All posts by z3u9t.icu

It would seem that Sunderland are beginning to build up ahead of steam at the perfect time.

Lee Johnson has been game-changing for the face of the football club and after defeating Rochdale on Saturday, it marked yet another three points for the Mackems.

They have now tasted defeat just once in their last 11 league games, a phenomenal run brought about through a number of factors.

The new manager has breathed huge belief into this side and is getting results from the players that Phil Parkinson would never have deemed imaginable.

Dion Sanderson has been talked about as a “Rolls-Royce” in recent days while Aiden McGeady’s tally of 11 assists in 17 matches is a sight to behold.

Though, there is one man glueing everything together right now; Charlie Wyke.

The striker is having a phenomenal season and on Saturday afternoon, he took his tally for the campaign to 25 goals in all competitions. Considering he only scored six times last term, the improvement is staggering.

Johnson’s football suits him perfectly and he is now tucking away chances with relative ease. Speaking in the build-up to Sunderland’s 2-0 win over Rochdale, the boss said: “A top striker can slow down his mind’s eye in the box, be like ice in the box, and Charlie certainly finished with that look.

“The bit that is impressing me is his off-the-ball work. He is helping out the midfield, he’s pressing from the front – in the last 20 minutes against Swindon, he was like a man possessed.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-news-and-gossip” title=” Latest Sunderland news and gossip!”]

Indeed, the same sentiment could be offered after the Black Cats’ win yesterday afternoon. Wyke was again among the goals, and he was putting himself about with the authority of a man who knows he’s playing the best football of his career.

He is stealing the show for Sunderland right now and nothing typified that more than this weekend. Wyke is a physical player and used that to his advantage to bully the Rochdale defenders on Saturday.

The striker won a colossal seven aerial duels from nine attempted, while he also prevailed in five ground duels. For context, no player in a Sunderland shirt won more battles aerially than Wyke.

As Johnson alludes to, it’s not just his goal scoring antics that have been so impressive. The 28-year-old is a fierce competitor and won three tackles on Saturday. Amazingly, that was the second-best tally on the side, usurping every Mackems defender.

Wyke leads from the front and in scoring 20 league goals this term, he has been outstanding.

If Sunderland achieve promotion in a few months time, he will be one of the main reasons for their success; the forward is a marvel at the moment.

AND in other news, £6k-p/w gem is now proving everyone wrong at Sunderland, Parkinson should be seething…

Marcel Brands will rue failing to offload Muhamed Besic to Reading on Deadline Day after they declared their late interest in the Everton midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Madejski Stadium natives eyed a late swoop for Besic after turning attentions to Goodison Park in the final hours of the winter transfer window.

Royals coach Veljko Paunovic is said to be a fan of the 28-year-old, while Besic would have been keen to secure a move to the Championship side.

Reading’s interest emerged with less than four hours remaining of the mid-season market but it led to another failed exit for the Bosnia and Herzegovina international, after a move to Rangers in October failed to materialise.

Besic has played no part in Everton’s 2020/21 campaign after being omitted from Carlo Ancelotti’s 25-man Premier League squad.

And while he spent parts of pre-season training with the Toffees first-team, he has since been working with the Under 23s to maintain his fitness.

The £2m-rated enforcer only has six-months remaining on his £30,000-per-week contract and he is likely to now leave Everton as a free agent at the end of the season.

A missed opportunity

Reading’s interest in Besic will represent a missed opportunity for Everton, and specifically, their Director of Football Brands, who would no doubt have wanted to get the Roberto Martinez signing’s salary off the wage bill.

Everton are currently paying Besic to not play, with the 28-year-old not even turning out for David Unsworth’s junior side, having been omitted from each of the U23s’ Premier League 2 fixtures this term.

The Blues managed to offload Cenk Tosun and Jonjoe Kenny’s wages for the time being with the duo departing on temporary deals with Besiktas and Celtic, respectively, while Yannick Bolasie sealed a loan move to Middlesbrough that will run until his Everton contract expires in the summer.

Despite Reading’s interest coming so late, Brands should have moved heaven and earth to see that Besic moved to the Madejski Stadium.

Yet Besic remains on Merseyside to train, stay fit and look ahead to pastures new, knowing he can now reach pre-contract agreements all the while offering nothing to Ancelotti or Everton, despite picking up £30,000-a-week.

AND in other news, the exit of a £28k-p/w dud is great news for a “gifted” Everton outcast…

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt a devastating injury blow ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash with Dundee United.

What’s the word?

Steven Gerrard’s side take on the Tangerines at Ibrox Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

However, Rangers will be without their influential talisman James Tavernier after it was revealed the right-back had suffered a knee injury in Thursday’s Europa League win over Royal Antwerp.

Tavernier limped out of the seven-goal thriller with Antwerp in midweek, and it has now emerged he will have to wait for a scan to determine the full extent of the problem.

The 29-year-old attacking full-back has been an integral part of Gerrard’s side this season but is now facing a spell on the sidelines with his return currently unknown.

“We will see what the scan shows to see what he’s going to miss (Tavernier), he’s obviously going to miss the next few games,” Gerrard said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“Leon Balogun played well in that position. Ryan Jack can also do a job, so we do have options if required at right-back.

“We are showing the strength & depth of the squad, I would love to play Jack every minute, but I have to protect & look after him, so he is ready and fresh going into the weekend.”

Colossal setback for Steven Gerrard

Whilst Gerrard tried to hide his disappointment, there’s no glossing over the fact that this will be a colossal setback for the 54-time Scottish champions.

Nathan Patterson is the only other out and out right-back but has been removed from the first team as he has been forced to self-isolate after breaching coronavirus protocols.

The 19-year-old, who signed a new long-term contract at the club earlier this season, now faces an uncertain future at Ibrox amid an ongoing investigation by the Scottish FA.

Tavernier was voted the Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for September, while a return of 11 goals in 29 top-flight appearances this season sees him top the goal-scoring charts out of the entire Rangers squad, ahead of the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe.

By the numbers, he ranks fifth for shots taken (1.9 per 90), second for key passes (2) and third for dribbles completed (1.3), which shows he will be incredibly difficult to replace.

For context, neither Patterson nor Balogun have completed more than 0.5 shots per game in the Premiership this season, via WhoScored, suggesting that Tavernier is almost a different animal in attack altogether.

And in addition to that, he currently ranks as WhoScored’s top player, both at Ibrox and in the entire SPFL, with an average rating of 7.76 – only reinforcing the idea that the right-back is arguably Gers’ most vital cog.

Therefore, Gerrard will be hard-pressed to find a contributor on both sides of the ball who can better his terrific form from this term and thus, this latest development comes as a crushing and devastating blow.

AND in other news, Balogun and Wright start, Kent rested: Rangers Predicted XI vs Dundee…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer has delivered his verdict on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future at Manchester United amid links to Mauricio Pochettino.

It’s safe to say that the Red Devils have endured a difficult start to the season after they were dumped out of the Champions League by RB Leipzig.

However, United have begun to turn their poor run of form around, as they shared the spoils with bitter rivals Manchester City before edging past Premier League strugglers Sheffield United at Bramall Lane last time out.

But Solskjaer has come under immense scrutiny in recent weeks, and Ed Woodward has failed to dampen the speculation, although recent reports emerged in the media that the board will continue to back the under-fire boss.

Yet this has done very little to halt the rumours and questions over his future at Old Trafford, with Pochettino waiting in the wings.

When asked if he thought United would target the former Tottenahm Hotspur manager, Palmer told Football FanCast’s Tom Ward:

“Well, the way they’re talking is that Solskjaer is safe until the summer. Don’t get me wrong, even with Ole being there, they’ll still be there or thereabouts finishing in the top four, because they’ve got talented individuals.

“But that’s not good enough for Manchester United. They should be challenging for the league and they’re going to be a long way off from that.

“Finishing in the top four doesn’t mean anything now. I mean, if you finish behind Liverpool, you’re going to be 20 points behind in second or third place.”

United play host to newly-promoted Leeds United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon as they look to resume their Pennines derby rivalry before they face Everton and Leicester City in quick succession in what could be a defining moment for Solskjaer’s managerial career.

He will be well aware that his side cannot afford to slip up, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Ed Woodward must sanction Manchester United swoop for Bayern Munich defender David Alaba…

Gylfi Sigurdsson seriously betrayed Carlo Ancelotti with an ineffective performance as Everton beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Ancelotti trusted Sigurdsson with serving as the Toffees’ false-nine beside James Rodriguez at Molineux in the absence of top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who failed to overcome a hamstring injury.

Richarlison and Cenk Tosun were also only deemed to be fit enough for seats on the bench, leaving goals from Alex Iwobi and centre-back Michael Keane to prove the difference and lift the Merseyside outfit back inside the top-four of the Premier League table.

Sigurdsson is no stranger to playing at striker with the £16m-rated maestro frequently tasked with leading the line for his national side, yet the Iceland ace lacked his shooting boots against Wolves.

Too often during the midweek affair, Sigurdsson dropped deeper and deeper in search of possession to correct for his side’s lack of creativity, with a midfield pivot of Abdoulaye Doucoure and Tom Davies bringing energy and determination to the engine room but no forward vision.

Davies could, at times, be blamed for overplaying things in the centre of the park and with a heavy touch, he often allowed Wolves to apply pressure, but his failings failed to compare with Sigurdsson’s tame efforts with his back to the goal.

The 31-year-old lacked his usual link-up ability with no out-and-out striker to target and left Iwobi to carry the brunt of the attacking responsibilities, who ultimately returned Everton’s opening goal when the Nigerian’s cleanly-struck effort deflected in off Conor Coady after a quick flow of play from James Rodriguez and Lucas Digne.

Ancelotti noted after the game that he felt Rodriguez and Sigurdsson “created problems” for Wolves through their positioning, yet the Italian must surely have expected to see more from the Toffees’ £45m former record signing.

Sigurdsson recorded just 26 touches at Molineux and never ventured inside the Wolves penalty area. He lost all four of his duels, turned over possession eight times and failed to complete his only attempted dribble, per SofaScore.

Despite being tasked with playing as a false-nine against Wolves, the £100,000-per-week playmaker also failed to register a single shot, offered just one key ball from 14 accurate passes, misplaced one of his two crosses and was dribbled past once without making a single successful tackle, to earn a 6.4 match rating – the second-worst ranking among those who started for Everton.

Sigurdsson has generally been playing at a far higher level when fielded in midfield this season, with the Reading product taking 36.1 touches, 0.8 shots, 1.3 key passes, win 2.0 of his duels and offer 0.9 successful tackles per Premier League appearance so far.

Ancelotti will be glad to have seen Everton win at Wolves having been forced to be resourceful in his team selection, but will no doubt be hoping to see Calvert-Lewin be passed fit for Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa – should the game go ahead.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti must cash-in on a £6.5m-rated outcast unfit for Everton…

Leeds United have a big game against Arsenal this weekend following the return of the Premier League after the international break. In the build up to the game, the club have tied down Pascal Struijk to a new contract.

Struijk signs a new contract at Leeds

Journalist for The Athletic, Phil Hay, revealed: “It’s been a big six months for Pascal Struijk. He’s now signed a new deal with Leeds United, running to 2024.”

The club have also confirmed the news on their official media channels.

Great news for Bielsa

Struijk arrived from the the Ajax academy back in 2018 (Transfermarkt) and is starting to become a key player for the club. The 21 year-old has progressed from the academy to the senior side, and has now made ten appearances under Marcelo Bielsa, including four in the Premier League.

In those four games this season, the £675,000 valued-ace has managed 1.8 tackles, one interception, and 3.8 clearances per match (WhoScored).

Speaking to Football Insider  in the past, Bielsa said: “He looked very assured at the back, very competitive in the air and his ball distribution was excellent.”

Therefore the fact that they have tied down the young prospect is good for both the present and the future, and he can be a player to club can look to integrate more into the starting eleven over the next few years.

In other Leeds news one star has been praised by legend Deco, have a read who it is here!

Carlo Ancelotti must unleash Seamus Coleman on Chelsea amid hopes that the Everton full-back will be fit to face Frank Lampard’s side at Goodison Park on Saturday night.

The 32-year-old has missed five of the Toffees’ last six Premier League fixtures through a hamstring strain, originally sustained just over half an hour into October’s Merseyside Derby draw with Liverpool.

Coleman returned to action in time for the Republic of Ireland’s November internationals but suffered a recurrence of the issue in training, ruling the 56-cap defender out of the side to face England.

Coleman has not been seen at Goodison Park since November’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester United as he earned his sixth start of the Premier League campaign, yet, he could add to his tally this weekend with Ancelotti expecting the Blues captain to win his race to be fit.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Italian tactician is confident the long-time Everton servant has now overcome his issue in a timely boost, having lost Fabian Delph to a hamstring strain of his own at Burnley on Saturday.

If Coleman is able to come through the week unscathed in training, Ancelotti must look to unleash the right-back, who Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny lauds as an “exceptional” talent.

Ancelotti has struggled to find a suitable alternative for Coleman whilst without the 32-year-old, with Ben Godfrey tasked with the role against Southampton, Jonjoe Kenny favoured at Newcastle United, Alex Iwobi fielded in an unfamiliar role at Fulham and Burnley, and Tom Davies similarly played out of position against Leeds.

Iwobi offered a solid but unremarkable showing at Turf Moor on Saturday with three successful tackles, one interception, 10 attempted crosses and blocked one shot, per SofaScore, though the Nigerian was also dribbled past twice, lost seven of 13 ground duels and turned possession over 25 times.

His performance left a downbeat impression on former Everton midfielder Gareth Barry, who told BT Sport during their coverage of the fixture: “I thought his best play was going forward. He put a couple of good crosses in.

“There were a couple of crosses he could’ve done better. But he won’t want to play at full-back. There’s players in the dressing room who could probably do that job a bit better.”

Coleman would no doubt be an upgrade on Iwobi and in an important fixture with Everton now boasting just one win in their last seven Premier League fixtures, whilst Chelsea will arrive at Goodison Park having lost only once this season.

Ancelotti will need to rely on Coleman’s expertise to keep the likes of Timo Werner, Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell quiet, with the Irishman averaging 2.3 tackles, 2.0 clearances, 4.5 ground duels won and 0.7 interceptions per top-flight appearance this term.

AND in other news, Everton’s “magnificent find” has every right to fume with Carlo Ancelotti.

Speaking to Radio Deejay, via Football.London, Italian World Cup winner Giuseppe Bergomi has issued a shock claim about Tottenham club icon Christian Eriksen after his displays in Serie A. 

Eriksen, who completed a move to Inter Milan back in January, putting pen to paper on a £16.9m deal, has so far failed to establish himself at the San Siro akin to his days at Spurs.

A key player under ex-Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, the Danish playmaker pushed for a move to Inter but has found himself on the fringes of Antonio Conte’s plans.

Bergomi questions Eriksen

Bergomi has now issued his take on the Dane’s situation, claiming Nicolo Barella is by far the better option in midfield and that Eriksen should only be the ‘alternative option’. Claiming he has ‘never been convinced’ by the 28-year-old, Bergomi,  the 1982 World Cup winner is now questioning whether the playmaker has a place at Inter.

“Eriksen will always be a problem for Inter and the questions on why he isn’t playing will always be there,” he told Radio Deejay.

“Antonio Conte gave the best possible response, but we should ask ourselves if Eriksen really does have the talent to dominate in Serie A? I have never been convinced.

“Nicolò Barella is currently the best midfielder at Inter and he will take the trequartista role today against Milan. Eriksen can be an alternative option.

“We have to wait and see if the Dane’s mentality changes.”

Transfer Tavern take

The £100,000-a-week midfielder, who has found life difficult since his move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, was even linked with a move back to north London on deadline day (Football Insider). If he continues to be surplus to requirements in Italy, questions could be asked over a possible return to Spurs.

Given that Tottenham managed to arrange the loan of club legend Gareth Bale, who is to say Daniel Levy couldn’t do the same with Eriksen.

Spurs fans, would you take Eriksen back? Have your say in the comments section below…

Crystal Palace will want to build on their momentum after the 2-1 win over their local rivals Fulham when Roy Hodgson’s side face Wolves at Molineux on Friday.

The Eagles got off to a flying start to the season, with a 1-0 victory over Southampton at Selhurst Park, followed by a stunning 3-1 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford last month.

However, Hodgson’s side came up short against Everton and Chelsea respectively, before they struggled to a dull draw with Brighton and Hove Albion in the A23 derby. But they bounced back with a win away at Craven Cottage at the weekend, which will set them up nicely for the trip to the Molineux.

Here’s Football FanCast’s take for how we think Hodgson will set his side up to face Wolves, which sees the Palace manager make two changes to the team that beat Scott Parker’s side.

Palace’s first-choice goalkeeper Vicente Guiata will mostly likely keep his place between the sticks whilst Jack Butland is still self-isolating. However, Hodgson may decide to ring several changes, as this game could come too soon for Gary Cahill, after the veteran centre-back was on the receiving end of a nasty challenge from Brighton defender Lewis Dunk.

When asked by football.london to provide an update on Cahill’s fitness in the pre-match press conference before the game against Fulham, Hodgson said: “Not very good, I’m afraid. It was a nasty injury, we’re still assessing it. He won’t be able to play tomorrow unless something miraculous happens overnight.

“But I hope it won’t keep him out for weeks on end, but it’s too soon I’m afraid after the kick that he took against Brighton.”

Working on the assumption that Cahill is working his way back to fitness, the ever-reliable Joel Ward may replace Cheikhou Kouyate in the heart of the defence, which would see the 57-cap Senegal international resume his rightful place in the midfield, with club captain Luka Milivojevic dropping to the bench.

Moving further afield, Jeffrey Schlupp has started the past two games in a row, but he was replaced by Eberechi Eze in the second half against Fulham, so he may receive a rest for Friday’s fixture, which would see Eze start in his absence, whilst Wilfried Zaha and Michy Batshuayi resume their promising partnership at the top of the pitch. The pair combined at Craven Cottage when Zaha slotted home Batshuayi’s inch-perfect pass to score his fifth goal of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

AND in other news, Steve Parish must return for Crystal Palace target Flynn Downes in January…

Tottenham Hotspur are back. The Premier League returns.

Whilst many are still catching up with Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ series on the north London outfit, the proper action gets back underway this afternoon.

Jose Mourinho’s side kickstart the 2020/21 campaign with a home game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against a rejuvenated Everton side bolstered by signings aplenty.

But what sort of lineup will the Portuguese boss select today? Here’s what we are predicting…

As expected, skipper Hugo Lloris starts between the sticks as the first-choice goalkeeper but there’s a new face amongst the back four that heralds his net.

Matt Doherty will be handed a debut after securing a £15m move from Wolves earlier in the transfer window. He replaces Serge Aurier in the lineup. Whilst on the other side, Ben Davies is preferred.

After the loss of Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier is expected to step up his claims as Spurs’ new centre-back and he’s likely to partner Toby Alderweireld, meaning there’s no place for £43.2m-rated Davinson Sanchez.

Another debut is handed to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the base of a three-man midfield. He was also signed for £15m but from fellow rivals Southampton.

Moussa Sissoko could well get the nod over Harry Winks as he offers more of a mobile threat in either box with Dele Alli taking up a spot in the number ten role.

It’s thought that Giovani Lo Celso will miss the game through injury whilst Tanguy Ndombele isn’t trusted to start by Mourinho.

Out wide, Steven Bergwijn could be selected over Ajax hero, the £28.8m-rated Lucas Moura with Heung-min Son being named on the other flank.

Harry Kane, who is still yet to have a viable backup, will lead the line in attack.

It means there’s no place for Erik Lamela, Ryan Sessegnon, Japhet Tanganga or Gedson Fernandes either.