All posts by n8rngtd.top

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to Harry Redknapp’s comments on Frank Lampard possibly replacing Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.

Lampard, who was sacked by Chelsea back in January, will reportedly wait until the summer before getting back into management.

He has been linked with Palace in recent months, as well as Scottish giants Celtic and Championship side Bournemouth.

Lampard to Palace?

Hodgson’s deal with the Eagles expires at the end of the current campaign, with the 73-year-old ‘undecided’ over his Palace future. The Englishman has taken charge of 153 games as Palace boss, averaging 1.25 points per game.

By comparison, Lampard earned 1.75 points per match during his 84-game stint in charge at Stamford Bridge between July 2019 and January 2021.

Redknapp, who is the 42-year-old’s uncle, spoke to talkSPORT (19 March, 9.50am), cited by HITC, praising Hodgson before labelling Lampard as ‘the red-hot favourite’ to possibly take over in London.

“Roy’s done a great job at Palace. If he doesn’t stay, I think Frank could be the Palace manager.”

“I would think Frank would be the red-hot favourite.”

Palace fans react

These comments were shared on Twitter by @CPFCtransfersHQ on Friday evening.

As to be expected, the post received plenty of interaction, with these Eagles supporters giving positive thoughts on Lampard.

“I beg”

Credit: @CPFC_Ollie_

“Oh my word this is a dream”

Credit: @babyboyjimoh

“get him in the club cmon now”

Credit: @aburgos1812

“Please”

Credit: @jeffreyschIupp

“I swear Redknapp is Lampard’s uncle? Maybe he knows something we don’t”

Credit: @Callum_CPFC_

“Mason Mount on loaaaannn”

Credit: @CPFC_GH

In other news: Palace keen on Championship ace who has £8m release clause, find out more here. 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who scored 306 goals for Wolves during his career, believes Rayan Ait-Nouri is out of his depth in the Premier League and has bemoaned his lack of strength.

Ait-Nouri has made 13 Premier League appearances for Wolves this season, and managed to score his first senior goal of his career on his Premier League debut in a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace.

The 19-year old has started just eight league games this term though despite regular left-back Jonny being injured for a lot of this season, which has seen him average a 6.43 WhoScored rating as Wolves continue to think about signing him permanently.

Speaking on if the 19-year-old has been a good addition for Wolves and what he is lacking to succeed in the Premier League, Bull told FFC:

“In my eyes, he just looks a bit out of his depth.

“I’ve watched him a few times and he does get up and down the wing a bit, but he just looks a bit lightweight to me and I don’t think he’s getting a lot of chances so his confidence is low.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“Whether they keep him or not beyond the end of the season I don’t know because he just looks young and a bit immature.

“In a team, you need someone who is a like-for-like replacement when somebody else drops out the side like and he just looks a bit lightweight to me.”

Ait-Nouri had only played 23 senior games of footballer before his loan to move to Wolves this season and they may think there are better options than the £36k-p/w full-back.

In total, the French defender has made 16 appearances this season but has failed to offer a consistent attacking threat as he’s returned to just one goal and assist.

Some Liverpool fans have been expressing their love for Nathaniel Phillips after the centre-back revealed how he celebrated the Reds’ Premier League title win.

Jurgen Klopp’s men clinched glory in emphatic fashion last season, topping the table with 99 points and sealing one of the biggest successes in Liverpool’s history.

It ended a long and painful 30-year wait for league glory, as Klopp and his players ensured they will forever go down as club legends.

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Someone who didn’t play a part in that success was Phillips, who has become something of a cult hero this season, filling in at the back in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

The 23-year-old has been one of the few bright sparks during an awful run of league form, performing consistently at the heart of the defence and excelling with his aerial presence, averaging a monstrous 5.1 aerial duels per game in the Premier League this season.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Phillips has brilliantly revealed that he listened to You’ll Never Walk Alone in his car after Liverpool won the title, while he was enjoying a loan spell at Stuttgart:

“When the lads officially won the League last year, I was still in Germany. I drove into the (Stuttgart) training ground blasting You’ll Never Walk Alone from the car. Philipp Klement, who used to sit next to me, was a Man City fan so I wanted to make sure he knew what had happened!

“I saw how much it meant to those guys. I was jealous they got to experience that moment. I want to feel something like that one day.”

Liverpool fans show their love for Phillips

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to reveals their thoughts on the story, with some joking that it is worthy of an immediate long-term deal for Phillips.

“Lifetime contract just for this”

Credit: @Boromir_FR

“Make him stay forever!”

Credit: @KangAnfield8

“Give the lad a nice long contract with a good pay rise”

Credit: @bootlebuck2

“Love him”

Credit: @englishjen2

“Give this man a 6 year contract, right now!”

Credit: @Usman_LS6

“My hero”

Credit: @acockneyscouser

“King”

Credit: @GuineaMaestroV3

In other news, Liverpool have been reacting to transfer claims linking the Reds with an exciting summer addition. Read about it here.

Glasgow Rangers could be denied the chance to go the whole Premiership season unbeaten amidst suggestions the campaign could be brought to a premature end.

Rangers season could end early

The Gers’ status as champions was confirmed on Sunday after Celtic could only manage a 0-0 draw with Dundee United. In the aftermath, thousands of the Ibrox outfit’s supporters took to the streets of Glasgow, disregarding lockdown regulations in the process (Sky News).

The Gers are set to face their fierce city rivals Celtic on March 21, and there are fears that similar scenes could unfold. As such, Ian Maxwell and Neil Doncaster, of the SFA and SPFL respectively, have been ordered to talk to the Scottish government, and a premature end to the campaign has not been ruled out (Daily Record).

Disappointing

What should have been a wonderful weekend for the 55-time Scottish champions has had the shine taken off it ever so slightly. Given we are in a global pandemic, it is worrying to see so many people on the streets, even if it is to celebrate an important achievement for the Gers. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon brandished the public scenes of celebration as “disgraceful”.

However, it is wrong to suggest that this will now become a huge issue for the rest of the season. Yes, the Old Firm derby is a huge occasion in Scottish football, but the Premiership has already been won at this point by Steven Gerrard’s side. Even if they were to prevail in that match, what would be the point of the supporters taking to the streets?  Hopefully, the worst is now over.

In other news, many Rangers fans laud key Ibrox figure.

Kevin Phillips has exclusively told Football FanCast that Southampton striker Danny Ings should decide against joining Tottenham this summer if the opportunity arises.

Having entered the final 18 months of his contract, Ings has been linked with a move away from Southampton, with Jose Mourinho’s team one of the sides reportedly pushing hard to sign the former Liverpool frontman at the end of the season.

Spurs currently have on-loan Benfica man Carlos Vinicius as Harry Kane’s back-up, but the Brazilian striker has started just one Premier League game since his arrival, with Mourinho opting for the likes of Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura in Kane’s injured absence last month.

Signing for Tottenham would give Ings an opportunity to play European football once again, but Phillips has advised the Saints number nine to consider somewhere that guarantees more regular first-team football.

He told Football FanCast: “Whenever I get asked that question, I always put myself in Danny’s shoes. Why would I want to go to Tottenham to sit on the bench and play cup games, it’s as simple as that. At his stage of his career, why would you not want to play football week in, week out?

“Tottenham probably would take him because as long as he’s happy to sit on the bench they know they’ve got a quality striker sitting there waiting. But from the player’s point of view, I don’t see why you would want to go and compete with Harry Kane, because you know you’re not playing because he’s the world’s best centre-forward in my eyes.”

Whilst signing for Tottenham would be a progressive move for Ings’ career, and possibly enhance his England chances, anyone playing in the same squad as Kane is most likely going to get limited opportunities as shown by the likes of Fernando Llorente, Vincent Janssen and Vinicius, so Ings might want to consider his options if Spurs do come calling.

David Moyes should unleash Jarrod Bowen in a striker position when West Ham visit Manchester United in the FA Cup on Tuesday night amid doubt over Michail Antonio’s fitness.

The Irons boss has confirmed he wishes to name as strong a side as possible at Old Trafford, as he continues to build on the east London outfit’s strongest run in the competition since 2015/16.

But Antonio faces a late fitness test to see if the striker can play his part, having been taken off with a quarter of an hour to go against Fulham on Saturday amid suspicions of fatigue.

Antonio looked laboursome at Craven Cottage as he struggled to lead the line for the second time in the space three days, after also playing the full 90 minutes as West Ham beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Wednesday night.

The Villans affair was only the third occasion that the 30-year-old has played a full 90 in any competition since returning from a second hamstring injury this term, with Moyes opting to withdraw Antonio early in four of his seven starts and twice introduce him from the bench.

Antonio was also left an unused substitute as the Hammers beat Doncaster Rovers 4-0 to book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup, but Moyes has confirmed he will make a late decision over whether or not the £11m-rated beast will feature against Manchester United.

“He’s still fatigued, so it’ll be a close call whether he makes it or not,” Moyes said. “I’ll see how he is today [Monday]. We’ll need to assess him tomorrow to see if he’s able to play or not.

“I think we’ve picked strong teams against Stockport and Doncaster. We’re certainly not picking a weakened team.

“We may have one or two changes through injury or suspension, whatever it may be, but we plan to go there with a really strong team and [see] if we can get through to the next round of the FA Cup.”

Andriy Yarmolenko was tasked with standing in for Antonio against Doncaster in the previous round of the FA Cup and scored West Ham’s second goal of the day, to net his first strike since bagging a brace against League One Hull City in the Carabao Cup in September.

It was not the only occasion this season that Moyes has started the Ukraine winger in a central role, after featuring through the middle against Tottenham Hotspur and in both Premier League meetings with Liverpool. He also took over the reins at Fulham on Saturday but offered little impact during his half an hour on the pitch.

Thus it should be Bowen who starts at the top of the attack against Manchester United if Antonio cannot, in a move that may also allow Ryan Fredericks to replicate his Aston Villa showcase on the right-wing in front of Vladimir Coufal.

Moyes has experimented with Bowen playing centrally twice this season, having looked to the £25m-rated maestro against Brighton in December while without Antonio and at home to Newcastle on the opening day of the season.

The decision did not return any goals on either occasion, but Bowen had proven to be a creative force in the middle with Hull by netting four and providing an assist in six games as a centre-forward.

He also offered three goals and three assists in six games as a shadow striker for the Tigers before his move to the London Stadium last January, which Noel Whelan lauds as a “really shrewd” piece of business by the Irons. Proving that he has the track record Moyes needs with no senior striker available after Sebastien Haller’s winter farewell.

AND in other news, West Ham failed to offload a £70k-p/w outcast in January despite a manager’s intent efforts…

Leeds United are set to face off against Arsenal this evening in what promises to be a very tasty event. The two sides are pretty much neck-and-neck in the middle of the table, with the Whites just ahead with the one-point lead. A win for either team tonight will be a huge boost in their respective campaigns, but Leeds have the upper-hand in terms of form.

They are coming off the back of a convincing 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, whereas the Gunners have continued to struggle. Their last two fixtures ended in defeat and both Bernd Leno and David Luiz were given their marching orders against Wolves.

Despite their win last time out, Leeds do have some problems of their own. On top of the long-term injuries to Robin Koch and Diego Llorente, both Rodrigo and Kalvin Phillips are also out of action. The latter picked up a muscle problem against Palace and Marcelo Bielsa admitted that there is uncertainty over whether or not he will be fit enough to start against Arsenal.

Here’s a look at how the Whites might line up this evening with their star midfielder potentially out of action…

With a spot in midfield to occupy due to Phillips’ injury, Bielsa could try his hand at fielding a 4-4-1-1 formation. The Argentine has opted for this choice on a few occasions this season, with the last coming against Chelsea in December.

Mateusz Klich played just behind Patrick Bamford in an attacking midfield role, but this time round, Bielsa may take a risk and start Tyler Roberts, who is desperate for some game time. The 22-year-old has made just 11 Premier League appearances so far this term and was selected to start on only two occasions, as per Transfermarkt. Tonight could be a golden opportunity for him to work with Bamford and really punish Arsenal.

With Rodrigo out, Roberts could really plug a gap if he turns up to the Emirates with his creative boots on.

With Phillips out, Leeds will need more support for the backline. Therefore, Luke Ayling may once again slide into central defence with Stuart Dallas moving from midfield to right-back. This leaves space for young Jamie Shackleton to ply his trade in the engine room again and fight for a more regular spot moving forwards.

A win today will see Leeds pull further away from Arsenal and close the gap on Spurs and therefore, increase their chances of securing Europa League football for next season.

In other news, Gaetano Berardi injury news may not be the boost many believe it is…

West Brom are closing in on the addition of a new forward, according to manager Sam Allardyce…

What’s the word?

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of Albion’s bottom-of-the-table clash with Sheffield United, the 66-year-old revealed that his side could finally bring free-agent Ahmed Musa in for checks over his current fitness.

He told reporters, via the Express & Star’s Joseph Masi: “We’ve been waiting patiently. All of the problems have been due to the controls & Covid. I’m probably due my injections soon, I’ll feel a lot better when I get mine. It’s been protocol but hopefully, if we see the player very shortly, it’ll be good news.”

The Athletic’s Steve Madeley has also claimed that the 28-year-old “could sign” after tonight’s transfer deadline passes as he is a free agent, so that’ll ease the pressure on the need for desperate and late reinforcements.

Imagine him & Diagne

Whilst it would still be a last-gasp move, should he pass all imminent checks, the addition of Musa would be a smart and cheap decision from Allardyce and the club.

The 87-time Nigeria international has been unemployed since October after leaving Saudi side Al-Nassr and he would arrive at the Hawthorns with a decent career record and some versatility.

Valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, Musa has scored goals wherever he’s been – most known for his stint in Russia, the 5 foot 8 speed demon bagged 61 goals and 33 assists in 184 appearances for CSKA Moscow.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/west-brom-deadline-day-latest-news-transfer-rumours-and-more” title=”Deadline day is here: Read the latest West Brom news, transfer rumours and more!”]

That form earned him a move to Midlands rivals Leicester in 2016, and despite rarely starting (13 of 32 appearances were starts), he still found the net five times, per Transfermarkt.

The decision to bring him in after already sealing a move for Galatasaray colossus Mbaye Diagne could hint towards a much-needed change in system as, after all, the Baggies hold the third-worst goalscoring record in the English top-flight.

Perhaps Big Sam wants to pair the diminutive forward alongside his 6 foot 4 colossus.

“I’m big and strong, I can hold up the ball and lay it off, I’m good in the air and I’m a finisher,” explained Diagne, via the Express & Star.

Karlan Grant is also a candidate to fulfil the ‘little man’ role off a target man but given he’s only scored once in 14 appearances since his move in the summer, it can’t hurt to throw the experienced Musa into the deep end to play alongside Diagne.

With finances very tight at Albion, securing someone of Musa’s pedigree and quality without paying a transfer fee is a surely shrewd financial decision. If Big Sam can get him to click with Diagne, just imagine the returns in front of goal.

AND in other news, West Brom handed setback in pursuit of 38-cap monster…

Celtic continue to have their hat thrown into the ring as talks of new recruits swirl around the January transfer market. One of their latest links sees them in the running for Preston North End midfielder Ben Pearson as Neil Lennon hopes to bolster his options in the middle of the park.

The Hoops have severely lacked creativity this half of the season and as a result, have been knocked off their perch atop of the Premiership table. Runaway leaders Rangers now dominate the stats and have forced a mammoth 20-point gap between them and the reigning champions.

Additionally, with the likes of Mohamed Elyounoussi only on loan from Southampton and Odsonne Edouard linked to a move away, now is the time for Nick Hammond to prioritise new creative signings.

Would Ben Pearson fit in at Celtic?

Although Pearson isn’t always directly involved in the goals Preston score, he has shown promising statistics in the engine room. According to Sofascore, the 26-year-old’s main strength is his positioning, which will help keep Celtic tight and compact in the heart of the squad.

Pearson also averaged an 88% passing accuracy in his last three appearances, more than Scott Brown’s more disappointing 72%. Indeed, the PNE man has actually been tipped as a candidate to succeed the Hoops captain, who is nearing the end of his current Celtic tenure.

Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan admitted that he could be the right person to replace the ageing skipper.

“Watch this space because he [Pearson] has been linked with Celtic,” the pundit said. “If there is an imminent move on the cards it is going to happen this week or next, that is for sure.”

Pearson is currently valued at £1.4million, which wouldn’t require Peter Lawwell to break the bank in order to sign him. Neil Lennon could work his magic on the midfielder and turn him into real Celtic talisman. He has already shown he can develop players like David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro, so Pearson could be an exciting new asset for this struggling Glaswegian side.

In other news, Celtic must avoid making any further moves to sign Tom Ince…

It’s fair to say Diego Llorente hasn’t enjoyed the happiest of starts to life at Leeds United.The Spain international has been out of action for the majority of this Premier League season with injury, with his only appearance for Marcelo Bielsa’s side coming against Chelsea back in early December.But having recently returned to training, an opportunity may be on the horizon, especially after his performance for the club’s U23s side on Monday night.Llorente got a crucial 45 minutes under his belt against Stoke City, and put some icing on the cake by seeing his first-half header prove to be the winner.In their post-match ratings, Leeds Live gave the 6 foot 1 gem a nine out of ten, saying: “Hardly put a foot wrong on his return from injury,ÂLlorenteÂwas everything a centre-back should be. Composed in possession, he attempted plenty of passes into the channels as well as reading opposition play excellently.”The Spaniard made a number of interceptions and never looked troubled by Stoke’s pressure. He capped his 45-minute display with a well-taken header, nodding in from Kalvin Phillips’ floated delivery.”Before the U23s’ clash, The Athletic journalist Phil Hay took to Twitter to declare that especially with Robin Koch missing for the Whites, Llorente has “got to be in the reckoning”.

And after seeing him score the winner and help the U23s keep a clean sheet, Bielsa will surely be tempted to throw Llorente into his starting line-up in the Premier League very soon.

Next week’s clash against Newcastle presents the perfect opportunity for him to do just that. It may be a long time coming but Llorente may finally get his chance to prove why Leeds spent big money to bring him to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, Leeds should give this future Klich successor a chance…