All posts by z3u9t.icu

Many Aston Villa supporters have been reacting on social media to a transfer update on Werder Bremen attacker Milot Rashica.

The 24-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Villa Park last year, but despite months of rumours, the winger remained in the Bundesliga past the summer deadline.

Summer switch for Rashica?

However, according to German publication Bild, cited by Birmingham Mail, the £10.8m-rated ace will now ‘finally be sold’ in the summer.

Rashica is out of contract in 2022 and it seems as if Werder Bremen now want to cash in on the Kosovo international.

The wide man was in fine form during the 2019/20 campaign, scoring eight times and providing seven assists in the Bundesliga. It’s been a different story this season, though, with Rashica still looking for his first league goal after 16 appearances.

Villa fans react

@AVFC_News shared the update regarding Rashica on Twitter, asking fans if Villa should make a move.

These supporters were all against a possible summer deal, with one fan describing the player’s form as ‘awful’.

“Oh give it a rest, we are not interested, that ship has sailed”

Credit: @kelwell16

“No. Attitude player. Done nothing for WB this season.”

Credit: @ged_egan

“He showed no desire to come to the villa in the summer. Now his form has dropped would stay well away from him.”

Credit: @Jon35136327

“Nope. Watched him a few times during Lockdown – he’s no better than anyone in the current squad, profligate in front of goal & selfish. Give Louie Barry a go instead”

Credit: @jayjayjjetplane

“Nope, completely out of form, injury prone, and doesn’t want to join. We can do much better!”

Credit: @JackJenningss_

“Only if we can get him way cheaper, 0 goals and 1 assist in 15 games this season, awful”

Credit: @AllAVFC_

In other news: Premier League giants want Aston Villa star this summer; it’s not Jack Grealish, find out more here. 

It is no surprise that various sources have confirmed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be offered a new contract as Manchester United manager, despite the season not being finished yet and no positions secured.

The Norwegian has improved this Man United side since taking over, with them currently sitting 2nd in the table and reaching the final few stages of the Europa League. However, to some, it still hasn’t been good enough. A lot of critics do not agree with the types of results United are getting. For example, if you look at their results against the “Top 6” teams this season, United have only lot 2 out of 8 games, which you could say is great, but not when they have drawn 5 of them and only managed 1 win, which was recent against their rivals Manchester City.

The draws simply aren’t good enough for some fans. United have been accused of not going for games and being too cautious where they sit back and focus more on not conceding than actually scoring, which is why most of their draws have been boring 0-0’s. Especially when you look at the game against Liverpool, who were there for the taking having been in shocking form and a list of injuries to key players. Yet Man United sat back and didn’t create enough chances to win the game and they didn’t deserve to win it either, a boring point was a fair display of their performance.

Fans luckily don’t have to pay money to attend these boring matches because they are behind closed doors, but it still is just as bad having to watch from the TV screen. It is not just the UK fans that tune in to watch United either. United have a global fanbase that watch from all over the world, using Premier League streaming websites that allow them to not miss any of the action.

So, there is one side to the argument that Ole needs to be doing more and getting more out of the team, being better against the bigger sides and picking up more points. But also, if you look at some of their other stats, he has really done a good job. Prior to their FA Cup defeat against Leicester City, they were unbeaten away in all competitions for over a year! That is a truly remarkable stat, a record breaker that Ole and Manchester United will certainly be proud of.

So, there are signs of this squad improving and signs that they could really challenge for the league and Champions League in the next few seasons. The united board think this too as they are prepared to offer him a new contract to allow him to further develop his site and improve with them.

But what can we expect from Ole? Is he going to bring back the Manchester United we have always known or was giving him a new contract actually an insult to United and their fans by saying “expect more of what we have seen”?

The summer transfer window will be a huge one for Solskjaer and Manchester United. Not only because they personally need to spend big in order to improve their current squad, but the teams around them also plan to spend big. With Aguero leaving Manchester City, that means that they will be on the hunt for a new star striker. The same goes for Chelsea, so far, they have been massively let down from their big signing Timo Werner and could possibly look to replace him or involve him in a swap deal.

There is one big name on the market that these sides, as well as other huge clubs around Europe are all wanting to sign, Erling Haaland.

Haaland has been clinical at Borussia Dortmund and they have stated that if any club wants to sign him, they will have to pay around €180 Million. There are few clubs that can afford this price tag and Manchester United are one of them.

Despite having a frosty relationship with his agent Mino Raiola, United are confident they can do what is needed to bring the young star to Old Trafford. What gives fans a lot of confidence is the fact that Haaland, like Ole, is Norweigan and Ole has previously coached Haaland years ago when they were in Norway for club Molde FK.

Their relationship in Norway seemed to be good, there were no reports of any disagreements and therefore Haaland might slightly favour Ole. The only potential issue in this case is whether Erling Haaland actually believes in Ole’s process and whether he can see himself being their star man, leading them to many Premier League Trophies and Champions Leagues.

Surely, if he was wanting to win big trophies in the near future, his safest bet would be to join Manchester City? But there are also complications there, Mino, Haaland’s agent has stated in the past that he would never do business again with Pep Guardiola, who is the current Manchester City manager. So, it is all up for speculation at the moment and nothing is likely to be confirmed until after the Euros.

A striker isn’t the only position that United will look to strengthen in, it is clear that United are also after a defender, likely to partner Harry Maguire. They will also look at Midfielders and potentially Wingers, with them showing interest in Wolves’ Pedro Neto. But nothing has been confirmed yet from United.

If it was the case that they made some big signings this summer, then they are likely to be real contenders for the Premier League and other big competitions. There is no alternative goal for United, they want trophies, the fans demand trophies and if that demand is not met in the next year or two, then Ole could follow the likes of previous managers, by being sacked.

We should remember that Solskjaer has only been at the club a couple of years and sometimes it can take managers longer than that to settle in. When Alex Ferguson first joined the reds, he had no success in his first 4 years and was on the verge of being sacked. Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager also went years without silverware before then winning both the Champions League and Premier League.

It will be interesting to keep a close eye on Manchester United as this season comes to a close and also next season. With Ole likely to be given a new contract, what plans does he have in store?  

Many Manchester United fans were left to slam the display of Mason Greenwood despite their 2-0 win over Granada in the Europa League on Thursday night.

A very early goal from Edinson Cavani effectively put the tie to bed before a Jesus Vallejo own goal put the icing on the cake for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team at Old Trafford as they cruised through into the semi-final stage of the competition, where they will play AS Roma over two legs for a place in the final.

However, while there were some solid performances in a Red Devils shirt, Greenwood’s flattered to deceive, as he lost out on half of his duels and failed to record a single key pass or accurate cross, losing possession of the ball on no fewer than 13 different occasions in the game (Sofascore).

The England international never really made a real impact in the match, having fewer touches than his own goalkeeper David de Gea, as he scored a quite measly 6.4 overall rating on Sofascore, the lowest out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch.

Manchester United fans on Greenwood display

These MUFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that the 19-year-old was ‘disinterested’:

“Man, Greenwood can’t sort out his feet quickly and that’s really frustrating. #MUFC #UEL #MUNGRA”

Credit: @Amirul96Mm

“Mason Greenwood is too one dimensional. For the hype he gets his overall game doesn’t warrant it at all. Nowhere near ready to be playing 9 as regularly as people think he should be. #mufc”

Credit: @sulkphenomeno

“Greenwood having a rather poor game. #MUFC #UEL”

Credit: @manutd_brdcast

“Other than the goal we’ve been poor going forward tonight. Bruno’s playing awfully and Greenwood needs to improve his link up and decisions on the ball. Let’s see off this game #MUFC”

Credit: @peteralaks

“I don’t know what to say to people who think Greenwood can lead Manchester United’s strike line. He is nowhere near being ready for that. Will probably take more than 3-4 years that too if his attitude & application is correct for it to happen. #MUFC”

Credit: @adijain02

“Greenwood displaying Martial tendencies tonight. Ambling about a lot looking disinterested. #MUFC”

Credit: @stabestweet

In other news, find out what injury update has left United fans fuming here!

Everton are at risk of losing Moise Kean to Paris Saint-Germain on a permanent deal as Il Bianconero report that they want to keep him at all costs.

Everton should give Kean another chance

The Toffees should really think about giving Kean another chance at the club based on his form so far in the French capital in 2020/21.

The former Juventus ace has scored no fewer than 15 goals in just 27 matches in total across all competitions this season, and three of those have come in the Champions League (Transfermarkt).

Former PSG striker Pauleta was full of praise for Kean in February, describing the Italy international as a ‘very talented’ player, and there is no doubt that he has shown his talent for the 2019/20 Champions League finalists.

Although it did not quite work out at the Toffees, the youngster only had one full campaign at Goodison Park and should be given another season at least to prove what he can do.

It takes time for some foreign players to adapt to life playing in English football, and the 21-year-old perhaps needed a loan move away in order to regain some confidence.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the Blues will be looking for no less than €45m-€50m (£38.7m-£43m) to sell the striker in the summer, but Everton should not be so quick to jump the gun.

In other news, find out which Everton star has been claimed to start against Chelsea!

Pablo Fornals is under severe pressure to impress David Moyes against Liverpool on Sunday after West Ham United completed the signing of Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard on loan.

The Irons announced the capture of Lingard on a half-season deal on Friday, but will not be able to hand the England international his debut this weekend having failed to complete the paperwork and formalities in time.

Lingard had needed to finalise his move to the London Stadium by midday on Friday to be registered to face the Premier League champions, who West Ham will move above into fourth in the table with a win with two points all that currently separates the two sides.

West Ham have paid Manchester United £1.5m to sign Lingard and will cover his salary until the end of the season, with the intentions of utilising the £75,000-per-week maestro across the midfield line.

His arrival will threaten Fornals’ place in Moyes’ starting line-up, with the Spaniard – who Trevor Francis claims is “turning into a top player” – having already seen his importance start to waver with the heighted use of Said Benrahma and Manuel Lanzini.

Fornals had started West Ham’s opening 14 fixtures of the Premier League season but has since been benched twice and is without a goal or an assist since October, with his high-energy performances not always providing the desired results at the top of the pitch.

The Spaniard’s importance to the overall performance of Moyes’ side has arguably never been higher with his grit and determination, much like his passes, able to pull opposing sides apart.

Crystal Palace found that out the hard way on Tuesday night, when Fornals’ ball through to Michail Antonio left the Eagles at sixes and sevens before Tomas Soucek scored the Irons’ equaliser.

Yet Benrahma still emerged the brighter of the two West Ham stars at Selhurst Park, with the Algerian often looking like the Hammers’ most creative option whenever he dropped into the ever-increasing pockets of space between the Palace defenders and midfield.

Benrahma’s drive when on the ball was also on another level to that of Fornals and will now be expected to start week in, week out alongside Jarrod Bowen, even though the 25-year-old is still yet to score in claret and blue.

Bowen’s place is almost as secure as it can be with the 23-year-old the Iron’s second-best scorer with five goals from the most shots (37) taken in the side to date and with the second-most assists (3) to Aaron Cresswell (5).

And with West Ham now having signed Lingard on loan, no doubt without the intentions of the midfielder simply sitting on the bench, it leaves £67k-p/w Fornals the most at risk if he cannot come out shining at home to Liverpool on Sunday.

AND in other news, West Ham eye late loan for teen gem who “makes the game look easy”…

Reports by Football Insider earlier this month claimed West Ham Untied could rival Arsenal for the signature of Ajani Burchall, and David Moyes should be pushing the Irons hierarchy to secure the services of the AFC Bournemouth contract rebel.

It was initially proposed by The Sun that the Gunners had begun chasing Burchall on a free transfer after the 16-year-old whizkid snubbed a scholarship offer from his Championship side.

Now, the teenage forward is set to leave the Vitality Stadium in the summer and has several Premier League sides queueing up for his capture, headed by Mikel Arteta’s north London natives.

West Ham are said to be paying close attention to developments regarding the Bermudan youngster, who is still at school, after he became the Cherries’ third-youngster-ever senior player when handed his debut as a late substitute against Huddersfield Town in December.

He is yet to add to his record following Jason Tindall’s sacking, with interim head coach Jonathan Woodgate opting against awarding the winger any first-team involvement so far.

Tindall was a firm believer in Burchall’s potential, telling the Daily Echo in December: “I’ve been aware of Ajani for a while. Ajani’s been one that has been performing consistently well for some time now.”

Burchall also has a lot of confidence in himself and takes pride in his regular place in Bournemouth’s Under 18s despite his tender age.

“I feel privileged that I’m 16 playing with the Under 18s, but I’m striving to be one of the best on the Under 18 squad,” he said, via quotes by Ber News.

West Ham should now be positing themselves strongly to lure Burchall to east London and afford the teenager the chance to prove himself as one of the best in Kevin Keen’s U18s, as the Bournemouth product could go on to become the Irons next Declan Rice.

Obviously, Rice and Burchall play in two completely separate positions, but West Ham signed Rice after he was rejected in his teens by Chelsea and nurtured the midfielder into a fully-fledged Premier League star and England international.

His progress also saw the London Stadium natives slap an £80m asking price on the 22-year-old last summer as Frank Lampard sought to lure Rice back to Stamford Bridge, while the 13-time Three Lions star’s efforts since are said to have Liverpool and Manchester United paying close attention.

It’s too early to say if Burchall can go on to become a forward worth as much to West Ham as Rice is, but his potential is evident in his will to take on opponents and display his eye for goal in Bournemouth’s academy ranks.

The Cherries laud their young prodigy for his tough-tackling, hard-working and exciting play on the wings in Alan Connell’s side, where he has played a majority of matches available this term, as well.

If the 16-year-old can continue to build on his early promise, gain a greater taste of senior football and arrive for free, it’s surely a no brainer for West Ham to rival Arsenal.

AND in other news, West Ham have been tipped to sign a 21-year-old talent his manager feels “personally let-down” by…

There is a feeling that the Netherlands believe Virgil van Dijk could be fit for Euro 2020, alleging that Jurgen Klopp is currently holding him back.

The 29-year-old continues to recover from the cruciate ligament injury he suffered back in October following a shocking tackle by Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

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Van Dijk’s absence has been an almighty blow in a season which has slowly fallen part, with the Reds’ Premier League title defence fizzling out because of injuries and poor form.

The centre-back has been pictured various times in recent weeks as he works on his return to action, with the Dutchman back in the gym and also jogging on the training pitch.

Netherlands believe Klopp is holding Van Dijk back

According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf [via Sport Witness], the Netherlands national team believe Van Dijk is closer to a return than Klopp is claiming and the player knows that his boss cannot make the decision on whether he plays a the Euros.

They reported: ‘Klopp has put the brakes firmly on in England, but Van Dijk knows that the German coach cannot forbid him to travel to the Oranje training camp at the end of May or the beginning of June for the final round of the European Championship. There is a good relationship between the player and Klopp and the Dutchman will not do ill-considered things.’

Klopp is reportedly hesitant to allow his key man to play a part in the Euros this summer, no doubt wanting to keep him wrapped in cotton wool ahead of next season.

It is stated that there is a ‘good relationship’ between the Liverpool manager and Van Dijk’s national setup, though, so the right decision will likely be made in terms of what is most beneficial to the Reds superstar.

Transfer Tavern take

From a selfish Liverpool perspective, Van Dijk will hopefully not feature at the Euros, avoiding the risk of another injury setback ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

It could be that the defender still features for the Reds late this season, which would then make it difficult to deny him the chance to represent his country at a major tournament – a dream for so many players, and one which the defender hasn’t experienced even at 29.

Van Dijk needs to be managed extremely carefully by both club and country, ensuring he gets back to being the world-class footballer he had been before his injury.

In other news, many Liverpool fans have been begging the Reds to clinch the signing of one centre-back this summer. Read about who it is here.

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has cast doubts about the suitability of a couple of the players that who been suggested as Georginio Wijnaldum’s potential replacement at Liverpool if the Dutchman leaves this summer.

Palmer gives Anfield view

The future of the 29-year-old has been uncertain for some time. With six months left to run on his current contract, Wijnaldum is free to talk to other clubs and potentially come to a pre-contractual agreement ahead of a move next summer.

The Dutch international has been at the club since 2016, scoring 20 goals and providing 16 assists in 210 appearances for the Merseysiders (TransferMarkt),

In light of Wijnaldum’s contract situation, Liverpool have been linked with Brighton’s Yves Bissouma and Lille’s Renato Sanches as potential replacements. Both players are central midfielders but the latter can play on the right-hand side of midfield too.

When asked if Liverpool should be looking to make a move for either Bissouma or Sanches to replace Wijnaldum, Palmer revealed that he has doubts about whether both players are at a standard to play for the Reds and warned the Reds of the dangers of signing either of them.

He also suggested that Jurgen Klopp and Michael Edwards will need to consider a few things before pushing for a deal, and if the answers to any of the questions below would be ‘no’, like he suggests they would be, then Liverpool should look elsewhere.

Speaking exclusively to Football Transfer Tavern, he said:

“You’ve got to look if it’s value for money and (then ask), ‘what they’re going to bring to the team?’ ‘Are they going to play in the team?’ Are those two players are capable of playing in Liverpool’s team?’”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Palmer is spot on here. The Reds have to ensure they bring players in that are value for money and players who can be in the team for the long-term. Furthermore, Klopp needs to focus his energy elsewhere during this window, to be more specific, Liverpool need a centre-back to nurse their current injury crisis, and until it’s confirmed that Wijnaldum will be leaving, the Reds can hold out hope that a deal can be done to keep the Dutchman.

In other news, Liverpool fans excited by transfer update provided by Fabrizio Roman on social media.

Celtic continue to be linked with Sampdoria’s Omar Colley as they look to bolster their squad in the January transfer window. The Hoops approached the Italian outfit with a reported £10million offer for the centre-back, an amount that would have made him the club’s record signing.

However, their bid was knocked back but now, CalcioNews24 report that Sampdoria have changed their stance on Colley and are willing to let him leave the club. Whilst this will come as good news to Celtic, Peter Lawwell must avoid the temptation to splash his cash on the 28-year-old.

Celtic must withdraw from Colley bidding

Neil Lennon’s area of concern is undoubtedly his defence. Kristoffer Ajer is heavily linked to a move away from Celtic Park and Shane Duffy is currently only at the club temporarily. Once the Southampton loanee returns to St Mary’s, and should Ajer leave for pastures new, it will leave Celtic with just two established senior centre-backs.

The Hoops must prioritise recruiting a new centre-half, but the answer doesn’t lie in Colley.

It seems as though Sampdoria have had a change of heart upon the realisation that the Gambian will soon be entering the final 12 months of his contract. His current £28,000 per week deal expires in the summer of 2022 and the Serie A side won’t want to wait until next summer or they will be forced to offer Colley up at a reduced price.

Lennon also has Nir Bitton at his disposal, who may be a midfielder by trade but has been solid across the backline this season as he has filled in for injured teammates. The 29-year-old also played in defence for Israel during the international break and kept a clean sheet in his most recent appearance against Scotland.

All of Bitton’s appearances for Celtic this campaign have been as a defender, which only further highlights how important his versatility is to Lennon. Rather than spending a record amount on a new centre-back, the club has the option to transform Bitton into a permanent defender and develop the awaiting youngsters from the reserve team.

In other news, Desperation for Neil Lennon as Celtic consider move for Dean Henderson…

Andre Gomes has been met with a huge hurdle to impress Carlo Ancelotti and regain his place in the Everton line-up after a lacklustre cameo at Leicester City on Wednesday night.

The Portuguese midfielder has not started a Premier League fixture since the Toffees were beaten 2-1 at Newcastle United at the start of November, with Ancelotti only feeling fit to field Gomes from the bench in four fixtures over the weeks since.

Gomes had been one of Ancelotti’s first names on the teamsheet when the campaign begun, yet struggled to prove himself on the field and has done little to force the Italian to rethink his plans.

The former FC Barcelona talent revealed last month that he was still feeling the effects of the fractured dislocation to his right ankle sustained against Tottenham more than a year ago, with fitness a key concern.

“The truth is, I am still trying to find my best feeling, to get fit, to get ready to be 100 per cent for all the game,” the 27-year-old said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

“In the past months, with the pandemic, it was hard for me physically. A lot of details can change, my body shape or how fit I feel. When we came back after the first lockdown, I had a really small injury in one place, then something else in another place, because I was trying to compensate coming from the big injury.

“I was trying to get fit and regain power. We had a small pre-season before nine games in two months. Then we had a short break and another small pre-season, when I needed minutes.

“It would have been perfect for me to have all that time to recover and prepare in a normal way. Now, I am working to get as fit as I can and trying to feel better, trying to be confident when we are playing. But, more than anything else, I am trying to improve physically.”

Gomes was given a chance to show himself in a better light at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday night when Ancelotti called on him to replace Allan after losing the Brazilian to a hamstring injury late in the first half.

But the £18million-rated maestro failed to deliver and continues to be met with a huge hurdle to regain a place in the starting line-up, after appearing well off the pace against Leicester in a game his best contribution was in fouling Harvey Barnes to prevent a dangerous counter-attack.

The one-time La Liga winner only came out on top in five of his 10 ground duels in the East Midlands, lost possession 11 times, committed two fouls, was dribbled past once and failed to record any of his 35 touches inside the final-third, per SofaScore.

His only defensive contribution came through two successful tackles, while failing to push forward ensured Gomes ended the night without a shot or key pass beside his name despite boasting a 100% dribble success rate.

Ancelotti may be fearing for the loss of Allan and questioning who can step up when Everton host Arsenal on Saturday, but it would take a Christmas miracle for Gomes to saunter back into the line-up anytime soon.

AND in other news, Everton enter a four-way battle to sign a gritty 21-goal marksman in January.