All posts by z3u9t.icu

Fabian Balbuena is set to leave West Ham on the expiry of his contract this summer.

That’s according to the player’s agent Renato Bittar who, in an interview with Versus Radio [via Hammers News], said that talks with prospective suitors were already underway. He added that Balbuena will stay in Europe and could even be picked up by another Premier League team.

The Paraguayan international moved to east London from Brazilian club Corinthians in the summer of 2018. He has since made 59 appearances for the Hammers.

This season, he enjoyed a run of nine consecutive starts starting with the 4-0 win over Wolves in late September and culminating with a 2-1 victory at Leeds in November. However, he has played only two Premier League games since then, being relegated to the substitutes’ bench as David Moyes has favoured Issa Diop and Craig Dawson in the centre-back positions.

According to football.london, West Ham will be obliged to make Dawson’s loan deal from Watford permanent if he makes 15-20 Premier League appearances. He is currently on 13.

After the update on Balbuena was shared on Twitter by @westhamtransfer, these Irons fans expressed their concerns over his likely departure, with one supporter hailing him as a “good servant” during his three years at the London Stadium.

These West Ham fans would be sad to Balbuena go

“If we got into Europe surely we would wanna keep him for cover”

Credit: @tom_deal6

“Shame, I quite like Balbuena. Him and Ogbonna were solid this season and a big reason we are where we are.”

Credit: @northwesthammer

“Left it late to offer him a new contract, why !”

Credit: @kevalaaarrr

“Genuinely think that’s a loss tbh. Would rather he was playing than Diop at the mo. Him saying he’s off has probably influenced that as well.”

Credit: @jamiebaxter182

“Would be a shame to see The General leave”

Credit: @jonnysharpe

“He wants to return home to Paraguay. He’s been a good servant to us but wants to finish his career in his home country.”

Credit: @Spanishbrit

In other news, this West Ham player’s post-Manchester United tweet elicited a mixed response from fans.

Carlo Ancelotti faces a key decision over his midfield selection at Everton after Andre Gomes impressed once again in Wednesday night’s 2-1 win over Leeds United.

The former FC Barcelona man returned to the starting line-up to open the action at Elland Road beside Abdoulaye Doucoure, having fallen to the bench for Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United.

Gomes would have expected to feature from the off against Steve Bruce’s relegation-threatened Toon after turning in a sublime showing against Leicester City last week, while Ancelotti was without his £20m summer signing Doucoure through suspension.

Gomes had to excel defensively to help Everton thwart Brendan Rodgers’ high-flying Foxes amid their battle for a potential top-four finish, but was able to play on the front foot at Leeds with Doucoure dominating from box-to-box.

Lucas Digne was sent flying down the left-hand channel by a perfectly weighted pass from Gomes to kick-off the move which led to Gylfi Sigurdsson breaking the deadlock, with the full-back able get into a dangerous position and deliver a threatening cross into the box.

With Everton rarely seeing the ball, ending the match with just 36.8% of the possession, the visitors had to be safe with it. And no one was safer than Gomes, among those who started in royal blue, with the 27-year-old completing 97% of his 35 passes – only missing a teammate twice, per WhoScored.

Ancelotti singled Gomes out for particular praise following the full-time whistle at Elland Road, given the level of his performance in what was only his seventh start in the Premier League this season.

“In my opinion, tonight, the best player on the pitch was Andre Gomes,” the Italian said. “He played technically, physically, tactically a fantastic game. This is the real Andre Gomes. The real Andre Gomes that we need.”

As well as being safe in possession, Gomes further created one goalscoring opportunity in a game that saw star forward Richarlison depart the action after 80 minutes without a key pass or shot on target next to his name.

Gomes further dribbled past the joint-most players (4) with Leeds’ £23m forward Raphinha on Wednesday night, but from three fewer attempts to the Brazilian’s seven having, emerged successful in all four of his runs at Elland Road. The £18m-rated gem looking at home beside a more resolute defensive midfielder.

Ancelotti now faces a headache in the making over his midfield selection, as he will soon have to decide between benching Gomes, who Darren Bent describes as “wonderful”, for Allan, with the Brazilian expected to be back from a hamstring injury in the imminent future.

Allan had started all 12 of his Premier League appearances since joining Everton from Serie A side SSC Napoli last summer, in which he anchored the side with a team-high 3.4 successful tackles per game, among those to have featured more than once, per WhoScored.

Doucoure would be expected to start over Gomes in a fully-fit side, with only defenders Michael Keane (60.2) and Yerry Mina (59.1) dictating the pace of matches with a higher volume of total passes (51.4) than the powerful Frenchman. He further creates the fifth-most chances (0.8 key balls) and takes the fifth-most shots (0.7) in the Everton squad, among those to have featured multiple times this term.

Gomes does not offer the same creative presence with just 0.3 shots and 0.5 key balls, and he fell out of the starting line-up whilst struggling to thrive in a 4-3-3 at the start of the season.

So, if Ancelotti is to unlock the 29-cap Portugal international’s max potential, he must decide whether to revisit a system that did not suit Gomes’ style, or to axe the midfielder at the moment he is rediscovering the form lost after a horrific fracture-dislocation of his right ankle.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti faces a continued problem in a £9m man after Everton’s January transfer failings…

Many West Ham United fans have been left to laud some news involving Frederik Alves following a report from Football Insider.

As per the news outlet, the East London club are lining up the Denmark U21 international for a role in the first team in the 2021/22 term.

A source at the Hammers has said that he has made a big impression since his arrival and some members of the coaching staff have earmarked him for a more prominent role in the senior side as of next season.

David Moyes and his backroom staff have no doubt that the central defender is capable of playing in the Premier League, with four games for the U23s under his belt so far in this campaign.

Nonetheless, it seems as if several members of the Irons faithful are more than happy for the 21-year-old to get his chance to step up.

West Ham fan reaction to Alves news

These WHU supporters lauded the news upon learning about it on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to call it ‘excellent news’:

“Natural squad replacement for Balbuena. I like it.”

Credit: @gdizzle1981

“Takes some pressure off our current first-team defence if they know they have a promising cb like him to step up in their absence”

Credit: @_WhuBill

“Excellent news.”

Credit: @RichardGSBOUT

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear”

Credit: @Con5Sim

“Great to hear. Was worried he would be a Cardoso/Haksabanovic/Doneil Henry”

Credit: @l0ganchin

“Yeah looks the part”

Credit: @DanOCon23169711

In other news, find out what goalkeeper West Ham are reportedly eyeing here!

Leeds United picked up a very solid 1-0 victory against Burnley on Sunday, and Marcelo Bielsa will be happy with the clean sheet. After the game, he spoke about the performance of Mateusz Klich.

What Bielsa had to say about Klich

Speaking via Leeds Live, Bielsa said: “Well today, he had a very difficult game. He had to defend a lot and in the first half, he resolved the necessities of the game well. In the second half, the game was a lot more confusing and the best things that he does were difficult to develop in this type of game.

He’s a player who manages the ball very well and we didn’t have the ball a lot in the second half so it’s natural that he would lose importance in a game of these characteristics.

Having said that, he was very generous and he was willing to resolve the necessities that were being presented in his sector.”

Klich will be back at his best

Bielsa is right to say that the Polish international had a difficult game as he lost possession ten times and was substituted in the 66th minute (SofaScore).

However, there were some promising moments during the match as he won all his attempted ground duels and aerial duels and still picked up a 7.0 rating. This shows the high standards that Bielsa has set as on paper, Klich still had a decent performance.

It is understandable for form of players fluctuate across a season, and especially so over the Christmas period where fixtures are congested. Therefore, the midfielder coming off early might have been the perfect move so that he can be fully fit for the West Brom match.

In other news, Leeds United tipped to go in for £14.4m-rated Premier League winner.

According to Marseille boss Andre-Villas Boas, the French club have turned down an offer from Aston Villa for Morgan Sanson.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested Dean Smith’s side had opened talks with Marseille over a move for the French midfielder, with suggestions that an €18m (£16m) offer was mode.

Now, Villas-Boas has chimed in on where things stand at the moment with the £50k-per-week earning ace. Speaking to Telefoot (via RMC Sport), the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss said: “Morgan, he had a very, very weak offer from Aston Villa. It was immediately turned down. So, he’s with us and focused, I hope.”

Unforgivable from Lange

Given the incredible first-half of the Premier League season Smith and his team have enjoyed so far – they find themselves just eight points off fourth-placed Liverpool but with two games in hand – it would be reasonable for the Villa boss to expect some backing in this January transfer window.

Having avoided relegation on the final day of last season, Smith has worked a minor miracle in getting his team absolutely flying and even in contention of an amazing European place at the end of the campaign.

The least he will be expecting is for the likes of Johan Lange and co to do their own jobs off the pitch, and in this case getting a deal over the line for Sanson, who appears to be the man Villa want.

But sending in a low-ball offer to Marseille in the hopes of pulling off a bargain basement deal always comes with the risk of really putting someone’s nose out of place, and the Ligue 1 side could quite understandably change the goalposts.

It’s all about being savvy, and Lange is in serious danger of cutting his nose off to spite his face. Villa simply have to put the money on the table and get a deal done, and ensure Smith has got the players he wants to maintain their fabulous start to the season.

This transfer update won’t have left have the Villa boss happy at all.

Oleksandr Zinchenko’s time at Manchester City looks to be coming to an end, as Pep Guardiola seems to favour at least three options ahead of the Ukrainian at left-back.

Nathan Ake, who joined in the summer from Bournemouth, started at left-back for the Citizens against Marseille on Wednesday, suggesting that Guardiola sees the Dutch international’s future in that position.

We have also seen Joao Cancelo impress at left-back so far this season, whilst Benjamin Mendy has done fairly well in his few appearances there, which leaves Zinchenko as potentially fourth-choice.

You could argue that the 23-year-old would have left City last summer if it wasn’t for Mendy’s injury history, but if the French international can prove his fitness this season, then it would not be a surprise to see Zinchenko leave either in January or next summer.

So far this season, he has made just one substitute appearance in the Premier League and four appearances in the Champions League, although with the group stages now over, you suspect that Guardiola might omit the defender in favour of Cancelo, Ake or Mendy for the knockout fixtures.

Unfortunately for the former FK Ufa man, he has never really managed to establish himself as a regular in City’s first-team, with just 73 first-team appearances to his name since joining the club in the summer of 2016.

His performances in 2018/19, both in the Premier League and the Champions League, were extremely impressive, as he averaged comfortably over a 7/10 match rating in that season but unfortunately, his performances since then have declined.

In February 2019, Guardiola was full of praise for the left-back, saying:

“Incredible is the only thing I can say.

“Oleks has [shown] me the importance and value of being a good guy.

“At the beginning of the season he was close to making a transfer, and I never saw him have one bad face or had a bad training session from him.

“Some players want to show me how disappointed they are, but Zinchenko is the complete opposite. When this happens, you are always going to play [well].

“He is going to have a long career, here (at City) hopefully!”

However, the signings of Cancelo and Ake, as well as Mendy’s return to fitness, have seen Zinchenko slip down the pecking order at City and his lack of appearances this season suggest that an exit could be close for the £18 million-rated defender.

And, in other news… Forget Foden: Man City star who had 107 touches was Pep’s star man vs Marseille

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to bounce back from a week of defeats as they take a break from the Premier League action this evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side head to Championship outfit Stoke City in a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash having lost to two top-four rivals in the form of Liverpool and Leicester City in the past seven days.

And the ‘Special One’ couldn’t have asked for an easier tie to put them closer to a long-awaited piece of silverware, but might he use this opportunity as a chance to rotate his starting lineup?

Spurs face Wolves on Sunday, so with that in mind, here’s the XI we’re predicting this evening…

We’re expecting there to be vast changes in Staffordshire, though Spurs are still left with a very strong-looking lineup.

Between the sticks, we may see back-up goalkeeper Joe Hart take over from club captain Hugo Lloris, whilst usual central defensive partnership Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld are also granted a rest before Christmas.

It means we could see Ben Davies partner the outcasted Davinson Sanchez in the middle with Matt Doherty returning to replace Serge Aurier. Indeed, only Sergio Reguilon keeps his spot at left-back.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been an immense regular under Mourinho this term, so resting him for this encounter makes sense, whilst there are injury concerns over both Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele.

Harry Winks could be gifted a rare opportunity to impress alongside Moussa Sissoko, who is the second of three who remain from the Foxes’ defeat.

There is a big call to make over Dele Alli with the 24-year-old’s future up in the air. He was once again snubbed from the matchday squad in the Premier League – the tenth time this term – and we expect him to be involved, but from the bench as Gareth Bale gets the nod in the no.10 role.

Lucas Moura may return over Steven Bergwijn with Heung-min Son the final player to keep his place.

Whilst Harry Kane will surely be rested with Wolves in mind, so Carlos Vinicius comes in.

Academy stars Dane Scarlett, Harvey White and Jack Clarke could well be named as substitutes too.

AND in other news, Dele Alli could be heading for the EXIT door if Mourinho lands his £45m target who’s just like ERIKSEN…

Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands has been forced into playing the pantomime villain role at Goodison Park this summer by terminating the contract of Shani Tarashaj.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Tarashaj is no longer an Everton player after the Merseyside outfit terminated the striker’s contract upon his return to Finch Farm, following a failed loan spell with FC Emmen.

The Dutch side announced on Tuesday that the 25-year-old would be heading back to England mid-way through a two-season loan deal, having failed to make the grade in the Eredivisie through a string of injuries that prevented Tarashaj from ever making his debut.

Everton had extended the Swiss forward’s contract by 12 months last summer to see Tarashaj join Emmen on loan, who would have paid his remaining contract over two years rather than one.

It is not yet known if Everton have paid Tarashaj’s remaining contract off in full to release the attacker, or if the Goodison Park natives were able to reach a settlement agreement.

Tarashaj originally joined the Toffees from academy side Grasshopper Club Zurich in 2016 on a four-and-a-half-year deal, having been signed for around £3million but never played a first-team game and made just two U23 outings in royal blue before his release.

Brands: The needed villain

With news that Tarashaj is no longer an Everton player, his departure signals yet another needed step taken by Brands to clear out the woeful deadwood signed by his predecessors and avoid adding the striker’s remaining salary to a bloated wage bill.

Earlier this summer, Everton agreed to allow Sandro Ramirez to join La Liga side SD Huesca as a free agent three years on from his arrival, having managed just one goal in 16 Blues appearances before spending two-and-a-half-years away from Merseyside in various loans.

It is not Brands’ fault, nor head coach Carlo Ancelotti, that they have been left in a position where they must make the difficult decisions on the futures of players not of the standard needed at Goodison Park.

In Tarashaj’s case, particularly, Brands agreeing to extend the Swiss forward’s contract last summer to ensure he could join Emmen goes to show how the Dutchman did whatever was needed to help the player in an unfortunate situation, but things did not play out as planned.

The failing of Tarashaj’s time as an Everton player falls solely at the feet of the people who brought the 25-year-old to England originally, even if then-manager Roberto Martinez considered the 5-cap international to be a “special” talent.

“I would encourage our fans to look forward to a special talent,” Martinez said upon Tarashaj’s signing in 2016, via quotes by the Daily Post. “He is probably the best young talent in Swiss football.”

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti can look to exploit an “incredible talent” when Everton host Liverpool this Saturday.

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard refused to discuss Steven Davis’ contract following the thrilling 3-3 draw with Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday night.

What’s the word?

The Ibrox boss praised the in-form midfielder for his recent “unbelievable” form but remained coy on the subject when asked about his future at Ibrox.

Davis has been in fine form for club and country since returning from lockdown and will be expected to start when Northern Ireland face Slovakia in Thursday’s Euro 2020 play-off final at Windsor Park.

Speaking after the game, Gerrard said: “Steven’s in good form. I think he has been since we returned from lockdown. You always wonder when players are that age and they have such a long break off with a lockdown, what are they going to be like when they return?

“But his professionalism and his attitude and his application – he came back in unbelievable shape and he’s built on that. I think that’s showing in his performances. He’s really really consistent at the moment and arguably in the best form since we’ve been working together.”

Davis has been an integral part of Gerrard’s side this season, but his performances on the pitch aren’t the only reasons why the Gers need to keep him.

The 35-year-old recently dismissed any talks of a possible retirement so it’s clear that he has no intentions of hanging up his boots anytime soon.

Get it done, Gers!

There is a real possibility that Davis will leave the club when his contract runs out next summer but Rangers chief Ross Wilson can’t afford to let that happen, especially amid recent talk about teammate Alfredo Morelos’ future.

The Light Blues brought in Bongani Zungu from Amiens on an initial loan deal before the close of play on transfer deadline day but the South Africa international is yet to make his first-team debut for the Ibrox outfit, so questions still remain over whether or not the Gers will trigger the option to buy clause in his contract.

Glen Kamara isn’t exactly short of admirers amid reports that the talented midfielder could be on his way out, which would leave Gerrard with fewer options in the midfield as an injury crisis could cause several problems.

Indeed, it’s fair to say that Rangers must throw everything at Davis, who currently earns wages worth £18,000-per-week, as they must try and convince the colossus to stay at the club in the summer, as his performances in recent weeks have shown that he still has plenty to offer.

Not only is the Northern Irishman an important player on the pitch, he is also an influential “leader” in the dressing room, who could bring the best out of some of the younger members of the squad like Ianis Hagi and Ryan Kent.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers should give Connor Goldson a rest after Benfica showing…

In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that had many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.

6 February 2016 was a day that Manchester City supporters knew they were watching genuine Premier League title contenders at the Etihad Stadium…except it was the visiting team who were taking the plaudits.

Leicester went home with a comprehensive 3-1 victory in which Riyad Mahrez excelled, scoring one goal and setting up another on a momentous day during the Foxes’ ultimately successful pursuit of the title.

Nearly two years later, the Algerian winger looked set to be going back to the Etihad to finalise a move to Manchester, only for the Cityzens to dramatically back out of a deal that would have cost them £59m, a figure to which they wouldn’t commit to paying (as per BBC).

If Mahrez was afraid that his chance of a move to Pep Guardiola’s side had passed, however, he need not have worried. Six months later, Manchester City confirmed his signing in a then-club record £60m deal, with the Algerian instantly stating his desire to win the Champions League, having already lifted the Premier League trophy with Leicester.

He would take time to settle at the Etihad, though, as he later admitted in an interview with The Mirror that at first he struggled with Guardiola’s demands, saying: “His concern was about my work-rate first, because at Leicester it was more of a team rate where we were trying to counter.”

Mahrez’s first season at Manchester City saw him make just 14 Premier League starts as he tried to carve out a place in a star-studded line-up which claimed 100 points the previous term and racked up another 98 that season in successfully retaining their league title.

The winger ended the 2018/19 campaign with 12 goals in all competitions, the same amount he scored in the league in his final season at Leicester. It was a respectable tally, albeit not an overwhelming one from a player for whom the Cityzens broke their transfer record.

His first season at the Etihad was a brilliant one for the club as they won four trophies but a modest one for him as he tried to prove his worth to Guardiola. The following campaign was the inverse of that – frustrating for City as they fell well short of eventual Premier League champions Liverpool; redemptive for Mahrez as he found his feet in Manchester.

The Algerian ended the league season with 11 goals and 12 assists, setting up three goals in the opening day 5-0 thumping of West Ham and firmly winning over Guardiola, who said that the 29-year-old “played in a different level” in his second campaign at the Etihad and also described him as an “incredible talent” (as per mancity.com).

Mahrez goes up against his former club this weekend as Leicester visit the Etihad and, while he may not have made it off the bench in Monday’s win at Wolves, his manager knows that the winger can be trusted to cause havoc in the final third of the pitch.

With 25 goals and 28 assists in 94 games for Manchester City, the Algerian has gone some way to repaying his £60m fee and proving that the club were right to go back in for him after the abortive January 2018 transfer.

Man City fans, what have you made of Mahrez’s time at the club so far? Comment below with your views!