All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham Hotspur had every right to celebrate after Jose Mourinho’s side beat Arsenal 2-1 at home.

Bouncing back from a disappointing draw with Bournemouth, it was clear right from the start that Mourinho had set Spurs up in a very different formation to previous games.

Moussa Sissoko was pushed out wide while Lucas Moura took up position on the left.

Moura basically played as a wing back for large parts of the game, and Mourinho found a way to win, as is often the case.

Although Spurs enjoyed less possession of the ball, they had more shots at goal, more efforts on target and more corners than Arsenal (via football.london).

A day after Tottenham’s hard-fought victory, Manchester City’s European ban has been overturned by the Court of Arbitration.

As Alasdair Gold notes, the Lilywhites have been looking to find some much-needed confidence, and a win in the north London derby might just do the trick.

Spurs still have quite some way to go if they are to reach Europe next season, as they still have to travel to Newcastle (where Mourinho has never won), Leicester City and Crystal Palace.

Tottenham have now climbed above their arch rivals into eighth in the Premier League, seven points behind fourth-placed Leicester, and six points behind his old club Manchester United.

Gold pointed out that while the battle isn’t over yet, the situation could become quickly become a “nightmare”, as the court’s decision has severe ramifications for the rest of the chasing pack.

Once again, the top four and Europa League winner are guaranteed Champions League football. Pep Guardiola’s side have also won the Carabao Cup, which means whoever finishes sixth will earn a spot in the Europa League.

On the one hand, if City, Chelsea or Man United win the FA Cup, seventh place will be enough to qualify for the European competition.

However, Arsenal could snatch that coveted spot if they win the trophy and finish outside of the top six, although they will have to beat City in order to do so.

Nevertheless, this has put Spurs in quite a predicament, as despite their latest triumph, they still find themselves adrift of a potential place in European football.

Of course, everything hinges on whether or not the Gunners will actually beat the Citizens, but a similar scenario has happened in the past.

Indeed, Chelsea’s Champions League triumph denied Harry Redknapp one last European hurrah in his final year in charge at White Hart Lane.

Spurs fans will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself as Mourinho’s side gear themselves up to face Newcastle on Thursday.

Tottenham fans, do you think Spurs will qualify for the Europa League? Let us know down below!

Uncertainty is growing around the future of Benji Kimpioka after his contract came to an end with Sunderland at the end of June.

With the 2019/20 season over and the Black Cats missing out on promotion to the Championship from League One, manager Phil Parkinson could be drawn to make a number of significant changes to his squad as he looks to bounce back next term.

A number of first team players have already departed the Stadium of Light due to the expiration of their contracts in June with one of those being academy talent Kimpioka, whose future has now become a big talking point at the Wearside club.

The 20-year-old, who made four appearances in League One last season, spoke about his future over the weekend and revealed that he would be keen to sign a new deal with Sunderland.

Despite those comments made by the young Swedish under-21 international, Sunderland Echo have now revealed that he has been training with former club IK Sirius.

The report goes on to share a tweet from Swedish publication UNT who quizzed the young attacker on his future, asking if he would make a return to Sweden.

Replying to the question, Kimpioka seemed reluctant to make a return to his homeland: “No. That’s how I feel and I have big dreams and ambitions.”

The report suggests that Sunderland initially offered him a new deal in 2019 but with nothing agreed yet, his future remains in doubt.

This is certainly an interesting situation. It certainly seems that the player is keen to agree fresh terms at the Stadium of Light and the club are hoping that he will stay, but for whatever reason the two parties are yet to agree to a deal and things seem to be deadlocked.

It may be that Kimpioka is fully assessing his options before committing, perhaps to see if he could get more first team football elsewhere having only made four appearances in the 19/20 campaign.

A nervous wait lies ahead for the Black Cats.

Do you think Sunderland should have done more to renew Kimpioka’s deal? Let us know in the comments section below…

Coventry City have been joined by Birmingham City in the race to sign Kayden Jackson from Ipswich Town, according to Football Insider.

After sealing the League One title and gaining automatic promotion to the Championship, Sky Blues boss Mark Robins has already made significant changes to his squad this summer.

Gustavo Hamer and Julien Dacosta were two of the first names through the door at the club, whilst Marcel Hilssner has also been joined by former Aston Villa youngster Callum O’Hare and Ryan Giles.

With that recruitment, Robins has since been linked with a new arrival in the shape of Ipswich striker Jackson.

However, the Coventry boss now faces stiff competition from two Championship rivals as Stoke City and Birmingham City are both said to be keen.

Jackson, who signed for Ipswich in 2018 from Accrington Stanley, is entering the final year of his deal at Portman Road.

Talks are said to have been ongoing between the £720,000-valued striker and his current club over an option to extend his deal but it is claimed that a latest deal has been rejected.

That recent stall in talks has prompted the likes of Coventry, Stoke and Birmingham to show interest in the striker, who netted an impressive 11 goals in 32 games last season.

An interesting three-way transfer tussle is now beginning to take shape and whilst some would predict Coventry to be least favourites to sign Jackson, Robins’ excellent work at the club and the impressive summer arrivals thus far could tempt the striker to make such a move.

Birmingham and Stoke are both in desperate need for a striker and they would probably have more pulling power in terms of a financial package.

Who do you think Jackson will join this summer? Let us know in the comments section below…

Following their surprise exit from Europe, Celtic will now have to reassess their squad and ensure there’s no more backlash from that unfortunate turn of events. Of course, losing some of their star players would be the obvious risk now and it will be up to Neil Lennon to either secure alternatives or convince them to stay.

Odsonne Edouard is definitely one of those players who might be rethinking their future now. Of course, the young forward didn’t even participate in the European clash and it may or may not have impacted the final result for the Hoops.

And even though they are still confident of ensuring he stays put in the Scottish Premier League, Celtic are still working on a plan B in case the worst happens. According to the latest report from Sky Sports, the Bhoys have identified Atletico Madrid’s Ivan Saponjic as a potential replacement for Edouard.

The 23-year-old La Liga striker is well down the pecking order in the Spanish capital, having both Alvaro Morata and Diego Costa in front of him, and could indeed be an attainable target.

His quality could come in question, however, but he was always a hot prospect back in Serbia, especially when he shined during his country’s U20 World Cup triumph in 2015.

Edouard, on the other hand, bagged 21 goals in 27 matches for Celtic in the Scottish top-flight last campaign and would definitely be a tough man to replace.

Verdict

At the moment, it is safe to say that Celtic would rather keep Edouard than cash in and look for alternatives. But the reality is that the young forward is a wanted man already and could very well be snatched away sooner rather than later.

With kids of his talent and potential, it feels more like a matter of when rather than if. So maybe a deal for Saponjic could actually make sense after all.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has spoken out about his outburst against Liverpool during their Premier League clash at Anfield last season. 

The two English heavyweights locked horns in a thrilling eight-goal fiesta which saw the champions defeat Lampard’s side 5-3 in July on the night that the Reds lifted the league trophy.

The frustrations evidently got to the Chelsea legend, who launched an expletive-laden verbal attack on the Reds’ assistant coach Pep Lijnders. It sparked a lot of reaction on social media with many Liverpool fans backing Jurgen Klopp’s retaliation to Lampard’s outburst.

However, the former England international has addressed his behaviour head-on whilst speaking to the High Performance Podcast (via Caught Offside).

“Yeah, I did regret that [the outburst],” Lampard admitted. “When it broke the next day and a friend of mine sent it to me in the morning, I was a bit embarrassed by it.”

Despite a tough penultimate match, Chelsea went on to beat Wolves 2-0 in their final league game of the season and cement a top four finish. The Blues have since had a very impressive transfer window, welcoming the likes of Timo Werner, Thiago Silva and Kai Havertz to the club.

“Because I was in the moment, but in the moment, I felt we turned up and it was the easiest day for Liverpool ever,” the Blues boss continued. “They won the league, they went goals up early in the game. And a few things happened with the bench, I’m not going to go into detail, but my feeling was, ‘I want to protect my club’.”

Lampard will be looking to put the whole ordeal behind him and start afresh this season as he hopes to challenge Liverpool once more – only this time, he will hope he has done enough in the transfer window to bridge the gap between them and last season’s champions.

What do you think about Lampard’s comments, Blues fans? Join the conversation in the comments below…

Sheffield United have made another signing in the current transfer window as Chris Wilder looks to build a strong squad for the new season. This time they have acquired Oliver Burke from fellow Premier League side West Bromwich Albion.

The Blades announced on their Twitter that the attacker has joined the club for an undisclosed fee from the Baggies, and it is their fourth signing of the week. However Burke has arrived in a swap-deal which has seen forward Callum Robinson head to West Brom on a permanent deal.

Speaking about the transfer swap, manager Chris Wilder said: ‘It suits both parties and we’re delighted to get Oli in the Building’.

At his last three clubs (West Brom, Celtic and Alaves), per Transfermarkt, Burke has played 75 times but only scored six goals whilst also picking up eight assists, per Transfermarkt.

Meanwhile Robinson, who was on loan at the Baggies last season, per Transfermarkt, scored once and set up two goals in 16 top-flight appearances for Sheffield United last season. Then, following his loan move to the Championship, the forward played a further 16 games, scoring three times and supplying two assists in helping West Brom to win promotion.

Neither has enjoyed the best spells in their career of late, but perhaps a fresh start at a new club where they are permanently at could be the exact thing that both players need to succeed consistently at a top level.

For the Blades, Burke looks like an astute signing as he is still only 23 and many believe he has bags of untapped talent, so if Wilder can manage to get him to reach that potential, then the club have a great player on their hands.

Blades fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

What a start to the new Premier League season Everton have had thus far.

As well as all the great work the club have done off the pitch in signing the likes of James Rodriguez and co, they have been on fire on it too, with two wins from their opening two league games.

Now, The Express claim that Carlo Ancelotti’s side are still very much interested in reinforcing their squad, with an eye on bringing in a new striker to potentially compete with Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the starting spot.

How big of an Everton fan are you? Can you spot Mikel Arteta from Graham Stuart? This quiz will test your knowledge, try it if you’re brave enough…



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The report suggests Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik – who is also said to be on the radar of Premier League rivals Tottenham too – has been offered to the Toffees, and that they have entered the race to sign him.

The Poland international has been a prolific goal-scorer for the likes of Ajax and Napoli, netting 28 league goals in just 61 games in the last couple of seasons.

And Italian journalist Bruno Longhi has waxed lyrical about the striker’s abilities, saying: “He does wonderful things with the ball, even acrobatics and he is a great striker.”

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Milik – who reportedly earns around £80k-per-week – would give Ancelotti a proven goal-scorer to further bolster his strike-force, although judging by their 5-2 win over West Brom last weekend, perhaps that isn’t the biggest concern for the Toffees right now.

Either way, their interest in Milik suggests Everton are absolutely intent on making this season a memorable one for their supporters.

Tottenham Hotspur have had one phenomenal transfer window but chairman Daniel Levy could make it even better with a swoop for one mooted target.

Both of the full-back positions have been upgraded with the signings of Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguillon whilst the north Londoners finally have a proper defensive midfielder for the first time since Mousa Dembele’s exit in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

They’ve even brought Gareth Bale back to the club and have signed a back-up to Harry Kane with Carlo Vinicius joining on loan.

If Jose Mourinho had a checklist, you’d imagine 80% of it has been ticked off, though one position still needs to be strengthened and with the transfer window slamming shut later today, that could prove difficult.

The Lilywhites have been linked with Inter Milan colossus Milan Skriniar for several weeks now, but Levy does not want to sanction a move with the asking price set at €60m (£54m).

This could prove to be an unforgivable mistake as it does bear some similarities to that of Paulo Dybala last summer. No one at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium wants a repeat of that saga once again.

According to the Express (via TEAMtalk), Levy pulled the plug on a move for the Juventus attacker after securing a bargain loan-to-buy deal for Giovani Lo Celso.

It turned out to be a catastrophic mistake as Spurs suffered the absence of Harry Kane when he went down injured on New Year’s Day, crashing out of both the FA Cup and Champions League.

Only the Englishman’s return post-restart enabled Mourinho’s side to qualify for the Europa League.

Spurs need a centre-back, it’s that simple. They’ve lost Jan Vertonghen and Juan Foyth after having the second-worst defensive record of any top seven team last season.

Technically, only Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez are the only senior out-and-out options with midfielder Eric Dier now playing at the back whilst Japhet Tanganga is still largely inexperienced at an elite level.

Skriniar has drawn comparisons to both Martin Skrtel and Alessandro Nesta whilst he’s also been lauded as a “leader” on and off the pitch as well as being “particularly talented” and “elegant”.

If Levy fails to land the 25-year-old monster, then it’s a sour end to what was a hugely encouraging window.

AND in other news, Levy may have missed a trick with Lewandowski-like transfer target…

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Alex McLeish has made a claim regarding defender Eric Dier and his hamstring trouble – hinting that the fresh injury could be real cause for concern. 

Dier, who seems to be preferred at centre back by manager Jose Mourinho, consistently partnering either Toby Alderweireld or Davinson Sanchez, will miss Spurs’ clash against West Ham on Sunday.

Dier injury blow for Mourinho

He joins Giovani Lo Celso and Japhet Tanganga on the injury list as another blow emerges, potentially putting a slight dampener on what will be an interesting afternoon against the Hammers – especially with superstar signing Gareth Bale nearing his debut.

McLeish, shedding light on the Englishman’s hamstring trouble, has claimed that he could be facing up to a month on the sidelines if it is serious.

McLeish issues damning verdict

Going on to state that hamstrings are ‘very, very awkward’, the out-of-work manager claims that Dier is facing ‘at least’ a fortnight out of action.

“He seems to be an integral part of Jose’s plans as we’ve seen in this season’s opening games,” explained McLeish to Football Insider. 

“To get a hamstring nick, you would think that that would be looking at two weeks at least, possibly a month. Hamstrings are very, very awkward muscle strains and if Dier has, if it’s only a tweak they’ll assess that.

“I think when you’re talking about hamstrings, he’ll definitely miss the next game.”

Transfer Tavern take

Dier, who has attracted mixed reviews from critics and supporters in his makeshift defensive position, now faces a potentially worrying injury update.

Luckily, Tottenham managed to get a deal for Joe Rodon over the line during the last hour of deadline day, and that transfer now looks even more of a coup.

Spurs fans, is Dier missing a huge blow for Mourinho? Have your say in the comments down below…

Aston Villa missed out on a potential Said Benrahma alternative in Liverpool winger Harry Wilson.

What was the story?

Reports over the course of the summer suggested that Villa were among a number of sides interested in luring the Wales international away from Anfield.

It was claimed however that the Reds’ £20m valuation on the ace was stopping teams like Villa, Newcastle and Leeds from coming in with an offer.

Benrahma alternative

With reports also suggesting that Dean Smith’s side were keen on signing Said Benrahma, before he made a late switch to fellow Premier League side West Ham, there’s no question that Wilson would have provided a very unique alternative to the Algerian.

His eye for a goal, coupled with his incredible technique, is what led to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to declare that his “shooting is world-class”, and that his talents are arguably unmatched.

Wilson’s experience of the Premier League with both Liverpool and Bournemouth would have allowed him to better hit the ground running at Villa Park. Last season with the Cherries, the Welshman bagged seven goals and two assists across all competitions.

So whilst Villa may have ended up signing a winger in Bertrand Traore, a move for Wilson would have made so much more sense.