All posts by z3u9t.icu

Many Wolves fans were left fuming over a claim made by Danny Murphy following their 1-0 loss at home to Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

Speaking on the BBC’s Match of the Day programme (via Birmingham Live), the former Reds midfielder said of Bruno Lage’s side: “Their lack of willingness to try and run forward, or (show) any courage to win the game, to go and cause Liverpool problems, was disappointing. I’ve seen them much better than that.”

Jurgen Klopp’s team dominated the game, with 17 shots compared to just three for the home side, and had twice as much of the ball, but they only won courtesy of a Divock Origi goal deep into injury time (SofaScore).

Liverpool are the most dangerous attacking team in the Premier League at the moment, having scored the most goals (44) in the division, and Lage’s plan almost worked, so it is understandable to see a few Wolves supporters taking issue with Murphy over his analysis.

Wolves fans on Murphy claim

These Wanderers fans fumed as the claim was shared on Twitter:

“Thought Murphy was supposed to be knowledgeable about football”

Credit: @jonbriscs

“The worst pundit by a distance… ruined MGW’s career”

Credit: @BenWolves8

“Then there’s the real world”

Credit: @julianholigan

“What, so we can get beaten by 3 or 4 like everyone else….just roll over? Get real Murphy!”

Credit: @oldwulf1

“Clear as day that Danny Murphy had not watched the 90 minutes before commenting”

Credit: @molineuxmusings

“We’d have been torn apart if we’d have run at them. The only disappointment was that we didn’t try and do more when they took Henderson off for Origi.”

Credit: @lukebailey90

In other news, many Wolves fans enjoyed this official club update

Celtic laid dormant like a small church mouse last season as the Hoops crumbled, fell and ultimately watched their stronghold over Scottish football evaporate into thin air.

It was a disastrous campaign for the Bhoys as they failed to win a single trophy and saw the back of their former manager at Parkhead in Neil Lennon.

Yet, enter Ange Postecoglou, an Australian-Greek coach who has overseen a quite colossal rebuilding project at Parkhead and put Celtic firmly back at the top of the Premiership.

He has overseen a Scottish League Cup triumph and few would now bet against Celtic winning the title as they sit six points ahead of fierce rivals, Rangers.

A number of his signings have been superb with the likes of Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Jota finding themselves involved in a mammoth 79 goals between them this term.

Yet, there is uncertainty over the future of Jota who Celtic could sign for £6.5m due to an agreement in his loan contract from Benfica.

Should they fail to agree a deal they may well have nightmares over a move that Lennon didn’t seal back in the summer of 2020.

That happens to be one for Noa Lang, a flying winger whose stock is now rising all the time.

Reports nearly two years ago now suggested the Hoops were fighting it out to bring the Netherlands international to Glasgow. Ultimately, a move didn’t happen and he eventually ended up joining Club Brugge from Dutch giants, Ajax, last summer.

His form since has been imperious with the attacker now dubbed a “phenomenon” by journalist Peter Vandenbempt, scoring nine goals and racking up 13 assists for the Belgian side.

That kind of form has seen his value rise exponentially, so much so that Arsenal are eyeing up a blockbuster £33m move for him.

Hindsight is a thing of beauty but it’s evident that Celtic missed the target when putting Lang in their crosshairs.

A failure to conclude a deal has not only seen them miss out on a wonderfully gifted footballer but also a pretty hefty payday too.

You can certainly file the 22-year-old under one who got away.

AND in other news, Sources: Deal now agreed for potential “£20m-plus” talent, it’s bad news for Celtic… 

Crystal Palace’s seven-game unbeaten run ended in disappointing fashion after they fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa this afternoon.

Patrick Vieira’s charges had the chance to take charge of their latest Premier League encounter when talisman Wilfried Zaha created an opening for himself in the early stages before dragging his effort wide of the post.

The Ivory Coast international was then punished for his miss just a few minutes later when Matt Targett fired Ashley Young’s corner past a helpless Vicente Guaita in the Palace net.

Villa had the better of the opening 45 minutes, with several players guilty of missing chances, but the tide turned following the interval.

However, the home side’s attacking options were unusually blunt. The likes of Zaha, Christian Benteke and Michael Olise could only muster three shots on target all game, and it was the latter who was particularly underwhelming.

He failed to have any impact over proceedings as John McGinn’s late effort meant that Marc Guehi’s second goal in as many weeks was a mere consolation, and the summer signing from Reading will have been disappointed not to take advantage of what was only his second top-flight start of the season.

As per SofaScore, Olise was awarded a match rating of just six out of 10, the joint-worst total received by any player to feature this afternoon.

Throughout his 87 minutes on the pitch, the former France under-18 international lost nine of his 11 duels, was unsuccessful with all five of his attempted dribbles and failed to pick out a teammate with any of his nine attempted crosses.

Olise was also very wasteful when in possession of the ball, gifting it to the opposition on a whopping 23 occasions, letting his manager Patrick Vieira down in the process.

The 19-year-old has largely impressed since moving to Palace in the summer, but this was certainly a performance to forget, and he’ll be hoping to move on from today’s poor showing as soon as possible.

In other news… Palace could unearth another gem in “really smart” 20 y/o wizard who Vieira loves

Aston Villa have been busier than most teams across the whole of Europe in this January transfer window when it comes to bringing new players to the Midlands club such as Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne, Robin Olsen and Calum Chambers.

With that in mind and the fact that the Villans still have some time left to make yet another late swoop after bringing Chambers in from Arsenal just a couple of days ago.

One player that they could try and make a deal for before Monday is Manchester City youngster James McAtee, who has been mentioned to have caught the eye of Villa in recent days thanks to his performances for City’s U23 side.

As a young, English attacking-midfielder, the City prospect could be seen as Steven Gerrard’s own version of former Villa star Jack Grealish, who joined the reigning Premier League champions and current league leaders back in the previous summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £100m.

Also, with the 19-year-old sharing similar qualities to the former Villa captain in terms of being able to score goals and provide assists with 42 goals and 26 assists under his belt in 84 appearances for City’s youth and senior sides, he could be an exciting talent for Gerrard to have at his disposal.

In terms of a potential late move to Villa, with the teenager, who has been labelled as one of the club’s “exceptional” young talents by Pep Guardiola, only having appeared in three senior games for City so far, he may feel that he would be better off at a Premier League club where he’d be more likely to get some first-team minutes under his belt, which could be at Villa Park should Gerrard see enough potential in him.

In addition to that, with current Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka apparently not keen on signing a new deal at the Midlands club due to a lack of regular game time, if he were set to leave Villa, this could pave the way for McAtee to get a shot at impressing in the first team.

Moving forward, before the window closes, Villa should definitely make an approach to City to see what the situation is surrounding the young prospect and if they would be willing to negotiate a deal for him.

If not, McAtee is definitely a player that Villa should keep their eyes on for the future in case his situation at the Manchester club does change.

In other news: Journalist claims £74k-p/w beast is “interested” in Villa move, fans would be ecstatic – opinion

A number of Manchester United fans have urged out-of-favour Anthony Martial to leave the club, following an update on his future by Fabrizio Romano.

The Frenchman’s Old Trafford career has never quite taken off in the manner that many predicted back in 2015 when he made a big-money move from Monaco. Martial famously scored on his debut against Liverpool but he has flattered to deceive too often since, despite his tally of 79 goals in 268 appearances for the club.

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The 26-year-old has fallen increasingly out of favour at United, starting just two Premier League games this season, and a January exit could be on the cards.

According to Romano on Twitter on Monday, Sevilla are keen on signing Martial after he informed Ralf Rangnick that he wants to leave next month, although his salary is proving to be an issue. The Red Devils interim boss has reportedly said: “I understand him but it should not only be in the interest of the player, it should also be in the interest of the club”.

Man United fans call for Martial to leave

These United fans reacted to the update on Twitter, with many keen to see the back of the enigmatic 26-year-old, who has netted just eight times in all competitions since the start of last season.

“It’s definitely in the interest of the club if he clears off”

Credit: @TomPatrick_

“Let him go… Same as Pogba if their head is not at 100% at United then their performances won’t be 100% and we only want and need players that give that week in and week out”

Credit: @Acro_ManUtd

“Quite sad but he’s flopped hard here. He’ll smash it in La Liga”

Credit: @FredFC__

“Martial is deadwood and he should stop talking about leaving like he will be missed, he’s been bad for a while now”

Credit: @easyrouge

“Martial has done gegenpressing in one training session and he can’t take it no more”

Credit: @JakeIntrovert

“Martial is finished, based on facts only”

Credit: @UTDGrey11

In other news, Romano has also provided an update on another rumoured United target. Find out who it is here.

According to The Sunderland Echo, Jack Ross has said that he is planning on keeping 18-year-old Benjamin Kimpioka at the Stadium of Light for the rest of the season. 

The striker could have gone out on loan for the rest of the season, but the manager has decided to keep hold of him, believing he could be an asset in The Black Cats’ promotion push.

With the departures of both Josh Maja and Jerome Sinclair this month, Sunderland currently look slightly thin on the ground when it comes to strikers.

Ross’ team have been linked with Championship striker Will Grigg, as well as League One duo Tom Eaves and John Marquis, but nothing has come to fruition so far. At this moment in time Kimpioka is a fail-safe, in case Sunderland cannot land anyone else.

However, while it will be beneficial for Sunderland to give the Sweden under-19 international some game time as the season goes on, particularly in a promotion run-in, Ross will certainly not want to depend on him too much. But by keeping hold of Kimpioka, Ross may be revealing more than he wishes to about the likelihood of their other targets arriving.

This would be calamitous if The Black Cats cannot land at least two of their three targets, and it could seriously dent their promotion chances. They will not want to be reliant on a player like Kimpioka, who, so far, has only made two league appearances. This is not the sort of figure a team wants in a title race.

Everton are a club at a crossroads at this moment in time, with the departure of former director of football Marcel Brands sparking an intriguing new chapter in their history.

What’s the story?

Under the Dutchman’s watchful eye, the Toffees embarked on a rather haphazard spending spree over the last three years, although he cannot be solely blamed for all of their misfortune.

However, with Brands now out the door, talk has turned to who could replace the 59-year-old in the boardroom.

And The Athletic’s Everton reporter Patrick Boyland has provided an update into the ongoing situation, suggesting the popular head of football operations Dave Harrison could fill the current void.

“There is an expectation the club’s respected head of football operations Dave Harrison will fill part of the void left by Brands as long as the strategic review takes place, ” he wrote alongside colleague Greg O’Keeffe.

“A popular, long-standing member of staff, Harrison is seen as a safe pair of hands and has experience in negotiations and other logistical aspects.”

Everton fans will be buzzing

Brands arrived on Merseyside back in 2018 after cultivating an enviable reputation for himself at PSV Eindhoven after several years worth of good work in his homeland.

Everton’s new owner Farhad Moshiri provided substantial funds for the transfer chief to improve the first-team squad, yet improvements on the pitch scarcely failed to materialise.

The likes of Alex Iwobi, Andre Gomes and Moise Kean all arrived under Brands’ doomed reign for big fees without elevating the Goodison Park outfit’s fortunes, resulting in league finishes of 8th, 12th and 10th during his time at the club.

As a result, large sections of Everton’s fanbase will be delighted to learn of Boyland’s latest behind-the-scenes revelation.

News that a ‘respected’ and ‘popular’ member of staff who already knows the club and understands the direction it wants to go in and what needs to be improved is expected to step into Brands’ shoes will fill them with hope and confidence for the months ahead.

Following a first win since September, it finally looks as though proceedings are moving in the right direction for the Toffees. They should be left buzzing as a result.

And, in other news…Forget Coleman: Rafa must seal EFC move for £25m “warrior” with “outstanding quality” 

Blackburn Rovers have made an approach for Leeds United youngster Crysencio Summerville ahead of a potential January loan move, according to a fresh report.

The Lowdown: Summerville impressing at Leeds

The 20-year is one of the most exciting young players at Elland Road currently, having made seven first-team appearances so far this season.

Summerville has shone for the Under-23s in recent times, too, chipping in with a brilliant 17 goal involvements in 24 appearances – nine goals and eight assists – as well as being hailed as ‘lively and creative’ by Noel Whelan.

It could be that a temporary move away in the January transfer window makes sense in order to secure more regular playing time, however, and that could now be on the cards.

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The Latest: Blackburn make move

According to Football Insider, a recruitment source has claimed that Blackburn want to sign Summerville on loan as a replacement for fellow Whites youngster Ian Poveda, who is injured currently and has returned to Elland Road.

A decision to likely to be made after Leeds’ FA Cup third round clash with West Ham on Sunday.

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The Verdict: Ideal experience

While Leeds have been a little short of options this season because of injuries, allowing Summerville to enjoy more regular football elsewhere makes perfect sense.

It would give the winger an opportunity to test himself in the Championship, up against physical, senior footballers, proving to be invaluable experience further down the line.

That would be more beneficial to Summerville than the odd sporadic appearance for Leeds from the substitutes’ bench and he could return in the summer a more rounded player.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a move for a defender. Find out who it is here.

Taking to Twitter, reliable ESPN reporter Moises Llorens has shared a big update on Barcelona attacker and Tottenham Hotspur target Ousmane Dembele amid his contract stand-off.

The Lowdown: Spurs table offer…

As reported in recent months, the France international is a target for Spurs and manager Antonio Conte as Lilywhites chief Fabio Paratici takes to the 2022 free agent market.

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According to Mundo Deportivo, Tottenham’s managing director is eyeing ‘quality players at zero cost’ for his countryman at N17 – including Dembele, whose deal runs out at the end of this season.

Spurs have also allegedly made an offer to sign the 24-year-old on a pre-contract, promising ‘a lot of money’ and the guarantee of being a key player (Mundo Deportivo).

After recent claims Tottenham will ‘push hard’ for his signing this month, ESPN journalist Llorens has shared a significant update.

The Latest: Spurs gifted possible boost,,,

According to his information, sharing news late Tuesday night, Dembele is set for a crunch ‘meeting’ today amid his contract stand-off at the Camp Nou.

However, it is now apparently very unlikely that the player signs an extension, with the difference in negotiations ‘practically insurmountable’.

Indeed, the La Liga giants would apparently see Dembele penning fresh terms as a ‘miracle’ in what could be a boost for Paratici and Spurs.

The Verdict: Time to strike?

The forward looks almost certain to leave as things stand, but does that mean Spurs should continue their alleged pursuit and sink the final blow?

Lauded as ‘exciting’ and ‘almost unplayable’ at times by Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand, Dembele’s ability is clearly rated and there is a reason Barca paid an initial £97 million to sign him from Borussia Dortmund back in 2017.

However, the winger also has a troubling history of hamstring problems and could command a hefty salary – with his current wages believed to be around £210,000-per-week.

An offer around this amount or over would make him the highest paid star at Hotspur Way, even above the likes of Harry Kane, and it would arguably be a gamble to invest that much in a player prone to absences.

Coming with plus and negative points, a move for Dembele before January 31 could prove potentially fruitful but with a big element of risk.

In other news: Conte green-lights move for £220,000-per-week ‘jewel’ as he lays out transfer demand for Spurs chiefs, find out more here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a huge blow regarding Joao Palhinha ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by Portuguese publication Record (via Birmingham Live), the Sporting Lisbon midfielder, with whom Wolves were heavily linked during the summer, revealed that he is hoping to put pen to paper on a new deal with his current club in the coming weeks, all but ruling out Bruno Lage’s reported interest in a move for the 26-year-old this winter.

In his comments, Palhinha said: “I don’t know, you’d have to ask the chairman [regarding his contract extension]. I would like to renew my contract, you know perfectly. I’m in the national team and I shouldn’t even be talking on a personal level. People know perfectly well what [Sporting Lison] means to me.”

Lage will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Palhinha has been for Sporting so far this season, as well as Wolves’ lack of depth in the middle of the park, the news that the Portugal ace does not seem to be open to a January switch to Molineux is sure to have left Lage gutted.

Indeed, over his 11 Liga Bwin appearances this term, the £18.9m-rated gem has scored two goals and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking 1.5 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

The defensive midfielder has also excelled in metrics more typical of his position, making 0.9 interceptions and four tackles – more than any other player in the Portuguese top flight – and winning a whopping 9.8 duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who Ruben Amorim dubbed a “special” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.25, ranking him as the joint 18th-best performer in the league.

As such, it is clear to see that the £24k-per-week midfielder would have made an exceptional addition to Lage’s options in the heart of his Wolves side. However, following his latest comments, the possibility of Palhinha making a switch to Molineux now appears extremely slim, which will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to the Wolves manager.

In other news: Journalist drops worrying behind-the-scenes update which will leave Wolves fans fuming