All posts by n8rngtd.top

Everton could be set to be involved in a Premier League transfer tussle for Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer this summer if reports are to be believed and it’s led to fans discussing the potential deal on social media.

According to 90min, the Toffees are one of several clubs eyeing up a move for the Norweigen colossus with the likes of Manchester City, Wolves and believed-to-be front-runners Leicester City all keen.

It’s claimed that Brendan Rodgers is keen on reuniting with the 22-year-old but will face stiff competition to land him.

Ajer has played 49 times this campaign, primarily in the centre but also at right-back and he even started out his career in midfield before dropping back.

Carlo Ancelotti currently has several options to call upon in his defensive ranks, including Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

It remains to be seen what sort of fee Ajer would command. Transfermarkt value him at just £2.43m whilst reports from Italy said in March that the SPFL champions would want €40m (£35.8m) amid interest from Milan.

Some supporters have been comparing the Celtic man to their English counterpart whilst others would very much love to see him arrive at Goodison Park.

Here’s how the Toffees faithful have been reacting…

AND in other news, Everton fans destroy ex-player Ashley Williams on Twitter…

In this instalment of our TT Roundup, Football Transfer Tavern have gathered three of the biggest stories to have involved Rangers recently and have provided our thoughts on the reports published.

Rangers offer contract to Nathan Patterson

Rangers defender Nathan Patterson has been offered a new contract by the club to replace his current deal, as reported by Football Insider.

According to Football Insider, the 18-year-old has been presented with a three-year contract which will see the youngster receive a substantial pay rise.

Football Insider added that the right-back is regarded by senior coaching staff at Ibrox as a player who can establish himself in Rangers’ first team.

Verdict

Patterson has yet to make a senior appearance for Rangers but made his mark for the under-19 side in their UEFA Youth League first round win over Young Boys, his goal in the 3-3 draw in Switzerland proving pivotal as the ‘Gers advanced on away goals.

He has been earning plenty of plaudits among coaches and ex-Rangers players, with development team boss Graeme Murty saying he has “all the characteristics you would ascribe to an elite-level full-back” and Peter Lovenkrands intimating that the teenager reminded him of a young Alan Hutton. [via Football Insider]

Patterson will need a few games at senior level before a better judgement can be made but he might not have to wait much longer for a first team debut if the rave reviews of coaching staff are anything to go by.

Ally McCoist critical of James Tavernier’s defending

Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist was highly critical of James Tavernier following Sunday’s 3-1 win over Hamilton.

Speaking on BT Sport [via HITC], McCoist said that the 28-year-old is “brilliant going forward” but insisted that he needs to be better defensively.

He said: “We’re having this conversation every second or third week,” adding: “Your first job as a right-back is to defend and he’s not good enough at that at this moment in time.”

Verdict

McCoist is not the only one who criticised Tavernier’s defensive capabilities following the win at New Douglas Park – Jordan Carlisle of Rangers News said that the right-back “was caught out of position at times in a shaky second half”.

Last month, the 28-year-old endured an off-night in the Europa League defeat to Young Boys, with two errors leading to the Swiss team’s goals in a 2-1 loss for Steven Gerrard’s side. [via BBC]

Tavernier may be club captain but a continuation of defensively suspect performances could see his place in the team come under intense scrutiny.

Steven Gerrard commends Kai Kennedy

Steven Gerrard said that young attacker Kai Kennedy had merited his opportunity to travel and train with the first team ahead of Sunday’s 3-1 win at Hamilton.

Speaking to Rangers TV [via Rangers News], the manager said: “Kai’s trained with us all week, he got a cameo against Leicester and he earned the chance to come and train with the first team and warm up with us today.

“It’ll be a good experience for him because he’s certainly a talent. There’s a lot of work to do with him, but we certainly see a bright future for him.”

Verdict

The 17-year-old winger has featured regularly for Rangers’ youth and reserve teams this season, with two assists from seven appearances in the UEFA Youth League and Scottish Challenge Cup (as per TransferMarkt).

Also, Kennedy was named Player of the Tournament in the Alkass International Cup earlier this year, playing an integral role in Rangers’ triumph in the competition. [via The Scottish Sun]

With Gerrard calling him up to train with the first team, the teenager seems to be rated highly by the manager and may get his senior debut at some point over the next few months.

Rangers fans, what do you make of these stories concerning your club? Share your views in the comments section below!

Newcastle United fans have been going through the wringer in the last week or so – whilst the club have been linked with fresh talks of a takeover, Mike Ashley’s decision to furlough the majority of their non-playing staff has caused a stir.

Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can you name them?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

ChronicleLive reporter Mark Douglas relayed some further news in that aspect with the Magpies’ media team now on the government’s job retention scheme despite the chairman being a very wealthy billionaire. The reliable scribe called it a “shame” and many supporters have echoed that.

He also makes reference to Liverpool, the runaway league leaders, for doing exactly the same as the St James’ Park outfit too.

Newcastle have also put the scouting and recruitment team on furlough leave and they were even the first Premier League club to make such measures.

According to Forbes, Ashley is worth around $2.4bn (£1.96bn) yet the Sports Direct tycoon isn’t prepared to fully support his staff during this time of uncertainty and danger.

A poor look, but did you really expect any better?

Here’s how fans have been reacting to Douglas’ information on Twitter…

AND in other news, Newcastle fans react to transfer links with “another Joelinton”…

Sheffield Wednesday are finally back in action this weekend, and it will be for the first time since the EFL charged them for financial misconduct.

Garry Monk has also had two weeks on the training pitch barring the absence of two international stars, so they will have surely worked on their recent troubles – game-management and goalscoring.

It makes for an exciting game as league leaders West Brom play host at the Hawthorns.

Having thrown away yet more points last time out, will the 40-year-old be prepared to make any major adjustments to his side?

Football FanCast predict that Monk will make a total of three changes as several key figures return to the lineup.

Sam Hutchinson will be needed at the base of the midfield three, his squad-high 2.2 tackles per game will be of the utmost importance when coming up against Matheus Pereira, who has managed three goals and six assists this campaign.

In front of him should be Barry Bannan and Massimo Luongo, who hasn’t been seen since his winner against Stoke City a month ago. That was his second winning goal in three games, so his influence will be vital.

[ad_pod ]

Meanwhile, Julian Borner returns to the starting XI in place of captain Tom Lees. The German was a surprise omission against Swansea City as he battled a virus – the skipper filled in, but that was his first game since August.

Out wide, Jacob Murphy keeps his spot ahead of Adam Reach with Kadeem Harris on the other side.

Steve Fletcher leads the line on his own – he’ll be hoping he can end a run of six games without a goal. It also means that Atdhe Nuhiu drops to the bench.

The international break can offer clubs and players a chance to work on their game away from the pressures of Premier League football.

Tottenham Hotspur will have seen the current break as an opportunity for them to sort out their issues, as they currently sit 14th in the league table.

Christian Eriksen has been fairly ineffective this season, as he has started 7 Premier League games and come off the bench 3 times, scoring once and assisting another goal.

The 27-year-old’s fortunes certainly turned around while he was away with Denmark though, as he scored two late goals to help earn a 6-0 victory over Gibraltar:

While there is the chance that this may have given the attacking midfielder, who is rated at £90m on Transfermarkt, a confidence boost, Spurs fans have seen this as a sign of him trying harder away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

With his contract coming to an end in the summer of 2020, there appears to be concerns over the former Ajax star’s commitment to the north London club.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the brace, including posts from frustrated Spurs fans, can be seen below:

Crystal Palace are stepping up their intentions to sign France international Olivier Giroud, according to reports.

FCInterNews have reported (via Sport Witness), that Italian side Inter Milan are also sniffing around for the available striker, however, the Eagles look to be making things difficult for the club.

Allegedly, Palace have ‘moved concretely’ for the 33-year-old, and are willing to satisfy the forward’s wages, which could put Inter’s move for him in doubt.

Within their report, Giroud is reportedly asking for one of two things from Inter; he wants either a two-and-a-half-year deal taking him to the summer of 2022 or a deal until 2021 worth a salary of €8m (£6.25m) for the season and a half. It is not clear as to whether the Eagles have had the same request.

Given that Chelsea will not allow him to leave for free as per the report, it seems finances could prove a stumbling block for Inter.

Palace will be hopeful that the Nerazzurri simply cannot afford the French striker as they could really do with some more reinforcements up top.

Even if the Italian side can afford him, you would presume that regular football is a must if he is to join, as he will want to impress as much as he can before Euro 2020. With the Serie A giants having the in-form strikeforce of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku up top, it’s hard to see where he fits in as a regular starter.

Chelsea’s forward could offer more than one solution for the Eagles. Obviously, with just 10 goals scored from 12 games – the second-fewest amount of goals scored in the league – they will want more goals from a centre-forward. Being France’s third-highest goalscorer of all time and having 78 goals in 224 appearances in the Premier Leauge, there’s no doubt he could do that. After all, this is a man who won the FIFA Puskas Award for his strike against the Eagles while an Arsenal player back in 2017.

Furthermore, with a club legend in Wilfried Zaha struggling to find his feet this season – not scoring once so far – the hold-up play of Giroud could do wonders for the Ivorian winger.

The way in which the World Cup winner could bring the winger into play is something which could really kickstart his season. He is a selfless player, as shown in the World Cup, where his name was “among the first” on the teamsheet (per Stuart James in the Guardian) for his target man capabilities despite not scoring. Looking at what he did for someone like Antoine Griezmann, bringing him in to play and giving him the ‘freedom to flourish’ according to the Guardian, the ex-Montpellier ace does look to be a strong attacking weapon to use alongside a player in a free role.

As per Transfermarkt, Zaha has scored one goal from eight games as a support striker over the course of his career, a figure which could realistically be markedly improved on if he had a target man such as Giroud to float off, as the aforementioned Frenchmen have done.

While he might cost a fair bit of money, someone of the calibre of Giroud is only going to help Palace’s problems for goals.

Even if Jordan Ayew is having a really good campaign, he simply doesn’t have the experience of the 33-year-old.

Giroud’s talents may also be a huge help for Zaha as not only will he take more pressure off the Ivorian, as they will have another star to expect goals from, but he may also be able to form a partnership with the tricky winger which could benefit him hugely on the pitch as he has done at international level.

Could you see Giroud at Palace? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Gareth Southgate announced a 27-man squad for his side’s upcoming games against Montenegro and Kosovo, and although reports have suggested that Jack Grealish’s fitness have played a part in the Aston Villa midfielder’s exclusion from selection, even if the 24-year-old had been fit, the England boss would have been right to omit him from his squad.

Much has been made of Grealish’s start to the 2019/20 campaign after having captained his boyhood club to promotion via the Championship play-offs and granted, the skilful playmaker has impressed at times, scoring two goals and registering three assists.

But when you consider that these numbers are a replica of Anwar El Ghazi’s attacking output so far this season, has Grealish really been impressing for Dean Smith’s side?

The midfielder’s ability to weave past players and contribute in the final third is well documented, with Villa having scored more goals this season than any other side in the bottom nine.

But when assessing where Grealish would fit within the complexion of the Three Lions’ squad, there is arguably no room for a player whose abilities are not directly aligned to producing attacking output.

The likes of Mason Mount and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be looking to secure themselves a starting berth in England’s midfield options, and when compared to the recently selected duo, it is difficult to state that Grealish offers more within the attacking spots.

Mount has already bagged four goals in 2019/20 while amassing a considerable 2.6 shots per game, via WhoScored. Oxlade-Chamberlain, on the other hand, has also scored four times. That’s from just six starts in all competitions.

Those at Villa may feel that any suggestion Grealish is ill-qualified for international duty is an unreasonable suggestion, given his influential role in his side’s ascendancy over the last two seasons, but the playmaker is not contributing with enough vigour and regularity to be considered a definite selection for England.

Whether Villa’s captain will make the cut for Euro 2020 remains to be seen, but on the basis of current form in the 2019/20 campaign, regardless of fitness, Southgate has made the right call in not selecting Grealish for November’s international break.

To be considered, he needs to do more.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Alan Hutton has praised Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga after his display against Liverpool, per Football Insider.

What’s he said?

The former Southampton stopper turned in an excellent performance at Anfield, making a total of 12 saves in the 2-1 defeat, as he continues to deputise for the injured Hugo Lloris.

Spurs had taken the lead in the game through Harry Kane’s first-minute header but goals from Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah, the second of which came from the penalty spot, ultimately broke the resistance of Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Nevertheless, Hutton, who played for Spurs between 2008 and 2011, believes that Gazzaniga has proved he has what it takes to be the club’s first-choice stopper.

He said: “He was brilliant, arguably give him man of the match – definitely on the Tottenham side. He’s come in a little bit out of the cold with Lloris’ injury and he’s really grabbed it.

“Let’s not kid ourselves, Lloris was having a bit of a tough spell himself. For him (Gazzaniga) to come in and put in the displays that he has, he’s really claiming for the number one spot.

“For Gazzaniga to come in and play so well, so quickly, I think he’s only going to grow in confidence. Hopefully he can keep his form up, obviously, I want them to see them doing well so I want him to play well. If he keeps his form up I can’t see how he can be dropped at the turn of the year.”

A long time coming

Lloris should have been dropped long ago.

Of course, he injured his elbow during the club’s 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion but even that came from a mistake, as he flapped under a cross and ended up falling awkwardly as the Seagulls opened the scoring.

According to the Premier League website, this season the Frenchman made two errors leading to goals prior to his injury – only Southampton defender Jan Bednarek has more to his name – while he also made one error last season.

This is not to mention the fact that Lloris was caught up in a drink-driving scandal last year, too, which could well have seen him axed from the starting XI.

He obviously retained his place, but one feels that Gazzaniga’s chance has been a long time coming.

With Lloris out, all the 27-year-old needs to keep doing is avoiding mistakes and making saves.

If he can do the former, he will already have one over on France’s World Cup winning-captain.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Things just took a turn for the worst.

It looks as if Leeds United are going to be facing a whole lot of competition to keep hold of Eddie Nketiah, according to Darren Bent.

What’s he said?

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League man Bent suggests that it’s not just Championship clubs like Bristol City that will be taking an interest in the young man’s form, but also clubs in the top division as well:

“Leeds need to be careful, I’m telling you now, because a lot of other Championship teams, if not lower-end Premier League teams, are going to be looking at him and going: ‘You know what? We’ll take him.

“He’s scoring goals at international level, he’s scoring goals for his club side when he gets the minutes so people will be going we’ll take him. Leeds might go: ‘We want to keep him,’ but I can see Arsenal going: ‘No, because he’s not getting enough game time.’

Will Bielsa heed Bent’s warning?

The former top-flight striker is right on the money here.

There are no concrete links yet to suggest a club in the Premier League are going to make an offer, if Nketiah keeps performing the way he does, it’s only going to be a matter of time before heads start to turn.

He’s scored five goals for the Whites this term and sits as their top scorer despite only starting twice. It’s quite remarkable, especially considering he’s netted nine times for club and country since Patrick Bamford last found the back of the net.

Whilst clubs in the Premier League may be awash with money, they will always be on the lookout for a couple of bargains, and bringing in someone like Nketiah on loan would be an easy way to go about it.

Unai Emery has admitted his parent club Arsenal aren’t concerned about a lack of minutes just yet, you’d like to think that a move to a Premier League club might be better for his development than playing at a lower level.

This puts the ball squarely in Marcelo Bielsa’s court, because the more Nketiah impresses in his brief appearances, the less likely they’re going to be able to keep hold of him – that’s unless they begin to start him from the off.

Some Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to react after spotting Chris Powell as part of the England coaching set-up.

The former Charlton and Huddersfield manager became part of Gareth Southgate’s staff at the start of September as part of the BAME programme, a move designed by the FA to “solve the challenge of under-representation”.

Powell managed the Addicks from 2011-2014, following a playing career that saw him make 214 appearances for the south Londoners.

The 50-year-old was appointed at The Valley in 2011 and went on to guide Charlton out of League One and into the Championship as champions, although he was later sacked by Roland Duchatelet just days after reportedly agreeing a new contract with the club.

After seeing their former boss on the bench for England as part of Southgate’s staff, a number of Charlton fans took to Twitter to react.

Let’s take a look at what some of the Addicks supporters said…