All posts by n8rngtd.top

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could fix his side’s summer howler by signing Chelsea starlet Billy Gilmour on loan.

What’s the story?

The Whites were linked with a number of midfielders in the transfer window, including Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien, but failed to get a deal done for any of them.

Now, amid speculation suggesting that Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is considering recalling Gilmour from his loan spell at Norwich City, Kevin Phillips has touted Bielsa’s side as the perfect destination for the Scotland international.

He said: “He should go back out on loan to somewhere like Leeds. Bielsa plays good football, they aren’t rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, and he will probably get more game time.

“Leeds play more of the type of football Gilmour is suited to, so it would be a great move for him. We’ve seen Bielsa get the best out of some youngsters and there’s no reason why he couldn’t do that with Gilmour.”

Forget Forshaw

While Andrea Radrizzani pointed towards Adam Forshaw as the man Leeds could turn to as their midfield saviour, the Whites simply cannot afford to rely upon someone who has spent so long out with injury and could, by all means, break down again.

In Gilmour, they could get someone with some Premier League experience already and has been widely lauded by a number of people for the amount of potential he has.

Aston Villa and Scotland compatriot John McGinn hailed his fellow midfielder as a “world-class player”, and added: “He’s going through a rough patch at Norwich and is frustrated not to be playing. But when he’s in the Scotland jersey, he’s always at the top of his game.”

And, speaking after Scotland’s 0-0 draw with England earlier this year, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness said: “He’s a fabulous little football player and when you factor in that last season he only made five starts in the Premier League for Chelsea, he’s not played a lot of football and he came into what was a hothouse of a game – high tempo, loads of pressing – and he managed to stay there.

“He’s just got that all round awareness of where people are all of the time and his first touch is generally away from the man who is marking him. He creates space for himself.”

The Whites’ inability to sign a new midfielder in the summer transfer window left them desperately short in that department, and early season injuries to the likes of Kalvin Phillips just went to expose that glaring lack of depth.

The £13.5m-rated Gilmour can be the ideal midfield cover Victor Orta looks to sign in January were he to become available.

Meanwhile, Leeds are battling to sign this striker…

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to bounce back from their midweek embarrassment as they return to Premier League action this afternoon.

Antonio Conte and his side travel to Turf Moor to face third-from-bottom Burnley, who could move out of the relegation zone with three points, whilst Spurs must spark a reaction after losing to the Europa Conference League’s lowest-ranked side NS Mura on Thursday.

He fielded a largely rotated line-up in Slovenia, so it would be a surprise to see many of those keep their places, though Harry Kane is one who will undoubtedly remain.

One of those who earned some rest was Lucas Moura, and his introduction in the second half very much changed the game for the Lilywhites after he found the England talisman for the equaliser before Mura bagged themselves a historic last-minute winner.

The Brazilian winger can be a game-changer on his day, and against a resolute side like Sean Dyche’s clarets, he will be needed to provide that cutting edge once again, so the 52-year-old head coach must look to bring him back into the starting XI today.

In just 36 minutes of action on Thursday, he created two key chances, won three free-kicks and registered one successful dribble and one interception, per SofaScore.

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Overall in the league, Moura has been Spurs’ second-best player (7.08), according to WhoScored ratings, who rank him just behind Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (7.16).

That would suggest that, despite the team’s inconsistencies on the pitch, he has been one of the few shining lights thus far. Indeed, he has proven to be a rare threat in the final third.

The £18m-rated dynamo has averaged a squad-high three dribbles, 1.5 shots and a second-best 1.3 key passes per game in the top-flight, meaning that on his day he has the ball-carrying and creative ability to provide Kane and Heung-min Son with chances, as well as for himself.

Whilst he’s yet to find the net in the Premier League from ten starts, he is certainly ahead of Steven Bergwijn in the pecking order after the Dutchman failed to make the trip to Slovenia.

“There’s no-one worse to train against than Lucas Moura. He’s a nightmare. He’s so fast, so sharp,” teammate and centre-back Eric Dier once claimed to the Premier League’s official YouTube channel.

Former Spurs manager Jose Mourinho previously dubbed him a “team player” in an interview with the club’s official website, where he added: “He’s always there for the team, playing amazing or not so amazing, but always there, always fighting for the team.”

That’s the sort of attitude that Conte will absolutely love, and in Moura, he could well have a game-changer in the attack. The Brazilian must start up in Lancashire today.

AND in other news, “In discussions…”: Journalist drops big Spurs transfer claim, fans should be hugely worried…

An update has emerged on Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier, regarding Newcastle United’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to The Mirror, the Magpies are eyeing up a swoop for the defender as Eddie Howe wants to bolster his squad and dressing room.

The report claims that they believe that they will be able to tempt him into making the switch from the Spanish giants to return to England, with Atletico said to be wanting £30m for his signature.

Janmaat 2.0

Howe could land Newcastle’s Daryl Janmaat 2.0 and a player the fans will love with a deal to sign Trippier from Atletico in the January transfer window.

The Dutchman played two full Premier League seasons for the Magpies during his time at the club and was an excellent performer prior to his move to Watford in 2016. In those campaigns, he managed an impressive three goals and ten assists from right-back, whilst averaging at least 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game.

This shows that he was an attacking right-back who could also make an impact defensively in terms of winning the ball back for his side. In Trippier, Howe could find another player who is capable of doing exactly that for Newcastle in the top-flight.

The England international has racked up ten assists for Atletico since the start of the 2019/20 campaign and produced one goal and three assists in his final Premier League season for Tottenham. He also averaged 3.6 tackles and interceptions per match in La Liga last term, showing that – as Janmaat did – he has the quality to affect the game at both ends of the pitch.

Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate hailed him as an underrated player earlier this year. He said:

“He (Trippier) is a very underrated player. People are still looking at the player from a few years ago and not at the one who is at Atletico Madrid and playing like a warrior in the last few seasons. He is a big part of what we’ve done over the last few years and he gave a really good performance.”

Newcastle fans would love him at St. James’ Park if Southgate’s comments on him are accurate.

His defensive and attacking statistics suggest that he would be bombing up and down the right side and this coupled with him being a ‘warrior’ could endear him to the home support. Supporters surely want to see players who give their all on the pitch whilst also offering quality and the evidence suggests Trippier can do exactly that.

AND in other news, Newcastle played a blinder with dream £7m deal for colossus who “gives everything”…

While Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side overcame a rather large hurdle in the Premiership title race on Thursday evening, securing a 1-0 win over third-placed Hearts, the victory came at quite a significant cost for the 56-year-old manager and his side.

Indeed, Jota, Stephen Welsh and Anthony Ralston all had to be substituted due to injury, while Carl Stafelt also appeared to finish the fixture with a knock to his knee.

As such, it looks as if Celtic will travel to Dundee United today with something of a depleted squad. However, speaking after the Hearts game, Postecoglou suggested that the injuries picked up by a number of his regular starters will, in turn, provide an opportunity for those who are yet to get many games under their belt this term.

The 56-year-old said: “We saw on Thursday night that Adam Montgomery had to come on and he has not played for four or five weeks. We still have a fair chunk of important games coming up after [Real] Betis so it makes sense to get some minutes into some of the other guys so that when we call on them they will have played in this period.

“James McCarthy, Mikey Johnston, Liel Abada and Nir Bitton all come into that category. There is an opportunity to get some minutes into their legs and have them ready when required.”

Postecoglou must unleash Johnston

One of the players Postecoglou mentions above, Mikey Johnston, would appear to be in more need than most for regular first-team minutes, as, since his return from injury earlier this season, the 22-year-old has started just once for the Hoops.

Indeed, the winger has endured a frustrating last couple of years at Celtic, with the £900k-rated man featuring in just 10 fixtures last season due to injury, as well as missing a large portion of the start of the current campaign with a knock.

However, the former Scotland U21 international has proven that, when he is fully fit, he can be an extremely useful player in the Bhoys’ attack, scoring six goals and registering six assists over 22 appearances back in 2019/20, as well as bagging five goals and one assist over 23 appearances in 2018/19.

Furthermore, Celtic captain Callum McGregor is quite clearly convinced of the £7.9k-per-week forward’s ability, with the 28-year-old midfielder stating: “He’s such a brilliant talent, bags of ability, bags of potential and he’s one as well that the manager’s asking a lot of him physically.

“He’s responding really well and the guys are doing some great work with him in the physio department and sports science to really get him to a level where he can go and make that impact. Against Hibs, I thought he was sensational.”

As such, with it being clear that Postecoglou simply must begin rotating his side more frequently if he is to avoid a catastrophic injury crisis at Parkhead, the 56-year-old must unleash Johnston against Dundee United this afternoon, as the winger could well prove to play pivotal in Celtic’s Premiership push this season – if given the chance.

In other news: Ange must seal Celtic deal for “prominent” £13m-rated beast who “stole the show” in EL

So far this season, West Brom have won ten of their 21 Championship games under manager Valerien Ismael, drawing seven and losing four along the way, placing them in third place in the league table behind Fulham and AFC Bournemouth.

With the January transfer window around the corner, it seems as though Albion could be set to do some business as they prepare for their promotion charge in the second half of the campaign and attempt to close the gap between the two clubs ahead of them.

What’s the news?

Journalist Alan Nixon recently shared a post on his official Twitter page claiming that on-loan Baggies striker Jordan Hugill will return to his parent club Norwich City in January.

He stated: “Forest. Front of the queue for young Norwich striker Idah. Should be loaned out … Canaries to have Hugill back from West Brom to fill that hole…”

Given how the striker has only managed to score one goal for the Baggies in the Championship since arriving back in August, it feels like it could be a case of West Brom wanting him gone rather than Norwich being desperate to have him back, even though they haven’t exactly been particularly potent in front of goal this season with just eight scored in 15 Premier League games.

With 17 league appearances for the Baggies under his belt this season, it’s not as if Ismael hasn’t given the 29-year-old ample opportunities to prove himself as a useful goalscorer for the team since he’s been there either.

In those games, Hugill has only managed to rack up an average of 0.3 shots on target per game with 0.3 key passes per game, highlighting just how ineffective he’s been for the Baggies. It’s sage to say his loan deal hasn’t really exactly worked out in the way that all parties would have presumably hoped it would have back in August.

Taking this into account, it would be safe to assume that the West Brom fans will not have been pleased with Hugill’s time at the club so far and thus, would be buzzing to see the back of him in January.

If the striker does return to Norwich in January and calls his spell at West Brom to an end, the Midlands club should definitely try and find a suitable replacement for the striker that could come in and hopefully have more of an attacking impact on the team. Judging by his numbers, that shouldn’t be too hard.

In other news: Val could kickstart WBA’s promotion push with move for “invaluable” 59-goal monster – opinion

Many West Ham United fans slammed Arthur Masuaku during their London derby clash with Arsenal on Wednesday night. 

It was a key fixture in the race for the top four, with the Hammers occupying the final Champions League spot at kick-off and Arsenal only two points behind.

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David Moyes’ side, who drew 0-0 with Burnley on Sunday, had only won one of their last five Premier League matches prior to the game.

Moyes made one change from the team that was held at Turf Moor, replacing Said Benrahma with Pablo Fornals.

It was Masuaku’s second league start in succession meanwhile, and his seventh overall this season (via Transfermarkt).

Masuaku’s difficult night

The left-back lost possession 19 times over the course of the game – the second most of any Hammers player – and wasn’t able to produce an accurate cross (via SofaScore).

Damningly, football journalist Zach Lowy described his duel with Arsenal right-winger Bukayo Saka as a ‘bloodbath’, calling for Moyes to give him more protection.

West Ham fans hammer Masuaku

“Masuaku is the worst full back in the league bar none”

Credit: @westhamonline5

“Masuaku at lb lol. It’s a recipe for disaster every time.”

Credit: @JakeRileyHunte

“Antonio and masuaku absolutely useless. Dawson different class”

Credit: @joeymelhman3

“Masuaku is nearly a footballer”

Credit: @Fornals_dor

“Get Antonio and Masuaku off. Absolutely horrendous”

Credit: @ben_newton90

“GET OUT OF MY CLUB  @ArthurMasuaku”

Credit: @lynnfan99

In other news, West Ham might now make this move.

Tottenham are looking to pip Newcastle United in the race to sign Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele, according to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, relayed by Sports Witness.

The Lowdown: Dembele at Barca

Dembele has been at the Nou Camp since 2017 following a £121.5m move from Borussia Dortmund and has made 126 appearances for the Catalan giants.

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The 24-year-old, capable of playing anywhere across the front line, has scored 30 times and provided 23 assists during his time in Spain.

However, he’s missed a whopping 100 games due to injury, and it now seems as if his time with Barcelona could be coming to an end.

The Latest: Tuttomercatoweb’s update

Tuttomercatoweb, relayed by Sports Witness, suggest that Dembele is the ‘dream’ signing for Spurs boss Antonio Conte.

They claim that Newcastle have been pushing for Dembele for some time without making progress, with Tottenham now looking to pip their Premier League rivals to a move. Contact has been made with Dembele’s entourage, with Spurs keen on a January deal.

The Verdict: Possible?

A cut-price transfer in the New Year could well be a real possibility, especially with Barcelona recently reaching a big-money agreement to sign Manchester City forward Ferran Torres.

Dembele’s current contract has just over six months remaining, so Barcelona could now be open to the idea of bringing in some funds in January to avoid losing the Frenchman for nothing in the summer.

It seems as if Conte and Fabio Paratici are extremely keen on the World Cup winner, so this could be a move to keep a close eye on as Spurs look to add to their attacking ranks with a first marquee signing under the new manager.

In other news: Conte in awe of tireless player as he wows in Spurs training, could now stay in January.  

Napoli could move for Everton centre-back Yerry Mina in January, according to Il Mattino (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

It was confirmed last week that centre-back Kostas Manolas was leaving the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona to return to Olympiacos. That leaves Napoli, who are four points off the top of Serie A, with only Kalidou Koulibaly, Amir Rrahmani and Juan Jesus available at centre-back.

Everton could already be set to lose one defensive mainstay in January in the form of Lucas Digne. According to a report from The Sunday People (via Metro), three Premier League clubs are interested in the left-back after his falling out with Rafael Benitez.

The latest

As per Il Mattino (via Sport Witness), Napoli have drawn up a list of potential replacements for Manolas, and Mina’s name is included.

Luciano Spaletti’s side are in a position to do a loan deal, having cleared the Greek defender’s €100,000-per-week salary off the books.

The verdict

Losing Mina would be a big blow to Everton. The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland has said that the Colombian has become ‘increasingly important to the side’s hopes’ of success, while ex-Toffees player Michael Ball dubbed him ‘fantastic’.

Indeed, the 27-year-old is arguably the best centre-back at the club, boasting an overall duel success of 79% this season compared to 67% for Michael Keane and 56% for Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate.

However, even if they can ward off Napoli’s interest in January, the defender’s future at Goodison Park remains uncertain, with the end of his contract in June 2023 ticking nearer.

In other news, many Everton fans erupted over this transfer update

West Bromwich Albion must start picking up a good run of form if they want to be in contention for an automatic promotion spot at the end of the season, the side is currently four points adrift from the top two in fourth place in the table behind Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and Bournemouth.

What’s the word?

Valerien Ismael has confirmed the return of two influential players back into the side ahead of the Cardiff City clash at the Hawthorns this afternoon.

Both Alex Mowatt and Karlan Grant will be available for the fixture against the Bluebirds today, with Mowatt completing the isolation period after testing positive in a virus outbreak in the West Brom camp, and Grant has been said to have had a false positive test, so will be available sooner than anticipated.

The Albion manager spoke in his pre-match press conference to explain Grant’s situation in particular;

“KG (Grant) received a negative PCR test after the (Derby) game,”

“He missed the game due to a wrong positive test, lateral flow. He has trained since midweek completely, with the squad.

Although the pair return to the side, Ismael confirmed that Robert Snodgrass remains out, Matt Phillips is expected back for the FA Cup game with Brighton, Kean Bryan is out with a season-long ACL injury, Kenneth Zohore is recovering from a muscle injury and Dara O’Shea is expected back in training in January.

Fans will be buzzing

Fans will be buzzing that Mowatt and Grant are back and available for team selection, after an abysmal performance from the Baggies in defeat against Derby last weekend that prompted fans to take to social media and make a point of how missing the duo affected the game;

One fan tweeted after the shocking Derby County defeat;

“Missing Grant and Mowatt yday our 2 best players was killer. Defence is brilliant, Val cannot be blamed for the team missing chances or making mistakes. The things he can control are very good.”

Indeed, Grant’s return to the team will be colossal considering the striker is currently the club’s top scorer on nine strikes this term. As for the latter, he has also been a crucial part of the side, bagging three goals.

Albion need to give everything today to attempt to close the gap on their Championship promotion competitors, Cardiff City are in a relegation battle down in 20th, but could escape the drop zone today if they were to beat the Baggies away from home, so we expect to see a passionate game as both teams fight to gain points at opposite ends of the table.

Either way, Ismael’s side will have a huge advantage by welcoming back two key performers.

In other news: Ismael must start Taylor Gardner-Hickman against Cardiff

Tottenham Hotspur’s plans for the January transfer window have been revealed this week…

What’s the word?

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Spurs are on the lookout for another central defender, despite bolstering the backline with Cristian Romero during the summer transfer window.

He also believes the club could target a new winger, with Wolverhampton Wanderers star Adama Traore a possibility.

Speaking on a recent edition of his ‘Here We Go’ podcast, the Italian journalist said:

“Yes, talking about Tottenham, they will go for a centre-back, the priority is a centre-back, but let’s also see if they will also go for a winger.

“We have had a lot of rumours about Adama Traore, he is super appreciated by Fabio Paratici the Tottenham Sporting Director, but it’s not going to be easy,”

Much-needed addition

This latest development from one of the most reliable sources when it comes to anything transfer-related should hand the Lilywhites faithful plenty of encouragement heading into the remainder of the month.

Spurs boss Antonio Conte primarily utilises a back-three, in which he’s had to turn to left-back Ben Davies as one of the central options. He has also had to deal with a long-term injury to the aforementioned Atalanta loanee, so he has been left rather light on options for quite some time.

Therefore, it makes sense for the club to target an addition in this position before the end of the month.

Wednesday evening was another cruel reminder that some of the current options at the Italian’s disposal are just not good enough as without Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez made a cataclysm of errors in the first leg of Spurs’ Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea.

Tottenham have been linked to some very exciting targets in recent weeks, too – ranging from Juventus’ club-record defender Matthijs de Ligt to out-of-contract AC Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli.

The north Londoners are yet to lose under Conte in the Premier League,so they have every chance of breaking back into the top four and you’d imagine the arrival of a new centre-back would improve their prospects tenfold.

Those around N17 must be buzzing by this exciting claim from Romano.

AND in other news, Spurs still without star after worrying injury update emerges…