All posts by z3u9t.icu

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left raging over a post from the club’s social media channels.

As per the club’s official Twitter feed, David McCallum, Brian Gilmour, Jermain Defoe and Colin Stewart will now all lead their first team while the recruitment process for a new manager continues.

It was reported that further talks will be held with three candidates in particular, two unnamed and the other being Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who many Gers fans want to see getting the job.

However, with the Scottish League Cup semi-final against Hibernian set to take place on Sunday, it is worrying that it does not seem as if the Light Blues have settled on a new coach yet. The process needs to be accelerated quickly in order for them to be best prepared for what is a crucial game in their season.

Rangers fans on manager news

These Gers supporters were left raging as the news on their manager search was shared on Twitter:

“Don’t say that”

Credit: @RampantRyanJack

“Not a good sign. Was hopeful deal done today.”

Credit: @CraigRMScott

“Not funny”

Credit: @ScottWinning72

“You serious?”

Credit: @williamreilly72

“Delete this”

Credit: @HayleygreerX

“Just not what we wanted to see”

Credit: @Craig55_

In other news, find out what Van Bronckhorst news had these Gers fans going wild

Celtic are expected to make Jota’s loan move from Benfica permanent in the summer, Sky Sports report.

The Lowdown: Impressive Parkhead loan

Jota, who shares the same agent as Jose Mourinho, made the move to Glasgow on deadline day last summer, penning a season-long loan deal.

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That move included an option to buy at the end of the campaign, with reports believing a fee to make a move permanent is worth £6.5m.

The two-footed left-winger has starred in Scotland under Ange Postecoglou, scoring ten times and registering ten assists in 32 appearances.

He has been a key performer for the Hoops in what has been an impressive season, with a domestic treble still on the cards.

The Latest: Sky Sports claim

Sky Sports shared a story late on Tuesday evening, looking at 50 players who could be involved in transfers this summer.

One of those was Jota, with the report addressing the player’s long-term future. They said that Celtic are expected to sign Jota on a permanent basis, once again reporting a £6.5m fee.

The Verdict: Good news…

Jota has been a revelation at Parkhead, so it seems to be a no brainer to make his move permanent. No player has registered more assists than the Portuguese attacker, with Jota also high in the rankings when it comes to crosses completed and average match rating. [WhoScored]

He would become Celtic’s eighth most expensive signing of all time, should a £6.5m deal go through, but he has shown this season what he will bring to the club, and you’d expect he’ll only get better due to being just 23 years of age.

In other news: Sky Sports: Celtic have opened talks for another player as well as Bayern midfielder Scott. 

Following a reported behind-the-scenes falling out with manager Rafa Benitez back in December, Everton’s full-back Lucas Digne has been continuously linked with a transfer move away from Goodison Park.

The likes of Newcastle United, Chelsea and Aston Villa have reportedly been working on signing the Frenchman, with the Midlands club apparently being the closest to securing a deal.

With a January exit looking likely, it seems as though a claim has emerged regarding the potential details of Digne’s exit this month which should please a number of Everton fans.

What’s the news?

In a recent Twitter post, journalist Alan Myers had this to say on what the current situation is at Everton regarding the potential sale of left-back Lucas Digne.

He said: “My understanding is Everton are not interested in any player plus deal for Digne, wherever he ends up, they want a straight sale.”

Digne signed to Everton back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Spanish club Barcelona in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m and has since gone on to make 127 appearances for the Toffees across all competitions.

Fans buzzing

During his time at Goodison, the 28-year-old had made himself an important figure for the team, particularly in an attacking sense by racking up six goals and 20 assists along the way.

As a result, it’s somewhat of a shame that his spell in Merseyside looks like it could be coming to an end in such an unfortunate and unexpected manner.

However, considering Everton’s current issue with FFP, it would make sense for the club to raise as much money as they can as quickly as they can to give them more freedom in the financial transfer market, a situation that would understandably delight fans.

Therefore, it would be perfect for the club if they receive a hefty windfall for Digne rather than a lower amount of money and a player, such as Newcastle’s reported previous offer of £22.5m and Sean Longstaff.

If Villa have offered more money for the France international than any other team, then Everton should take it and use it to improve their financial situation.

With the Toffees having brought in left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko recently, it seems as though they have already got their ideal replacement for Digne if he does end up leaving soon.

In other news: Journo gives perspective on potential Barkley signing

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Lloyd Kelly to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that as a result of the long-term injuries picked up by both Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma, David Moyes is hoping to bring a new centre-back to East London next month.

The report goes on to state that one of the 58-year-old’s targets is AFC Bournemouth defender Kelly, who the Hammers boss is thought to be a fan of due to his positional versatility and his leadership qualities.

However, a further report by The Sun also claimed that Scott Parker’s side will not want to lose one of their most influential players halfway through the Championship season, meaning a deal for the 23-year-old will not likely be an easy one for West Ham to get over the line this winter.

The next Ferdinand

Considering just how much potential Kelly quite clearly possesses, should West Ham manage to get a deal over the line for the defender next month, it would undoubtedly be something of a coup for the club – particularly when taking into account the Hammers’ current problems in the heart of defence.

Indeed, over his 19 Championship appearances this season the £9m-rated ball-playing centre-back has been in phenomenal form, helping his side keep ten clean sheets and scoring one goal, as well as making an average of one interception, 0.5 tackles, 59.3 passes, 4.9 clearances and winning 63% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £21k-per-week defender average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as the Cherries’ third-best performer in the second tier of English football.

Furthermore, the 23-year-old’s former manager, Jonathan Woodgate, clearly believes that Kelly is capable of making the step up to the Premier League, stating of the centre-back: “He’s got talent. He’s got a lot of attributes that Premier League teams look at.

“He’s played well against [Watford’s Ismaila] Sarr and played well again against Bristol City. I don’t see him being at Bournemouth long if he keeps on playing like that. He was brilliant. He’s got some strings to his bow now.

“At the minute he just looks like a bit of a Rolls-Royce, doesn’t he? He looked very, very good [against Bristol City]. I was impressed to be honest with you, especially when [Antoine] Semenyo tried to run him down the line and Semenyo gave him two yards and Lloydy overtook him.

“It’s eye-catching when things like that happen, especially as a fellow defender. When you see things like that, it’s like ‘you’ve got a bit’.”

Thus, it is clear for all to see that the England U21 international has an extremely bright future in the game, with his passing ability appearing to mirror that of a young Rio Ferdinand – who Harry Redknapp often deployed in midfield due to his ability with the ball at his feet.

As such, it would appear a very wise move for Moyes and his West Ham transfer team to do all they can to sign the Bournemouth defender this winter, as they could well unearth a future England international in the 23-year-old Kelly.

In other news: Forget Ogbonna: GSB must seal Moyes’ dream WHU deal with £12.6m gem who “will explode”

Journalist Phil Hay has confirmed that Leeds United midfielder Adam Forshaw has only picked up a minor injury, hailing the update as ‘good news’.

The Lowdown: Forshaw limps off at West Ham

The Whites secured a brilliant 3-2 win away to West Ham on Sunday afternoon, in what was arguably one of their best results of the season.

Forshaw limped off in the first half at the London Stadium with a hamstring injury, however, and it was feared that he would be missing for a chunk of action given his previous woes.

With Kalvin Phillips already sidelined, as well as numerous others, it was a blow that Marcelo Bielsa could do without.

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The Latest: Hay confirms positive news

Thankfully, Forshaw took to Instagram on Monday to confirm that the issue is only a minor one, with Hay reacting to it on Twitter:

“Good news from Forshaw on the hamstring front. Looks to have avoided a bad one.”

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The Verdict: Big boost for Leeds

This is a rare positive in the injury department for Leeds this season, with Forshaw claiming in his post he could potentially even be back for Saturday’s visit of Newcastle United in the Premier League.

The 30-year-old has been a revelation since returning from an extremely lengthy injury absence, starting ten league games and averaging 2.3 tackles per game, a tenaciousness in midfield they would be desperately lacking without him and Phillips.

Forshaw will remain a crucial figure in the middle of the park until the England star returns, as his hugely pleasing comeback from a career-threatening situation continues.

In other news, Hay has also given another positive Leeds injury update. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters should fear the worst amid the ongoing crisis at the club right now…

What’s the latest?

The north London outfit have endured quite a chaotic week, seeing their matches against Rennes in the Europa Conference League on Thursday and Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League this weekend postponed due to a viral outbreak at the club.

There is a lot of uncertainty over what happens next, with a trip to the Midlands to face Leicester City next up on the schedule this coming Thursday. However, according to The Athletic’s Charlie Ecclesshare, this encounter is “likely off” too, so the travelling Lilywhites faithful should probably plan for the inevitable.

Much of Antonio Conte’s playing squad and coaching staff must now isolate for ten days after they recorded a positive test or from when they started showing symptoms.

The Italian revealed last Wednesday that eight first-team stars were absent due to the outbreak, so they might just about be available for Thursday’s game, if it is played as scheduled. However, they will not have trained, which would raise question marks over the integrity of such a game going ahead.

Indeed, Spurs’ training ground cannot reopen until Monday at the earliest and there are certainly doubts over the number of players available to be involved at this stage.

As the ever-reliable Eccleshare goes onto explain in an accompanying article, ‘the expectation among many at Tottenham’ is that the clash at the King Power Stadium on Thursday night is unlikely to go ahead, meaning the next chance for Spurs to be in action would be next weekend, when they host Liverpool.

Not only should the fanbase be concerned by Thursday’s match not happening, they must also be worried by the prospect of an already-busy fixture list mounting up heading into 2022.

Spurs are on the cusp of breaching the top four for the first time in what seems like forever. They finished sixth in 2019/20 and seventh last year.

Their chances of improving on that under Conte will be seriously harmed with so many matches piling up next year, particularly if they manage to remain in the Europa Conference League and advance in the FA Cup.

Therefore, many around N17 should be fearing the worst amid this latest behind-the-scenes development.

AND in other news, “Very good sources…”: Reliable journo drops Spurs exit claim, Conte will be buzzing…

Ally McCoist has laughed off Sir Kenny Dalglish’s claims that Rangers are under more pressure than Celtic going into this weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final.

The Lowdown: Dalglish ranks up mind games

The Hoops take on their biggest adversaries at Hampden Park on Sunday afternoon, in what promises to be another nerve-wracking encounter.

Ange Postecoglou’s side picked up a massive 2-1 win at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership earlier this month, pulling six points clear at the top in the process.

That prompted Celtic legend Dalglish to claim that Rangers are under more pressure to get the win this weekend, as he cranked up the mind games.

The Latest: McCoist responds

Speaking on talkSPORT [via The Daily Record], McCoist laughed off his former Scotland colleague’s comments, refusing to agree with his opinion:

“I was at the last league game at Ibrox when Celtic won 2-1. Celtic defended really, really well to be honest with you and probably looked more dangerous.

“Rangers have got everything to play for – and so have Celtic! I love the fact we say there’s more pressure on Rangers, these games are unbelievable, they really are.

“I can let Kenny off, because he’s the best, because he’s Kenny!”

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The Verdict: King Kenny is right

In typical Dalglish fashion, he is correct here, without Rangers undoubtedly under more pressure because of the current state of the league table.

If Celtic lose, they will still be the overriding favourites to clinch the title, which would act as a far better achievement than cup glory next month.

On the flip side, defeat for Rangers would hugely increase the chance of them going the entire season without a trophy, giving Hoops fans even more bragging rights after the recent result, especially with a treble still on offer.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou wants a Celtic signing done as soon as possible. Read more here.

Leeds United duo Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford have made ‘really encouraging’ returns from injury, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Key Leeds pair return to action

The Whites have had make do without the influential pair since the middle of September, with injuries striking both of them down.

Both Ayling and Bamford made hugely pleasing returns to action on Monday evening, though, playing for Leeds’ under-23s in their 3-2 defeat to Manchester City.

The right-back came off at half-time and the striker played the full match, with both looking set to play a big part in the first team’s busy December schedule.

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The Latest: Hay in positive spirits

Taking to Twitter after Monday’s game, Hay admitted that it was “really encouraging to see” the duo back on the pitch, his tweet accompanied by an article for The Athletic which outlined ‘how Ayling can help to revive one of Leeds’ core strengths and why Bamford is inevitably missed’.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side host Crystal Palace in the Premier League tonight, and while that match will surely come too soon for the returning pair, they could hopefully feature at home to Brentford on Sunday.

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The Verdict: Major boost for Whites

Put simply, Leeds aren’t the same team without Ayling and Bamford around, with both proving to be pivotal figures in recent campaigns.

The former provides constant energy from right-back, not to mention leadership having captained the Whites in the past, while the latter’s goals have been missed hugely. He netted 17 in the top flight last season; Leeds have managed just seven in the eight matches he has missed since getting injured at Newcastle in mid-September.

Bamford also has the ability to bring the best out in others, dropping deep to link up with team-mates and creating space in behind for the wingers.

Leeds need to get their season going after a slow start, and the impending returns of Ayling and Bamford could be exactly the spark for a winter revival.

In other news, Danny Mills has been critical of one Leeds player’s impact. Find out who it is here.

Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan is expected to make his loan move to Molineux a permanent one, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Hwang impresses for Wolves

The South Korean left RB Leipzig for a temporary spell last summer as he looked for regular playing time elsewhere.

Hwang has enjoyed a productive spell at Wolves so far, scoring four goals in 11 Premier League starts and helping Bruno Lage’s side to sit ninth in the table.

Wolves have the option to sign the 25-year-old on a permanent deal but that may need to be sorted by the end of this month, or else they run the risk of another team swooping for the forward.

The Latest: Spiers makes positive claim

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Spiers simply delivered a four-word verdict regarding Wolves’ move for Hwang, saying that it is expected to be completed:

In a tweet in which he shared an accompanying article from The Athletic, the journalist claimed: “Hwang likely to join.”

The Verdict: No-brainer for Wanderers

Hwang has made an immediate impression at Wolves so it makes complete sense to retain his services, given his age and the quality that he has shown.

The 43-cap South Korea international has already shown a good understanding with Raul Jimenez, and his versatility means that he could also be a long-term replacement for the Mexican in a central role.

Granted, Hwang’s form has dipped a little in recent weeks, with the goals drying up completely since netting against Leeds on October 23, but he has done enough to show that he is worth taking the plunge upon for a permanent transfer.

In other news, Wolves have been linked with a move for a central midfielder. Find out who it is here.

Celtic are close to completing the Parkhead arrivals of three players in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Japanese publication The Mainichi, who claim that Celtic are nearing deals for all three of Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate ahead of the winter market.

The report goes on to state that the club are progressing well in discussions with Yokohama F Marinos and Gamba Osaka, the respective clubs of Maeda and Ideguchi, regarding deals, as both sides are happy to sanction the sale of their respective stars.

However, it is also said the Bhoys talks with Kawasaki Frontale, the club of Hatate, are at a less advanced stage, as the J League side are currently demanding much more for the 24-year-old than Celtic are prepared to offer.

Ange will be buzzing

With Ange Postecoglou openly stating that he is willing to raid the Japanese top flight of its most impressive players in January, the fact that Celtic appear close to signing three of Japan’s brightest talents is sure to have left the 56-year-old buzzing.

Indeed, over his 36 J League appearances this season, centre-forward Maeda scored a whopping 23 goals, registered three assists and created four big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the £990k-rated man average a SofaScore match rating of 7.09 – ranking him as his club’s joint sixth-best performer in the top flight of Japanese football.

Meanwhile, over Hatate’s 30 league fixtures, the versatile midfielder scored five goals, provided two assists and created three big chances, with these metrics seeing him average a SofaScore match rating of 7.16, while central midfielder Ideguchi averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.76 over his own 29 J League appearances.

As such, should Celtic indeed go on to land all three of these players in January, not only would they continue Postecoglou’s Japanese revolution at Parkhead – following the summer signing of Kyogo Furuhashi – they would also represent a huge step in the 56-year-old’s revolution of the Bhoys first-team squad – something that would only appear to bode well for the club’s title chances this season.

In other news: Major blow: Ange confirms injury update that will surely devastate Celtic fans