All posts by n8rngtd.top

Liverpool have had a solid start to their Premier League season with 28 points on the board from their opening 13 games, firmly placing them in the title race alongside Chelsea and Manchester City.

One figure in Jurgen Klopp’s side that has played a big part in their season so far is Fabinho, who has a total of 14 appearances under his belt, with nine coming in the Premier League and five in the Champions League.

Playing all of those appearances in the defensive-midfield role, it’s no surprise that he has managed to rack up an average of 1.4 interceptions per game, 1.3 tackles per game and 1.1 clearances per game, proving himself once again as a vital figure for the Reds after his heroics last season of playing as a makeshift centre-back at times.

Even though Fabinho is still only 28 years of age and has until 2026 before his current deal expires at the Merseyside club, Liverpool could already have a player in the youth ranks that could potentially go on to have a similar impact at Anfield as their imposing Brazilian.

After scouting him from late 2019, Liverpool signed young defender Stefan Bajcetic from Spanish club Celta Vigo back in  December last year for a reported fee of €250,000 (£224,000) according to The Athletic.

Since then, the 17-year-old has made 12 appearances for Liverpool’s U18 side, scoring one goal and providing one assist, as well as three appearances for their U23 side.

Bajcetic has also made three appearances in the UEFA Youth League this season.

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

During his time with the Reds, Bajcetic has predominantly played as a centre-back but has tried his hand in the defensive-midfield role and at right-back, three positions that Fabinho has played in at some stage of his career.

Speaking after Liverpool U19s recent 4-0 win over Porto in the UEFA Youth League, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson said: “[Bajcetic] is doing really well. He is playing a little bit different in midfield at the minute but he is good enough to play there. He is good enough to play the game in and out of possession in that position as well as at centre-back.”

With Klopp previously praising Fabinho’s centre-back performance away at Chelsea last season saying that he helped the team a lot “with the ball and in defending as well,” this shows how similar the pair are in terms of their capabilities of playing in different defensive positions.

Also, with Bajcetic recently signing his first professional contract with Liverpool, this shows that they see enough in him that he could potentially grow and develop his game even further at the club, which could allow Klopp to unearth yet another young talent in his senior squad in the future and potentially save the club millions in doing so.

In other news: Klopp could save Liverpool millions by unleashing rarely-seen £7.2m-rated “monster” – opinion

If you’re a Liverpool supporter then life can’t get much better right now. You’ve just watched your side defeat their local rivals 4-1, and what makes that even better, is that it was against their former boss, Rafa Benitez.

Last season was a mediocre one for the Reds but it’s evident that with fans back in the stadium, they are their rampant selves again.

Jurgen Klopp’s frontline is a force to be reckoned with and in Mohamed Salah, they have arguably the best player in the world right now.

Lionel Messi may have been crowned the winner of the Ballon d’Or for a seventh time earlier this week but come 2022, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if the Egyptian king was up there in contention too.

He has fired home a whopping 19 goals already this term and has been ably helped by Diogo Jota too.

The Portuguese has ensured that Roberto Firmino’s injury blow can be forgotten about as the ex-Wolves attacker has found the net on nine occasions in 2021/22.

Jota was a valuable asset last term but was more of a squad player who provided Klopp and co with extra depth. He still put in some mesmeric performances, namely when he scored a Champions League hat-trick. However, this campaign, he’s become a genuine star among Liverpool’s elite offensive setup.

His addition to the squad has been vital for Liverpool and without him this term, their title challenge might not be so strong.

It shows the value of investing in depth, something Manchester City have evidently benefitted from with a squad full of sparking quality.

Liverpool cannot rest on their laurels in that regard, though, especially ahead of January when both Salah and Sadio Mane will head to the Africa Cup of Nations.

More depth will be needed and they could find it from Wolves again. Adama Traore has been linked with a move to Merseyside while South Korean forward, Hwang Hee-chan, is another name reportedly in the mind of Michael Edwards.

Traore is blessed with remarkable pace but it’s Hwang who looks the more appealing prospect. After all, he has the end product to go with his ability to beat a man too.

Wolves have an option to buy the 25-year-old for just £13m from RB Leipzig but Liverpool must take advantage of that and hijack a deal.

After all, the 43-cap dynamo looks every bit the type of player that Liverpool need in their squad if they’re going to compete on multiple fronts for the rest of the season. The extra body he’d add to the squad would be truly beneficial but he’s not merely a spare part.

He has four goals for Bruno Lage’s side this term, being described as “Jota-esque” in the process by Wolves reporter Tim Spiers for the way he drives forward with the ball.

Finding the net is something Hwang has done with great regularity, specifically at RB Salzburg when he bagged 45 in 126 appearances. One of his finest nights in Austria happened to come against Liverpool.

During a frantic night of European football at Anfield, Hwang found space inside the area before sending a certain Virgil van Dijk to the deck and then smashing the ball home.

Several years on and that moment clearly still lives long in the memory of the South Korea international with The Telegraph’s John Percy and the Wolves gem combining to come up with the following definition that he sent the Dutch defender “out for a hot dog.”

With that in mind, he clearly has what it takes to evade even the best centre-backs in the game and if Liverpool do seek more depth next year, FSG must ensure that Hwang is brought to the club.

AND in other news, Klopp could save Liverpool millions by unleashing rarely-seen £7.2m-rated “monster”…

Everton secured their first win in nine games with a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the Premier League on Monday evening, but the curious absence of Lucas Digne left certain questions unanswered.

What’s the word?

Rafa Benitez was extremely coy over the 28-year-old’s exclusion from the matchday squad, refusing to reveal the reason behind his decision to drop the defender in his pre and post-match interviews.

But now, Liverpool ECHO reporter Phil Kirkbride has provided an update on Digne’s absence, claiming his inability to carry out the manager’s tactical instructions in recent weeks saw him left at home.

“His decision to drop Lucas Digne from the matchday squad, even though fit, does not need much decoding. There is clear tension in their relationship about the team’s style of play and what is being asked of the left-back,” wrote Kirkbride.

“But if the events of the past couple of days, and what the club said in the wake of Brands’ departure, tells us, is that Benitez is in charge, and what he says goes.

“Who knows if there is any way back for Digne after this? It seems unlikely at this stage. Benitez will have been given plenty of reason to keep playing Ben Godfrey there after an aggressive and determined display,” he concluded.

Everton fans will surely be fuming

Although Benitez’s decision to select Godfrey over Digne was ultimately justified as Everton secured a much-needed three points, the club’s supporters will surely still be fuming with the situation given how reliable he can be.

The France international has been one of the Merseyside outfit’s standout performers since his arrival from Barcelona back in August 2018, scoring six goals and providing 20 assists in 127 appearances.

And although he’s struggled to make the same impact in the opening weeks of the current campaign, his underlying numbers still indicate a high level of performance.

As per WhoScored, the left-back has averaged 1.2 crosses in his 13 top-flight outings this term, 1.7 key passes and 2.5 tackles, placing him second compared to his teammates for each metric.

Whether Digne can work his way back in Benitez’s first-team plans remains to be seen, but the club’s fanbase will certainly be hoping a reconciliation can be reached.

After all, he is a hugely important player for the team and leaving him at home will benefit absolutely nobody.

And, in other news…Forget Gray: Everton beast who won 8 duels was Benitez’s real hero vs Arsenal 

Many Everton fans have been left erupting over some early team news that has emerged ahead of their game away at Chelsea in the Premier League tonight.

As per The Times journalist Paul Joyce, Lucas Digne has said that he is ‘ill’ and so will now miss the clash at Stamford Bridge, after Rafa Benitez initially had him in his staring eleven having trained with the team.

This comes after the Frenchman reportedly had a row with his manager, which led to him missing their last two games in the Premier League.

However, it seems as if they have patched things up given that Benitez was going to play him, but now Digne’s illness means that he will miss a third match in a row.

Nonetheless, the Goodison Park faithful now have a mammoth task ahead of them against the European champions, as they will have to try and get something without their only senior left-back in the squad.

Everton fans on team news

These supporters of the Merseyside club erupted as the team news was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to claim that it was ‘unreal’:

“We’re a shambles hahahaha”

Credit: @lukeblack85

“What a shambles Everton Football Club is from top to bottom”

Credit: @WhatKCSaid

“Unreal this now”

Credit: @notJoth

“I’m scared”

Credit: @NSwann12

“Comedy club”

Credit: @Adam95H

“You couldn’t make it up really…”

Credit: @rob_fisher_efc

In other news, find out what club news has Blues fuming here!

A number of Manchester United supporters have been left fuming at Bruno Fernandes’ ineffective performance against Newcastle United on Monday night.

Ralf Rangnick’s side returned to Premier League action after 16 days without a game, as they looked to respond to wins for the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham in the race for top four.

It proved to be a hugely disappointing evening at St James’ Park, however, with Newcastle the better team for much of the night and deservedly taking home a point.

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It was a match that saw numerous United players underperform but Fernandes was arguably the worst of the lot, giving the ball away an eye-watering 26 times (Sofascore), by far the most on the pitch.

Gary Neville was unhappy with the former Sporting CP man’s whinging towards the younger players, criticising both Portuguese superstars after a bad night at the office for Cristiano Ronaldo too (Sky Sports).

Man United fans fume at Fernandes display

These United fans took to Twitter to lay into his woeful display.

“Anyway that was a disgrace. We lucky to get a draw. Attack has been abysmal for so long now. Can’t keep relying on Ronaldo. Bruno and Rashford are my favourites players but good lord they’ve been horrendous for so long”

Credit: @MUtdDub

“Bruno Fernandes is a disgrace, take him off”

Credit: @dribblelikebest

“Bruno Fernandes has lost possession 52 times in his last two games vs relegation fodder. I’m a fan of Fernandes however he simply cannot be so careless in possession. There’s a difference between risk-taking and carelessness. 60 yard passes fall in the latter”

Credit: @Utd_Analytics

“These days Bruno Fernandes doesn’t read well before making a long pass he just play it anyhow. Playing silly passes over and over again”

Credit: @Ndubisi941

“I tweeted it before game man Bruno has been woeful glad he’s suspended he needs to see the bench. Rashford has been abysmal also let’s hope for a reaction Thursday”

Credit: @UsmaanTalksUTD

“Lol for real him and Bruno were just absolutely disgraceful. Ronaldo obviously had zero impact either but in his defence he was hardly getting the ball lol”

Credit: @Amonmrk

In other news, United are targeting a Premier League goalkeeper in the summer. Find out who it is here.

A number of Wolves supporters have been reminiscing about the memorable 3-2 win over Manchester City in 2019/20, following an official club tweet.

Wanderers have made a solid start to their Premier League season, sitting eighth in the table and giving the likes of City, Liverpool and Chelsea tough games.

Two years ago, Wolves picked up one of their most famous league victories in years, as they overcame a 2-0 deficit at home to Pep Guardiola’s side, winning 3-2 in the end.

It was an epic encounter, with Matt Doherty’s late winner sealing a memorable comeback, as Molineux enjoyed one of its most atmospheric nights in recent memory.

On Monday, the club’s official Twitter account posted a video celebrating the two-year anniversary of the match, with the memories swiftly coming flooding back.

Wolves fans remember Man City classic

These Wanderers took to Twitter to provide their thoughts on the match.

“Probably the best game I’ve been to. Would love to do it all over again”

Credit: @luce_wilson

“The things I’d do to relive this game again”

Credit: @clolouisez

“Goosebumps”

Credit: @Wilster959

“Wow”

Credit: @wwfcglover

“Scenes”

Credit: @wwfc_adam

“Still the greatest game I’ve seen live! What an atmosphere”

Credit: @ebanks_brook9

In other news, Luke Hatfield has made an interesting Wolves transfer claim. Read more here.

According to an article by Sport (relayed by Sport Witness), Juventus are looking to sell defender Matthijs de Ligt due to serious financial issues occurring at the Turin club, and it is reported that Tottenham and Chelsea have ‘launched’ themselves in for the signing.

The Lowdown: Romero a long-term option

Following the departure of defender Toby Alderweireld over the summer to Al-Duhail SC, Tottenham sought to stabilise their centre-back options by bringing in highly-sought after Cristian Romero, who joined in a staggering £42.5 million deal from Italian side Atalanta.

However, the 23-year-old made just 13 appearances for the Lilywhites before sustaining a hamstring injury whilst on international duty with Argentina in November. Before the injury, Romero was proving to be a crucial part of Tottenham’s side, leading the squad with 1.3 blocks made per game.

With Antonio Conte’s preference to play with three central defenders, Spurs will surely be looking to bring another long-term option in to build a partnership with the Argentinian defender.

The Latest: Tottenham in for De Ligt

According to an article by Sport (as shared by Sport Witness) which analyses the rumour concerning Barcelona’s chances of signing the Dutchman, the outlet state that Tottenham and Chelsea have ‘launched’ themselves into the race for the 22-year-old.

This comes as Juventus are looking to sell the player, due to serious ongoing financial issues.

It is reported that the ‘bidding’ for De Ligt has ‘started’, implying that the defender’s agent, Mino Raiola, is in contact with the Catalan club. It is believed that during these communications with Barcelona, Raiola has alerted them to the enquiries made by Tottenham and Chelsea.

The Verdict: Difficult

Due to Barcelona also being in a tricky situation financially, both London clubs are seen in a better position in the race to sign De Ligt.

Despite some pundits saying that the Dutchman has not lived up to his £67.5 million price-tag, many others are still beaming with praise for the youngster. Ajax general manager Edwin van der Sar compared the centre-back’s mentality to that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s, whilst former Juventus star Andrea Barzagli claimed that De Ligt has ‘incredible potential’.

With this exponential potential, it is expected that the biggest clubs from across Europe will be in for the player in the upcoming transfer windows, especially if the Old Lady are actively looking to sell. This will make it harder for Spurs, who will need to challenge for Champions League football if they are to secure the services of the youngster over the likes of Chelsea.

Barcelona are working on a deal to bring Wolves winger Adama Traore back to Camp Nou, according to a fresh transfer rumour which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Traore linked with exit

The 25-year-old has been continually linked with a move away from Molineux in recent weeks, with a January exit mooted.

Traore has blown hot and cold so far this season, producing some typically exciting cameos but ultimately failing to either score or set up a goal in the Premier League.

A new update has now emerged regarding the Spaniard’s future with Wanderers.

The Latest: Barca eye up return

According to Sport [via Sport Witness], Barcelona want to take Traore back to the club where he started out his career, especially if Ousmane Dembele moves on.

A summer transfer is rumoured rather than a move this month, which may encourage other clubs linked with signing the speedy wide man in the coming weeks.

However, the report noted that Barcelona have a good relationship with Wolves, as well as Traore’s agent Jorge Mendes, which could help to smooth the path towards a Camp Nou return. Also, the player would welcome a return to his former club and maintains a friendship with several current Barca stars.

The Verdict: Time for a fresh challenge

Traore is a hugely entertaining player to watch but he can also be frustrating, and there is a feeling that the time has come for him to enjoy a fresh challenge.

His lack of end product outweighs the positives surrounding his game and Bruno Lage could use the funds to sign someone more prolific in that area of their game.

There will always be a risk element to selling Traore, considering the potential he has, but he has shown over 151 appearances that he is far too hit-and-miss.

In other news, Tim Spiers has made a key claim regarding a Wolves player. Find out who it is here.

Matt Doherty endured another disastrous Tottenham Hotspur outing as the north Londoners crashed out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

Antonio Conte was beaten by his former side 3-1 across two legs in the semi-final, leaving him with only the Premier League – where a place in the top four is the target – and the FA Cup left to play for.

And he will surely be reeling by another abject outing from his wing-back.

In the absence of Sergio Reguilon, the £10.8m-rated Irishman was trusted to start once again, even over the more natural left wing-back Ryan Sessegnon.

That plan lasted only 65 minutes after he was hooked by the Spurs head coach.

It was 20 minutes longer than he lasted in the first leg but it’s evident that Doherty is just not delivering whenever given an opportunity.

Back-up goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini was at fault for the Blues’ only goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but it’s not as if the rest of the squad looked like ever testing the Champions of Europe, so he can’t front the blame.

Players like Doherty badly failed Conte, not for the first time in this case, either.

Wing-backs are crucial to the Italian’s system, so to actually manage fewer touches of the ball (21) than the goalkeeper (24) is appalling. And with what time he did have in possession, he was either lacklustre or weak.

As per SofaScore, the 29-year-old made only 13 passes, failed to deliver a single cross and won none of his ground duels. He also did not register a single tackle or interception.

This train of thought was echoed by The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who slammed the defender in his post-match ratings column.

‘Offered no threat down the left flank, frequently cutting inside on his right foot and slowing down attacks. Having struggled at Stamford Bridge, his selection again was strange,’ he wrote.

He was a disaster in the first leg, he was a disaster in the second leg. It’s time for Conte to stop trusting the struggling £74k-per-week calamity.

AND in other news, Contact made: Spurs have “sounded” out “phenomenal” 35-goal star, fans will be fuming…

Having strengthened at the back with the signing of Kieran Trippier, followed by bringing in another striker in the shape of Chris Wood during the January transfer window, it seems as though Newcastle United are now keen on adding a midfielder to their ranks before the end of the month.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Newcastle and fellow Premier League side Watford are eyeing up a potential loan move for Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury before the current transfer window comes to a close.

As a product of Leicester’s youth system, the 24-year-old has made 79 senior appearances for the Foxes across all competitions, chipping in with two goals and two assists along the way.

However, with only seven appearances across all competitions so far this season prior to Leicester’s Premier League home clash against Brighton today, a potential loan move to Newcastle could be tempting for the former England under-21 international if he would be guaranteed regular playing time in Eddie Howe’s side.

The midfielder, who is currently earning £61k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has previously been praised by Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers for his “outstanding” performances for the Midlands club, possibly showing why the likes of Newcastle and Watford are interested in adding him to their squads this month.

Whenever the 24-year-old has featured for the Foxes, he has brought plenty of steel to their midfield, averaging 2.3 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game. Both of those averages exceed anyone at Newcastle who plays in the same position, suggesting that he could be an upgrade on Howe’s current options in that regard.

Fans will be amazed

With the Tyneside club being linked with a move for Choudhury in the past before their current owners took over, the fans will surely be amazed to see that the Magpies are seemingly once again interested in bringing the Leicester ace to St James’ Park, especially given his impressive performances whenever he has played.

Moving forward, with Newcastle fighting to avoid relegation this term, it would be worth adding as many options as they can to improve their squad before the end of the month to help Eddie Howe in his endeavours, just as the owners have done with the acquisitions of Trippier and Wood.

In terms of Choudhury, despite predominantly playing in midfield, he has shown on occasion that he is capable of operating in defensive positions as well. That is the sort of versatility which could be useful for Newcastle throughout the remainder of the season, especially if they can make better use of him than Leicester seem to be doing in recent months.

In other news – Terms agreed: NUFC could land masterstroke with gem whose “shorts look like underwear”…