All posts by h716a5.icu

When Jordan Jones signed for Sunderland on loan in January it was met with excitement and anticipation.

The Mackems had just bolstered their promotion bid by signing a man with European experience to his name. Indeed, when he first penned terms, there were glowing appraisals.

Glasgow Live reporter Mark McDougall told Chronicle Live that the 26-year-old had the abilities to light up the English third tier, saying: “In all honesty, he should stroll League One if his attitude is right when he goes down there.”

McDougall’s assessment couldn’t be truer. Since moving south of the border, Jones has been a revelation for Sunderland, scoring two goals and registering four assists in just five starts.

The Northern Ireland winger has been exceptional and, in his last three games, he’s proven why he was such a shrewd piece of business in January, registering an assist in each game and a solitary goal for his troubles.

The 26-year-old was missed during his recent time on the sidelines. He picked up a muscle injury which first caused him to miss the EFL Trophy final before he sat out a further three matches.

However, on his return to the starting XI against Oxford United, he was a dynamo. It may have been Lynden Gooch, Aiden McGeady and Max Power who popped up with the goals on Friday afternoon but it was Jones who proved to be the standout figure.

The winger was withdrawn on 77 minutes but this was one of his most eye-catching displays yet.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-transfer-rumours-and-news-grigg-denayer-louis-dreyfus-sanderson-melamed” title=”Latest Sunderland transfer news and views!”]

He picked up another assist with a frightening piece of skill in the first half. He performed two stepovers and then nudged the ball past Jamie Hanson, beating him all ends up.

It was a dazzling moment, a genius piece of play which was arguably one of his finest flashes in the red and white of Sunderland so far.

Jones had the Oxford United left-back on strings throughout the entire contest, completing four dribbles and amassing three shots on goal. The forward also proved adept in the challenge, winning a considerable 13 ground duels from 16 attempted.

With Sunderland’s promotion hopes now well and truly in their own hands, they have unearthed a gem who could well fire them to the Championship.

The arrival of the Rangers attacker has been nothing short of game-changing for Lee Johnson’s team. He will be salivating over the prospect of unleashing him against Peterborough on Monday.

AND in other news, 18x possession lost: Johnson must be fuming with SAFC gem who was “led a merry dance”…

Southampton’s slump continued on Sunday as they were beaten 2-1 by Brighton at St Mary’s, in another game that highlighted Ralph Hasenhuttl’s need for a Plan B with the Saints.

The Austrian rested key players in the midweek defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad and whilst his side played some decent football, they were beaten 5-2, and the hosts could and should have scored more.

He clearly recognised the importance of the game against the Seagulls on Sunday and was able to welcome back key players such as Kyle Walker-Peters, Ibrahima Diallo and Takumi Minamino against Graham Potter’s side.

However, his side were outplayed by a team who have struggled to score goals all season and the defeat now drags Southampton back into the relegation mix-up as we approach the denouement of the season.

It had seemed as if the 2-0 win against Sheffield United recently would not only ease relegation fears but also give Southampton a platform to seriously improve their form, but they have now lost 10 of their last 12 fixtures in the Premier League.

The Austrian has stuck with his 4-2-2-2 or 4-4-2 approach for the majority of the season, with his wingers playing more like ‘wide 10s’, but, perhaps with the exception of Stuart Armstrong, none of the players he has selected in his position regularly this season have been able to contribute effectively in the attacking third.

Moussa Djenepo has one goal and no assists, Nathan Redmond has one goal and one assist, whilst Theo Walcott had two goals and two assists before his injury.

This highlights that the players in this position are not contributing nearly enough, which puts the pressure on the likes of Che Adams and Danny Ings to score the goals, and with the 28-year-old currently sidelined, Hasenhuttl is nearly completely reliant on Adams for goals in his side.

Whilst the 24-year-old has scored three in his last three, he is very inconsistent in front of goal, whilst James Ward-Prowse adds the obvious threat from set-pieces.

Southampton have been in the Premier League for nine seasons now but Hasenhuttl has to try something different, whether that be with the tactics, formation or personnel, otherwise it is difficult to see where the wins are going to come from at the moment.

Even at Man City, where they played four centre-backs, he stuck with the 4-2-2-2 formation, with Mohammed Salisu at left-back and Jack Stephens in midfield, which is a worrying microcosm of the Austrian being seemingly unwilling to try something different this season.

Too often we have seen the Saints start games well and drop off in the second half when opposition managers figure out how to get the better of Southampton, and it is for that exact reason that Hasenhuttl needs to develop a Plan B, or he could potentially see his side dropping back into the Championship.

And, in other news… Semmens must avoid VVD repeat with £13.5m-rated “role model” who Hasenhuttl loves

Fans of West Bromwich Albion have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report regarding the impact relegation will have on a number of the players’ contracts.

According to John Percy’s report for The Telegraph, should West Brom – who currently occupy 19th place in the Premier League table, eight points from safety – suffer relegation this season, some of the Baggies’ highest earners will face “wage cuts of up to 50 per cent,” while other players will see “pay reductions of 40 per cent” as well as a “number of departures” being anticipated – if the club do indeed drop down to the Championship.

After Percy relayed his report on Twitter, fans of West Brom flocked to have their say on the matter, with many suggesting that the club’s wage structure altering in the result of relegation is the sign of the club being well run, while other stated their belief that, following the performances of many of their players this season, they deserve a drop in pay.

So, what exactly did these West Bromwich Albion fans have to say in reaction to John Percy’s report?

“Why is this news? It’s how we’re run. Quite rightly too. I’m glad we don’t mortgage our future in trying to compete in the greed league. Poor journalism, here.”

@JoshRoberts1988

“Hardly a significant story, Always been the same with Albion. Only change is no buy out clauses which will benefit us big time.”

@Baggiejohn1

“Good. Their pathetic performances at the start of the season have consequences.”

@luke_millichamp

“Serves them right IMO.”

@BenSimm02

“Good.”

@jon_foz

“League 1 here we come.”

@bigsamoutnow

In other news: some WBA fans slammed this man’s performance against NUFC – find out more here!

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Jaden Philogene-Bidace’s situation is “complicated” at Aston Villa.

What’s the story?

After the impressive performance that Villa’s youngsters delivered in the FA Cup third round defeat to Liverpool earlier this year, the spotlight has grown on the club’s blossoming academy.

But in the case of Philogene-Bidace, Evans has suggested that despite the 19-year-old wanting to stay at Villa Park, his contract situation has left things uncertain.

In a Q&A for The Athletic, he wrote: “It’s a little more complicated with Philogene-Bidace, who is 19 now and out of contract at the end of this season. It’s down to Villa to sort it out, but I understand he wants to stay despite the speculation linking him elsewhere.

“What I would also say is that in recent years, Villa have a good history of keeping the players they want. There was a lot of interest in Carney Chukwuemeka, for example, but Villa tied him down to a professional contract.”

Lange must act now

With rumours swirling in recent weeks that Bundesliga side RB Leipzig are interested in luring him to Germany, the onus is really on Johan Lange to ensure that Villa don’t lose one of their most promising starlets.

The 19-year-old is enjoying a stellar season with the club’s U23s, scoring five goals and providing another two assists in just 11 games at Premier League 2 level.

The left-winger is showing exactly why he’s one for the future, and it appears he’s got all the tools in his locker to become a really dangerous player for Villa’s senior side.

Speaking to The Birmingham Mail, one of his former coaches, Ahmed Abdulla, said: “He’s a right footer but he plays off the left. He can come inside or go on the outside. The model winger.

“He hugs the touchline and can beat his man. (He’s) Very confident and very light on his feet and skips past tackles, not one of them that gets hit and goes down. He bounces off tackles. He’s very strong and outstanding in one-v-ones.”

Evans’ update that things are “complicated” with the teenager is concerning, and it’s up to Lange to kick things into motion over a new contract.

Meanwhile, Villa are facing transfer disaster over yet another academy starlet…

After being one of the early stars of Leeds United’s return to the Premier League, it’s fair to say Mateusz Klich hasn’t quite hit those heights in recent weeks.

The Poland international had managed two goals and five assists in Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s first 16 top-flight games, but since then, there’s been nothing to write home about with no goal contributions whatsoever.

Bielsa has been reluctant to drop him from the starting line-up, however, persisting with the 30-year-old even when times have been tough, and that’s a testament to just how much of a trusted lieutenant Klich has been over these past few years at Elland Road.

But with West Ham on Monday night, Bielsa must seriously consider dropping Klich from his team, and allowing him the time to just regroup and recharge his batteries.

In fact, speaking just in late January, former Leeds man Noel Whelan delivered his verdict on the 30-year-old, saying: “Sometimes you can play too much football and I think that is the case with him right now. It would only be right to give him a little bit of a break. He has played a lot of football in the past 12 months.

“He hasn’t been himself for over a month now. He’s not doing too much. He is drifting through games and that’s worrying.”

Things have continued in that same fashion since Whelan’s comments, with Bielsa even taking him off multiple times during games – he’s completed the full 90 minutes in just the past eight Premier League games, which is a far cry from a run earlier in the season when he played the full 90 in ten out of the club’s 13 opening matches.

As per Whoscored, he hasn’t scored higher than a measly 6.36 match rating in his past ten matches, including multiple instances of performances recorded lower than six. Only Helder Costa is ranked below Klich’s average rating over the course of the season, and that’s a damning statement of just how badly his performances have been.

He may not like it, but Bielsa must be ruthless. The £45k-a-week earning man simply has to be dropped against West Ham.

Meanwhile, Bielsa must start this £17m-rated star vs West Ham tonight…

As Leeds United continue to browse the transfer market this month, they find themselves linked to left-back Jordan Amavi.

According to French outlet Foot01, the Whites are amongst those interested in the £9million-valued Marseille star, who is now available for pre-contract negotiations. Amavi looks set to leave the Ligue 1 outfit and Leeds were reported to be very much in the race for his signature.

However, a recent Phil Hay update could hint that a deal is off for the out of favour 26-year-old. The Athletic reporter tweeted that the Whites are in talks with Egzjan Alioski over new terms on his current £55,000 per week contract.

With both the Macedonian and Leif Davis on the books, it could now mean that Victor Orta and co are making a U-turn on their reported interest in Amavi. If Alioski signs a new deal, he may well continue to be Marcelo Bielsa’s first choice left-back, with 21-year-old Davis still to fully break into the first team squad.

According to Transfermarkt, Alioski has contributed two goals and six clean sheets in his 17 Premier League appearances so far this season. Leeds have hit a dip recently but their 2-1 win over Newcastle sees them return to positive form in their returning top flight campaign.

Transfer target Amavi has made just nine Ligue 1 appearances for Marseille this season, due to a red card suspension and recent injury. He is currently suffering a torn muscle injury and has missed ten matches across all competitions because of it, according to Transfermarkt.

Whilst Leeds looked to be a potential destination for Amavi, there may not be any room for him at the inn if the Whites keep hold of Alioski. Despite the attraction of not having to pay a transfer fee, having three left-backs all fighting for the same spot would be an unnecessary headache Bielsa does not need to have.

In other news, Bielsa made huge mistake rushing Diego Llorente back…

Jarrod Bowen left West Ham United wanting more quality from their wide forward as David Moyes’ side beat London rivals Crystal Palace 3-2 on Tuesday night.

The Irons started the slower of the two sides and fell behind inside just the third minute through Wilfried Zaha, but rallied quickly with a Tomas Soucek brace to flip the script and go on to claim a sixth straight win across all competitions.

Craig Dawson rounded out the scoring for the visiting Hammers 20 minutes into the second period when he headed home Bowen’s corner, with the former Hull City attacker showing great skill from the dead ball situations on a night his open play actions were off the pace.

Bowen has proven a firm favourite of West Ham boss Moyes since his £22m arrival from the Tigers last January, with the 24-year-old starting 29 of a possible 32 Premier League games, including 19 of 20 thus far this term.

His second-half assist for Dawson’s goal marked Bowen’s third of the top-flight campaign to take his total goal contribution to eight thanks to five goals, as he looks to rediscover his form shown in front of the net from before the festive period.

Bowen never truly looked likely to find a route past Vicente Guaita himself during Tuesday night’s showdown at Selhurst Park, with Gary Cahill doing well to get his body in the way of the £96,000-per-week maestro’s 55th-minute strike.

It proved to be his only shot of the match, with Guaita reacting quickest to scramble over the ball when Michail Antonio’s header from six-yards out fell just short of rebounding to Bowen’s feet.

Antonio also endured a somewhat off night after back-to-back goals to beat Burnley and West Bromwich Albion last week, as the striker should have bagged a brace in the first-half only to see his efforts hit the woodwork on both occasions. Guaita’s close-range wonders also ensured the 30-year-old squandered a glaring opportunity in the second period.

But West Ham were left wanting more from Bowen most of all as the £25m-rated ace, who Hull boss Grant McCann lauds as an “exceptional” talent, was robbed of possession in first-half stoppage time as he sought to break into the Eagles’ box.

Despite his incredible work rate, Bowen often lacked the skill needed on the ball to beat his marker at Selhurst Park, and ultimately left the field in the 81st-minute without a successful dribble to his name after losing out in his only attempt, per SofaScore.

Bowen has averaged 1.2 successful dribbles a game with a 61% success rate in Premier League fixtures this term, but was unable to show that level of talent while matched up with Tyrick Mitchell, who won six of his seven ground duels compared to the West Ham man’s two out of six hit rate.

Moyes further saw Bowen misdirect four of his six attempted crosses, as he carved out more opportunities to cause Cahill and Cheikhou Kouyate issues than he normal can with an average 1.1 accurate balls into the box this term. Yet his efforts came without the accuracy to find Antonio or the marauding Soucek.

West Ham will need Bowen at his best when Liverpool visit the London Stadium on Sunday, as a win over Jurgen Klopp’s Reds will see the Irons solidify their place above the champions in the Premier League table.

Andrew Robertson may also be there for the taking at the weekend, after a shoddy showing in the FA Cup against Manchester United on Sunday – winning zero of his five duels and being dribbled past four times up against Mason Greenwood – for his worst SofaScore match rating (5.9) since Liverpool were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City last July.

AND in other news, West Ham see bid rejected for £13.5m-rated target who’s played just 88 minutes of league action this season…

This season may be Tottenham Hotspur’s now or never moment to win a trophy after Paul Merson claimed there is “nobody in the world” like Harry Kane.

What’s he said?

Speaking with Sky Sports, former Arsenal striker Merson has been in awe of Kane’s ability, having seen the England captain take his game to a new level under Jose Mourinho by not only being one of the top strikers in the world but also one of the best creators in the world.

Kane has enjoyed a thunderous start to the 2020/21 campaign with 13 goals in all competitions but has also registered 11 assists in those 15 appearances, including a haul of four against Southampton alone when he turned provider for a Heung-Min Son masterclass.

No player in the Premier League has assisted (9) as many goals as Kane this term, who also ranks sixth in the division for key passes (19) and is first for shots taken (38), per WhoScored.

Kane’s ability to thrive in two key positions under Mourinho has left Merson in absolute awe, placing the breathtaking wonder in a class of his own.

“I just struggle with words to describe him,” Merson said. “He is not far off the best player in the world. And this is the reason: you have got players like Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, Sergio Aguero, Robbie Fowler, Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand, Jamie Vardy. All top, top drawer centre-forwards. Harry Kane is one of them, and then Harry Kane goes and plays where Kevin De Bruyne plays, where Eric Cantona played, where Dennis Bergkamp played, and he does it just as well.

“Name me one player in the world who can be a No. 9, score goals, hold the ball up, be strong, and then go and play No. 10 and put 60-yard balls through the eye of a needle, or run at the ball with pace with defenders all around you before picking out a ball to assist. There’s nobody in the world like him. There’s no other player in the world who can be as good as a No. 9 and as good as a No 10.

“I don’t think there ever has. Lionel Messi cannot go up front, hold the ball up, bring people into play, and then score bundles of goals, and then go and play No. 10 in the same game. He’s a No. 10. Kane can do both. I cannot believe what I see with Kane. Some of the passes, crosses, they are Kevin De Bruyne! Harry Kane has started to do what Kevin De Bruyne does!”

Could Real Madrid show interest again?

Kane’s jaw-dropping start to the season helped Tottenham sit top of the Premier League table heading into matchday 10, with the second-best scoring offence (21 goals) and as one of just three sides to win six of their opening nine fixtures.

But Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy must be aware of the threat Kane’s form presents as the 27-year-old was not afraid to suggest he could leave north London this summer, stating he could move on to fulfil desires of winning silverware sooner rather than later.

“I’m an ambitious player, I want to improve and become better,” Kane said, via quotes by BBC Sport. “I want to become a top, top player. It’s not a definite: ‘I’m going to stay there forever.’ But it’s not a ‘no’ either.

“I’ll always love Spurs, but it’s one of those things. I’ve always said if I don’t feel like we’re progressing as a team or going in the right direction, I’m not someone to stay there just for the sake of it.”

Kane would no doubt have his choice of destinations were he to leave Tottenham, with global powerhouses like Real Madrid long-term admirers of the £200,000-per-week star.

Before the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Los Blancos were even said to be keeping an eye on Kane’s situation after the ace Levy values at £200m declared he could leave Spurs.

Madrid will be expected to be in a far better financial position in a year’s time, so may be able to meet Levy’s demands next summer, making this season a now or never moment for Mourinho to deliver silverware in north London.

AND in other news, Spurs are in the hunt for a gem who “can do everything” and might not cost Daniel Levy a penny.

David Moyes must axe Mark Noble from his starting plans after seeing the West Ham United captain hold the Irons back in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Noble opened the action at the London Stadium as the attack-minded midfielder in Moyes’ plans but struggled to establish himself as the flow of play was not suited to his lack of pace.

His runs often proved aimless and without intent, leaving Moyes with no choice but to hook the £50,000-per-week ace at the break in favour of a more natural No. 10 option in Manuel Lanzini.

Moyes accepted after the game that he got his tactics wrong in search of solutions for the absences of Michail Antonio and Arthur Masuaku, believing the pair brought a balance to the side he had not seen at the London Stadium in recent weeks.

“In hindsight, it was not the right decision. It was something we had discussed, I tried to get Jarrod [Bowen] and Seb [Haller] playing up front together and hope that the two of them would give us something different,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london.

“We tried to find a solution to losing Arthur and Micky Antonio, we are looking closely to see if there are other things in the squad. We had a balance in the team and a way we played, which helped us, and we are now trying to find that again. In hindsight, the second half was much better.”

Moyes must now axe Noble from his starting plans when West Ham visit Southampton on Tuesday night, as he cannot afford to see the 33-year-old, who Alan Hutton believes has been “unbelievable” at the club, hold his team back again.

Noble offered nothing of real value during his time on the field at home to Brighton on Sunday, with a sole key pass the only moment of note for the £4m-rated veteran who failed to attempt a single shot or make a successful tackle, interception or dribble, per SofaScore.

On another day, Noble may even have seen his number shown on the board before the half-time break such was his ineffective presence in the advanced midfield role, and it could now be a while before he earns a fourth start of the Premier League season.

West Ham improved against the Seagulls after Moyes sought to introduce Lanzini for Noble, with the Hammers going from a 36.7% share of the possession in the first half to 49.8% in the second, per WhoScored.

The Irons also outshot the visitors by four attempts in the second period, had four times as many efforts on target and completed 183 of their 235 passes, after attempting just three efforts in the opening 45 minutes to Brighton’s nine and completing 134 of 177 passes.

AND in other news, a West Ham gem who’s “not been at the races” betrayed David Moyes vs Brighton.

Eberechi Eze starred as Crystal Palace crushed Leeds United in a comprehensive 4-1 win at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Palace went ahead after Scott Dann headed in Eze’s corner before the 22-year-old scored his first goal in just his fourth league start for the club with an exquisite free kick to extend their lead over Leeds.

An unfortunate own goal from Helder Costa saw the Eagles take a two-goal lead, until Jordan Ayew secured the victory with Palace’s fourth from a pass from Wilfried Zaha.

Whilst Zaha was back to his very best, Eze just made everything look easy from start to finish. As we’ve mentioned before, we found the Palace boss’ latest comments rather baffling, which is perhaps why it’s hardly surprising that his unpredictability gave Hodgson’s side a significant advantage. In fact, the England U21 international was the most vital cog in the win over the Whites.

Speaking after the game, Hodgson heaped praise on his new charge for his performance. He told the club’s website: “I think apart from the free-kick, I thought his whole performance was very good.

“I don’t think you could fault him in any way; I don’t think you could fault his defensive work – certainly couldn’t fault anything he did on the ball, and of course the goal for me was the icing on the cake.”

Per SofaScore, the 22-year-old received a super high statistical rating of 8.8 – he scored a goal and supplied an assist, produced two key passes, created one big chance, and completed 28 out of 33 passes (85%), whilst he won eight out of twelve duels overall (66%), was fouled three times, and made five tackles, four interceptions and wasn’t dribbled past at all, which just goes to show that he contributed defensively as well.

90Min gave him a grade of 8/10, claiming “it was an inch perfect free-kick, but more broadly, his movement caused all sorts of problems all afternoon”, whilst football.london gave him a similar score, saying he provided “a beautiful corner whipped in for Dann to grab the opener, and he followed it up with an absolutely stunning free-kick to make it 2-0” with “some nice passing in the first half as well.” Quite some showing by anyone’s standards.

Once hailed as an “exciting” talent by journalist Taylor Rockwell, Eze made 46 appearances for Queens Park Rangers in the Championship, scored 14 goals and supplied 8 assists, whilst he averaged 2.2 shots, 1.8 key passes and 3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

Given his age, the speedster, who currently earns wages worth £30,000-per-week, could become a regular first-team starter for Hodgson’s side in the years to come, as he has shown he is more than capable of hitting the ground running in the top flight. It’s about time he was given the time to shine, which is something that the 73-year-old has struggled to give him so far.

AND in other news, Tyrick Mitchell’s injury is a timely boost for Patrick van Aanholt’s Crystal Palace career…