All posts by h716a5.icu

Last season, Crystal Palace scored the fewest goals in the club’s history, a fact which didn’t go unnoticed by Roy Hodgson.

After a bright start to the season, including a thrilling 3-1 win over Manchester United, the goals have started to dry up again for the Eagles, as their lack of genuine attacking options was once again laid bare with a 2-0 defeat away at Wolves.

However, Steve Parish could fix Palace’s problems with one audacious swoop, if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to Antena2, as reported by HITC, long-term Palace target Rafael Santos Borre is itching for a move away from River Plate amid interest from a number of top European clubs.

Palace were reportedly interested in the Colombian centre-forward in the summer, although a move failed to materialise, as Hodgson ended up signing Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day instead in the end.

The report from El Intransigente also revealed that the former Atletico Madrid striker has a release clause of £25m in his contract. So, it’s unlikely the former Colombia international will come at a cheaper price.

Get it done, Eagles!

However, Batshuayi’s loan deal is set to expire in 2021, whilst both Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham are reportedly deemed surplus to requirements at Selhurst Park.

With Jordan Ayew’s current contract close to running out in over a year’s time as well, Palace will need to start thinking about signing a new striker at some point soon in the not too distant future.

It’s fair to say that they may not have to look very far at all indeed. The 25-year-old has scored 56 goals and supplied 19 assists in 168 games in his club career so far, via Transfermarkt. That’s only one goal fewer than Wickham, who has made almost a hundred appearances more than the Colombian.

Once lauded as a “fantastic” player by River sporting director Enzo Francescoli, Borre bagged twelve goals and one assist in 20 games in the Superliga last season, whilst he averaged 2 shots, 1.3 key passes and 1 tackle per game, via WhoScored, which shows that he is willing to win the ball back as well.

The Argentine side even seem resigned to losing the Colombian at some point soon, with Francescoli recently admitting defeat.

A powerful counter-attacking threat who is a strong finisher and capable of holding on to the ball, Borre could become Palace’s main man for years to come if the Eagles can get a deal done. Given his performances so far, he has shown that he should be able to hit the ground running, as he has proven that he has an eye for the goal at the top levels of the game.

AND in other news, £7m down the drain: Steve Parish must sell Crystal Palace outcast Connor Wickham…

Everton enjoyed a boisterous summer rebuilding Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield with the arrivals of Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure to partner Andre Gomes at Goodison Park, having decided that Fabian Delph, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies were not at the standard required.

Doucoure has since started all seven available Premier League games, as one of just four players alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina in doing so, with Ancelotti making good use of Director of Football Marcel Brands’ £20million capture.

The former Watford enforcer has brought with him all the skill displayed at Vicarage Road that led Marco Silva to covet his potential signing in a £32m deal a year prior, with Doucoure ranking first for interceptions (11), second for successful tackles (13), third for key balls (eight) and fifth for shots (five) and successful dribbles (three) in Royal Blue thus far this term, per WhoScored.

Doucoure’s debut campaign on Merseyside could arguably have not gotten off to a better start, bar his lack of scoring and only one assist, making his summer arrival a true dream outcome for Ancelotti and one that could have redefined Silva’s final months in charge.

Ancelotti may not have to wait too long for another player of Doucoure’s ilk to flourish at Goodison Park, either, as Everton’s Under 23s boss David Unsworth has been waxing lyrical over the skill he’s seen from talented teen Imam Jagne.

Jagne joined the Blues from BK Hacken in October and was instantly installed into Unsworth’s ranks, making his Toffees debut in a goalless Premier League 2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur before featuring in defeat to Manchester United.

The results have not glossed over the efforts Jagne has put in, as Unsworth believes the 17-year-old has all the hallmarks of a player capable of carrying out any midfield task.

“He’s going to be a great athlete,” Unsworth told the Liverpool Echo. “He can handle the ball, he’s a great presser of the ball.

“I’d say, when he develops and matures, he will be more of a box-to-box midfielder. He’s got great energy and you don’t want to bog him down into a holding midfield role.

“I think he can play in all of the midfield roles centrally; in a two, he can hold, and he can play wide of the three. There’s loads and loads of development in there and he’s certainly one for the future.”

Unsworth being afraid of holding Jagne’s development back by nurturing him solely as a defensive midfielder can eventually lead to the Sweden U17 international to evolve into another Doucoure-type, winning possession and creating chances at both ends of the field.

This style of play can aid Jagne’s progress into the first-team, too, as Ancelotti has shown this season that he is keen to utilise a three-man midfield with the system used in all Premier League fixtures but the 2-1 loss to Newcastle, where he was without wide duo Richarlison and Rodriguez.

The future is evidently bright for Jagne and one that could delight Everton fans for years to come.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti’s injury blow comes as a timely boost for an “important” Marco Silva signing’s Everton career.

After a rather mixed start to the new Premier League season, Newcastle could desperately do with an injection of optimism.The Magpies have seen over the past couple of seasons what a couple of young, homegrown talents can do to life the mood. You only have to look at the two Longstaff brothers to see how the fan-base can rally around the team – Matty’s stunning winner against Manchester United last year will no doubt live long in the memory for example.And whilst Steve Bruce has yet to introduce any new rising stars to his Premier League side just yet, he must surely be tempted to throw Elliot Anderson into the team very soon.The versatile midfielder has started the new campaign on fire for the U23s, bagging four goals in four games and providing one assist too. And his latest performance in the EFL Trophy where he scored twice against Bolton Wanderers surely whetted the appetite of Magpies fans.His knack for breaking into the box and grabbing a goal is something Newcastle currently don’t have in their central midfield options, and it even led to The Chronicle journalist Lee Ryder to suggest that Anderson is “knocking on Steve Bruce’s door now” thanks to his performance.

Reports have further suggested that he has impressed those involved in first-team training, with Allan Saint-Maximin said to be one who has been particularly vocal in his praise of the starlet.

Bruce has already shown he isn’t averse to giving young players a chance like he did with Longstaff last season against United. Doing the same with Anderson may be the key to giving the Toon Army another local face to get behind, and maybe even springing a welcome surprise on Premier League opponents too.

According to The Northern Echo, Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori is someone who Newcastle may target in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Despite enjoying a relatively successful summer window that saw them bring in a few Premier League proven players, the Magpies have endured a difficult start to the new season, languishing in 15th place and with just ten goals in their opening nine games.

Now, The Northern Echo claim that manager Steve Bruce will only be permitted to make loan signings in January, and that Mike Ashley’s ongoing legal action against the Premier League is set to mean a limit on any potential transfer funds.

It’s added that with Chelsea indicating Tomori will be leaving Stamford Bridge on loan in the New Year, the Magpies could bring him in to provide some extra competition for their centre-backs.

Imagine him and Lascelles

Whilst Bruce’s side have struggled massively going forward, they haven’t been great going back towards their own goal either, conceding 15.

And whether the Newcastle boss opts to go with a back-five or just a traditional four-man defence, Tomori’s arrival would give the Magpies a completely different option in terms of the profile of centre-backs they already have at the club.

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, Manchester City icon, Shaun Goater, said: “Tomori as well looks one hell of a centre back. He looks like a typical modern day centre-back. You don’t get many inches out of him because he’s quick, he reads the game well, he’s decent on the ball and he doesn’t take risks.

“If he had a long pass in his game, if he could hit a diagonal like John Terry or Virgil van Dijk, then I think you’re talking about a £100m player. If he adds that to his armoury and becomes a bit more comfortable on the ball then all of a sudden you become a weapon at the back in possession. He’s ticking a lot of the main boxes.”

The 6 ft 1 ace could come in and partner alongside Jamaal Lascelles and give Newcastle a really impressive blend of pace and power at the back. The latter can go in for those aerial battles and mark up tight, whilst Tomori’s extra pace can allow him to sweep up anything in behind the Newcastle defence. If they can get a deal over the line, it could be a really smart piece of business.

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to pick up their first win under Tony Pulis this afternoon as they welcome local rivals Barnsley to Hillsborough for a 3 pm kickoff.

The Owls come into this one on the back of another Yorkshire derby defeat, losing 2-0 to Huddersfield Town in midweek, meaning it’s three draws and three losses since the 62-year-old took the reins from Garry Monk.

But what sort of side will we see today? Here’s what we are predicting…

There could be as many as three changes from Tuesday night’s defeat as Pulis looks for a reaction.

He may be enforced into at least one change as Julian Borner shouldn’t be risked after taking a knock to the head last time out, meaning we may see Scotland international Liam Palmer return in a back four.

It means Dominic Iorfa shifts back into the middle to partner Tom Lees with Moses Odubajo taking up the other full-back position.

In midfield, skipper Barry Bannan is a shoo-in to start as is Adam Reach as the pair have been offered contract extensions by the new Owls boss, though we may see 26-year-old utility man, Callum Paterson, dropped in favour of Joey Pelupessy.

They’re joined by Kadeem Harris on the right flank and Josh Windass, who drops deeper to sit behind the striker,

Which is where the final alteration is made as misfit forward Jordan Rhodes is handed a start and an opportunity to impress under Pulis,

It means there still is no place for Izzy Brown, Elias Kachunga or Joost van Aken whilst Liam Shaw is available again after serving his suspension.

AND in other news, Exclusive: 30 y/o striker tipped to join Sheffield Wednesday in January… 

If anything summed up Celtic’s incredible season so far, it would be the Scottish Cup final on Sunday evening.

This has been a horrible campaign for Neil Lennon and co. His job has been under permanent pressure and he’s received no backing from supporters.

13 points adrift in the league and conceding goals at will, it was unsurprising when so many fans took to the exterior of Parkhead to complain.

Fortunately, the huge toxicity that has engulfed the club this season can now be extinguished – certainly for a few days at least as they celebrate a historic Scottish Cup win.

They were 2-0 up and cruising at half time but Hearts rallied and managed to take the game to extra-time. Leigh Griffiths popped up with what looked to be a winner but then the Edinburgh based side equalised again, this time through Josh Ginnelly.

It was a poor moment for goalkeeper Conor Hazard, someone who rescued his team with two penalty saves in the resulting shoot-out. The young goalkeeper had been shocking in normal time, making a high profile mistake for the third but once all was said and done, he was the hero and the man to take the plaudits.

However, Celtic’s real hero was an outfield player, someone who ran Hearts ragged all afternoon.

The man in question is Ryan Christie, someone the Hoops will be desperate to keep hold of after he was linked with a move to English shores in the build-up to the final.

The winger gave Celtic the lead in the first half with a stunning strike. 29 yards from goal, the Scot let fly with a lovely curling drive which found the corner of Craig Gordon’s net.

Christie was a rampant ball of energy, proving to be Lennon’s major source of creativity. He also earned the ultimate praise from former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: “Ryan Christie is a real quality player with the potential to move into that sphere of greats like Henrik Larsson.”

He did miss a penalty in the shoot-out but fortunately, it didn’t prove decisive. What did, however, was his performance in normal time.

It’s no surprise Christie has been linked with the Premier League.

AND in other news, Lawwell MUST SELL “outstanding” Celtic ace with “dangerous episodes”…

David Sullivan must sanction a January swoop for Burnley defender James Tarkowski amid renewed links to West Ham United.

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, Premier League interest in Tarkowski is beginning to grow ahead of the mid-season window as the 28-year-old continues to overlook a new contract at Turf Moor.

Tarkowski has entered into the final 18-months of his current £50,000-per-week deal, but he is yet to put pen to paper, saying that the terms presented thus far have been “nowhere near what I was going to sign”.

Recent discussions between Tarkowski and the Clarets have moved the two parties closer to reaching an agreement as they strive to secure continuity to protect the club’s Premier League stability amid a potential takeover of the Lancashire outfit.

But West Ham, who saw a £30m offer turned down in the summer, and Leicester City, who also bid £30m, are now said to be joined by growing top-flight interest in the star centre-back who Burnley valued at £50m ahead of the current season.

Manchester United were understood to have also assessed the merits of a move for Tarkowski, who Irons legend Frank McAvennie believed would have been “perfect” for his former side in the summer.

Tarkowski ultimately remained at Turf Moor and has started all 11 of his Premier League outings, helping Sean Dyche’s side to keep five clean sheets as they battle to avoid relegation.

Winter rescue

West Ham will head into Christmas sat middle of the pack having held one of the top-flight’s better defensive records thus far, with Moyes’ men allowing the same number of goals (19) over 14 games as title-holders Liverpool and European chasers Everton.

Moyes has rarely sought to make changes to his backline with Angelo Ogbonna starting all of the Hammers’ Premier League fixtures to date, while Fabian Balbuena has missed just one of his side’s last 12 through a groin injury.

Issa Diop returned to the XI to replace Balbuena, yet he has seemingly lost Moyes’ full support with the 23-year-old returning to the bench at Chelsea, where he had watched the action for all bar 27 minutes since testing positive for coronavirus in September before facing Crystal Palace.

Moyes seemingly has a lack of belief in Craig Dawson too, who is yet to make his West Ham debut, but any concerns over a lack of depth can be removed entirely with a winter raid on Burnley for Tarkowski, who the former Man United boss would adore.

The 6ft brute is registering 2.1 successful tackles per Premier League appearance this term – only Vladimir Coufal (3.0) is winning more at the London Stadium – while penning 1.2 interceptions, 4.4 clearances and winning a mammoth 7.2 duels, with success in 70% of his aerial contests, per SofaScore.

Tarkowski is only dribbled past 0.4 times a game, too, while offering a threat in the opponent’s box with 1.8 shots and 0.4 key balls, allowing for West Ham to improve their already-stellar record for scoring from set-pieces with only Chelsea, Southampton and Everton netting more often.

AND in other news, West Ham are monitoring a £20k-p/w talent to resolve David Moyes’ “big” blow.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Hull City striker Dean Windass has questioned Glasgow Rangers’ interest in Sheffield United midfielder John Lundstram.

Lundstram, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season, has been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox in recent weeks.

The £7m-rated 26-year-old, who has previously been described as a “real menace” by Billy Sharp, has provided eight goals and eight assists in 100 appearances across all competitions for the Blades, via Transfermarkt.

Under Blades boss Chris Wilder, Lundstram has come on leaps and bounds and established himself as one of the first-choice starters in the midfield at Bramall Lane.

However, recent reports revealed that his representatives have rejected a final contract offer from the south Yorkshire outfit and Wilder seems to be resigned to losing him in the January transfer window.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is reportedly keen to bring the defensive-minded midfielder to Ibrox as he bids to stop Celtic from winning ten in a row.

But Windass suggests he isn’t ready for such a step and he instead should have decided to stay at Bramall Lane.

He told Football FanCast’s James Beavis:

“That’s not for me. I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all.

“I’m not being rude, people probably said I was a bad player, it’s just my opinion.

“But I don’t get that. I don’t understand why he’s not staying, maybe he thinks he’s better than Sheffield United.

“Does he want more money? Maybe they just think he’s only worth so much.”

In 12 games in the Premier League this season, Lundstram has supplied one assist so far, whilst he is averaging 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Gerrard currently has plenty of options in the midfield at Ibrox, including Scott Arfield, Joe Aribo, Steven Davis, Glen Kamara and Bongani Zungu, but a player of Lundstram’s calibre could prove to be a tempting option, as Kamara has previously been subject to transfer interest from Leeds United.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers star deserves new contract for Old Firm heroics alone…

Tottenham Hotspur looked to be getting the band back together less than a month ago, though Daniel Levy ought to reconsider after this weekend.

Having sensationally brought Gareth Bale back to the club on loan in the summer, the north Londoners were linked with a swoop for fellow Real Madrid star Luka Modric, who also swapped N17 for the Spanish capital several years ago.

He cost Los Galacticos in the region of £30m in 2012, as per the BBC.

And according to journalist Eduardo Inda on El Chiringuito TV three weeks ago, Jose Mourinho had called the Croatian midfielder in a bid to bring him to Spurs as he enters the final six months of his current contract.

Well, after Madrid’s no-show against Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday, they may want to think again.

The 35-year-old displayed signs of his advancing years, lasting only 75 minutes before being hooked by Zinedine Zidane and in reality, it was the correct call as Modric was completely underwhelming.

Per SofaScore, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner won just one of six duels (16%), lost possession 16 times, and was dribbled past on one occasion. No other Madrid player scored lower than his 6.6 rating either.

Indeed, Modric lost the ball once every five touches, so it’s no wonder that the Spanish giants struggled to find a way to break down a resolute Osasuna side.

That’ll hardly please Mourinho. In fact, he could well be reeling as Levy won’t want to sign him based on that pathetic outing.

Now valued at just £9m by Transfermarkt, the former Spurs sensation will be 36 by the time the 2021/22 Premier League season gets underway, which merely raises question marks over whether or not Mourinho and Levy should continue to pursue this deal.

Former top-flight striker Dean Windass told Football FanCast that it would be “unbelievable” move to make. Still, it seems a complete waste of time if he’s unable to rip apart a team of Los Rojillos’ quality – they are second from bottom, after all.

Zidane has continued to keep the faith in the veteran no.10, but from 17 appearances, he is averaging a little over 75 minutes per match, so clearly, there are doubts over his ability to play the full duration of games.

The Premier League’s intensity is way above that of La Liga, so Levy will need to think twice before bringing him back even if it leaves Mourinho fuming – we’ve also seen that the Bale experiment is yet to hit the ground running either.

AND in other news, Spurs interest in £27m gem likened to Maradona spells HUGE trouble for Erik Lamela…

West Brom are still without that holding midfielder addition and with a little over a week remaining in the transfer window, Sam Allardyce needs to strike soon.

One interesting name that has emerged since the turn of the year is promising Leicester City ace Hamza Choudhury, who the Baggies were hopeful to bring in only ten days ago as he’s Big Sam’s no.1 target, as per the Express & Star.

Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers would prefer a permanent exit, but with deadline day in sight and the player favouring a switch the Hawthorns, push could come to shove sooner rather than later over the £60k-per-week talent…

On the Chalkboard

Indeed, if Allardyce were to finally secure the 23-year-old midfielder, he’s likely to come straight into the starting XI otherwise the 66-year-old will have wasted their final domestic loan spot on a back-up.

It means that one of the Baggies’ current options is in grave danger of losing his place and perhaps ruthlessly, that may well be skipper Jake Livermore.

The 31-year-old stalwart has already angered Big Sam to the point of him nearly stripping Livermore of the captaincy. This came after the £10m man received his marching orders in a crucial derby against Aston Villa, this also being the first match of the Allardyce era.

Even aside from that, the former Spurs and Hull midfielder has been one of West Brom’s worst performers in the Premier League this term.

Livermore’s WhoScored rating of 6.19 ranks him last of any Albion player to start ten or matches, that’s even behind other underperformers such as Branislav Ivanovic and Matty Phillips.

No other regular has managed as many fouls (two per game) as the tough-tackling captain, whilst a passing accuracy of 72.9% is the worst of any Baggies midfielder too – and that should be his bread and butter.

The addition of Choudhury would merely give Allardyce reason to drop him at long last – it’s not like there’s currently any real competition pushing him on to do better.

Despite not being given regular game time at the King Power Stadium, Choudhury has shown his quality in glimpses, leading to Gary Lineker dubbing him an “extremely talented young player,” while former coach Steve Walsh once tipped him for international stardom in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

During the 2018/19 season, when he was last given an actual run of matches, the British Asian powerhouse averaged 2.7 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game, which easily puts him above what Livermore has achieved this season.

The £7.2m-rated enforcer would be a most-welcome addition if the Baggies can secure a temporary deal – after all, he won’t have to relocate if he’s based in the Midlands.

AND in other news, West Brom dealt potential transfer boost in striker pursuit…