All posts by z3u9t.icu

Glasgow Rangers secured passage into the Scottish Cup semi-finals with a comfortable 3-0 win over Raith Rovers last weekend and now the Ibrox side return to Premiership action tomorrow.

They face Motherwell at Fir Park and the Steelmen have been rejuvenated under new manager Stuart Kettlewell and will be aiming to end their 20-year hoodoo against Rangers in the top flight, having last won way back in 2002, and it may prove to be a tricky tie for Michael Beale and his side.

The squad will likely be rotated ahead of the match and the Englishman revealed some good news in his pre-match press conference regarding midfielder Malik Tillman.

He said: "Malik Tillman trained today and is available for selection.”

And this is great news for the Ibrox faithful.

The American has missed the last three games against Raith, Hibernian and Kilmarnock having limped off against Celtic in the League Cup final at the end of February and the tie against Motherwell is the perfect chance to unleash him.

Will Malik Tillman start against Motherwell?

Having the 20-year-old back in the fold is a massive boost for the Light Blues, especially considering his performances this season.

He has scored nine goals and registered five assists for the club since arriving in the summer on a season long loan from Bayern Munich and despite his lack of experience, his talent has shone amongst the rough and tumble nature of Scottish football.

Although lacking in physicality, his ability to use his skill to get out of tight spots and his eye for goal has proven to be a crowd pleaser. While he has also produced some excellent moments of magic, such as his solo goal against Motherwell in the return fixture back in October.

He is ranked fourth in the squad for goals and assists (11) and successful dribbles per game (1.4), while ranking first for tackles per match (two) and second for big chances created (ten), underlining his importance to the team.

Fellow teammate John Lundstram described him as “phenomenal” while Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane recently praised the sensation on their official YouTube channel, saying: "He's been absolutely superb under Michael Beale – another one who's just completely taken his game to another level."

With time running out to put more pressure on Celtic at the top of the Premiership table, three points against Motherwell would be welcomed and could temporarily cut the gap to six points.

Liverpool are ready to submit an offer to bring Torino defender Perr Schuurs to the Premier League and are in pole position for his services, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Reinforcements needed

Football Insider reported in February that the Reds are willing to listen to offers for both Joel Matip and Nat Phillips this summer so backline reinforcements will be needed should they depart.

The Dutchman isn’t out of contract at the Olympic Grande Torino Stadium until 2026, but being a regular feature this season having made 20 Serie A starts under Ivan Juric, has caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp.

The Merseyside outfit have recently been credited with an interest in the 23-year-old and it’s claimed that they are the ‘first to move’ to secure his services, though it sounds like they may now be ready to take it one step further.

The Latest: Liverpool ‘at the forefront’ and preparing bid

According to Italian outlet Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain are all keen on a deal for Schuurs, but it’s Klopp’s side that are currently ‘at the forefront’ of the race.

The Anfield outfit are ‘ready to offer’ a fee of €50m (£44m) to sign him during the upcoming window, but it turns out it’s not the first time the boss has had him on his radar.

The German manager ‘wanted’ the centre-back in 2020 with him and the hierarchy having ‘considered’ another approach last summer, though they never went as far as ‘sinking their teeth in’.

There is plenty of ‘fierce competition at the highest level’ for the defender whose agents have said that he already has several ‘juicy’ proposals on the table.

The Verdict: Gvardiol alternative?

Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move for RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol in recent months but Schuurs could prove to be the ideal and potentially much cheaper alternative.

The 6 foot 3 colossus currently averages 3.5 clearances and two aerial wins per league game highlighting the rock he can be at the heart of a backline but he is also strong in the offensive aspect of his play (WhoScored).

Torino’s tank, who is sponsored by Nike, has posted 37 goal contributions in 219 career outings showing the threat he provides when it comes to getting on the end of set pieces.

The Nieuwstadt native also knows what it takes to be successful having won six trophies during his spell at Ajax so would match the winning mentality that’s already on Merseyside.

Finally, Schuurs has been hailed a ‘top-class’ player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, making him the perfect candidate to put pen to paper ahead of the 2023/24 term.

Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy now have Paris-Saint Germain boss Christophe Galtier 'under consideration' as Spurs continue their manager search after Antonio Conte.

Who could Spurs appoint as new manager?

The north Londoners currently have a succession of managers they're targeting after both Conte and Levy parted ways by mutual consent earlier this week. Cristian Stellini and assistant coach Ryan Mason are set to take interim charge until the end of this Premier League campaign, having been tasked with delivering a top four finish.

This is as Levy works on finding a permanent successor for Spurs in the background with reports suggesting they have almost immediately begin their search for new manager. Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann are among the high profile names linked with the vacant post. Meanwhile, the likes of Oliver Glanser, Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Frank and Arne Slot of Feyenoord are regularly mentioned by the press.

These next few months at Tottenham are set to be crucial since qualifying for next season's Champions League will be a massive, massive draw for any potential new head coach. It's apparently imperative that the Lilywhites gain a top four finish as candidates like Nagelsmann won't consider joining the club otherwise.

Away from the latter man, Levy has been identifying alternative candidates in case the German ultimately decides against joining Spurs. The Evening Standard claim that they have Pochettino, Enrique, De Zerbi, Celtic's Ange Postecoglou and now Galtier of PSG. The Frenchman has made his way on to Spurs' list, standing out as a new candidate, amid calls for him to leave the Parc des Princes.

Should Spurs hire Galtier?

Galtier could well leave PSG at the end of the season if growing murmurs are to be believed. If Spurs are take advantage of growing discontent around his reign, we believe the 56-year-old could actually be a shrewd option.

Having won a Ligue 1 title with Lille in 2021, Galtier has experience overachieving with a less illustrious squad to that of big rivals – something which could well attract a club like Tottenham. He isn't without his plaudits, either, with BBC Sport reporter John Bennett saying this on Galtier in March last year:

"Christophe Galtier seems to be a very underrated manager outside France. An unbelievable Ligue 1 title win with Lille last season… And after a 1 nil win over PSG last night, his current club Nice are 2nd (after finishing 9th last season). Improves players. Improves teams."

It's little surprise he has now become a manager of interest to Spurs and could be a fairly brilliant alternative to the likes of Nagelsmann.

Chelsea are believed to be interested in bringing in former River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo as their new permanent manager, according to a fresh report.

What is the manager situation at Chelsea?

It's fair to say that this has been another tumultuous season at Stamford Bridge, with plenty of drama happening on and off the pitch. Performances have been nowhere near good enough throughout the campaign, with Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter losing their jobs as the Blues find themselves languishing in mid-table following an instantly forgettable 0-0 draw at home to Liverpool on Tuesday night.

They have now brought in Frank Lampard as interim manager until the end of the season. It is a move that may raise eyebrows with some and be a popular decision with others, with the 44-year-old clearly a Blues legend, but not someone who has shone too much in his managerial career yet, including in his previous stint as the Chelsea boss – having lost that job in early 2021.

The search is on to find a permanent replacement for Potter during the summer and various names are likely to be thrown into the hat in the coming weeks. Now, a new update has emerged – one that has arguably come out of left-field.

Is Gallardo good enough to be Blues boss?

According to TyC Sports (via Sport Witness), Chelsea "have offered" Gallardo the job, having started negotiations with him over a move to west London. It is described as a "world bomb" piece of news, and while the 47-year-old wasn't interested in taking charge in the remaining weeks of this season, he is now ready to "sit down to talk to start in June".

The Argentinian managed River Plate between 2014 and 2022, winning two Copa Libertadores titles as well as three Argentinian Cup crowns.

This is an intriguing update that seems to have come from nowhere, with Gallardo not a name who has been mentioned recently, unlike Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique, for example. It does feel like a riskier appointment judging by his lack of experience in the European game, at a time when a more reliable manager may be required to steady the ship, so we think Chelsea could be wise to look elsewhere for their next permanent boss.

That being said, Gallardo has a strong winning mentality considering his aforementioned success at River, so if Todd Boehly is confident that he is the right man to come in, the Blues owner needs to be trusted on the matter.

However, you could also argue that the lack of similarities between him and the other candidates may raise questions over the selection process – which is perhaps not the greatest look following an extensive and scattergun approach to recruiting players in the winter.

West Ham United have splashed the cash on some big money flops throughout the previous decade that’s for sure.

Players such as Sebastian Haller, Javier Hernandez, Issa Diop and Nikola Vlasic were all brought to the club with hopes of taking West Ham to next level, especially considering the vast financial outlay spent on them.

None arguably worked out yet it was a signing made by former manager Manuel Pellegrini in the summer of 2018 that arguably cost the club the biggest amount in terms of fee and wages; Brazilian Felipe Anderson.

How much did Felipe Anderson cost West Ham United?

There was much hype surrounding the Premier League outfit when they spent a then club record fee of £36m in 2018 to prise the player away from Lazio, where he enjoyed success.

Initially, it looked as though Pellegrini was onto a winner.

This was a winger who at 25 years old, was just coming into his prime years and during five seasons in Serie A, had netted 34 goals and registered 39 assists, winning the Italian Super Cup in 2017 too, and it was obvious his talents deserved a move to England.

His first season in London was incredibly impressive as the playmaker bagged ten goals and grabbed five assists, with that aforementioned sum of £36m appearing to be a real bargain.

Sadly, those numbers were as good as it got for the player.

Only one goal followed the next campaign and his average rating on Sofascore plummeted drastically from 7/10 in the 2018/19 campaign to 6.8 the following season.

His overall numbers and influence began to wane with his 1.6 shots per game from 2018/19 falling to 0.9, reducing his effectiveness in front of goal.

He ended up joining Porto on a season-long loan for the 2020/21 term before eventually sealing a return to Lazio for a fee of just £4m, representing a staggering loss for West Ham.

Ben Foster even claimed that Anderson could “not cut it” in England and judging by his performances during his second season, it appeared that the pressure eventually caught up with him.

All in all, this move was a disaster and during the 92 full weeks at the club, excluding his loan, the Brazilian rinsed the club of a whopping £45m, combining his transfer fee plus the £9m he earned in wages.

The transfer certainly represents a waste of money by the club and despite a solid first season, it went downhill rather sharply.

Sadly, it will be no consolation to David Moyes that Anderson is enjoying somewhat of a resurgence back in Italy, scoring six goals in Serie A this season, further rubbing salt into the wounds.

Arsenal's squad have been largely faultless this season, with a group of high-quality players all finally pulling in the same direction.

This is far from groundbreaking when challenging for a Premier League title, but given the tumultuous dressing rooms that the Emirates has played host to over the years, this turnaround has been sensational.

Mikel Arteta has fostered such an environment through the ruthless culling of those he did not deem worthy, and the additions of some experienced positivity in the form of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Some of the more notable casualties of the Spaniard's early regime were Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil, both of whom were at one point vital to the team and fan favourites.

However, their work-shy natures did not resonate with the revolution, and they had to go.

Whilst most of the business done since his 2020 appointment would deservedly be lauded, it is actually the first transfer of the Arteta reign that has arguably fallen the flattest. The decision to sign an unknown Spanish centre-back for £12m may have raised eyebrows at the time, but few could have predicted just how troublesome Pablo Mari would find adapting to the English game.

Subsequent loans have only served to elongate his failing spell in north London, which must come to an end this summer.

Will Pablo Mari leave this summer?

Having moved to the Emirates with little reputation, it quickly became clear that the 29-year-old would be nothing more than a squad player after making just ten league appearances in his debut campaign.

This is a figure that would only dwindle the season following, leading to the first of two loans he has endured.

Having spent the whole current season in Italy playing for Monza, his 6.85 average rating is solid if unspectacular. However, with the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for competition back at his parent club, it is far from the required level the defender needs to be at to actually challenge for a place.

At this rate, the £88k-per-week dud will leave north London having made a total of 22 appearances for the club, perhaps for the best.

The legacy left would be a virtually anonymous one, perhaps even marking him out as a worse signing than Shokdran Mustafi.

Although often ridiculed for his shocking performances, of which there were plenty, the German defender was far from as bad as people make out. In his debut season, fresh from winning the World Cup, the £35m stopper averaged a 7.14 rating.

Throughout the four full years he enjoyed at Arsenal, that average figure would drop no lower than 6.97.

Whilst the 30-year-old will always be remembered for his high-profile blunders, he was not nearly as "really poor" – as once claimed by football.london reporter Kaya Kaynak – as Mari has been.

Alex McLeish’s spell as manager of Glasgow Rangers must go down in the history books as one of the finest in the previous 50 years, especially considering the vast financial constraints he had to work with.

He won seven major honours during his four and a half seasons at the helm, including a marvellous treble in 2002/03 and claiming an unlikely title in 2004/05, stunning Celtic who were defeated by Motherwell on the final day.

The former Aberdeen defender had to resort to signing players either on loan or snapping them up for free with the odd signing such as Thomas Buffel or Barry Ferguson.

The summer of 2004 was arguably his most difficult in charge of the club, having lost the league title by a 17-point margin and the onus was on the Ibrox side to improve massively to prevent Celtic from dominating Scottish football.

McLeish signed Dado Prso on a free transfer while he also added French centre-back Jean-Alain Boumsong to his ranks after he signed a pre-contract agreement with the Glasgow giants back in December 2003, and it proved to be one of his finest signings as manager.

How much did Rangers sell Jean-Alain Boumsong for?

Having made 174 appearances for Auxerre and winning seven caps for France before arriving at the club in 2004, his move was certainly deemed a major coup, and he was looked upon as a player who could become the mainstay at the heart of the defence for a few years.

He shone during the first half of his debut season, playing 26 times for the Gers, and keeping them within touching distance of Celtic, even defeating them twice before Christmas and the move appeared to be a wise one.

In January 2005, however, Premier League outfit Newcastle United came calling with an £8m bid and the offer was clearly too good to turn down, especially considering he arrived for nothing just six months prior.

Over the next few months, it was evident that McLeish had struck gold on the 6 foot 3 colossus by allowing him to move to the English top-flight, as he couldn’t quite live up to his price tag South of the border.

He eventually made just 59 appearances for the Magpies and was even listed as the 17th worst player to ever play in the Premier League, quite a feat.

Rangers made a massive profit on the Frenchman, and it allowed McLeish to sign Buffel and Ferguson that same transfer window which spearheaded their title challenge, though it was quickly clear Boumsong wasn’t cut out for Premier League football.

Manchester United cruised to a comfortable 1-0 victory against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, and talkSPORT pundit Mark Goldbridge was particularly impressed by their centre-backs.

What happened in Man United vs Aston Villa?

The Red Devils didn't exactly set the world alight when Unai Emery's Villans came to town on Sunday, but Erik ten Hag's side did exactly as they needed to do to secure all three points and move one step closer to a return to Champions League football.

Bruno Fernandes latched onto a mistake from Emiliano Martinez to win the match for the hosts, but it was the defenders in red who really left Goldbridge impressed.

The talkSPORT host and United fan was delighted by both Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof, saying the pair were "fantastic" before adding they were "superb" and "allow us to play so much more dynamic and with good recovery pace".

Redemption for Lindelof?

Fans have come to expect top performances from Shaw, so it is perhaps Lindelof's display that will please Ten Hag the most, as the boss was without both first-choice centre-backs in Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof.

The £170,000 per week ace has certainly stepped up since his teammates got injured, and this may well have been his best day yet. According to Sofascore, the 28 year-old completed 97 per cent of his passes and lost possesion only three times in total, losing just one total duel in the entire match.

With the Red Devils seemingly targeting new centre-backs ahead of the summer transfer window, perhaps a solid end to the season for Lindelof can convince his manager to keep him around as third-choice.

Liverpool will look to clinch their fifth successive victory in the Premier League this evening as they welcome Fulham to Anfield amid the pursuit of a late surge towards Champions League contention, having fallen by the wayside earlier this term.

The club's woes have resulted in a plummet from prominence and a forced acknowledgement of the unthinkable reality of missing out on Champions League football next season after challenging for a historic quadruple last term, top-four surely the barest of minimums for such a talented and proven squad.

With fourth-placed Manchester United seven points ahead of the Reds and with a game in hand, attempts to issue a late sprint could well be deemed forlorn, but should the Red Devils and Newcastle United cede territory in the coming weeks, Klopp will be waiting to pounce like a cheetah biding its time in a lengthy hunt.

Four wins on the trot certainly quilt the seasonal misfortune with a late layer of optimism, but the recent 4-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, enthralling though it was, illuminated the issues that have plagued the Anfield contingency this season.

Diogo Jota incredibly found a winner in the dying embers after Spurs climbed back from three goals down, but the chaotic nature of Liverpool's season was on stark display during those tumultuous 94 minutes, and stalwart Andy Robertson was among the culprits for Spurs' rousing attempted fightback.

Should Klopp start Tsimikas against Fulham?

Recording a poor Sofascore rating of 6.4, Robertson flattered to deceive despite his outfit's remarkable win, making two calamitous errors and being branded with a chastening 5/10 match rating by Goal's Neil Jones, who criticised his inexplicable lack of awareness.

After such a "horrific" day at the office – as per writer Dave Hendrick – Klopp might be wise to offer a rare league start to Kostas Tsimikas, who has impressed with his creativity when called upon since signing from Greek giants Olympiakos for roughly £11m in 2020.

One of the better back-ups down the defensive left-back in English football, the 26-year-old has made 57 appearances for his club and won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup – while he hasn't found the back of the net himself, Tsimikas has registered 12 assists at a rate of 0.21 per outing.

Fulham have been impressive this season after clinching promotion from the second tier and perch in tenth place after 33 outings, five points above shambolic Chelsea with a game in hand.

And while recent form has left the Cottagers with just two victories from nine Premier League fixtures, the danger they imposed upon Manchester City during the recent 2-1 defeat illustrates the threat that could break Liverpool's resolve.

Completing eight of his ten long balls and succeeding with half of his six crosses, Tsimikas, who has made six assists this season despite his limited game time and succeeds with an average of 68% of his long balls, could wreak havoc on the opposition defence, also hailed as "fantastic” by Ian Doyle.

The £50k-per-week man could also play a big part in nullifying former Liverpool winger Harry Wilson, who has scored two goals and served one assist across his past three starting appearances in the English top-flight.

With the 26-cap Greek marauder ranking among the top 1% of full-backs for rate of assists, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for attempted passes and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, Wilson will likely have his work cut out to stop the ace from finding fruit down the left flank, thus negating his ability to stamp his authority on the game from an offensive standpoint.

With maintaining recent momentum simply paramount to the outfit's slim chances of retaining their position in the Champions League, a slip-up against Fulham is simply inconceivable, and freshening up the starting 11 with Tsimikas' inclusion could just be key to unlocking a sturdy defence and taking another stride towards pulling off a monumental late push for top-four.

Lionel Messi has had a chaotic season on almost every level, with the highs of December’s World Cup win contrasting his current predicament at Paris Saint-Germain.

The Argentina superstar looks set to depart PSG in the summer and has been suspended by his club for an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.

Although he has played well at times this season, providing 39 goals and assists in 37 games, the blame fell at his door following yet another Champions League disappointment for the Parisians, and the fans have seemingly had enough of PSG’s big-name recruitment policy.

In scenes which may have been unimaginable just mere months ago, fans gathered outside the Parc Des Princes and expressed their anger towards the 35-year-old following his suspension.

It has been a rocky few months for the club, with a home defeat to Lorient sparking waves of anger amongst a fanbase seemingly tired of superstars joining for a large paycheck.

Twitter has been quick to react to the astonishing scenes, with some calling the PSG fans ungrateful for the fact that some of football’s biggest ever names have chosen to play for them, whilst others have stuck the boot into Messi, even claiming that being pushed out of a club could affect his overall legacy.

The best of the reaction can be seen below. Where will Messi end up next?

Some laid the blame at Messi’s feet…

Whilst others were more sympathetic towards him…