All posts by z3u9t.icu

A number of Aston Villa supporters have criticised Ashley Young’s performance in his side’s win away to Norwich City.

Steven Gerrard’s side produced a spirited performance away to Liverpool on Saturday, losing 1-0 at Anfield after Mohamed Salah penalty settled the game.

It may have been a negative result but it was further proof of the progress being made with Gerrard at the helm since he took charge last month.

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Tuesday’s trip to struggling Norwich was a far more winnable game, as Villa looked to get back to winning ways at Carrow Road.

They did just that, with Jacob Ramsey opening the scoring with a phenomenal solo goal, setting Gerrard’s men on their way to a well-fought victory which was wrapped up by Ollie Watkins.

One player who struggled for the visitors was Young, who was one of their worst rated players on Sofascore, completing just 19 passes and winning only two ground duels in his 60 minutes on the pitch, while he also made an error leading to a shot for the hosts.

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Villa fans criticise Young’s display

These Villa fans took to Twitter to lay into Young’s performance.

“Ashley Young has to go”

Credit: @Luiz_SZN

“We are massively over using Young. Good squad member to use sparingly but increasingly exposed as a regular starter”

Credit: @GeoffKnox67

“In the nicest way possible, we need to get Ashley Young off the pitch”

Credit: @DomH97

“Beg we get Ings on I don’t think I can take another half of Ashley Young’s first touch”

Credit: @euanavfc

“Ashley Young has been terrible today unfortunately”

Credit: @AvfcU

“Ashley Young has been woeful so far tonight”

Credit: @Valentine06

In other news, one Villa player has been urged to leave the club on loan. Find out who it is here.

Nuno Espirito Santo is interested in bringing Wolves pair Pedro Neto and Conor Coady to Goodison Park, should he take the Everton hotseat [Football Insider].

The Lowdown: Everton still technically without a manager with pre-season around the corner

Technically, the Toffees are still managerless since the shock exit of former boss Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid at the start of this month [BBC].

Despite this, the Merseyside outfit have still been linked with the likes of Matheus Nunes and Danilo D’Ambrosio as they look to prepare for the 2021/22 season. However, attention now seems to have turned towards Neto and Coady as they step up their summer recruitment drive in the North-West.

The Latest: Toffees size up a triple deal of Espirito Santo, Coady and Neto

As it stands, the Portuguese manager is in ‘advanced talks’ to take the reigns at Everton ahead of pre-season [Guardian].

Subsequently, he is rumoured to view his two former players as figures who could improve the quality of an Everton side that narrowly missed out on European football in 2020/21 [Football Insider], after keeping pace for most of the campaign [Sky Sports].

However, the Blues may face some hurdles in order to obtain their desired pair. Rumoured to be paying considerable wages to select first-teamers, they may have to move a few players on in order to access funds for Neto and Coady.

The Verdict: Neto and Coady would be quality additions to the Goodison Park fold

There is little doubt that the two internationals would improve an Everton squad that is in need of fresh impetus. Last season, Wolves captain Coady made 40 appearances for the West Midlands side; registering a solitary goal [Transfermarkt].

More impressively, the defender showed his domineering nature as a centre-back regularly for Wolves, making an average of 3.5 clearances every 90 minutes for the Wanderers [WhoScored].

On the other hand, £16 million signing Neto managed 11 goal contributions across 36 games for his current employers; five goals and six assists [Transfermarkt]. Whilst across the year, he obtained a consistently higher matchday rating than anyone else in the Wolves squad, equating to 7.11 out of 10 across the 2020/21 campaign [WhoScored].

As Everton look ahead, Neto and Coady could bring familiarity and quality for their prospective manager to utilise. The Blues should look to try everything they can to get the deals over the line.

In other news, Barry Fry discusses a potential Everton managerial appointment.

According to a report by The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy could turn to former RB Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick as a managerial option to replace the sacked Jose Mourinho.

There has been no shortage of candidates touted through the media since Mourinho was given his marching orders on Monday, with favourites appearing to be the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers.

Tottenham could turn to Rangnick

However, outside names in the race appear to be in no short supply as Fulham boss Scott Parker and Brighton manager Graham Potter also got throw into the mix (The Daily Mail).

Now, yet another name has emerged, with The Athletic claiming Spurs and Levy could turn to Rangnick as an option ahead of next season.

This is because he has an ‘excellent’ track record of developing young players, an aspect of his managerial style which could match Spurs wonderfully.

Oliver Skipp and Dane Scarlett are showing real promise as the next generation of Spurs starlets, and a manager with Rangnick’s skill of nurturing talent is said to be attractive to Levy.

Transfer Tavern take

The 62-year-old has also attracted plenty of praise, with RB striker Yussuf Poulsen calling Rangnick a ‘perfectionist’ (ESPN).

His links to Spurs aren’t entirely new, either, as reliable journalist Miguel Delaney, of the Independent, revealed back in 2019 that he was interested in succeeding Mauricio Pochettino.

As another German candidate enters the fray alongside compatriot Nagelsmann, we feel the latter is still Tottenham’s best bet given he is one of the most exciting coaching talents in Europe.

Those within Tottenham reportedly see him as the perfect candidate (The Daily Mail), and we agree that certainly should be the case.

In other news: Spurs confirmed this ‘amazing’ news, find out more here.

Celtic are weeks away from potentially lifting the SPFL trophy if they continue to put points on the board under the management of Ange Postecoglou.

With 34 league games played, the Parkhead club have won 27, drawn four and lost three, giving them a six-point gap over their Glasgow rivals Rangers in second place.

While the Hoops boss won’t want to disrupt the rhythm that his team are on, having not lost a league game since September, one potential change to the team that we think he should consider, either for the remainder of this season or for their next campaign is to unleash Karamoko Dembele.

They have already lost the services of one promising young player in Ben Doak of late and with Dembele’s own future in doubt, proving to him that he has a pathway to regular first-team minutes is of vital importance.

As a product of the club’s youth system, the 19-year-old has made just ten senior appearances for the Bhoys, scoring one goal in the process.

His first senior appearance came all the way back in 2019.

Having spent most of the season out with an ankle injury, the attacker was an unused substitute for Celtic’s two final league games in February before making his first appearance in their 2-0 win over St. Mirren last month where he came on as a late substitute.

Since then, the teenager has not been involved in a senior matchday squad.

Earlier this month, Dembele’s performance in a youth game against Rangers B caught the attention of talent scout Jacek Kulig, who took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the young Celtic figure.

He said: “Been a while since I last saw him live. Still far from being a physical monster but his dribbling skills, trickery, and flair are on a very high level.”

Even though Kulig said that the youngster may not be at his peak physically, we feel the best way for the attacker to improve this side of the game is to get as much experience of playing senior football as possible.

Given the position that Postecoglou’s side find themselves in at the top of the league table, now could be the ideal time to give Dembele a consistent run of games to see if he can set himself up to be a regular first-team figure in their next campaign.

Also, if the Hoops are not able to work out a permanent deal for current loan star Jota, having a player like Dembele to unleash could be an ideal option for the 56-year-old moving forward.

In other news: Time to go: Ange must finally axe Celtic’s £2m Parkhead flop, he’s stealing a living

The deal that saw Manchester City sign Benjamin Mendy for £52 million in 2017 looks to have now backfired, with the Frenchman’s market value having significantly decreased during his time at the Etihad.

The left-back briefly became the world’s most expensive defender as he joined from AS Monaco in the summer of 2017 and after his first few appearances for the club, the fee looked to be justified, as he made an electric start to life under Pep Guardiola.

However, he then suffered his first serious injury, a cruciate ligament rupture, which ruled him out for much of his debut season.

When he made his return in the 2018/19 season, he briefly showcased exactly why sporting director Txiki Begiristain had paid so much to bring him to the Premier League, as he registered five assists in just 10 Premier League appearances, averaging a superb 7.29 rating in what was undoubtedly one of the best, albeit short, spells of his career.

Unfortunately for Mendy, things have been completely downhill since then, as a number of injury problems have prevented him from ever establishing himself as a regular at left-back under Guardiola.

This season, in particular, has emphasised that Mendy is nowhere near the player he once was, as he has managed just eight appearances in the Premier League, averaging a shocking 6.45 rating.

The 26-year-old is arguably the fourth choice at left-back behind Joao Cancelo, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Nathan Ake at City, two of whom aren’t even natural left-backs, so it seems fair to suggest that a Man City exit could be on the cards for Mendy in the near future.

However, City will unsurprisingly not be able to recoup much of the £52 million they paid for him four years ago, as his market value has fallen off a cliff as a result of his injuries and poor form in recent seasons.

Transfermarkt currently values the defender at just £19.8 million, which is the lowest of any point in his City career, with his decline clear to see in recent seasons.

Whilst nobody would have predicted the number of injury issues Mendy has had to deal with at City, they unfortunately mean that he is not the same player that they signed in 2017 and therefore, considering the excessive fee City paid for him, his transfer will have to go down as a rare error by Txiki.

And, in other news… Some City fans were ‘underwhelmed’ by £63m-rated gem, but Txiki has delivered again

Former Rangers man Fabio Cardoso looks set to join Porto this summer, which suggests that he may have been judged too soon during his time at Ibrox.

The Portuguese defender was perhaps a victim of Pedro Caixinha’s lack of success during his time with the Bears, as he made just 18 appearances during his singular season with Rangers, before completing a move to Santa Clara in Portugal.

After Caixinha’s sacking in October 2017, he would make just four appearances totalling 209 minutes under caretaker boss Graeme Murty, and whilst that was undoubtedly impacted by the horror injury he received in the Betfred Cup semi-final, it was perhaps no surprise to see him axed the following summer.

The £1.8m-rated centre-back was signed from Vitoria Setubal in the summer of 2017 and agreed to a three-year contract at Ibrox. However, he would last less than 12 months with the Gers, as he was allowed to join Santa Clara on a free transfer the following summer, as he failed to win over newly-appointed manager Steven Gerrard.

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Since then, he has made 97 appearances for Santa Clara, contributing an impressive 11 goals and five assists from centre-back, which was clearly enough to attract the interest of Portuguese giants and two-times Champions League winners Porto, who are reportedly set to sign him for £2m this summer.

After finishing second in the Portuguese top-flight next season, Porto will be taking part in the Champions League next season, so Cardoso could well be reunited with his former Rangers teammates should they meet at any point in the competition.

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If he is a success with the Dragões, then you could definitely argue that Rangers were too quick to let him go, as given more time and the coaching of Gerrard, who has helped turn Rangers into clean sheet kings during his time at Ibrox, Cardoso could have proven himself to be an important player for the Bears.

And, in other news… Gerrard must axe “easily expendable” Rangers dud this summer, he’s not good enough

Crystal Palace’s proposed move for Lucien Favre fell through on Thursday evening.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles fans have been giving their thoughts on social media.

According to The Athletic’s senior writer Dom Fifield, Favre was supposed to sign a three-year deal at Selhurst Park on Thursday morning.

However, the 63-year-old informed the club he doesn’t feel ready to return to top level management, with his last job coming with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

He was sacked by the German side in December, but it seems as if he still wants more time before returning to the dugout.

Favre insisted that he doesn’t have another job lined up, but it’s back to the drawing board for Steve Parish as he looks to bring in Roy Hodgson’s long-term successor.

Palace fans react

Fifield shared the news late on Thursday evening on social media. Here’s what some Eagles supporters had to say in reply, with one describing the update as ‘unreal’.

“So we’re back to square one now? This is utterly mental? How can he lead us along this much, get us this close, then get cold feet? Dom is there anything at all to be positive about?”Credit: @liamb0117″For someone to pull out at the last minute once is regrettable, for it to happen at the last minute again with a different manager? Something isn’t right.”Credit: @NadsShad”Unreal. What an absolute mess. “Credit: @CHSCPFC”This is an absolute nightmare.”Credit: @Johnelsom6″There’s no way we get to the point where his contract is ready to be signed and he says this. I refuse to believe this is true”Credit: @amancpfc”People think this gets Parish off the hook. We still look like idiots and it’s ultimately his fault for not getting a manager in”Credit: @Bunds_

In other news: Some CPFC fans think one man might be staying at the club following official post, find out more here. 

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie isn’t sure whether Callum McGregor can step up and replace Scott Brown as captain.

Following the recent confirmation that 35-year-old Brown will leave and join Aberdeen as a player-coach, the Hoops are in search of a new skipper for the first time since the midfielder took the reigns from Stephen McManus back in 2009.

Only James Forrest and Tom Rogic have been with the Glasgow giants for longer than McGregor, who came through the ranks at Celtic Park, although McAvennie doesn’t seem convinced that the Scottish international has got what it takes to follow in Brown’s footsteps.

McGregor, whose the current vice-captain in Paradise, would appear the obvious choice to take the role, but that could quickly change when Celtic eventually appoint a replacement for Neil Lennon.

However, McGregor has worn the armband when Brown hasn’t available this season and would therefore be the favourite to replace Brown.

McAvennie told Football FanCast: “McGregor’s in there, but I’m not sure McGregor’s a captain. I don’t know if he’s got that pull.

“Paul McStay was quiet, he was the captain when I was playing, but he was quiet. But he did things in the park that would drag people through the game.

“Maybe Callum’s got that in him, but I think Soro and Turnbull might be the future, but I don’t know if they’re ready to make an assault on Europe.”

It was never going to be easy for whoever takes over from Brown, but given he’s the vice-captain, is relatively experienced and has only ever known Celtic, you’d be surprised not to see McGregor get the role, unless the Hoops make a shock summer signing.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has drawn parallels between Jack Grealish’s situation at his old club and Harry Kane’s at Tottenham.

Kane could be heading for the exit door at Tottenham, with Sky Sports reporting that the 27-year-old striker has asked to leave the club. This comes shortly after Kane made it clear that he wants to “win team trophies” and not just individual honours.

Meanwhile, Grealish also continues to be linked with a move away from his current employers. According to The Telegraph, he is a summer target for Premier League champions Manchester City.

And Hendrie believes, like Kane, the desire to win trophies could force him to seek a move elsewhere.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about the attacking midfielder’s future, the ex-Villa player said:

“He’s been a great servant so far for the club. You know, he’s proved that he loves the club, but sometimes it’s not, and this is where fans sometimes need to understand, it’s not all about having the money.

“The loyalties are obviously massive there; it’d be nothing to do with money. It’s a bit like the Harry Kane situation. Players who have got top quality and are labelled as one of the top players want to win trophies – that’s what you play football for.”

If Grealish does have that desire to win trophies, then the Etihad looks to be the perfect home for the 25-year-old as Manchester City continue to sweep up an array of domestic honours.

An update has emerged on Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga, regarding Crystal Palace’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the Eagles are in contact with Sassuolo over a deal for French attacker Boga.

The Tweet does not go into any further details, with no transfer fee mentioned or how open to a transfer the Serie A side are for the ex-Chelsea man with less than 48 hours to go before the window slams shut. However, L10 Sport reported earlier this summer that they rejected a £20m offer from Atalanta for his services.

Fans will be buzzing

Crystal Palace fans will be buzzing with this news as it shows an ambition from the club to significantly strengthen their squad further before the end of the transfer window on Tuesday. Patrick Vieira must now ensure that he can get this deal over the line for his fellow countryman, to bolster his attacking options alongside the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise and the injured Eberechi Eze.

After three Premier League matches, Conor Gallagher is the only player who has scored for Palace and Christian Benteke is the only player with an assist. This comes after only two players managed more than four league goals last season and two players provided more than three assists, suggesting that Palace’s squad is not overflowing with attacking quality.

Therefore, bringing in a player who could score and assist goals at a decent rate could get the fans excited and that is what Boga could do. The Frenchman has produced 18 goals and five assists over the last three seasons, whilst starting this season off with one assist in two Serie A appearances.

The £16k-per-week gem’s ex-coach at Chelsea, Michael Beale, also once lauded, saying: “The most unique talent and I’m talking in a window of being 13/14 and he just beat the other team possibly on his own is a young boy called Jeremie Boga.

“He just beat teams on his own, such a lovely boy. I thought wow, this boy is a supreme talent. he can stop and go and over three or four yards, he can just drift past you.”

This, along with his statistics in Serie A, shows that he has talent and could be a quality signing for the Eagles if they can get the deal over the line.

If he is able to translate his goalscoring talents over from Italy to the Premier League, then he could be an excellent addition to the team and a player the fans would love to see play at Selhurst Park.

AND in other news, Get it done: Parish must sanction CPFC deal for £15m beast with “magic in his feet”…