All posts by z3u9t.icu

Arsenal are flying, with manager Mikel Arteta meticulously crafting a team with title-winning credentials over the past several years.

With Arsenal last competing in the Champions League football in 2016/17, the club bitterly witnessed the hard work of last year suffer a bump in the closing stages, and a series of losses resulted in a fifth-placed finish confirmed in the closing phase of the season.

This term, the north London outfit cast aside the cobwebs of last season and looked to mount a more fruitful odyssey towards Europe’s coveted continental competition, but expectations have been exceeded and the Gunners perch atop the Premier League table with a five-point advantage on second-placed Manchester City, and with a game in hand.

In order to cement the club’s newfound prowess, owner Stan Kroenke granted Arteta funds to bolster the ranks this January, and the side’s technical director Edu has diligently targeted shrewd deals to enhance the chances of success.

And while Jorginho and Jakub Kiwior have been clinched to fortify the defensive and midfield ranks respectively, it is £27m acquisition Leandro Trossard, clinched from divisional rivals Brighton & Hove Albion who might have the most profound impact on the Emirates club’s endeavours over the remainder of the campaign.

Since arriving on the south coast to forge a Premier League career with Albion in 2019, joining from Belgian outfit Genk for £15m, the 24-cap star has plundered 25 goals and 14 assists in the English top-flight.

And this year, his seven goals and two assists in the league were imperative for the Seagulls as their flourishing season took flight, confirming his stature as a deadly offensive weapon and consequently piquing Arsenal’s interest.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 16% of positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for rate of non-penalty goals and touches in the attacking box, also in the top 18% for blocks, illustrating his direct prowess and willingness to get stuck in and rebuff opposing advances.

The “unreal” magician – as lauded by Rio Ferdinand – is the shrewd signing that Arsenal needed to add depth and quality to their finely balanced unit; with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli flourishing down the offensive flanks, the league leaders will welcome the addition of such a dynamic and prolific force to ease the workload.

And while the Gunners faithful will lament the missed opportunity to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk, whose club Shakhtar Donetsk was engaged in intense negotiations with Edu before Chelsea swooped in and swiped the phenom from under their noses, tying him down to a £88.5m deal, the shrewder route in landing the 26-year-old Trossard offers a new dimension for a portion of the price.

While Trossard is not the ‘world-class’ acquisition that many of the Gunners faithful yearned for, he could well be their own Mudryk, with his crafty dribbling ability and direct play style providing a fine recipe for success when combined with his Premier League experience.

Indeed, he is a player of top-class calibre, and his impact within this roaring squad will be felt over the coming months, providing cover for the established flankers Martinelli and Saka, adding a valuable dimension to the frontline when unleashed.

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale has been gifted a big opportunity to snap up one of their reported targets for the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Fulham have officially confirmed that central midfielder Josh Onomah has been released after a mutual decision to terminate his contract.

This means that the 25-year-old talent is now available to interested parties on a free transfer and could be signed beyond the deadline, as his deal was ripped up before the end of the window.

Last month, Football Insider reported that Gers manager Michael Beale was eyeing up a possible swoop for the former England U21 international.

An opening emerges

Six teams are reportedly eyeing a deal to sign Onomah and Beale must now reignite his interest in bringing the gem to Ibrox in the coming hours of the window as it could be a shrewd move by the Light Blues.

Ryan Jack, Scott Arfield, and Steven Davis are all out of contract at the end of the season and signing the former Fulham talent, alongside Belgian gem Nicolas Raskin, could represent a changing of the guard in midfield for the club.

The three aforementioned players are all in their 30s and will all be older than 32 by the end of the campaign, which indicates that it could be time for Beale to inject some younger players into the mix in that position.

Onomah, 25, fits the bill and his availability on a free transfer also means that his arrival would be a low-risk, high-reward, deal for Ross Wilson to make.

The central midfielder, who journalist Josh Bunting once stated has “huge potential”, has 26 Premier League appearances and nine caps for his country at U21 level under his belt. He has also played 99 matches in the Championship – scoring eight goals and providing 12 assists – and been promoted twice from the division. 

Onomah, who has been capped by England at six different age groups, is an experienced player in the top two tiers of English football and is at a great age at 25, as the gem still has plenty of time to develop and improve.

Beale could take the talented midfielder on as a player who could make an immediate impact on the pitch but also a signing with one eye on the future, with potential exits for Jack, Arfield, and Davis on the cards heading into the summer.

Sunderland were knocked out of the FA Cup in a thrilling match at the Stadium of Light as they were beaten 3-2 by Premier League side Fulham on Wednesday night.

The away side took the lead in the opening ten minutes as Wales international Harry Wilson found himself free on the edge of the area and brilliantly picked out the far corner with the outside of his left foot.

Amad Diallo came agonisingly close to equalising early on in the second half as he brilliantly jinked past a defender in the box before his strike was cleared off the line by a Fulham defender.

The Black Cats were then hit by a sucker punch as Andreas Pereira was on hand to tap the ball into an empty net after a clever cutback from Aleksandar Mitrovic.

However, Jack Clarke pulled one back with around 15 minutes left to play as the former Tottenham forward curled a beautiful strike into the far top corner from just inside the box.

Layvin Kurzawa extended the away side’s lead back to two goals in the 82nd minute but substitute Jewison Bennette then made it 3-2 by pouncing on a mistake at the back to smash the ball into the top corner of Bernd Leno’s net.

It was an open and entertaining match from start to finish and one of the reasons behind that was that Sunderland’s midfield was far too open.

Edouard Michut and Dan Neil were caught out of position and bullied physically at times by the Premier League side, with the former – in particular – struggling in the middle of the park.

The Paris Saint-Germain loanee was dominated by the opposition as he lost a whopping 75% (9/12) of his individual duels, including 100% (2/2) of his battles in the air, and this shows that the youngster was not strong enough to deal to win the challenges that he was competing in.

As per Sofascore, Michut did not win a single tackle but did commit four fouls with that an indication that the lightweight’s defensive technique was not up to standard, whilst the midfielder only made one interception and one block and failed to make any clearances.

The 19-year-old did complete 97% of his attempted passes, from 49 touches of the ball, but did not create a single chance for his teammates and did not attempt any long passes or crosses, which indicates that the teenager was playing it safe and not progressing the play with his passes.

Michut struggled badly throughout the match and was substituted in the 72nd minute, with Sunderland scoring twice to Fulham’s one in the remainder of the game, after making very little impact on the match.

Manchester United left it late to secure all three points away to bitter rivals Leeds United on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho sealing the win for Erik ten Hag’s men amid what was a hard-fought encounter in Yorkshire.

Just days on from the thrilling, 2-2 draw at Old Trafford – in which the hosts had been forced to come from two goals behind – the Red Devils were again far from at their best this time around, having been forced to produce a dogged display against their managerless hosts.

Following what was a rather limp 70 minutes or so from the visitors, a rare moment of quality saw emerging talisman Rashford header home for his eighth goal in his last nine Premier League appearances, before substitute Garnacho lashed in superbly soon after to make sure of the points.

That battling performance has ensured that United still have a flickering of hope in the title race, with one key factor in that crucial result having been the standout performance of Luke Shaw in the backline.

How did Luke Shaw play against Leeds?

The 27-year-old showcased his growing versatility after once again “excelling” in a centre-back berth, in the words of Statman Dave, before later switching to his usual full-back role to help play a vital part in the away side’s opener.

That second half, tactical tweak from Ten Hag – in which Lisandro Martinez entered the fray on the hour mark – allowed the Englishman the license to get forward down the left flank, with that move almost immediately paying off as he provided a “superb” cross to tee up his compatriot Rashford to header home, as per journalist Josh Bunting.

Such a moment of quality was one of two key passes that the £150k-per-week ace produced from his 87 touches, having also completed two of his three dribbles and won four fouls for his side with his ability to drive forward from deep.

Not just an asset in an attacking sense, the one-time Southampton man also proved his class defensively after winning ten of his 15 duels on the day – including eight of his 11 ground duels – having also produced a vital block from Luke Ayling’s driven effort.

There were still lapses of concentration from the long-serving defender as he lost possession on 19 occasions – inadvertently sliding in Crysencio Summerville at one stage – although on the whole the 28-cap titan truly stole the show due to his adaptability and quality in both of his defensive roles.

That rock-solid performance unsurprisingly saw the 6 foot 1 machine record a remarkable match rating of 8.1, as per Sofascore, with that only bettered by teammate David De Gea (8.3)  among any player for either side.

One of ‘the few cool heads’ inside a heated cauldron at Elland Road – according to Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst – Shaw seemingly proved that he is now a leading, senior figure in Ten Hag’s side.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has now “resumed training” after his recent injury and may return at the start of next month.

What’s the latest on Alphonse Areola and his West Ham injury?

The Frenchman has been out recently with a hamstring injury and consequently hasn’t been able to feature in the club’s last two Premier League games.

As result, in the recent draw against Newcastle United, manager David Moyes opted to name third-choice goalkeeper Joseph Anang and academy stopper Krisztian Hegyi both on the bench at St James’ Park – he did the same against Chelsea last weekend, too.

However, following a new update on Areola on The West Ham Way podcast, it seems as though the goalkeeper may be back on the bench shortly to provide more senior depth to Lukasz Fabianski.

Indeed, Ex revealed that the 29-year-old is close to returning although likely won’t play until they face Manchester United in the FA Cup.

He said: “Areola has also resumed training. He’s unlikely to feature for us until the Manchester United game, but obviously, it will be good for him to get back on the bench and get some training in before that game.”

What does the Areola injury mean for WHUFC?For now at West Ham, Fabianski remains very much the number one goalkeeping option for Moyes, with the Pole starting all 22 league games so far this season.He is, however, 37 years old now and with Areola completing a permanent transfer to the club from Paris Saint-Germain last summer (signing a five-year deal), it suggests the Frenchman will be the first pick in years to come.This term, though, the 29-year-old has mainly had to settle for minutes in the cup competitions. For instance, he has started every Europa Conference League game.Taking that into account, even if he is fit enough to play, he probably won’t come into the side for another few weeks until West Ham take on Man United in the fifth round of the FA Cup on 1st March.

Manchester United defeated Barcelona last night in what was a match that proves Erik ten Hag is the man ready to bring back the glory days at Old Trafford.

Down 1-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate as the second half got underway, United showed a resilience that hasn’t been displayed since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson to finally prevail through to the next round and this will give the Dutchman major confidence that they can end their six-year drought for silverware.

With the EFL Cup final against Newcastle United to come on Sunday, that drought may come to an end sooner rather than later, although he may have to tinker with his starting XI ahead of the tie.

Marcus Rashford was uncharacteristically poor last night, taking just 30 touches while having just two shots the entire evening and they were both off target, yet it was striker Wout Weghorst who once again, underperformed in a United shirt.

How did Wout Weghorst play against Barcelona?

Statistically, he wasn’t United’s worst performer on the night, that goes to Rashford who received a Sofascore rating of 6.1/10 and having scored 15 goals since Christmas, the Englishman is entitled to have the odd game where he is below par.

Weghorst’s 6.3/10 rating via Sofascore summed up his time at the Red Devils so far – ineffective.

His game only comprised the first half, as Ten Hag hooked him at the break in order to bring on Antony, who changed the side’s attacking dynamic and added some much-needed urgency.

The Dutchman took just 12 touches in 45 minutes, which was 20 fewer than David De Gea, who had 32 during the tie, it shows how little he offers in a central role.

Weghorst only completed two passes during the match while winning just one duel from eight contested, having zero shots or attempted dribbles, and losing possession seven times.

Overall it was a dreadful performance and writer Kyle Bonn even described him as “useless” following his abject display.

It is a testament to just how well-drilled Ten Hag has gotten this United side that they can still perform well despite having passengers like Weghorst on the pitch.

Of course, the tide turned when he was substituted but ahead of the cup final on Sunday, a solution will need to be found that limits his game time so as to not destroy the Old Trafford side’s trophy ambitions.

Lee Ryder has revealed there’s nothing between Mark Gillespie and Loris Karius ahead of Newcastle United’s upcoming cup final.

The Lowdown: Unimaginable circumstances at Newcastle

Less than a week ago, Nick Pope and Newcastle United were looking ahead to a cup final and the Magpies’ first appearance at the redeveloped Wembley Stadium in such a match, but the goalkeeper’s moment of madness last weekend has thrown preparations up in the air, with his red card meaning he watching from the stands.

With Pope suspended for the final, Martin Dubrvaka cup-tied and Karl Darlow out on loan at Hull City, it’s between Karius and Gillespie as to who starts on Sunday.

Karius has the experience of finals and playing in the Premier League, but has never played a competitive game for Newcastle, whereas Gillespie has three appearances under his belt for the Magpies but has not previously played higher than the SPFL or League One.

The Latest: Nothing to split Karius and Gillespie

After speaking to the players and Eddie Howe on Tuesday, Ryder admitted on his Facebook page that there is nothing to separate the two ‘keepers with the final creeping ever closer.

He said: “If it was definitely going to be Loris Karius, I think he would’ve put him up in the press conference.

“I think it’s a bit disrespectful to just say it will be, because from what I’m told, there is not much to pick from the two goalkeepers.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Karius is the sensible choice

While there may not be a lot between the two ‘keepers, the fact that Karius has played in the Champions League, Premier League and German Bundesliga would suggest he’s the more accomplished player to start on a big occasion.

However, he does have that Champions League final nightmare display on his CV, which may well be playing on his mind if he walks out as Newcastle’s No 1 at Wembley, so a boyhood fan in the form of Gillespie could be a safer bet if he can handle any big-game nerves.

Gillespie would know what it means to be playing at the national stadium for the club given he grew up supporting, but we feel Howe must make a decision based upon ability alone and nothing emotional should be attached.

West Ham United are now serious contenders for Bristol City sensation Alex Scott as they become ‘firmly’ in the mix.

The Lowdown: Hammers make transfer plans…

Despite their status as Premier League relegation candidates, with rumours also having surrounded the position of manager David Moyes, it is believed West Ham chiefs are still making transfer plans behind-the-scenes.

There have been links to the likes of Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and West Ham are believed to have made an out-of-window offer to the player via his representative.

New targets are emerging consistently ahead of the summer with The Mail now sharing news on Scott.

The Latest: West Ham ‘firmly’ in Scott mix…

According to their information, West Ham are ‘firmly’ in the mix to sign him this summer amid interest from a plethora of other top flight sides.

This comes after head of recruitment Rob Newman was sent to run the rule over Scott this week, specifically during Bristol City’s 3-0 defeat to Man City in the FA Cup.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-news-6/” title=”West Ham latest news” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cropped-david-moyes-premier-league-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Very exciting player…

Scott is rated highly by both manager Nigel Pearson and Bristol chiefs.

The midfielder dazzled against City in midweek, prompting Pep Guardiola to call him an ‘unbelievable player’.

Such high praise from an elite boss like Guardiola should be plenty of evidence that Scott could be destined for stardom, as put by journalist Henry Winter, who claimed it is inevitable that the player makes a move to England’s top flight.

Scott is ‘flourishing’ at Ashton Gate according to Winter, as evident by the fact he currently ranks among Pearson’s best-performing  players by average match rating (WhoScored).

Celtic are considering a move to bring Luca Fletcher to the Scottish Premiership, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Fletcher profiled

The England youth international currently plays his football at Reading but has caught the eye of Ange Postecoglou after putting in some impressive performances for the Three Lions.

The Royals striker doesn’t turn 16 until next month but would be able to make the transition from England to the north of the border as a result of him being a UK-based prospect.

The Latest: Celtic eyeing Fletcher

According to Football Insider, Celtic are set to battle it out with Old Firm rivals Rangers to sign Fletcher, with both clubs ‘interested’ in securing his services.

The Hoops and Light Blues are reportedly ‘weighing up moves’ for the forward, who is also a target for Premier League side West Ham United.

The Parkhead outfit could land the teenager for ‘minimal cross-border compensation’, but will face stiff competition from their fellow admirers.

The Verdict: One for the future

Celtic have players like Stephen Welsh and Anthony Ralston who have broken into the first team from the academy and Fletcher could follow in their footsteps should he put pen to paper this summer.

The Select Car Leasing Stadium talent scored three goals in two games for England’s U16s back in December so is already showing his potential on the big stage.

Fletcher also offers excellent versatility with his ability to operate on both the left and right flanks alongside his natural centre-forward position, so would be an exciting signing for the future of the Bhoys.

Journalist Jacque Talbot has been speaking about the rumoured interest from Newcastle United in Folarin Balogun.

The Lowdown: Newcastle need more goals

After flying high in the top three earlier in the season, Newcastle and Eddie Howe have been brought crashing back down to earth in 2023 having slipped outside of the top four and lost in the Carabao Cup final.

Newcastle have failed to score two or more goals in a Premier League game since Boxing Day when they beat Leicester City 3-0, so Howe must start getting his attacking players to click in the final third if they are to rediscover their early-season form.

That is quite amazing to be saying, however, as Newcastle spent £63m on Alexander Isak last summer and £45m on Anthony Gordon in January. But to be pushing for the top four, they need quality and depth – which someone as young and talented as Arsenal loanee Balogun could provide.

The Latest: Balogun for both the present and the future

Talbot has been speaking on his YouTube channel about Newcastle’s interest in Balogun, who’s been tearing up Ligue 1 this season with 15 goals to his name.

He said: “I am bouncing off a report by Steve Kay, Balogun – he’s over at Reims, I think, doing very well in Ligue 1. Newcastle have got a bit of an eye on him, something that I heard as well, but again, he’s just one to consider, one to watch.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: A youthful option could be useful

While Talbot doesn’t appear to consider Balogun as a transfer priority for Newcastle, given that the Magpies already have two strikers within their ranks who will be itching to start every week, recruiting someone a lot younger such as Balogun, who could learn from and eventually replace Callum Wilson, could be a smart move.

Wilson is exploring a tough time of things, with his body seemingly not able to cope with the demands of the Premier League having missed nine games this season, so the club may have to start looking towards the future.

Balogun is still very young and unlikely to get much game time back at Arsenal given they have Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah on the books, but a departure could likely anger Arsenal fans, especially legend Ian Wright, who believes the youngster has ‘a lot of hype’ surrounding him following his stunning Ligue 1 season.