All posts by n8rngtd.top

As Benji Kimpioka wheeled away after scoring in the 90th minute to rescue a draw with Coventry in 2019, it felt like a landmark moment.

11 months on from when Josh Maja had been sold, a member of Sunderland’s academy was scoring goals again.

Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, he has not scored for the senior team in league action since.

Chances have been hard to come by for Kimpioka, a young talent who swapped Swedish shores for the north-east of England in 2016.

It was in Scandinavia where he learned the game, but it’s at Sunderland where he’s been developed and tailored.

That being said, it has not been an easy ride for the striker, someone who has struggled to make a sufficient impression under both Jack Ross and Phil Parkinson.

Ross was the man to give him his senior debut but he’s not kicked on and has also had his troubles with injury.

Speaking in October 2018, just over a year before he scored his first league goal, Ross commented: “He’s an enigma at times. He’s got really good attributes. It’s just about trying to piece it all together.”

Indeed, not a single manager has been able to piece them together until recently. Kimpioka has been busy making a big impression for Elliott Dickman’s U23s but his season hasn’t been without its setbacks.

The talented forward didn’t even have a club at the beginning of the term. He was out of contract with the Black Cats and even went back to his native Sweden to train with his former club, IK Sirius.

He eventually penned new terms at the Stadium of Light in October and immediately hit the ground running, scoring four goals in five Premier League 2 outings.

A hamstring injury in November proved another setback, but we’re starting to see signs of a revival. He was among the substitutes bench for the EFL Trophy final at Wembley just over a week ago which clearly shows Lee Johnson has him on his radar.

The arrival of Ross Stewart has damaged the potential of further senior minutes but with Will Grigg out on loan, there is a spot in the first-team with Kimpioka’s name on it.

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If he continues to score with great regularity for the U23s, there’s no reason he can’t make an impression at first team level. After all, Johnson has already handed minutes to the likes of Dan Neil and Ollie Younger.

Could Kimpioka be the next in line? You should hope so. The forward has proven he can hit the back of the net this season and Sunderland are surely done with Grigg.

Therefore, the youngster should be unleashed next season instead.

AND in other news, Drop him: Sunderland gem who lost 67% of his duels continues to let Johnson down…

Tottenham Hotspur have been told how much it’ll cost to land one of their mooted targets this summer…

What’s the word?

According to The Star, Sheffield United are expected to demand in excess of £35m for midfielder Sander Berge amid interest from their rival Premier League clubs.

It’s claimed that the Norway international appears destined to leave Bramall Lane at the end of the season, with the Blades heading back to the Championship after two seasons in the big time.

They also believe that claims United would consider a fee of £28m, a mere £6m return on the investment they made to land the 23-year-old a little over a year ago, are wide of the mark.

Liverpool and arch-rivals Arsenal are two other teams interested in his signature.

Fellaini 2.0

Built like a towering centre-back at 6 foot 5 inches, Berge offers a unique presence in midfield, particularly as his ability on the ball is far greater than what you’d expect from an absolute man-mountain.

And this sort of threat is something that Spurs do not have amongst their squad but is one Jose Mourinho has utilised before in Marouane Fellaini.

Originally signed by David Moyes at Old Trafford, the Belgian colossus quickly became a favourite under the Portuguese. “He is a player and a person I like and the person is more important. He will always have my trust and protection,” once said Mourinho.

The Spurs boss relied on Fellaini for his aerial dominance and could only often get into the match when the ball was played up to him, though this is where Berge differs as an impressive box-to-box presence.

In terms of defensive ability, the 23-year-old brute is averaging 1.2 tackles per game this season, a decrease on his 1.6 per match from last campaign, as per WhoScored. He’s also chipping in with 1.4 clearances and 1.2 aerials won.

Only Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are more productive when compared to Spurs’ current central midfield options.

Clearly, Berge can read the game well and is prepared to put in the hard work to stop the opposition.

Whilst in attack, he’s averaging 1.3 dribbles per game, proving to travel with the ball up the pitch, and 0.9 key passes per match, too. Again, only Ndombele and Harry Kane have pulled off more successful dribbles, and he would rank third in the Spurs squad for creativity too.

It’s no wonder ex-Blades boss Chris Wilder has lauded the powerhouse as a “unique” and “complete midfielder” in the past.

Given CIES Football Observatory currently value Berge at €40m (£36m), Levy could well seal the north Londoners a nice bit of business if he sanctions this deal in the summer.

In return, Mourinho would get a new weapon to play with. Almost similar to that of Fellaini but almost certainly an improvement. Berge would be a fine addition under the ‘Special One.’

AND in other news, The £70m worth of talent now fighting for their futures under Mourinho…

Manchester City fans have been reacting to the news that the Citizens are set to make a late move for Bayern Munich defender David Alaba.

Alaba has been one of the best defenders of the 21st century. He has made 419 appearances for Bayern throughout his career to date (Transfermarkt), helping the Bavarians win nine Bundesliga titles as well as two Champions League trophies, while he has also been named the Austrian Footballer of the Year on no less than seven occasions.

However, he will be playing for another club next season after confirming he will leave Bayern (Goal.com). A number of clubs have been linked with a move for the £49.5m-valued 28-year-old (Transfermarkt), including Real Madrid (The Guardian), but The Daily Star is now reporting the Citizens are to make a last effort to sign him. The Austrian is said to be looking for a salary of £400,000 a week.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Chief, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Alaba news below

“Am not sure we need this guy at City he is 28yrs now soon hitting 30 that’s why he wants a club with money so that he can pile up some money for himself, trust me he will not be committed in playing for City, he is just looking for money bcos soon he is hitting 30”

Credit: @Rex05633603

“Almost half a million pounds a week. That’s a crime. Sometimes I want to stop watching football just for this reason.”

Credit: @faitcher82

“that salary is absurd……would wreck the whole teams salary structure…..”

Credit: @CaliBearcat

“We need to be careful with our wage bill , if haaland or messi on the cards too”

Credit: @cst1894

“400k a week..I’d say sign him because his free transfer anyway..his valued at 45M plus.. this will compensate his wages anyway if city were to sign him on a 3 to 4 year contract.”

Credit: @phillip23193875

“Wouldn’t mind having him plus Zinny and Mendy would learn a lot from him”

Credit: @Ortega04187965

In other news, Man City fans have been reacting to this £128m transfer claim.

Some Glasgow Rangers fans were baffled by Steven Gerrard’s “daft” decision to take off Joe Aribo during their match with Slavia Prague on Thursday.

The Gers picked up a 1-1 draw in Czechia in their Europa League round of 16 first leg clash. Nicolae Stanciu opened the scoring with a stunner in the first half but Filip Helander was on hand to tap in Ianis Hagi’s pass to level things up. The result, as well as the away goal, gives the Ibrox outfit a great chance to qualify for the quarter-finals in the return clash next week.

Nigeria international Aribo started the match in Prague but was taken off with 10 minutes left on the clock. Many Gers fans thought he had played rather well, notably completing a team-high three dribbles, and were therefore shocked when Gerrard chose to replace him with striker Kemar Roofe.

These supporters took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Gerrard’s Aribo decision below

“Aribo off??????”

Credit: @MattG95

“Stevie mate what are you doing?! Aribo has been outstanding second half!”

Credit: @LaurzieJay12

“Aribo off is a strange one, our best player”

Credit: @bobsyshambs

“Aribo best player on the park ! That decision baffles me ??”

Credit: @jamied28

“Aribo surely not”

Credit: @RyanK52755

“Aribo has been our best player. Daft sub.”

Credit: @Macdooooogall

In other news, Rangers fans react to a tweet from this journalist.

Mike Ashley should sanction a summer swoop for Newcastle United to sign Norwich City playmaker Todd Cantwell and acquire a second Allan Saint-Maximin type.

What’s the word?

According to Football League World, the Magpies are monitoring Cantwell’s situation at Carrow Road as they are keen to bring the 23-year-old to St. James’ Park at the end of the season.

Cantwell will enter the final year of his £16,000-per-week contract in June, and is expected to be one of the more sought-after players should the England U21 international not agree on a new deal with the Canaries.

Cantwell’s future in Norfolk is likely to hinge heavily on Daniel Farke leading Norwich to an automatic return to the Premier League, with the midfielder anticipated to prioritise a top-flight future after his promising 2019/20 campaign.

Newcastle remaining a Premier League side will also be a factor in the Tyneside outfit making a move for Cantwell, as well, with his services unlikely to be explored should Steve Bruce fail to maintain the Toon’s current status.

Tottenham Hotspur are also noted to hold an interest in Cantwell, who Leeds United had sought to sign ahead of the current season but refused to up their £15m offer to meet Norwich’s alleged £20m valuation.

It remains to be seen how highly Norwich will value their academy product in the next off-season, and what impact promotion will have on Cantwell’s future, with Farke’s side currently 10 points clear at the top of the Championship table.

Cantwell has started 19 of his 22 second-tier outings this term, scoring four goals and providing four assists while deployed as a left-midfielder for 90% of his outings to date.

Should Newcastle sign Cantwell?

There is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Cantwell’s future as Norwich look set to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, with Farke’s men on a seven-game winning run to put distance between themselves and promotion rivals Watford, Swansea City and Brentford.

Newcastle are well and truly in the Premier League relegation dogfight, too, with Bruce’s side just a point above 18th-place Fulham and the drop zone, albeit with a game in hand, having won just two of their last 16 top-flight fixtures.

But should United limp through their final 11 games and stay in the Premier League for another year, Ashley should sanction a move for Cantwell, even though funds are expected to be small.

Doing so could see Ashley bring a second Saint-Maximin type to St. James’ Park, for Cantwell is showing in the second-tier the quick-footed and fast-thinking style that the Magpies star displays week in, week-out in black and white.

Working in small pockets of space to good effect was exactly what Saint-Maximin thrived at against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month, having produced a great piece of skill to take on three players and set up Joe Willock before later sustaining a groin injury.

Cantwell – who Darren Huckerby once lauded for always being “the most gifted” player in any side he played for – also found it within himself to bounce back from a complex 2020, having taken responsibility for Norwich’s relegation to go on and lead their promotion push.

If the chance to sign Cantwell is there for Newcastle this summer, Ashley must dig deep into his pocket and present the funds United need to strike a deal for a young, hungry, English talent like this.

AND in other news, Newcastle United eye £2m titan who “makes the people he’s playing with better”…

Raul Jimenez’s absence from the Wolves team while he recovers from a fractured skull has been all too clear.

Since he’s been out injured, Fabio Silva has scored just twice while Adama Traore and Willian Jose are yet to find the net all term in Wolves colours. Thus, new recruits are needed in the summer.

What’s the word?

Wolves tried their best to replace the goals of Jimenez in January but Jose clearly hasn’t done that very well.

Whether they enter the market for another striker remains to be seen but they are targeting a wide player if you believe reports.

Football Insider claimed over the weekend that the Midlands outfit have set their sights on signing Goncalo Guedes from Valencia.

It’s understood that the Spanish side are likely to sell him in the summer after they had funding withdrawn by owner Peter Lim.

West Ham are also reportedly interested in the player who is currently rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt. The Portugal international may have to significantly reduce his salary in order to complete a move though. The Jorge Mendes client currently earns £101k-per-week in La Liga.

Pedro Neto 2.0

A young Portuguese player on the books of Mendes appears to tick all the boxes when playing Wolves transfer bingo.

Some players are often wide of the mark but Guedes has the potential to be a real star at Molineux. His style of play suits the Old Gold and he’d fit into a side who like to operate with crafty playmakers and dazzling dribbles.

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Guedes certainly fits that mantra and if you combine his qualities and the positions he plays in, he has Pedro Neto written all over him.

The Valencia attacker has the ability to play on both flanks while he’s also incredibly capable of starring in a number 10 role.

He has predominantly played off the left flank in 2020/21 but only has four goals to his name in all competitions. That being said, his contributions have arguably merited more.

Guedes has managed 1.5 shots per game this term, a tally only bettered by Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez and indeed Neto at Wolves. Meanwhile, his 1.9 dribbles per match is just 0.3 fewer than Neto’s tally.

Wolves’ Portuguese sensation has had a stellar campaign but they need more numbers in attack if Nuno is to ever take this team to the next level. He has tried and failed to do that by switching the club’s normal formation so perhaps new recruits could change their fortunes instead.

Speaking about the winger, Luis Figo once said: “Guedes is a fast, irreverent and unpredictable player, who himself builds actions for his teammates and is also able to finish well.”

Possessing eye-catching levels of pace, he has the abilities to stretch defences just as Neto does. This would be a smart move from Wolves providing they can afford the finances.

A glowing review from Figo tells you all you need to know.

AND in other news, Wolves must wield the axe on £22k-p/w flop who “defied the laws of physics” yesterday…

According to The Daily Mail, Southampton could move to sign free agent Ahmed Musa as West Bromwich Albion struggle to get a deal over the line.

Saints eye Musa

It seemed the 28-year-old was on the verge of completing a move to The Hawthorns – he was said to have even had a medical (Football Insider) – but it now seems the Midlands outfit do not have the funds to get the deal done.

As the Baggies flounder, Ralph Hasenhuttl and co are said to be interested in signing the Nigeria international just a number of days after bringing in Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino on loan.

Interesting option

With Danny Ings and Che Adams to rely on up front, you would think that Hasenhuttl would be happy with his forward options. However, the arrival of Minamino indicates that the Austrian wants to improve things in the final third, and Musa could be an astute bargain signing.

While he had a disappointing spell with Leicester City, Musa has 88 career goals to his name (Transfermarkt) and has netted four times across two World Cups. Capable of playing on either wing as well as centre-forward, he would provide Southampton with some versatility that could be welcome as they look to kick on again after defeats to Manchester United and Newcastle.

Should the deal to take Musa to West Brom fall apart completely, the Saints should be waiting to pick up the pieces.

In other news, Southampton fans slammed this man against Newcastle.

According to reports, Tottenham are interested in signing former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey.

What’s the story?

The Wales international left the Premier League to join Serie A giants Juventus, and though he’s shown flashes of brilliance with the Bianconeri, has struggled to really nail down a place in the starting eleven – he’s completed the full 90 minutes just twice in the league.

Now, Italian publication TuttoJuve claim that both Jose Mourinho’s Spurs, and fellow Premier League side Wolves, are keen on luring the 30-year-old back to English football, and reveal that the Serie A champions “could be willing to sell him to earn a figure of €10-15m (£8.7-£13.1m)”.

Mourinho’s next Lampard

While things haven’t quite panned out at Juventus, there’s no questioning that Ramsey’s style of play is something Spurs could desperately do with.

Mourinho sorely lacks a real box-to-box presence with that goal-scorer’s instinct in his squad, with only Tanguy Ndombele even coming close to matching that with his tally of six goals this season in all competitions.

But in Ramsey, the Spurs boss could find the closest thing to a Frank Lampard. The Chelsea icon’s performances under Mourinho is well-known, with the ex-Blues boss bagging 70 goals and providing a further 61 assists in just 215 games.

Described as an “outstanding technician”, Ramsey would offer that same knack of getting into the box at the right times and scoring those poacher-type goals. In fact, Lampard himself wrote in a column for The Evening Standard: “It will probably come as no surprise to people that I like Ramsey. Like me, he makes late runs in the penalty area and he showed that with aplomb for the second goal at AC Milan last week.”

That sentiment was echoed by Ramsey’s former boss at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, who said: “He is a Frank Lampard type. He is (about) getting in the box and he has a huge capacity to run. Physically, he has a combination of stamina, power and his capacity to repeat high intensity is certainly the best in the league.”

In his time at Spurs’ north London rivals, the Welshman scored an impressive 65 goals, including big strikes in big games, not least two match-winning finishes in FA Cup finals.

While it may not be the most popular move, Daniel Levy could find an absolute gem in the £18m-rated Ramsey, and deliver Mourinho his next Lampard at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Meanwhile, this Spurs star showed he could be Mourinho’s game-changer…

Aston Villa are in advanced talks with Marseille to sign Morgan Sanson, Andre Villas-Boas had some pretty harsh words for the first bid that arrived from Villa Park though, and Noel Whelan has criticised the former Premier League manager.

What Whelan had to say about Villas-Boas

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said: “Look, I think there’s only one thing to say about that – they’re trying to get money but you’re embarrassing another football club at the same time.

“Anything that goes between football clubs, directors, in terms of money should be kept private, end of story.
“They’re trying to force their hand here, it’s not the right way to go about it or do business, that’s for sure and it makes it very difficult to go back in with a second offer and the player may lose that transfer that he really wants.”

Is the pundit right to slate the Marseille manager?

We know the first bid Villa made was immediately rejected as it was only €7m with €2m in bonuses and Marseille wanted closer to €18m. Whelan does have a point when he says that this business should be kept private as these type of negotiations aren’t typically revealed by managers involved in them.
However, Villa probably won’t mind too much as they were likely just testing the waters with their original bid to see what sort or price they could get the player for.
Despite the frustrations that Whelan believe Villa will have, the club will now be happy as Sky Sports are reporting that a larger bid has been accepted.

In other news, Villa fans were over the moon following a Fabrizio Romano tweet. Have a read what it was about here!

Liverpool lost their second home game in a row with their 1-0 defeat to Brighton on Wednesday night.

Steven Alzate scored the only goal of the game for the visitors in what was a shock win, but very much deserved, as the Reds suffered another hit in the Premier League title race.

There has been plenty of talk about the Reds’ injuries, but The Athletic’s James Pearce had a bone to pick with Jurgen Klopp regarding his decisions from who was available for the game.

Pearce gives honest verdict

The German tactician opted to go for a midfield three that consisted of Thiago Alcantara, James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum, leaving out Curtis Jones, who had put in a fine showing against West Ham United.

Replying to a fan during a Q&A session, Pearce could not understand why Jones didn’t start the game.

He said: “Not sure about [Ben] Davies as he’s only just in the door but Jones should have started. It was so flat and I’m sure fatigue played a part in that.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

It’s a fair point to raise from Pearce, considering how Jones changed the game almost immediately at the London Stadium.

But Klopp did highlight fatigue as one of the factors of the defeat – which could also be an indication why the Melwood graduate didn’t feature in the initial eleven.

Even after Jones came on – he could not make an impact due to how well Graham Potter had set up his Brighton side. Whether he will get an opportunity from the start against Manchester City remains to be seen.

In other news, Star defender gutted to miss out dream Liverpool move on Deadline Day.