All posts by z3u9t.icu

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee believes that Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard faces a fight to re-sign reported target Billy Gilmour from Chelsea.

The former Rangers youth prospect signed his first professional contract with the London club in 2018 and has gone on to make 17 appearances across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

According to The Telegraph, the 19-year-old is expected to leave Stamford Bridge on loan for the remainder of the season to improve his chances of playing for Scotland at Euro 2020.

However, Lee has questioned whether Steven Gerrard’s side need to sign the midfielder. The Ibrox boss is currently blessed with a wealth of options in the midfield, including veteran stalwart Steven Davis, Ryan Jack and Bongani Zungu.

He told FFC:

“I think a lot of clubs will look at Billy Gilmour on loan. I think he’s been outstanding. Listen, small in stature, but I haven’t seen him get bullied, he just gets it, passes it, keeps it moving, tried to pass forward.

“There’s a lot of players you see who sit and pass it backwards and sideways, I could do that at 55, but he wants to play it forward, he wants to get the team going.

“Steven Gerrard was probably one of the best midfielders of his generation, as Frank was. So, if you can’t learn from Steven Gerrard, you can’t learn from anybody.

“I would question do they need him? They’re 23 points clear, aren’t they, Celtic have shown no signs of catching them. So, do they actually need him, does he need to go play against lesser teams, or should he test himself in the Premier League, or even the top of the Championship against tough teams.

“He’s a talented player and I’m sure if he’s not going to play for Chelsea they’ll let him go out on loan.”

Indeed, it’s easy to see why Rangers may be reluctant to push for a move. Steven Davis has established himself as a regular starter under Gerrard, scoring his first goal of the season in the 3-2 defeat to St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup.

But Bongani Zungu has struggled to make an impact at Ibrox after his switch from French Ligue 2 side Amiens. The 28-year-old has yet to score for the Gers and is posing a dilemma for Gerrard.

However, Ryan Jack’s return from injury could throw a spanner in the works. The Scotland international has become one of Gerrard’s most trusted deputies in the engine room, having made over a hundred appearances in all competitions.

AND in other news, Why Glasgow Rangers should give Ryan Kent whatever he wants…

According to reports, Leeds United are interested in signing Milan starlet, Tommas Pobega.

What’s the story?

Italian publication TuttoSport claim that both Leeds and fellow Premier League side Leicester are keen on landing the 21-year-old, who is currently on loan at Spezia.

The midfielder has been in impressive form for the Serie A outfit, scoring three goals and providing a further two assists in just 14 league games, including a match-winning goal and assist in a 2-1 victory over Napoli last month.

Bielsa’s next Klich

Ever since Bielsa took over at Elland Road, Mateusz Klich has been one of the Argentine’s ever-presents, starting week-in and week-out come rain or shine – he’s already played 119 games for the Leeds boss.

This season has just seen his star drop a little however, so much so that in the last ten Premier League games, he’s completed the full 90 minutes just three times.

The Polish ace has struggled for form this campaign, and with him turning 31 this summer, Leeds would do well to try and find someone to replace him for the longer-term.

And in Pobega, they could find exactly that.

His manager at Spezia, Vincenzo Italiano, said: “Pobega is a young lad, who has shown he can have an important future. I am convinced if he improves on the ball and doesn’t give it away so often, he can do great things, as he has the physicality and times his forward runs really well.”

The 21-year-old is a box-to-box style of midfielder, with World Football Index describing him as someone who “can be influential both offensively and defensively”, and that he’s “sound with the ball at his feet, with decent passing ability”.

And when you compare both Pobega and Klich this season, the duo are remarkably similar. The former averages 1.1 tackles and 2.6 duels won per game, whilst the Leeds man manages 1.2 tackles and three duels won per match.

But it isn’t just defensively that they are almost alike, with Pobega averaging just slightly less shots per match than Klich (0.7 to 1.1), and is a real indication of just how much of a threat he can be at the other end of the pitch – not only did he bag against Napoli this season, but he also scored against Juventus too.

If Bielsa is looking for the man to come in and take over the reins from Klich, then the £4.5m-rated Pobega seems like the ideal fit.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United target is perfect for Bielsa…

Marcel Brands should seal a Carlo Ancelotti reunion for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot amid claims of a possible summer transfer to Everton.

What’s the word?

According to France Football, via Sport Witness, Ancelotti is willing the Toffees to meet Juve’s €30m (£26m) asking price to acquire the services of the French midfielder.

The Blues boss handed Rabiot his Paris Saint-Germain debut whilst in charge at Les Parc des Princes in 2012, and appears keen on reuniting with his former charge at Goodison Park.

Reports from France follow claims in Italy from over the weekend, which suggested the Juve hierarchy were considering an offer from an English side thought to have been Everton.

The Toffees were also linked with Rabiot during the January transfer window, when it was suggested that negotiations were underway regarding a potential loan-to-buy deal, while claims last summer suggested Goodison Park was his most likely destination.

Rabiot is currently not said to be a non-transferable player in Turin despite finding a home in Andrea Pirlo’s plans, and would be allowed to leave the Allianz Stadium for €30m.

The £176,000-per-week maestro has drifted in and out of the Old Lady’s starting line-up this term but opened Pirlo’s last two Serie A fixtures, taking his record to 12 starts in 18 outings.

He has also started and played all but 16 minutes of Juventus’ Coppa Italia campaign so far, in which Pirlo’s side eliminated league title rivals Inter Milan while recording his only assist of the season in a 4-0 win over SPAL.

Should Everton sign Rabiot?

Everton signing Rabiot could prove to be a rumour that endlessly rumbles on and the arrival of Ancelotti has only given more fuel to the speculation, given their prior connection at PSG.

But the Blues’ Director of Football Brands should pursue the idea of bringing Rabiot to Goodison Park, as the 11-cap international could be the next player from Ancelotti’s past to move to Merseyside and thrive after Allan’s successful switch from SSC Napoli last summer.

While a hamstring injury has kept Allan out of action for the past two months, the Brazilian continues to rank first at Everton for ground duels won having come out on top in 6.58 duels a game – Tom Davies, who has stood in as the holding midfielder of late, offers 3.14, per SofaScore.

Allan also ranks first for average successful tackles a game among those to have featured more than once with 3.42, while Abdoulaye Doucoure registers 1.71, Andre Gomes 1.47 and Davies 1.14 among Ancelotti’s other regular engine room options.

Based on his efforts in the Serie A this season, Rabiot would slot in above Davies for ground duels won with success in 3.8 or 60% of his contests, while eclipsing Doucoure for tackles with 2.0 a game.

If Ancelotti is able to unlock even more from the 25-year-old, Everton would not go all that wrong by reuniting Rabiot with the Italian tactician. And with the Blues eying European football, another experienced head may come in handy next season.

AND in other news, Everton must offload an £80k-p/w dud Carlo Ancelotti admits he’s “frustrated” by…

Liverpool’s decision to sell Rhian Brewster in the summer transfer window was met by some disappointment from Liverpool fans but with the youngster still having failed to score a goal for his new club, it is looking like another piece of excellent transfer business by sporting director Michael Edwards.

The 20-year-old joined Liverpool from Chelsea as a youngster and was highly thought of at the Merseyside club, with Jurgen Klopp reportedly so impressed with the youngster in an academy session that he invited him to train with the first-team.

The England U21 international would go on to make just four appearances for the Reds’ senior team, before joining Championship side Swansea City on loan for the second half of the 2019/20 season.

He would manage 11 goals in 22 appearances for the Swans, which left some Liverpool fans hopeful that he would be challenging for a spot in Klopp’s first team this season, perhaps as an understudy to Roberto Firmino.

However, Sheffield United paid a club-record fee to sign him during the summer transfer window, in a move that was met with a lot of disappointment from large parts of the Anfield faithful, who felt that he had a bright future ahead of him with the Reds.

It turns out that Edwards did superbly well to sell the young striker for £23.5 million, as he has unfortunately endured a nightmare debut season with the Blades, with Chris Wilder’s side looking destined to be relegated back to the Championship this season.

In 18 Premier League appearances, Brewster has failed to register a single goal or assist, which has seen him average a less than impressive 6.15 rating.

Edwards’ masterclass was clearer than ever on Sunday when Liverpool beat Sheff United 2-0 at Bramall Lane, with Brewster left on the bench despite Wilder’s side chasing the game, which suggests that he is very much out-of-favour with the Yorkshire club at the moment.

Hopefully, he can find his feet with the Blades in the near future and get his first goal for his new club, but for now, it looks as if Edwards has delivered another transfer masterclass at Liverpool, even if some fans were frustrated when he originally left.

And, in other news… LFC signing gem with “extraordinary quality” will surely spell the end for £50k-p/w dud

Celtic are no longer Scottish champions; that sentence has been unthinkable over the last decade. The Hoops took home nine consecutive league titles to Parkhead but their dominance is now well and truly over. Thanks very much, Neil Lennon.

You can blame a number of factors. Of course, Lennon will take much of the responsibility. His side lacked quality this term but a number of his players made countless individual mistakes.

You can also blame the hierarchy and their inability to recruit adeptly or sack Lennon when things first started to go wrong.

There is also the James Forrest factor. The attacker has been missing since September and the Bhoys have hardly coped well since.

He returned to action in the 0-0 draw with Dundee United on Sunday but failed to inspire the win that would have left Rangers waiting at least a few more weeks to wrap up the title.

A number of players were poor at the weekend. Odsonne Edouard wasn’t his ruthless self while Diego Laxalt missed a simple chance and was caught out plentiful times defensively.

However, in the thick of it, a certain Ryan Christie disappointed again. The winger has been playing in a more central area of late but despite getting into the right areas, his end product was deserting him.

The thought of a move to either Arsenal or Leeds, something that was touted last January, seems dumbfounded now. The Scot has scored just twice in his last 25 matches, with one of those goals happening to be an absolute peach in the Scottish Cup final.

He was influential on that day but he has been abject since. Commenting after his performance against Aberdeen last month, Frank McAvennie called Christie “non-existent.”

Indeed, it’s hard to argue against that notion. The 26-year-old has been letting his team down for a number of months now and has become a huge problem, not only to his colleagues but also the club’s hierarchy.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Against Dundee United on Sunday, he picked up some nice pockets of space to provide four key passes. Yet, beyond that, there was a lack of threat. Most of Celtic’s play came from wide areas where Jonjoe Kenny and Mohamed Elyounoussi were keen to get on the ball.

That meant that Christie’s influence was ultimately limited with Dundee United crowding out central areas. They played with a low block which meant he only attempted one dribble. On top of that, both of his shots towards goal were pretty tame.

What summed up the winger’s day was his wastefulness. Only a few weeks ago Christie spurned four chances in Celtic’s 1-0 defeat to Ross County. On this occasion, it was his touch and passing that let him down.

He finished the match with a pass success rate of just 68%. Of those to start the game for the Hoops, only Edouard had a worse percentage. Furthermore, Christie surrendered the ball on no fewer than 20 occasions. That happened to be the worst number on the pitch from a player in green and white.

For someone who scored 20 goals in 2019/20, the attacker has been nothing short of abysmal this term. He has become the scapegoat for when things go wrong but he’s doing himself no favours.

With James Forrest in contention to play in the Old Firm derby, Christie’s spot should be under threat.

Even the much-maligned Scott Brown is performing better at the moment. His Celtic career looked dusted a few months ago but he has bounced back well. Christie must be craving a similar revival.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Turnbull: Celtic must swoop for 35-goal star who’s “impossible to beat”…

With Celtic surrendering the title to their biggest rivals last weekend, it was a landmark moment at Parkhead.

For the first time in a decade, the Hoops were no longer the dominant force in Scottish football. It has been a bumpy ride this season and it has all culminated with the end of Neil Lennon and Peter Lawwell’s tenure.

Lennon resigned from his role as manager two weeks ago while Lawwell is set to retire over the summer. Dominic McKay will step into the CEO’s shoes but they’re yet to find a new head coach.

They will presumably spend the summer months scouring the football world for their next boss and it’s unlikely there will be a shortage of suitors.

Guillem Balague put forward an interesting name last week, suggesting that former New York City and Flamengo boss Domenec Torrent should take Celtic’s fancy. He said: “Domenec Torrent would be in my eyes a very exciting move. Number two to Pep at Bayern and City, and a great believer in possession-based football and in the need to give spectacle to fans.”

Indeed, it’s incredibly hard to argue with the journalist’s take here. Torrent doesn’t have a wealth of management experience under his belt but having been a disciple to Pep Guardiola, you can guarantee he knows plenty about the game.

Torrent was Guardiola’s number two at Bayern Munich whilst he was also a great guidance councillor for the Spaniard at Manchester City. The two have a tremendous understanding for each other and that’s seen in the way Torrent likes his teams to operate.

“I was in love with Pep’s game – he was a disciple of Cruyff,” Torrent once commented.

He went to Flamengo in Brazil with the desire of playing a vertical tiki-taka system and if that could be replicated at Celtic, it would undoubtedly be an eye-catching appointment. Torrent certainly has players who will suit that style of football; namely the ball-playing Kristoffer Ajer and the exuberant David Turnbull.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Lennon’s football wasn’t particularly pleasing on the eye so Torrent could change the vibe at Parkhead and make it a far more attractive place to not only play football but watch it too. He should also fix some of their defensive problems.

Speaking about Torrent’s qualities, Guardiola once said: “He’s a master of set-pieces. He helped me to know the corners and the free-kicks and this kind of thing is important everywhere, especially in England.”

The Man City boss added: “He knows exactly in the right moment what to say.”

Torrent has now had a few years to tailor his own management style and the Celtic gig would undoubtedly be a tough ask. Yet, the Bhoys would be foolish not to consider the 58-year-old.

His possession-based style of play and utilisation of set-plays would prove game-changing. It has the potential to get the best out of players like Turnbull and their taller defenders like Christopher Jullien.

AND in other news, Worse than Brown: Celtic liability who lost possession 20x is now a huge problem…

With Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy now 34 years of age, the club will surely be searching high and low for his successor.

The former Fleetwood Town man has enjoyed a remarkable career at the King Power Stadium, scoring a total of 144 goals for the club and lifting a Premier League crown.

However, he is not going to last forever. With the striker seemingly slowing down having only scored once in his last 12 Premier League appearances, fellow striker Kelechi Iheanacho has stepped up.

The Nigerian could be the perfect successor for Vardy and he was hiding under the Foxes noses the whole time.

The former Manchester City starlet arrived at the King Power Stadium with plenty of promise but failed to deliver initially, scoring just ten goals across his first two seasons in the East-Midlands.

However, he is now in the midst of his joint-most productive campaign at the club with ten goals and four assists in all competitions.

Whilst that does not match Vardy’s incredible output, with the veteran already on 14 goals for the season, Iheanacho has stepped up during his dry spell.

The Nigerian’s lethal hat-trick against Sheffield United made it six goals in his last three domestic matches and it was the first time he had netted in three consecutive league games in his career.

It’s no surprise then that he is brimming with confidence.

That is shown in his personal statistics too, with £13.5m-rated striker attempting on average more shots, dribbles and key passes per game than in his career this season, according to WhoScored.

He is now also becoming more and more crucial to Leicester. Throughout the past two seasons, Iheanacho’s Premier League goals have been worth seven points alone to the Foxes. That figure only seems likely to increase as he continues his incredible run of form.

Even Brendan Rodgers seems prepared for the passing of the gauntlet, with the Northern-Irishman continuing to give the Nigerian “big responsibility” at the King Power Stadium.

With the search for Vardy’s eventual replacement still ongoing with links to Odsonne Edouard, Leicester could actually have found their man in the form of the ever-improving Kelechi Iheanacho.

AND in more news, take a look at our analysis of the Nigerian’s hat-trick performance against Sheffield United at the weekend…

After making his return to the bench for Leeds United’s last Premier League clash against Chelsea, Robin Koch is surely pushing for a place in the starting line-up.

The Whites make the trip back to London on Friday night – a city in which they have a wretched record of losing 13 of their last 14 games in all competitions – when they take on Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Last time out saw Marcelo Bielsa pair summer signing Diego Llorente with Pascal Struijk, but after Koch’s appearance for the U23s earlier in the week, the German could well be in contention for a long-awaited start.

The 24-year-old had been out of action with a knee injury since early December, when he was forced off the pitch against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

While Bielsa may be reluctant to throw him straight into the thick of things, Koch has shown just what an important and influential player he is for Leeds during the first-half of the campaign.

As per Whoscored, he boasts the best passing accuracy of any senior Leeds centre-back, and that is vital for Bielsa as he looks for his side to play out from the back.

Koch also ranks very highly compared to the rest of his Leeds teammates when it comes to his defensive contributions too, averaging the third best in terms of interceptions per match, and being dribbled past the fewest amount of times per game of any defender.

Vincenzo Grifo, Koch’s former teammate at Freiburg, raved about his ability to The Athletic, saying: “He’s very vocal at the back and he loves to have the game in front of him. He’s an outstanding organiser. His improvement is incredibly rapid, including in the national team, and he’s on a path to become a world-class player, a monster centre-back.”

Former Leeds defender Tony Dorigo dubbed him the “rock” in the middle of the side’s defence earlier in the campaign, and so it must have been incredibly frustrating for Bielsa to be without one of his key men for so long.

The £17m-rated Koch could be the key to ensuring Leeds remain solid at the back and can keep a clean sheet, but also offer more in terms of his passing and building things from the back. It’s exactly why Koch could be a game-changer for Bielsa as they look to seal all three points tonight.

Meanwhile, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa should urge a move for this Premier League star…

Some Liverpool fans have been providing their thoughts on Nabil Fekir joining the Reds, with a report linking them with their former target.

Back in the summer of 2018, it looked as though Fekir was going to be the latest exciting addition to Liverpool’s squad, with Jurgen Klopp extremely close to snapping him up. A failed medical because of a knee issue saw the move for the Frenchman fall through, however, and it ended up being a transfer that got away.

Liverpool didn’t fare too badly without Fekir added to their squad, though, winning the Champions League in the season that followed before clinching Premier League glory a year later.

[freshpress-quiz id=“306736”]

Now 27 and plying his trade at Real Betis – he moved there from Lyon in 2019 – the attacking midfielder has again been linked with a move to the Reds.

According to Todo Fichajes, Klopp is potentially still keen on bringing him to Anfield and he will likely cost less than before.

It is a move that is hard to see happening, though, considering Fekir turns 28 later this year and the Liverpool manager is known for signing younger players who he can turn into world-beaters.

Liverpool fans don’t want Fekir at Anfield

These Reds supporters reacted to the news on Twitter.

“Why? His injury problems haven’t gone away”

Credit: @b4thekid

“Not unless he found a new knee in Seville”

Credit: @Jonny_Faulkner

“Stop it!! Do not go there!”

Credit: @andymoff86

“How many crocked players do we need?”

Credit: @GhostmanMus

“Zero chance”

Credit: @BigAl130

“Don’t do this to me again”

Credit: @danyoung91

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been calling for one Reds star to leave the club this summer. Find out who it is here.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to a stunning run by Mohamed Salah during international duty with Egypt.

The 28-year-old has matured into one of the biggest names in world football in the last few years following his incredible performances for the Reds.

Salah has scored a remarkable 119 goals in 192 appearances for Liverpool, chipping in with 45 assists for good measure.

This season, the Egyptian has carried his side’s attack in many ways, with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino out of form and Diogo Jota injured for several months.

It isn’t just at club level where Salah is the main man, either, with the world-class forward Egypt’s undisputed star player. He has scored 43 times in 69 caps for his country, inspiring them to the 2018 World Cup, and is mobbed everywhere he goes in his homeland.

On Monday, Salah produced a stunning Lionel Messi-esque run in during Egpyt’s 4-0 win over Comoros, with the Reds superstar also scoring twice.

Liverpool fans laud Salah

Here are the best reactions from Reds supporters on Twitter as they showed their love for Salah.

“Imagine he got a goal out of it. Oh my days, he’s too good”

Credit: @tashaaa2000

“Salah cAnt dRibbLe”Credit: @SmittyJimbo”Ramos shaking”Credit: @NazH92″Reminiscent to the Watford game”Credit: @CurtisEra20″Real Madrid, he is coming for you…”Credit: @ournumberfour”Messi who?”Credit: @abougalala_adam

In other news, some Liverpool fans are worried about the future of one Reds player after a big transfer report on Monday. Read more here.