All posts by z3u9t.icu

Aston Villa defender Kortney Hause has been included in EA Sports’ FIFA 22 Team of the Week for his performance against Manchester United last weekend.

Villa shared the news on Wednesday evening via their official Twitter channel, which led to a number of fans giving their positive thoughts on social media.

The 26-year-old marked his 50th Villa appearance with a late winner at Old Trafford, heading to the net from Douglas Luiz’s corner.

Hause’s man of the match display against United earned him a place in the FIFA 22 Team of the Week, with Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe the other Premier League inclusions.

The centre-back now has an in-form card rated at 81, six higher than his 75 base card which is available to find in packs for a week.

Villa fans react

Aston Villa posted Hause’s card on their official Twitter channel on Wednesday evening. Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply regarding the £25,000-a-week defender, with many happy over the recognition from EA Sports.

“Omg yes in my villa team utv!!!!”

Credit: @undead_villian

“Get in!!! UTV”

Credit: @chipelibiza

“Siuuuu”

Credit: @AlexLeeXXI

“No one deserves it more! Get in there @Kortney_30”

Credit: @Villa4LifeAlex

“Well deserved”

Credit: @Lingwo0147

“My CB”

Credit: @h3_n7

In other news: ‘Believe it or not’ – Preece shares worrying under-the-radar update on Villa ace who Smith loves. 

According to Tottenham Hotspur sources, speaking to Football Insider, a major update has emerged on their pursuit of Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Rudiger…

Tottenham have been linked with a move for the potential 2022 free agent as transfer chief Fabio Paratici reportedly eyes ‘quality players’ at ‘zero cost’ for manager Antonio Conte (Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness).

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The Germany international has been attracting many suitors following a very impressive 2021, with pundit Rio Ferdinand calling him ‘animal’ and comparing him to Manchester City superstar defender Ruben Dias following his rejuvenation under Thomas Tuchel (FIVE, via The Mirror).

Sharing an update on Spurs’ chase, Football Insider have some news on the transfer pursuit.

The Latest: Paratici backed by Levy…

As per their information, Paratici is said to be trying to ‘force an agreement’ for Rudiger in January ahead of the player joining Spurs next summer.

He is also being backed by chairman Daniel Levy, who is willing to offer the 28-year-old ‘huge’ wages to convince him to join the north Londoners.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Out of all of Tottenham’s centre-back targets, we believe Rudiger stands out above the rest, with him being the right age, quality and the fact that he can move for free.

Speaking to Amazon Prime (via Metro), John Barnes called the defender ‘sensational’, and an upgrade on his £100,000-per-week wages is the very least that Spurs can offer.

The towering colossus could inject real quality into Tottenham’s starting XI for zero cost and provide Conte with another option as he aims to oversee a new era and a Lilywhites revival.

In other news: £135,000-per-week ace now eyeing move to Spurs, Conte called him ‘fantastic’…find out more here.

Everton have struggled to score goals throughout their latest Premier League campaign in comparison to other teams in the bottom half of the table.

With 30 league games under their belt, the Toffees have only been able to find the net 33 times.

One figure who hasn’t been particularly helpful in terms of scoring goals for Frank Lampard’s team is Salomon Rondon. Having made 15 appearances in the league, the Venezuelan has scored just once, which came during their 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace back in December.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Toffees are looking at bringing in another attacking player who could push the 32-year-old out the door.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the Merseyside club are eyeing up a summer move for Benfica attacker Everton Soares.

With a total of 272 appearances under his belt for Benfica and his previous club Gremio, the Brazilian has scored 62 goals and provided 35 assists in the process. This shows just how capable the 26-year-old is of scoring and setting up goals, something that Lampard’s side have often lacked this season.

To highlight what a deadly attacking figure he has been for his side in the Portuguese league this term, only three other Benfica players have racked up more shots at goal than Everton (34), who also has the third-highest number of crosses in the squad (58).

The Brazil international has also shown how useful he can be off the ball for his team by making 20 tackles in total throughout the campaign.

Labelled an “exceptional” player by Marcelo Paz, the £37k-per-week talent could be just what the Merseyside club needs in order to become a deadlier attacking team than they have been this season.

Despite predominantly being a wide player, adding the Benfica star to Lampard’s squad could give the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin the chance to play up front together, which could then push Rondon out of the club.

Having been described as being “desperate” to score goals for the Toffees by Noel Whelan, the Venezuelan should not be in Lampard’s plans for next season given his lack of goals during a difficult campaign for him and the club.

In other news: Everton must launch move for “outstanding” 25-year-old “Wolverine” as insider claim emerges

Celtic appear to be edging closer to the signing of Daizen Maeda.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that the Yokohama F. Marinos centre-forward is rumoured to be in London in order to complete a medical ahead of a switch to Celtic in the January transfer window, with both Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi expected to follow on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old striker has been heavily linked with a move to Parkhead for a number of months now, and, if the latest reports are to be believed, Ange Postecoglou’s swoop for the Japan international looks as if it is now at the final stages.

Postecoglou will be ecstatic

Almost all of Postecoglou’s current options in attack having been sidelined due to injury at one point or another this season – something which has often left the 56-year-old manager extremely short up top.

That means the news that a deal to sign Maeda – who Kevin Muscat dubbed a “dream” to manage – now being extremely close to being completed is sure to have left the Greek-Australian coach ecstatic.

Indeed, ahead of the Bhoys’ trip to St. Johnstone on Sunday, Postecoglou was unable to select left-winger Mikey Johnston, attacking midfielder David Turnbull, centre-forward Giorgos Giakoumakis, attacking midfielder Ewan Henderson, centre-forward Albian Ajeti and right-winger James Forrest as a result of injury.

Meanwhile, centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi also picked up a knock and was brought off just 15 minutes into the game – leaving the Hoops manager no choice but to field right-winger Liel Abada and 18-year-old B team striker Joey Dawson as his front two.

As such, it is abundantly clear that Celtic are in need of attacking reinforcements if they are to maintain their title charge over the second half of the current campaign, meaning that Maeda’s apparently impending arrival is extremely good news for everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Ange can finally axe £41k-p/w Celtic deadwood with January swoop that “should happen”

As per Sky Sports (via Football Daily), Tottenham Hotspur may have been handed a possible boost in the race to sign Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger as his contract winds down.

The Lowdown: Spurs work on agreement…

According to reports, the Germany international is very much a top transfer target for Spurs, managing director Fabio Paratici, chairman Daniel Levy and coach Antonio Conte.

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Football Insider claim that Paratici is in fact ‘calling every day’, maintaining constant contact with Rudiger’s entourage as he attempts to reach an agreement and win the race for his signature.

However, suitors from overseas like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich possess an advantage given they can formally agree pre-contracts this month – a card Spurs do not hold.

Tottenham do remain in the hunt as things stand with another source, Eurosport journalist Dean Jones, recently backing the Lilywhites’ interest.

Now, in an update on Rudiger’s situation at Stamford Bridge, Sky have shared some ‘interesting news’ in what could be a boost for Spurs.

The Latest: Sky share possible Rudiger boost…

Dropping an update on live TV (via Football Daily), the broadcast giant relays that Chelsea’s star defender is in ‘no rush’ to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club.

This is because he is ‘very aware’ there could be ‘interest from the Premier League’ if he were to become a free agent at the end of this season.

As well as this, despite the fact he could still sign an extension with Chelsea, they would have to make the 28-year-old the ‘highest paid defender’ in England’s top flight to stop him from leaving.

“Some interesting news reaching us regarding Antonio Rudiger,” Sky explained.

“He says he’s in no rush to sign a pre-contract agreement, now earlier this week we reported that Real Madrid, Juventus, PSG and Bayern Munich had all opened talks with his representatives.

“Barcelona, they’re also keeping an eye on his situation, but he’s very aware there could be interest from the Premier League if, of course, he were to become a free agent in the summer.

“Signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge hasn’t been ruled out for Rudiger, but we’re told Chelsea would have to make him the highest paid defender in the Premier League to keep him there.”

The Verdict: Boost for Spurs…

This update on Rudiger’s situation and transfer stance does come as a boost with Paratici as Tottenham remaining very much in contention.

Foreign sides being able to formally secure the centre-back to a pre-contract in January certainly put Spurs at a big disadvantage in the race so his willingness to bide time and entertain offers closer to home bolsters Paratici and Conte’s chances.

Rudiger’s demands to be made the highest paid defender in England if he is to agree a Chelsea extension could also boost Spurs.

Indeed, Lilywhites chairman Levy apparently has no problem tabling lucrative wages and is willing to make a ‘huge’ salary offer to tempt the player across London (Football Insider).

Taking all this into account, you can’t rule Spurs out just yet.

In other news: Tottenham ‘working strongly’ for ‘phenomenal signing’ as reporter shares news on Twitter, find out more here.

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that the club are trying to sign new players in January.The club have not signed a new player since last January, but Pochettino has opened the door to potentially reinforcing the squad this month.What’s the word?Tottenham’s transfer dealings have been a bone of contention for many fans.Chairman Daniel Levy failed to bring in a single new player in the summer and it has appeared for the duration of January that lightning would strike twice.A Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea on Thursday highlighted the need for reinforcements, however, with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son all unavailable.CheekySport’s Joel claims Spurs badly need to invest in January after not having “the balls” to beat Arsenal. Check out his uncensored opinion in the video below…And Pochettino has now given fans hope of a new recruit arriving in north London.He said, per Goal: “There are a few options. We will see if we are capable to deliver [on] it.”He added: “I am more than open to improve and to add players to the squad. You can find on the internet or my previous press conferences that I always say the same thing.”If we can find the right player that is going to help us improve, then we will…but we were never close. There is always a chance. We have still seven days [of the transfer window].”Challenge for LevyPochettino has regularly towed the party line at Tottenham.He has a superb track record of improving the players he has and Spurs rarely splurge on players in the transfer window.However, this is crunch time for Tottenham’s project.They are third in the Premier League and remain in both the Champions League and the FA Cup.With their new stadium seemingly close to completion, it is high time that the club starts showing some ambition in the transfer window.Pochettino’s words, then, appear a direct challenge to Levy to do just that; he has confirmed that there are options available to Spurs, but it remains to be seen whether they will be taken over the coming week.

Rangers came from behind to beat St. Mirren 2-1 on Sunday as they reclaimed their place at the top of the table from Hearts.

Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe scored within two minutes of each other towards the end of the first half after Connor Ronan’s wonder strike had given the hosts the lead.

Despite the positive result and performance, one player who did let Steven Gerrard down badly was left-back Borna Barisic as he struggled throughout the match.

He was unable to show off the best of his abilities at either end of the pitch as he was lacking defensively and offensively for the Gers.

Defending his own goal, Barisic was a lightweight. Per SofaScore, he lost six of his eight duels (75%) and was dribbled past twice by a St Mirren player. He did make three clearances and two tackles, but they do not make up for his lack of strength in individual battles or the ease at which players were able to take the ball past him when dribbling.

Offensively, he was not his usual self either. Via SofaScore, he lost possession of the ball a whopping 20 times throughout the game. He also failed with seven of his nine attempted crosses, five of his eight attempted long balls and only completed 73% of his passes from left-back.

This suggests that he was a yard off the pace in possession as he was unable to impose his quality on the game, with St Mirren seemingly able to deal with the majority of his attempts to open them up.

Last season, Barisic averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.40 in the Premiership. He won 59% of his duels over the course of the campaign and created 2.2 chances per game, providing six assists overall. His failure in his individual battles on Sunday particularly stand out in comparison to how he fared last term, winning 25% on this occasion.

Therefore, he let Gerrard down badly as he did not show his best self against the Saints. Rangers may have won the game by a more comfortable scoreline had the Croatian been able to put in a strong performance, although it is impossible to say with certainty. Hopefully, he will now get his head down in training and ensure that he is able to bounce back as quickly as possible.

AND in other news, Forget Roofe & Morelos: Rangers beast with 82% duels won was immense vs St Mirren…

Crystal Palace shared a picture of Will Hughes in action ahead of the trip to Manchester United this weekend.

And a number of Palace fans have been giving their thoughts to the official club post regarding the £60,000-a-week midfielder

Hughes was brought in over the summer from Watford in a deal worth £6m, however, he’s had to remain extremely patient for a chance under Patrick Vieira.

The 26-year-old has been on the bench for eight Premier League games but finally made his Eagles debut against Leeds United in the week.

The central midfielder replaced Jeffrey Schlupp for the final 10 minutes at Elland Road as Palace conceded in stoppage time to suffer back-to-back defeats under Vieira for the first time.

Palace fans react

Palace posted a picture of Hughes in action on Twitter on Thursday evening, with some fans wanting to see the midfielder feature at Old Trafford this weekend. Here are what some fans had to say in reply…

“Santa came just in time for Christmas”

Credit: @cpfctristan

“For £5mil hopefully bargain if the season”

Credit: @keithwhitfieldk

“Hughes was a big positive for us in that last match. Hopefully starts Sunday”

Credit: @R41n4llTh3T1m3

“Looked promising & a great option with Macca out. Ran hard, worked hard & made a difference. In short time on pitch put in best corner that have seen in ages.”

Credit: @HC15OnTour

“Needs more game time I think. Could be a key part of the team while McArthur’s out”

Credit: @kade_bladeSE25

“Beautiful man”

Credit: @CPFCMax9

In other news: Many Palace fans slammed this ‘droppable’ ace vs Leeds. 

Celtic have had a number of successful academy graduates make their way through to the first team at Parkhead over the years.

Callum McGregor and James Forrest are two great examples of players who have been able to rise through the ranks and establish themselves as key stars for the Hoops at senior level.

However, some talented prospects can slip through the cracks and that is what happened with left-back Aaron Hickey in Glasgow. He was brought to the club from Hearts in 2017 and did not make a single first-team outing as a teenager before Brendan Rodgers sanctioned his exit back to Tynecastle for nothing in the summer of 2018.

Two years later, Italian side Bologna snapped him up from the Scottish side and he is now attracting interest from England.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Premier League side Newcastle United are eyeing up a deal worth up to £20m for the youngster, which means his value has risen astronomically in the space of around four years. The Magpies are looking to snap him up this summer after watching him catch the eye in Italy this season.

In the Serie A, he has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 6.89 across 27 appearances. He has been able to showcase his attacking flair from full-back with four goals and one assist, whilst creating 0.5 chances per game.

Defensively, he has been solid throughout the campaign. Hickey has averaged 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game and has only been dribbled past 0.3 times per match, winning 60% of his overall duels in the Italian top-flight. This shows that he is a strong defender who also offers quality in possession, which makes him a modern-day full-back who can make an impact at both ends of the pitch.

At the age of 19, he also has the potential to improve further. He is in the infancy of his professional career and has plenty of time to develop further and progress as a left-back. If he is able to continue growing and raising his standards on the pitch then that £20m may start to look like a bargain and Celtic could rue their decision even more as time passes.

His former manager Daniel Stendl previously labelled him as an “extraordinary talent” and the youngster’s statistics in the Serie A at such a young age back that up. 

Hickey’s form since leaving Celtic and his immense potential as a player prove that Rodgers made a huge blunder by not offering him a route to the first-team and allowing him to leave fo nothing. He slipped through the now-Leicester boss’ clutches and the Hoops will surely be wondering what could have been, as they look set to watch him seal a potential mega-money move this summer.

AND in other news, £3m wasted: Celtic had a shocker on £7.9k-p/w “loner” who rinsed Desmond for 129 weeks…

Luke Edwards has now revealed the transfer budget that Newcastle United will have this summer.

The Lowdown: January spree

The St. James’ Park faithful went on a shopping spree in the January transfer window, forking out £90m on Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood.

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It has been reported that they will target a new central defender, midfielder and striker this summer, in what promises to be another busy window in the North East.

The Latest: Budget reveal

Replying to a fan on Twitter, The Daily Telegraph journalist Edwards has now revealed that the budget will be ‘less’ than the £90m that was spent in January, but that does not include potential sales of players:

“I don’t know a precise figure – that was a rough estimation – but I’ve been told it’s less than the £90m in January.

“That doesn’t include player sales obviously and they need to move players on. Squad already too big. There are loans and free transfers too. It’s not a negative.”

The Verdict: Surprise

I think if you told Premier League fans that the Magpies would only be able to spend £90m this summer, they would be surprised.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) dwarfs the wealth of the owners of Manchester City and PSG in terms of their assets, while the Premier League tend to spend more money than any other division in the world.

However, they can raise that figure by selling a few fringe players in the squad, like Jamal Lewis, Ciaran Clark and Isaac Hayden, who have been left out of their 25-man Premier League squad.

Nonetheless, the board should not look to spend money for the sake of it, and instead carefully pick out the right targets to join Eddie Howe’s team.

In other news, find out which NUFC star is now ‘making good progress’ on his injury comeback here!