All posts by n8rngtd.top

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…

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…

Having scored against St Mirren, Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos once again finds himself at the centre of attention, but that doesn’t that the board should forget about Kai Kennedy.

What’s the word?

The highly-regarded Rangers teenager has been tipped for the top by former SFA performance director Malky Mackay but his contract is set to expire at the end of the current season, which has cast doubt over his future at Ibrox.

According to The Daily Record, Light Blues boss Steven Gerrard has made it clear to Inverness Caledonian Thistle that they can keep Kennedy until the end of the season but only if he commits his future to the club.

Currently plying his trade on loan at Inverness Caley Thistle, John Robertson has claimed he would love to keep the highly-rated 18-year-old as part of his squad: “We have spoken to Rangers and they have given us the scenario they see going forward.

“His future with them, first and foremost, is the key thing that has to be discussed between Rangers and the player.

“Until that is sorted we have to wait and see, as he is a Rangers player.

“They have told us if he signs a new deal they are quite happy for him to remain here this season.

“Until he does that, it is up for grabs.

“That hasn’t been done at the moment, so we will just crack on for the next couple of games before contacting Rangers again to find out what the situation is.”

It’s also claimed Kennedy is close to reaching an agreement with his boyhood club that would extend his current deal having been embroiled in a dispute with Ibrox bosses over a purported lack of game time.

But Ross Wilson can’t afford to leave anything to chance, as Manchester City, Roma and Bayern Munich were reportedly keeping close tabs on his situation after contract talks reached an impasse in September.

Forget Morelos, Kennedy is the future

While Morelos has been linked with a move away from Rangers in recent months – reports have even suggested Lille tried to lure him away from Ibrox in the last transfer window – losing Kennedy would arguably be an even greater blow.

He has been courted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs after bursting onto the scene whilst playing for Rangers in the Alkass Cup victory in 2017.

The talented teen has long been earmarked as one to watch for the future – he’s already bagged two assists for Rangers reserves.

And now, Kennedy has played a key part in Caley Thistle’s campaign in the Championship as Robertson’s side bid to avoid relegation to the Scottish League One this season – scoring one goal in eight games so far, via Transfermarkt. He isn’t an unproven academy prospect any longer, he’s starting to show glimpses of his obvious talents.

It’s no wonder, then, that even Gerrard has been impressed by the uncapped Scotland U21 international, with the Ibrox boss describing him as an “outstanding” dynamo after a string of impressive performances.

This is precisely why Wilson can’t afford to lose Kennedy. He’s a local lad who possesses lots of untapped potential in a similar nod to his forbearers Barry Ferguson and Steven Naismith before him.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard dealt huge blow as Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield ruled out of Old Firm clash…

Glasgow Rangers secured a top seed place in Monday’s Europa League last 32 draw after Steven Gerrard’s side beat Lech Poznan in Poland on Thursday night to win Group D.

The Light Blues need to match or better Benfica’s result against Standard Liege to finish top of the group, and they passed with flying colours as goals from Cedric Itten and Ianis Hagi gave them the deserved victory.

Itten opened the scoring before half-time and Hagi scored his first goal since August after Connor Goldson’s header hit the bar to double the lead.

The 22-year-old has copped a fair amount of stick in recent months but put in a performance to remember on Thursday night.

Per SofaScore, the Romania international received a high rating of 8 out of ten for his efforts – he took 50 touches of the ball, three shots on target, provided 25 out of 31 passes, produced two key passes, won five out of his seven duels overall, and was fouled twice.

Glasgow Live gave Hagi a grade of 7/10, claiming he ‘made sure Goldson’s header cross the line and grew in confidence as the game went’, whilst The Daily Record awarded him with a similar score, insisting he ‘has been operating on the fringes of late but given an opportunity to shine as part of a three-pronged attack and was unlucky not to score with deflected shot before nodding home the second goal.’

In 20 appearances for the Gers, the attacking midfielder has scored two goals and supplied eight assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt, whilst he is averaging 2 shots and 1.7 key passes per game, as per WhoScored.

Hagi has arguably struggled to hit the ground running at times since making the move permanent in the summer, having started just three out of six games in the Europa League so far this season.

But it’s fair to say that this was a big step in the right direction and will have gone some way towards silencing any lingering doubts about his obvious talent, as he mustered more shots on target than any other player on the pitch.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers striker Cedric Itten was Gerrard’s hero vs Lech Poznan…

This has been another horrendous year for Sunderland, one that’s failed to buck the trend at the Stadium of Light.

Once again, the Black Cats failed to achieve promotion from League One and are now enduring a third successive year at this level.

For a club with such rich history, one that were in the Premier League so recently, it’s far from ideal.

However, are they beginning to turn the tide towards the end of 2020? Stewart Donald sold his majority stake to Kyril Louis-Dreyfus on Christmas Eve and they have also sacked Phil Parkinson.

Lee Johnson arrived and they have lost just once since he took charge, being beaten on his first day in the job. Together with Kristjaan Speakman and their new owners – Dreyfus and Sartori – there are reasons to be positive and hopeful for a brighter future.

Of course, Sunderland supporters won’t want to count their chickens but 2021 could well be their year.

So, what better way to bring it in than partaking in our big fat Sunderland quiz of the year for 2020, we bet you can’t get 100% correct…

AND in other news, SAFC must swoop for “speedball” who’s a “nightmare to play against”…

Gary Mabbutt, while speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, has claimed Eric Dier “could be the general” in Jose Mourinho’s defence at Chelsea on Sunday after Tottenham Hotspur confirmed Toby Alderweireld will be out for the next two to four weeks.

Mourinho confirmed Alderweireld faces a potential month on the sidelines after the Belgian sustained a muscular injury in the 81st-minute of Spurs’ 2-0 victory at home to Manchester City last weekend.

The Portuguese tactician was fearful of a prolonged absence for the 31-year-old he has called on to play 10 times across all competitions this term, but further assessment earlier in the week revealed the blow was not as serious as first thought.

“He has a muscular injury but not as big as we initially thought,” said Mourinho, via quotes by the Daily Mail. “He’ll have his time to be out but not like a month, which was immediately what we thought. I would say between two and four weeks.”

While Alderweireld will be a loss for Tottenham at Chelsea on Sunday, Mabbutt is confident Dier can step up in the absence of his Belgian defensive partner and offer Mourinho the experienced product he will need beside summer signing Joe Rodon.

“Having Joe alongside him will give Eric the chance to actually work with Joe to make him the player I believe he can become. So, it was great opportunity to get that defence sorted out, and Eric Dier could be the general in there. And obviously bringing in Joe would be a good opportunity,” Mabbutt told Football FanCast.

Dier has been a regular of Mourinho’s plans this term, with the England international opening all eight of his Premier League appearances and playing the full 90 minutes in September’s EFL Cup win over rivals Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Mourinho is yet to put the same faith behind Rodon, who he signed from Swansea City for an initial £11million rising to £15m this summer, with the 11-cap Wales international featuring for just nine top-flight minutes while being ineligible in Europe.

Dier has stood out in the Tottenham backline with a defensive-high eight interceptions, 44 clearances and 23 aerial duels won, while being dribbled past the least (3) and blocking the second-most shots (7) so far in the Premier League this season, per SofaScore.

The 26-year-old has struggled to record successful tackles with just three to his name – five fewer than Alderweireld and a third of Davinson Sanchez’s total – and Mourinho will need to rely on Dier performing above those levels should he hand Rodon his first career start in the Premier League against his former employer Chelsea.

Frank Lampard’s Stamford Bridge natives ranked seventh among all top-flight sides for shots taken per league game at home this season (13.3) and fourth for shots on target (5.8), per WhoScored.

AND in other news, Spurs are in the hunt for a gem who “can do everything” and might not cost Daniel Levy a penny.

Manchester United really, really want a right winger. Only time will tell if the board will be able to bring Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele in on a loan deal, or sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, or someone else entirely.

Edinson Cavani and Alex Telles are both signing their contracts as we speak while Donny van de Beek has already settled into life at Old Trafford.

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils have reached an agreement with Atalanta for Amad Traore, although the teenager will arrive in January due to a complication with his work permit and passport.

The Ivory Coast international became the youngest player to score in his Serie A debut during Atalanta’s 7-1 win over Udinese, via ESPN.

Ed Woodward has handed out new deals left, right and centre to the likes of Brandon Williams and Dean Henderson while the club have finally found an adequate attacking midfielder for the first time since Paul Scholes left the club in January signing Bruno Fernandes.

They’ve even brought in Van de Beek to provide cover and competition for Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.

If you were Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, you would imagine he would be quite happy with the signings so far, but they still need to strengthen the right wing, which is a bit of a problem when the transfer window closes in such a short space of time.

While Traore, 18, has made all of the headlines in Italy after breaking through the ranks into the first team, he is still largely unproven at the top levels of the game.

Daniel James 2.0?

As far as Solskjaer is concerned, Jadon Sancho remains his number one target, although The Athletic’s David Ornstein recently reported a deal is off as it stands.

The young Ivorian, who was born in 2002, is obviously one to keep an eye on for the future, but he is still vastly inexperienced and cannot be expected to shoulder the responsibilities on the right wing.

In fact, United have been in this situation before. It wasn’t all that long ago that they signed Daniel James for an initial fee of £15m from Swansea City last summer, and we all know how well that worked out, as the Welshman only managed to score three goals and supply six assists in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

And Traore won’t come cheap either, with Romano revealing he is expected to cost €30m, which roughly equates to £27m at the time of writing.

With Traore set to link up with the squad next year, United need a right winger now, not in several months time, it really is that simple. The Red Devils have run out of options on the right wing as Andreas Pereira and Juan Mata are simply not up to the standards required.

Pereira, who fell out of favour with Solskjaer, has found himself shipped out on loan to Lazio.

And United need to sign a player who can dictate play and supply a steady stream of assists for the front three this season, someone who can hit the ground running, not someone who will only be available halfway through the season.

It will leave a sour taste in the mouth if Woodward is unable to sort out a deal with Dortmund for Sancho, a player whom the club have coveted for so long.

AND in other news, Edinson Cavani’s imminent arrival at Manchester United raises more questions than answers…  

Former Premier League manager Alex McLeish has tipped Barry Douglas to be a success at Watford if he moves to Vicarage Road this week.

It has proven to be a busy summer at Elland Road in terms of transfer business with a large number of new faces arriving through the doors of the Yorkshire club.

Head coach Marcelo Bielsa has improved his squad options but with the domestic transfer window still open until Friday (October 16), a number of fringe players could potentially leave.

The likes of Gaetano Berardi left the club this summer and it is now looking like defender Douglas could be set for an exit too.

A whole host of clubs have been labelled with interest in the Scottish left-back, and former Premier League club Watford have now emerged as front runners in the race to sign the defender this week.

Douglas receives McLeish backing to make Watford move

With Football Insider claiming Watford’s interest, former Aston Villa boss McLeish has given his thoughts on whether or not the former Wolves defender would make an impact at the Championship club.

“Watford aren’t in the Premier League, they’ll be smarting the fact that they were relegated, they will feel like they have something to prove,” McLeish told Football Insider.

“Troy Deeney, etcetera, in that dressing room will be cracking the whip and telling the other players in that dressing room that we have to get back to the Premier League.

“To do that in the Championship, there has to be a massive level of consistency and Douglas has got that experience. If Watford go for him then you would think he would add to the squad.”

Douglas has made 44 appearances for the Whites thus far.

The correct move for Douglas to gain sufficient playing time

Stuart Dallas has promoted himself as the number one choice at left-back in Bielsa’s side over the last 12 months and one can’t really see Douglas getting many chances to show his worth with Ezgjan Alioski there as a versatile option too.

With a whole host of defensive options available to him this season, Bielsa is fully equipped for the competition and threat of the Premier League, having the likes of Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk, Robin Koch, and of course Alioski, who have all been performing well over pre-season and over the start of the new campaign so far.

Douglas, will no doubt be eagerly anticipating Friday’s deadline day as he looks to start a potential new chapter in his career, but a move to Watford would be a superb one for the defender, especially given their ambition to bounce back and gain promotion back to England’s top flight.

Do you think Douglas would be a success at Watford? Can he help them get back in the Premier League? Let us know in the comments section below…

Celtic fans will have breathed a sigh of relief after finally registering a win on Sunday. The Hoops had hit a huge slump in form that stemmed from their defeat to Rangers at Celtic Park last month. Despite being held by Aberdeen in the Premiership, the holding league champions came back with a vengeance in the Scottish Cup.

Thanks to Ryan Christie and Mohamed Elyounoussi, Celtic banked the win over the Dons and they head into the final of the competition. Whilst morale will be high in camp, Neil Lennon has some tricky decisions to make moving forwards.

Neil Lennon dilemma

Star striker Odsonne Edouard has returned to the pitch but has yet to make an impact since being ruled out with coronavirus. Recent comments made by the player could suggest that his future lies elsewhere, too. This will undoubtedly be resting heavy on Lennon’s mind as he decides which players to prioritise in this tricky season.

Elyounoussi has been in superb form for the Hoops but hasn’t been a regular starter. The Southampton loanee has been benched twice in the league this season and left out completely on one occasion against St Mirren. Despite his impressive goal return of seven and an additional four assists so far, it doesn’t seem Lennon is completely convinced as he continues to rotate his squad (via Transfermarkt).

Similarly, Leigh Griffiths has made big impacts coming off the bench this term. The 30-year-old hasn’t been on the right side of the manager recently after being subject to comments on his weight and fitness. However, Griffiths has outlined that he is keen to push on and break into the club’s top 20 goal scorers.

He has been out for some of the season with a calf injury but since his return, the striker has netted two goals in three games, both in substitute appearances.

Albian Ajeti is another contender to start in Lennon’s seemingly ever-changing lineup. Despite starting against Lille and getting himself an assist, the Swiss man was benched for the Aberdeen clash. Not to mention Patryk Klimala, who has been paired up with Elyounoussi as of late, but left out for Celtic’s last three matches (via Sofascore).

With five key players fighting for a place in the squad, now isn’t the time to be experimenting. Lennon needs to decide on a reliable attack that will see the Hoops over the line this season, or too many mistakes could hand Rangers the title.

In other news, Neil Lennon must not ignore recent pledge from Leigh Griffiths…

Liverpool are conducting their business early this summer and now new left-back Kostas Tsimikas is through the door, it’s time for further additions up the pitch.

What’s the word?

According to Yahoo Esportes, the Premier League champions have made contact with Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama over a potential move for young forward Talles Magno.

The 18-year-old is hot property across Europe with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Sevilla also mooted with interest.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail expand on this story and claim that due to the club’s difficult financial situation, Vasco could be open into telling their prized asset for just £18m despite having a £45m release clause.

Firmino mould

This would be quite the bargain for the Reds if they are able to do a deal for the enigmatic teenager.

Magno was part of Brazil’s U17 World Cup-winning squad and was named in the Guardian’s top 60 talents to watch in 2019, where they labelled him a ‘breath of fresh air’ who is ‘utterly unafraid to use his skills’ to take on opponents.

He’s even been likened to Neymar as a result, but interestingly, it’s the comparison to Merseyside nemesis Richarlison which hints at a suitability to Jurgen Klopp’s system at Anfield.

The 6 foot 1 forward can play centrally or out wide and is known for his dribbling ability and showboating – he’d surely be right at home in Merseyside given the current Brazilian contingent at the club.

Magno is very much a similar build to Roberto Firimino and if you were to blend Neymar with Richarlison, then the apple wouldn’t fall too far away from being a match to Liverpool’s current number nine.

Which could be why Klopp is keen to bolster his attacking ranks with a player could fit in instantly and become the perfect understudy to the underrated 28-year-old.

He very much appears to be a special talent, one that Liverpool should be gagging to sign.

AND in other news, 6-foot La Liga colossus would be a bargain replacement for Dejan Lovren…