All posts by z3u9t.icu

Arsenal perhaps lack a creative midfielder for the first time several seasons.

A bombshell was dropped earlier this week as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta omitted Mesut Ozil from his official Premier League squad, meaning the German playmaker is now all but done at the north London club.

He’s unable to play a competitive league or European fixture for Arsenal until at least January when registration opens again, which is perhaps a baffling move after they signed the defensive-minded Thomas Partey over Houssem Aouar this summer.

Where’s Arteta’s former teammate Aaron Ramsay when you need him? Oh, that’s right, he was let go for free by KSE in 2019.

Barring an injury-hit final season at the Emirates, the Welsh superstar hit at least five goals in every top-flight campaign, starting with a whopping ten strikes in 2013/14.

Likewise with key passes (never averaged below 1.2 per game) and assists (recorded at least four every season).

According to ex-Gunners manager Unai Emery, the decision on Ramsey was firmly out of his hands, ultimately falling down to the club not offering the player the sort of terms he had earned in around a decade at the club.

Where is Ramsey now?

Ramsey moved to Juventus after signing a pre-contract agreement in February 2019, a deal that made him the highest-earning British player on basic salary alone (£400k-per-week).

That switch has already paid dividends as the 29-year-old clinched the Serie A title last season and gets to play alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and former teammate Wojciech Szczesny.

He was once valued at £40.5m during his prime at the Gunners, yet he left the club on a free transfer and is now worth around £19.8m to Juventus, as per Transfermarkt.

This season, Ramsey’s game has been elevated to a new level, which can hardly be a surprise considering he’s under the tutelage of Italy legend Andrea Pirlo, who took the managerial reins from Maurizio Sarri in the summer.

Per WhoScored, the midfield maestro has averaged 3.5 tackles, three key passes and 1.5 dribbles in the Italian top-flight so far this campaign.

Oh how Arteta could do with a presence like that in the engine room – he has KSE to thank for that, in more ways than one.

AND in other news, £15m starlet has thrived since Arsenal rejection in 2011…

Jurgen Klopp has personally invited Adebayo Akinfenwa to Liverpool’s victory parade at the end of the season.

The Wycombe Wanderers striker received a video message from the German manager after his side clinched promotion into the Championship earlier this week. The Chairboys were victorious in the League One play-off final over Oxford United, seeing them head to the second tier for the first time in the club’s history (via Sky Sports).

Akinfenwa, a lifelong Liverpool supporter, was congratulated by Klopp himself after talking about him in his post-match interview. Now, the forward has been invited to celebrate even further as part of the Reds’ homecoming victory parade.

Plenty of Liverpool fans are loving this idea and are buzzing over Akinfenwa’s genuine support of the club. Some Kopites are even going as far as suggesting the Reds ‘sign him up’ and bring him to Anfield next season. Another supporter has tweeted ‘he’s perfect’ to lift Jordan Henderson on the day of the parade, who is currently out of action with a knee injury, alluding to the striker’s physical stature which he is well known for.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Would you like to see Adebayo Akinfenwa join in with the title celebrations, Reds? Join the chat in the comments below!

Following another stellar campaign for Celtic over in the Scottish Premier League, the 22-year-old Odsonne Edouard could once again get the spotlight in the transfer window. If the recent reports that were forwarded by Birmingham Mail are to be believed, both Leeds United and Aston Villa are set to battle for the young striker’s signature this summer.

The French forward is seemingly attracting a lot of interest from the Premier League with the likes of Arsenal and Leicester City also keen to try their luck at acquiring his services in the immediate future.

Seeing how Edouard has scored an incredible 49 goals in 60 domestic league starts since joining Celtic along with 11 goals in just six appearances for France’s U21 side, this is hardly a surprise to anyone, least of all to Chris Sutton.

However, the coach insists Celtic will fight to retain their young star and there’s reportedly a £40m price tag on his head should any team really try to snatch him away any time soon. With Villa’s struggles in attack and Leeds’ need of quality reinforcement ahead of their Premier League return, both teams seem to have a need of Edouard in some capacity.

Who will get the final nod, we do not know, but one thing is for sure – teams are set to duke it out in the ongoing transfer window and the Frenchman is sure to be spoiled for choice should he decide to indeed leave Scotland soon.

Verdict

It goes without saying that Edouard is an incredible talent with a seemingly high ceiling too. His progress ever since arriving at Celtic has been nothing short of sensational and looking at everything he’s done so far, £40m does seem like a fair price.

But it will be up to Dean Smith and Marcelo Bielsa to battle it out for his signature and whoever wants it more and has deeper pockets could emerge as the victor.

Crystal Palace have been linked with forward Loren Moron, via HITC, however the latest reports around the player suggest he might not be going anywhere in the summer.

The earlier reports by HITC suggested he was valued at around £25 million, with fellow Premier League sides Tottenham Hotpsur as well as Southampton interested in the attacker, but he was uncertain about leaving his current club Real Betis who play in La Liga.

The recent news, again from HITC, according to Marca, doesn’t suggest any change in the player’s mind, in fact, it goes on to say Betis want to give the 26 year-old a new contract to hopefully block a potential transfer.

However if the Eagles could manage to persuade the Spaniard to join them, possibly by offering bonuses or a big wage, then it would strengthen their squad massively.

Currently this season, Moron has nine goals and two assists, and this would rank him as top goal scorer if he was at the South London side, via WhoScored. He also averages 1.6 shots per game, which would rank him joint-highest at Palace alongside Jordan Ayew.

With Palace having only netted 26 times this term, which is the second least goals scored in the league this season, via SofaScore, they need as much strength up front as possible. With players like Christian Benteke only scoring five Premier League goals in three seasons, per Transfermarkt, and struggling to find the back of the net, the club should be going all out for a striker like Moron.

Palace fans, what are your thoughts on the lack of goals at the club? Comment below!

Tottenham Hotspur are confident of completing a deal for Southampton star Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer, according to The Athletic, as per @Daily_Hotspur. 

Last month, Foot Mercato claimed Tottenham have already made an approach for Hojbjerg, as he was stripped of the captaincy by Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Spurs have been chasing the Dane for several months now after Jose Mourinho indicated he is at the top of his list of transfer targets, via Sky Sports.

Southampton are demanding £35m for their former captain, although Spurs are convinced a deal is close, even though they had privately hoped he would be available for £20m.

While Daniel Levy has developed an unsavoury reputation for being notoriously tight-fisted, the club are confident they can reach an agreement with the Saints in a matter of weeks.

Tottenham have borrowed heavily from the Bank of England, as Levy took out a loan of £175m through a government scheme to cover the costs of the pandemic.

Regardless, Spurs are in discussions with the player’s agent Pini Zahavi to sort out terms ahead of a potential move.

Hojbjerg’s shifts on the South Coast over the past few seasons have brought him to Mourinho’s attention. The 24-year-old, who has played for Bayern Munich, has made 30 appearances for the Saints this season, supplying one assist, winning 2.6 tackles per game, averaging 1.5 interceptions and successfully completing 1.6 clearances on average (WhoScored).

Zahavi has a strong relationship with Mourinho, which may make Levy’s job a lot easier. He has also been involved in some of the biggest transfers in the world, as he helped to orchestrate Neymar’s world-record transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Portuguese is acutely aware his budget has been severely restricted in response to the COVID-19 crisis as Levy tries to reduce the financial repercussions.

In theory, the Saints’ asking price should be more than affordable for Spurs, as they broke the bank to sign Tanguy Ndombele last year. However, clubs are operating in uncertain times, and it remains to be seen what deals can be made before the transfer window shuts.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer? Let us know down below!

Lots of Celtic fans have been reacting to a clip posted by the club of Kristoffer Ajer, with more than a few Hoops fans taking the opportunity to have a dig at the Norwegian defender.The Celtic Park faithful were extremely excited by Ajer when he first emerged in the first-team, even drawing comparisons to Liverpool superstar and former Hoops ace Virgil van Dijk.

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This was mainly down to his composure on the ball and reading of the game, but the trouble with this languid style is when things go bad it looks lazy and just downright awful.

That’s exactly what happened in the Europa League defeat to Copenhagen, as fans slammed Ajer’s display and even called him the “most overrated player in Celtic’s modern historyâ€.

After the club shared footage of the £2.7m-rated (Transfermarkt) ace doing the #TrebleTreble challenge, which is three touches with each body part without the ball touching the floor, the reactions flooded in and not all of them were very supportive…

Celtic fans, check out the footage from inside the StadioÂOlimpicoÂthat fans are drooling over!

The Blues have scored some beautiful goals over the years and have nurtured some real talent – here’s a look back at some of the most iconic Everton goal-scoring moments.

Phil Jagielka vs Liverpool (2014/15 Premier League)

The Toffees have had some miserable luck in Merseyside derbies, but this game wasn’t going to be a defeat for the Blue half of the city. In what looked to be a sure win for Liverpool as the final seconds ticked down, up popped Phil Jagielka to leave his mark at Anfield.

The match was a slow one, with Steven Gerrard only breaking the deadlock in the second half through a free-kick. After the opener, action quietened down again until Everton’s captain took it upon himself to ensure the Blues weren’t leaving without a result.

Jagielka sent a rocket of a shot soaring into the back of the net from well outside the box on the half-volley, snubbing any hopes their rivals had of resurrecting their sluggish league form.

Louis Saha vs Chelsea (2009 FA Cup final)

Everton’s most recent trophy was back in 1995, but this FA Cup final looked certain to be their first piece of silverware in more than a decade.

Louis Saha got the Toffees off to a flying start after just 26 seconds into the match – getting his side immediately onto the front foot but also writing his name in the history books. The Frenchman’s stunning strike became the fastest ever goal scored in an FA Cup final and he still holds that record to this day.

In an unfortunate turn of events, Chelsea overturned Saha’s historic goal and went on to win the fixture 2-1, but Everton’s achievements that day have arguably been talked about more than the winners.

Wayne Rooney vs Arsenal (2002/03 Premier League)

One of the most infamous pieces of commentary came from this particular goal. The goal that became the start of Wayne Rooney’s glittering football career.

Not long after breaking through Everton’s academy into the first team, a 16-year-old Rooney featured on the bench against Arsenal who were unbeaten in 30 league games at the time.

After coming on deep into the second half, Rooney paved his way to superstardom following a sensational long-range strike to register a win over the reigning Premier League champions. Nobody expected it, but the teenager was confident and would go on to become his country’s highest goalscorer and most capped player in history.

‘Remember the name, Wayne Rooney!’

What other iconic Everton goals have you enjoyed over the years? Let us know in the comments!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Leif Davis signed a new contract with Leeds United on Monday evening, much to the joy of many supporters.

Amongst the replies on social media reacting to Davis’ new deal there was an emerging trend.

Indeed, dozens and dozens of Leeds fans flocked to Twitter simply to say ‘very good Davis’.

At one point the phrase was actually trending on social media.

For those out of the loop, this stems from Marcelo Bielsa’s tendency to shout that very phrase at the young left-back whenever he does something positive on the pitch.

However, the meme has now taken on a life of its own, and it’s become something of a running joke.

To be fair, it is funny, Bielsa is a great character and this little quirk of his is worth a laugh, but this trend could be dangerous.

Indeed, the teenager can’t really do anything these days without being showered with ‘very good Davis’ comments, and that may serve negatively for his development going forward.

Now, we’re not saying that one meme can ruin the 19-year-old’s career, but it’s certainly not going to be helping, especially if it ends up dominating his playing days.

In any job, positive reinforcement is quite important, and if fans are going to give this type of response every time he does something, regardless of it being ‘very good’, that could do one of two things.

It’ll either give him a massive ego and lead to complacency as he’s consistently being praised, or it’ll start to seem disingenuous and the plaudits he receives won’t have the positive impact that it should have.

Although that doesn’t seem like a huge thing, the feedback a footballer gets from supporters and their manager can have a real impact on their mind when they step onto the pitch.

Davis could end up being in a grey area where fans are praising him without it being warranted just for the sake of an online joke.

It may all be tongue in cheek, but a footballer is more than a meme. It’ll be down to him to prove so now he’s signed a new deal.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Lucas Torreira is not really enjoying his football at the moment.

Of course, it’s difficult to show the very best version of yourself when your team is struggling to compete on a broader level, with Unai Emery’s failure to galvanise his Arsenal side becoming a major problem this season.

The Gunners’ return after the international break unsurprisingly did not yield much improvement as they were held to a 2-2 draw against Southampton, further increasing their winless run to six games in total.

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Needless to say, Emery currently seems like a man without a clear plan and his frailties have actually manifested in his treatment of Torreira.

Recently, the Uruguayan’s agent came out with a statement claiming that his player is no longer at ease and feels unsettled by changes to his role in the side.

“I must say the change of role has hurt him. He is no longer at ease and we hope that things can change.”

Torreira’s performances have suffered as a consequence of Emery’s mishandling of the situation and links with a potential return to Italy have gained some prominence of late.

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Last week Calciomercato suggested Carlo Ancellotti’s Napoli might be interested in the 23-year-old as a potential replacement for the transfer-listed Alan.

Interestingly enough, the Brazilian is not a natural defensive midfielder but he seems to be Ancellotti’s only viable solution for that position.

Needless to say, bringing in someone like Torreira could add something the club currently don’t possess, while the Uruguayan would practically be guaranteed his preferred role given the lack of alternatives currently at the club.

For that reason, a switch back to Italy just might represent an ideal scenario for the young talent’s development.

Obviously, the Gunners would be losing a big talent from their squad but that’s the price they just might have to pay for Emery’s misuse of the 23-year-old.

In other news, it seems that Barcelona might be targeting one of Arsenal’s best players of the current campaign.

Kyle Bartley has only actually had three permanent clubs during his career, but the defender has certainly been around in the sense that he has had six different loan spells since becoming a professional footballer at Arsenal.

The Englishman impressed on loan at Leeds United during the 2016/17 season – making 50 appearances in all competitions – before completing a permanent move to West Brom in the summer of 2018.

Last term, Bartley made 34 appearances for the Baggies, whilst he has been a key player for the club this season – playing the full 90 minutes in each of West Brom’s 14 Championship matches.

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Slaven Bilic’s team have actually conceded four times in their last two league outings, but the West Brom fans have been delighted with what they have seen from the defender during the 2019/20 campaign.

The Baggies are currently top of the Championship table with 27 points, and Bartley’s form has been a key contributor according to the fans.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: