All posts by n8rngtd.top

Aston Villa return to the Hawthorns for the first time since that exhilarating night in which they secured a place in the Championship play-off final, but a lot has changed in that time.

Dean Smith’s side will be facing arch-rivals West Brom in what is Sam Allardyce’s first game in charge of the Baggies after he took over from the axed Slaven Bilic this week.

The Villans were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Burnley in midweek despite all of their dominance in front of goal, but the 49-year-old will be buoyed by the fact that he has several of his key players returning from suspensions and injuries.

Here’s the XI we could see in tonight’s Midlands derby…

There could be as many as four changes to the side that drew to the Clarets on Thursday night.

Smith is able to welcome back Matty Cash from suspension and he comes straight back in for Ahmed Elmohamady, even despite the veteran deputising expertly, whilst we could also see Ezri Konsa return from illness.

He’ll replace Kortney Hause as the only other alteration to the back four.

Douglas Luiz is another Villa star who is in line for an instant return following suspension, and he is set to take the place of Marvelous Nakamba to partner John McGinn in central midfield.

The stalemate at Villa Park in midweek was too soon for Ross Barkley after injury, but we could see his presence back in the lineup here tonight to complete the engine room.

It means Jack Grealish goes back to his left-wing spot with Anwar El Ghazi also remaining in the line-up, only this time he swaps flank. As a result, Smith could wield his axe on Bertrand Traore, who has struggled to make an impact since his £19m move from Lyon.

The £60k-per-week winger will have to settle for the bench.

In attack, Ollie Watkins will surely lead the line once again.

AND in other news, Aston Villa must offload out-of-favour Bjorn Engels in January transfer window

Rarely a week goes by without Glasgow Rangers facing the same old questions about Alfredo Morelos. Steven Gerrard recently admitted the Colombia international harbours ambitions of playing in the Champions League, which could put the club in a spot of bother when the transfer market re-opens in just a few months’ time.

Rangers were reportedly interested in former Peterborough United striker Ivan Toney in the summer as Gerrard sought to bolster his attacking options before the start of the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership season. The Light Blues were linked with several strikers including Lyle Taylor and Rhian Brewster as well but settled for Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe in the end instead.

Toney was hardly short of suitors having been in fine form for Peterborough in League One over the past few years and attracted attention from a horde of clubs in higher divisions. He scored 26 goals in 39 games for the Posh before the pandemic ended the 2019-20 League One campaign.

Championship side Brentford ended up signing the 24-year-old from Peterborough for an undisclosed fee, which is believed to be in the region of £5m, via Transfermarkt.

It seems Ross Wilson missed the chance to sign a prolific goalscorer who could’ve become the club’s starting striker for years to come if he could’ve brought him to Ibrox and he was able to hit the ground running.

Judging by his statistics, the data shows that he would’ve been able to do just that, given his phenomenal goalscoring record for the Bees so far (10 goals in 13 games in all competitions), as he has shown that he can score goals on a consistent basis at a good level of the game.

Once hailed as an “incredible” monster by Posh director of football Barry Fry, Toney has made 11 appearances in the Championship this season, scoring 10 goals and supplying one assist, whilst he is averaging 2.5 shots per game, via WhoScored. By comparison, even Roofe has only mustered 1.7 shots per game in the Scottish Premiership, having scored 2 goals in 6 games so far, as per WhoScored.

Given his age, Jermain Defoe isn’t getting any younger, whilst speculation remains rife over the future of Morelos. Bringing in Toney would’ve been a significant outlay, as they had already signed Ianis Hagi on a permanent deal from Genk, but when you consider the fact that the Gers reportedly spent an amount just shy of a £5m fee to prise Roofe away from Anderlecht, you do have to ask why they couldn’t get a deal done for the former Newcastle United man instead.

Just imagine him and Hagi together – it doesn’t quite bear thinking about.

AND in other news, Bassey & Balogun start, no Helander: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Hamilton…

Celtic’s defensive record this season, to put it kindly, has been absolutely shocking.

They have already conceded 13 goals in the Scottish Premiership, a tally that eclipses their title rivals Rangers by ten.

Clearly, the reason why they’re so far behind the Gers is sticking out like a sore thumb.

If Neil Lennon can’t find a way to address the defensive issues plaguing his backline then Steven Gerrard’s men will run away with the SPFL title.

Considering Celtic have desires of winning a tenth crown in a row, this has not been the season they wanted.

However, could it have been easier? Quite possibly, but after Nick Hammond’s colossal transfer blunder earlier this year we will never know.

One of the biggest issues in Lennon’s side has been at right-back with Jeremie Frimpong.

The former Manchester City youngster was excellent last season and earned considerable praise, especially from Lennon. “He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever seen,” remarked the Celtic boss in 2019.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite happened for Frimpong in 2020/21.

Against Hibernian the 19-year-old was pretty dismal, losing possession 18 times and completing just one tackle. On top of that, he didn’t produce much in the final third, failing to put in a single accurate cross.

Why, therefore, is this relevant to the transfer market? Well, the Hoops were unable to bring in highly-rated teenager Brandon Soppy last January.

French press (via The Sun) linked the right-back with a move to Parkhead but nothing materialised. Since then, Soppy has become not just one of the best young defenders in Europe, but one of the best young players overall.

For 18-year-old’s in Europe’s top five leagues, the Rennes defender was ranked third on WhoScored’s average ratings before the international break.

He has been a consistent figure, producing an unrelenting number of tackles. Soppy has made 2.8 per game this season in Ligue 1, a tally that eclipses Frimpong by 1.8 a match.

On top of that, Soppy is still as much a threat going forward as the current Celtic full-back is, performing at least one successful dribble each outing. Football Talent Scout described the qualities of the teenage sensation, summarising them by saying: “he is extremely dangerous on the counter thanks to his pace and acceleration.”

Soppy is already performing at a particularly high standard in one of the best leagues in Europe and not just have Celtic missed out on one of the continent’s hottest properties, but they have also missed out on the inevitable re-sale value they could have recouped.

This has been a disaster all round, especially when you consider – excuse the pun – Celtic’s soppy defensive record.

In other news, check out how Celtic can FINALLY replace Scott Sinclair…

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti risks repeating the mistakes of Ronald Koeman by signing Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Goodison Park natives are one of several clubs to have recently scouted Kamara ahead of the January transfer window as sides begin stepping up their interest.

Dinamo Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv are both understood to have approached Rangers to express their interest, while Burnley, Brighton, Brentford, Newcastle and Sheffield United have also made checks.

Everton scouts have now joined the clutch of European sides to have descended on Ibrox, with Blues staff sitting alongside those from Southampton, AS Monaco, LOSC Lille and Borussia Dortmund in monitoring the Finland international’s progress.

Gers boss Steven Gerrard is loath to lose the midfielder he acquired for a nominal £50,000 from Dundee in 2019, and is pushing the Premiership giants to tie Kamara down to a long-term deal despite his current terms running until 2023.

Gerrard sees Kamara as a key chess piece to his tactics and would already have rushed through talks over a new contract if the decision was solely his.

“If it was my decision the answer would be yes,” he told reporters last week, via quotes by the Daily Mail. “I’ve made my feelings known to Ross [Wilson, the Sporting Director] and the board on that situation.

“Glen has been fantastic for me since day one. He’s grown and he’s evolved. He’s improved and he’s listened. He was superb at the weekend [against Celtic] but for me he has been really consistent for much longer than that.”

Schneiderlin 2.0?

Kamara was lauded for running the show in Rangers’ Old Firm Derby win over bitter rivals Celtic earlier this month, with Gers icon Neil Murray telling The Scottish Sun: “Kamara was excellent at the weekend and he really is an intelligent footballer. He has so much ability on the ball.”

And while Gerrard is likewise full of praise for the player Kamara has become over his 69 appearances for Rangers, the 25-year-old is not the type of player Ancelotti should be looking to lure to Goodison Park.

The 24-cap international often sees a lot of the ball at Ibrox with an average of 81 touches per Premiership appearance this season, but frequently fails to use that or his 66.7 accurate passes (92%) to good effect with just 0.9 key balls and 0.3 shots, per SofaScore.

He also does not attempt to draw the flow of play forward with just 0.7 successful dribbles (70%) a match, while offering little defensively with 0.9 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 0.6 clearances.

Should Ancelotti strive to acquire Kamara, the Italian would seemingly just be repeating the errors of Koeman in the Dutchman’s £24million deal to sign Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United.

Schneiderlin was frequently questioned for his relentless sideways and backwards passing or for attempting to force balls through to players that were heavily marked, and that is something that Kamara would likely bring back to Goodison Park.

Ancelotti currently has options who rather look to bring play forward in Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes, with the trio playing 23, 45 and 36 accurate passes in the final third during Premier League games respectively this season and 89, 112 and 76 passes in the opponent’s half, per SofaScore.

Kamara, then, would be a step back rather than forward if he is signed, much like the play he would bring to Merseyside.

AND in other news, Everton must secure a January loan move for a talented ace in the “mould of Makelele”.

Aston Villa fans have called on the club to make one more signing this transfer window, and perhaps Dean Smith should listen to them…

What’s the word?

At the weekend, Brentford boss Thomas Frank called for a resolution to the saga surrounding his winger Said Benrahma amidst interest from several Premier League clubs.

According to the Daily Mail earlier this month, the 25-year-old is Smith’s ‘No.1’ target with the Bees holding out for a total of £20m.

West Ham, Crystal Palace and Arsenal have also been mooted with interest throughout the window.

The final piece

Villa’s unbeaten start to the new campaign continued on Monday night as they thrashed top-flight newcomers Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage. It’s three wins from three in all competitions without a goal being conceded.

Perhaps the Midlands outfit have found their best back four, meaning their attention could turn to further up the field with less than a week to go before deadline day.

Smith could really complete his attack with a move for his former superstar, Benrahma.

The Algerian wizard was one of the best players in the Championship last season after he bagged 17 goals and provided nine assists, also averaging 3.8 shots, three dribbles and 2.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

He and Ollie Watkins formed a formidable partnership – one that must be replicated at Villa Park. Just imagine Jack Grealish in the hole behind Benrahma, Watkins and Bertrand Traore.

EFL pundit Don Hutchinson believes Benrahma is ready for the step-up, which is a huge positive whilst Sam Saunders’ praise of him provides further excitement – “He could nutmeg a mermaid,” said the Brentford B coach.

He’s even been likened to Lionel Messi.

Benrahma reuniting with Smith and Watkins is a mouthwatering prospect and could be the move to elevate them from the depths of the bottom half into serious contenders further up the table.

AND in other news, Lange has to break club-record fee again to sign top target…

Leeds United’s brash summer of spending isn’t slowing up just yet, though they are running out of time if they are to secure any new signings…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Yorkshiremen are poised to submit another bid for Rangers winger Ryan Kent before the end of the transfer window in a little under two weeks time.

They claim that the Whites are well-aware of a £20m release clause within the 23-year-old’s contract and earlier this summer, they had a £10m bid knocked back by the Scottish giants.

Marcelo Bielsa is a keen admirer of the former Liverpool youngster and fits the profile of being someone who could improve under his coaching.

Winger needed?

United already have Jack Harrison and Helder Costa as first-choice wing options whilst there is some promise in Ian Poveda, though it still appears as if Bielsa wants another winger.

Perhaps Kent could be that man as his form at Ibrox continues to make the headlines. Last season, he provided eight goals and four assists in all competitions and that has continued well into this campaign having already delivered four goals and three assists.

Gordon Strachan has likened the former Reds winger to Sadio Mane, claiming he plays as an “old fashioned inside forward” whilst Kyle Lafferty believes Kent could become a better player than Eden Hazard, he said:

“He has everything in his locker. Ryan’s in the top three of the best I’ve played with and I’ve had Dybala and Belotti as team-mates. I’m more than happy to say that as he provides something special. It’s about how he takes the ball, how he runs with it and I’ve seen him absolutely destroy defenders. He can do that even with three or four defenders around him. Ryan’s a match-winner.”

If Bielsa really wants Kent that bad, then he’s going to have to convince Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani into forking out a whopping £20m for his signature.

Having previously missed out on Dan James, it’s perhaps the least they can do. They must trust him after all.

AND in other news, Leeds in the race to sign £41m flop…

A couple of years back, Liverpool were on Jeremy Doku’s tail but in the end, the transfer didn’t happen and for a while, the rumours have gone quiet on that front. However, it seems that Jurgen Klopp could be back to finish what he started in 2018.

According to a recent update from Het Nieuwsblad (via Sport Witness), the Reds have renewed their interest in the 18-year-old star and could indeed be looking to acquire his services in the ongoing summer transfer window.

However, even if they manage to get him, which at this point is not exactly a guaranteed operation, they would then be willing to loan him back to Anderlecht for the upcoming season.

That way, the youngster could still develop and play regularly while he waits for his real opportunity at Anfield. But the same source states Vincent Kompany’s side are aware of the interest but are not exactly thrilled about it.

Ideally, they don’t want to sell their rough gem but given the current financial situation at the club, every player could indeed be moved on for the right place, Doku included.

But in case of the young star, the report states it would have to be a bid in tens of millions – so not exactly cheap for such a young player.

We don’t know how strong Klopp’s interest is but the Reds are adamant on not spending too much money this summer. Would they be willing to make an exception for the Belgium ace?

Only time will tell.

Verdict

With eight goals and three assists across all competitions in 2019/20, Doku has certainly been on fire. So it doesn’t exactly come as a big surprise to see clubs like Liverpool wanting to take him to the Premier League.

But Anderlecht would also love to keep him. After all, he’s a huge asset for them.

Needless to say, this could complicate the situation for the Reds.

Charlton Athletic have emerged with interest in Love Island star Dennon Lewis, who has previously been linked with a move to Sunderland.

With seven players having already left the Stadium of Light, it is expected that boss Phil Parkinson will welcome a variety of new faces to the club and Lewis was linked with a move to the League One club earlier this year.

The Sun reported that Parkinson had joined a whole host of clubs with interest in Lewis, who shot to fame after appearing on the 2019 summer edition of Love Island, where he was dumped after just four days.

Sunderland join the likes of Huddersfield, Oxford United, Leyton Orient and favourites to sign the forward, Charlton Athletic, who are now said to have pushed forward with their interest.

Lewis netted an impressive 14 goals and provided 11 assists during the 2019/2020 season which ultimately helped Wealdstone clinch the National League South title.

The 23-year-old initially began his footballing career with Championship side Watford before having spells with Woking, Crawley Town, Falkirk and Bromley.

The Sun report Charlton are now ready to make a solid move for the attacker as they look to beat off interest from elsewhere.

Quite whether or not Lewis is ready for the step-up to England’s third tier remains to be seen but he has gained plenty of interest after his non-league performances.

Sunderland are in desperate need of some new attacking options and Phil Parkinson must look to bring in some new faces soon. If the package to sign him isn’t much, he may be a gamble worth taking for the Wearside club given his form last term.

Do you think Sunderland should make a move for Lewis? Let us know in the comments section below…

Tottenham Hotspur are close to completing a deal for Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer, according to reports.Â

According to Fabrizio Romano, as relayed by Ricky Sacks, theÂ33-cap Denmark international is now ‘one step away’ from leaving St Mary’s for Spurs.

Romano revealed that the two clubs have to sort out the last few details but claimed that a deal is almost done.

Once both sides have reached an agreement, Hojbjerg will be able to complete his transfer to north London. Spurs have agreed to spend £15m for the Danish midfielder, who has one year remaining on his current contract.

The Lilywhites have been leading the race to sign Jose Mourinho’s top target for several months and it appears that the manager is close to getting his wish in the transfer window after The Telegraph revealed that progress has been made in talks between the two clubs.

Southampton received a bid from Everton but the ex-Bayern Munich ace made it clear that he would prefer a move to Spurs for the opportunity to work with head coach Mourinho.

Personal terms are not expected to be a problem and he is set to sign a new deal with the north London club in the coming days.

Inter Milan are still interested in signing Tanguy Ndombele despite Daniel Levy’s insistence that the club’s record signing is not for sale and they are believed to be working behind the scenes to try to sort out a deal.

However, everything hangs in the balance as whether or not Inter will make an official bid depends entirely on Antonio Conte’s future at the San Siro.

Hojbjerg’s imminent arrival is bound to cause upheaval as Spurs could see a changing of the guard, with Kyle Walker-Peters poised to head in the opposite direction, and Harry Winks seemingly set for a shock exit.

The Dane should be an upgrade on the midfield options available to Mourinho at the moment, as he received a higher WhoScored rating than Winks last term. Furthermore, he will cost a fraction of the price for which the Saints were originally asking, so this looks like quite a coup from Tottenham.

Tottenham fans, do you think Hojbjerg will be a good coup if the deal is completed? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Chelsea will look to continue their mission for Champions League football next season as they take on Crystal Palace this evening.

The Blues bounced back from their shock 3-2 defeat to West Ham last week with a 3-0 win over Watford at the weekend. Olivier Giroud, Willian and Ross Barkley were all on the scoresheet against the Hornets to take their side one step closer to securing a top four finish.

Manchester United are also in fine form and have narrowed the gap between them and Chelsea to just two points. Frank Lampard’s side must keep up with their top four rivals if they want to avoid slipping into Europa League territory.

Transfer Tavern has predicted how the Blues might line up against the Eagles this evening…

Giroud should undoubtedly keep his starting position up front after scoring two goals since the Premier League restarted. He also netted Chelsea’s winning goal in their first match back against Aston Villa (via Sofascore). His accompanying wingers should also remain the same, with both Willian and Christian Pulisic impressing since the restart.

Barkley will likely keep his midfield position after scoring against Watford but Jorginho will operate in the deeper role to help fend off any unexpected attacks from Palace. Regular starter N’Golo Kante was forced off the pitch on Saturday with a hamstring injury.

Mason Mount earned a disappointing 6.5 Sofascore rating against the Hornets, which was the lowest score from the starting XI by far. Lampard may opt to switch up the attacking midfield combination and bring in Ruben Loftus-Cheek instead.

From last Saturday’s clash at Stamford Bridge, two changes could take place in defence, seeing Antonio Rudiger come in to replace Andreas Christensen in order to alternate between resting up key players. Furthermore, Marcos Alonso may replace youngster Reece James to add more seniority to the backline.

How do you think Lampard will set up against Crystal Palace tonight, Blues? Have your say in the comments below…