All posts by z3u9t.icu

Ahmed Elmohamady is unlikely to be offered a new Aston Villa contract, with a Villa Park summer exit now looking likely.

The 33-year-old has started the last four Premier League fixtures due to Matty Cash’s hamstring injury, however, it seems as if his four-year stay in the Midlands will reach a conclusion at the end of the season.

According to the Birmingham Mail, Villa are unlikely to offer him a fresh deal, with his current contract set to expire in June.

Guilbert to return and replace Elmohamady

The report also adds that Frederic Guilbert, who was sent out on loan to Strasbourg in January, is set to return to challenge Cash during the 2021/22 campaign.

Guilbert, 26, has already scored and provided two assists in just 360 minutes of Ligue 1 action, with Strasbourg undefeated in league games the French right-back has started.

Transfer Tavern take

Although Elmohamady has been a terrific servant to the club, it feels as if the summer will be the correct time to part ways with the Egyptian.

Cash has made the right-back spot his own since joining from Nottingham Forest, and with Guilbert making an impact in his native country, the two could push each other on going forward with Guilbert serving as a natural replacement to the Egyptian.

Elmohamady reportedly picks up £25,000-a-week at Villa Park, so that wage could go towards a summer addition.

In other news: Collymore believes Grealish is ‘on a list’ of potential summer signings for one Premier League giant, find out more here. 

According to The Daily Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, West Ham are reportedly leading the race for Manchester United outcast Jesse Lingard as he’s set to leave Old Trafford on loan.

What’s the word?

Lingard, 28, has been at the club since the age of seven but has struggled to adapt to the demands of club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The academy product has not even managed a single start in the Premier League so far this season, despite making the bench on four occasions so far and has been restricted to cup appearances.

He has been heavily linked with moves to Inter Milan, Tottenham, Nice and Sheffield United but it seems he could be set for a reunion with his former manager David Moyes at West Ham.

Get rid of him

Lingard is one of several players who haven’t been able to perform on the big stage for a number of years now and is strikingly similar to Alexis Sanchez.

Sanchez, who is four years his senior, struggled to perform at Old Trafford after his arrival from Arsenal, bagging just five goals and nine assists in 45 games for the Red Devils. Considering his exemplary record at Arsenal, signing him was considered to be quite a coup at the time, but his form soon tailed off shortly after his arrival.

The former England international has contributed to 53 goals in over 200 appearances for the club. However, he has never really hit the same heights he enjoyed in the 2017-18 season, where he scored ten times in 39 appearances across all competitions.

Despite his obvious struggles, he still earns around £75,000-per-week at Old Trafford, and when you consider his role in the squad, it becomes clearer that he isn’t of the required standard. Once the end of the season comes to the end, he will have cost Ed Woodward a combined total of £3.9m for a year’s worth of not contributing much on the field.

This means that if you divide the number of games he has played this season – three – by his yearly salary, he will have set the board back a hefty £1.3m per appearance with little to no reward, as he has failed to find the back of the net in each of those appearances.

These days it’s becoming harder to justify his position in the squad, let alone a place in the starting line-up.

It’s easy why the club should consider offloading Lingard. After all, he’s bleeding Woodward dry.

He might not be the only one heading for the exit, with Phil Jones also considered surplus to requirements.

AND in other news, Marcus Rashford masterclass helps Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-2…

Everton have been dealt a huge blow ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside Derby, with Carlo Ancelotti confirming that Yerry Mina will miss the Liverpool clash through injury.

The Colombian centre-half was forced off after just 18 minutes during the Toffees’ 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday night, having sustained a calf issue.

Ancelotti had opted to recall Mina to his backline for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s title-chasing Sky Blues, having chosen to leave the 26-year-old an unused substitute of his side’s previous meetings with Manchester United and Fulham.

Mina had proven a mainstay of Everton’s defence before his omission at Old Trafford, starting 18 of the Goodison Park natives’ prior 20 Premier League fixtures and helping to keep all four of his side’s clean sheets to date.

But Everton expect to be without the £18m-rated enforcer at Anfield, likely leaving Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey contesting for a central role against the reigning champions.

“Mina, we have to check tomorrow [Thursday],” Ancelotti said following the Manchester City match.

“For sure, he will not be available to play against Liverpool.”

However, Ancelotti does hope to have top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin and summer signing Allan back for Saturday’s trip to the red side of Stanley Park after missing both players in recent weeks due to hamstring injuries.

Holgate, also valued at £18m as per CIES, moved into a central defensive role to partner Michael Keane against the Citizens after Mina was forced off, while Godfrey played out the full 90 at left-back with Lucas Digne occupying a wide midfield position.

Ancelotti will likely opt to keep Holgate and Keane together in the centre against Liverpool after the pair coped with a majority of the onslaught faced on Wednesday night. Although Keane may have felt there was more he could have done to deny Bernardo Silva his side’s third goal.

Keane was far too flat-footed as Silva collected possession from Gabriel Jesus on the edge of Jordan Pickford’s box, leaving the England international unable to shift his weight quick enough to prevent the 26-year-old from getting his shot off.

Holgate was not perfect, either, with the 24-year-old failing to win possession with either of his three tackles, far below his usual 2.6 a game with a 65% success rate, per WhoScored.

He will need to step up and deliver a more convincing performance at Anfield if Everton are to win their first match away to Liverpool since 1999, but Ancelotti should not fear an error-filled display from the defender who the Liverpool Echo’s Sam Carroll describes as “absolutely superb” and a “leader”.

Holgate also recorded a game-high nine clearances against Manchester City, four more than any other player and more than double his average 4.1 a game, to show Ancelotti that he can deal with the pressure of a confident attack relentlessly bearing down on Pickford’s net.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is willing Everton to pay £26.5m for a £176k-p/w gem…

Ahead of what could be the most important transfer window of Neil Lennon’s career, a lot of rumours are circling around Celtic. The reigning Premiership champions have been linked to a number of exciting players who could help keep the Irishman in a job.

However, despite now becoming desperate as his role at the club hangs in the balance, Lennon and co can’t afford to sign any old player in order to fill gaps.

According to TEAMtalk, Celtic have been linked to out of favour Manchester United winger Jesse Lingard. The England international is reportedly looking for a move away from Old Trafford in January after struggling for game time this season. He is yet to play a Premier League match this campaign and has been limited to just two appearances in the EFL Cup (via Transfermarkt).

Whilst the attraction of a big international name might be tempting for Nick Hammond, the club must look at the bigger picture and snub their interest in Lingard.

Why Celtic must not sign Lingard

The 27-year-old’s current contract is set to run out next summer and United will not want to take a loss on him. The likelihood is that both the player and club will come to an agreement where he will be allowed to leave in January for a reduced fee in order to entice interested parties in.

But for the Hoops, this isn’t a deal they should be looking to sign off on. Despite his versatility to play on either wing as well as in the attacking midfield role, the man costing the Reds £90,000 per week has numbers that are no better than that of Lennon reject Tom Rogic.

Last season, Lingard tallied just four goals and two assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for Man United. Meanwhile, the Celtic midfielder bagged three goals and five assists in 17 less appearances.

Recruiting a player of a similar age and calibre would be pointless for Celtic who are pushing to better Rangers next season. Lingard is not a player the Hoops should be prioritising – they risk further stagnating their team if they don’t expand their horizons and target more creative players.

In other news, Eddie Howe has been tipped as Neil Lennon’s Celtic successor…

According to The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell, Kai Kennedy is ‘close’ to agreeing a new contract with Glasgow Rangers.

What’s the word?

Kennedy impressed on loan with Inverness Caledonian Thistle during the first half of this season, scoring one goal and supplying one assist for John Robertson’s side, including an assist against Raith Rovers in the Scottish League Cup.

Since Steven Gerrard officially took charge of the 54-time Scottish champions, the 18-year-old has struck one goal and six assists across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

However, his progress has been somewhat limited after a public spat with the Ibrox boss, but it appears Gerrard has changed his mind having previously given the green light for the teenager, 18, to leave the club last July.

Statement of intent

Reports in recent months revealed European heavyweights Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Roma were lining up a potential swoop for Kennedy, which would no doubt have been tempting prospects for the left-winger.

But it seems Kennedy has finally managed to convince his boyhood club he is worth keeping and now Ross Wilson must recognise that he needs rewarding for the show of faith he has shown this season.

The Light Blues boss heaped praise on the “fabulous little player” after some “outstanding” performances two years ago, but he has found his chances hard to come by since then.

If the Gers can persuade Kennedy that he may be best served by staying at Ibrox, then that in itself would be quite a significant coup for Gerrard in the winter transfer market.

With Ryan Kent linked with Leeds United in the summer, there may soon come a point where the Govan-based Glaswegian giants may need a proven number eleven to lead the attack. Granted, he’s not quite there yet, but he’s starting to show promising signs of being precisely just that.

It will be a bitter blow for the Ibrox boss if they can’t tie him down to a new long-term deal and a top European club seizes the chance to snap him up instead – just like what happened with now-Chelsea star Billy Gilmour. This simply must be one of Wilson’s top priorities – failure to do so is surely out of the question.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Dean Windass questions Rangers interest in John Lundstram…

Tottenham Hotspur’s impressive business in the transfer market looks set to continue in January, but only if Daniel Levy is willing to do so…

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, mooted Spurs target Milan Skirniar’s position at Inter Milan has not changed since the summer, meaning a good offer will prise him away from the Serie A giants.

Speaking on the ‘Here We Go’ podcast, he said:

“Milan Skriniar situation hasn’t changed. Inter Milan needs money, if Tottenham arrives tomorrow morning with €50m-60m, Inter will sell him. It’s up to Tottenham now.”

Game-changing swoop

The north Londoners were merely an elite centre-back away from having one of the best transfer windows the Premier League has ever seen.

Whilst they did bring in young prospect Joe Rodon from Swansea City, he is one for the future rather than right now and with Spurs sitting top of the table after ten matches, they could well be a shout for the title.

And signing a player of Skriniar’s calibre could make those claims become a reality as he’s exactly what they need – despite holding the best defensive record in the division, it took until the end of October to record their first clean sheet.

We’re also now seeing the consequences of not signing additional bodies following the injury to Toby Alderweireld and the exits of Jan Vertonghen (free to Benfica) and Juan Foyth (loan to Villarreal).

Yes, Spurs kept a clean sheet against Chelsea at the weekend, but on another day that’s a win for the Blues as Tammy Abraham squandered many chances. In fact, Frank Lampard’s men recorded 13 shots to the visitors’ five and enjoyed 60% possession, as per SofaScore.

After the game, Jose Mourinho claimed that “Dier made more mistakes” than Rodon, so the jury is still out on whether the Englishman is truly suited to a central defensive role.

Skriniar has continued to impress for Inter this term, averaging 2.6 clearances, 1.4 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and a passing success rate of 91.8%, via WhoScored.

The Slovakian monster has been likened to Alessandro Nesta and Martin Skrtel whilst former coaches have lauded him as a “talented” and as a “leader on and off the pitch.”

In September, The Sun’s Duncan Wright claimed that Skriniar could be available for just £35m due to the desperation for finances at Inter, if that appears to be the case again this January, then Levy absolutely must sanction the move.

Doing so could hand Spurs a major boost in their pursuit to secure a historic Premier League title.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Gary Mabbutt lauds Spurs summer decision on one key star…

Christmas has come early in the Premier League as the top-flight serves up an exciting top-of-the-table clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Anfield tonight.

Both teams will be looking to bounce back from a pair of underwhelming 1-1 draws. Spurs were punished for resting on their laurels at Crystal Palace whilst the defending champions had to come-from-behind to secure a point against relegation-threatened Fulham.

Jose Mourinho will surely have something up his sleeve to give the north Londoners a chance of picking up a result in Merseyside, whilst also having an eye on this weekend’s fixture with Leicester City – another mouthwatering encounter.

So, what sort of XI will we see from Spurs this evening?

We’re predicting there to be as many as three changes as Mourinho will probably be pleased with a point.

With that in mind, we might see a return for Ben Davies at full-back, replacing the attack-minded Sergio Reguilon who has struggled in recent games. Likewise on the other flank, where Matt Doherty could be handed his first Premier League start since a 1-0 win over West Brom in November.

It means £23m “liability” Serge Aurier is axed with Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld continuing to guard the club captain, Hugo Lloris between the sticks.

In midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will surely remain as the engine room’s main powerhouse whilst we may even see Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele start together for the first time since a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea back in February.

Therefore the likes of Harry Winks and Dele Alli are snubbed with Moussa Sissoko the man to make way for the exciting duo.

The front three will probably write itself at the minute as Steven Bergwijn and Heung-min Son act as the support for talismanic striker Harry Kane.

Although this game may come too soon for Gareth Bale following a non-COVID related illness. Japhet Tanganga and Erik Lamela have also been ruled out, as per football.london.

AND in other news,  £64m-rated sensation has become Jose Mourinho’s “incredible” sacrificial lamb…

Even despite going 1-0 up thanks to a Luke Shaw own goal, it never really looked like Newcastle were going to come away with all three points against Manchester United on Saturday night.

Steve Bruce’s side got off to the perfect possible start as Shaw turned the ball inside his own net within two minutes, but even with that early shot in the arm, the Magpies didn’t seem interested in getting out of second gear.

Bearing in mind that this was the same United team that got demolished 6-1 at home to Tottenham, and it was incredibly disappointing to see Newcastle not being willing to throw any significant punches on a surely wounded Red Devils.

Instead, they were incredibly passive throughout, and the fact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side took an incredible four times as many shots as them – 28 to 7 – just underlined how frustrating the Magpies were.

But whilst they surrendered a point thanks to a late flurry of goals from United in the final few minutes of the game, Bruce effectively lost complete control of the match with his reluctance to make game-changing substitutions earlier than he should have.

It took until the 73rd minute for Ryan Fraser to be introduced into the attack for a hapless Joelinton, even despite the Scotland international being his country’s match-winning hero in midweek against Czech Republic.

The club’s summer signing would have been on cloud nine following his goal-scoring display, and Bruce could really have tapped into the momentum that he would have built.

And if that wasn’t bad enough in itself, Bruce waited another 15 minutes to bring on Miguel Almiron, having seen Bruno Fernandes give United the lead.

The Paraguayan’s goal-scoring record for Newcastle leaves a lot to be desired – he’s managed just nine goals in 59 games – but his pace and energy would have offered the Magpies a much-needed counter attacking threat.

Instead, Bruce’s in-game management reflected the Tyneside club’s performance: passive, weak and ultimately far too little, and far too late.

Leeds United made a number of signings for their U23s outfit this summer, but none may be as exciting as Crysencio Summerville.

The Dutch teenager joins Ian Poveda and Helder Costa as appealing options on the right-wing.

Summerville isn’t the biggest or the strongest, standing at just 5 ft 7, but he’s stated that his greatest weapon is his mind and that his diminutive stature won’t stop him causing bigger defenders all sorts of problems.

“I often hear that there are doubts because of my physical condition, but when you are on the field, you are not concerned with that. There are often big defenders in front of me, I have to be smart about that. I know I’m agile and try to play with my mind,” Summerville said earlier this year.

Summerville shouldn’t take long to adapt to the English game, he has previously worked under Alan Pardew, and the former Newcastle manager gave him a very complimentary nickname during his time in the Eredivisie.

“The trainers have been busy with the wingers”, the attacker said about his relationship with Alan Pardew and Chris Powell. “They call me ‘Summers’ or ‘Raz’, Raheem Sterling’s nickname. They think that I look a bit like him in terms of style.”

The fact that Summerville has been likened to Raheem Sterling should excite every Leeds fan as the Manchester City man is undoubtedly one of the best players in the Premier League, winning FWA Player of the Year in the 2018/19 season.

Another former Premier League star believes that Summerville has the attributes needed to go far in the game, with Dirk Kuyt giving his fellow countryman a glowing review back in 2018.

“He is a great talent. He has developed so far so far. He has a fantastic passing movement and no arguing with the ball,” Kuyt said.

If Summerville continues to impress like this, it won’t be long before he’s challenging Costa and Poveda for a spot in the matchday squad.

Even though he has been a big part of Chelsea’s success over the years, N’Golo Kante has lately also been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge. Of course, whether that will indeed materialise or not remains to be seen, but the transfer rumours are still there.

Not only that but over the course of the summer transfer window, Manchester United suddenly emerged as potential suitors should the versatile midfielder really want a change of scenery.

And now, the Red Devils have essentially been tipped to go in for the player by Crystal Palace star, Andros Townsend.

Here’s what he said for TalkSPORT: “For me, 100 per cent, his best position is just in front of the back four, patrolling that midfield, literally like a wall between the midfield and the back four. He is the best player in the world in that position. If, hypothetically, he went to Man United, he would make them title challengers.”

The reason behind such a huge claim is that Townsend believes Kante would free up both Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, giving them more licence to attack and play higher up the pitch where they are the most dangerous.

Of course, the current Blue is also keen on playing in advanced areas as well but can be deployed in a deeper, destroyer role.

But at the end of the day, a switch to Old Trafford would indeed be a very difficult operation and one that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not necessarily contemplating at the very moment.

Verdict

Adding Kante to such a talented and stacked midfield would surely push Man United to a whole new level.

But realistically, it would be difficult to see Frank Lampard part ways with his midfielder in the first place, let alone let him go to a direct rival for the top of the table in the Premier League.