All posts by h716a5.icu

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has questioned Jose Mourinho for his negative brand of football.

Mourinho’s typically defensive style saw Spurs top the Premier League back in December, but just seven wins from their previous 18 league matches since beating Arsenal to climb to the summit has seen the Portuguese boss come under scrutiny.

Until recently, the Spurs manager had been continuously selecting defensive line-ups, only changing his ways following three defeats on the bounce, which coincided with the return to form of Real Madrid loanee Gareth Bale.

As well as the Welshman, Tottenham have a number of talented attackers in their squad in the shape of Steven Bergwijn, Erik Lamela, Dele Alli, Lucas Moura, and deadly duo Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane.

And Fry thinks that Mourinho has a “duty” to play more expansively with that amount of talent at his disposal.

He told Football FanCast: “Since he went to United and a certain extent to Tottenham he’s more ‘I don’t want to lose, I don’t want to get beat’. It frustrated United fans, certainly frustrated me, and frustrates the Tottenham fans. Because both United and Tottenham have got brilliant players.

“Tottenham fans want to see ‘attack, attack, attack’. With the players he’s got he has got to be more positive than he is negative. He’s had some wonderful results, but then sometimes he plays not to lose and I don’t think Tottenham like that. He’s very successful when he attacks. He’s got a duty to play attacking football the whole time.”

Fans of Southampton have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the club relayed footage of Saints centre-forward, Che Adams, in action for Scotland.

Having been called up to the Scotland squad for the first time in his career last month, Adams went on to feature in all three of Steve Clarke’s side’s World Cup qualifying fixtures against Austria, Israel and Faroe Islands, with the 24-year-old providing an assist in the Scots’ 1-1 draw with Israel and scoring his first international goal in the 4-0 rout of Faroe Islands.

His goal, in particular, was very impressive, with the Southampton striker picking up the ball some way outside the Faroe Islands penalty area, taking a touch, before powerfully firing the ball into the bottom corner of the helpless goalkeeper’s net.

And, after Southampton relayed footage of Adams’ strike on Twitter, fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with many heaping a considerable amount of praise on their player.

So, what exactly did these Southampton fans have to say in reaction to the footage of Che Adams’ goal for Scotland?

“Yes lad.”

@lukepauloliver

“So happy for him tho.”

@chxrlottewx

“What a goal by Adams. Congratulations on your first goal for Scotland.”

@finlayhibberd09

“Will be better than Ings. Fact.”

@JHallett123

“Absolutely brilliant. Let’s go Che.”

@DWTheDoctor

“Finish.”

@cj_garrett

In other news: loads of Saints fans pleaded for this ‘no brainer’ deal for this ‘superb’ £60k-p/w star – find out more here!

After Tottenham Hotspur dropped points in their last Premier League outing away to relegation battlers Newcastle United, pundit and BBC regular has hammered defender Davinson Sanchez for his ‘shocking’ performance.

Sanchez, who got the lowest SofaScore rating by far out of the entire Lilywhites side at St. James’ Park (5.9), with the Colombian’s miss-hit clearance eventually gifting Newcastle a chance to score the opening goal.

Whelan slams Sanchez

He also won just one ground duel all match and lost the ball 20 times, and Whelan believes manager Jose Mourinho will be livid and ‘tearing his hair out’ due to some of Tottenham’s defending.

Taking particular aim at Sanchez, the pundit branded him a ‘schoolboy’ and ‘shocking’.

“Sanchez hasn’t looked great for a while now,” he explained to Football Insider.

“We’re talking about fine margins and you look back on goals they concede when he’s in the side and it’s always little mistakes that cost them.

“Jose Mourinho will have been very disappointed to have kept giving Newcastle that hope. That’s not what you need when you’re meant to be going for Europe, is it?

“He’ll be tearing his hair out when he watches the goals they conceded. Schoolboy mistakes, especially from Sanchez. Shocking stuff.”

Transfer Tavern take

Sanchez has been touted through the media as one Tottenham player who could make way to fund new additions this summer.

If he keeps putting in performances reminiscent of his outing on Tyneside, the 24-year-old may well be even more at risk for the axe.

In other news: Tottenham turn to this ‘very talented’ youngster after blow, find out more here.

Crystal Palace continue to be linked with Olympique Marseille’s Florian Thauvin.

According to The Sun, the Eagles are interested in swooping for the Frenchman on a free transfer this summer with his contract continuing to run down with his current employers.

A World Cup winner with France in 2018, Thauvin’s arrival could signal the end of Andros Townsend’s career at Selhurst Park with the former Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United winger also seeing his current deal tick down.

When comparing the two players, it’s clear that Thauvin continues to come out on top.

The 28-year-old Thauvin is currently in the midst of another extremely productive campaign having netted eight goals and provided seven assists, whilst Townsend only has one goal and four assists to his name throughout 2020/21.

This is a trend that has continued throughout the two wingers’ respective careers.

Having ironically joined their current employers on a permanent deal at the same time – the summer of 2016 – Thauvin has had a bigger impact than the former England international.

In the time, he has racked up 67 goals and 47 assists in all competitions for Marseille. That is form that saw current Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani suggest that the former Magpie has “something different”.

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Whatever that “something” is, Townsend appears to be missing it having only scored 16 times and provided a further 27 assists in the same time period.

That alone then would suggest that should Thauvin become a Palace player, he would not only usurp the £7.2m-rated Palace man in the pecking order at Selhurst Park but he could also potentially nudge him out of the exit door.

It would surely be unfeasible to offer a new deal to the former England man when there is already better options at the club.

So, as Townsend continues to see his contract tick down to its expiry at Palace, he should certainly be worried about the potential arrival of Thauvin if he’s got any desire to stay at Selhurst Park.

AND in more news, find out why the departure of Patrick van Aanholt could be hugely damaging for the Eagles…

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Everton will be without their top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Friday night, a match you can bet here on.

The Toffees boss had hoped to see Calvert-Lewin return from an abductor muscle problem to lead his side’s charge, after missing Monday’s goalless draw with Brighton & Hove Albion despite travelling to the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls affair was only the fourth Premier League fixture that the 14-goal frontman had sat out this term, following spells on the sidelines with separate hamstring injuries in January and February.

Ancelotti fielded Richarlison and James Rodriguez at striker but failed to see either deliver the needed impact to beat Graham Potter’s south coast side, as the Brazilian struggled for service and the Colombian found himself marked out of the game.

Ancelotti will now need to see his forwards step up if Everton are to beat Tottenham on Friday night and move above the north Londoners into seventh place, after confirming that Calvert-Lewin will be absent once again.

“Available for the game are Jordan Pickford, Allan, Joshua King and Andre Gomes. In the next week, we are going to have Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Yerry Mina, Fabian Delph and Bernard [back],” the Blues boss said on Thursday.

“It will be longer for [Jean-Philippe] Gbamin and [Abdoulaye] Doucoure. Gbamin doesn’t need surgery, but he will be out for at least eight weeks. The plan for him is to be back for the start of the new season.”

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Calvert-Lewin returning next week could see the striker be made available for Everton’s trip to Arsenal on Friday 23rd, who currently trail the Merseyside outfit by three points and having played a game more.

But Ancelotti will be gutted to be facing Tottenham without his top-scorer, who has 19 goals and four assists over 32 games in all competitions this season, knowing his side struggles to play to the same rhythm without the 24-year-old on the field.

Calvert-Lewin gives Everton a focal point in attack and a teammate for Richarlison to bounce off, while offering an aerial presence in the opposition’s penalty area.

No Toffees player contests (8.7) or wins (4.4) as many aerial duels per Premier League game than Calvert-Lewin has this season, with left-back Lucas Digne contesting the second-most (4.5) and Mina winning the second-most (3), per WhoScored.

Richarlison led the game for aerial duels contested against Brighton on Monday with six, but only two of those challenges came in an offensive situation – one less than Digne (3).

Calvert-Lewin’s ability to occupy defender’s thoughts is just one reason why Rio Ferdinand has lauded the England international and claimed that players would fear coming up against him.

“I’ve watched a lot of Everton this year and he’s one that unnerves defenders,” Ferdinand said on his FIVE YouTube channel. “He’s not one you want to play against week in, week out. He’s aggressive, he attacks the ball.”

It will be a huge blow for Everton’s hopes of beating Tottenham to be without Calvert-Lewin, in what is almost a must-win match if Ancelotti is to see the Goodison Park natives qualify for a European competition this season.

AND in other news, an “outstanding” talent is keen to join Everton this summer, but there’s a hitch…

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action tonight as they look to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing defeat against Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho’s side make the trip to Everton knowing that a defeat could see them leapfrogged in the table, and that would all but end their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

Spurs, once again, were victims of their own downfall, with defensive mistakes continuing a worrying trend in north London. They have now dropped 18 points from winning positions – had they held onto all ot them, they’d now be sitting in second place behind Manchester City.

And after a surprise recall to the side last time out, it’s time for Mourinho to axe Serge Aurier from the starting XI once again because he instantly proved that he doesn’t warrant a spot from the off.

On the Chalkboard

Japhet Tanganga excelled against Aston Villa before the international break, keeping a clean sheet after the club had endured a tough week in losing to both Arsenal and then Zagreb in the Europa League.

The 21-year-old gem wasn’t at fault for either of Newcastle’s two strikes up at St James’ Park either, so his absence last Sunday was a little perplexing.

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It then became even more baffling as the game went on, as Aurier was a total calamity against the threats of Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani.

Speaking on Sky Sports throughout their Super Sunday coverage, Roy Keane didn’t hold back in his verdict of the Ivorian right-back, he said (via Football Daily):

“He’s got a rick in him. He has caused loads of problems. I have described him as a bit of a car crash. Nice powerful boy, [he] keeps going forward but defensively, I think he doesn’t smell danger or see the danger. And that’s been a huge problem for Spurs, the right-back position.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time that Aurier’s performances have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

In the past, he has been dubbed a “liability” by former Spurs striker Darren Bent and even Mourinho himself admitted that he was scared of his defending (in more colourful terms) during Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries last year.

The Toffees have a very lethal frontline, namely Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has bagged 19 goals this campaign, which has put him firmly as England’s second choice behind Kane going into this summer’s European Championship.

On Aurier’s side is likely to be Richarlison, who has long been a nuisance. He’s been fouled 2.4 times per 90 minutes in the league this season. Given Spurs’ £18m-rated defender commits 1.4 fouls per 90, it could be a recipe for disaster.

Not to mention the prospects of also facing Lucas Digne and James Rodriguez, too.

If Mourinho starts Aurier against Everton tonight, then Carlo Ancelotti could well target his side as a weakness and as a result, the former PSG star could well get absolutely terrorised.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Lamela? Spurs could land bargain in “child prodigy” rated by Eriksen…

Andy Walker believes that Glasgow Rangers would jump at the chance to be involved in the European Super League.

Walker says Gers would jump at European Super League

On Sunday, 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs decided to breakaway and form a European Super League (BBC).

Speaking to Sky Sports, Walker believes that Rangers and their fierce city rivals Celtic would have jumped at the chance to join the organisation if they had been invited. He said:

“It’s a real tough decision for both but you need to be realistic.

“I’ve been listening to Celtic and Rangers trying to get away from football for the best part of 20 years.

“So if you were to put this to any senior person at Celtic or Rangers, they will want to know what it’s all about. They will want to know how much money that they can generate, especially for Rangers given their perilous financial position.

“They will want to know what’s happening to the Champions League qualifiers next season. What does it mean? How much money can they get?

“Look at what winning the Scottish Premiership next season brings. It brings immediate access to the Champions League.

“If all that is off the table, then there is a financial landscape that you have to look at that is so serious.

“But let’s not kid ourselves. Celtic and Rangers would want to be involved in this.”

Walker added that it would be “absolute hypocrisy” from board members of either Glasgow club to say that they would not want to be part of the European Super League, with both clubs having in the past being linked with the possibility of a potential move to England or to an ‘Atlantic League’ (Sky Sports).

Up for debate

On the one hand, you can certainly see how the owners of both clubs would be eager to earn a slice of the pie. The deal is said to be worth £4.6bn, with each side receiving £310m (The Times) for entering. For Rangers, that is an amount of money they could only dream of otherwise.

However, it would be detrimental to the most important stakeholders the 55-time Scottish champions possess – the fans. Despite playing in a league which is often lacking in competition and with generally few aspirations of European success, the Gers’ fanbase has remained loyal, even as they were demoted to the fourth division of Scottish football after entering administration. Such a decision would alienate those supporters, and despite what Walker might say, it feels unlikely that the owners would be willing to take such a risk.

In other news, find out why Davie Provan has slammed this Rangers player.

The future of Celtic winger Karamoko Dembele has been a topic of discussion over the last six months.

There were reports earlier this year that he was set for a move abroad in the summer, with French duo Lille and Nantes just two clubs thought to be tracking the 18-year-old.

When Dembele signed professional terms with Celtic back in 2018, the club confirmed that his deal ran until at least 2021.

Transfermarkt previously had Dembele’s contract down to expire this summer as well, but in a report from the Daily Record, it now appears as if that was incorrect.

Mark Wilson was giving his views on the versatile teenager, with the Daily Record claiming in the introduction that the youngster has ‘just over a year remaining on his current deal’ – possibly nine vital words in regards to his future.

Transfermarkt have since altered Dembele’s profile, with his deal now in place until 2022 according to the website.

Transfer Tavern take

It may only be another 12 months on his deal, but to us, this snippet of information could be crucial for the Hoops. Should any prospective suitors want to land Dembele this summer, they would now have to pay Celtic a fee for his services.

Dembele, who has made six senior appearances for Celtic, may now end up staying at the club beyond the summer. If he does, it gives the Hoops more time to potentially agree new terms with the in-demand teenager.

In other news: Odsonne Edouard transfer saga takes another twist that Dominic McKay could love, find out more here. 

This week feels like it was a landmark one in Celtic’s quest to bring a new manager to Parkhead.

Problems relating to the Hoops’ director of football seem to have been wiped away and now Eddie Howe is potentially on the verge of becoming the permanent boss.

It has been a drawn-out affair since Neil Lennon resigned at Paradise but things have clearly taken on a renewed sense of purpose after Dominic McKay’s arrival behind the scenes.

That said, Dermot Desmond will ultimately have the final call on who’ll coach the first team.

Howe still looks to be in the driving seat but they’ve considered the likes of Lucien Favre and Roy Keane as well.

FFC have assessed other options in recent days, looking at the need for an attack-minded and flexible coach. Celtic could have secured that in Jesse Marsch before he penned a deal with RB Leipzig but there are other top coaches out there.

Oostende’s Alexander Blessin and Young Boys’ Gerardo Seoane would both be exceptional hires but another flexible thinking mind that should be on their radar is Russell Martin.

Capped 29 times by Scotland, the 35-year-old certainly knows what Celtic means and should be aware of the club’s history and heritage.

Though, the primary reason for getting him through the door is his ability to transform and mould things specifically to how he wants them.

Much like Brendan Rodgers, it’s in the lower leagues of English football where Martin has learnt his trade, bringing an aesthetically pleasing brand of football to Buckinghamshire.

The young coach only has a win rate of around 38% but there is more than meets the eye to his record. He walked into Stadium MK in 2019 with the club sitting in the League One relegation zone after losing eight of their last nine games.

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However, Martin has totally transformed them, ensuring they survived last term before launching an assault on the play-offs in 2020/21.

His side now sit ninth in the third tier of English football, a position that caps off his wonderful work.

Speaking about his achievements, MK Dons chairman Peter Winkleman once said: “Last season is definitely a season I want to forget but one amazing thing happened – hiring Russell Martin. He has delivered everything that I hoped he would.”

Immediately, you can sense the expectation for what he could bring to Paradise if Desmond made a similar move.

“We gave him a really hard task,” Winkleman added. “He had to take over a team that was in the relegation zone and had completely lost its confidence, with strikers that still weren’t back.”

“He had to change completely the way that we played, to bring us back to the Milton Keynes Dons identity and our philosophy. I think Russell is a serious manager and I’m really excited to see what we can do next year.”

Martin has already proven he can deliver to a strict brief and he has done so in an impressive fashion. He is an intelligent young manager and plays a very pleasing brand of football.

So far this season, MK Dons have enjoyed more possession (60.5%) than any other side in League One. Coincidentally, that’s also one of the highest tallies in the whole of Europe.

Who ranks higher? Well, Celtic (61.9%) and their biggest rivals Rangers (62.3%) do.

That’s a particularly promising start, but the number of goals they’ve bagged in League One this term adds further allure. They’ve hit the back of the net on 63 occasions; the sixth-highest number in the entire division.

Like former Hoops boss, Rodgers, he likes his teams to play in a vertical fashion, using patient football in order to tire the opposition.

Martin has only been managing for two years but he has plenty in his locker. He’s already revived a club in a considerable mess and he’s done so with attractive football along the way.

With Celtic in need of a big rebuild after a campaign without a trophy, the former defender would be an astute appointment. He could just transform their luck.

AND in other news, Celtic can replace Klimala by signing “very exciting” 24 y/o with “dazzling dribbling”…

Dominic Calvert-Lewin may have become the first Everton player since 2017 to score 20 goals in one campaign last weekend but that isn’t stopping Carlo Ancelotti from targeting a new striker.

A whole host of forwards have been linked with Everton in the last few weeks with the likes of Rafael Leao, Hwang-hee Chan and Andrea Belotti all reportedly on their radar.

This has all emerged in a week where their top scorer, Calvert-Lewin, was linked with a mega £80m move to Manchester United.

Irrespective of whether he leaves the Toffees could do with some more firepower, especially if they qualify for Europe.

More games mean a larger squad is required and they won’t be able to rely on Calvert-Lewin across potentially 50+ matches.

The aforementioned targets would all be adequate acquisitions but none would be better than a certain Sergio Aguero.

The Manchester City legend is set to wind down his career at the Etihad when his contract comes to an end this summer and Everton are one of his potential destinations.

Aguero is now 32 years of age but if you consider everything he’s done in the English game, he’d be a marvellous signing at Goodison Park. In fact, Ancelotti could take this Everton side to a brand new level by luring the Argentine to Merseyside in a few months time.

The striker is one of the best players we’ve ever seen in the Premier League and has scored 258 goals in 386 outings for City. He is the club’s record scorer and after he netted against Crystal Palace on Saturday, he put his side within reach of a fifth Premier League crown; all of which have come with Aguero in the team.

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After his goal at Selhurst Park a few days ago, Pep Guardiola commented: “He’s an absolutely top legend, extraordinary player, behaving as the most humble and nicest human being and it’s not easy to find that. That’s why I love him as a man.”

The Spaniard has always been the first to hail the £240k-per-week earner. Following the announcement that he’d leave City, Guardiola said: “Aguero’s numbers speak for themselves… Maradona, an Argentine, conquered Italy. Messi, another Argentine, conquered Spain. And Agüero has conquered England. His numbers speak for themselves.”

To be mentioned in the same breath as Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona says it all.

Of course, it is easy to look at his injury history in the last few years as a concern. Aguero missed 24 matches last term because of muscle and knee problems while he’s been absent for 17 games through injury and illness in 2020/21.

That said, if the opportunity to sign a player like Aguero comes around, it cannot be passed up.

Ancelotti has already worked with some of the best players in world football throughout his career and his appeal could convince the veteran to head to Goodison this summer.

If he does arrive, it will be a landmark addition, a player with the devastating finishing abilities required to potentially take Everton closer to the big and greedy six.

AND in other news, Everton may find their new Lukaku by signing £45m beast who makes “spectacular plays”…