All posts by z3u9t.icu

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 193 Premier League appearances during his career, was full of praise for John Stones after fighting his way back into Pep Guardiola’s side.

Alongside Ruben Dias, Stones has established himself as a top Premier League centre-back after being dropped from the side last season when he made just 16 appearances in the league – one less than he’s made this campaign.

The former Everton defender has been chipping in with goals as well as finding the net three times despite failing to score in the league for City before scoring twice against Crystal Palace in January.

During Manchester City’s 15-game winning run in the Premier League, Stones only missed three games which all occurred when Aymeric Laporte returned from injury, such is the level Stones has been performing at this season.

Speaking on Stones’ form this season and how he managed to become a trusted member of Guardiola’s squad, Howey exclusively told FFC:

“I think John Stones has gone away and it’s been a difficult time for him because he was getting criticised and did look a little bit short of confidence. There was no doubt he was a good player.

“I thought sometimes he took too many chances when he was at Everton but I think Pep’s cut them out of his game.

“He’s come back a bigger, better and stronger player. For me personally, he starts for England at the Euros.”

Stones appears to be one of the first names on the team sheet at City nowadays after proving his ability to defend and bring the ball out of defence, which can only be a positive for Gareth Southgate and England.

As well, Man City are still on course to complete the quadruple with the Premier League all but won and are in the final of the Carabao Cup against Tottenham Hotspur.

Carlo Ancelotti has landed a welcome boost after Iceland confirmed that Everton midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson will sit out the March international break.

Sigurdsson has been given permission to miss his country’s World Cup qualifiers with Germany, Armenia and Liechtenstein as he and his wife are expecting their first child.

The 31-year-old had been named in Arnar Vidarsson’s 25-man squad last week, but he will not join up with Strakarnir Okkar and no replacement is expected to be named to face Germany.

Sigurdsson had played the full 90 minutes in four of Iceland’s last five international fixtures, only missing November’s 4-0 defeat to England when omitted from the matchday group at Wembley.

Ancelotti has frequently called on Sigurdsson to play a role in Everton’s push for European football, with the £13.5m-rated maestro only failing to feature in one of his side’s last 23 fixtures across all competitions.

The sole game that the former Swansea City playmaker failed to feature in at any stage came in the Toffees’ 2-1 defeat at home to Burnley this month, having sustained an ankle knock during the defeat to Chelsea earlier that week.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-news-on-everton” title=”Check out the latest news on Everton!”]

Sigurdsson returned to the Blues’ starting line-up for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final loss to Manchester City at Goodison Park, after resuming training in the days preceding the tie.

He is now set for a period of rest after withdrawing from the Iceland squad, which will come as a welcome boost for Ancelotti and Everton ahead of hosting Crystal Palace on April 5th.

The Toffees have a tough April on the schedule, with the Eagles’ visit to Merseyside followed by a trip to relegation-threatened Brighton & Hove Albion and clashes with European contenders Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

Ancelotti will no doubt be glad to hear that Sigurdsson will not be joining the Iceland squad for their three World Cup qualifiers in the space of six days, as the break in fixtures will allow the 78-cap international a chance to rest his ankle and recharge the batteries.

Sigurdsson has occupied a key role in the Italian’s plans for much of the campaign, with minutes given in all but two Premier League games, and will be expected to remain a pivotal presence at Goodison Park in the final months of the season.

Only Lucas Digne has provided more assists (6) in the top-flight this term than Sigurdsson (4), too, while the £100,000-per-week midfielder additionally ranks third behind the Frenchman (1.5) and James Rodriguez (1.7) for average key passes a game (1.1), per WhoScored.

That could remain ever-important after the international break, with Rodriguez missing Everton’s last four Premier League games and the FA Cup tie with Manchester City due to a calf injury.

Ancelotti hopes to have the Colombian back for Crystal Palace’s trip to Goodison Park, though it remains to be seen if the ex-Real Madrid star will be passed fit.

“James is out but he will start to train with the team next week,” Ancelotti said last Friday.

“In the international break, we have time to recover some players. James is one of those and maybe [Jean-Philippe] Gbamin.”

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £17m ace dubbed the next Erling Haaland…

Many Arsenal fans have been left to slam an update from Fabrizio Romano on Mikel Arteta.

As per the Italian football journalist and transfer guru (via ZRAFC), the North London club are ‘really happy’ with the Spanish manager and are ‘planning for transfers’ with him in charge, suggesting that there is no plan whatsoever to let him go before the end of the 2020/21 term.

That is despite the Emirates Stadium faithful currently sitting in 10th spot in the table in the Premier League and coming off the back of very disappointing recent results against Liverpool and Slavia Prague.

There is certainly a divide among Gunners supporters over whether he is the right man to take them forward, and some have expressed their anger at the update.

Arsenal fans on Romano’s Arteta update

These Gooners slammed the update on Arteta after it was shared on Twitter, with one AFC fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘outrageous’:

“Blind backing is delusion”

Credit: @JarvisSBrantley

“If they truly are happy with him result wise, fact is even darker days are coming”

Credit: @hearmeoutW

“We are so finished…happy with a man who has us 10th in the league and no European competition??”

Credit: @scarface300_

“This club’s dusted at the top level”

Credit: @arsenal_truths

“I give up with this team. We’ll forever be mid-table”

Credit: @ChrisTheGooner

“This is outrageous. This club is in for a very bad ride.”

Credit: @nnaemekn

In other news, find out who was slammed for his display versus Slavia here!

Whilst Spurs were able to grind out a 1-0 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Thursday evening, their attacking play for much of the game left a lot to be desired, and wasn’t anywhere near the level they produced against Burnley last weekend.

A solitary own goal was the difference between the two sides, with Spurs struggling to create chances against a Fulham side who have shown a lot of fight in recent weeks.

One man who struggled to get involved in the game against Scott Parker’s team was Gareth Bale. The £18m-rated Welsh international looked back to his best with a superb display in the 4-0 win against Burnley, as he provided two goals and an assist, but he was largely anonymous at Craven Cottage.

As per SofaScore, the 31-year-old earned a 6.7 match rating for his display, with only Harry Kane, Toby Alderweireld and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg rated lower among the starting XI as they were all rated 6.6/10 for their performances.

During his time on the pitch, the Real Madrid loanee completed just eight of his 16 passes, resulting in a less than impressive pass success rate of 50%, whilst it was also the fewest passes played by any player who started the game from either side, with Spurs ‘keeper Hugo Lloris playing 21 passes during the game, per SofaScore.

Bale has averaged a 67.6% pass success rate in the Premier League so far this season, which suggests that he was nowhere near his best against Fulham, and perhaps hints that he can struggle to keep up with the intensity of the top-flight. Against Burnley he was afforded all sorts of space, whereas the game at Craven Cottage was more frantic and cluttered in midfield.

Although the winger did play the through ball to Dele Alli which led to Spurs’ goal, it was one of few involvements in a disappointing display from the Welshman, as he failed to register a single shot on target or an accurate cross in west London.

Therefore, whilst Jose Mourinho suggested that he was “happy” with Bale following the game, he might be concerned that the 31-year-old failed to stamp his authority on the game as he did against Sean Dyche’s side last time out, particularly in the second half when Spurs could barely get out of their own half against the relegation candidates.

And, in other news… 100% duels won: £60k-p/w Spurs scapegoat sent Jose a message with solid Fulham display

With just two wins from their last ten outings, Wolves are stuck in a diabolical rut.

Fears of relegation are suddenly looming for those at Molineux but with the transfer window open, they have an opportunity to turn their fortunes around.

What’s the word?

Last month, it was reported that Wolves were interested in signing Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

Claims stated that Jeff Shi’s club were willing to bid for the Frenchman, with a potential €20m (£18m) offer on the table.

However, new information has circulated suggesting that although the Scottish side have softened their stance on Edouard, it will take a much larger fee to secure his services.

Journalist Ignazio Genuardi said last week: “While no agreement could be reached for an extension, Celtic is gradually revising its requirements downwards for a possible departure of the former Parisian Edouard. Today, there is more talk of a price around €25-30m.”

In English money, that fee would equate to around £27m.

Sign him up

This would be phenomenal business from Wolves if they can find the cash to supplement a deal. Edouard is an exceptional talent and has become a genuine all-round goal scorer at Celtic.

Of course, the Scottish Premiership is a class below the Premier League but you only need to look at the way Kieran Tierney and Virgil van Dijk have stepped seamlessly into life in England following moves from Glasgow to see that players who succeed in Scotland can do well south of the border.

The latter has become a Premier League and Champions League winner while Tierney is among the best players in the Arsenal side in terms of chance creation this season.

Unlike those two players, however, Edouard is capable of scoring a bucket load of goals, something Wolves are missing in abundance. Since Raul Jimenez fractured his skull, Nuno’s team have scored three goals in one game just once.

They are clearly struggling without him and thus, the addition of a top-quality striker in January would go a long way to salvaging something from their season.

Edouard has scored 11 goals this term and registered a mighty haul of 28 strikes last season. Crucially, though, is his ability to bring others into play, just as Jimenez does.

In 2019/20, the 22-year-old picked up 19 assists for his troubles. He is the complete striker and can cause all sorts of problems for defenders.

His former coach Jean-Claude Giuntini once said: “He [Edouard] had the confidence and the obsession with scoring all great strikers need. He never doubts his qualities. But this behaviour can create panic – for the opposition defenders.”

It’s a rave review for the young forward who is currently making waves in Scotland. In the words of Frank McGarvey, he has “magic in his feet.”

Fabio Silva did score his first Wolves goal from open play on Saturday but despite his record-breaking move, he looks far from confident in front of goal.

Thus, with Jimenez out and the Old Gold requiring an instant injection of goals, Edouard could certainly save their season.

At present, they are 14th in the table. After two consecutive seasons finishing in the top half, that is not good enough. Shi needs to bring the youngster to Wolves.

AND in other news, Worse than Coady: Wolves star who made just 1 tackle all game betrayed Nuno…

David Moyes can hand Ryan Fredericks a fresh lease of life at West Ham United after the defender produced an impressive performance in midfield against Aston Villa.

The ex-Fulham right-back was drafted in to help provide Vladimir Coufal with additional cover against Jack Grealish, with Aston Villa’s £100m talisman once again thriving in the Premier League this season.

No player in the division has created as many goalscoring opportunities than Grealish (72), while only Manchester United’s much-admired Bruno Fernandes (15) has carved out a greater volume of clear-cut chances than the England international (14), per SofaScore.

Villa’s performance was ultimately a one-man show through Grealish on Wednesday, who saw a lot of the ball to take his tally for key passes to 72 for the season with four on the night – no player for either side created as many, per WhoScored.

Yet Fredericks and Coufal doubled up to force Grealish in off the left-flank frequently and into the congested engine room, to see that the Villa skipper was far from at his usual high standards.

The pair were never likely to silence the 25-year-old for the full 90 minutes, with Harry Kane the only player across the Premier League with more assists than Grealish and Manchester City £108m-rated maestro Kevin de Bruyne (10).

Yet Moyes ought to be more than happy with Fredericks’ efforts, having done exactly what the Irons boss will have asked of him by putting pressure on Grealish and providing Coufal with cover.

But Fredericks could see his time in midfield deliver the £3.5m-rated outcast a new lease of life at West Ham, as he coupled his defensive efforts with a real threat going forward thanks to his pace.

Moyes had only started Fredericks in one Premier League fixture since September before unleashing the 28-year-old on Aston Villa, having seen Coufal come in after a £5.5m summer transfer from Slavia Prague and dominate the right-back position in east London.

Despite it not being his natural position, Fredericks looked at home in the advanced role on the right-flank, completing 18 of his passes and providing two key balls – only Moyes’ unsung hero Said Benrahma (3) recorded more for the Hammers, per WhoScored.

Jarrod Bowen, who usually starts at right-midfield for the Irons, averages 0.9 key passes a game in the top-flight, and delivers fewer accurate crosses (1.1 from 4.2) than Fredericks provided at Villa Park (3 from 4). The rarely-seen defender further offered as many successful dribbles (1) as his £96,000-per-week teammate averages a game (1.1).

So, given Moyes’ preference to play Coufal at full-back over the Manuel Pellegrini signing, Fredericks could find life in midfield after his fresh West Ham start, having remained at the London Stadium following an uncertain January transfer window.

AND in other news, West Ham eye future swoop for prolific £30m striker with “absolutely superb” movement…

Crystal Palace fell to a humbling 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

Despite having some promising moments, the Eagles were second best in the capital, with braces from Harry Kane and Gareth Bale securing a thumping win for the hosts.

One silver lining for Roy Hodgson’s troops though was seeing Wilfried Zaha back in action, having been out with an injury since early February.

However, it was not the return that either his manager or teammates will have wanted.

Given a place on the bench at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Ivorian international was introduced at half-time with the scores level at 1-1.

It was thought that the £45m-rated winger could have given the Eagles some fresh attacking impetus but he, in fact, did the opposite.

Throughout his second-half appearance, he could only accumulate 16 touches of the ball according to WhoScored – only fellow substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta had fewer in the entire Crystal Palace side.

Even when Zaha received the ball, he was simply not able to do anything with it.

He only had one shot, which was off target, and did not provide a single key pass.

Zaha also conspired to lose the ball on multiple occasions throughout his second-half cameo, getting dispossessed twice and having another unsuccessful touch.

His passing also painted a damning picture of his poor performance. Racking up a horrendous passing accuracy of just 33%, which is by far and away the worst by any player on the pitch, you may have been forgiven for thinking that Zaha was indeed lining up for the opposing team.

To compound his teammates’ frustrations, the winger was also caught offside on three occasions in 45 minutes. Whilst this could be down to disciplined defending from the home side, it is of no consolation to the Eagles who saw their attacks abruptly halted when attempting to find Zaha, who seemed to be a bit lazy in terms of his discipline of reading the line.

His performance could be understandable considering his long lay off in recent weeks but Hodgson will surely be demanding more as his star man regains his match sharpness.

AND in more news, read more about the Eagles’ links with £22m-rated Mostafa Mohamed…

Tottenham Hotspur are once again being linked with Inter midfielder Christian Eriksen as he continues to struggle with the Serie A side.

What’s the word?

According to the Guardian, the Lilywhites could look to re-sign the Danish international on loan from Inter this month, although a deal could be difficult to structure.

The creative midfielder only left Spurs for Italy around this time last year but his time with Antonio Conte’s side has clearly not gone to plan, and he now finds himself surplus to requirements.

Bad news for Dele Alli?

During his time with Spurs, Eriksen would make 305 appearances for the North London club, contributing an impressive 69 goals and 89 assists.

However, he made it clear he wanted to leave the club after they lost the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2019 but was forced to wait until January 2020, just six months before his contract was set to expire, before a deal with I Nerazzurri was agreed.

Since then, the 28-year-old has managed just 38 appearances for Conte’s side, in which he has contributed a disappointing four goals and three assists.

This season has seen him make just 12 appearances in all competitions, the majority of which have come from the bench, so it is no surprise that he is being touted for a loan move away, as he will no doubt want to get regular football under his belt ahead of the European Championships this summer.

If Spurs were to negotiate a deal that would see him return to North London, it could prove to be bad news for Dele Alli, with the former MK Dons man having made just one start in the Premier League this season.

The report suggests that Spurs aren’t keen to let the 24-year-old go and want him to challenge for a first-team spot but if Eriksen were to return this month, it would only increase the significant competition in that position.

It could definitely be argued that Jose Mourinho is lacking a player of Eriksen’s creativity, as Spurs midfielders Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele have just one assist each in the Premier League, whilst wingers Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura, Gareth Bale and Erik Lamela are yet to contribute an assist in the top-flight this season.

On the rare occasions where Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son aren’t on top form, you worry where the creativity will come from in this Tottenham team, with the vast majority of Spurs’ goals this season coming from those two combining up front.

Therefore, Daniel Levy must seriously consider sanctioning a deal to bring Eriksen back to the North London club this summer, as the £31.5 million-rated midfielder could add a different dimension to Mourinho’s side, provided he could rediscover the form he showed in the earlier days of his last spell with the club, which were enough to see former manager Pochettino label him “fantastic” back in 2018.

AND, in other news, 49 tackles: Levy made unforgivable mistake with £12m gem who’s tearing the PL apart…

Neil Lennon’s worries continue as Celtic’s run of inconsistent form is dragged out. They were made an example of on Thursday evening as Sparta Prague hit them for four goals in yet another Europa League defeat. The Hoops are now rooted to the bottom of their group table, having banked just one point in the campaign so far.

But the defeat to the Czechs has produced even more of a headache for the manager. High-flying attacker Mohamed Elyounoussi may have completely ruined his chance under Lennon after foolishly getting out his phone on the sidelines.

The Norwegian was substituted off just before the hour mark after struggling to make an impact on the game. He was then pictured on his phone, which has resulted in an awful lot of backlash already.

Love lost between Elyounoussi and Lennon

“He better not have been. That’s something I’ll deal with,” Lennon warned after being informed of the incident. The Hoops boos was rightfully unimpressed with the news and the likes of Chris Sutton have given Elyounoussi both barrels over his behaviour.

The ex-Celtic man slammed the striker for being “selfish” and “egotistical” and has questioned his commitment to the club (via Daily Record).

Indeed, such actions do not paint the player in a positive light. Elyounoussi, on loan from Southampton, has been seriously impressing with his recent form, but that could all be out the window over something ridiculous yet costly.

The 26-year-old, currently earning £60,000 per week, has been the forefront of a lot of praise recently. His goal against FK Riga was the difference between a draw and a win, which attracted a glowing review from Lennon.

“I can’t speak highly enough of him,” Lennon said. “He took the goal fantastically well and he’s a great example to the rest of the squad. His attitude is great.”

The comments could now stand to be void. Whilst Celtic do indeed need to score more goals, the disrespect shown by Elyounoussi could be enough to completely remove him from any remaining games this season. Such incidents are not taken lightly and to keep him in the starting lineup despite his actions would set entirely the wrong example to the rest of the squad and the young players coming up through the academy.

In other news, one man was the biggest Celtic disappointment against Sparta Prague…

West Ham United would rue their naive call not to offer Fabian Balbuena a new contract amid rumours Flamengo could move to sign the David Moyes favourite in 2021.

What’s the word?

According to Jorge Nicola, Flamengo are paying close attention to Balbuena’s situation at the London Stadium with his £40,000-per-week contract set to expire next summer.

The Brazilian heavyweights are open to the idea of signing the centre-half if he leaves the Premier League as a free agent, which would be expected to spark further interest in his services.

Flamengo are not yet putting any steps in place toward a deal for Balbuena, with the Estadio de Gavea natives currently focusing efforts toward deals for other priority positions.

Rogerio Ceni’s side currently sit second to Atletico Goianiense by three points, having allowed the fifth-most goals (31) in the Brazilian Serie A thus far this season.

Flamengo may miss out on signing Balbuena next year, as it is thought West Ham are plotting a new deal for the 29-year-old who has started seven of the Irons’ nine Premier League fixtures thus far this season.

Moyes has only opted against naming Balbuena in one of his line-ups for West Ham’s opening two games of the campaign, which saw the Hammers lose to Newcastle United and Arsenal before enjoying a run of one loss in seven.

Naive to let Balbuena leave

While Nicola notes that West Ham are expected to present a new contract offer to Balbuena before his terms lapse, it would be naive of the east London outfit to allow the Moyes favourite to leave for nothing next summer.

Balbuena has bounced back perfectly from facing a fraught future this year, after rumours surfaced suggesting the Irons were open to offers after the centre-half failed to convince Moyes that he could be relied on last season.

The Paraguayan was also said to be open to the chance of moving back to South America, but has gone from being written off and out the door to one of the first names on the teamsheet.

“You look at Balbuena, a player who was completely written off – we wanted anyone rather than Balbuena playing in central defence. [But] Balbuena has been brilliant,” Sam Delaney claimed on The Athletic’s U Irons podcast. “I can’t see how he’s going to get Balbuena or [Aaron] Cresswell out the team.”

Balbuena has become so integral at the London Stadium as the 6 ft 2 enforcer has registered more interceptions (15) and clearances (38) than any other West Ham defender, and has as many successful tackles (10) and been dribbled past (4) as many times as Angelo Ogbonna, per SofaScore.

Moyes may look for other options in the January or summer markets next year, but West Ham would be naïve to allow Balbuena to leave – especially for nothing – after his turn of form this season.

AND in other news, David Moyes would not be getting his next Tomas Soucek in a £16m West Ham target likened to David Luiz…