All posts by z3u9t.icu

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Joe Aribo is on the verge of joining Rangers and former Gers defender Russell Martin thinks he can be a big hit at Ibrox, as reported by The Sunday Post.

What’s he said?

The paper say that Aribo is expected to complete a medical and sign for the club this week for just £250,000 in compensation after the expiration of his contract at Charlton Athletic.

The 22-year-old was a big part of the Addicks side that won promotion to the English Championship last term, making 39 appearances in total.

Martin, who has a good insight into how Aribo might find the challenge in Scotland having played both for the Gers as a defender and directly against the Charlton man last season with Walsall, reckons it’s a fantastic deal for the club.

The fans in the video below had some very strong words for Michel Platini who was detained over alleged corruption this week…

As quoted by The Sunday Post, the 33-year-old said:

“Aribo will be a brilliant pick up for Rangers. I played against him last November when I was with Walsall, and Charlton came and beat us 2-0 at our place.

“He is a young player I really like, a natural athlete and a box-to-box player who makes some terrific runs. He is a decent height and physically powerful.

“Last season he scored 10 goals from midfield, and I am sure if he went north, he’d make a big impact.

“Yes, it will be a step up to go from League One to having to go up against Celtic in Old Firm derbies a few times a season. But I am sure he will not just cope in the environment, but thrive in it.”

Steven Gerrard’s midfield

If Aribo signs this week as reported, the Rangers manager is going to have a very strong midfield to choose from next season.

The additions of Glen Kamara and Steven Davis in January have already added fresh ideas into the midfield area, complementing regular picks Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack.

As Martin notes above, Aribo will now bring a new goal threat to the middle of the park, with his 10 goals for Charlton last season suggesting he has the necessary attacking ambition to make an impact in the final third.

When you consider that Gerrard has prospects such as Ross McCrorie and Greg Docherty also on the fringes of the first-team, the signing of Aribo should complete the midfield puzzle and allow the recruitment team at Ibrox ample time to focus on other positions during the remainder of the window.

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Celtic are interested in signing Luton Town right-back Jack Stacey this summer, according to The Scottish Sun.

What’s the story?

The Hoops are on the hunt for new right-backs after Mikael Lustig, Cristian Gamboa and Jeremy Toljan all left the club at the end of last season.

Stacey is now one of the options that Celtic are looking at, say the paper, with a £2m deal in the offing after initial enquiries.

The report states that the Hoops are battling it out with Stoke City for his signature.

How can Celtic improve next season? A Hoops fan tells us how in the video below…

Is he good enough for the Scottish champions?

Losing three first-team members in one position is rather extreme and signings must be made to bring the Celtic squad up to strength in time for UEFA Champions League qualifiers next month.

Stacey had an excellent 2018/19 season, scoring four goals and assisting eight times from right-back in an exciting Luton Town side that won English League One to gain promotion to the Championship.

Still just 23 years of age though, his signing as a first-choice right-back could be seen as something of a risk considering he has never played regularly above that level.

Lustig was clearly regressing in his final few months at Celtic but was still an immensely experienced player for club and country and replacing him this summer isn’t going to be so easy.

Expecting a League One talent, albeit a stand-out one, to fill his boots from the off at a massive club like the Hoops seems like a tall order.

As back-up he could play an effective role and grow into the squad, but Celtic should be looking at a more experienced player, preferably with European experience, to replace the veteran Swede in the short-term.

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What does the rest of the transfer window have in store for West Ham? If the latest rumours are anything to go by, there could be several new faces at the London Stadium before the start of next season. Today’s Hammers transfer roundup includes an offer made for a Mexican international, contact in regards to a French defensive midfielder and eyes on a Serie A striker.

Alvarez offer

According to Friday’s print edition of Mexican outlet Record (via Sport Witness), West Ham have made a formal offer for Club America defender Edson Alvarez. The report adds that both Wolves and Ajax have also tabled bids.

Pape Gueye contact

L’Equipe is reporting that West Ham have made contact with FC Metz in regards to Pape Gueye. The French U19 international has one year left on his contract and has also been the subject of interest from Leicester City and Watford, but Valencia appear to be leading the race for the 20-year-old.

Eyes on Belotti

With Marko Arnautovic potentially leaving the club as early as this weekend, West Ham are looking at Torino’s Andrea Belotti to replace him according to journalist Nicolo Schira. The Hammers are ready to offer €40m (£35.9m) for the 25-year-old striker and would pay the Italian international €3.5m (£3.1m)-a-year until 2024.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn is a transfer target for Manchester United, according to The Sun.

What’s the story?

After completing moves for young British talents Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, it appears that the Old Trafford outfit are now casting an eye on the Scotland national team.

The paper say that United have conducted background checks on the Aston Villa ace, ahead making an opening bid for the player.

Villa are keen to keep hold of him though, according to the report, hoping to tie him down to a new contract and valuing him at a whopping £50m.

Could United be in the hunt for an £85m blockbuster signing this summer? Check out the video below…

An emerging talent

Moving from Scottish Premiership side Hibernian to Villa less than a year ago, McGinn has had something of a meteoric rise when it comes to his reputation in English football.

The industrious midfielder was a stand-out on the Championship last term, scoring seven goals and assisting nine times, winning promotion with the Villans and named as their player of the year by both his teammates and the club’s supporters.

No doubt then that he’s an emerging talent.

However, the step up from Hibs to Villa to top-four chasing Manchester United in less than a year is absolutely massive and the truth is he is entirely untested at the elite level.

At the reported £50m fee it would take to bring him to Old Trafford it’s not as if he’d be cheap either.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Villa are of course simply protecting one of their key assets, but from United’s perspective it makes signing the 24-year-old too much of an expensive risk, despite their resources.

A year in the Premier League will lay his top-flight potential bare and if he has a good season then a top six move could prove to be in the offing.

Right now though, the Red Devils should keep their money.

[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…According to RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi, Everton will send an offer in excess of €35m (£31.4m) to Barcelona in a bid to bring Malcom to the club.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the tweet from Bouhafsi states that Toffees boss Marco Silva sees the Brazilian winger as a ‘priority’ signing this summer.

Arsenal have also been linked with the former Bordeaux forward, and have been in discussions with the player’s entourage – no official offer has been submitted by the Gunners as of yet.

The 22-year-old didn’t feature much for Barcelona last season, making just 15 La Liga appearances whilst scoring one goal and recording two assists.

Thogden challenged himself to DM 100 footballers on Instagram. Find out who replied in the video below…

He has endured something of a nightmare spell at the Camp Nou since arriving last summer, struggling for game time – Malcom has made just 24 appearances in total.

Better than David Neres when given the chance

Everton have also been linked with a move for Ajax sensation David Neres.

Judging by Malcom’s stats last season for Barcelona in comparison to Neres’ for Ajax, you could argue that the latter is far better.

Eight goals and eight assists in the league compared to Malcom’s one goal and two assists doesn’t bode well for the Barcelona No.14, but that was whilst he was struggling for game-time.

In his last season at Bordeaux, Malcom shone and outperformed Neres’ fantastic campaign last term by some distance.

In Ligue 1, a division that UEFA’s European league coefficient rankings suggests is a higher standard than the Eredivisie, Malcom hit 12 goals and seven assists in his breakthrough year, whilst having 2.1 shots per game, making 2.5 key passes per game, 2.7 dribbles per game and winning a huge 2.6 fouls per game from 35 appearances.

To compare that with Neres’ 2018/19 campaign – his own breakout year – the 22-year-old hit eight goals and eight assists, had 1.7 shots per game, made 1.1 key passes per game, 1.8 dribbles per game and was fouled once per game on average in 29 appearances.

These numbers show that Malcom can perform much better when given a consistent run of game time in a league that is supposedly tougher than the Dutch top-flight, and reinforces the fact that Malcom may be a better option in the market for Everton instead of Neres.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Xherdan Shaqiri faces a big season at Liverpool.

The winger, signed from Stoke City last summer, made 30 appearances in all competitions as the Reds attempted to chase down Manchester City at the top of the Premier League and won the Champions League.

The £13m acquisition – bought after Stoke were relegated to the Championship – had 24 outings in the Premier League, where he scored six goals and registered three assists.

He also played four times in Europe and once each in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.

His most telling contribution, of course, came in the scarcely believable 4-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League; he registered an assist in that game as the Reds booked their flight to Madrid, where they would win the trophy at Tottenham Hotspur’s expense.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Yet, to dig a little deeper is to see a player who was nothing more than a rotation option.

He had 11 starts in the top-flight and completed the 90 minutes just four times.

Now, of course, he is playing behind Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. Any player would find it difficult to make his way into the Reds’ starting XI.

But one has to ask if Shaqiri actually enjoyed any real influence when he was on the pitch outside of that Barcelona game.

Per Understat, he averaged 2.23 shots-per-90 and 1.72 key passes-per-90, meaning a pass leading to a shot.

His expected goals (xG) statistic was 4.06, meaning that he over-performed in front of goal and actually scored goals that he shouldn’t have.

His expected assists (xA) stat was 1.89; those he assisted were being superbly clinical when he passed them the ball.

Shaqiri averaged 0.35xG-per-90 and 0.16xA-per-90.

A good comparison here would be Divock Origi, the striker who has emerged as an excellent back-up to the fabled front three.

Again, per Understat, in 12 Premier League appearances – four were starts – he scored three goals and registered one assist.

He averaged 3.28 shots-per-90 and 0.76 key passes-per-90. He had an xG of 2.24, which he outperformed, and an xA of 0.19, again which he outperformed.

He averaged 0.57xG-per-90 and an xA-per-90 of 0.05.

Shaqiri, clearly, is a more useful distributor of the ball but Origi is a more clinical option.

Both are forwards and the key for Liverpool is that their forwards can interchange with fluidity and swap positions. Salah scored 27 goals in all competitions, Mane scored 26 and Firmino scored 16. That’s a combined 69 goals.

If Shaqiri is to be kept around by manager Jurgen Klopp and if he is to make an impact next season, he simply must improve his output.

He is clearly a good forward; Liverpool would not have signed him had he not been thoroughly scouted and vetted.

But where Origi has taken his chances when he has come onto the pitch, one feels that Shaqiri has struggled with his consistency.

His statistics are not as good as they need to be and if he is to gain more minutes, he has to improve.

Otherwise, one feels that Liverpool will not hesitate to cash in next summer.

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Celtic hero Mikael Lustig has had his say on Brendan Rodgers’ departure from the club and the fans are loving his honesty.

Speaking to Sport/Foot Magazine, the former Celts right-back pulled no punches when describing his old manager’s exit. The Northern Irishman left Parkhead in February for the riches of the Premier League and it’s safe to say the fans appreciate Lustig’s criticism of the man who won seven trophies in Glasgow.

The Swede said: “I only regret that he left the way he did. When you say you are a fan of Celtic you do not quit the club in February. I do not approve of his choice and he knows it.”

Rodgers hasn’t been popular with the fans since his departure but his former full-back’s comments are still something of a surprise. Lustig was a regular during the now-Leicester City boss’s spell at the club but has since followed him out the Celtic Park exit doors.

The 32-year-old left the club this summer despite being offered the chance to stay.

The Daily Record reported that the club was prepared to offer him a deal, but not his desired three-year contract. Lustig is now playing his football in Belgium with Gent.

Here’s what the fans had to say about his comments on Twitter…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Liverpool in the Community Shield on Sunday, Pep Guardiola has hit back at Jurgen Klopp’s comments on the club’s spending and insisted that it’s simply “not true”.

What did he say?

Klopp suggested earlier in July that Liverpool have less money to spend in the summer transfer window because they don’t live in a “fantasia land where you get whatever you want”.

Now, Guardiola has rejected his managerial counterpart’s claims and admitted that the German’s comments had “bothered” him.

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He said (as quoted by Sky Sports): “Yeah it bothers me because it is not true that we have spent £200m every transfer market. Also it’s Liverpool – ‘you’ll never walk alone’ – it’s not a small team. Of course I don’t like it because it’s not true. Last season we spent (net) £17m on just one player.

“Two seasons ago when I spent a lot, it’s because I took over the team with 10 or 11 players over the age of 30 – you have to (replace them). But we can’t spend £200m every season. For example, Liverpool spent over £200m last season, and they can’t do it this season. For us it is the same. We bought one player this season and then Angelino with a buy-back clause. Today the clubs cannot spend every season a lot of money.”

The mind-games have begun

And so it begins. The new season is well and truly upon us and it appears the Premier League’s top titans have decided to start the customary psychological warfare rather early. Klopp’s comments were certainly designed to get under the skin of Guardiola and City, who have been plagued by claims that they have simply bought their way to success.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

In pointing back to how Liverpool spent heavily last summer, the Spaniard seemed quite adamant to try and paint a clearer picture of the two sides. Whilst City have undeniably spent big in recent seasons, it by no means implies that Klopp’s side have just sat by the side-lines twiddling their thumbs.

As the pre-cursor to the beginning of the Premier League campaign, the Community Shield is likely to be a tasty affair after Guardiola and Klopp’s jibes.

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According to Pundit Arena, Newcastle United are one of a number of clubs considering a move for Jonathan Afolabi.

The 19-year-old is available on a free transfer this summer after leaving Southampton at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

Pundit Arena claim that the teenager’s performances for Republic of Ireland’s Under-19 side at the recent European Championships have led to a host of attention.

Indeed, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Birmingham City and Reading have been listed as possible suitors, in addition to ‘clubs abroad’.

Newcastle are very much in the hunt, though, with the Magpies said to have been impressed with Afolabi’s form this summer.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A host of the Newcastle fans have been on social media reacting to the speculation.

And it would be fair to say that too many are enthused by the idea of the free agent arriving at St James’ Park ahead of the new campaign.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Whilst the opening day for the Southampton first-team was filled with goals for all the wrong reasons, the Saints’ Under-23 side saw the net ripple numerous times for all the right ones.

The South Coast side’s academy team managed to sensationally dispatch Manchester City’s Under-23s by four goals to three on a crazy opening game in the Premier League 2.

Having been 3-2 down with just minutes to play, a quickfire double from young striking prospect Dan N’Lundulu saw the Saints go home with the win under their belt against all odds – the 20-year-old’s two strikes came in the 87th and 93rd minutes.

The youngster’s second goal – the winning strike – is a contender for Goal of the Season already despite coming so soon into the campaign. After the ball was cut back from the right wing, he set himself before whipping a devilish strike into the top left corner of Gavin Bazuna’s goal.

N’Lundulu recently signed a new one-year contract extension – much to the delight of these fans – so it is clear that the club value him as a player to keep an eye on.

As aforesaid, after the first-team were embarrassed on their opening day game against Burnley, a potential spot in the first-team for N’Lundulu may have gotten even closer.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men lost 3-0 to Sean Dyche’s Clarets at Turf Moor, in a game where Che Adams was particularly ineffective whilst Danny Ings also didn’t manage to trouble Nick Pope’s goalmouth too much on his return to his former side.

Given the Saints’ awful start to the Premier League season, we may see N’Lundulu creep slightly closer to being considered for a place on the bench at least if Hasenhuttl cannot start to turn things around with the players that he already has at his disposal.

The former RB Leipzig boss has even said that he isn’t afraid to blood the younger players in the 2019/20 season having also name-checked the 20-year-old, so we need to keep an eye on N’Lundulu.

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