All posts by h716a5.icu

Sheffield United have had their fair share of problems this season.

The Blades are yet to win a game in the Premier League and they’ve been without two of their best players for a prolonged period, with Jack O’Connell and John Fleck both being sidelined with injuries as of late.

Unfortunately, these injuries have coincided with a number of their other players losing form, and one man who lost his spot in the team on Saturday was Ollie Norwood.

The Northern Irishman was replaced by Ethan Ampadu in the midfield, and it’s fair to say that the Welsh youngster put in a fine performance.

Ampadu added some much-needed defensive grit into the midfield, winning three tackles and making two interceptions, while he was also solid going forward by completing almost 90% of his passes.

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the youngster has shone in this position as he’s been brilliant throughout his Blades career so far, whether that be at centre-back or in midfield.

His technical ability was highlighted from an early age, with Chris Coleman speaking very highly of him back in 2017:

“He’s very similar to David Luiz. Look at young Ampadu’s style of play; he’s a stylish centre-back or holding midfielder,” Coleman was quoted as saying by The Sun (via SportsMole).

Ok, Chris Wilder may have watched his side lose at the weekend, but there’s no real shame in being turned over by the reigning Premier League champions who amassed 99 points last season, and a 2-1 scoreline is more than respectable.

The narrow defeat has certainly given the Yorkshire outfit a platform to build on in the coming weeks, and if they want to keep up the good performances they may want to put Ampadu in for Norwood on a more full-time basis.

A lot of Crystal Palace fans are flooding to a tweet by the club which has announced that the W88 Player of the Month for October is Jaïro Riedewald.

The Dutch midfielder is arguably the only good thing to come from Frank de Boer’s short reign in charge of the South London side, although it hasn’t been the easiest journey for the 24 year-old as he has only played 43 appearances since his arrival in 2017.

October was arguably Riedewald’s best month for the club as he slotted in for the injured James McCarthy and managed to score his first goal in the Premier League against Fulham.

Not only is his quality truly starting to show nearly four years after his arrival, but fans have seen how good he is in multiple positions as he picked up the Player of the Month award last season for his performances at left-back.

Clearly fans feel this accolade he has received is more than deserved with one calling him an ‘absolute baller’.

Here is how Palace fans are reacting to the news:

In other Palace news, have a read of the latest club update that has the fan base very excited here!

Glasgow Rangers striker Jermain Defoe scored his 300th goal in his club career as Steven Gerrard’s side cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Livingston in the Scottish Premiership last month.

However, the end is surely nigh for the former 57-cap England international, as his current contract will run out in 2021. Rangers chief Ross Wilson will be secretly relieved to see the back of him as he reportedly earns wages which are worth £65,000-per-week, which makes him the highest-paid player at the club, despite his age.

The writing has been on the wall for quite some time as Rangers signed back-up striker options in Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe on four-year-deals for an undisclosed fee in the summer. Whilst Alfredo Morelos is the main man, it’s money that could instead be used to convince the Colombian and Ryan Kent to sign new and improved deals.

The 38-year-old has struggled for game time so far this season as he has been limited to just 193 minutes played in all competitions. Defoe has made 56 appearances for the Gers, scoring 27 goals and supplying 10 assists in 56 games, which is an impressive return when you consider the fact that this goalscoring monster isn’t getting any younger.

He has bagged two goals and two assists in four games in all competitions so far this season, having missed the first six top flight fixtures with a recurring hamstring injury.

However, he has arguably entered the twilight of his career, as he was axed from the Europa League squad to make room for new summer recruit Bongani Zungu.

Gerrard believes Defoe was trying “too hard” to get on the scoresheet as Rangers ran riot over Hamilton Academical at Ibrox before the international break (via The Glasgow Times).

It’s not so long ago since John Hartson insisted Gerrard doesn’t know his best team after the arrivals of Defoe and Davis in 2019. Not that we want to admit it but it looks like he may have had a point. The Ibrox boss is hardly short of striker options as he already has four alternatives to choose from – and that’s without even mentioning Greg Stewart.

Removing Defoe from the equation would make his life a little easier as it would give Itten more guaranteed game time in order to continue to grow and develop as a player.

With less than 12 months left on his current deal, the Gers should start to think about cashing in on a player Gerrard once called “world class.”

AND in other news, Gerrard could unearth the next Ryan Jack in Glasgow Rangers loanee Stephen Kelly…

Crystal Palace must make a cut-throat decision on Mamadou Sakho’s future at Selhurst Park amid links abroad.

What’s the word?

The 30-year-old defender has struggled with injuries so far this season, and has yet to feature since the 2-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage in October, where he made a brief cameo from the bench, and it now appears the end is nigh for the former France international.

Sakho had been heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park in the summer, with L’Equipe reporting that Ligue 1 side Lyon were interested in the centre-back, but that deal failed to materialise.

However, he has been handed another lifeline, if recent reports are to be believed. According to Estadio Deportivo, Real Betis are interested in securing his services as they are targeting players who are out of contract next summer.

The clock is ticking

Having returned to Palace on a permanent basis from Liverpool for £26m in 2017, things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Sakho at Selhurst Park. The veteran defender has had his fair share of injury problems during his time at Palace, having played just 74 games for the club since his move was made permanent.

As a result, he has often found it difficult to establish himself in Roy Hodgson’s side, with Gary Cahill and James Tomkins the preferred defensive pairing last season.

Hodgson has been frustrated by his injury problems in the past, saying: “He feels, in his own words, scared that something’s going to happen if he plays and he’s unwilling to take the risk.

“We thought he was going to be back, but he is still feeling his calf injury. At the moment he is making it clear he doesn’t feel confident enough to play.

“I’m disappointed in that as I thought we would have got him back after the Newcastle second half when he played so well, but it hasn’t turned out that way. We will just have to wait and see but it’s really when he lets us know he’s ready. We’ll have to wait and see, and we are waiting for him to let us know when he’s ready.”

As much as we hate to admit it, it’s fair to say that he has simply been more trouble than what he is worth, which is precisely why the Eagles must get rid of him at all costs by any means necessary in January.

With his contract coming to a close in a matter of months, coupled with the fact that the £8.5m-rated outcast has been left on the bench for the past four Premier League games in a row, Palace chairman Steve Parish must make the ruthless call to cash in on him when the winter transfer market opens in just under a month’s time.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace must swoop for Reading defender Omar Richards in January…

Southampton rose into the Premier League’s top four by whitewashing rock bottom Sheffield United at St Mary’s Stadium this lunchtime.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men were convincing in victory, starting with Che Adams’ opener just after the half-hour mark. He pounced inside the six-yard box to produce a proper poacher’s finish before Stuart Armstrong bagged a second and Nathan Redmond came off the bench to add a third.

For now, Saints are sat in third place depending on this evening’s result at Leicester City – a defeat there and the south-coasters could only be behind Spurs and Liverpool.

Adams took many of the plaudits, rating out as the home side’s best player at 8.0 on SofaScore but another one of Hasenhuttl’s stars stood out in what will undoubtedly be an underrated display.

After all, they did keep a clean sheet, so the defence deserves plenty of credit too. None more so than the right-back.

Kyle Walker-Peters was heavily involved for the Saints, recording 82 touches throughout the 90 minutes he was on the pitch, only one other midfielder or attacking player managed more, also via SofaScore.

The £13.5m-rated dynamo won seven of ten duels, made 100% of his two dribbles, put in two tackles and even enjoyed a shot at goal.

He was also particularly accurate in his passing, making 87% of 60 attempts, which was even better than attacking playmaker Armstrong.

HampshireLive summed up his performance well, giving him an 8/10.

They said:

“Energetic from the get-go at St. Mary’s and a player who looks as if he will only get better and better with fans present. He was trusting in his teammates and crucial to a fine first-half performance.”

Walker-Peters is looking more and more like a fine piece of business by the Saints as he continues to star at right-back.

Industrious as ever, the 23-year-old has now started and played the full 90 in all 12 of their top-flight outings this term, and with continued showings like that, he’ll be a hard man for Hasenhuttl to withdraw in the future.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Redmond: Saints handed transfer boost in pursuit of “bizarre” £14m magician…

Tottenham Hotspur, for the time being, are back in Premier League action this evening and Jose Mourinho’s side are in dire need of a victory after a recent slump in form.

Last time out, the north Londoners seemed to be heading for a 1-0 victory over Wolves before Romain Saiss headed home from an 86th-minute corner.

It means Spurs have not won any of their last four outings in the top-flight, so changes should be afoot – none more so than in defence where their frailties were exposed at Molineux.

Mourinho must make the easy decision to recall Toby Alderweireld…

On the Chalkboard

There will be many clamouring for Dele Alli to start this match tonight as there was an obvious creative void behind Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, and maybe, the 24-year-old should be handed a rare opportunity.

However, the game confirmed to everyone that Davinson Sanchez is pretty much done in a Spurs shirt as he struggled to make his mark against, what was effectively, a strikerless Wolves outfit.

WhoScored graded him as their second-worst player with a 6.5 rating, which is hardly surprising as the enigma that is Pedro Neto rang rings around him all evening.

The simple solution is bringing the Belgian colossus, valued at €30m (£26.5m), back into the starting XI. It was rather baffling that he was dropped, even if it was merely a rest for these upcoming fixtures.

Alderweireld has been a crucial part of the lineup which saw impressive clean sheets against Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea in recent months. He is also recording a squad-high 5.3 interceptions and is conceding the second-fewest fouls per game, as per WhoScored.

Speaking after the City win, former PL shot-stopper Paul Robinson waxed lyrical over the 31-year-old titan to Football Insider, he said:

“I have always said that Alderweireld is the best defender at the club and he should play every week. Over the past three games, he has proved that. He is a leader on the pitch and he should start every game between now and the end of the season.”

Indeed, it’s time for the ‘Special One’ to listen to these exact words – Spurs are far weaker without him. Alli may well need to start this match for attacking purposes, but Alderweireld’s presence is far more game-changing.

He can guide them to victory should the game go ahead.

AND in other news, Jose Mourinho suffers HUGE untimely blow to his Tottenham Hotspur squad…

New West Brom boss Sam Allardyce has it all to do in January if he’s to turn around the sinking Baggies ship this season, though he may be about to resolve one of their biggest problems in one fell swoop…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Star, out-of-favour Manchester United defender Phil Jones is a target for the struggling Midlands outfit next month.

It’s claimed that the Red Devils are even willing to pay a ‘considerable portion’ of his whopping £120k-per-week wages in order to get him off the books at Old Trafford.

Albion manager Big Sam is targeting a new centre-back as his number one priority, as per the report, and knows Jones well from a stint at Blackburn Rovers in 2009/10.

Righting Bilic’s wrongs…

The Baggies’ summer activity was nothing short of a shambles as Slaven Bilic failed to secure experienced heads in the backline, and a move for the 28-year-old would certainly resolve that.

After Ahmed Hegazi was sold in October, the Croatian was left with players who have either never cut it or have never played in the top-flight. Indeed, the only centre-back they signed was Cedric Kipre from then-Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic.

Yes, they signed a 36-year-old Branislav Ivanovic, but it’s clear to see he’s done and dusted unlike Thiago Silva as his former club, Chelsea.

The Athletic claim he even rejected the chance to sign Shane Duffy, who has since gone to Celtic and already clinched a trophy. A decision that has proven to be a disaster already – the Midlands outfit rank second-worst for goals conceded so far this season.

Allardyce desperately needs a fresh figure in a defence that leaks two goals per game on average.

The United outcast has won a Premier League, Europa League and an FA Cup, and has also racked up 200 appearances in the English top-flight.

Big Sam once touted Jones to become England captain one day back in 2011, he said:

“I was never in doubt that he was going to make it. He is already growing into what I consider to be a leader. When he gets more experience he will be able to control his team-mates and eventually he will wear the armband for England. It’s a lot to ask of such a young man but he has the all-round outstanding ability to be a very top player.”

Whilst ex-United boss Louis van Gaal emphasised his versatile nature, after offering him a new contract, he claimed: “Phil is a talented footballer with great versatility.”

Even Jose Mourinho was a fan, dubbing the Englishman the ‘ideal’ defender, suggesting he’s “everything I like in a central defender.”

Yet he finds himself hugely out-of-favour under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer despite their defensive frailties, so a new start at the Hawthorns could be exactly what both Jones and Albion need.

AND in other news, Dowling heading for a familiar mistake as HUGE club eye Baggies sensation…

Lots of Everton fans have been hailing a transfer link to Moises Caicedo as Diario Extra have reported that they are interested in his signature.

As per the news outlet, his next destination is either at the Goodison Park faithful or a club in the MLS, therefore seemingly ruling out the possibility of him going to Manchester United.

The Ecuador international is a highly-regarded prospect with four senior caps for his country already as well as 31 games played for his club Independiente at the tender age of just 19 (Transfermarkt).

A central midfield player by trade, he could certainly learn and develop under Carlo Ancelotti, and so it would be a wise idea by the Merseyside club to get a deal over the line as soon as possible.

Everton fan reaction to Caicedo link

These Toffees supporters hailed the link to Caicedo on Twitter, with one Blue even branding the midfielder as having ‘superstar potential’:

“Cracking player, sign him up”

Credit: @parryateverton

“Hell of a player!!”

Credit: @alvaro_ajimenez

“All the voices from here on the other side of the pond who closely follow South American football say this kid is the real article. Superstar potential.”

Credit: @AirborneDJ

“Never mind Khedira, this is type of player #efc need to be signing. Players with potential and who have everything to prove. Even if he didn’t work he has a sell on”

Credit: @TomFox87

“Could be a Marcel Brands masterclass this”

Credit: @MainManMina

“If we can add a few like him and Max Aarons every year along with Godfrey that’s the way to build”

Credit: @pdefc84

In other news, find out what injury update to one EFC ace has been lauded by fans here!

David Moyes must unleash Andriy Yarmolenko at striker when West Ham United visit non-league Stockport County for their FA Cup third round tie on Monday night.

Yarmolenko has rarely featured in any competition this term with the 31-year-old making just four starts so far, three of which came during the Hammers’ Carabao Cup campaign.

But the Irons are now down to only one recognised senior centre-forward in Michail Antonio ahead of their trip to Edgeley Park following Sebastien Haller’s £20m exit on Friday, and they can use their encounter with Jim Gannon’s side to discover potential alternatives.

Yarmolenko has struggled to find his role in Moyes’ Premier League plans this term and missed almost a month of action in the run-up to Christmas after testing positive for Coronavirus.

Yet the attacker had impressed when given a chance to display his talents in the EFL Cup, recording his entire five-goal contribution for the campaign to date with two goals and three assists against lower league opposition.

He also averaged 2.3 shots and 2.7 key passes a game across West Ham’s League Cup ties with Charlton Athletic, Hull City and Everton, won 4.3 duels and offered 1.3 successful tackles, per SofaScore.

Yarmolenko could now prove to be a lifesaver for West Ham in the January transfer market, and particularly to co-owner and Chairman David Sullivan, as an impressive showing at striker on Monday night may allow the London Stadium natives to save millions on signing a Haller replacement.

West Ham have been linked with moves for a host of options; including Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah, Bournemouth’s Joshua King – who could cost £15m – RB Salzburg’s £25m-rated Patson Daka and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, who reports claim the Irons may bid £30m for.

Moyes has experimented with his attacking options already this season by fielding Yarmolenko at centre-forward during his cameo appearances at Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in October, while starting Jarrod Bowen alongside Haller against Brighton & Hove Albion last month.

His decision to utilise Bowen up top at home to the Amex Stadium natives backfired horrifically, but Yarmolenko’s efforts left an impression on Moyes who was later tipped to put his faith behind the £7m-rated outcast to reap the rewards of his energy in the role.

Yarmolenko has also played centrally for Ukraine at times over the years, and an impressive showing against Stockport on Monday night could see Moyes save Sullivan millions in not having to splash out to land a back-up striker during the January transfer window.

AND in other news, David Sullivan can seal West Ham’s dream Sebastien Haller heir in an “extraordinary” gem.

Leeds United still haven’t sorted out the contract of Ezgjan Alioski, and with it expiring in the summer, Phil Hay has provided an update on the sought after North Macedonia international.

What Phil Hay had to say about Alioski

The journalist was asked by a fan on Twitter whether rumours of the left-sided player being sold are true, to which he replied: “Leeds still speaking to him about a new deal.”

Leeds need to keep Alioski

The 28 year-old has played 152 times for Leeds (Transfermarkt) and was key in the side getting promoted to England’s top flight. He has also featured 17 times in the Premier League this season and this highlights that he is still integral in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad.

The player has received a lot of praise for his performances in the past from former England striker Kevin Phillips, who said: “When he comes off the bench, he can change the game and if you start with him, he might be able to produce a bit of magic. Either way, he does not moan and every squad needs a player like that.”

Leeds fans will be happy to see that negotiations are continuing and with this sort of praise combined with the dedication and commitment he has put in to the club, there is no doubt that Alioski deserves a new deal. Hopefully, this will get sorted sooner rather than later.

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