All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham Hotspur moved into the top six in the Premier League with a win over Brentford on Thursday night, meaning Antonio Conte also maintained his unbeaten record in the top-flight.

A 12th-minute own goal from Sergi Canos and a well-taken finish from Heung-min Son sealed all three points in north London and whilst it was a vital victory, the Italian may well be concerned by the performance of Lucas Moura as he looked a little lacklustre in the final third once again.

The £22.5m-rated Brazilian winger is yet to score in the league this season and has provided just the one assist, coming against Leeds United nearly two weeks ago.

Conte has started him in every Premier League outing since arriving in N17 but he hasn’t seen any sort of substantial return from him barring that assist. It was a familiar story against the Bees.

Per SofaScore, Moura managed just one shot on target throughout the 77 minutes he was on the pitch, whilst he recorded only 15 accurate passes, in which none resulted in a key chance created.

One pass every five minutes is far from inspiring from someone who is supposed to support Son and Harry Kane in the final third and similarly, he registered just 38 touches, also losing possession 15 times.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

That means the 29-year-old gifted the ball back to the visiting team once every 2.5 touches.

‘As always he worked hard and his pressing led to opportunities but he was just lacking that decisive quality in the opposition half,’ is how football.london’s Alasdair Gold described the former PSG dynamo in his post-match ratings column, where he graded him amongst a couple of their worst performers.

That has to be of major concern to the Italian because the Lilywhites are still amongst the poorest teams in the division when it comes to attacking play, having averaged fewer shots per game (10.4) than any other team, even rock-bottom Newcastle United and Norwich City.

Elsewhere, the passenger-like Moura failed to provide an accurate cross and lost nearly 50% of his battles up against Thomas Frank’s back-three.

As a result, Conte may want to consider the Brazilian’s involvement heading into the weekend, when Spurs host the Canaries on Sunday afternoon.

AND in other news, Conte could right Daniel Levy’s ghastly £32m transfer mistake…

A number of Wolves supporters are delighted after a new report claimed Wanderers aren’t interested in re-signing Matt Doherty in the January transfer window.

The 29-year-old traded Wanderers for Spurs back in the summer of 2020, in a move that was supposedly seen as a step forward in his career.

Doherty has struggled hugely in north London, however, rarely finding himself as a regular in the team, only registering four assists in 42 appearances and not scoring a single goal.

The Republic of Ireland has been linked with a return to Wolves this month, as he looks for a way out of Spurs, but that now appears to be unlikely.

According to The Mirror [via Talking Wolves on Twitter], a reunion isn’t on the cards, with neither Wanderers or Doherty keen on the move coming to fruition.

Wolves fans delighted with Doherty latest

These Wolves fans reacted positively to the news on Twitter.

“Love to see it”

Credit: @DaneWWFC

“Thank god for that”

Credit: @eve_elizabethxx

“THE PLAYER HIMSELF! He knows he wouldn’t play Semedo and Hoever clear”

Credit: @wwfcglover

“Thank god”

Credit: @Darren_Wolves_8

“We don’t need him”

Credit: @the_brewersarms

“Great news we moved on waw”

Credit: @AntonyHaselum

In other news, some Wolves fans are buzzing over a potential swap deal. Read more here.

According to a report by ‘transfer insider’ Dean Jones, writing for Eurosport, Chelsea have performed a Declan Rice U-turn and now see Jude Bellingham as the ‘better buy’ – coming as a possible boost for West Ham United and David Moyes in their hopes of keeping the Englishman.

West Ham gifted possible Rice boost

Rice has been heavily linked with a move away from the London Stadium over the last year due to his fine form for the Hammers, evident by his impressive 2 interceptions and 1.9 tackles per game in the Premier League this season (WhoScored).

A consistent force in midfield, the 22-year-old is currently out due to injury as West Ham aim to mount a strong finish in their bid for a European qualifying spot.

As they seek to keep hold of Rice for the 2021/2022 season, Jones has shared news that Chelsea have now identified Bellingham as the ‘better buy’ – coming after former boss Frank Lampard was a real admirer of West Ham’s star midfielder.

A possible boost for Moyes, one Premier League giant appears to have diminished their interest in prising the Irons’ star asset away this summer.

Transfer Tavern take

Despite this good news, reports suggest the likes of Man United are still heavily in the running for Rice – with GSB and West Ham facing a possible fight to keep him.

One advantage the Hammers could hold is the unprecedented financial climate caused by coronavirus and any interested parties will have to invest very heavily.

The club are said to value Rice at around £100 million, and judging by this valuation, it appears West Ham appear very intent on keeping their man.

In other news: West Ham fans wowed by ExWHUemployee claim, find out more here.

Everton will face their fierce rivals this afternoon when they make the short trip to Anfield in the away fixture of the Merseyside Derby.

Frank Lampard has revealed several injury concerns that he will be hoping won’t setback his team from putting on a performance in the Premier League clash, with Donny van de Beek, Andre Gomes and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all ruled out against Liverpool.

Andros Townsend, Tom Davies and Nathan Patterson all remain unchanged on the injury table for the foreseeable, however, the Toffees boss has hinted that a recent returnee is in doubt to feature today.

Lampard took to his pre-match press conference to respond to doubt over Yerry Mina’s inclusion in the starting line-up:

“That’s a decision I’ll have to make closer to the game, because of the tight turnaround. He’s an important player to us and we’ve got to understand we’ve got six more games after this.”

With that being said, this is how Football FanCast expects Everton to line up this afternoon…

We predict that Lampard will make just two changes from the team that drew with Leicester City on Wednesday night, with his typical 4-3-3 formation deployed.

The first change we expect to see is Michael Keane returning to the back-line after the manager’s comments suggesting that Mina may be rested at Anfield today, so it would seem likely that the defender will reprise his role in the otherwise unchanged back four alongside Seamus Coleman, Vitaliy Mykolenko and Ben Godfrey.

The second change we think the Toffees boss will make is the inclusion of Abdoulaye Doucoure, who hasn’t been given much game time as of late with just six minutes played since the Burnley clash at the beginning of the month.

The 29-year-old gem who was hailed “underrated” by Jamie Redknapp, has played ten times in the Merseyside Derby, winning two, drawing two and losing six whilst scoring and assisting once against the Kopites.

We expect to see Doucoure earn his role back in the starting line-up to replace £100k-per-week flop Alex Iwobi in the midfield, playing just ahead of Allan and Fabian Delph to assist with the attacking threat needed to have any chance of beating their title-challenging rivals this afternoon.

Lampard will be feeling the pressure come 4:30pm if Burnley take a result in their fixture a few hours before the derby, with Everton just one point clear of their relegation rivals, a win for Burnley and a loss for the Toffees could spell danger as the side would fall into the bottom three by end of play.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Everton dealt worrying injury setback before Liverpool, Lamps surely gutted

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.

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has been linked with a move to Arsenal after a difficult first season in English football.

What’s the story?

According to 90min.com, the Gunners have made contact with United over the future of the 24-year-old and have asked to be kept updated regarding his situation at the club.

Van de Beek was forced to withdraw from the Netherlands squad with an injury on the eve of the European Championships, topping off a hugely disappointing 2020/21 campaign.

Woodward heading for a mistake

Things didn’t quite go to plan for the Ajax academy graduate last season following his £40m move from Amsterdam to Old Trafford.

Despite arriving with high expectations, Van de Beek only made four Premier League starts for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in the recently concluded campaign, registering a solitary goal and assist in all competitions.

The Dutchman’s underwhelming displays have been enough for some people to write the midfield maestro’s United career off already, but doing so would be a potentially huge error.

Many of the English top-flight’s best foreign imports have taken 12 months to settle into their new surrounding and become accustomed to the unique demands of Premier League football. For example, Nicolas Pepe only scored eight goals last term following a £72m move to Arsenal but ended this term with 16 in all competitions.

The fast-paced, physical nature of the division is in sharp contrast to the technical Eredivisie, and therefore, Van de Beek shouldn’t be judged until he’s had a few more months at United to showcase his true ability and potential.

It’s easy to forget just how impressive the former Ajax ace was at the Johan Cruijff ArenA prior to his exit.

A return of 27 goals and 24 assists from his final two seasons in his homeland highlights Van de Beek’s quality, and he played a pivotal part in his boyhood club’s domestic double in 2018/19 when they also reached the Champions League semi-finals.

He managed to show glimpses of that form at the beginning of 2020/21, combining well with Juan Mata in a 3-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in the EFL Cup back in August.

“It was a very clever assist. He’s a very clever player,” Mata told Sky Sports (as reported by Goal). “I love playing with him because he finds pockets and spaces.

“He understands football in a way that I like, which is playing one-twos, passing and moving, and the goal was like that.”

There’s no reason why Van de Beek can’t get back to his old self at Old Trafford, and United will need significant strength in depth in order to compete for major honours next term.

Therefore, departing chief executive Ed Woodward would be heading for a sizeable mistake if he sanctioned the sale of the Red Devils ace to a domestic rival.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Maguire: Woodward must sanction Man Utd swoop for “complete defender” 

Sheffield Wednesday have been handed a potential transfer boost, regarding their pursuit of Josh Griffiths.

What’s the talk?

Cheltenham Town have officially confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Owen Evans from Wigan on a two-year deal this week. This could come as a boost to Sheffield Wednesday, as Cheltenham were thought to be pursuing a deal for West Brom goalkeeper Josh Griffiths following his loan spell with the club in League Two.

The Yorkshire Live have reported that Sheffield Wednesday are looking at Griffiths as a potential signing as Darren Moore looks to bolster his squad. League One rivals Portsmouth and Lincoln are also said to be keen on the young shot-stopper.

Back in March, Cheltenham boss Michael Duff hailed Griffiths as being “vital”, alongside his opposite number during a League Two clash. He told Gloucestershire Live:

“The two keepers have made a good save each.

“They are vital and neither of them had much to do, but it’s big saves at big moments, when called upon. That save gives us the chance to go on and win the game.”

Fans would love him

Sheffield Wednesday fans would love Griffiths if the owner Dejphon Chansiri can get a deal over the line for the young keeper following this boost to their chances. Cheltenham signing Evans could mean that they already have their number one for next season, as they have signed him on a permanent, two-year, contract rather than on a short-term deal to act as cover for a number one – like Griffiths. Evans was on loan to Cheltenham from Wigan as cover for Griffiths last term and it seems unlikely that he would sign permanently if that was going to be the case again.

Moore has a gap to fill in his squad with Keiren Westwood poised to depart from Hillsborough on a free transfer at the end of the month. Westwood has not signed a contract extension with Wednesday and will leave upon the expiry of his deal this summer, which opens up a spot for Griffiths to come in and fill. Moore could be delighted by this move as Griffiths could join the club on loan and be his first-choice for the 2021/22 League One campaign.

The £450k-rated ace proved himself at League Two level in the season just gone for Cheltenham. He played in 44 of their 46 league matches as they won the title and secured promotion to League Two, which proved that he is able to maintain consistency as Duff continually picked him in the side. Griffiths registered an impressive 21 clean sheets and only conceded 37 goals in League Two, which highlights his quality between the sticks and shows that Wednesday fans could enjoy watching him dive between the posts week-in-week-out to help their club.

AND in other news, Chansiri must avoid grave mistake with £10k-p/w SWFC “threat” after news emerges…

After joining AC Milan on loan at the beginning of the 2020/21 season, not many Man United fans would probably have expected right-back Diogo Dalot to have enjoyed such a profitable campaign.

The young Portuguese defender has enjoyed an excellent season at the San Siro, racking up 24 appearances in all competitions for the Italian giants.

In that time, he has played a role in seven separate clean sheets, as well as getting himself on the scoresheet twice and providing a further two assists.

It is form that has seen Milan express an interest in signing him permanently, with The Metro reporting that they have submitted an informal offer of £12m.

Whilst it could be tempting for Ed Woodward to sell considering that Dalot is only valued at £9m at the current time, the club should do everything they can to keep hold of him once he returns from his spell in Italy.

Whilst Aaron Wan-Bissaka has consistently been the Red Devils’ starting right-back, United could find themselves in a precarious position should the former Crystal Palace man sustain an injury.

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Other than him, there is no other natural right-back in the squad at Old Trafford, meaning Dalot could certainly have a vital role to play upon his return.

Meanwhile, whilst the club are blessed with a number of talented left-backs in the form of Luke Shaw, Alex Telles and Brandon Williams, the Portuguese can also deputise on the left-side, again seeing him become an excellent option for squad depth.

At just the age of 22, Dalot also has plenty of time to improve, so he could become even better than his spell in Milan suggests he currently is.

Even United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has laid out his intentions for the right-back to return to Old Trafford, stating he was “looking forward” to reintroducing Dalot to the squad following the Red Devils’ recent clash with AC Milan in the UEFA Europa League.

He will be hugely disappointed then to see Dalot allowed to depart on a permanent basis following his temporary exit and excellent season with Milan.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Luke Shaw’s fantastic England return…

If last night’s 4-0 win for Celtic was the only Hoops game that incoming manager Eddie Howe had ever seen, it’s likely Ryan Christie would be part of the club’s future.

Sorry folks, but the Scot actually looked much improved while playing in a central position for the Bhoys on Wednesday evening.

In fact, Celtic as a whole looked a lot more promising. The Glaswegian’s have endured a torrid season but on Scott Brown’s farewell to Paradise, they put in a performance the midfield veteran would be proud of.

John Kennedy’s men swept aside St Johnstone 4-0 in a clash that for once, put a smile back on the player’s faces.

Brown may not have been lifting the Premiership title but there were plenty of positives on Wednesday to think that a brighter future is possible at Celtic.

The fact Christie even stood out said a lot.

The Scotland international has had a torrid campaign and has been relentlessly hounded by members of the Green Brigade for his shooting.

With James Forrest out injured for such a long period of time, the attacker was forced to play in a wide position, away from his favoured area centrally.

Last season Christie produced 20 goals and 16 assists but 2020/21 has been incredibly unkind to him. The 26-year-old has scored just seven times in comparison and has only found the net twice in his last 23 league outings.

That said, when afforded the chance to play through the middle against St Johnstone, he took the opportunity with aplomb.

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Christie’s goal drought wasn’t ended but alongside David Turnbull in midfield – someone who did find the net – he looked incredibly comfortable.

There will be tougher and sterner tests to come but Christie was one of Celtic’s most important players.

The vast majority of the play came through him with the attacking midfielder having more touches (126) than any other player on the field. Meanwhile, Christie’s tally of 97 passes was only third to the centre-back pairing of Stephen Welsh and Kristoffer Ajer.

Keen as ever to get on the ball and make things happen, the Scot provided three key passes; the same number as James Forrest and one fewer than Turnbull.

Christie has been torn apart this term but instead of looking to score from impossible positions on the field, he looked to create more for his teammates on Wednesday. The fact he picked up his fourth assist in his last seven games was a testament to that.

It’s hard to suggest his performance was out of this world but judging by some of the other displays we’ve seen from him this term, it was a great improvement.

If Christie is in the shop window ahead of a potential summer move, he will have done his cause no harm here.

AND in other news, McKay must wield the axe on 5ft9 Celtic dud, Sutton dubbed him the “new Ryan Christie”…

Graham Roberts has been impressed with Steven Bergwijn’s start to the Premier League season at Tottenham, after the club failed with a late window move for Wolves’ Adama Traore, as per David Ornstein of The Athletic.

The Dutchman made just three league starts from February onwards having fallen out of favour under Jose Mourinho, although he did get a decent amount of game-time once Ryan Mason became interim head coach.

In Bergwijn’s penultimate game of the season, he notched his first goal in his 34th appearance against Aston Villa, but it was an underwhelming first full campaign in English football for the winger.

Bergwijn’s performances led to reports that he could make an instant return to Holland with Ajax, but he’s since knuckled down and is firmly part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans following a full pre-season.

And with Harry Kane not available to start the opening-day win over Manchester City, Bergwijn was the beneficiary and took his opportunity by producing an impressive display, which included the assist for Heung Min Son’s winner.

He continued his form in the win at Wolves and started again against Watford, and whilst Tottenham had been heavily linked with a potential replacement in Adama Traore prior to the window slamming shut on Tuesday, Roberts exclusively told Football FanCast:

“He’s playing well at the moment; he’s doing really well.”