All posts by n8rngtd.top

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

The transfer season is beginning to ramp up ahead of possible deals in January and one that might happen is Aurelio Buta to Wolves.

The right-back is the subject of interest from Nuno Santo per the print edition of The Sunday Mirror (17/11) and a loan move is reportedly on the cards.

Gaining some insight into the deal, Birmingham Live spoke to a journalist in Belgium.

What’s been said?

Wolves still have a pretty slim squad but have worked wonders with what they’ve had in both of their campaigns in the top-flight.

Using 21 players last season, they finished seventh, reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and qualified for Europe.

Nuno’s men got off to a slow start domestically this term, failing to win any of their opening seven games but they’re now on a run of just one loss in their last 12.

Matt Doherty was an inspiration last season, registering nine goal involvements, but he is yet to pick out a colleague in 2019/20. As such, a move for someone who can also play at right-wing back in Buta would make sense.

Speaking about his career and the qualities he possesses, journalist Aster Nzeyimana said:

“He’s one of the best full-backs in the Belgium league – that’s a widespread opinion.

“Antwerp is one of the biggest clubs in Belgium with a big fanbase. Their promotion to the first league was hugely anticipated and Aurelio Buta was one of the signings they made and he’s really grown with the squad. He was a very promising player and we immediately knew that.

“In the last two years he’s grown defensively, he has admitted that himself. He’s quite a small player but he’s technically very gifted. We have a history in Belgium of good attacking full-backs and he really fits right in. He’s instrumental to Antwerp.”

Positive signs

With Adama Traore’s emergence as a genuine reliable option in the final third, it leaves Wolves somewhat short on the right-hand side of defence.

The Spaniard started out the season in that part of the pitch due to an injury to Doherty but he has since gained a fantastic understanding with the forward players in a 3-4-3 formation.

Performing 11 dribbles against Aston Villa and scoring twice against Manchester City are the highlights but it would now be foolish to play him further back when he’s having such an influence in attacking phases.

With that in mind, bringing in someone who also possesses attacking flair to provide competition for Doherty would be incredibly valuable.

Recently scoring for the Republic of Ireland in a 1-1 draw with Denmark, he demonstrated that he might finally be finding his rhythm this season. He’d scored just once prior to the international break for Wolves.

Buta already has three assists for Royal Antwerp this term so there’s a reason to believe he could add precious quality. Having played at right-back and slightly further forward as a right-wing back, he’s the ideal type of candidate Wolves must be looking at.

Mauricio Pochettino has finally parted ways with Tottenham Hotspur, the club has now officially confirmed.

And interestingly enough, the Argentine’s replacement has already arrived in the form of none other than Jose Mourinho.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Portuguese will now have a big task ahead of him to steady a sinking ship and bring Spurs back to the level they were on last season when they reached the Champions League final.

But it seems that Pochettino’s departure has affected some of their biggest stars and Harry Kane was quick to post a heartbreaking message to his former manager on Twitter, thanking him for everything and wishing him good luck.

Of course, upon seeing that emotional tweet, loads of Spurs fans were simply devastated and sad, stating how it made them cry and how life is simply unfair at times.

You can see some of their replies and comments down in the collection of tweets below.

Check them out…

Many Crystal Palace fans have responded to a video on talkSPORT where former chairman Simon Jordan reveals he has not seen the Eagles live since Steve Parish has been there.

Simon Jordan – regularly featured on talkSPORT – said that he “will never go to Selhurst Park while Steve Parish is there.”

The 52-year-old was Palace chairman for 10 years, before the club fell into administration in 2010, leaving Steve Parish and the CPFC 2010 consortium to pick up the pieces.

While Jordan was able to get Palace into the Premier League once while the club was under his tenure, Parish has been able to take the Eagles to another level. The club are now in their seventh back-t0-back season in the Premier League, and they also reached an FA Cup Final under him.

Jordan has rarely shied away from admitting that the two are hardly best of friends. He described Parish as “opportunist” on talkSPORT in 2017 for the way in which he took over the club, stating that “if certain people had left the club alone when I was in trouble, I would probably still have it now. And one of those people was Parish”.

TalkSPORT posted the latest video on Twitter of Jordan saying this weekend shall be the first time he has seen Palace live under Parish, to which many Palace fans responded with their opinions, and also to the fact that the tweet says “sold the club”.

Here are replies below…

Manchester United fans on Twitter have been reacting to an incredible stat on Twitter.

The chief Manchester United writer at Manchester Evening News, Samuel Luckhurst, revealed that not a single United player has scored a league hat-trick since Robin Van Persie back in 2013 under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Considering the plethora of attacking talent United have had during that time it’s incredible to see this stat.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have all failed to score three times in a single league game for the Red Devils.

Fans had varying reactions to the stat being revealed.

Some fans seemingly didn’t care too much as their primary focus was getting points on the board rather than wasting time worrying about pointless stats.

Others were far from happy with what they were reading as one supporter called it embarrassing.

Here’s what the Old Trafford faithful have been saying on social media…

Amidst the massive transfer saga surrounding Romelu Lukaku’s future in the summer, Manchester United looked on course to be sealing a major coup when it seemed like they would be getting Paulo Dybala.

The Argentina international was at the centre of talks involving Juventus, as the Italian side looked to negotiate a possible swap deal involving the 25-year-old and Lukaku.

However, issues over his wages scuppered any chance of a potential move to Old Trafford for Dybala, whilst Lukaku made his way to Juventus’ rivals Inter on transfer deadline day.

Still with the Bianconeri, Dybala reminded everyone of his abilities by scoring a match-winning brace against Lokomotiv Moscow on Tuesday night in the Champions League.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And, after seeing his heroic performance, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the man they were close to signing in the summer.

Many supporters of the Manchester side voiced their regret at missing out on the talented forward, with one fan in particular saying they couldn’t believe they bottled their chance at signing him.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

Leeds United fans will have loved watching Eddie Nketiah bag a hat-trick for England U21s on Tuesday evening, but they may not have liked what he said after the match.

Indeed, the 20-year-old publicly aired his complaints about a lack of playing time at Elland Road this season, and you can certainly understand why he is unhappy.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The striker’s grievances are entirely understandable, as he has played just 162 minutes of league football for the Whites this term – scoring twice in that time.

With the xG table showing that Leeds have some issues with their finishing, you’d think a player who has scored at such a rate would be given a chance, but he’s still yet to start a league match for the Yorkshire outfit.

Of course, having a player air his complaints in public isn’t a great look for any football club, so Andrea Radrizzani attempted to calm the situation by taking a page out of Donald Trump’s book and simply labelling it as fake news.

However, the Italian’s comments didn’t fly with a number of supporters, as one fan called him out by telling him (in some not so appropriate language) that Nketiah’s comments hadn’t been misinterpreted, but were printed exactly as he said them.

This led to the owner quickly backtracking with a rather bizarre reply, changing the subject completely.

This whole situation is rather strange.

Radrizzani was seemingly unwilling to admit that Nketiah had complained about the way he was being used by the Yorkshire club, but when he was called out by a fan it was like he’d suddenly suffered from amnesia and forgotten the original conversation.

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur host Leicester at Wembley Stadium this weekend and will be hoping that they don’t have to grind a win out in the fashion that they have had to in recent weeks, although the Foxes represent another test for a Lilywhites side missing Harry Kane and Dele Alli, most notably.

Despite the duo’s absence, a pressing concern seems to be that Christian Eriksen could be leaving in the summer, with Mauricio Pochettino reportedly adding James Maddison to his list of potential players to replace the Dane. The Spurs boss can test just how good the number 10 is on Saturday, by giving one player a specific instruction.

On the chalkboard

According to The Times, the north London club are lining up a move for Maddison, who they see as a replacement for Eriksen should he seek pastures new in the summer.

Tottenham are keen to secure more homegrown talent and the signing of Maddison would see the Englishman join up with the likes of Alli, Kane, Kieran Trippier and Harry Winks.

The former Norwich man has impressed in his first season in the Premier League, scoring five and assisting four, so it is no wonder that the bigger clubs are sniffing around.

Sunday’s clash with Leicester presents Pochettino with the opportunity to see the player in action against his own side – the Argentine will surely want to put the Foxes’ danger-man through his paces in order to see how good he really is.

Sit Sissoko on Maddison

Eric Dier is unavailable due to a virus and so it looks likely that Moussa Sissoko will continue alongside Winks at the base of midfield – the Frenchman has enjoyed his new role this season and will be key if his side are to nullify the visitors’ attack.

Maddison is the lynchpin for his side, carrying the ball; connecting the dots; playing his teammates in and working chances for himself. If Spurs want to stop Leicester from having anything in their half, Pochettino should task the powerful Sissoko with following the 22-year-old wherever he goes.

Either this will help the Lilywhites to the three points or, if Maddison deals well with the constant pressure from the Spurs number 17, it will be confirmed in Pochettino’s mind that he is a top class player.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

The Inter defender scored an unlikely brace as Didier Deschamps' charges came from behind to defeat the Scots 4-1

France were forced to come from behind but eventually ran out comfortable 4-1 winners as they saw off Scotland on Tuesday night in Lille.

The Scots took a shock lead through Billy Gilmour but it was France who were the masters of their own downfall, as Eduardo Camavinga inexplicably passed the ball to his opponent in the six-yard box, allowing him to shoot under no pressure.

Benjamin Pavard, though, restored parity with a superb header at the front post from a curling Antoine Griezmann corner. The defender then added an unlikely second with another brave header, getting on the end of a clever Kylian Mbappe delivery from the left flank. Mbappe was then on the scoresheet himself, netting from the penalty spot after Olivier Giroud was fouled by Liam Cooper in the area.

In the second half, France dominated proceedings once more, and substitute Kingsley Coman added a fourth with a vicious volley after Griezmann hit the bar from close range.

GOAL rates France's players from Stade Pierre-Mauroy…

• Getty
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Mike Maignan (6/10):

  Had no chance with Gilmour's goal. Always had full command of his area and made a good save from Armstrong late on to keep the score at 4-1.

  Jonathan Clauss (5/10):

  His distribution left something to be desired but he was solid enough defensively down the right flank, even if he was never really tested.

  Benjamin Pavard (8/10):

  Scored an excellent header to level proceedings and then scored the second, heading in Mbappe's clever cross. Sprayed the ball around from centre-back too in a virtuoso performance.

  Ibrahima Konate (7/10):

  Comfortable and composed at centre-back, dealing with Scotland's aerial threat with little fuss.

  Theo Hernandez (6/10):

  Got up and down the left flank and was never in any danger. A solid outing.

Advertisement

• Midfield

  Antoine Griezmann (7/10):

  Superb delivery from a corner to allow Pavard to level things up. Hit the bar before Coman's goal. An orchestrator's performance, keeping the ball moving. Subbed late on.

  Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

  A superb range of passing, and was always open to receive the ball. Never really pressed, but did what he needed to do efficiently.

  Eduardo Camavinga (4/10):

  Made a truly inexplicable error to gift Gilmour his goal, literally passing the ball to his Scotland counterpart in the six-yard box. Steady otherwise, keeping the ball moving, but such mistakes cannot be afforded in competitive fixtures.

• Getty
  

  Attack

  Ousmane Dembele (5/10):

  Some good runs when he had the chance to show his pace but struggled to truly impact the game in the final third. Replaced by Coman in the second half.

  Olivier Giroud (7/10):

  Won the penalty after Liam Cooper pulled him down in the area. A constant outlet, holding the ball up with supreme confidence, even if he didn't have many goal-scoring chances himself. Replaced by Marcus Thuram on the hour.

  Kylian Mbappe (8/10):

  Provided the ball for Pavard's second goal, then scored from the penalty spot to make it 3-1. Terrified the Scotland defence whenever he had the ball, and while he couldn't score from open play, this was a bustling, skilful performance.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Subs & Manager

  Marcus Thuram (5/10):

  On for Giroud. Crashed the ball against the crossbar when sent through by Coman but he probably should have scored.

  Kingsley Coman (8/10):

  Replaced Dembele. Scored a wonderful goal, firing a vicious volley in off the crossbar after Griezmann missed from close range. Sent Thuram away with a great ball but he could only hit the bar. As good a cameo as you'll see.

  Youssouf Fofana (6/10):

  Replaced Griezmann. Always looked to play the ball forward.

  Boubacar Kamara (6/10):

  On for Tchouameni. Much like the man he replaced, kept the ball moving and didn't need to do much more.

  Randal Kolo Muani (N/A):

  On for Mbappe for the final few minutes.

  Castello Lukeba (N/A):

  Made his debut for France as a late sub.

  Didier Deschamps (8/10):

  Deschamps got this pretty much spot on; France dominated, he was able to rest some key players given the scoreline, and Les Bleus are starting to look ominous ahead of Euro 2024. A good night's work.

Weston McKennie has claimed that one of the managers he worked under during a loan spell at Leeds United “didn’t know who I was”.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• American moved to Elland Road in January
• Suffered relegation out of the Premier League
• Worked under four different managers

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United States international midfielder linked up with the Whites in the winter transfer window of 2023, with the decision taken to walk away from Serie A giants Juventus. He endured a tough time in England, with relegation suffered out of the Premier League.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  McKennie moved to Elland Road while fellow American Jesse Marsch was still in charge. He was sacked within a matter of days, as Michael Skubala inherited the reins on a caretaker basis. Javi Gracia then came and went in the space of 12 games, with Sam Allardyce seeing the 2022-23 campaign out.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  McKennie has told podcast of the issues that he experienced at Leeds – while stopping short of identifying the coach that appeared to be unaware of who he was and what his strengths were: “It kind of didn't help when I got there, I went there because of Jesse Marsch and then two weeks after I got there, he was sacked. I had four different managers in six months and I think one of my coaches honestly didn't know who I was. I'm not saying he should, but if a player is coming in on loan, you should know your squad. He put me outside of the box for corner kicks, and in my head I've scored 85% of my goals in my career off set-pieces and crosses.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  McKennie took in 20 appearances for Leeds, but failed to record a goal in any of them. He returned to Italy on the back of slipping out of the English top-flight and has worked his way back into favour with parent club Juventus.

Former professional footballer Dean Windass isn’t surprised that Nuno Espirito Santo went to try and sign Adama Traore this summer.

The Telegraph reported that Tottenham saw a proposal of a loan deal with a £5million loan fee included rejected by Wolves, with Wolves adamant they didn’t want to sell Traore this summer.

The 25-year-old has until June 2023 left on his current contract at Wolves, with the Birmingham Mail reporting that now the transfer window is closed, Wolves are planning to revisit the Spain international’s contract situation.

The report also says that Traore was subject of two offers from Tottenham this summer, the first the loan bid with a £5million proposal and the second a deadline day £30million offer – but both were rejected.

Nuno Espirito Santo worked with Traore during his time at Molineux and Dean Windass isn’t surprised that he went to try and buy him this summer, telling Football FanCast: “I’m not surprised that the manager would try signing him, obviously he knows the boy inside-out. 

“He’ll get you up the pitch, just lacks that little bit of quality but obviously then you can work on that, stay behind after training, work on your crossing. I think that he struggles on his left side so you stay behind, and you start drilling balls into the back of the net with your left foot but apart from that he will attract anyone with his pace and that’s why Tottenham probably try and attract him.”

Traore has played in all of Wolves’ first four games in both the Premier League and Carabao Cup this season which took his total amount of games for the club to 135 in all competitions and he has scored ten and provided 18 assists.