All posts by z3u9t.icu

Heading into the final stretch of an excitingÂfirst campaign back in the Premier League, the principal objective for Leeds United was always to secure their position amongst the English elite. Another couple of wins would probably be enoughÂas the club starts to look ahead, weighing up how to build upon solid foundations, ready to continue making progress next season.One area planned for reinforcement is the defensive unit, both in terms of manpower available to Marcelo Bielsa, and to afford him additional tactical options. With this in mind, sources in Spain inform that Leeds United have been monitoring the situation of Domingos Duarte, the Portuguese international centre-back at Granada CF.26-year-old Duarte has been a revelationÂover the last two seasons atÂGranada, as they continue to defy the 2021 Europa League betting odds, having now reached the quarter-finals of the competition. The consistency and reliability of his form has been a key contributing factor, which has inevitably caught the attention of bigger clubs in Spain and around Europe.

Duarte offers power and precision

Tall and powerful, standing at 6 feet 4 inches, Domingos Duarte combines an impressive physical presence with superb technical ability, which is underpinned by sound tactical and positional awareness. Often seen making perfectly timed challenges and quickly recycling possession, Duarte is also confident with the ball at his feet, able to distribute passes of any range with great accuracy.

Such a multi-faceted centre-back would be a hugely attractive addition for Bielsa, ideally suited to his coaching methodology and tactical ideas. Duarte is also capable of adapting quickly to those concepts and to English football, although Leeds would face tough negotiations to get their man.

According to current Transfermarkt estimates, Duarte has a market value of around €12 million. However, Spanish sources informÂthat Granada would be unwilling to let him go at that price. The existing contract of Duarte runs until June 2023, including a minimum release clause valuationÂof €30 million, and that will beÂthe starting point of any haggling over price.

Possible cash plus Casilla option

Some hard bargaining could reduce the price-tag for Duarte, while there’s also the possibility that Leeds could offer one of their players in part-exchange. Granada will have to replace their excellent goalkeeper Rui Silva this summer, who turned down a new deal and will head to Real Betis next season.

This means that Granada are in the market for a new shot-stopper, making 34-year-old Kiko Casilla the ideal makeweight in any potential move for Duarte. Despite being first choice in the Championship last season, Casilla has only appeared once in the Premier League and once in the FA Cup this term, both of which came in January.

However, the key stumbling block in such a scenario would be contract negotiations. Casilla is currently on a deal worth £1.67 million per season at Elland Road, which lasts until 2023. This would leave him faced with a tough choice to make, whether to remain at Leeds United or join Granada as their first choice keeper, albeit on roughly half the annual salary.

According to Sky Sports, Tottenham Hotspur star Sergio Reguilon is an injury doubt for the Lilywhites’ first Premier League against Newcastle United after the international break – with manager Jose Mourinho facing the possibility of being without him and fellow left-back option Ben Davies.

Reguilon, who has been one of the Lilywhites’ best signings of the summer with midfield enforcer Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, could possibly miss Newcastle after the Spaniard limped off against Aston Villa in their last outing.

Tottenham could be without Reguilon

The 24-year-old, attempting to ease the worries of supporters, took to Instagram with the message ‘everything is fine’ – but Sky report he is an injury doubt for the clash at St. James’ Park for which many punters will opt for Spurs in their Lucky 31 Bet Calculator selections after a week without domestic football during the international break.

Indeed, Mourinho faces the possibility of being without both Reguilon and Davies after the latter man suffered his own ‘significant’ fitness blow whilst on international duty with Wales.

Tottenham appear to be more optimistic about Reguilon, however, and it is hoped that he could be available for Newcastle after all even if doubts surround his fitness.

The defender has been going through light training work at Hotspur Way but has not yet returned to full sessions – with Reguilon facing a race against time to be fit for their clash against the Magpies.

Transfer Tavern take

Mourinho already knows the impact his absence could have on the team, especially since the Lilywhites boss oversaw Tottenham’s worst run of the campaign from late January to mid-February without the former Real Madrid starlet playing.

Spurs lost four out of five league games while Reguilon was sidelined over that period, and they may have missed his influence going forward.

The Lilywhites star has even averaged more shots per 90 in the English top flight than the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura and Tanguy Ndombele this season (WhoScored).

According to a report by Football Insider, Mourinho and Tottenham coaches were immediately blown away by Reguilon upon his arrival in north London – with words like ‘phenomenal’ being used to describe him behind the scenes.

News that Tottenham could be without the player for Newcastle comes as a potential blow for Mourinho who looks to end the season as strongly as possible.

In other news: Tottenham are set to battle rivals for this forward, find out more here.

Fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report regarding the Hammers’ interest in a January move for Diego Costa.

According to a recent report by The Athletic, David Moyes stopped West Ham from making a move for the former Atletico Madrid centre-forward in the winter transfer window, as the 57-year-old felt that the Spain international would not have fit into the feeling of togetherness that is evident within his team.

Indeed, despite the fact that Moyes currently only has one out and out centre-forward in his first-team squad, the Hammers have been in remarkable form this season, with the east London side sitting in fourth place in the Premier League standings with just seven games left to play.

And, after West Ham Central relayed the report regarding Diego Costa on Twitter, fans of the Irons flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to blame the club’s owners for the interest in the 32-year-old, stating their belief that David Gold and David Sullivan have no idea what they are doing in the transfer market.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Diego Costa?

“It shows GSB have no plan in place and that this season is all down to Moyes. It’s worrying how clueless they are.”

@teamwhu

“This would have been a dreadful decision to sign him…”

@Conorfitz96

“Thank Moyes for that!”

@GlennL65

“Well done Dave. Another over the hill striker – who’d have ever have guessed? Maybe Jack suggested this one?”

@monty88wham

“Good call.”

@usawhu2

“No. We have a squad playing for each other. Costa would make it all about him. We have to stop buying journeymen on massive wages.”

@sosmywife

In other news: ‘Scenes’, ‘Finally’, ‘Yessssss’ – Loads of West Ham fans ecstatic as transfer news emerges – find out more here!

Liverpool fans have been reacting to Steven Gerrard’s comments regarding him replacing Jurgen Klopp as Reds manager, with the midfield legend playing down the claims.

Klopp is going through an extremely tough period in the Anfield hot-seat, overseeing six Premier League defeats in a row at home.

It is an unprecedented situation for the German, who has been such a magnificent manager for Liverpool, winning the Champions League and Premier League.

Meanwhile, Gerrard has guided Rangers to Scottish Premiership glory, as he goes from strength to strength in his new career off the pitch.

Some reports have predictably linked the 40-year-old with replacing Klopp at Anfield, although the latter still very much has the backing of owners FSG, according to The Times’ Paul Joyce.

Gerrard has emphatically played down the idea of replacing Klopp, though, telling ITV that Liverpool supporters don’t want him taking over.

Liverpool fans react to Gerrard comments

Here’s what some Reds supporters had to say on Twitter.

“What a guy”

Credit: @javad_anwar

“Nothing you can’t love about this guy”

Credit: @1CraigFisher

“Just love the way he says “WE””

Credit: @godwinj662

“I love this man beyond words”

Credit: @beamerrrrr

“My goat”

Credit: @kunmisconsult

“Of course we want you as our manager but not now cause WE still need Jurgen Klopp”

Credit: @hazimjhr

In other news: Report rules out Reds’ interest in centre-back

Celtic suffered yet another dip in their 2020/21 season after St Mirren dealt them a shock defeat in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday. The Saints took an early lead and managed to come away with all three points thanks to an impressive first-half performance.

Despite Odsonne Edouard’s initial equaliser, the Hoops couldn’t do enough to come away with a result. Naturally, Neil Lennon was highly disappointed with the display at Celtic Park and he has hit out at his players for their below-par performances in the league.

One man who came under heavy fire was Leigh Griffiths, who has been a controversial topic within the Celtic camp.

“You can look at Leigh, what’s his contribution?” The manager asked in his post-match interview. This isn’t the first time that Lennon has scrutinised the striker. Back in the summer, the Irishman was unhappy with the condition in which Griffiths returned to team training, complaining he was “overweight”, via talkSPORT.

Lennon could push Griffiths away from Celtic

Griffiths recently vocalised his passion for giving back to the club he has spent almost seven years with. Speaking to the Glasgow Times back in October, the 30-year-old made it clear that he wants to break into the top 20 highest ever goal-scorers for the Hoops.

However, the £15,000 per week striker has been out of favour this season and has been struggling for regular game time. Griffiths has only featured in 12 Premiership matches this campaign, with just seven of those coming as starts. But in his limited game time, he has still managed to find the back of the net five times and provide a further two assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Griffiths popped up with some important goals this term, including his strike against Aberdeen to help secure a 3-3 draw.

He has undoubtedly played a big part in Celtic’s success over the years too. But with just 18 months left on his current contract, Lennon’s comments could be enough to drive Griffiths out the door to look for a new chapter.

His remaining playing years are limited and if he feels undervalued at Celtic, he may be forced to look elsewhere not only to just bag himself regular game time,  but also to feel like a trusted and appreciated member of a squad.

In other news, Exclusive: Rob Lee dismisses idea of Frank Lampard to Celtic…

Celtic were unable to keep their unbeaten winning streak going yesterday as they lost in a rather weak manner.

The Hoops fell at the hands of a plucky Ross County having arrived at Victoria Park off the back of a strong five games prior, scoring 13 goals in that time and conceding just two. However, they wouldn’t be celebrating their sixth victory.

Just the one goal was scored last night, coming in the 71st minute as Jordan White managed to find the back of the net and snatch the points away from a wounded Celtic.

The reigning league champions will be disappointed with an overall lacklustre performance. Jonjoe Kenny, in particular, was off his game, but there was one man who managed to shine, despite the poor result.

Callum McGregor vs Ross County

Callum McGregor has been an integral part of Neil Lennon’s squad this season. Talks have emerged about the idea of him taking the captain’s armband from Scott Brown, who is out of contract in the summer.

With big boots to potentially fill down the line, the midfielder has been solid in the engine room this campaign and he was one of the few positive takeaways against Ross County.

According to Sofascore, he took a mammoth 124 touches of the ball, which was more than any other player on the pitch. This just goes to show how much of a feeder player he operates as in midfield – he is always giving and receiving the ball to try and make some magic happen.

McGregor also made an impressive 101 accurate passes, completing 90% of those attempted, as well as putting in 11 accurate long balls and making one key pass.

Neil Lennon is also a huge fan of McGregor’s and recently waxed lyrical about his influence. The boss described him as a “metronome” in the middle of the park, which is a huge compliment for someone awaiting to take charge of his club as future captain.

Celtic did lose the game, but captain-in-waiting McGregor can still be proud of his performance.

In other news, Celtic must keep starting Ryan Christie this season…

Kris Commons believes Glasgow Rangers’ Nathan Patterson could solve Steve Clarke’s Scotland right-back problem.

Commons back Patterson for Scotland call

With James Tavernier currently out injured, 19-year-old Patterson has started the last two Premiership matches against Livingston and St Mirren, while he also played the full 90 minutes in the Europa League against Slavia Prague (Transfermarkt).

Speaking to the Daily Mail (via Daily Record), Commons believes the teenager could offer Clarke a solution for what has been cited as a problem position for Scotland. He said:

“Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney. If only one of them could play right-back, eh?

“It’s been a running joke for years with Scotland that arguably our two best players happen to be left-backs.

“The right side of defence has been problematic. No one has made the jersey their own.

“Which is why I hope Nathan Patterson is named in Steve Clarke’s squad tomorrow. He has earned the chance.

“Let’s be honest, we’re not exactly blessed with an abundance of options at right-back. Why not bring Patterson in and at least get him used to being in that environment?

“He has been excellent for Rangers. His performance against Slavia Prague in Europe last week spoke of a growing maturity. He’s ready to step up.”

Too early

Patterson has stepped up in the absence of Tavernier. The Gers have conceded just one goal in the three matches he has started, and he has not looked out of place at all in a side which was crowned Premiership champions less than 10 days ago.

However, he still has just 10 appearances to his name in the professional game – it is far too early to suggest he should be called up to the Scotland squad. In the future, he seems quite likely to play for the Tartan Army based on his fledgling performances, but given he was recently caught to have broken lockdown regulations to attend a house gathering (Sky Sports), he still needs to mature.

Give him time to develop first before throwing him into the deep end at senior international level.

In other news, some Rangers fans were worried by this open letter.

Liverpool have seriously struggled in front of goal in recent games, scoring just once and managing just seven shots on target in their last three fixtures against West Brom, Newcastle United and Southampton respectively.

The likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have shown in those fixtures that they cannot always be relied upon to save the day for Jurgen Klopp’s side and in the absence of Diogo Jota, they are lacking any real goal threat on the bench.

Fortunately for the Reds, they have an immensely talented youngster coming through their academy ranks in Layton Stewart and his performances this season must surely have put him in with a chance of earning a first-team debut in the near future.

The 18-year-old scored 13 goals and contributed one assist in just nine games in the U18 Premier League earlier in the season before earning a promotion to the U23s, where he has since made three appearances.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Liverpool correspondent Caoimhe O’Neill picked out Stewart as her Liverpool prospect to keep an eye out for in 2021 and considering his performances with the academy this season, it is no surprise why.

O’Neill also suggests that Stewart’s goalscoring prowess has earned him comparisons with young versions of Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Fernando Torres, all of whom proved to be a huge success with the Reds during their time at the club.

The youngster is yet to make a first-team appearance but considering Liverpool’s current woes in front of goal, there seems no reason why Klopp shouldn’t promote the 18-year-old in the near future and give him a chance to impress.

It has been suggested that Stewart has trained with the first-team in the past, so Klopp is clearly aware of his ability and perhaps it won’t be too long until we see the academy star make his first senior appearance for the Anfield outfit.

AND, in other news, Bye-bye Phillips: Edwards can solve LFC crisis with deal for £16.5m “leader” likened to Vidic…

Jose Mourinho handed summer recruit Joe Rodon his first start for the club on Sunday as Spurs travelled to Stamford Bridge to face their local rivals. Despite the hype surrounding the fixture, neither of the Premier League heavyweights were able to break the deadlock.

The spoils were shared after a 0-0 stalemate played out, which was enough to see Tottenham jump into first place in the table, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference.

Rodon started alongside Eric Dier in defence and put in a solid shift to silence Chelsea’s attackers. According to Sofascore, he contributed a respectable three interceptions, five clearances and completed 85% of his attempted passes.

The former Swansea man also earned praise from Mourinho after the match, with the three-time league title winner saying he was “very happy” with his performance against the Blues.

Rodon praise could be worry for Tanganga

Whilst Rodon is in a strong position with his new club already, it has put a lot of pressure on Japhet Tanganga. The £45,000 per week academy graduate wasn’t named as part of Mourinho’s Sunday squad, despite starting the Europa League match against Ludogorets last week.

With Toby Alderweireld out injured, Mourinho has been testing the waters with his options, it seems. Judging by the positive comments about Rodon, his preferred choice is Daniel Levy’s summer signing alongside veteran Dier. This of course, is bad news for Tanganga and it will be even more worrying once Alderweireld returns.

To make matters worse, the boss admitted that he viewed the 21-year-old as more of a full-back and yet he is still struggling to join the ranks as back up to the likes of Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon.

If Rodon continues to flourish at the north London outfit, it can only spell further difficulties for Tanganga as he pushes to find a way into Mourinho’s first team.

In other news, Exclusive: Gary Mabbutt lauds this Daniel Levy transfer decision…

Glasgow Rangers have been given a major boost in the race to sign John Lundstram with Sheffield United reportedly willing to listen to offers.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent times revealed that the one-time England U20 international was a key target for Rangers in the summer as Steven Gerrard sought to bolster his midfield to try and stop Celtic from winning ten in a row.

It was claimed that after initially wanting to stay at Bramall Lane, Lundstram rejected a new contract extension, having entered the final year of his current deal.

According to Yorkshire Live, the Blades will admit defeat with the wantaway £7m-rated midfielder if a suitable bid arrives in January, although Chris Wilder confirmed they have not received any offers for him or indeed anyone else so far, saying:

“Nothing in any of the players who are in our 25-man squad, nothing at all.”

Rangers must swoop for Lundstram

With Crystal Palace and Brighton having to wait until the summer at the very earliest, Rangers may very well have a free shot at trying to tempt the 26-year-old to Ibrox in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Glen Kamara has been an integral part of Gerrard’s side so far this season, having made twelve appearances in the Premiership, but Ross Wilson could really do with finding another midfield dynamo to ease the burden on his shoulders.

And Lundstram is a player who can do precisely just that, as he is fully capable of providing competition and cover for the likes of Steven Davis and Bongani Zungu.

Lundstram is almost the polar opposite to the South Africa international, as he offers far more of a threat going forwards. Last season, Lundstram played 34 games in the Premier League, scored five goals and supplied three assists, whilst he averaged 1.3 shots, 1.4 tackles, and 1.3 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Zungu failed to register a single goal or record a single assist in Ligue 1 for Amiens last season, as per WhoScored.

Teammate Billy Sharp called Lundstram “a real menace” earlier this year, via The Star.

Primarily a defensive midfielder, he can also operate in a more central role, and this kind of versatility would be an added bonus for the Ibrox boss.

Having Kamara and Lundstram in the same team and playing in the engine room could give the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Jermain Defoe, Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe further ammunition and allow them to add to their incredible goal-scoring record – 47 goals in total in the Premiership so far this season.

If Wilson can get a deal over the line in January, he could prove pivotal to their chances of regaining the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must cut his losses and sell Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos in January…