All posts by z3u9t.icu

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side currently have the largest squad in the SPFL, with 32 players in their senior ranks – according to Transfermarkt.

Having had a massive overhaul during the summer and winter transfer windows, the 56-year-old manager was given the opportunity to shape the team in his image.

And, with the next market now in sight, it seems as though a clue has already been dropped regarding one deal that could take place at Lennoxtown this summer.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist and transfer insider Pete O’Rourke had this to say about Tom Rogic and his future at Parkhead.

He said: “I’m sure, behind the scenes, Celtic’s powerbrokers will be looking at Rogic’s contract again. He’s out of contract in 2023, so he’s not got that long left on his current deal.” 

Since becoming a Celtic player back in January of 2013, the midfielder has gone on to make a total of 266 appearances for the Hoops in all competitions, scoring 46 goals and providing 49 assists along the way.

With 27 league appearances under his belt in this campaign, the 29-year-old has provided six assists for his teammates and scored six goals – the same number of times he’s hit the back of the net over the three previous campaigns.

This highlights just how impressive the midfielder has been under Postecoglou in terms of his attacking play, so much so that only three other Hoops players have racked up more shots at goal in the league than Rogic.

The midfielder has also drawn more fouls (35) than any other Celtic player in the current campaign, showing how tricky he can be to play against.

Taking all of this into account, hearing that the Celtic hierarchy are looking to extend the Australian’s time as a Hoops player is certainly news that will leave Postecoglou and supporters alike buzzing.

As O’Rourke states, the £1.35m-rated gem’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2023, meaning that, if he doesn’t put pen to paper on a new deal before then, the club would be at risk of seeing him leave on a free transfer, something that would come as a huge blow to the Bhoys.

AND in other news: Signed for 7 figures, left for peanuts: Celtic had a mare on “unplayable” £15k-p/w dud

Wolves may now start Hwang Hee-chan at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Carabao Cup, says Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: Hwang impressing

Hwang is certainly impressing at the Midlands club so far, after he scored on his debut in a short cameo in the 2-0 away win at Watford in the Premier League earlier on this month (Transfermarkt).

He is emerging as a bit of a fans favourite already, and will no doubt want to show the Molineux faithful what else he can do over the next set of fixtures.

The Latest: Start?

Writing in his latest piece for The Express & Star, Keen has now claimed that Hwang may be in line for a start against Spurs, along with Daniel Podence, while the entire defence may be changed from those who started the 2-0 loss at home to Brentford at Saturday lunchtime.

It would be his first start under Bruno Lage, and another impressive performance may see him in contention to start in the league on the weekend.

The Verdict: Start him

While there should be a few changes to the team expected given the need for rotation between the cups and the league, Hee-chan has certainly earned the right to start the match.

A player who Erling Haaland loves from his time playing with him at RB Salzburg, he certainly has a point to prove having been loaned out to WWFC from RB Leipzig.

Nonetheless, the South Korea international should give some good competition to Raul Jimenez and be able to fill in for him when he needs a rest.

In other news, find out what FIFA news has Wanderers raging here!

Steve Howey doesn’t think that failing to bring in another striker could result in Newcastle re-signing Andy Carroll.

Following a disappointing second spell with his boyhood club, Carroll was released at the end of last season after scoring just once across all competitions last season.

Carroll’s departure leaves Steve Bruce with just three strikers at his disposal, and two of them in Dwight Gayle and Joelinton have struggled to add goals in recent seasons.

But despite Carroll’s exit being confirmed almost one month ago, Newcastle’s tight transfer budget means that Bruce has been unable to sign a replacement and help first-choice Callum Wilson with the workload.

The capture of Joe Willock should take the pressure off him, but an injury to the ex-Bournemouth striker could leave Bruce short on numbers.

However, whilst Carroll has been unable to find another club and therefore remains a free agent, Howey doesn’t think Newcastle will consider bringing him back to St James’ Park.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I thought he was on that [short-term] deal anyway, but I’ll be surprised if he goes back, because they let him go.”

Crystal Palace endured a tough opening month under Patrick Vieira’s tutelage, picking up just two points from their three Premier League fixtures while being knocked out of the Carabao Cup.

An impressive brace from Conor Gallagher rescued a 2-2 draw against West Ham United last time out to go into the international break on a positive note, but there’s still much work to be done.

The Eagles have entered a new chapter in their history following Roy Hodgson’s pragmatic four-year reign, and Vieira has already overhauled the first team squad.

Several new arrivals such as Odsonne Edouard, Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen have significantly strengthened the south London outfit, but one of their homegrown talents has struggled to adapt to early life under the new regime.

As per SofaScore, highly-rated academy graduate Tyrick Mitchell has received a match rating of just 6.33 out of 10 following his three top-flight appearances this term, the lowest of anyone to play in the league for them so far under Vieira.

When looking at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why his rating is quite low. The 22-year-old has recorded a passing accuracy of just 74%, won only 39% of his duels and lost possession an average of 15.7 times per game.

Mitchell has also pulled off just 33% of his attempted dribbles, been dribbled past by an opponent an average of once per game and been accurate with only 33% of his crosses.

The youngster has shown glimpses of his true potential in the past, but his performances throughout August fell well below his best and let Vieira down.

Both Mitchell and his manager will be hoping that the 22-year-old left-back can rediscover his best form following the Premier League’s resumption, hopefully starting with a solid display against Tottenham Hotspur next weekend.

In other news… Shocking £130k-p/w Palace man who lost possession 72 times also endured a nightmare August 

Dani Vivian’s performances for Athletic Bilbao have caught the eye of Wolverhampton Wanderers, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.net.

The lowdown

Vivian, a centre-back, has made his first-team breakthrough at the Estadio San Mames this season, starting seven of the first eight La Liga matches.

He’s averaged 4.9 clearances and 1.6 tackles per 90 minutes so far. Of Wolves’ current defenders, only Romain Saiss can better those numbers.

Wolves may still be in the market for a centre-back, having unsuccessfully pursued Lille’s Sven Botman and Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara during the summer transfer window (via The Athletic).

The latest

Vivian is ‘drawing the attention’ of three Premier League sides – Wolves, West Ham United and Arsenal. They’re said to be ‘compiling statistical reports’ on the Spaniard.

The new contract he signed last season runs until 2023 and, importantly, contains a release clause of €40million (£34million).

The verdict

Vivian may not yet be at the calibre of Botman and Kamara, two of the best young defenders in Europe, but his stock certainly seems to be growing by the week.

Intriguingly, the report adds that, the way things are going, the list of suitors will grow significantly before the end of the season.

Still, it’s hard to justify making him the third-biggest signing in Wolves’ history at this stage.

In other news, fans hailed this ‘magic’ moment.  

Adam Blackmore has dropped a big update on the future of reported Aston Villa transfer target James Ward-Prowse…

What’s the talk?

The Radio Solent journalist has stated that the Southampton midfielder will not be leaving the south coast before the end of the transfer window.

He tweeted: “After the last 24 hours with Ings, Grealish, etc., and all the crazy gossip that goes along with it, it’s probably worth reiterating the point I’ve made previously, that Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse is going nowhere in this window.”

Aston Villa are interested in signing the England international this summer and have reportedly already had an offer of £25m rejected by the Saints.

Fans will be fuming

Aston Villa fans must be fuming with this update as it appears to rule out what would be a terrific signing for the club. Ward-Prowse is a proven Premier League performer and would be a superb addition to Dean Smith’s side, which is why supporters will surely be upset that he is now set to stay with Southampton.

The Englishman played every single minute of the Saints’ league campaign last term, averaging an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.07. He provided eight goals and seven assists from midfield, whilst also making 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game.

Of all the Villa players to feature in 10 or more Premier League matches last season, only Ollie Watkins (7.18) and Jack Grealish (7.56) managed higher average ratings than Ward-Prowse. This shows that the 26-year-old could come in at Villa Park and be one of the better performers at the club, as he has already shown that he can perform to a high standard in the top flight.

At the end of last season, Saints head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl called him “outstanding”. The Austrian told the Daily Echo: “It’s not surprising for me, a player who played every minute this season is unbelievable.

“His physicality and his performances are outstanding. That’s our captain on the pitch and he is on the way that he is a very important player for this club for the long-term, I think.”

This highlights Ward-Prowse’s quality at Premier League level and why he would surely improve Villa’s side. Therefore, supporters will be gutted over this update from Blackmore, with the midfielder now looking likely to be playing for Southampton rather than Villa in the 2021/22 campaign. It is now down to Johan Lange and Smith to identify alternative targets before the end of the transfer window.

AND in other news, “It might leave them a bit light” – Aston Villa journalist rules out exit for 27 y/o amid report…

According to a recent report from Wolves journalist Liam Keen for the Express & Star, the Premier League are negotiating on behalf of their clubs with FIFA and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) officials to see if players can leave in early January and be available for their clubs over the Christmas and New Year period.

From a Wolves point of view, if a deal can be reached, this would allow defenders Willy Boly and Romain Saiss to be involved for the Premier League clash against Manchester United on January 3 at Old Trafford.

Wolves fans would be delighted

If an agreement can be made, this would surely give Wolves manager Bruno Lage a big boost when it comes to taking on the Red Devils and delight a lot of Old Gold fans in the process.

Even though Wolves have the likes of Conor Coady and Max Kilman in their squad who have started all 15 of their Premier League games so far this season, there’s no certainty that they will be available to play at Old Trafford next month. That could leave Lage having to rely on the likes of Saiss and Boly to step up if they are both available.

Despite Boly not making even one appearance in the Premier League so far this term, he still has the backing of Lage, who described him as an “important” player for Wolves.

Saiss, on the other hand, has been a regular figure for the Old Gold in this campaign, starting all 15 league games alongside Coady and Kilman and earning himself an overall season rating of 6.89/10 for his performances, making him Wolves’ fourth-highest rated player according to WhoScored.

With this is mind and the fact that United have currently scored more than double the amount of league goals (25) that Wolves have managed (12), it would undoubtedly be preferable if Lage can call upon both Saiss and potentially Boly, if he’s fit enough, to try and secure a positive result against the Red Devils.

If a deal can’t be agreed between the Premier League and AFCON officials, the Wolves boss will have to hope that Coady and Kilman will be fit enough to play and that they can do enough to keep United at bay.

In other news: Wolves dealt possible transfer blow on £40m “Van Dijk-like signing”, Shi surely fuming

Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt was forced off for the under-23s on Monday evening with a fresh injury concern.

The Lowdown: Gelhardt’s season so far

He has featured in four of the five Premier League games under Jesse Marsch, scoring a crucial winner against Norwich City last month.

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The 19-year-old has slowly been establishing himself as a valuable figure in the American’s squad from the bench and played 31 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday.

He was given a start for the under-23s in a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Monday evening, but it didn’t go to plan.

The Latest: ‘Bad news’ for Gelhardt

The Yorkshire Evening Post shared the news of Gelhardt’s injury on Twitter, describing it as ‘bad news from Elland Road’.

They added that the forward had an issue with his left leg and had to receive treatment, with the Whites’ initial hope being that it is a dead leg.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Gelhardt started for the under-23s looking to build up his fitness, with a reported fake positive virus test impacting the striker during the international break.

Fans may well be wondering why he was even playing on Monday, considering that both Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts are long-term absentees.

Hopefully the issue is a minor one and the 19-year-old can be available for selection for the huge trip to Watford this weekend following the club’s assessment this morning.

In other news – 9.1/10 rating: Leeds target produces incredible display after Orta name-dropped him

Newcastle United have now been backed by Noel Whelan in their pursuit of Conor Coady in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Coady on shortlist

A source from the St. James’ Park faithful has claimed to Football Insider that Coady is on their shortlist ahead of January.

It will reportedly take a bid of around £30m to sign the central defender from Wolves, who is under contract at the Molineux until 2025.

The Latest: Whelan backs Coady move

Speaking to Football Insider about those claims, former Leeds United and Coventry City striker Whelan has backed the North East club in their pursuit of Coady:

“He’s a brilliant defender and consistency is what you will get from him.

“Newcastle have struggled defensively for a number of years now, so getting a defender like him into the spine of that side will be massive.

“That’s the first place I’d be looking.

“You have Wilson, Saint-Maximin and Almiron in the attack, so you have enough there but the frailties are at the back and at centre-half, for me.

“Connor Coady is a player you would be more than happy with at your football club.

“He’s got the leadership qualities, he’s an England international now and he is a very consistent performer for Wolves.”

The Verdict: Too much money

There is always going to be a premium price to pay for English players in the market, but £30m is simply too much for Coady, considering that his market value is currently rated at £22.5m by Transfermarkt.

Being the captain at Molineux, he would certainly offer leadership to the team, and at 28 years of age, is in his prime.

However, he has been no better than Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles in terms of average interceptions (one), clearances (2.7) and blocks (0.6) per game in the Premier League so far this season (Whoscored), and even though money is not an object to the new owners, they should either be looking to get him for cheaper or look elsewhere.

In other news, find out which striker who has ‘a bit of everything’ would be a ‘great signing’ for NUFC here!

Leeds United have been dealt a late setback ahead of their Premier League meeting with Watford this afternoon.

What’s the latest?

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s 3pm kick-off (via Yorkshire Evening Post), Roy Hodgson revealed that both Nicolas Nkoulou and Kwadwo Baah have returned from injury, leaving the 74-year-old with a fully-fit squad to pick from ahead of Leeds’ trip to Vicarage Road.

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Regarding the current state of his squad, Hodgson said: “Basically, we have a fully fit squad.

“It’s quite incredible the work the doctors and the physios have done here this late in the season to present each day a list of players all of them ready and able to train. So I congratulate them and it does mean that we don’t have anything to think about in that respect.”

Marsch will be gutted

Considering the sheer number of injuries with which Jesse Marsch has had to contend since his arrival at Elland Road back in March, the news that Watford have a fully-fit squad for the relegation six-pointer this afternoon is sure to have left the 48-year-old Leeds manager gutted.

Indeed, while the return of Joe Gelhardt will have come as a huge boost to the American and his side, the fact nevertheless remains that Leeds are having to make do without a number of their first-team regulars at Vicarage Road – with Tyler Roberts, Junior Firpo, Patrick Bamford and Jamie Shackleton all sidelined.

Furthermore, the return of long-term absentee Nkoulou and the highly-rated Germany under-19 international Baah will not only provide the Hornets with a boost for their meeting with the Whites this weekend, but also over the remainder of the season. Considering that there are just eight points separating Watford and Leeds prior to kick-off today, that could give Hodgson’s side the edge in the race for survival, especially if the hosts win at Vicarage Road this afternoon.

As such, it is clear to see that Watford’s clean bill of health is certainly bad news for Leeds, duly making the three points on offer this afternoon all the more important to secure.

AND in other news – Sold at £13m, now worth £100m: Leeds had a nightmare on 20 year-old who “everyone is talking about”