All posts by z3u9t.icu

After the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal last weekend, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce must unleash Joe Willock in tonight’s Premier League clash against Leicester.

The midfielder was ineligible to play against his parent club as per the terms of his loan agreement, and the Magpies missed his industry and athleticism in the middle of the park.

But, with him now back in the fold, Bruce must now finally trust him with a place in the starting line-up after seeing him star in some second-half cameos that have rescued some big results for the Magpies in recent weeks.

And, writing for The Shields Gazette, Liam Kennedy insisted that it would be “daft” not to bring Willock straight into the team, and said that his ability to break into the box is “unparalleled”.

He said: “Of course Willock is now available for United – and I think looking at the balance of the midfield against Arsenal it would be daft not to bring him back into the starting XI.

“Willock is a player whose running with the ball at feet, ability to break the play up, energy and well-timed runs into the box are unparalleled in United’s ranks. United have not seen those late timely darts and finishes since Gini Wijnaldum and the ability to move across the floor to close down since Mo Diame.”Who does he come in for is another question that needs answered? For me, I’d bring him in for Jonjo Shelvey, but without a system tweak it will likely be Sean Longstaff. “And after seeing him score on his Newcastle debut against Southampton earlier in the season, Bruce admitted that Willock has a the style of play from which the Magpies could really benefit.He said: “It was a classic midfield player’s goal from the ability to arrive in the box, and that’s what he’s brought us. He can go box-to-box, he’s a terrific athlete, the kid, a typical modern-day midfield player who has the ability to get up and down the pitch quickly and has that added ability to score a goal.”[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-steve-bruce-premier-league-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-st-james-park-joelinton-shelvey-max-aarons” title=”Read the latest Newcastle transfer rumours and news!”]With a trip to the King Power Stadium to take on Leicester, Willock’s energy and knack for goals is something Newcastle could desperately do with.It’s time the £26m-rated star gets a chance to start.Meanwhile, Newcastle are interested in this Dutch starlet…

Some Manchester City fans were livid with the performance of Raheem Sterling during their 4-3 win over Newcastle United on Friday night.

With the Premier League title already wrapped up, the Citizens are now preparing for the Champions League final in Porto against Chelsea on May 29. As such, there was plenty of rotation at St James’ Park as Pep Guardiola gave chances to some of his fringe players. It produced a thrilling encounter, with Ferran Torres scoring a hat-trick.

Sterling was also included from the start, but it was far from a good performance from the England international. He won just four of his 14 duels, while he also lost possession on 20 occasions throughout the game (SofaScore). The forward has managed 14 goals in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt), but this is not the first time he has come in for criticism from some City supporters.

These City fans were far from happy with what they saw from the “shockingly poor” 26-year-old last night, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Sterling’s performance

“Love how everyone is slandering Ake but not Sterling after yet another atrocious half of football”

Credit: @samxmcfc

“Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling have both been beyond shockingly poor tonight. Hard to even notice they’re present on the pitch”

Credit: @RealTalkMCFC

“Sterling is proper worrying though.”

Credit: @AJMcfc

“Sell Sterling”

Credit: @Mo_87mcfc

“Sterling is our worst player this season, but no one wants to talk about it.”

Credit: @Fodinho_

“When Lord Sterling starts, City are already a man down”

Credit: @PepCity3

In other news, some Man City fans are worried by these Guardiola comments.

With the transfer window right around the corner, the top brass at Wolves will be meticulously considering how they can strengthen the squad.

After all, this has been a poor campaign by the Old Gold’s high standards, finishing well out of the reckoning for a place in Europe.

What’s the word?

After a dismal campaign that’ll see Wolves finish in the bottom half of the Premier League, Nuno Santo and Jeff Shi are deciding to switch up their recruitment policy.

That’s according to Tim Spiers of The Athletic who revealed on Tuesday that Wolves will now be focusing on bolstering the first XI and expanding the senior squad.

The Old have made a sprinkling of first-team additions in recent years but the vast majority of their recruitment has been centred around strengthening the academy.

Wolves are now changing their trail of thought in a bid to keep up with the demands of an entire season.

It comes after Nuno issued the following statement last month: “We have to change our philosophy so we can be better prepared for what’s coming in front of us. We need to prepare and plan better.”

He added: “We still believe there’s a balance and I’ll look to avoid having players if I don’t totally trust them. We have to find the right balance.”

About time

After the diabolical events of this season, the news that Wolves will be looking to strengthen the starting XI is news that should leave supporters buzzing for what’s to come this summer.

After all, they’ve been pillaged by injuries throughout the 2020/21 and need far more options in their ranks.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-rumours-and-news-soumare-dias-dembele-marques-nuno-santo” title=”Read the latest Wolves transfer rumours and news!”]

Jonny is currently undergoing rehabilitation on a second ACL injury of the season while they’ve been missing Raul Jimenez since November.

The Mexican is now nearing a return but with a fractured skull ruining his campaign, the Old Gold have suffered from a lack of goals.

Willy Boly has had his fitness and illness concerns with Marcal also missing a big portion of the second half of the season.

Throw a variety of injuries to Daniel Podence into the equation and they’ve been running with a very small squad.

Nuno has always preferred to work with a smaller group of players but this term has told him he needs to ditch that philosophy.

Wolves clearly need more firepower with Fabio Silva and Willian Jose scoring just five goals between them. Adama Traore, meanwhile, only has two strikes to his name all season.

Neto has stepped up to the plate admirably and is the club’s top scorer but that’s with just a handful of goals.

If Wolves genuinely have desires of returning to the Europa League and breaching the Premier League’s top six, they need to spend their money more wisely and build a better squad of players.

With injuries aplenty, they’ve had to rely on individuals who Nuno struggles to trust.

Therefore, it will be pleasing to the Molineux crowd to know their strategy is going to change. Wolves are doing the right thing by ditching their failed methods.

AND in other news, Wolves could sign the next Van Dijk in 6ft3 colossus who’s “physically very strong”…

Former Leeds United midfielder David Norris believes that the Tottenham camp will be split should Mauricio Pochettino return to the club.

There have been whispers about the Argentine making a sensational return to Spurs in recent days, with a report from The Athletic suggesting that the two parties are currently in talks.

Pochettino was only sacked and then replaced by Jose Mourinho 18 months ago but has struggled to make an impact during his short spell with PSG, despite winning two domestic French trophies, and would be open to coming back to north London.

The Argentine did reach the Champions League semi finals and only lost out on winning the Ligue 1 title on the final day of the campaign, but is reportedly unhappy in Paris.

Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen have both departed, but the current Tottenham squad remains almost identical to the one that Pochettino left, albeit with a few additions in the shape of Sergio Reguilon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Rodon and Matt Doherty.

Pochettino returning would be a major boost to the likes of Harry Winks and Dele Alli, who lost their way under Jose Mourinho.

But Norris exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that not everyone in the squad would be left happy should he get reappointed:

“I think he’s going to have a relationship with certain players he’s closer to – Alli did well for periods under him.

“Certain players will be happy with that and probably disappointed he left. There will be others that he might not be close to that won’t be looking forward to him coming back.

“It’s an interesting one with him having not been gone that long, so it will be interesting how that one plays out.”

Luton Town have made an approach to sign Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on a permanent basis, a source has exclusively revealed to Football FanCast.

After joining Luton Town on a season-long loan deal back in October of last year, the 22-year-old went on to prove himself as one of Nathan Jones’ star players in the Hatters’ impressive Championship campaign.

Over his 39 league appearances, the midfielder scored three goals, registered six assists and created six big chances, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and 1.7 key passes per game, earning the £1.8m-rated man a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.11 – ranking him as Luton’s best performer in the second tier.

Now, a source has exclusively revealed to Football FanCast that, as a result of these exceptional returns, the Hatters’ chief recruitment officer, Mick Harford, has made an approach to Leicester City regarding a permanent deal for the £20k-per-week midfielder in the upcoming transfer window.

And, should Harford be successful with his bid to bring Dewsbury-Hall back to Kenilworth Road this summer, the deal would represent something of a coup for Luton, who appear to be moving in all the right directions under the leadership of Jones.

Manchester City fans are far from happy after it was revealed Benjamin Mendy, Gabriel Jesus, Aymeric Laporte, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva could all be sold this summer.

The 2020/21 season is now officially over, and the Citizens can look back on a campaign which included extreme highs and of course one devastating low.

They came away with two trophies, winning the Premier League and the League Cup, but the one thing they want the most, the Champions League, slipped from their grasp as they lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final in Porto last Saturday.

Plans will already be underway to prepare for the new campaign, and there could be a number of players leaving the club. According to Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, as many as six first-team regulars could be moved on this summer.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform the share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Man City fans had to say about the news below

“What are we doing”

Credit: @rkmcr6

“Wait mahrez??? Nahhh and Bernardo?? Wth peps lost it”

Credit: @alexquintani11a

“Excuse me!? Bubblegum and Aymeric shouldn’t be on this list lol!! Riyad has been good as well hahaha.”

Credit: @aviwe_m16

“gabby, bernardo and mahrez it would be a big loss for us”

Credit: @thegbzz

“genuinely can’t fathom why bernardo silva would want to leave. absolutely baffling.”

Credit: @mattmcfc_

“Why on earth would Mahrez and Bernardo want to leave??? Literally two of our most important players and they know it. They play near to every game when they are needed. Surely this has to be fake”

Credit: @QJweRfWQ4YzvJ8R

In other news, Man City fans slammed this man’s performance in the Champions League final.

Danny Mills has been reacting to a revelation on Leeds United’s summer transfer plans from Victor Orta.

The Lowdown: Orta outlines plans

The director of football at Elland Road told The Athletic’s Phil Hay Show earlier on in the week that he wants all new signings to arrive at the Yorkshire club by the end of June ahead of a full pre-season.

With Euro 2020 set to start on the 11th, that may be difficult if they are looking to bring anyone in who is playing in the tournament, but it is admirable that they want to get their business done as early as possible in order for them to be fully prepared ahead of another season in the Premier League.

The Latest: Mills on transfer plans

Mills, who is now a pundit after playing for the Whites as a footballer, has since given this thoughts to Football Insider on the plans, and claims that they will hugely benefit Marcelo Bielsa’s team if they go through:

“You shouldn’t be looking at targets now.

“You shouldn’t wait for the end of the season. You should identify targets in January, February, March and April.

“What position do we need to fill? You’ve seen your players for long enough now. You’ll be looking all over Europe, who’s available? Who fits into that? You have your A target, B target and C target of who you’re going to try and bring in.

“It shouldn’t be that difficult, it’s sometimes about how players feel and whether they want to come. That’s sometimes what it can all be about.

“We’ve seen it before. A lot of managers have got their business done very early in the transfer window and it helps everybody. It’s a huge benefit to absolutely everybody at Leeds in that situation. It’s good for the players and it’s good for the managers. It works. Simple as that.”

The Verdict: Clever business

It is always better for a club to be doing any of their transfer business as early as possible, as it can lead to panic buys and sales if they do not.

Ideally, Bielsa will want to know what his squad is going into the new campaign, and have as much time as possible to work with all of them throughout pre-season.

This means that the players would all be fully prepared and so the Whites would give themselves the best possible opportunity of getting off to a good start in the top flight.

Nonetheless, it is certainly encouraging for LUFC fans to hear that Orta would like to get all of his new signings in by the end of June, as they look to improve upon what was a fine first season back in the EPL.

In other news, find out which European club are ‘looking’ at Bielsa here!

Bruno Fernandes has been voted the GiveMeSport Fans’ Premier League Player of the Season.

In a poll run by fan engagement experts Snack Media, the midfielder earned an impressive 30% of the vote after scoring eighteen goals and assisting twelve more in his first full season at Old Trafford. Chelsea’s Mason Mount was in second place with 22%. 

In the first of five votes carried out over seven days via Snack Media’s digital and social networks, the midfielder’s performances were enough to win over Premier League fans up and down the country. 

The full list of contenders from the final shortlist polled as follows: 

● Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) – 30% 

● Mason Mount (Chelsea) – 22% 

● Ruben Dias (Manchester City) – 15% 

● Stuart Dallas (Leeds United) – 14% 

● Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) – 13% 

● Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa) – 7% 

The Championship vote opens at 11am on Monday 7th May. To vote go to: http://bit.ly/36EBNZ6   

And in other news; Manchester United have been linked with a move for this star man…

Manchester City’s hopes of signing Jack Grealish this summer have taken a blow after Chelsea reportedly joined the race to sign him from Aston Villa, which will surely be a cause of frustration for Citizens manager Pep Guardiola.

City have been regularly linked with the England international ahead of the summer transfer window and have been touted as the favourites to sign the 26-year-old, despite heavy interest from local rivals Manchester United.

However, their chances of signing him this summer have been narrowed after fellow Premier League side Chelsea joined the race for his signature ahead of next season, with reports suggesting that the Stamford Bridge outfit are now best placed to bring him in.

Grealish enjoyed a phenomenal season for Dean Smith’s side, contributing six goals and 10 assists in 26 Premier League appearances, which helped him average a superb 7.56 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the top-flight.

Considering only Harry Kane and Kevin De Bruyne would be rated higher across the season, it is easy to see why the winger is attracting so much interest ahead of the summer, and strong performances for England at the European Championships this summer will surely only increase his value further.

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Guardiola is certainly a big fan of the Villa captain too, as he sang his praises in 2019, saying:

“He’s incredible. A top player. I’m happy he [initially] stayed in the Championship to defend his club.

“He’s a talented player who always creates something. An exceptional player but too expensive for Manchester.”

However, with a rebuild on the cards at Manchester City this summer, they may well now be able to afford the “unbelievable” Grealish, so a move to the Etihad certainly isn’t impossible.

Unfortunately for City, spending money won’t be an issue for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich this summer after Thomas Tuchel helped the Blues win the Champions League last season and Grealish may well be tempted to join the West London side, who will surely be one of the contenders to challenge City in the Premier League next season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936″]

Guardiola will be hoping that City still hold the edge but sporting director Txiki Begiristain will have to act quickly if he wants to sign Grealish this summer.

And, in other news… City suffer huge transfer blow with “world-class” former PL-beast, Pep surely fuming

Ruben Loftus-Cheek moving to Southampton this summer would work for both parties, says former Saints midfielder Carlton Palmer.

The 25-year-old spent the 2020/21 season out on loan at Fulham but now wants to stay at Chelsea and fight for his place, claims Telegraph journalist Matt Law speaking on the London Is Blue podcast.

However, the competition at the European champions, with Thomas Tuchel having the likes of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho to call upon when it comes to his midfield options, could easily push Loftus-Cheek out once again.

Southampton are said to be one club interested in the English midfielder, according to the MailOnline, and Palmer believes a move to St. Mary’s could be a good option.

“It works for both parties,” the ex-Southampton player exclusively told FFC. “He needs to play. He’s been injured and he needs to play.

“It’s down south, so it works. All these young players, there’s no point not playing, sitting on the bench – you’re not improving.”

Loftus-Cheek is also reportedly attracting interest from Lazio, where his former boss Maurizio Sarri is now managing, so Southampton could face some serious competition.

The England international is worth it, though. He is a quality player, as he showed under Sarri, catching the attention of Alan Shearer, who was impressed whenever he saw him play.