All posts by n8rngtd.top

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old England international has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge after struggling for game time with his boyhood club since Thomas Tuchel arrived back in December.

According to the Leicester Mercury, the Foxes are among several Premier League clubs interested in Abraham’s services, with a £40m fee reportedly required to prize him away from west London.

Replacement for Vardy?

Although Jamie Vardy remains an extremely useful asset for Brendan Rodgers, bagging 15 goals and providing nine assists in all competitions this season, the 34-year-old is undoubtedly slowing down and it’s time that the club start thinking about getting a replacement in.

The former England international has only scored one goal in his last 13 top-flight appearances, and Leicester’s lack of strength in depth up-front significantly limits their options compared to many of their domestic rivals.

Rodgers has often had the luxury of a top-class striker to call upon throughout his managerial career, Luis Suarez at Liverpool, Moussa Dembele and Celtic and then Vardy at the King Power Stadium, but the latter’s powers are certainly on the wain.

Abraham could provide the perfect solution to Leicester’s striking problem, while the new FA Cup holders could offer the 6 ft 2 forward the ideal way out of his Chelsea nightmare.

It’s a transfer the Midlands outfit’s board must sanction if they want to provide Rodgers with his next natural goalscorer and carry on the incredible progress that the Northern Irishman has overseen during his short time at the club.

Before Abraham made enjoyed success in the Chelsea first team, he made a name for himself on loan at Aston Villa, where he played under John Terry after impressing the former Blues captain during their time together at Cobham.

“I know him very well, having played with him at Chelsea. He’s been incredible here.

“He was the Academy player that when coming over to train with the first team, me and Gary Cahill used to think, ‘oh no, here we go!’ You knew he was going to come over and put himself about – run the channels, score goals, be hungry, be passionate,” recalled the Villa assistant.

“As one of the older ones in the group, I just wanted a nice easy day against a middle-aged striker! Tammy always posed a big threat, and I knew he’d go on and do well.”

Abraham is too good to rot on the Chelsea bench for any longer, and with European football of some description guaranteed for Leicester next season, it’s a move that the Foxes simply have to make.

And, in other news…Leicester City must sanction audacious swoop for “world-class” £120k-p/w workhorse – opinion

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and Sky Sports regular Kevin Phillips has reacted to claims involving West Ham United star Declan Rice after club insider Claret & Hugh shared Manchester United’s rather bizarre new transfer stance.

The Lowdown: United interest cools for Rice

Recently, insider C&H shared news from United in regards to a swoop for star man Rice – with the outlet claiming that Red Devils scouts are having second thoughts over the price tag and his lack of pace.

This comes after heavy links with a move to Old Trafford, with the 22-year-old West Ham star also attracting recent interest from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Any club that comes in for Rice would have invest heavily, however, as GSB apparently value him upwards of £100 million.

The Latest: Phillips reacts to Rice claim

In reaction to C&H’s claim involving United scouts and West Ham’s star asset, Phillips is amazed over the alleged stance on Rice from United officials.

However, he also believes this could come as ‘great news’ for the Irons overall.

“I do not think it is a fair assessment saying Rice is too slow,” he explained to FI.

“I think he covers the ground quite well. He is a bit like Jordan Henderson. It is not his kind of role.

“It amazes me when people say he is too slow. Look at McTominay, I’d say Declan is a bit quicker than him.

“It is great news for West Ham though. The more that pull out the better for them! David Moyes will be hoping they all think he is too slow!”

The Verdict: West Ham should be overjoyed…

One big fear for West Ham is losing Rice in the summer and it’s safe to say his exit would be a huge blow to manager David Moyes.

A lot will depend on whether the Irons secure European qualification at the end of this season, and a previously unprecedented surge into the Champions League places could increase the odds of Rice committing his future.

C&H’s news that United scouts have took a bizarre fresh stance on star man definitely comes a boost given that’s one less horse allegedly dropping out of the race.

Phillips certainly has every right to call it ‘great news’ for West Ham.

In other news: West Ham fans want this prolific star signed, find out more here.

When attempting to think of Leicester City’s most creative wideman this season, most minds would go instantly to Harvey Barnes.

That is justified considering that the Foxes youngster has scored 13 times and notched four assists in all competitions this season.

However, there is a player who is actually creating more and he is not actually at the King Power Stadium in 2020/21.

Rachid Ghezzal, who is out on-loan at Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas, is having a wonderful campaign.

Whilst he has only scored one goal, the Algerian managed to rack up 12 assists from the right-flank. It is, in fact, the first time that he has got to double figures in his entire career and he just needs three more direct goal involvements in the closing stages of the campaign for it to be the most productive season of his career.

The turnaround is stark considering that in Ghezzal’s only full season in the East Midlands following his arrival from AS Monaco, he only managed three goals, whilst only registering a solitary strike on-loan at Fiorentina last term.

His form this season could well see Ghezzal catapulted back into contention under Brendan Rodgers next season.

With Demarai Gray having departed for Bayer Leverkusen in the January transfer window, and Cengiz Under’s loan deal from AS Roma expiring in the summer, Leicester’s wide options will be somewhat limited.

They will soon be left with just Barnes, Ayoze Perez and Marc Albrighton heading into 2021/22, which, with a potential European campaign on the horizon, will simply not be enough.

This may lead Leicester into the transfer market in the summer in order to recruit a wideman but the Foxes could certainly do worse than re-introducing the £8.1m-rated Ghezzal to their squad if he’s able to transfer his form in Turkey to the Premier League.

AND in more news, read how Kelechi Iheanacho has now finally announced himself as a viable replacement for Jamie Vardy…

Manchester City produced a professional display to see off Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage on Saturday evening, with Pep Guardiola springing a lot of surprises with his team selection.

The Spanish manager set his team up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Gabriel Jesus featuring on the left-wing, whilst Raheem Sterling was omitted from the squad completely.

The former Liverpool man was also left out against Southampton in midweek following his poor performance in the 2-0 defeat against Manchester United, and after Jesus’ impressive display in East London last night, he may well struggle to force his way back into the team.

As per SofaScore, the Brazilian forward would earn an impressive 7.7 rating for his display, with only Joao Cancelo rated higher of any player on the pitch.

Jesus scored the second goal of the evening by capitalising on a Fulham mistake and rounding Alphonse Areola, before firing into the net, showing the sort of composure that he has often lacked in front of goal.

When playing up front, the 23-year-old is sometimes left isolated, but he was supported by Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres in attacking roles, which allowed him to get much more involved in the build-up play, whilst also causing problems for the Fulham defence with his runs in behind.

During the game, the former Palmeiras man would impressively complete 6/7 of his dribbles, whilst 25/30 of his passes were accurate, resulting in an 83% accuracy rate.

He also contributed impressively when it came to winning duels, as he was successful in 9/13 of his ground duels during the game, which emphasises that he is more than willing to get stuck in and defend from the front, something which Sterling struggles with.

In his appearance against United, the winger would fail to win a single duel or complete a single dribble, so it is easy to see why he hasn’t featured in the last two games, as he was very disappointing.

Whilst both Sterling and Jesus have been guilty of missing big chances in recent seasonsm if the Brazilian is given more opportunities to impress in a new role on the left-wing, then you could definitely argue that the £99m-rated England international’s place in Guardiola’s side could be under serious threat.

And, in other news… Forget Haaland: Txiki could sign City’s next Aguero in “outstanding” £90m-rated gem

Lots of Sunderland fans have flocked to a tweet from Black Cats reporter Phil Smith which shares the news that the PFA’s decision to challenge salary caps for League One and League Two clubs has been successful. 

As Smith explained in an article that he has written for The Sunderland Echo, this is a ‘boost’ for the North East club, who had been ‘firmly against’ the implementation of salary caps at League One and League Two level as they have ‘affected’ the Black Cats’ activity in the last two transfer windows. 

The PFA challenged the EFL’s new salary cap rules and now, it has emerged that their objection was successful and the salary caps have been scrapped. 

After Smith relayed this news on Twitter, lots of Sunderland supporters replied to his post to react to this update. 

So, how have these Sunderland fans been reacting? 

This news has gone down very well with many fans of the North East club, who seem to think that this is a big boost for their side.

“Gerrin! #SAFC”

Credit: @lewy_g01

“Love to see it”

Credit: @TNixonnn

“We’ve been saved”

Credit: @KW_safc1

“Huge news. Means we can offer some of our most important higher earning players a new contract”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

“Massive news!”

Credit: @mattsmith2707

“Good news”

Credit: @bamgboyeolu

In other news, some Sunderland fans were raging at Lee Johnson after the Black Cats drew 2-2 with MK Dons.

Celtic supporters haven’t had much to cheer about this season but on Wednesday morning, they received a lovely present courtesy of their former manager at Parkhead.

Neil Lennon finally gave in and left the club, resigning after a torrid season in the Hoops hot seat. The Bhoys may have won the Scottish Cup back in December, but their league form has been woeful.

Rangers are now only seven points away from snatching the SPFL title away from Celtic so for any new manager coming in, it will be a struggle. This isn’t your usual scene in Glasgow.

For so long the green and white side have been the dominant force; something nine league triumphs in a row dictates. Yet, since Brendan Rodgers left them behind for Leicester, they have arguably never been the same.

Who takes over from Lennon remains to be seen. Plenty have been talked about but one of the most outstanding candidates could be Roberto Martinez. The Spaniard currently manages the number one ranked international team in the world – Belgium.

That alone means it’s farfetched for him to come to Celtic but according to Jim White, he’s in the frame for the vacancy.

If he does indeed swap Belgium for Glasgow, then he has the ability to revive Celtic. That’s primarily because he possesses similar traits and characteristics to Rodgers.

First and foremost, he’s dedicated on the training pitch. He is a proper coach, someone who leads sessions and strives for more from his players.

His former defender at Swansea, Angel Rangel once told Football League World the following:

“He’s a very smart person, a very good coach. He loves to work, he would be in the training ground at 6am and the last to leave at around 6/7pm. He wouldn’t show us a match, he would show us a few bits on the pitch and meetings, but we knew he spent hours studying the opposition to give us those three or four points to help us win the game.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-on-celtics-managerial-vacancy” title=”Check out the latest on Celtic’s managerial vacancy!”]

Clearly, Martinez is a meticulous coach. Though, most importantly when comparing the 47-year-old’s methods to Rodgers, he plays with a possession-based model.

Martinez introduced that facet to Swansea and then Rodgers succeeded him in Wales because he played in a similar way. The Spaniard also brought the same style to Everton, taking them to a new level by introducing quick passing football.

Leon Osman revealed the following back in 2014: “This season we are a possession team whether we win or lose. We live and die by that.”

Both managers in question here have been described as flawed disciples of Pep Guardiola. However, no one can deny their quality. If Dermot Desmond wants to revive Celtic’s fortunes, there are few better candidates than Martinez.

He possesses all the qualities that made Rodgers such a success in Scotland.

AND in other news, Christie could be in trouble if Celtic hire 57 y/o coach “reminiscent to Craig Brown”…

Writing on Twitter, club insider and reliable source ExWHUemployee has hinted that a late signing for West Ham United could still be possible as the club confirm Jesse Lingard’s arrival – going on to say there isn’t anyone pending ‘at the moment’ but that could change if a player is ‘presented’ to the club.

Responding to a supporter on social media, ExWHUemployee shared that a late arrival for the Irons this window is still plausible after the signing of Lingard – even if there is nobody imminently joining as things stand.

ExWHUemployee refuses to rule out late signing

Indeed, this is in line with West Ham boss David Moyes’ transfer update from Friday afternoon – with the Scotsman also not ‘expecting’ any more late arrivals ‘at the moment’ as he refused to rule it out entirely (football.london).

ExWHUemployee reiterated that stance but hinted it could change depending on developments – saying no forward is pending to join ‘unless’ there is a ‘late change’ or a decent player is ‘presented’ to the Hammers (Twitter).

Transfer Tavern take

Judging by this claim, it appears there is some hope for supporters who still wish to see a new striker walk through the door at Rush Green – coming after West Ham sold club record signing Sebastien Haller at the start of this month.

Time will tell whether a decent opportunity arises, but the fact a possible late transfer isn’t being completely ruled out altogether could spell late hope for Moyes.

In other news: West Ham are apparently eyeing this ‘exciting’ 51-cap attacker, find out more here.

Steve Bruce is expected to make a handful of key changes to his starting line-up at Arsenal after admitting he “picked the wrong team” for Newcastle United’s midweek defeat to Sheffield United.

The Magpies earned the ignominious honour of becoming the first side to lose a Premier League game to Chris Wilder’s Blades this season when beaten 1-0 on Tuesday, and Bruce accepts he was too defensive in his team selection.

“In hindsight, I picked the wrong team. I have to come in front of you [the media] and accept that, and accept that the performance was nowhere near good enough,” Bruce said, via quotes by The Northern Echo.

Bruce is also facing injury concerns ahead of returning to the Emirates Stadium on Monday night, the place where Newcastle exited the FA Cup just nine days before. So, with that in mind, here’s a potential line-up the Toon may field in north London…

Martin Dubravka returned from a heel injury to make his first appearance of the season during Newcastle’s FA Cup defeat at Arsenal, but will be expected to watch from the sidelines as Karl Darlow chases a fourth clean sheet in what would be his 18th top-flight outing of the campaign.

Jamaal Lascelles also opened the cup affair earlier this month as he made his return following several weeks out after testing positive for coronavirus, and Bruce hopes to have the 27-year-old in the side to face Mikel Arteta’s Gunners this week, likely in place of Federico Fernandez.

“Jamal Lewis could come back into the frame. The captain, Jamaal Lascelles, could come back in – we’ll see how he is after a week’s training after the COVID,” Bruce said. “We’ve got a problem with Fernandez.”

Bruce had fielded a very defensive midfield at Sheffield United with Jeff Hendrick and Isaac Hayden anchoring the unit and Sean Longstaff playing out wide, but will likely only retain Hayden at Arsenal.

Longstaff registered the second-lowest match rating at Bramall Lane by a visiting player on Tuesday night at 5.9 by WhoScored, having failed to create any chances to score, take a shot and only won possession with one of his four tackles.

The £16m-rated dud will likely be replaced by Miguel Almiron, who joins Matt Ritchie in providing the attacking width with Allan Saint-Maximin still weeks away from a return and Ryan Fraser suspended.

Matty Longstaff will hope to be given the call to partner Hayden in north London after sitting out the Blades defeat, having played the full 90 minutes in each of Newcastle’s three prior Premier League games and holding his own in defeat to Leicester City earlier this month.

Callum Wilson will once again lead the line on his own in search of a ninth goal of the season, after firing blanks at Bramall Lane made it three games without a goal for the Toon’s top-scorer.

AND in other news, a £2m-rated Newcastle target’s potential has been questioned by his current side.

Arsenal are making a foolish mistake over Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with the England international ready to leave the club on loan in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old has only played a bit-part role in Mikel Arteta’s side this season, featuring for just 485 minutes of Premier League football in total.

Now, The Daily Mirror claim that Maitland-Niles is “willing to consider a move in January if it means getting more regular minutes”, with an intention of trying to make Gareth Southgate’s England squad for this summer’s EUROs.

And, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester United game on Saturday, Arteta himself said of the situation: “Yes, it is a concern when there is international football involved as well and the chance to reach that opportunity. I understand that Ainsley wants more minutes and what he needs to do is fight, train and challenge his teammates and show us that he can be one of our starters.”

Foolish mistake from Arteta

After playing an integral role in Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph last season – the 23-year-old played left wing-back in both the semi-final and final against Manchester City and Chelsea respectively – it seems incredible to think that Maitland-Niles has fallen so badly out of favour under Arteta this campaign.

And with the Gunners boss giving the green light for Sead Kolasinac to join Bundesliga side Schalke on loan, the north London side are desperately short of left-back cover, with right-back Cedric filling in for Kieran Tierney whenever needed.

The £16.2m-rated Maitland-Niles proved last season that he can play that role effectively, and there’s an element of responsibility on the Arsenal boss to try and get the best out of the academy product.

Whilst it might be better for Maitland-Niles himself to go out on loan in this January window, it certainly wouldn’t be the case for Arsenal themselves. A lengthy injury to Tierney (he’s missed the last couple of games with a calf problem so the danger is already there), and even one to Cedric, would leave the Gunners without anyone who could adequately play that left-back role – Bukayo Saka could fill in, but Arteta would surely want his star sensation to play further forward.

The Arsenal manager either should have brought in some natural left-back cover before he allowed Kolasinac to leave, or given Maitland-Niles more of a consistent opportunity to impress – how can you expect some to shine when they don’t start more than two Premier League games in a row?

Once dubbed “the future” by Arsene Wenger, Maitland-Niles’ career this season has taken a step back.

Meanwhile, Arsenal can finally sign ace Arsene Wenger wanted…

If ever there was a game that typified the kind of roller-coaster of a ride Leeds United’s first season back in the Premier League would be like, then Saturday’s defeat to Tottenham was exactly that.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have shown they can absolutely blow teams away at this level, just like they did against West Brom last time out. But when that clinical edge deserts them, and they make those silly mistakes at the back, they can be on the receiving end of some heavy score-lines too.

It might not have been as bad as the 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United, but the Whites fell to a 3-0 defeat away at Spurs.

The Whites had a number of decent chances in the opening period of the game, not least when Patrick Bamford just couldn’t rise high enough to nod home from a delicious cross from Raphinha.

And whilst the latter had flashes of brilliance, it simply wasn’t enough for the Whites.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 23 times over the course of the game, which was by far the highest of any Leeds player on the day. And as well as that, he also struggled to deal physically with Spurs getting up tight to him whenever he got the ball and tried to spin – he lost a whopping 13 of his 16 total duels.

Raphinha’s disappointing day certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying, and on another day, he might have got himself an assist and the story would be different.

But given he arrived in the summer for a decent fee, and with Victor Orta having only just recently praised him as a “complete player”, it just wasn’t good enough for a player of his obvious natural talent.

Bielsa would have been hoping that he could be his game-changer, but instead, he just didn’t quite get up to speed.