All posts by z3u9t.icu

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Marlon Harewood is refusing to consider Sam Allardyce’s complaints about West Brom’s recent schedule.

The West Brom boss has not been happy with the scheduling of some of the Baggies’ recent fixtures, going as far as to say those working for the Premier League are “helping” the club to get relegated.

Allardyce’s side were made to play Newcastle United last Sunday, 60 hours after taking on Everton, a tight turnaround. Harewood, though, has little sympathy for the ex-England manager, feeling the hectic Premier League schedule is something people should be used to by now.

Reacting to Allardyce’s comments in an Exclusive interview with FFC, Harewood said:

“It’s just crazy. I do find that [crazy], when managers and people moan, obviously you knew the schedule from the beginning of the season, so you have to plan. Everyone has to plan, especially with injuries and stuff, you can’t put it down to injuries. You have a squad, you have a 24-man squad and you play them how you see fit to play them.”

The former West Ham and Aston Villa forward later added: “So like when Sam Allardyce’s talking about stuff like that, because I respect him, because he’s a great manager, but at the same time, you just got to get on with it.”

Next up for West Brom is a trip to Selhurst Park to take on Allardyce’s former side Crystal Palace.

The Eagles’ form in front of goal has not been great of late, blanking in consecutive home games against Fulham and Manchester United before Christian Benteke’s header in their 4-1 defeat to Tottenham last time out.

It is one area the Baggies could try and exploit as they desperately try to pick up some points with time running out for them.

With Leeds’ long-term struggles over finding a genuine left-back, it’s no surprise that Marcelo Bielsa’s side appear to be gearing up to fix that issue in the summer transfer window.

Writing for The Athletic, Phil Hay claimed that left-back is likely to be a position that is high up on the summer transfer agenda and that both Bielsa and Victor Orta “can see how an effective, specialist left-back — something Leeds have struggled to unearth for many years — would improve the balance of their line-up, complementing Luke Ayling’s box-to-box presence from the opposite full-back spot”.

Hay revealed that the Whites are genuinely interested in Stade Brest ace Romain Perraud, who has been a revelation for the French side in Ligue 1 this season.

The 23-year-old has been the most productive defender in the division this campaign, scoring three goals and providing five assists, with his assists total actually only bettered by eight players in the entire league, among players in all positions.

Compared to current Leeds left-back Gjanni Alioski, Perraud’s numbers in the key offensive metrics are far superior, bettering his shots per game (1.1 to 0.7), key passes (1 to 0.7), accurate crosses (1.2 to 0.4), and successful dribbles too (0.9 to 0.4).

Hay added: “Perraud, 23, played for France up to under-20s level and his performance data — taken from smarterscout, which gives detailed analytics on players all over the world and gives ratings between zero and 99 across a series of metrics — shows characteristics which would meet Bielsa requirements: a creative edge and a high number of dribbles and shots for a player at his position, combined with a very active role in pressing defensively.”

With the 5 foot 8 Perraud flying down the left-hand side from full-back, that could open up the gates for Jack Harrison to wreak even more havoc. The duo would have the pace and energy to dove-tail well, with the winger previously raving about Alioski when he shone at left-back.

He said: “Always energetic, always running and causing problems for the opponents. We know what he’s like. Provides that as an outlet for the side as well.”

Perraud could offer something similar given his impressive offensive stats, and that ability to be a dynamic threat going forward makes him a dream player for Bielsa, especially in that full-back position.

With Alioski potentially being phased out or even let go in the summer – his contract is expiring at the end of the season – Perraud could be the perfect player to come in and start an exciting partnership with Harrison down Leeds’ left flank.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has revealed Leeds are planning a summer move for this ace…

As per Le10 Sport, Everton are prepared to sell Moise Kean to Paris Saint-Germain for just €30m (£26m) this summer.

Ancelotti happy to sell Kean

Kean is currently on loan in Paris and has scored 15 goals in 27 games for the Ligue 1 champions (Transfermarkt). Despite that, Carlo Ancelotti would be happy to see him depart, with €30m (£26m) deemed to be an acceptable sum – that is a big difference from the £50m-£60m valuation recently mentioned by Fabrizio Romano.

However, PSG sporting director Leonardo is not willing to pay that fee, and will instead look to sign the 21-year-old on another 12-month loan.

Mistake

After signing for £25.1m from Juventus (BBC), Kean struggled at Goodison Park. In 37 games for the club, he managed just four goals – far less than what most would have expected when he made the switch to England. However, it must be taken into consideration that he signed for the Toffees as a teenager – it was always going to be difficult for him to hit the ground running after moving to a new and strange country at such a young age.

He is proving in France that he has what it takes to play at the highest level. Of course, the Toffees may have no choice but to sell if Kean does not want to return, but if he does, Ancelotti and co should give him another chance. It would be a waste not to do all they can to get the best from a top attacking talent.

In other news, Everton eye a move for this Europa League ace.

A lot of Liverpool fans have flocked to Twitter to slate Reds right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold over his performance in the Merseyside club’s latest Premier League clash with Southampton. 

The 22-year-old played a notable role in Danny Ings’ opening goal of the game, which came in just the second minute. Per The Liverpool Echo, the £99m-rated man produced some ‘pathetic defending’ from the set-piece which allowed the former Reds striker to get onto the end of the ball from James Ward-Prowse and score. 

Later on in the contest, the right-back was on the receiving end of a telling off from Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, with Alexander-Arnold said to have been ‘having a bit of a nightmare’ versus The Saints. 

So, what have these Liverpool fans had to say about Alexander-Arnold?

Many Liverpool fans took to Twitter to criticise the England international for the role he played in the game’s opening goal, while others shared that they believe his role in the goal was just the latest error in what has been an overall poor season from the Reds academy product.

“Some finish that you know. However, it’s never a free-kick and TAA defensive wise is absolutely shocking there.”

Credit: @Pallen19_6

“Weak from TAA. His first poor run.”

Credit: @MiddleEarthLFC

“Alexander-Arnold is such a terrible defender. Complete liability this year with the shape of this back line.”

Credit: @ItsOkBud

“Alexander-Arnold needlessly gave the ball away just before Thiago committed that foul. There’s no hiding his poor form of late #SOULIV”

Credit: @Hickory92

“Awful that from Alexander-Arnold, why is he trying to control that with his chest instead of just clearing it?”

Credit: @adam_canavan

“He’s been pretty poor all season long”

Credit: @JonesJones4Life

“Been horrendous lately”

Credit: @LFCzach_8

“Trent Alexander-Arnold has been sleepwalking through the entire season and it’s infuriating”

Credit: @lead_farmerxx

In other news, many Liverpool fans have been fuming over The Liverpool Echo’s January transfer claim.

Glasgow Rangers are back in action this afternoon, as they travel to take on Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Rangers currently remain unbeaten this campaign, including a 3-1 win at Ibrox against the struggling Steelmen earlier this season, and are now 20 points clear of Celtic at the top of the table.

Steven Gerrard doesn’t usually make too many changes but he may have a trick up his sleeve for the trip to Fir Park.

Here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting XI for Rangers this afternoon, which sees Gerrard make three changes from their Premiership encounter against Aberdeen.

Maybe Jon McLaughlin could come in, but Allan McGregor has been so strong since the start of this season that we reckon Gerrard will stick with his trusted goalkeeper. McGregor will keep his place in goal behind a back four of Calvin Bassey, Filip Helander, Connor Goldson and James Tavernier.

It’s hard to imagine many changes in Gerrard’s side but perhaps the most obvious one after the Aberdeen game would be handing Helander a rare start and Leon Balogun dropping to the bench as some sloppy defending nearly cost them the game. Borna Barisic could also follow suit which will give a chance for Bassey to stake a claim.

Steven Davis has been one of the mainstays for the Gers this season – starting 15 times – but at 36 the Northern Irishman is no spring chicken, so bringing Bongani Zungu into the midfield to join the in-form Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo makes sense. Zungu has made a total of ten appearances for the Gers since Ross Wilson signed him on an initial loan deal from French Ligue 2 side Amiens with the option to buy during the extended summer transfer window.

Therefore, it would only be natural for Gerrard to bring Zungu back and drop Davis to the bench for a rest, and it’s the perfect chance for the Bafana-Bafana midfielder to start in his favoured position at the base of the midfield as he seeks to build his confidence after a tricky start to life at Ibrox.

Upfront, Alfredo Morelos is likely to lead the line, having bagged a brace against Aberdeen, with Ianis Hagi in the right wide position and the ever-reliable Ryan Kent on the left wing.

AND in other news, Rangers simply can’t afford to lose Alfredo Morelos amid Bayern Munich interest…

This is a complex time for Celtic.

Heading into their clash with AC Milan on Thursday evening, it looked as though it was the worst possible time to face one of the giants of European football.

The Hoops were already knocked out of the competition and had nothing to play for. Perhaps with the pressure off it would have helped proceedings, but confidence was at an all-time low.

Celtic had won just two of their last ten matches before last night and their 2-0 defeat against Ross County marked the nadir of the season so far.

To put things simply, Neil Lennon is in real bother.

They are 11 points of the pace in the SPFL and as a result, he could be sacked. The man tasked with replacing him might be Mark Hughes, that’s if Peter Lawwell views him suitable.

The idea of Hughes heading to Parkhead was brought up last week by Paul John Dykes on A Celtic State of Mind podcast. “Mark Hughes is a name that’s cropped up over the last few days, I think the Celtic support are kind of divided on that one.”

You can understand why they’re a bit split on Hughes. At Southampton, he had a win percentage of just 18.5%.

That being said, the Welshman has traditionally overachieved and took Fulham to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League during the 2010/11 campaign.

Hughes then worked wonders with Stoke, establishing them as a top-half side in the Premier League, lifting the Potters to three straight ninth-place finishes.

Once he lost his job at Stoke, his profile was given the complete assessment by BBC journalist Phil McNulty: “There have been peaks and troughs in that career, but it is unlikely a man whose quiet exterior masks a fierce passion and determination to succeed is ready to walk away from management at a relatively young age.”

Lo and behold, he joined Southampton and for Celtic’s sake, they will have to hope he is ready to jump back in and take on the Hoops hot seat after some more time away.

His overachievements are notable on his CV but it’s the coaching that stands him apart from Lennon, someone who is reportedly still using Brendan Rodgers’ training methods.

It’s long been suggested that Lennon needs to balance his coaching staff properly and bring in his own men, but that wouldn’t be a problem with Hughes.

That’s because, in every job he’s had, he’s been joined by the same two people – Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki.

In terms of banishing the nightmare Lennon appears to be having at Lennoxtown, Hughes would be pretty perfect.

He already has a structure and a balanced coaching staff – something Lennon has never had.

In other news, Celtic should regret missing out on their next Arzani… 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Aberdeen striker Dean Windass has tipped Steven Gerrard to sell Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos after his latest show of poor discipline.

Morelos was heavily linked with a move away from Ibrox in the summer but a late window exit failed to materialise.

The Colombia international has been in prolific form for Rangers in recent years, providing 84 goals and 33 assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

But the goals have started to dry up, with just one goal in his past eight games, which has been followed by a two-game suspension for hitting Dundee United defender Mark Connolly in the face with his forearm in last Sunday’s Premiership clash at Tannadice.

Gerrard had moved to publicly defend his player in the immediate aftermath of the incident but the Gers opted not to appeal the decision after the SFA slapped him with a two-match ban.

This isn’t the first time the 24-year-old has been banned for violent conduct as he was sent off for lashing out at Dons defender Scott McKenna during the 4-2 victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie last season.

When asked by Football FanCast if Morelos still has a future at Ibrox, Windass said:

“I didn’t think he’d be there this year, to be quite honest with you. He looks a little bit overweight for me.

“I don’t know the kid, I don’t know him personally. Obviously, Josh [Windass, Dean’s son] played upfront with him, but I don’t really know the kid’s personality, he’s a young boy anyway.”

“Listen, I got sent off 10 times and it’s in your make up, but he just doesn’t learn, and he can let you down. I fully expect Steven to sell him this year and if they win the league this year, then, obviously, I think he’ll get rid of him, cash in the money what they can get and then bring someone else in.

“Jermain Defoe can’t go on any longer really, I think this will be his last season, he’ll retire after this year, and Steven will try and bring fresh blood in.”

Valued at £13.5m via Transfermarkt, Morelos has been sent off seven times for the 54-time Scottish champions in the past three years alone.

It’s almost inevitable that the spotlight is on him once again after a poor run of form and he has hardly done himself any favours whatsoever with his bad behaviour.

With the likes of Defoe, Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe impressing in recent weeks, perhaps it’s time Ross Wilson decides to cut his losses once and for all.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers defender Filip Helander let Gerrard down massively vs Motherwell… 

According to the agent of Bayer Leverkusen striker Lucas Alario, who spoke to TNT Sports via Sport Witness, Tottenham ‘had the chance’ to seal a summer loan move when they were searching for a back up striker to Harry Kane – but both the player and his representative ended up declining. 

Alario, who scored seven goals and assisted three others for the German club last campaign, was reportedly approached by Spurs and Daniel Levy before they sealed a temporary deal with an option to buy for Benfica star Carlos Vinicius.

Alario declined deal

The 8-cap Argentina international, who scored three goals over those appearances for his country, is currently valued at around £12.15 million by Transfermarkt – with the 28-year-old reportedly attracting Spurs’ interest over the summer.

Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino had been keeping tabs as far back as 2017 according to the Independent, eyeing a move for his compatriot, who has been likened to Didier Drogba. 

Now, as per his agent, Spurs could have sealed a summer loan deal for the player – three years after Pochettino first signalled the intent to bring him to north London.

“We had opportunities to go out on loan and he chose to stay,” agent Pedro Aldave told TNT Sports via Sport Witness.

“I think Lucas can be in a top team today. Everything is very relative, many times the players of the top teams reach the end of the championship shattered.

“It’s easier to make the leap from Argentina to a top team, on the other hand, if you already came to Europe it’s more difficult. We had the chance of Tottenham, which is a top club, but to go and watch the games from the stands, it doesn’t work.

Transfer Tavern take

The comments from Alario’s agent suggest it was a matter of concerns over playing time rather than disrespect towards the north London club, so one has to respect the player’s decision in that regard.

Judging by his meagre market value and past plaudits though, Alario could have been a snip, but Spurs supporters won’t be seething given the acquisition of Vinicius – who has already impressed under manager Jose Mourinho.

In other news: Tottenham are being urged to bin this ‘unbelievable’ ace, find out more here. 

Charlie Austin was once a quality striker in the Premier League, with the forward enjoying impressive spells at QPR and Southampton in particular but based on his lack of appearances in the top-flight so far this season with West Brom, it seems as if his time at the top-level may well be over.

Therefore, it could be argued that the Saints did well to cash in on the 31-year-old when they did in the summer of 2019, with Austin joining the Baggies in a deal worth £3.87 million (per Transfermarkt).

The striker, who contributed 20 goals and four assists in 81 appearances for the South Coast club, enjoyed a fairly fruitful campaign with the Baggies last season, as he scored 11 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.

However, his contributions, which helped Slaven Bilic’s side earn promotion to the top-flight, were seemingly not enough to convince the Croatian manager that he is worthy of a starting spot in the top-flight.

The 31-year-old was on the bench for West Brom’s opening game against Leicester City but hasn’t been in the Premier League squad for any other fixture so far this term, whilst he has made two appearances in the EFL Cup (per Transfermarkt).

Austin’s time at Southampton was not short of controversy, as he was told to train with the U’23s in the summer of 2019 before his departure. However, he did impress in spells for the Saints, with Matt Le Tissier and Jamie Redknapp both full of praise for the Englishman back in 2016.

The forward also made his feelings about Southampton and their fans clear in a foul-mouthed Twitter rant earlier this year, suggesting that the club did very well to be rid of him.

Considering that he seems to be something of a trouble-maker and clearly isn’t having an impact in the Premier League this season, you can definitely argue that Semmens did well to receive a fee for him in 2019, as well as getting his reported £70k per week wages off Southampton’s books.

Southampton’s strike force has certainly blossomed since his departure too, with Danny Ings and Che Adams having both impressed over the past year, so they are definitely not missing having Austin around the club.

West Bromwich Albion have less than two weeks to bolster Slaven Bilic’s playing squad further and one name could be quite the coup…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Baggies are plotting a move to sign Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham before this summer’s transfer deadline with the Croatian boss keen to strengthen his central options.

They claim that the Scottish champions value the Frenchman at around £12m and that there are other teams from across Europe courting his services.

Premier League rivals Southampton, Everton and West Ham United have been linked with moves throughout the window.

Better than Sawyers?

Albion have struggled in the opening two matches of their season, suffering defeat to Leicester City before being hammered 5-2 by Everton at the weekend.

Despite having some encouraging attacking players, Bilic’s side seem to be cut through like a hot knife through butter and that in part could be down to a new three-at-the-back system, which isn’t suiting his central midfield options at all.

There’s very little balance when you’re starting both Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers and whilst Conor Gallager resolves some of that, a move for Ntcham is even better as he’s the ideal box-to-box sort to thrive in this system.

He’d be one massive upgrade on Sawyers, who has managed just one tackle per game and hasn’t even recorded a single dribble or key pass from their opening two matches, via WhoScored.

The Hoops’ 24-year-old has been lauded as “unbelievable” and as “one hell of a player” by Neil Lennon in the past whilst Brendan Rodgers believes Ntcham is a “terrific talent”.

Over the course of his career, Ntcham has averaged 1.4 shots, 1.2 tackles, 0.9 dribbles and 0.9 shots per game, per WhoScored, making him seem like the ideal fit to play alongside the defensively-minded Baggies skipper Livermore.

Luke Dowling should absolutely press ahead with this signing before the deadline – that and a new striker.

AND in other news, West Brom boss Slaven Bilic eyes a reunion with £18m “game-changer”…