All posts by n8rngtd.top

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.

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It’s understood that the Spanish side are likely to sell him in the summer after they had funding withdrawn by owner Peter Lim.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

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-news-on-wolves-from-molineux” title=” Check out the latest news on Wolves from Molineux!”]

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…

Leeds United have been linked with central defender Nicolas N’Koulou as they head into the summer transfer window. The Whites are browsing for new defensive personnel to stack up their options after injury woes have left them short this season.

For a large chunk of the 2020/21 campaign, Marcelo Bielsa has been without summer recruits Robin Koch and Diego Llorente due to their respective fitness problems. This has forced the boss to deploy Luke Ayling at centre-back and whilst he has been reliable in an unfamiliar role, Bielsa cannot rely on him for the inevitable. It’s paramount that Leeds assert their dominance once again on the transfer market and make sure that they are fully prepared for another exciting season in the Premier League.

Calciomercato reports that N’Koulou is on Bielsa’s radar, having already worked with him in Marseille (via TEAMtalk). Currently at Torino, the defender is close to running down his current contract and will become a free agent in the summer, nulling his £6.3million valuation. Despite racking up a total of 128 appearances for his current club, he has somewhat struggled for game time this season, being demoted to the bench for 11 Serie A fixtures, as per Transfermarkt.

Should Leeds sign Nicolas N’Koulou?

With Bielsa already clued up on N’Koulou’s attitude and style of play, he is an ideal scoop for Leeds. With 72 caps for his native Cameroon as well, he is a typical veteran of the game both domestically and internationally.

Looking closer at his stats, WhoScored shows that the 30-year-old has averaged more interceptions and clearances than both Liam Cooper and Koch this season, as well as giving away the least amount of fouls per game. He averages the same amount of blocks as Koch and N’Koulou also boasts a higher passing accuracy out of the three.

For Andrea Radrizzani, it should be an easy decision when looking at a proven international who has already worked with Bielsa and won’t cost him a penny come the summer. The Whites need to add depth to their squad and it should be easy work to entice a free agent to the Premier League to play for a very exciting club that could push for Europa League football.

In other news, Leeds must prepare to sign replacement for exit-linked Struijk…

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.

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!

Any help will do in January is surely going to be the message from Neil Lennon to Nick Hammond.

Celtic are 19 points behind Rangers in the race for the title and are slowly sinking without a trace.

What’s the word?

The Hoops have a huge job on their hands to save their season but challenging for the SPFL this season looks completely impossible.

Some new faces could potentially do the trick but even then, they will face a mountain to climb. Mark McKenzie who plays his football in America has been linked but they’re also chasing a new winger.

That’s the word of the Daily Record who report that both Rangers and Celtic are interested in signing young Airdrie winger Thomas Robert. Son of Newcastle cult hero, Laurent Robert, he has caught the eye this season in League One.

According to quotes supplied by the same source, a bid could well be imminent from one of those clubs. Speaking about the 20-year-old, Airdrie Boss Ian Murray said:

“We’ve had loads of clubs looking at him, a few of them were pretty impressed. Were they impressed enough to make a bid, I’m not sure, but I think there are a couple who are not too far away from that.”

Football Insider later reported that Dundee had already made contact over his services but that hasn’t been confirmed by either party yet.

Christie 2.0

Last week the Hoops received worrying news that dynamic winger Ryan Christie could be on his way out of Parkhead.

Both Leeds and Arsenal have now been credited with an interest but it remains to be seen whether a bid is forthcoming for the Scot.

Fortunately, Celtic could sign their ideal replacement in Robert if he does indeed leave.

The Frenchman is capable of playing on either wing and since moving from Montpellier in the summer, has scored four goals and registered two assists in 13 outings.

It’s an eye-catching record but it’s the way he plays that gives us plenty of Christie vibes. A left-footed winger, Robert can dangerously cut inside from the right and either provide a defence-splitting pass or find the net.

The youngster needs to develop more consistency if he’s to make it at one of Scotland’s big boys but the future is bright for a young talent with football pedigree coursing through his veins.

Although it’s not a marquee signing, Robert would add valuable depth to a side that has been lacking options out wide in 2020/21. Nick Hammond must get a deal done.

AND in other news, Celtic must sign £39k-p/w gem in January, Rodgers thinks he’s “a David Silva type”…

Glasgow Rangers have been given a major boost in the race to sign John Lundstram with Sheffield United reportedly willing to listen to offers.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent times revealed that the one-time England U20 international was a key target for Rangers in the summer as Steven Gerrard sought to bolster his midfield to try and stop Celtic from winning ten in a row.

It was claimed that after initially wanting to stay at Bramall Lane, Lundstram rejected a new contract extension, having entered the final year of his current deal.

According to Yorkshire Live, the Blades will admit defeat with the wantaway £7m-rated midfielder if a suitable bid arrives in January, although Chris Wilder confirmed they have not received any offers for him or indeed anyone else so far, saying:

“Nothing in any of the players who are in our 25-man squad, nothing at all.”

Rangers must swoop for Lundstram

With Crystal Palace and Brighton having to wait until the summer at the very earliest, Rangers may very well have a free shot at trying to tempt the 26-year-old to Ibrox in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Glen Kamara has been an integral part of Gerrard’s side so far this season, having made twelve appearances in the Premiership, but Ross Wilson could really do with finding another midfield dynamo to ease the burden on his shoulders.

And Lundstram is a player who can do precisely just that, as he is fully capable of providing competition and cover for the likes of Steven Davis and Bongani Zungu.

Lundstram is almost the polar opposite to the South Africa international, as he offers far more of a threat going forwards. Last season, Lundstram played 34 games in the Premier League, scored five goals and supplied three assists, whilst he averaged 1.3 shots, 1.4 tackles, and 1.3 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Zungu failed to register a single goal or record a single assist in Ligue 1 for Amiens last season, as per WhoScored.

Teammate Billy Sharp called Lundstram “a real menace” earlier this year, via The Star.

Primarily a defensive midfielder, he can also operate in a more central role, and this kind of versatility would be an added bonus for the Ibrox boss.

Having Kamara and Lundstram in the same team and playing in the engine room could give the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Jermain Defoe, Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe further ammunition and allow them to add to their incredible goal-scoring record – 47 goals in total in the Premiership so far this season.

If Wilson can get a deal over the line in January, he could prove pivotal to their chances of regaining the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must cut his losses and sell Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos in January…

David Turnbull hasn’t been with his new club for too long but he has already proven his worth with some important performances. After struggling with a stagnant midfield, Celtic boss Neil Lennon has opted to deploy the 21-year-old and fellow new signing Ismaila Soro in a last-ditch effort to resurrect his season.

Whilst it was a gamble, it paid off in dividends with Turnbull bagging three goalscoring contributions in his last three starts for the Hoops. His biggest impact came against Lille in the Europa League after he set up the opening goal and bagged one for himself, as per Sofascore.

Nick Hammond poached the versatile midfielder from Motherwell during the summer window on a £7,500 per week contract. He cost the club a little over £3million, which will be looking like a bargain right now.

According to WhoScored, Turnbull has even averaged a higher passing percentage (90.6%) and more key passes (2.4) per match than Mohamed Elyounoussi, who has 78.4% and 1 respectively.

Signing Turnbull was exceptional business

Celtic may yet have to make peace with the fact that they will not be securing their tenth consecutive Scottish Premiership title. As it stands, they are trailing to rivals Rangers, who are yet to lose a match this season. They also boast a huge 16-point lead, but the Hoops currently have three games in-hand and as last year proved, Rangers have it in themselves to stumble in January.

However, even a Rangers won’t be enough on its own for Celtic to regain their spot at the top of the table, as the Hoops will need to show much more than they have done so far this season if they are to close the gap. Due to Celtic’s inconsistent performances, a lot of uncertainty has surrounded Lennon’s position as manager.

Winning the Scottish Cup and indeed the historic ‘quadruple treble’ on Sunday has bought him some time though and if the Bhoys finish the season on a high, he could keep his place at the hilt of the club, especially if Hammond and Peter Lawwell have another positive transfer window.

Celtic have some recruiting to do once January comes round, particularly if the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie leave for pastures new. Both have received a lot of interest from other clubs and the Glaswegians will be in serious trouble in they lose them and fail to sign replacements.

But with their keen eye to snap up the talent such as Turnbull, there should be few concerns over their ability to bring in more impressive players.

In other news, Lawwell making smart decision by offering Conor Hazard new deal…

Leeds United have had a great start to their first Premier League campaign in 16 years.

The Whites have lost just one of their first four games despite facing off against two of the best teams in the league in the shape of Manchester City and Liverpool.

Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping that he can keep the momentum rolling after the international break, and in order to do that he has to pick the right team against Wolves.

Wolves won’t be an easy team to overcome and their task has been made that much harder by an injury crisis at centre-back.

Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente have both picked up injuries on international duty, so Leeds will have to operate with a makeshift centre-back pairing for this one.

We’ve had a go at predicting how Leeds will line-up against Wolves.

The first place to look is centre-back after Cooper and Llorente’s injuries.

This is a position that Leeds have already been in this season with Cooper being unavailable on the opening day of the season and Llorente not having signed by that point, and on that occasion, Bielsa looked towards Pascal Struijk to fill the gap.

We expect the Argentine to do the same again here, but whether or not this proves to be a good idea remains to be seen as Leeds conceded four the last time Struijk and Robin Koch played together.

Away from that change, the defensive spots remain largely the same, Illan Meslier, Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas retain their spots in goal and at full-back.

The midfield has just one change as Jack Harrison comes back after being ineligible to face his parent club a fortnight ago, while there is no space for £17m man Raphinha as of yet due to Bielsa preferring to give his new signings a bedding-in period.

Up front, Patrick Bamford starts once again, with Rodrigo’s goal against Man City not enough to earn him a place back in the XI just yet.

Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett remains keen on Stoke City defender Harry Souttar, despite his future with the Championship side being up in the air.

Pompey’s disappointing play-off campaign last term saw them fail to gain promotion for a second consecutive season and it was expected that first team boss Jackett would bring in a whole host of new faces.

However, limited arrivals have come in to Fratton Park with just Callum Johnson, Sean Raggett, Cameron Pring and Michael Jacobs signing on the dotted line.

One player continuously linked with a move to Portsmouth over the last few weeks has been Souttar, and that interest has now re-emerged.

Souttar, who Pompey showed interest in earlier in the summer could well remain at the bet365 stadium after being lavished with praise for his display in the 1-0 win against Wolves in the Carabao Cup last week by Michael O’Neill, leaving Portsmouth boss Jackett with a potential defeat in his pursuit of the defender.

That being said, The News now report that Pompey remain interested in seeing if a deal can be secured before the transfer window closes on October 16.

It will be a tough task for Jackett to secure a deal for Souttar, especially as Stoke City boss O’Neill has been impressed with his latest performance and may therefore want to keep him around.

However, it seems that Pompey will keep up their pursuit of the Australian international, who remarkably has four goals in just two caps despite being a defender by trade.

Do you think Portsmouth should go all out to sign Souttar before the transfer window shuts? Let us know in the comments section below…