All posts by n8rngtd.top

Many West Ham United fans were far from happy with the performance of Issa Diop during their 1-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday.

The Hammers’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time were damaged on Sunday thanks to a Dominic Calvert-Lewin strike. While it is not impossible for them to reach the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition, they face an uphill battle to get there – they are now five points behind Leicester City in fourth with just three games left (Sky Sports).

Diop, valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, started at the heart of the back four against the Toffees, and it is fair to say he wasn’t at his best. For example, he was dribbled past on two occasions (SofaScore) by an Everton team who seemed reluctant to attack, while he was partly at fault for the only goal of the game along with fellow defender Craig Dawson.

These Irons supporters were far from happy with what they saw from Diop, who one fan labelled a “liability”, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Diop

“I like Diop but he needs to remember he’s a centre back, he gets caught out far too high up the pitch time and time again. That’s coachable, Moyes needs to have a word and if he won’t listen don’t play him”

Credit: @TheLawless

“The amount of times he gets dragged out of position! They definitely studied that, in fact they definitely did as Calvert-Lewis confirmed. Exposed Dawson. Horrible defending.”

Credit: @RyanMac97158556

“They were both at fault for the goal. Diop out of position leading to Dawson being out paced. We need to bring in a next level CB in the summer.”

Credit: @Sam6WHU

“Diop & Dawson are average, need a 2nd CB with Og in the summer IMO, Dawson does improve with Og tbf but Diop for me is a liability as a CB, I reckon he’d be a good CDM,”

Credit: @rickwhufc

“Diop had another usual stinker. But Benrahma was shocking today. It seems Moyes’ criticism has got to his game negatively I think 8th is now more likely”

Credit: @westham_mo

“100% need to get rid of Diop…”

Credit: @Jsklen_face

In other news, West Ham fans want the club to sign this man.

Chelsea’s season has been quite the ride already, with the Blues starting the season like a house on fire, before petering out somewhat in recent times.

However, last weekend’s demolition of Huddersfield should have gone someway to improving things at Stamford Bridge.

Manager Mauro Sarri has already come under some pressure for the job he is doing, but the Italian will be hoping to see out the season and cement a Champions League spot, while he also has the chance of winning a trophy with the League Cup up for grabs in a one match shootout with Man City.

The summer is bound to be an interesting one too at the Bridge, and with January passing with little to shout home about other than the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea can keep hold of star players like Eden Hazard and Willian.

It is however, the ability to keep the Brazilian that we think should be a priority for the Blues, with the 30-year-old a more important piece to the jigsaw than some might think in London.

Willian is integral at times to Chelsea and how they play, and while he might not always be the first name on the team sheet, he generally delivers when it matters.

There is not just his ability to take into account either, with his experience something which will be vital for the Blues if they are indeed to challenge for top honours in the coming seasons.

While all eyes will be on the future of Eden Hazard, Willian remains arguably just as important, and it’s vital in our opinion that Chelsea keep hold of the tricky Brazilian star.

Chelsea fans, what do you think? Will Willian go or will he be kept on? Let us know in the comments!

Many Wolves fans have been left to slam a transfer update involving Owen Otasowie.

As per the Daily Telegraph, the defensive midfield player is wanted by Anderlecht, Nice and Wolfsburg on loan for the 2021/22 campaign, if he is allowed to leave Molineux on a short-term deal.

Otasowie has been a handy player to have for Nuno Espirito Santo, especially when the depth of his squad has been tested with injuries to the likes of Raul Jimenez and Pedro Neto this season.

The United States international has played in six games in the Premier League so far this term, grabbing himself one assist (Transfermarkt), and some WWFC supporters feel that the 20-year-old should stay at the Midlands club in order to continue his development.

Wolves fans on Otasowie transfer update

These Wanderers slammed the transfer update as it was shared on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘pointless’:

“But no, this would be dreadful news”

Credit: @TonyWilde99

“Pointless unless he signs a new deal”

Credit: @FW90

“Just say NO!”

Credit: @MichaelPoulter3

“No, it’s easy, you simply play him”

Credit: @ConallJH_

“NOOOOOO he deserves to start for us sorry not sorry”

Credit: @CBeier3

“Nah play him”
Credit: @YasWWFC

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Wanderers fuming here!

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he expects Liverpool to go after a “bigger name” than Ollie Watkins.

Following his impressive first campaign in the Premier League, recent reports believe that the Reds are keen on bringing the former Brentford man to Anfield this summer to bolster their misfiring attack, with Jurgen Klopp describing him as “undefendable” following his team’s 7-2 defeat at Villa Park earlier in the campaign.

Watkins, who is Villa’s only outfield ever-present player this season, is the club’s top scorer having notched 12 goals in his 30 Premier League appearances.

Seven of those goals have come against sides in the traditional top-six, four of which were against Liverpool, including a incredible first-half hat-trick in the 7-2 mauling over the Reds back in October.

Despite his form, Windass has raised concerns over Watkins’ lack of Premier League experience, and doesn’t think Liverpool to pursue a deal for the Villa frontman.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“I can’t see it happening. He’s done great, he’s done absolutely fantastic.

“First season in the Premier League, you’re a young boy, you’re going to play every week. Is he going to play at Liverpool?

“I’m not saying he’s a bad player, because he’s done unbelievable since he left Brentford. The proof will be in the pudding, can he do it next year? He’s got 12 goals, which is an unbelievable return for a club like that. I can’t see that happening, if Firmino leaves, I think they’ll got for a better player and a bigger name.”

A number of Aston Villa supporters have been heaping praise on teenage midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka following his impressive FA Youth Cup display on Tuesday evening.

The 17-year-old, who signed a professional deal at Villa Park back in October, scored three times in the club’s 6-1 win over Newcastle United.

Chukwuemeka netted his second and third goals in the space of three minutes in the second half to ensure Villa would advance to the semi-finals, where they will face local rivals West Brom.

The Englishman, capable of playing as a defensive, central or attacking midfielder, was the star of the show at St James’ Park, and his performance caught the eyes of hundreds of Villa supporters on social media.

Villa fans react

The club kept fans up to date during the quarter-final on their official Twitter page.

As to be expected, the news of Chukwuemeka’s hat-trick had a number of supporters talking, with one labelling the youngster’s potential as ‘insane’.

“I’ve seen enough play him on Saturday”

Credit: @catrinedwards18

“Silly”

Credit: @AVFCharvey04

“This lad is gonna be insane”

Credit: @TomLiversage

“Send Barkley back to Chelsea and start this man, baller”

Credit: @PearsallHarry

“It’s a joke. Please get him in the team”

Credit: @_Whittall

“Omg man this guy is unstoppable.”

Credit: @LukeKing_

In other news: Aston Villa outcast a shock target for European giants, find out more here. 

While Patrick Bamford has led the line superbly for Leeds this season, there’s no doubting that Marcelo Bielsa’s side could do with some reinforcements ahead of their second campaign back in the Premier League.

Bamford has bagged an impressive 14 goals and provided a further eight assists in the top flight alone, but the strength in depth up top is virtually non-existent for the Whites.

However, with reports linking the club with a summer transfer move for Barnsley’s Daryl Dike, the Elland Road club could unearth a striker who has a large resemblance and many similarities to one of the Argentine’s most feared centre-forwards in his time in management: Fernando Llorente.

The Spaniard’s name may be best known to fans of English football from his time at Tottenham, but it was with his performances back in his native country with Athletic Bilbao under Bielsa that he truly made a name for himself.

In the two full seasons for which the pair worked together, Llorente smashed in 34 goals and provided another eight assists in 89 games, to this day remains the second-most prolifc player in terms of most goals scored for Bielsa.

Standing at 6 foot 2, and with a real presence in the air just like Llorente – he wins a monstrous 6.4 aerial duels per game in the Championship (the fifth-most of any player in the division and comfortably more than everyone in the Leeds squad) – the £4.5m-rated Dike is a proper handful inside the penalty box.

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He was dubbed a “revelation” by former Salford City manager Richie Wellens, who also added: “I can’t see Barnsley paying £17m for him, but I take my hat off to him for swapping the Orlando weather for Barnsley. But seriously he’s done great, he scores goals, he’s powerful and he’s given Barnsley a whole new dimension to their game.”

That new “dimension” is what Llorente brought to the table at Bilbao, combining a mix of technical quality and aerial dominance to fire the Basque club to a whisker away from lifting both the Copa Del Rey and Europa League under Bielsa’s management.

Given the kind of success that Llorente enjoyed under Bielsa whilst at the San Mames Stadium, Dike would surely fancy his chances of replicating the Spaniard’s work at Elland Road if the Whites were to sign him this summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds could finally wave goodbye to this liability…

Southampton have faced criticism for some terrible transfer decisions in recent seasons, with the likes of Jordy Clasie, Guido Carrillo and Wesley Hoedt memorable disasters, but there is no doubt that the club’s deal for Dejan Lovren eight years ago was a good one.

The Saints signed the centre-back from Lyon in the summer of 2013 in a deal worth £9m and he became a regular in Mauricio Pochettino’s side during the following season.

The Croatian international was hugely impressive in his only year with the Saints, making 31 appearances in the Premier League, contributing two goals and one assist, which helped him average a superb 7.32 WhoScored average rating.

As a result of his excellent performances, Liverpool shelled out £20m to sign him the following season, meaning Southampton were able to make a very quick £11m profit on the former Dinamo Zagreb man.

During his time with the Reds, the centre-back would go on to make 185 appearances and won both the Champions League and the Premier League under Jurgen Klopp, yet was regularly criticised by Premier League supporters and Liverpool fans alike for his error-prone nature.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

Lovren was seen as a liability for much of his time on Merseyside and, despite playing a part in their title triumph last season, the 31-year-old was allowed to join Zenit St Petersburg in the summer, something the Reds may have lived to regret due to the long-term injuries to both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez this season.

Fortunately for Southampton, they saw the best of Lovren during his time on the south coast, and his signing was a rare transfer success when you consider some of their recent dealings.

If Lovren had stayed with the Saints rather than joining Liverpool, then perhaps they wouldn’t have signed Virgil van Dijk from Celtic in 2015, a deal which proved to be an incredible bargain for the south coast club.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Therefore, there is no doubt that Lovren’s signing in 2013 was a huge success for Southampton for a number of reasons, but it is something they have arguably been unable to replicate in recent years.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl hint on £5.4m-rated speedster could be bad news for rising Saints star

Fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the Hammers’ relayed footage of Jesse Lingard in action for the club.

Since making his loan move to West Ham from Manchester United back in January, Lingard has proven something of a revelation for David Moyes’ side, with the 28-year-old scoring five goals and providing two assists over his seven Premier League appearances for the Hammers, as well as averaging a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.34 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the top flight.

In recognition of his fine form for the side, West Ham posted footage of the England international’s highlights for the club thus far on Twitter, accompanied by the attacking midfielder’s impressive statistics.

And, in reaction to the footage, fans of West Ham flocked to have their say on the matter, with many begging the club’s board to make Lingard’s loan deal a permanent move in the upcoming summer transfer window.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to the footage of Jesse Lingard?

“Been involved in 8 goals in 7 games! Mad!”

@Josephsimon007

“Sign him permanently lads.”

@WestHamViews_

“Class, class and more class as a player and as a man in how he treats others.”

@IronessWest

“Sign him permanently.”

@whulucas_

“Jesse please please please pleeease sign da ting.”

@WHUBanter

“Incredible.”

@_ghzst

In other news: This pundit dropped a claim on GSB’s £82k-p/w West Ham summer target – find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Kevin Phillips, who made 149 appearances for Sunderland, spoke of how much Jordan Jones has impressed him when called upon since signing on-loan from Rangers in January.

After starting just one in his first six games for Sunderland, Jones has settled into Lee Johnson’s side. The Northern Ireland international had started the last three league matches scoring once and registering two assists, before he served a suspension against Accrington.

Jones arrived at Sunderland after being suspended for seven games by the Scottish Football Association for breaching Covid-19 rules, as well as having to self-isolate for 14 days but has settled into life on Wearside well.

Speaking on Jones’ settling in period and believes the Rangers striker has shown he has something about him, Phillips told FFC exclusively:

“He’s taken time to settle in but now we’re seeing it pay off. He scored an unbelievable goal against Crewe and then scored a lovely delicate chip the other night and he’s playing with confidence.

“It’s great to have players like that and you don’t play for Rangers unless you’ve got something about you.

“In League One, if you’ve got something about you, then you’ll perform. So, the good thing about these players is that they’re performing at the right time.”

Jones has two goals and three assists in his nine appearances for Sunderland and seems to be complementing Charlie Wyke and Aiden McGeady well.

Sunderland find themselves just two points adrift of Peterborough in second place, so they will be targeting automatic promotion.

Tottenham could unearth a potential new Luka Modric in Torino play-maker Sasa Lukic.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Jose Mourinho’s side are very much interested in the 24-year-old, and that they have had their eye on the midfielder for quite some time now.

It’s been suggested by Tuttosport (via Sport Witness) that Spurs could face competition from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace for his signature, although there has been no mention of a bid just yet.

Shades of Modric

Comparing someone of Modric’s proven class to Lukic seems a bold call to make, but the Torino man’s ability to dictate the play in the middle of the park is very reminiscent of the former Tottenham and current Real Madrid star.

His performances for Serbia in the UEFA Nations League this season have seen him at his free-flowing best, where he’s been tasked with being the side’s chief talisman in midfield.

As per Whoscored, he averages an impressive two key passes and 1.3 shots per game in the competition, which are both better than what Modric has managed in La Liga this year – 1.4 and 1.2 respectively.

And, just like the Croatian, Lukic doesn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities either, getting himself stuck into challenges. He manages three tackles and one interception per match, again better than what Modric has averaged this campaign – 1.2 and 1.4.

A piece on his style of play by Breaking The Lines showcases just how akin to Modric he is, noting: “Lukic has above-average technical and tactical means, which will enable him to excel in any midfield position, as well as the rare virtue of vision, which, if exploited, will pave his way to becoming a fine play-maker – a rarity in modern football.”

Both in his time at Spurs and now Madrid, Modric has been best known for his silky dribbling and incredible passing. In the £4.5m-rated Lukic, Daniel Levy could find something similar, and at just 24, the Torino magician has got plenty of time to come into his own.

Given his ability with the ball, and his defensive work off it, he seems a perfect fit for Mourinho and what the Portuguese man wants from a player.