All posts by n8rngtd.top

Liverpool were handed another big blow to their season this week, with it confirmed that Jordan Henderson will be sidelined until April through injury, with the captain requiring surgery on his groin.

The Englishman joins Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip on the sidelines, with Jurgen Klopp looking desperately low of defensive options, but it could also be argued that without Henderson, they are lacking any natural leaders on the pitch.

Fortunately for the German manager, whilst Henderson is only just beginning his road to recovery, James Milner looks to be back fit, with it confirmed earlier this week that the experienced midfielder is now back in training.

The 35-year-old continues to be a regular in this Reds team due to his superb fitness levels, which led teammate Georginio Wijnaldum to label him a “machine” back in 2018.

When you consider the inexperience in the Reds defence, with 26-year-old Andrew Robertson likely to be the oldest to feature in upcoming fixtures, Klopp will need a leader on the pitch to help organise things, otherwise, you fear that the Reds will struggle to turn their form around.

Milner has made 16 appearances in the Premier League this season, with just one assist to his name, resulting in a disappointing 6.5/10 average rating.

However, he is clearly someone that Klopp feels he can rely upon, and he has produced excellent displays at times this season, including in the 3-1 win against Spurs where WhoScored rated him 7.46/10 for his performance.

The former Manchester City man, who earns £140k per week with the Merseyside club, looks to be the ideal candidate to step up in the absence of Henderson, especially as he has been the club’s vice-captain since joining in 2015.

Hopefully, when he makes his full return from injury, he can fill the leadership void in this Liverpool team and help to turn the recent poor form around.

And, in other news… Edwards should swoop for £63m CB beast who silenced Messi at 19 

Manchester United’s interest in signing Raphael Varane is reportedly growing with the French World Cup winner set to reject a new contract offer from Real Madrid.

What’s the word?

That is according to the Manchester Evening News, and the reigning La Liga champions are reportedly willing to let the 27-year-old leave for a fee this summer, as opposed to losing him on a free transfer later down the line.

United legend Gary Neville is a big fan of Varane and described him as an “amazing player”, one who he ranks ahead of Liverpool colossus Virgil van Dijk.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemingly remains keen to add another experienced centre-half to his squad, and Varane certainly fits the bill.

Get it done

Varane is rated at £63 million and been an almost ever-present figure in Zinedine Zidane’s squad this season.

He has played in 24 of Madrid’s 25 La Liga fixtures to date and acquired an impressive average match rating of 7.13 by SofaScore this season.

Los Blancos have kept 11 clean sheets with Varane in the side, and Zidane’s men boast the third-best defensive record this season with 20 goals conceded in 25 matches.

United have been linked with Varane for a number of years, and Ed Woodward was reportedly ready to sanction a £100 million move for him after the World Cup.

But now it remains more important than ever for the Red Devils to sign a player of Varane’s calibre, which has been highlighted by their porous defence this season.

They have conceded 32 goals in 27 Premier League games to date, more than any other side in the top five at time of writing, and the established partnership between Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof has come under plenty of scrutiny.

There are also rumours that Eric Bailly could be tied down to a longer contract ahead of being sold for a higher price, which has all highlighted the need for increased stability in the defence.

And in other news, Kylian Mbappe has interest in an Old Trafford move

According to Football Insider, West Ham United are keeping tabs on yet another Slavia Prague sensation in Jan Kuchta – with the attacking hotshot now entering the Irons’ radar as they send scouts to watch his recent performance against Rangers.

Kuchta, who has bagged a prolific 11 goals and five assists in the Fortuna Liga for Slavia Prague, scoring two and assisting two more in the Europa League also (Transfermarkt), is now on GSB’s watchlist as he enters the list of players who have been linked from the Czech Republic side.

West Ham eyeing Kuchta

West Ham have previously been eyeing more signings from Slavia Prague after the successful acquisitions of both Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek – with goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar, known as ‘The Rock’, and Abdallah Sima touted with moves to east London (Claret & Hugh).

Now, Football Insider have revealed that West Ham are also monitoring Kuchta after his impressive campaign – but the Irons may face competition this time.

Transfer Tavern take

Indeed, scouts working for Newcastle United, Southampton and Brighton were also in attendance to watch the 24-year-old in action against Rangers in the Europa League.

Kuchta is Slavia Prague’s second-top scorer in all competitions, and as West Ham potentially have their eye on a striker search in the summer, he could be a prime candidate from a familiar side.

In other news: West Ham are in talks for this 6 foot 2 gem, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey claims the performance against West Bromwich Albion was uninspiring.

Howey believes it was the type of performances that himself and Newcastle fans expect at the minute, despite playing against a Sam Allardyce team who have won just three games all season.

Newcastle rarely troubled Sam Johnstone in the Albion goal with just five shots on target and no recognised striker on the pitch until Gayle was brought on just before the hour-mark.

Both sides have scored a combined total of 47 goals in the Premier League this season so, a 0-0 was a likely outcome; however, it doesn’t make the viewing any easier for Newcastle fans.

Howey, who played for the Magpies under Kevin Keegan and was part of the entertainers, knows what football the Newcastle fans like to see and the performance on Saturday was not it.

He spoke to FFC exclusively about his abject feeling towards the game on Saturday which was expected, but still disappointing.

“It was a performance which you expect, which is not inspiring to be quite honest.

“It was just a performance where you’re biting your nails thinking could we get hit with a sucker punch in the last minute.

“We are looking to the team and you think, where are the goals going to come from?”

It’s a huge worry for both Newcastle fans and Steve Bruce as to where are the goals going to come from to keep them up.

The club’s top scorer in the league from those currently fit is Jeff Hendrick with two. It was probably a result many people could see coming, but not one either side would’ve been happy with.

Many West Brom fans have been left to laud the news coming from ESPN that Kieran Gibbs is set to leave the Hawthorns faithful to sign for Inter Miami.

As per the news outlet, the former Arsenal man has verbally agreed to join David Beckham’s team when the 2020/21 term ends.

He is expected to sign a contract at the MLS club for two-and-a-half years and will move to the USA once his current deal at the Baggies expires in the summer.

The left-back has missed the Midlands club’s last injury-prone throughout his whole footballing career so far.

At 31 years of age as well, it may be the right time for Albion to let him go and thus get him off of their wage bill.

West Brom fan reaction to Gibbs news

These WBA supporters lauded the update on Gibbs on Twitter, with one fan describing it as ‘excellent news’ while another even went as far as to call the Englishman a ‘sick note’:

“Great deal. He’ll spend the whole length of his contract on Miami Beach…”

Credit: @ethanhunt1961

“Thank god for that”

Credit: @NudgeXS

“Bye sick note, what a disappointment he’s been for us.”

Credit: @PallettJack

“What you actually mean is join Inter Miami’s treatment room. Good riddance let’s start moving the dross out. Blokes made of digestive biscuits.”

Credit: @laneyditch

“Excellent news this, now if we can get Peltier, Ivanovic, Grosicki, Austin, Robson-Kanu and Lonergan to sort themselves new clubs so we can’t just chuck them another year on their deal to save us a few quid…”
Credit: @RoystykinsWBA

“Praise the Lord. That’s one Weetabix player gone. Diangana next.”
Credit: @jason_simkins

In other news, find out what Sky Sports claim West Brom fans have flocked to lately here!

A well-versed saying goes that a failure to prepare is preparing to fail but that might not actually be the case at Leicester City with Brendan Rodgers potentially set to hand the club a big boost in their upcoming summer transfer plans.

The Northern-Irishman has suggested that the Foxes “don’t plan to lose anyone” in what will be a huge break from what has seemingly become a yearly tradition at the King Power Stadium.

Year upon year since winning the Premier League crown in 2015/16, the Foxes have raked in a considerable amount of cash by selling a key cog in their team.

Immediately following the Foxes’ title success, N’Golo Kante departed for Chelsea before being followed to Stamford Bridge by fellow midfielder Danny Drinkwater the season after.

Riyad Mahrez was then the next to depart, with Algerian departing in a big-money switch to Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Harry Maguire’s record-breaking move to Manchester United saw the Foxes earn approximately £80m, whilst more recently, left-back Ben Chilwell also joined Chelsea in the last summer transfer window.

Those departures have led to Leicester spending considerable amounts, albeit less than the fees they received, in an effort to plug the gaps in their squad.

For instance, since Kante’s departure all the way back in 2016, the East-Midlanders have forked out an eye-watering £359m in the transfer market, specifically spending just under £30m on the likes of Wilfred Ndidi and Nampalys Mendy to compensate for his loss.

However, with Rodgers not envisaging a big-money departure this summer, this allows the Northern-Irishman to invest in more depth or other departments as opposed to recruiting a direct replacement for a potential key player.

This then bodes extremely well as the Foxes potentially embark on another European campaign, with their key players retained and possibly more new recruits arriving too. It would also assist in their task of disrupting the so-called ‘big six’ in the fact the club would halt strengthening direct rivals by selling them key players.

AND in more news, take a look at which player’s mysterious international absence could be a concern for the Foxes...

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Birmingham City manager Barry Fry has backed Lee Bowyer to steer his old side to Championship safety.

Bowyer was installed into the St. Andrew’s dugout earlier this month following the departure of Aitor Karanka and has managed to make a decent start to life in his new role.

While 21st-placed Birmingham lost last time out, a 3-0 defeat to Watford, they were able to win their first game under Bowyer after overcoming the challenge of Reading.

It is a promising sign, and Fry is expecting more of the same going forward as he tipped the former Charlton Athletic manager to complete the task he has been handed.

Discussing Bowyer’s appointment in an exclusive interview with FFC, Peterborough’s director of football said:

“Lee is the ideal man to go into Birmingham City because he’s very positive, he’s very committed, he’s very passionate, he’s very knowledgable, he’s honest and he gets the best out of the players. And when you look at the Birmingham squad, it’s a good squad, but each and every one of them are underachieving.”

On the same topic, Fry later added:

“I back Lee, the Bluenoses will back Lee and I think he’ll do enough. Although he’s got a difficult task, he’ll do enough to keep the Blues in the Championship.”

Bowyer and his side will next be in action when they welcome Swansea City to St. Andrew’s after the international break. The Swans, currently sitting in third in the Championship table, have been flying high this season, so it could be another tricky fixture for Birmingham.

According to recent reports, there is a 75% probability that Tottenham Hotspur go on to sign Marcel Sabitzer this summer.

The report by Bild (via Sport Witness) claims that, with Sabitzer’s contract set to expire in the summer of 2022 and with RB Leipzig aware that the 27-year-old will not be signing an extension, the Bundesliga side could look to offload the midfielder this summer.

Furthermore, it is stated that the Austria international would like to leave the German club in the next transfer window, with a switch to the Premier League being his goal. It is also claimed that, with no release clause present in his contract at Leipzig, Julian Nagelsmann’s side will be demanding a fee of around €42m (£36m) to part with the 27-year-old.

Finally, it is claimed that Daniel Levy will have enough cash to fund a move for the £78,000-per-week midfielder as long as Spurs manage to sell Dele Alli, with Bild claiming that there is a 75% probability that Sabitzer’s switch to Tottenham goes through.

Transfer Tavern Take

With Mourinho thought to be a fan of Sabitzer, while the 58-year-old appears to hold a very different view on Alli – whom he has handed just two Premier League starts so far this season – it is not a difficult scenario to imagine that the Spurs manager will be doing all he can to persuade Levy to get a deal done for the Austrian midfielder this summer.

However, with Levy reluctant to offload Alli in previous transfer windows, as well as Mourinho’s future in north London not appearing to be particularly certain, whether or not the Spurs chairman gives in to the will of the Portuguese manager remains to be seen.

In other news: Levy is set to battle several PL clubs for the signing of ‘the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic’ – find out more here!

Eddie Howe may be on the verge of becoming Celtic’s new manager but John Kennedy remains in interim charge of the Bhoys for now.He hasn’t had the best of starts in the hot seat, winning just one of his first three games.That being said, he has a wonderful opportunity to stake his claim for the permanent position on Saturday when they face third-tier Falkirk. Nothing more than a big win for the Hoops should be on the cards but, as this season has told us, football often doesn’t follow the script.Celtic’s chances of going through to the next round of the Scottish Cup this weekend have been bolstered by the news that Mikey Johnston is back in first team training.The 21-year-old hasn’t been seen under Kennedy just yet but he was snapped participating in training by the club’s photographers following a spell on the sidelines.

With this news in mind, the Bhoys now have a big dilemma. It’s unlikely that Celtic will go full strength against Falkirk, so an opportunity could arise for Johnston out on the flanks.

That being said, Kennedy has a number of options from which to choose, something that leads to a hefty dilemma and selection headache. That being said, it’s a welcome headscratcher; the manager should be delighted at having so many options to use so late in the season.

James Forrest has played just 23 minutes since returning from injury and Kennedy may see this as the perfect opportunity to hand him his first start. The same can be said for Johnston, although he’ll have to usurp David Turnbull, Ryan Christie and Mohamed Elyounoussi in the pecking order.

The latter returned to form in the Old Firm derby two weeks ago by netting a sensational diving header. Christie was also more promising over the international break, standing out against Austria by registering an assist for John McGinn’s phenomenal overhead kick.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Kennedy may look towards those two players as his match-winners but, at the same time, this feels like a good time to hand Johnston a rare opportunity to impress.

If he is given minutes and shines, he could well stake a claim to play during the final weeks of the campaign. After all, Celtic have nothing to play for in the league anymore; they may as well utilise their young talent.

AND in other news, Rarely-seen 18 y/o could be Favre’s new Sancho at Celtic, he’s “exceptionally good”…

Manchester City are unsurprisingly being linked with a host of strikers from across Europe following the news that Sergio Aguero will leave the club when his contract expires this summer and one who should be of interest to Pep Guardiola is Eintracht Frankfurt frontman, Andre Silva.

According to the Daily Mail, the Citizens are considering the Portuguese international as an alternative to Erling Haaland this summer if they cannot convince the Norwegian to make the move to the Etihad.

Despite hitting 12 goals in 25 league appearances for Frankfurt last season, AC Milan were willing to sell the striker to the Bundesliga side for just £2.7m in the summer and he has enjoyed a superb season so far with Die Adler.

So far this campaign, the 25-year-old has contributed an incredible 22 goals in 25 league appearances, resulting in an impressive 7.54 average rating.

This puts him ahead of Haaland in the scoring charts and behind just Robert Lewandowski overall, and he also got the better of the Dortmund sensation at the weekend, as his late goal earned Frankfurt a 2-1 win at Signal Iduna Park.

His performances this season have seen his market value soar, as CIES Football Observatory currently values the striker at £34m, which emphasises just how much of a bargain the Bundesliga side got when signing him last summer.

Silva has also earned comparisons to Lewandowski this season, with his manager Adi Hutter particularly complimentary of his technique on penalties, saying:

“André Silva is the solo forward up top, but he does it really well. He wasn’t rewarded against Leverkusen, today he was. His composure on penalties reminds me of Robert Lewandowski, who always turns ice cold.”

If Silva were able to replicate his form in the Bundesliga this season with City in the future, then he would certainly prove to be an excellent addition to Guardiola’s side, as his performances in recent seasons have emphasised that he clearly knows where the back of the net is.

Therefore, sporting director Txiki Begiristain must sanction a deal to bring Silva to the Etihad this summer, as not only can he replace Aguero, but also his finishing ability immediately marks him out as someone who could be an instant success in the Premier League.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Laporte: Man City should swoop for “top-class” £67.5m-rated beast