All posts by n8rngtd.top

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.

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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.

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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

Manchester United are reportedly lining up an audacious move for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Pedro Neto.

According to The Sun, the Red Devils want to bolster their right-flank and are interested in the Portuguese winger, with him being on their transfer shortlist.

Should he arrive at Old Trafford, he could certainly emulate the type of impact that his compatriot and international teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, had at United..

Whilst the 21-year-old still has some way to go to even come close to matching the levels of the current Juventus superstar, the signs are extremely promising.

Signed from Lazio at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, Neto had an extremely encouraging first season, notching five goals and racking up six assists in all competitions.

He has almost matched those numbers already during the current campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo, scoring five goals and notching four assists in the Premier League alone, highlighting his considerable progress.

Neto has certainly been a key player for Wolves, with the young winger contributing to 32% of his team’s entire goal haul this season.

He also got his international career off to the best possible start, scoring on his senior international debut in a 7-0 rout of Andorra.

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It could be said then there is a lot of responsibility on his young shoulders but he is certainly taking that in his stride.

Of course, should the £31.5m-rated winger sign for the Red Devils, there will certainly be inevitable comparisons to Ronaldo, but they do make some sense.

According to WhoScored, Neto is averaging two key passes, and 2.1 dribbles per game this season which are statistics that are interestingly higher than Ronaldo’s numbers of 1.1 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game respectively.

Whilst Neto still has some way to match the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s meteoric five shots per game in all competitions, he is still up with the best in Wolves’ current squad, with only striker Raul Jimenez overcoming him.

With Nuno labelling Neto as a “very talented” player, he will surely loath losing him to a Premier League rival but the young Portuguese ace could certainly be the right-winger that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United are searching for.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Donny van de Beek’s awful showing in the Red Devils’ 3-1 defeat against Leicester…

Manchester United bolstered their hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four by squeezing past West Ham 1-0 on Sunday evening.

It was a tight victory for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men as they overcame a fellow UEFA Champions League challenger, courtesy of Craig Dawson’s own goal. The Hammers defender was somewhat unfortunate in the way that Scott McTominay’s header deflected off of him and into the back of the net but the Red Devils would not have minded at all in what form the goal came.

It was the aforementioned McTominay who was key for the Red Devils in claiming victory, playing a crucial role in the goal, as well as the remainder of the game.

The Scottish midfielder is currently in the midst of his best scoring season having scored seven goals in all competitions, and whilst the winner will not be awarded to him, his intervention made it.

McTominay continued to display that hunger to get forward throughout the rest of the clash, having two shots, as well as providing a key pass, according to WhoScored. His passing statistics also remained eye-catching as he accumulated a highly impressive accuracy rate of 96.9%. No player on the park who started the game managed to complete a higher percentage of their attempted passes than the Scottish international, including the ever-inspirational Bruno Fernandes.

The 24-year-old wasn’t finished there though as he also played a pivotal role from a defensive standpoint, too.

Partnered alongside Fred, McTominay produced two tackles and a further four interceptions – no player on either side managing to pick off more opposition passes than the Red Devils’ midfielder.

The only slight blot on his copy book was a silly yellow card picked up for a pull-back on Michail Antonio, however, that should not take anything away from his performance at all in what could be a crucial victory for the Red Devils.

AND in more news, read about why a move for AS Roma Gianluca Mancini could be crucial for Manchester United…

Back in January 2020, Ben Williamson put pen to paper on a new deal to extend his stay with Glasgow Rangers, keeping him at Ibrox until 2021.

Fast forward a year later, and Rangers farmed the highly-rated teenager out on loan at Scottish Championship club Arbroath after he agreed a further contract extension and he has thrived since his Ibrox exit.

On loan at Arbroath, Williamson has made quite the impression this season thus far. Having already featured in seven Championship games for Dick Campbell’s side so far this season, the 19-year-old is certainly making up for lost time.

Learning the ropes under Campbell’s tutelage, the Rangers loanee is starting to fulfil his untapped potential. As a player who ticks so many of the boxes needed to have a long and illustrious career at Ibrox, it’s notable to see how he continues to improve in his development as a player.

Against Queen of the South, in only his first of seven starts for the club so far, he was involved in nearly all of the action in the middle of the pitch, completing four successful dribbles from six attempts and recording a pass completion of 70%, via Wyscout. For context, even Steven Davis has only managed an average of 0.6 dribbles per 90 in the Scottish Premiership this season thus far, as per WhoScored.

However, with new arrivals such as Nnamdi Ofoborh and Bongani Zungu and the return of Ryan Jack, youngsters like Williamson and Stephen Kelly have been forced to move elsewhere in search of game time, which has raised question marks over their futures at the club.

But don’t let that fool you so easily. Rangers B-team coach Kevin Thomson recently singled Williamson out for special praise for the role he played in the 0-0 draw in the Glasgow Cup, which just goes to show just how highly he is rated by his boyhood club.

“I thought Ben Williamson was a mountain in the middle of the pitch as well doing the dirty work, the stuff that people don’t know but I know because I used to do it myself so I am delighted for the boys.”

His adopted club were also effusive in their praise for his “outstanding” performance following the 1-0 win over Raith Rovers on Saturday.

Therefore, whether he returns to Ibrox at the end of this season, where he would no doubt be welcomed with open arms by Rangers fans, or remains at Gayfield Park on loan for another few months, Williamson’s future looks bright and filled with so much promise, provided he can keep playing regularly at a decent level.

AND in other news, Rangers are leading the race to sign KV Oostende striker Fashion Sakala…

David Moyes should overlook Blackburn Rovers demanding £25m for Adam Armstrong and still look to bring the striker to West Ham United in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, the Ewood Park natives have set a club-record fee for a player sold if Armstrong is to leave the Championship side at the end of the season.

Moyes is thought to be leading the charge for the 20-goal forward, having carried out personal checks as he continues to assess options to fill the void left by Sebastien Haller.

Damien Duff’s £17m move to Chelsea in the summer of 2003 and Roque Santa Cruz’s transfer to Manchester City for the same fee six-years later remain the highest sums received by the Lancashire outfit to date.

Blackburn believe they can now demand a new record sum for the departure of Armstrong, following the moves from the Championship to Premier League made by the likes of Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma.

Watkins joined Aston Villa in September for £28m rising to £33m, while Benrahma initially signed a £5m loan deal with West Ham that the east London outfit turned permanent this January for a further £20m with £5m in potential add-ons.

Rovers also feel they have to demand a lucrative sum despite Armstrong being a free agent in 2022, as his former side Newcastle United will be due 40% of any profit on the £2m paid.

Moyes had considered making an £8m move to sign the 24-year-old during the recent winter market, but resisted the idea in favour of receiving further scouting reports ahead of an idealistic £10m summer bid.

Fulham and Everton are also said to be admirers of the second-tier hotshot but only consider Armstrong as a squad option for now, while the forward would not be opposed to rejoining his boyhood club Newcastle.

Should West Ham sign Armstrong?

West Ham paying £25m outright for Armstrong will instantly place the 24-year-old among the Irons’ most expensive purchases in club history, with only the arrivals of £45m Haller and £36m Felipe Anderson setting the London Stadium natives back a higher initial fee.

If Moyes had hoped to only spend around £8m to £10m on Armstrong, it could make a deal for the attacker far more difficult than he imagined. Yet the Hammers boss should overlook the hike as the Blackburn star has been a sensation in the second-tier.

Only Brentford forward Ivan Toney (25) has scored more often in the Championship this season than Armstrong (19), who ranks first in the division for shots taken per game (4.7) and efforts struck on target (2.1), per WhoScored.

Armstrong additionally offers 1.1 successful dribbles per game, the eighth-most by forwards who have featured more than five times in the league this term and enough to rank fifth among all current West Ham players.

The Rovers star’s mobility is a key aspect of his game with Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray praising Armstrong for his “speed and dynamic movement,” while recently stating how the 5 ft 8 frontman is “special” and has “Premier League quality”.

That could make Armstrong the ideal back-up to Michail Antonio, who is lauded for ‘distracting and deforming’ defences through his movement to see that the 30-year-old does necessarily need to score to fulfil his role in West Ham’s attack.

So, if Armstrong is on the market – like is expected to be the case – Moyes should not let Blackburn’s valuation prevent West Ham from making a wise purchase.

AND in other news, David Moyes is hopeful of West Ham landing an injury boost ahead of hosting Leeds United…

Liverpool’s injury woes look to have worsened after James Milner was forced off in the 3-1 defeat against Leicester City on Saturday, and the timing arguably could not be worse.

The Reds have endured a nightmare start to 2021 which has seen them drop off the top of the Premier League table and knocked out of the FA Cup by rivals Manchester United.

Whilst long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have made things extremely difficult for Jurgen Klopp’s side, it looks as if they will be providing a feeble defence to the title they won so impressively last season.

In their current rut, Klopp will be relying on his experienced players to help Liverpool get back to their best, with the likes of Jordan Henderson and Milner providing experience on the pitch and aiding the inexperienced backline.

Therefore, to lose Milner through injury ahead of the Champions League game against RB Leipzig is horrible timing for Klopp, as the midfielder has been a big part of the Reds’ success since joining on a free transfer from Manchester City in 2015.

Following the game against Leicester, Klopp revealed that the 35-year-old had an issue with his hamstring and that is why he was forced off at the King Power Stadium, and it seems likely, therefore, that he will miss the trip to Budapest on Tuesday evening.

Back in December 2018, Georginio Wijnaldum was full of praise for Milner after he reached 500 Premier League appearances, saying:

“It is [incredible to reach 500 Premier League games], and also that he is still so fit. He’s a machine.”

Therefore, it seems clear that Milner, who earns £140k per week at Liverpool, is a well respected by his teammates and is still a vital part of Klopp’s side despite his age, so it is undoubtedly a blow that he has suffered an injury and could miss some important upcoming fixtures.

And, in other news… LFC ace lost possession 45 times vs Leicester; he was so wasteful

Since Andrea Radrizzani walked into Elland Road, he has transformed the face of Leeds United.

They have gone from a mid-table Championship side to a team now playing some of the most eye-catching and high-intensity football in the Premier League.

He has also made some high-brow transfers. Rodrigo walked through the door last summer for a club-record fee of £30m but their spending could get even greater in the years to come after new investment from the San Francisco 49ers.

However, for all of the money they’ve spent in recent years, it was one of the Italian’s very first signings that has stolen the headlines in Yorkshire. That happens to be Pablo Hernandez.

The Spaniard has won the club’s Player of the Season award on multiple occasions, proving to be a creative and goal-scoring genius for the Whites. He epitomises class and despite his age of 35, has matured like a fine wine.

Hernandez has scored 36 times in the white of Leeds, laying on 41 assists in the process. Clearly, he has been a huge influence for Leeds and his 18 goal involvements last year helped significantly in their bid to be promoted.

Since the former Swansea man signed for the club, Radrizzani and Victor Orta have made some brilliant additions. Rodrigo’s arrival last summer was the peak of them but Patrick Bamford has also been a steady acquisition. He is the club’s top goalscorer this term but hasn’t found the net in his last four outings.

Bamford has a great deal to offer to Leeds but he isn’t the most prolific. After all, Marcelo Bielsa’s men had the fifth-worst conversion rate in the Championship last season (12.5%), despite finishing top of the league.

It wasn’t the best of seasons in front of goal with Bamford finding the net 16 times. Now, that isn’t bad but when you consider his expected goals tally was 34.77, it proves how wasteful he was.

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Thus, the addition of a new forward, particularly a clinical one could prove incredibly beneficial for the Whites. It’s hard to knock the fact that Bamford hasn’t been a good signing in terms of his performances this term, but if they can lure Andy Delort to England, it could well be their best investment since the aforementioned Hernandez.

Why’s that? Well, he has everything you need in a striker, particularly for one who may arrive in England. Delort, who was linked with Leeds last week, admitted in 2020 that he is “crazy about scoring” and in his nine strikes this term, that’s certainly evident. It’s a tally that falls below Bamford but he has also contributed six assists and has blistering pace.

In fact, the Montpellier forward has been clocked at speeds that surpass both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Furthermore, he’s a mighty figure in the air. The Frenchman has won 4.4 aerial duels this term for instance.

His influence in Ligue 1 has been incredible, netting 35 for his current team, and in terms of providing goals and assists in equal measure, he could replicate the sort of performances we’ve seen from Hernandez at Elland Road.

They play in different positions but as we’ve seen, they’re both capable of producing magic moments. You only need to look at his display against Strasbourg earlier this term. He scored twice, claimed an assist and won six aerial duels.

Delort is the complete striker and if we’re looking at players who can grab the bull by the horns, he certainly falls into that category.

He has dug Montpellier out of numerous holes, something Hernandez has done on a regular basis for Leeds since signing.

This would be a stellar addition from Orta if they can conclude a deal in the remaining days of the window.

AND in other news, Bench him: £15k-p/w Leeds liability who lost possession 12x let Bielsa down on Tuesday…

Tottenham Hotspur could continue a worrying January trend amid reports linking them with a move for a Premier League outcast…

What’s the word?

According to ESPN journalist Rob Dawson, Spurs are among the teams that have registered an interest in signing Manchester United ace Jesse Lingard this month.

The 28-year-old has dropped down the pecking order at Old Trafford this season but Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is yet to make a decision over his immediate future, despite his contract expiring in 18 months time.

It’s claimed that Lingard is desperate for regular game time having only featured three times so far this campaign.

Lewis Holtby Mk. II

Daniel Levy’s record in the winter transfer window is hardly encouraging, to say the least. Prime examples ranging from the likes of Danny Murphy, Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen of yesteryear to more recently, Gedson Fernandes.

And a move for Lingard would certainly fall into this bracket as he’s just not needed whatsoever.

In some ways, there are comparisons to be had to the £1.5m signing of Lewis Holtby in 2012/13. Despite Andre Villas-Boas having a wealth of attacking midfield options at his disposal, Levy still sanctioned a move for the German maestro.

In reality, he was never going to start matches over Christian Eriksen, Aaron Lennon, Nacer Chadli, Paulinho or Gylfi Sigurdsson. Indeed, in his first full season in N17, Holtby was restricted to only eight top-flight starts before being loaned out to Fulham.

Each of the aforementioned quintet all started at least 14 matches that year.

Lingard is quite versatile and is able to play both on the wing and in the middle, but these are two areas that Mourinho has a wealth of riches, particularly on the right flank where there are three players (Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn & Gareth Bale) vying for one starting place alone.

He’s unlikely to usurp either of Tanguy Ndombele, who bagged his third goal of the season on Sunday, or a fit Giovani Lo Celso, so it really would be a pointless move this January, thus adding to a long list of previous winter failings.

The 28-year-old only started nine times last campaign and managed a mediocre 0.9 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game, via WhoScored, which would rank him behind Heung-min Son and Harry Kane for chances created, and behind eight other Spurs players in terms of being a threat from wide areas.

We know that Mourinho is a massive fan of Lingard from their time together at United. He once dubbed him “magic” whilst the 24-time England international enjoyed his best returns under the ‘Special One’ by providing 20 goals and 11 assists under his stewardship, more than any other Red Devils boss.

But despite all that, it would be a waste of money to swoop for the £90k-per-week misfit, he’d only go onto become another Holtby rather than the next Teddy Sheringham.

Levy must avoid this deal at all costs.

AND in other news, Forget Lingard: Mourinho should turn to teen prodigy with a “HUGE future”…

Southampton will be hoping to put last week’s disappointing result against Manchester City behind them, as they face Scott Parker’s Fulham on Boxing Day.

The Saints travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday hoping to pick up three points against the relegation candidates but will be without some key players due to injury and suspension.

Danny Ings, Jannik Vestergaard and Nathan Redmond all look likely to miss the trip to West London through injury, whilst key midfielder Oriol Romeu is suspended for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the Austrian manager to line his side up against Fulham, with four changes from the side that started against Man City…

There’s one change in the Southampton defence, with Mohammed Salisu looking likely to make his debut against the Cottagers, following the injury to Vestergaard, which is undoubtedly a blow for Hasenhuttl’s side.

Ibrahim Diallo seems the natural replacement for the suspended Oriol Romeu in midfield, and he looks likely to make his first Premier League start at Craven Cottage, after Hasenhuttl spoke about the summer signing ahead of this weekend’s game.

Stuart Armstrong comes in on the left-hand side for Moussa Djenepo, as he was missed against Manchester City.

During his time with Celtic, the Scottish international was lauded by Brendan Rodgers, with the manager saying:

“Technically he has everything. He’s strong. I wasn’t sure tactically how he was but he looked like he had an idea. Physically he has everything: he’s fast, he’s strong, he’s powerful. Mentally, I had to find out, because playing for Celtic you have to be mentally strong to cope.”

Walcott starts on the right-hand side, although he could easily interchange with Armstrong throughout the game, or even move up front if Hasenhuttl desires.

With Ings absent, Hasenhuttl may choose to start young Nathan Tella up front. The 21-year-old replaced the striker against Manchester City, and a recent academy display where he scored four goals as a striker certainly suggests that he could be dangerous if played there. This would be his full Premier League debut.

And, in other news… Exclusive: Carlton Palmer makes Danny Ings contract claim…