the past few years in terms of being busy in the transfer market with numerous players being recruited to Villa Park.

Looking at the previous January transfer window, the Villans secured the signatures of four new faces, one of which was former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho, who joined from Barcelona on loan until the end of the season.

With the next summer transfer window in mind, it seems as though the Brazilian’s presence at Villa Park could play a part in another former Premier League star’s decision to return to England from abroad.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones had this to say about one potential factor Villa have that could sway Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum into joining the Midlands club amid recent transfer links.

He said: “I think Wijnaldum could look towards Coutinho and think he seems happy, seems to be in form, is at a good club and there’s big hopes for what they can achieve there.“

Villa’s new Coutinho?

Since joining Steven Gerrard’s side, the winger has scored four goals and provided three assists in nine league games, showing that it didn’t take him too long to get acclimatised back into the Premier League.

With that in mind, it’s easy to see why Wijnaldum could be looking at his former Reds teammate in envy after the Dutchman previously shared his unhappiness with his current situation at the French club.

Labelled as a “machine” by The Athletic’s Liverpool journalist James Pearce, as well as being “relentless” on the pitch, the £22.5m-rated midfielder could be a perfect player for Johan Lange to secure a deal for this summer, in a similar sort of way they signed Coutinho.

Given how the club missed out on signing Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma in January, this would be the perfect response from the club’s transfer chief. Considering his expertise and qualities at the top, he would be a simply wonderful signing.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

If the Midlands club end up securing their Brazilian loan star on a permanent basis when his current temporary spell comes to an end, this could further improve their chances of persuading Wijnaldum to make a move back to England to link up with the Brazilian and play under the guidance of Gerrard.

After all, eye-catching signings will always convince others to make a switch; just look at Newcastle last January.

In other news: Gerrard must finally unleash “raw” 19 y/o AVFC sensation with a “fantastic profile”

Newcastle United will face stiff competition from Italian giants Roma to sign Manchester United’s highly rated, wantaway midfielder Ravel Morrison according to talkSPORT.

The Magpies had a £500,000 bid rejected by the English champions last week and are set to increase their offer in order to bring one of the hottest prospects in European football to the North East. But Serie A club Roma have been informed that Morrison would be open to a switch to Italy and are set to approach him and his representatives this month.

The 18-year-old is out of contract in the summer and Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that the player demanded ‘unrealistic’ contract demands and although Morrison claims otherwise, the two parties are still miles apart. With the player’s contract expiring in six months, clubs are allowed to discuss a possible move in the summer with the player on a free but Sir Alex is confident it won’t come to that.

Morrison has made just three first team appearances for United; all in the League Cup; and is growing more and more concerned with his lack of action, even though Sir Alex has had horrific selection problems in the centre of midfield, it seems he feels the England-under 19 playmaker is not ready.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]