All posts by n8rngtd.top

Swansea City’s automatic promotion hopes are all but over after a 1-0 defeat against QPR at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

The late concession, combined with Watford’s 1-0 win against Norwich City, means that Steve Cooper’s side have to win all three of their remaining games, and hope that the Hornets lose all three of theirs if they want to finish in second place.

The Swans were second best for much of the game, with QPR hitting the woodwork twice before finally taking the lead with 89 minutes gone, with Lyndon Dykes smashing home from Albert Adomah’s clever through ball.

One man who particularly disappointed for Swansea at the Liberty Stadium was Wayne Routledge.

As per SofaScore, the 36-year-old veteran would earn a 6.8/10 rating for his performance, with only Ryan Bennett (6.6) and Kyle Naughton (6.6) rated lower of the players who started the game.

The winger, who was featuring up front in the absence of Andre Ayew, blew a great opportunity to give Swansea the lead in the first half when he hit the post, whilst he was extremely wasteful when played through on goal by Jamal Lowe, as his heavy touch allowed the goalkeeper to snatch the ball when he was one-on-one.

During the game, the veteran attacker would have just 28 touches of the ball and would only manage to complete 7/13 of his passes, resulting in a less than impressive 54% pass accuracy rate.

Not only is this far below the 64% rate he has averaged in the Championship this season, but it was also the fewest passes played by anyone on the pitch, with both goalkeepers completing twice as many.

Routledge was caught offside on three occasions which highlighted his lack of attacking positioning, whilst the fact that he managed to lose possession on nine occasions, despite being involved so little, will surely frustrate Cooper.

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To compound a miserable display, Routledge would win just 4/11 of his duels during the game and failed to hit the target with any of his shots, so you could definitely argue that he let Cooper down when the manager was relying on his experience to help see his side through what was a must-win game for the Swans.

And, in other news… Winter could sign Swansea their ideal Ayew heir in £225k-rated beast, Cooper would love him

Ben Johnson delivered a promising performance on his return to the starting line-up despite West Ham United succumbing to a 3-2 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.

David Moyes recalled the 21-year-old to his starting squad for the first time in four Premier League games, after hamstring injuries ruled Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku out of action.

The Irons boss had only fielded Johnson from the bench in two of West Ham’s prior three top-flight fixtures, after a chastening display from the academy graduate in defeat to Manchester United last month.

Johnson was widely criticised for his efforts at Old Trafford, with former Sheffield United midfielder Michael Brown claiming “I think he is frightened” after the youngster struggled to consistently get forward.

A first half red card for Craig Dawson this afternoon ensured that Johnson could not alleviate those concerns at Newcastle, as West Ham were forced to play much of the game with 10 men and needed a stable foundation in the hope of mounting a second half comeback.

However, Johnson still had chances to get forward and help to create openings for a Hammers side missing Michail Antonio due to a hamstring injury, and he ended the day with a team-high three key passes to his name, per WhoScored.

Only Newcastle’s dynamic dribbler Allan Saint-Maximin, who consistently ran at the Irons’ defence, created more goalscoring opportunities (five) than Johnson, while Vladimir Coufal and Mark Noble (two each) represented the visitor’s next-best options , per WhoScored.

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Jesse Lingard endured a very quiet first half and saw plenty of the ball after the break, but struggled to show his creativity before lashing home a thunderous penalty to restore parity with 10 minutes to play.

He would later limp off the pitch after appearing to develop cramp in his hamstring, having failed to offer a single key pass for the second game running and the fourth since joining the Irons on loan from Manchester United in February.

Johnson – who Franck McAvennie previously claimed is “a joy to watch” – also stood strong defensively to produce a vital goal-line clearance to deny Jacob Murphy in the closing stages, and further offered a joint team-high three successful tackles with Tomas Soucek.

Unlike Soucek, who was dribbled past twice, Johnson was only beaten on the ground once, with the £19k-per-week talent enjoy a vastly more productive afternoon than his Premier League match average of 0.8 tackles this season.

Johnson also won five of his seven ground duels and delivered seven crosses into the Newcastle box, with five finding an Irons teammate, per SofaScore.

Only Vladimir Coufal (seven) won more ground duels for West Ham than the left-back, while Lingard attempted the next-most crosses but failed to find a claret and blue shirt with any of his six deliveries, per SofaScore.

Lingard may have continued his run of either scoring or assisting in Premier League games for West Ham to seven in a row with his penalty, but Johnson was Moyes’ real positive from a disappointing defeat to Steve Bruce’s relegation-threatened Magpies.

AND in other news, a £4.5m-rated West Ham enforcer is being lined up for a summer move out of east London…

Celtic have reached a verbal agreement with Eddie Howe to become the club’s new first-team manager.

That’s according to a report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a Hoops source that ‘Howe has indicated he will take on the role and is ready to put pen to paper.’

This comes after Howe met Dermot Desmond in London for face to face talks, via The Daily Mail.

Howe announcement in a matter of days?

The report adds that the 43-year-old is now set to be appointed in the coming days.

Howe has been out of work since August after leaving Bournemouth, but it seems as if Celtic will be the third club of his managerial career.

Transfer Tavern take

It now seems as if almost every piece is completed in the Howe jigsaw, but as we know with Ben Davies’ dramatic collapsed Parkhead switch in January, anything could still happen.

Crystal Palace and Newcastle have both been loosely linked with Howe, but it appears as if he is about to make the move to Glasgow.

He revealed back in November that his next job would have to be one that ‘really motivated’ him, and it seems as if Desmond has managed to sell a move to Celtic Park.

In other news: Hoops continue to be linked with international defender, find out more here. 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who scored 306 goals for Wolves, believes Pedro Neto can push himself to the levels Cristiano Ronaldo has reached during his career.

Neto has been Wolves’ main man since Raul Jimenez fractured his skull, and the Portugal international has registered five goals and five assists in just his second season in the Premier League.

During Ronaldo’s second season with Manchester United, he registered five goals and six assists, meaning Neto requires just one assist this season to equal what began to get Ronaldo the attention he received in England.

Wolves legend Bull believes Neto is already at a big club so doesn’t think he will be leaving any time soon either and can develop into a similarly important player for Wolves, as Ronaldo was for the Red Devils.

Speaking on Neto’s potential and whether he could replicate what Ronaldo has during his career, Bull told FFC exclusively:

“I think he can stretch to those levels, I really do.”

He added: “He’s absolutely class, he just floats across the grass and the way he stretches his legs past players is absolutely unbelievable.

“I know there’s a lot of talk saying he’ll go to a big club, but he is at a big club now with a big manager.

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“I’d say in the next 18 months to two years we will be in the top five or six.”

Neto is currently Wolves’ joint top scorer with five goals alongside Ruben Neves, but the winger is leading the way in assists with Daniel Podence closest in second with two.

The 21-year old signed a new deal in November last year to keep him at Molineux for another five years so if he was to leave like Jamie Carragher believes he will do, Wolves will be able to command a large fee.

According to the Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has his sights set on raiding Premier League rivals Southampton once again this summer…

What’s the word?

It’s claimed that the Portuguese is considering a move for Saints centre-back Jannik Vestergaard ahead of the next transfer window, a year after sealing fellow Dane, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, from the very same club.

The 28-year-old has entered the final 18 months of his current £60k-per-week contract at St Mary’s Stadium, leaving Spurs with a belief that they could land themselves another bargain.

It remains to be seen what sort of fee Vestergaard would command, though he is valued at just £13.5m by Transfermarkt.

Mourinho’s own Van Dijk?

A lot of comparisons will be made to the success of Hojbjerg since swapping the south coast for the capital, but instead, Mourinho could be eyeing up a solution to one of his biggest bugbears.

Back in January, Evening Standard reporter Dan Kilpatrick revealed that the Spurs boss was seeking a new centre-back, one that could totally transform their fortunes to the magnitude of that of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool.

‘Mourinho wants his own transformative signing, a defender who could have the same impact on Spurs as Van Dijk at Liverpool or Ruben Dias at Man City.’

Vestergaard has been likened to the former Saints star, so it would not be a surprise to see him follow in similar footsteps. Martin Keown told talkSPORT: “It’s his passing. It reminds me of Van Dijk.”

The Liverpool monster cost a whopping £75m and has helped guide the Merseyside giants to Champions League and Premier League glory, so evidently, it’s well worth investing in the right defender.

At 6 foot 6 inches, the Denmark international has a very similar commanding frame to that of Van Dijk, on top of Keown making comparisons to his passing ability.

Only one other Saints player has managed a better average WhoScored rating (7.09) for the current campaign, despite all of their recent struggles, whilst he tops the charts for aerials won (3.6 per game) and clearances (four per game).

That only shows his no-nonsense nature. And despite his height, he’s no slouch for speed as outlined when tracking Dominic Calvert-Lewin down earlier this season, via The Athletic.

No other Southampton defender can match his 83.9% passing accuracy either – Van Dijk isn’t too far ahead (89.1% accuracy last season) and only Davinson Sanchez (86% accuracy) is clear from a Spurs perspective.

Vestergaard, dubbed a “role model” by current boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, would also add some leadership to Mourinho’s backline, something that could well be necessary if reports linking club captain Hugo Lloris with an exit to Paris Saint-Germain this summer are true.

If Daniel Levy is to deliver Mourinho that ‘transformative’ signing, then he should probably look no further than a player who is very much in the mould of Van Dijk himself.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Kane told he could be trophy-less legend at Spurs if he stays…

According to Football Insider, Newcastle United are set to recall Matty Longstaff back into the first team squad soon.

The 20-year-old was linked with a move away from the Magpies in the summer transfer window, as Udinese were interested in him. The midfielder ended up signing a new contract with the Tyneside club and he could now be set for a first team recall.

Frozen out Longstaff set for return

Football Insider recently reported about the younger Longstaff, saying that the midfielder was playing for Newcastle’s youth team to build up his fitness, and Bruce is now set to give him another chance in the first team amidst their poor run of form in the Premier League.

He recently started in a Premier League 2 game against Sunderland and hasn’t featured for the first team since playing against Arsenal two months ago.

In the Premier League, he has made only five appearances this term and he has now played thrice for the club’s under-23s side. He had sustained an injury early in the season, which partially explains his dearth of senior game-time.

The 20-year-old had scored on his Premier League debut against Manchester United last season, which left Bruce saying that he had “never witnessed” a better top-flight bow in his managerial career. The Newcastle boss also said of the young midfielder: “He trains every day with a big beaming smile. He is so refreshing. He wants to play and is a great kid.”

Longstaff will add midfield depth

Currently valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, Longstaff can play in central or defensive midfield. The Magpies have just one out-and-out option in the defensive midfield area and the 20-year-old will add numbers in that role as well as the central midfield berth, where Bruce is well-stocked.

Considering that the younger Longstaff scored twice last season in a limited number of appearances, Newcastle could do with some of his goals from the middle of the park. If anything, his return to the first team fold should add considerable strength to the side.

In other news, Liam Kennedy has discussed one factor which could affect the possibility of a Newcastle takeover – read more here.

Lee Ryder has claimed that Newcastle United are not seeing the best of Ryan Fraser after they drew 0-0 away at West Brom in the Premier League.

Writing in his latest player ratings piece for The Chronicle, the journalist was particularly critical of the former Bournemouth man’s delivery from crosses and gave him a mere 5/10 overall rating, the joint-lowest out of any Magpies player to have set foot on the pitch.

Fraser must do more for Newcastle

With the injuries to Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron, Fraser really needs to step up for the St James’ Park faithful from now until the end of the 2020/21 term.

However, the Scotland international was far from impressive against Sam Allardyce’s men at The Hawthorns. He failed to record a single shot on goal or successful dribble, and lost possession of the ball no fewer than 20 times, the third most out of any of his teammates (Sofascore).

Fraser was largely ineffective throughout the match, registering ten fewer touches than his own goalkeeper Martin Dubravka (Sofascore), and he really needs to have more of an influence in attacking areas if Steve Bruce’s team are to score the goals that they need to stay up in the top flight. Ryder’s constructive criticism is very much on point here.

In other news, find out why some Toon players are angry at Bruce!

Leeds United have been linked to several new defensive options this month. However, an update from Phil Hay clarified that they are not expecting any new signings before the window shuts.

According to French outlet Le10Sport, the Whites were named alongside Southampton in the battle for Romain Perraud’s signature. The report claims that despite the Frenchman still having four years on his current deal, interest is mounting for his services.

Should Leeds have signed Perraud?

Marcelo Bielsa has been faced with several injury concerns this season, with summer signings Robin Koch and Diego Llorente both out of action. Not only has the Argentinian been plagued with fitness issues, but the idea of Ezgjan Alioski leaving the club is looking more and more likely.

Fotomac reports that the left-back has been linked to a move to Galatasaray, with the Turkish outfit are looking to replace Marcelo Saracchi and eyeing Alioski with his contract being up at the end of the season.

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If the North Macedonian leaves Elland Road, Bielsa will be left with only youngster Leif Davis as his option on the left flank. Whilst he can rely on Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas and their versatility, it’s simply not a feasible option to deploy his players out of position for the foreseeable future.

Leeds should have moved for Perraud, as they would have been signing a ready-made replacement for Alioski. According to WhoScored, the Brest defender already has more goalscoring contributions than the Leeds ace, as well as a higher average of interceptions and clearances per match.

Perraud also has similar stats to Alioski when it comes to passing accuracy and aerial duels won as well as tackles. With the former also being younger than the Leeds left-back, he has a lot more in his tank to give to the cause and would have been a very smart option to bring in, in case Alioski’s future lies beyond Elland Road.

With a Transfermarkt value of £7.2million, Perraud likely wouldn’t break the bank if Andrea Radrizzani decided to loosen the purse strings. He could’ve be the ideal addition to the squad ahead of tonight’s deadline.

In other news, Leeds must revisit transfer swoop for Divock Origi…

According to Corriere Adriatico, via Sport Witness, Crystal Palace are one of several sides interested in signing former Brighton & Hove Albion right-back Ezequiel Schelotto in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

It is believed that Schelotto, who has been without a club since being released by Brighton in the summer, is wanted by Serie C side US Sambenedettese, but ‘there might be some obstacle’ in the form of the Eagles.

The 31-year-old free agent fell out of favour at the AMEX Stadium but has also attracted interest from the likes of Championship club Watford and Italian side SPAL

However, Sambenedettese president Domenico Serafino has been in constant communication with his agent to try and engineer a move for Schelotto, which has given Steve Parish the golden opportunity to pull the plug on any potential transfer.

Must avoid Edgar Davids 2.0

Not that he’d like to admit it, but Roy Hodgson has a bit of a problem at right-back. Nathaniel Clyne hasn’t quite cut the mustard, which has led Football FanCast to call for the club to cut ties with Clyne, and new summer recruit Nathan Ferguson is sidelined due to injury, whilst Joel Ward isn’t getting any younger. Yet it’s fair to say that Schelotto isn’t the answer to all their problems – we can’t understand their reported interest at all.

Back in the summer of 2010, former Netherlands international midfielder Edgar Davids arrived at Selhurst Park on a pay-as-you-play deal, despite the fact the 37-year-old had been without a club for almost two years. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as it turns out, just about everything, as he struggled to get to grips with Championship football and made just seven appearances in all competitions before leaving the club by mutual consent.

While Schelotto may be a good fit for Watford – he has a decent amount of experience in the European leagues – it’s fair to say that he simply wouldn’t be the right man for Palace.

Would the one-time Italy international be any better than Clyne? Not at all if you take a closer look at the statistics.

Clyne 29, is two years his junior, and the differences don’t stop there, either. Last season, the Italian produced low numbers for tackles (0.4) and interceptions (0.8) per game, of which Clyne tops with 1.3 and 1.7 respectively, and he failed to offer much in the final third, attempting just 0.6 dribbles per game in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

With that in mind, coupled with the fact he earned around £32,000-per-week in wages at the AMEX Stadium, Parish must simply avoid signing Schelotto at all costs, as he could turn out to be yet another expensive mistake.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke was Roy Hodgson’s unsung hero against Arsenal…

This has been a pretty average year for Sunderland, a period of time where once again, they’ve been stuck in the doldrums.

The Black Cats failed to achieve promotion from League One and are now enduring a third successive year at this level.

For a club with such a steep history, this isn’t good enough. Excuses run deep from the players, manager and all the way to board level.

However, are they beginning to turn the tide heading towards a new year? Stewart Donald has now sold his majority stake in the club to 22-year-old Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and they have also finally sacked Phil Parkinson.

Lee Johnson arrived and although they were being beaten on his first day in the job, promising signs have emerged. Together with Kristjaan Speakman and their new owners, there are reasons to be positive and hopeful for a brighter future at the Stadium of Light.

Therefore, what better way to spend a period where the Mackems have no games than by doing a quiz? We bet you can’t get 100% right on these former and current player career paths…

AND in other news, SAFC must swoop for “speedball” who’s a “nightmare to play against”…