All posts by n8rngtd.top

To suggest Celtic’s recruitment in the last few years has been shoddy would be putting things lightly.

The Hoops have got a lot of their transfers wrong and on that basis, it’s easy to see why they’ve relinquished their grasp on the SPFL title.

Last term they signed the likes of Boli Bolingoli, Hatem Elhamed, Moritz Bauer and Patryk Klimala.

Of those players signed in 2019/20, only one of them is currently in and around the Celtic squad; Klimala.

Bolingoli is out on loan while Elhamed has gone back to Israel. As for Bauer, he never stood a chance of having his loan spell extended in Glasgow.

Nick Hammond seemingly didn’t learn a year on. Once again, their movements in the transfer market left plenty to be desired.

They signed Vasilis Barkas for a fee of £4.5m, a player who has made a number of individual mistakes since putting pen to paper. To make matters worse, he isn’t even their number one goalkeeper at the moment.

Unfortunately, they also decided to spend £5m on Albian Ajeti; a transfer that now looks nothing short of disastrous.

Ajeti has had a poor few seasons but at the age of 24, still has plenty of potential. After all, you don’t score 21 goals in one season for European regulars Basel without having a bit of quality.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-boupendza-mcgeady-marsch-mccarthy” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

A move to West Ham followed that but he failed to score in 12 appearances. It’s not got much better for the Swiss forward since joining Celtic.

The striker has played 19 matches in the SPFL but has only scored six times. That means that Ajeti has cost Dermot Desmond nearly a whopping £1m per goal since signing. To be precise, he has cost £833k per goal.

Add his £13.5k-per-week wages into the equation and that’s a further £432k for the 32 weeks he’s been at Parkhead.

The money spent is made all the more frustrating by the small glimpses of quality we’ve seen from him. Ajeti scored five goals in his opening ten matches and netted a sensational strike against Kilmarnock in February.

Scott Brown played a long ball forward which was elegantly taken down by the Switzerland international. He was able to turn before firing the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

It was a strike worthy of a £5m player, but his form for large parts of the season hasn’t dictated that.

Ajeti’s goal against Killie was his first since September, a run stretching across 14 matches. Coincidentally, the former West Ham man hasn’t scored since that match.

Speaking in October, Alan Hutton suggested the attacker had been “anonymous” and that he was becoming a big problem for the management team. You can’t say the former defender doesn’t have a point.

Ajeti will desperately need to improve if he’s still at Paradise next term.

Aston Villa are hoping crucial star and captain Jack Grealish will be returning soon, however it looks like their upcoming derby against Wolves will be too early for him.

The latest on Grealish

Manager Dean Smith was previewing the all-Midlands clash against Wolves in his pre-match conference, via Birmingham Live: “Jack’s unlikely to feature on Saturday. I haven’t sat down with the medical staff yet but he was running on the AlterG (anti-gravity treadmill) yesterday, which is a positive because if he’s running it means he’s pain-free.”

The wait goes on

The skipper is a crucial member of Smith’s side and is a key component as Villa look to push on and finish in the top half of the Premier League, so understandably many fans are very worried about the injury.

His form this season has been electric and his goal contributions show that he has been involved in nearly half of Villa’s goals in the division this campaign, as Smith’s side have managed 37 in total (SofaScore). He has not just shone for Villa either but also England, with manager Gareth Southgate in awe of the Villa skipper, hailing his performance against Belgium as ‘outstanding‘.

The only positive is that the playmaker looks to be close to returning as he is pain-free so hopefully he will be back sooner rather than later.

In other Villa news, fans have been piling praise on one star at the club following his latest comments. Have a read who it is here!

Fans of Aston Villa have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which Gregg Evans relayed recent comments made by Dean Smith regarding Morgan Sanson’s progression at the club.

Since joining Villa from Olympique Marseille in what was a £14.22 million deal back in January, Sanson is yet to be awarded a start in the Premier League, with the midfielder’s four appearances for the club all coming as a substitute.

However, speaking prior to the club’s clash with Sheffield United on Wednesday evening, the 49-year-old Villa manager provided a rather positive update on the development of the £18 million-rated 26-year-old, suggesting that the Frenchman could be in line to start a fixture in the near future.

He said: “He’s starting to show what he’s about in games when he’s been coming on. But he’s an ambitious young man who wants to start games and I’m confident enough now that he can start games for us and I have no doubts putting him in.”

And, after Evans relayed Smith’s comments on Twitter, fans of Villa flocked to have their say on the matter, with many urging their manager to play Sanson from the off against the Blades.

So, what exactly did these Aston Villa fans have to say in reaction to Dean Smith’s comments regarding Morgan Sanson?

“Then start him, Dean.”

@WatkinsOffside2

“That comment suggests it’s Nakamba – McGinn – Sanson tomorrow then, I’m fine with that.”

@WWE__History

“It’s fantastic that we have the opportunity to do that this season. Whereas last season we had to chuck all new signings straight in without a slow introduction. It really showed what a difference it made, after last seasons lockdown, how important it is to have a steady introduction.”

@stegzy80

“I think we are easing him into premier league life perfectly tbh. He will become more of a major player for us as time goes by. He looks decent.”

@coleman83avfc

“I can see Sanson / Barkley starting as a 10 tomorrow in place of Ramsay. Maybe he will save Sanson for Wolves on Saturday though.”

@avfcsarco

“Get in! SANSON STARTING CONFIRMED?!”

@trickytargett

“I like this talk.”

@GaryBolton91

In other news, these Villa fans are loving this crazy statistic – find out more here!

Daniel Levy could round off a perfect Tottenham Hotspur attack this summer…

What’s the word?

According to Tuttosport, Spurs are among the teams monitoring Sampdoria attacking midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard ahead of the next transfer window.

It’s claimed that Jose Mourinho has the 20-year-old on his shortlist, though he’ll face competition from Serie A giants Juventus.

As per the report, it is thought that the Dane’s value has increased from €6.4m (£5.6m) to €20m (£18m) thanks to his impressive form in Genoa this season.

Imagine him, Son & Kane

So far this season, Spurs have heavily relied on the goalscoring exploits of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane, both have scored 13 times apiece, meaning they account for 72.2% of their goals in the Premier League.

Tanguy Ndombele is next up with only three goals whilst between right-sided options – Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn – just two goals have been scored. The latter two are suffering barren spells too.

The Brazilian has bagged just once in the top-flight since December 2019, whilst the Dutchman hasn’t found the net since football’s original return in June 2020.

Evidently, Mourinho could do with another option in his attack, and this is where Damsgaard fits the bill immensely.

Harry Kane is on course to become Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer! Own a piece of historic memorabilia with a signed Harry Kane White Hart Lane street sign. Click here to view and buy!

Ranking among Sampdoria’s consistent performers with an average rating of 6.76, the Danish international has proven to be an industrious source of goals, scoring twice as well as providing four assists, per WhoScored.

For Claudio Ranieri’s men, Damsgaard tops the charts for dribbles, managing 4.7 per 90 minutes at a completion rate of 61.7% but his work-rate doesn’t stop there as he puts in the graft defensively too –  a bit like Bergwijn.

No attacking outlet attempts more than his 4.7 tackles per 90, and more often than not, he’s a hard man to defeat as he’s managing a success rate of 51% and this should be right up Mourinho’s street as he wants his players to track back and help out the team.

Not even Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (4.5 per 90) is attempting more tackles than his fellow Dane, which speaks volumes.

The former Leicester City hero has also earmarked his impressive talent for a “big future” whilst TV 2 SPORT’s football expert Martin Mikkelsen dubbed him “magical,” adding: “He is dynamic and can go both ways. He is creative but also so mature in his decisions. Was that something we dreamed of? It’s awesome.”

That merely reinforces his potential fit in Mourinho’s attack alongside Son and Kane – he’s certainly doing far better than the seasoned and illustrious Bale this season, which is costing an abomination with wages of £240k-per-week, all for 230 minutes of PL action.

Levy ought to forget Bale this summer and swoop for the Blucerchiati gem, just imagine him in that Spurs attack.

AND in other news, Spurs’ £20.25m-rated target who “shows no nerves” could be a perfect buy for Mourinho…

Haris Seferovic is the latest striker to be linked with a move to the Hawthorns this week…

What’s the word?

According to Express & Star reporter Joseph Masi, West Brom are keen on the 6 foot 2 Benfica frontman as manager Sam Allardyce is keen to bolster his attack before the transfer deadline on February 1st.

He claims that the Primeira Liga outfit need to sell players this month, but the Baggies would only be able to bring him to the Midlands on a loan move with a view to making it permanent.

Which means a deal is currently looking unlikely, though talks remain ongoing.

Shades of Rickie Lambert

Whilst the need for a new forward is paramount to Albion’s survival chances, a swoop for Seferovic fails to make much sense. In fact, it’s bordering on being a panic buy.

Allardyce told reporters (via the BBC) that he will make “250 enquiries” before hopefully signing “three or four good players”, so there’s no need to settle for the 28-year-old just yet.

The 66-cap Swiss international has hardly been consistent at the top level over the course of his career, a 23-goal haul for the Eagles in 2018/19 is the one main outlier as he failed to notch more than three league goals in back-to-back seasons at Frankfurt as well as only managing a pair of league goals whilst at Real Sociedad.

That lucrative season for Benfica is the only time he’s surpassed seven for the club so far in three-and-a-half seasons, so there’s an argument over him being a one-season wonder, or at least there’s only been two campaigns of encouraging returns since joining on a free transfer in 2017.

In some ways, this is very similar to that of former Baggies striker Rickie Lambert. His record in the top-flight wasn’t great aside from hitting 13 and then 15 goals in successive seasons for Southampton.

The target man’s form earned him a move to Liverpool, where he would go onto score just three times before ending up at the Hawthorns, which drew an even worse tally of one goal from 24 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

According to FourFourTwo, Seferovic models his game on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whilst they also claim he’s ‘more [Alan] Shearer than [Thierry] Henry.’

Despite being dubbed “full-blooded” by former national team boss Ottmar Hitzfeld, something that makes the towering colossus seem fit for a relegation battle, his overall and long-term goalscoring record is far from ideal.

If he was unable to score regularly in the Champions and Europa League for any of this former clubs, then there’s nothing to suggest he’d be able to do it in what is a very competitive Premier League this season.

Sporting and technical director Luke Dowling must avoid this move for the time being.

AND in other news, 14% of duels won: this Baggies flop has just given Big Sam a major dilemma…

Alongside the several potential new players Celtic have been linked to this window, they also have their eye on a new manager. The Mirror recently reported that Rafael Benitez is in the picture to usurp Neil Lennon as head coach of the Glasgow giants, following his decision to leave his role in China.

No decision has been confirmed yet and Lennon is still very much in charge of the Hoops, but if he is to be shown the door, the club have a lot to thank him for.

Not only did the Irishman lead Celtic to their historic quadruple-treble accolade, alongside several Premiership titles but he has developed players like Ismaila Soro and David Turnbull into proven first team players.

The 2020/21 season has undeniably been tough on the Bhoys, who are down and out in their chances of securing a tenth consecutive Premiership trophy. They were also handed an early exit from the Europa League after conceding the joint-most amount of goals (19) and managing to win just one match out of the group stages.

With a crisis on their hands, Lennon was forced to rummage around in the substitutes barrel. Taking a punt, the boss took a chance on 2020 signings Turnbull and Soro. This is one of the smartest decisions Lennon has made this season and if he is to part ways with Celtic, he will leaving two ready-made stars in his wake.

According to Transfermarkt, Turnbull has contributed six goals and three assists for Celtic this season, despite only making his first start in October. He has been the difference for his side on numerous occasions, including his goal to secure a point against Hibernian earlier this month.

Soro has also made a vast difference to Celtic’s midfield and has taken the place of Scott Brown on several occasions. According to WhoScored, the 22-year-old has averaged a higher passing accuracy than the Hoops skipper and more interceptions and tackles per match.

This goes to show the benefits of Lennon taking a risk as he desperately tried to turn this season on its head. Whilst he hasn’t achieved what he wanted, he can be proud that he has developed two overlooked players into solid and reliable starters.

In other news, Carlton Palmer believes Benitez would be good coup for Celtic…

Everton fans have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed footage of Robbie Savage and Chris Sutton, who labelled Dominic Calvert-Lewin a diver.

Speaking on BBC Five Live Sport, Sutton stated the Everton forward was the winner of the ‘simulation game’, going on to say that Calvert-Lewin was ‘better than that’ and to ‘just stop it’ when it came to simulation, before Savage also repeated the call that the £40.5 million-rated 23-year-old was ‘better than that’.

So far this season, Calvert-Lewin has been in incredibly fine form over his 16 league appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, scoring 11 goals and averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.40 – ranking him as the club’s second-best performer in the top flight.

And, after BBC Five Live Sport shared the footage of Savage and Sutton on Twitter, fans of Everton flocked to have their say on the matter, with many left furious by the pundits’ remarks.

So, what exactly did these Everton fans have to say in reaction to Robbie Savage and Chris Sutton’s comments regarding Dominic Calvert-Lewin?

“Staggered by this. DCL wouldn’t even be in the top 100 divers in the Prem! Look at Man U diving to get pens every week! Liverpool get them every other week! Leicester are trying it, Jose has got Kane doing it at Spurs…and you choose to highlight DCL. Absolutely bonkers!”

@DannyBrodders

“Really weird take this. Calvert-Lewin isn’t even renowned for going down and he didn’t even claim for a penalty. So many more obvious examples than any of the players mentioned there.”

@matt8284

“Utter embarrassments, the state on this pair. One player who oozes integrity..and you rate him as a cheater or and a diver. You lack class… But hardly surprised. You spout bile to try and stay relevant… But you are utterly irrelevant. Not surprised that BBC is going downhill”

@Rexellis75

“So funny. This is pathetic you have started with someone who would struggle to make the top 100 premier league divers #pathetic #boring what are the chances the actual cheaters such as Harry Kane, Mo Salah, Bruno Fernandez don’t make this list”

@jonty1878

“This is utterly absurd.”

@EmmaHanko

“sack them now absolute joke. Never been booked for simulation.”

@LHenney06

In other Everton news, find out which Everton man has been linked with a move to West Brom here!

It’s been reported that Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has rejected the club’s ‘very lucrative’ initial new contract offer, with the 2018 World Cup winner’s current deal set to expire a year and a half from now.

This news comes after reports emerged claiming that Lloris is wanted by former Tottenham boss, and new Paris Saint-Germain manager, Mauricio Pochettino.

Long-term Levy plan

This contract update on Lloris was originally reported by Football Insider, who have claimed that the Lilywhites’ owner and chairman Daniel Levy, who Lloris claimed to have a good relationship with back in 2016, is keen to sign the Frenchman to a long-term deal that would effectively see him spend the rest of his career at Spurs.

It’s claimed in this report that the Lilywhites hierarchy ‘still have great faith’ in the £10.8m-rated man, as does Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.

Tottenham Hotspur knocked back

Pochettino’s appointment at Le Parc des Princes seems to have thrown a spanner in the works of this long-term Levy plan to tie Lloris down to a long-term deal, which the club has reportedly been working on since August, as Mourinho’s side are now said to be prepared to try and battle ‘strong interest’ from PSG for the goalkeeper’s signature.

With Spurs’ early attempts to get Lloris tied down to a new deal having been knocked back, and the club said to be determined not to allow their captain to enter the final year of his contract amid interest from PSG, it certainly seems that unless they can convince Lloris to change his mind and commit his future to Tottenham in the next few months, a summer departure could well be on the cards.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Spurs and Levy’s negotiations over a new deal for star attacker, Son Heung-min.

David Moyes’ decision to field West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen as a makeshift centre-forward against Brighton and Hove Albion backfired horrifically on Sunday.

Bowen was fielded in a central role to serve as the middleman between striker Sebastien Haller and captain Mark Noble, with an emphasis on pushing high up the field at the London Stadium.

Instead, most of the work Bowen could muster at home to the Seagulls saw the former Hull City maestro backtrack into Irons territory, before seeing his reputation spared any further damage when replaced by Andriy Yarmolenko at half-time looking absolutely knackered.

West Ham’s inability to dictate the flow of proceedings in the opening 45 minutes hindered Bowen’s hopes of making a move into a central role work, with the £25m-rated playmaker unable to find the needed space to create or the end product when openings developed.

Brighton’s buoyant start left Haller isolated without his attacking partner able to get close, while even Bowen’s deliveries from set-pieces was woeful with the 24-year-old failing to find a teammate with 50 per cent of his four corners taken.

His SofaScore heatmap from the Seagulls affair even showed the right-hand corner flag to be where a majority of Bowen’s 25 touches were taken, as he laboured to a mere seven successful passes, misplaced his two open-play crosses, offered zero key balls and missed the target with his sole shot before being hooked.

The £96,000-per-week forward further lost possession 10 times, though won three of his four ground duels, and will be desperate for the hectic festive schedule to end in order to earn a welcome rest having started all 15 of the Hammers’ Premier League fixtures this term.

Moyes will now be forced to go back to the drawing board ahead of West Ham’s trip to Southampton on Tuesday night looking to resolve his creativity crisis, that left the Hammers forced to come from behind twice to snatch a point at home to Brighton.

Yarmolenko is unlikely to be Moyes’ answer having endured a frustrating cameo against Brighton, as the Ukraine international’s direct runs caused the Seagulls problems but often without a decisive end product.

AND in other news, a West Ham gem who’s “not been at the races” betrayed David Moyes vs Brighton.

Crystal Palace take on West Ham United on Wednesday night, and manager Roy Hodgson provided an update on the squad. He pointed out that the club have one injury concern before the clash.

The latest from the Eagles manager

Speaking in his press conference previewing the West Ham game, Hodgson said: “The only player missing from training this morning was Mamadou Sakho. He will need to be assessed. Other than concern for Sakho, only the long-term absentees remain unavailable.”

Is this a big blow for Palace?

Speaking earlier this season following Sakho’s return from injury, Roy Hodgson praised the former Liverpool man’s work ethic in getting back to fitness as ‘incredible’.

His injuries have been an issue as they have seen him miss over 375 days of football since he joined the Eagles (Transfermarkt). However, he has been a key player for the club when fit, especially in the 2017/18 campaign. It was arguably his best, as he managed 1.1 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, and 5.2 clearances a game (WhoScored). If he could rekindle this form, then there is no doubt that Palace should keep him long-term.

The South London side do have an abundance of experience at the back, and reliable pairing Cheikhou Kouyate and Gary Cahill seem like first choice currently for Hodgson, but they are now one injury away from being dangerously thin in that department.

In other Palace news, have a read of a bizarre statistic about the club which fans aren’t happy with here!