All posts by z3u9t.icu

Former referee Keith Hackett believes Celtic forward Leigh Griffiths will receive a ban for his antics on loan at Dundee, Football Insider report.   

The Lowdown: St Johnstone flashpoint

Griffiths, who headed out of Parkhead on a temporary basis on deadline day, was in the headlines for the wrong reasons during his third game for Dundee.

The £15,000-a-week striker kicked a lit flare into the away crowd during a 2-0 defeat to St Johnstone in the League Cup and was charged Police Scotland with culpable and reckless conduct two days later.

Sky Sports then shared an update at the end of September in regards to Griffiths also being charged by the SFA.

The Latest: Hackett reacts

Former FIFA referee Hackett was asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on Griffiths ahead of the hearing on October 16 when club action returns.

This is what the 77-year-old had to say in reply, believing the forward will get a ban.

“He can absolutely expect a ban.

“I’ve heard fans get heated, but kicking objects isn’t acceptable. It’s a silly situation, at the end of the day.

“It’s a pity but the actions from the player will send a signal to others not to do the same.

“It will also make people think what action the referee could have taken to avoid it. What action did the stewards take to avoid this as well?

“The stadium controller, the police, the authorities, they have to analyse how we can steer clear of these scenarios.

“The mitigating factor for the player is that the flare should not have been thrown onto the field of play.

“In his defence, he is rightly saying he saw it as a danger and removed it. You and I might kick it five yards, but he’s a professional footballer…

“Maybe he didn’t expect it to go that far, but he shouldn’t have done it. I’m not defending him.”

The Verdict: Celtic mistake

This wouldn’t have been as relevant for Celtic if they had cut ties with Griffiths in the summer, however, they decided to extend his Hoops deal by a further 12 months under Ange Postecoglou.

That now looks like an extremely poor call by the club, who were happy to let him leave on loan just months later.

It now seems as if he’ll be hit with a ban for his on-field antics, and you’d expect the Hoops won’t be offering Griffiths a new deal at the end of the season.

In other news: Coach with 17-honours may be open to replacing Postecoglou; he’s a Celtic fan. 

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City supporters have been left excited by news on Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic as the Sky Blues continue their search for a centre-forward.

Pep Guardiola guided City to a Premier League title and Carabao Cup-winning campaign last year, as well as a Champions League final, while barely playing with a natural centre-forward.

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Club legend Sergio Aguero was the subject of many absences through fitness issues or coronavirus, while Gabriel Jesus was arguably struggling to find his best form at some points.

As such, Guardiola often deployed a false nine or makeshift centre-forward options like Raheem Sterling, and despite their success, much of City’s summer window was dominated by discussion of signing a star striker.

The likes of Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo were targeted by sporting director Txiki Begiristain with news now emerging on yet another target.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the club ‘dream’ of signing La Viola star Vlahovic amid his ongoing contract dispute at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

His deal runs out in 2023 as it stands, meaning City could have some leverage in potential negotiations to sign the dazzling 21-year-old who scored 21 Serie A goals last season and 35 in all competitions since his move to Fiorentina (Transfermarkt).

Begiristain and co are showing an intense interest as as supporters get excited by this news, find all of their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

Man City fans excited by Vlahovic news…

“MY BABY”

Credit: @ZinnySZN

“Vlahovic would be a Beast under Pep”

Credit: @izzy900is

“Go all out!!”

Credit: @Hiz_Zam

“SIIIUUU”

Credit: @rubenbias_

“YESSSSSSSSSSS”

Credit: @Kelvinclasher

“Get it done

Sterling + cash”

Credit: @Dhayveed15

“Bring him home in January I beg”

Credit: @LordAtrexia

“He’s coming to Manchester”

Credit: @Jacob4rmstrong

“a competent striker at this club am I dreaming”

Credit: @c_c__cc_c

In other news: ‘Finally’, ‘Yesssss’, ‘Get him home’ – Many Man City fans erupt as claim emerges on 163-goal superstar, find out more here.

Many West Ham United fans want the club to sign Salomon Rondon after it was revealed that the Hammers are looking to hijack the Venezuela international’s reported move to Premier League rivals Everton, as per The Daily Mail.

The end of the transfer window is fast approaching and the Hammers are in a mad rush to get their business done. They have recently captured the signing of Kurt Zouma from Chelsea (whufc.com), while they are also believed to be close to signing both Nikola Vlasic (Sky Sports) and Nicolas Tagliafico (De Telegraaf).

It now appears they are looking to bring in another striker – after all, David Moyes currently has just Michail Antonio up front in terms of centre-forwards. According to The Daily Mail, the Irons are looking to take Rondon to the London Stadium before the transfer window slams shut. The deal for the forward with 151 career goals, 35 of those in the Premier League (Transfermarkt), would be a loan.

The news has attracted plenty of attention from Hammers fans on Twitter, and these supporters took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the development.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Rondon link

“Wouldn’t say no to this”

Credit: @westham_latest

“YES PLEASE”

Credit: @danielluker10

“I’ll take him as a back up and as long as he knows he’s just a back up. Can score goals, good in the air, sometimes good to bring on a lump up top in the 88th min against United in the cup”

Credit: @sam_lummis

“I’d be happy with this. Wouldn’t be a starter but a very good option to bring on later in the game. Shown what he can offer with his time at Newcastle.”

Credit: @samcwhufc

“Seeing loads of people saying no to Solomon Rondon at West Ham. We literally have no back up striker. He’s tall and imposing, played in the league before and gives another option. If we can get him fairly cheap it’s a no brainer if you ask me.”

Credit: @Elliotttaylor_

“Welcome back to 2019. Tbf for right fee and wage I’d be down for this. Always thought he was underrated and would work as a very good backup to Antonio. Has a link with Vlasic to help both also.”

Credit: @MarkHarrison23

In other news, West Ham are set for talks with this 28-year-old.

Newcastle United have made a ‘request for information’ about Lille’s Renato Sanches, according to Calciomercato. 

The lowdown

The 24-year-old helped Lille to see off Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title last season, but they have struggled so far this term. With just four games to go until the halfway point of the season, they find themselves down in 13th place, placing their hopes of European qualification in serious doubt.

The Portuguese maestro missed seven of the first eight games through a meniscal injury and has been limited to four league starts so far in 2021/22 (via Transfermarkt).

Another Premier League club in Wolves actually tried to sign the midfielder on loan in the final hours of the summer transfer window (via The Athletic).

The latest

According to Calciomercato, Sanches’ agent Jorge Mendes apparently wants to arrange a move away from Lille as soon as January. The Ligue 1 champions have set his asking price at €35m, which equates to about £29.8m.

Serie A giants AC Milan have identified the 24-year-old as a potential replacement for Franck Kessie, but Newcastle, who have made enquiries over the past few weeks, can offer him a significantly larger pay packet thanks to PIF’s lucrative takeover.

The verdict

Sanches would be quite a coup for Newcastle. He may be remembered on these shores as a Swansea City flop, but he’s come a long way since that ignominious spell in south Wales back in 2017/18.

He was hailed as ‘terrific’ for his performance against reigning world champions France at Euro 2020 and has continued to shine on the biggest stages.

Tutto Mercato Web (via Sempre Milan) showed him with praise following his display in last week’s Champions League victory over RB Salzburg, dubbing him a “giant” who was “physically and technically perfect”.

However, the worry for Newcastle is his alarming injury record, and that ought to make them think twice about a near-£30m move for the Portugal midfielder.

In other news, this £9m-valued ace could leave St James’ Park in January

Some Glasgow Rangers fans do not seem too happy after it was confirmed George Edmundson has completed a move away from Ibrox.

The Gers enjoyed a fantastic term last time out as they won the Premiership for the first time in 10 years, and their success was built on a very strong backline. They conceded just 13 goals in the league, which is actually a British record (The Scottish Sun).

Steven Gerrard has several centre-backs to choose from. Leon Balogun, Connor Goldson and Filip Helander all played big roles last term, whilst Jack Simpson and Nikola Katic should provide even more cover for this coming campaign. As such, there was no place left for Edmundson, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Derby. He has now completed his move to Ipswich Town in the English League One (rangers.co.uk).

The news of the 23-year-old’s exit was shared on Twitter by Rangers’ official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters – they seem disappointed as they feel he had more to give. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Edmundson exit below

“Bad decision this one Imo. Feel like we’ll regret this in years to come, let one hell of a player go. Thanks for everything George”

Credit: @Joshuafry2310

“Genuinely gutted about this one, will miss you ‘fridge’”

Credit: @CallumMcClung

“Bit gutted by this. He was decent in the games he played. Needs game time, but won’t get in ahead of Goldson, Helander, Balogun, Katie and Simpson.”

Credit: @garymiller_85

“All the best Fridge. Our loss is Ipswich’s gain. Good luck fella.”

Credit: @RangersBear_55

“Had big hopes for the fridge, sad to see him go. Pacey and solid. Wish him all the best and hope to see him back at Ibrox in the future one way or another.”

Credit: @blueblood1872

“Better than Simpson, huge L”

Credit: @valentine_gavin

In other news, Rangers fans slam this man’s article.

Derby County would consider a move to bring Jack Wilshere to Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Times (via Richard Cusack), who claim that the out of contract central midfielder is currently training with Wayne Rooney’s side, with the 35-year-old thought to be assessing whether or not he should offer the 29-year-old a deal ahead of the upcoming Championship campaign.

However, when questioned about the potential signing of Wilshere, Rooney denied that the former Arsenal man had been training with his side, although did nothing to dampen his club’s links to the England international.

As cited by Derbyshire Live, the manager said: “I played for England with Jack, he is a fantastic player. No, Jack has not been in with us, he hasn’t trained with us. You never know what develops, we will see what develops. I am open to any players coming in.”

Big mistake

While it would be naive to claim that Wilshere is not a player who boasts a substantial amount of ability as a footballer, with the midfielder having once bossed a Barcelona midfield consisting of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the 29-year-old has not exactly proven his talent in recent years.

Indeed, over a two-year spell at West Ham United, the £2.25m-rated man featured just 19 times in all competitions for the club due to a number of different injuries, all while reportedly earning a whopping £100k-per-week in east London.

After being released by the Hammers, Wilshere then spent a few months away from the game, before joining Championship side Bournemouth in January this year.

At the Vitality Stadium, the midfielder started just nine Championship games – making a further five appearances from the bench – over which he scored one goal and registered one assist, as well as taking an average of a mere 0.1 shots and making 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the 29-year-old earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.70, ranking him as the Cherries’ joint ninth-worst player in the second tier of English football last season.

As such, when taking into account his diminishing level of performances, his shocking injury history and his most likely big wage demands, the argument that Wilshere could well prove to be Rooney’s worst signing for Derby is not an overly difficult one to make – with the prospect of the 35-year-old offering the washed-up player a deal sure to leave many fans of the club livid.

In other news: Morris could be heading for grave Derby County transfer error, fans would be fuming

Some Wolves fans have been left to slam Romain Saiss as a transfer update emerged.

According to journalist and transfers expert Ekrem Konur, Al Hilal are in talks with the Morocco international over a potential move in the summer window.

Saiss did not endure the best of seasons in the Premier League, keeping a mere seven clean sheets in 27 games, while also losing possession of the ball 11.7 times on average per match (Sofascore), as his team finished in a measly 13th place in the table.

At 31 years of age, now may be the best time for the Midlands club to cash in on him, and they can use that money to go out and find a suitable replacement, or invest in another position that perhaps needs more depth.

Wolves fans on Saiss transfer update

These members of the Molineux faithful slammed Saiss as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one WWFC supporter even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘liability’:

“Thank goodness. What’s the fee we have to pay to move him on?”

Credit: @dsandford125

“Defensively a liability and not good enough for our ambitions. Many times this season his positioning has been all over the place and consistently poor, a few clearances doesn’t him him great, I’d say get rid and get a proper defender in that’ll help Boly out”

Credit: @GoldenWolves2

“Overrated by many of our fans, happy for him to move on…”

Credit: @jonnyboy8463

“Found his level!”

Credit: @AndyByr72089874

“Please take him”

Credit: @MaybeMikeMendez

“He would of been first on my list to get rid of”

Credit: @Adam11520205

In other news, find out which £21.4m-rated ace Wolves are eyeing as a potential Ruben Neves replacement here!

The Nuno Santo era could not have got off to a more perfect start for Tottenham Hotspur.

They sit top of the Premier League standings heading into the first international break of the season and have made it through the qualification stages of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

After sacking Jose Mourinho in mid-April, chairman Daniel Levy was reportedly on the lookout for an attack-minded head coach – one that can develop the club’s young prospects at the same time.

It’s still early days but Spurs are the lowest scorers in the top ten, though they are yet to concede a single goal after three successive wins. Nuno has also given an opportunity to payers like Japhet Tangana and Oliver Skipp, so there is that balance that Levy was looking for, in some respect.

You could argue that the Portuguese is lacking the sort of creative presence that can elevate Spurs’ game even more and perhaps he can kill two birds with one stone by looking to one of their more promising youth products.

Once again, it’s Harry Kane that sits near the top of the creativity charts, despite being their striker and only starting one game. Only one other player has averaged more than one key pass per game, as per WhoScored.

Nuno has trusted Dele Alli to start in a more advanced role in midfield but he’s yet to provide a key chance and is still some way off his 2016/17 form that saw him register 18 goals and seven assists in just one season.

Spurs’ next Alli could be found in Dilan Markanday, who just last week scored a hat-trick for the U23 squad.

According to the club’s official website, the 20-year-old gem is a ‘clever attacking midfielder who normally plays on the right’ – in some ways, this is similar to the Englishman under Mauricio Pochettino.

Furthermore, Markanday has earned a comparison to former academy star Marcus Edwards.

“Markanday has looked bright today. Have always felt he has a very similar running and dribbling style to Marcus Edwards,” football.london’s Alasdair Gold said. He also praised him when Spurs’ U19s faced Inter Milan in 2018.

“Inter are struggling to deal with Dilan Markanday. His dribbling and passing ability is pulling their defence and midfield all over the place.”

Spurs have only scored three goals in their opening three games, so it’s this sort of presence that is required in the no.10 role. Nuno should consider unleashing the U23 sensation and in doing so, he may well discover the next Alli in north London.

AND in other news, Paratici masterclass: Spurs eye “extraordinary” £34m-rated gem, he won’t cost a penny…

Some Everton fans have been buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Daryl Dike.

As per TEAMtalk, the Goodison Park club have joined Wolves at the front of the queue to sign the USA international, while Southampton, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Norwich are also making enquiries and West Brom and Fulham are considering making a move.

Dike impressed while on loan at Barnsley from Orlando City in the 2020/21 season, scoring nine goals in 21 games in the Championship (Transfermarkt) as he helped them towards securing a play-off spot.

Everton are in desperate need of a potent back-up striker to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, given that both Moise Kean and Cenk Tosun were shipped out on loan this season, and as such their futures remain unclear.

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Dike now has the experience of playing in English football and, at just 20 years of age, still has a lot of potential, which hopefully can be fulfilled under Carlo Ancelotti.

Everton fans on Dike transfer update

These Toffees supporters were buzzing as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one echoing previous comparisons to former Everton predator Romelu Lukaku:

“I pray he get him, he’s like a Lukaku regen”

Credit: @Djeczo

“As an American and Everton fan, I need this in my life”

Credit: @toffeesinchains

“Yes please – COYB!”

Credit: @CKDexterHaveNot

“Pleaseeeeeee”

Credit: @aqqqqqqil

“I’d be happy with this if true”

Credit: @jay_smith1

“Go ‘ed”

Credit: @EFCJakeee

“Let’s gooooo”

Credit: @paul1878___

In other news, another transfer update has also left many Blues buzzing!

BBC Scotland pundit Marvin Bartley has been full of praise for the performance of Celtic forward Jota over the weekend. 

The lowdown: Celtic one step closer

The Hoops took another significant stride toward the Premiership title with a 2-0 victory over Ross County at Victoria Park on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou’s side are now six points clear at the top of the table with four matches remaining after an opening goal from Kyogo Furuhashi and a late strike from Jota sealed the points in Dingwall.

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After the match, there were plenty of plaudits for the Portuguese ace in particular…

The latest: Bartley praises Jota

Speaking to BBC Sportscene (April 24, 19:31), Bartley was full of praise for the display of the 23-year-old on loan from Benfica.

The Livingston defender gushed: “His all-around game is absolutely brilliant. If you’re a Celtic fan you want him signed up as soon as possible. He’s a striker’s dream, isn’t he? If you go in the right areas, he’ll find you. His head is up all the time.

“He can play left, he can play right, he’s pro-active, he’s constantly on the move. He’s got that belief he can go past anyone.”

The verdict: Top-drawer display from Jota

This was a performance right out of the top drawer from Jota as the Portugal under-21 starlet took his tally for the season to 11 goals and 12 assists in all competitions.

Overall, the youngster earned a standout 8.90 rating for his display, which contained four key passes and two further big chances created, along with the goal and assist (Sofascore).

Performances such as this will only further increase the clamour for the club to pay the reported £6m required to make the loan sensation a Celtic player on a permanent basis over the summer.

In other news, an expert has made a key claim regarding the ownership of Celtic. Read more here.