All posts by z3u9t.icu

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Someone has to take the blame.

A lot of talk in the aftermath of the defeat to Wigan Athletic has been the decision to rest Lewis Grabban.

Former Red Garry Birtles believes that although the decision to rest Grabban may have seemed ‘bizarre’, he doesn’t believe that his replacement on the day Rafa Mir should be blamed for the loss. He said:

“He [Mir] tried hard, if anything he tried too hard… he was desperate to succeed, but he didn’t take it.”

And to a certain extent he’s right, because it shouldn’t be placed at the foot of Mir, rather at the hands of the hierarchy who brought him in, because they should have seen his performance coming based on his track record.

On the chalkboard

The cold hard truth of the matter is that Mir might simply not be good enough for this level to be trusted with a starting role just yet.

If you look at his most recent campaign when he was at Las Palmas, he only scored 7 goals in 30 league games.

To then ask him to make the jump from the Spanish second tier to the English second-tier off the back of that production and expect him to replace your top scorer is taking a huge risk.

This was only Mir’s sixth appearance in the Championship for the Reds, and the first time that he had been trusted to start a game in the league, having started Carabao Cup fixtures against Fleetwood Town and Derby County.

He has also spent six months with Wolves back in 2017/18, so the excuse that he is ‘still getting adjusted to English football’ might not cut it here.

In fact, he only made a couple of appearances for them, so clearly they could tell he wasn’t cut out for English football.

Therefore, if Forest decide to make the call and rest Grabban again in the future, they need to make sure that it is an opponent Mir can handle, or go with another option.

They have already lost three points this season with him missing chances, can they afford to lose any more going forward? Grabban simply has to play over the Spaniard, regardless of if he’s 100% fit or not.

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…

France international Loic Remy has opened up on his failed move to Liverpool back in 2014.

What’s he said?

In a revealing interview with The Independent, the former QPR striker has spoken about all things Chelsea, including the fact that he was supposed to sign at Anfield for £8.5m before sealing his £10.5m switch to Stamford Bridge.

“I was supposed to sign for Liverpool,” he said.

“I went for the medical in Boston, then apparently I failed the medical.

“For me, everything happens for a reason, which means at the end of the day, Chelsea. We had a fantastic season. This year Liverpool had been in trouble, it was not the Liverpool of the previous season.”

Bullet dodged

Liverpool had been in trouble. Looking at those five words in 2019 feels a bit strange considering the incredible consistency Jurgen Klopp has instilled at Anfield.

That said, the 31-cap striker definitely dodged a bullet moving to London instead. During his stay at Chelsea, he won a Premier League title and League Cup trophy, and also scored on his debut for the Blues.

In the 2014-15 campaign, which would have been his first year on Merseyside, Chelsea won the league with a whopping 87 points, while Liverpool finished way back in sixth on 62 points, just two above Southampton.

There were plenty of rumours as to why the forward’s move had collapsed, but it’s certainly good to hear him clear the air once and for all.

Now we’re just waiting for the truth about Nabil Fekir…

Leeds were back to winning ways for only the second time in six matches in all competitions on Tuesday.They bounced back from what was a tough defeat against Charlton last weekend to reign victorious over previously unbeaten West Brom.After the game took place, The Athletics’ Phil Hay posted an article that detailed the progression of Mateusz Klich, one of the players to take to the field for the Whites in midweek.However, the Polish midfielder was criticised by a certain segment of Leeds supporters who offered damning verdicts on specific aspects of his play when replying to his tweet.One fan said that he looked leggy while his inability to shoot properly was also at the front of one individual’s mind.Klich netted ten times in the Championship last term but has only scored one this time around. He also missed a penalty against Derby.A further fan was looking for improvement in the final third, explaining his decision making was poor.

Klich has been mooted for a new contract recently but nothing has yet to formally come out of the club regarding his future.

Here’s some of the criticism he received.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola declined the opportunity to sign Brazil international Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona this summer.

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Catalan media outlet TV3 reported [via Marca] that the La Liga club had offered the 27-year-old forward to the Premier League champions during the summer transfer window.

However, according to TV3 [via Marca], Guardiola was not interested in signing the player at the time, with Sport Witness claiming that the Manchester City manager felt he did not need a player of Coutinho’s type.

The playmaker subsequently joined Bayern Munich on a season-long loan from Barcelona for an €8.5m (£7.62m) fee with an option to sign him permanently for €120m (£107.43m) next summer, according to Marca.

Coutinho has played as either a left-winger or central attacking midfielder for most of his career, with 59 of his 76 appearances for Barcelona coming as a left-sided attacker.

Despite heavy criticism of his performances by some fans at Camp Nou, as reported by The Sun, he actually had a better scoring return for Barcelona, scoring 21 goals for an average of 0.28 goals per game, than at previous club Liverpool, where he netted 54 times in 201 appearances (0.27 goals per game).

While Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva and David Silva are noted by Manchester City’s official website as predominantly left-footed players, and James Robinson of dreamteamfc.com claimed that Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero are all stronger on their right foot, Janek Speight described Coutinho as “two-footed” on dw.com, believing him to be equally strong on either peg.

Although Coutinho’s goal record at Barcelona overall has been decent, his return last season was comparatively poor, with only five in 34 league games (0.15 goals per game) and 11 in 54 games in all competitions (0.2 goals per game) after managing eight goals in 18 La Liga matches (0.44 goals per game) in the previous campaign.

His 2018/19 ratio pales in comparison with Manchester City left-wingers Sterling and Sane, who scored 25 times in 51 games (0.49 goals per game) and 16 goals in 47 games (0.34 goals per game) respectively last season.

Also, Sterling and Sane each provided 18 assists last season, averaging 0.35 and 0.38 per game respectively. Coutinho set up just 11 goals in 76 appearances in total for Barcelona, 0.14 per game.

Coutinho’s form last season may have been well below his usual standards, but he has produced a decent goals tally over the course of his time with Liverpool and Barcelona, while also being noted as a player who is comfortable on either foot.

Sane is only beginning what is expected to be a long recovery from a cruciate ligament injury and has been the subject of interest from Coutinho’s current club Bayern, as reported by The Sun, while David Silva is leaving the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

If Sane follows him out the door, that would leave Guardiola without two playmakers from the current squad, and although he wasn’t to know that Sane would pick up a lengthy injury, maybe he ought to have taken up the opportunity to sign Coutinho when he was given the chance.

Manchester City fans, should Guardiola have taken the chance to sign Coutinho when offered to him? Let us know your views by commenting below!

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Leeds United returned to the top of the Championship with a 2-0 win over a struggling Barnsley side in Sunday afternoon’s league game at Oakwell.

It was actually a bit of a slog for Marcelo Bielsa’s side but late goals from Eddie Nketiah and Mateusz Klich secured an important three points.

Klich’s goal came from the penalty spot in the 89th minute, and it would be fair to say that a number of the Leeds fans were delighted with the 29-year-old.

Klich has now scored twice and provided one assist in eight appearances for the Whites this term, whilst his pass percentage in seven Championship outings this season is just over 81%.

And the 21-cap Poland international has been widely praised by the Leeds fans on social media for his contribution this season.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Not too long ago a number of the supporters were criticising the midfielder – but that is simply no longer the case, as shown by the tweets below:

Southampton’s transformation under Ralph Hasenhuttl has seen a clear shift towards a high-press philosophy with Shane Long and Nathan Redmond preferred to press from the front, leaving Charlie Austin surplus to requirements and edging towards the January exit door. 

There was a point when Austin was regarded as the club’s most potent goal scoring threat, but Hasenhuttl seemingly prefers the presence of a quick and diligent centre-forward rather than a natural goal scorer.

The arrival of Danny Ings in the summer had already placed Austin’s place in the team under serious threat, and developments in recent weeks suggest he would be wise to leave before the deadline passes on Thursday.

But Austin’s exit may not leave Hasenhuttl short of an extra option in attack, as Sky Sports journalist Pete Hall has suggested Southampton are hoping to sign Birmingham City’s Che Adams this week.

Recent reports have linked the Saints with a move for Adams and Hall’s comments while speaking on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk podcast added a further weight of legitimacy to those reports.

“Southampton are in talks with Birmingham’s Che Adams, who’s scored 14 goals this season, a number of Premier League clubs are interested, so they’re lining up a replacement.

“It certainly makes sense for Austin to go and, while his stock is still high, there are clubs who could do with a striker like Charlie Austin.”

Birmingham signed Adams from Sheffield United for a measly fee of just £2 million in 2016 and he has blossomed into a fine goal scoring talent in the Championship ever since.

Now 22-years-old, Adams has already bagged 15 times and provided three assists in the Championship this season from 29 appearances.

With his prolific record in mind and his scope for potential at just 22, it is absolutely no surprise that Southampton are in talks over a potential deal.

It’s unlikely that Birmingham will be anything other than incredibly reluctant to let him leave midway through the season, especially while they sit just six points behind Derby in the final playoff position.

But if Southampton are able to pull off a deal which would allow them to replace Austin with Adams it would represent another fantastic progressive step forward under Hasenhuttl,

Southampton fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

According to The Chronicle, Sunderland’s potential new owners will “invest heavily” in the club’s academy once the takeover is complete.

What’s the word?

According to the report, John Phelan, Glenn Fuhrman and Rob Platek, who will also have the backing of Michael Dell, are close to taking over the club from Stewart Donald.

But, with the transfer window shut until the new year and the Football League’s version of Financial Fair Play preventing any major overhaul of the squad, they will focus their efforts on the youth set-up.

As detailed by the report, Sunderland have produced some serious success stories from their academy in the past, like England internationals Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford, but have struggled to keep hold of their talent in recent seasons.

Still, the Black Cats are one of just 24 category one academies in the country, and the only one in the third tier.

Best news possible

This should be music to the ears of every Sunderland fan. Yes, we can all dream about our club receiving a huge cash injection and going out into the transfer market and making some noise.

Yes, we can imagine stadium redevelopments and multi-million pound new signings, but the fact of the matter is that is not sustainable long-term.

Unless everyone’s forgotten, Sunderland had a billionaire American owner not too long ago, and that didn’t go too well.

So, the fact that the potential new owners are focusing so much on the academy tells us lots of things, and they’re all positive.

First, it suggests they are in it for the long haul, rather than looking to inject some cash into the first-team squad, earn promotion and sell for a profit.

Secondly, it tells us they have learned from the mistakes of previous owners, and most importantly, it means that no longer will the club have to watch on as players like Luca Stephenson and Josh Maja move on to bigger and better things.

Sunderland fans must be patient – the new owners are not going to fire the club back into the Premier League in the blink of an eye with a wad full of cash.

What they do seem intent on doing however, is improving the club from top to bottom and setting the Black Cats up for long-term success, ensuring young talent is brought to the Stadium of Light and is there to stay.

Make no mistake about it, this is an excellent first decision from the potential new men in charge on Wearside.

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An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s pursuit of Aleksandr Golovin from AS Monaco in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to Russian outlet MetaRatings, the Magpies are set to join Everton and West Ham in the race to land the 25-year-old’s services this month.

The report claims that the player is keen on a switch to St James’ Park, which could give them an advantage in their efforts to bring him in during the January window.

Cabaye 2.0

Eddie Howe must secure Golovin’s services, as he could find Yohan Cabaye 2.0 for Newcastle with a deal for the playmaker this month. The 25-year-old is a midfielder who can have a telling impact on games with his ability to make things happen in the final third.

The Russia international has enjoyed a strong spell in Ligue 1 and proven his quality at the top level in recent years. Since joining Monaco in 2018, he has produced 13 goals and 18 assists from a midfield position in the French league, with Golovin capable of playing in a number of roles across the middle of the park.

Last season, he managed five goals and nine assists in 21 Ligue 1 appearances (12 starts), averaging a goal contribution every 1.5 games. He averaged 1.7 key passes per match as he showed off his creative quality from midfield, regularly providing his team-mates with chances to score.

Niko Kovac, his former manager at Monaco, previously heaped praise on the talented Russian, saying: “Golovin is a fantastic player. For his first start since August, he’s scored three goals. He’s a world-class player. He delivers delicious passes. I know the quality of his passing. That’s why I asked him to take the free-kick that led to the third goal.”

In 93 games for Newcastle, Cabaye managed 18 goals and 14 assists for the Magpies, which shows that – like Golovin is for Monaco – the Frenchman was a midfielder who could score and create goals in the Premier League. He was also known to score some sublime free kicks from time to time, and Golovin has shown that he too can be a threat from a dead ball situation.

Therefore, the 25-year-old could be a terrific signing for Newcastle, as he has shades of Cabaye to his game and could be Howe’s midfield maestro for years to come, which is why the Magpies boss must try to get a deal over the line for him in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Newcastle transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

West Bromwich Albion are not interested in a deal to bring Vedat Muriqi to The Hawthorns in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Dean Jones, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, despite reports linking the Baggies with the SS Lazio centre-forward this month, Valerien Ismael’s side do not look as if they will make a move for the 27-year-old any time soon.

Speaking about Albion’s reported interest in the Kosovo international, Jones said: “It would be a strange one because [Daryl] Dike was a big signing that took a lot of financing. Unless West Brom are about to give the green light to some outgoings, I can’t see Muriqi signing, to be honest.”

Fans will be buzzing

While it is undeniable that the arrival of Muriqi to The Hawthorns would be an attention-grabbing move this winter, considering the striker’s recent record in Italy, West Brom very much look as if they are dodging a bullet by not sanctioning a swoop for the Kosovan.

Indeed, over his 27 Serie A appearances for Lazio last time out, the £5.4m-rated striker scored one goal, provided no assists and missed four big chances for his side, as well as hitting the target with an average of just 0.3 shots per game.

These returns saw the £52k-per-week man earn a disappointing seasonal SofaScore rating of just 6.69, ranking him as his club’s 12th-worst performer in the league.

This season, Muriqi has once again been in abject form over his 11 league appearances – only one of which has come as a start – with the 27-year-old failing to directly contribute to a single goal, in addition to missing two big chances.

These metrics have seen the Kosovan somehow average an even more disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.52 this time around, ranking him as Maurizio Sarri’s fourth-worst player in the Italian top flight.

As such, with West Brom already paying the wages of a centre-forward who has not exactly been in breathtaking goalscoring form this season in the shape of Jordan Hugill, the last thing Ismael needs is another striker who has struggled to hit the back of the net in recent campaigns – something that leads us to believe that Jones’ recent update will have Baggies fans buzzing.

In other news: Ismael could solve a major issue as WBA begin talks for “outstanding” £27k-p/w machine

Many Everton fans have been left fuming over some transfer news that has emerged on Lucas Digne.

As per Goal, the Goodison Park faithful are now offering the France international to various teams ahead of the January transfer window, with Chelsea thought to be one of those clubs interested in his signature.

They are trying to convince the Merseyside club to loan Digne to them until the end of the season, following the news of Ben Chilwell’s ACL injury.

After a reported row with Rafa Benitez, Digne has now missed the Toffees’ last three matches in the Premier League, and so speculation over his future remains, while Chilwell will be out for the remainder of the season due to surgery required on his knee.

However, given that Digne still remains the Toffees’ only senior left-back in the squad, it would seem silly to loan him out next month, especially without at least a couple of replacements lined up.

Everton fans on Digne transfer news

These Blues fumed as the exit claim was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it was ‘crazy’:

“If that’s true it’s crazy”

Credit: @RyLondon

“WHY?!?!?!?”

Credit: @_luke1878_

“Jesus Christ. Rafa out”

Credit: @Robbdoogan1

“If Everton are open to loaning Digne, France’s left-back, experienced player and always top statistically in his position, we are being more inept and brainless than first thought.”

Credit: @followeverton

“The stupidest idea I’ve ever heard, sick of Rafa now”

Credit: @_luke1878_

“This really would be such an Everton thing to do.. letting Digne go is ridiculous as it is but to let him go out on loan in January is insanity”

Credit: @DeanOverton

In other news, find out who has now been backed to join Everton here!