All posts by h716a5.icu

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram recently and perhaps the Frenchman could be the man to unlock Gabriel Jesus’ potential for the Citizens.

Sport Bild reported earlier this week that Manchester City, along with Barcelona and Juventus, are keen on signing the striker in the near future. The 23-year-old has seriously impressed for the Bundesliga side since signing from EA Guingamp in the summer of 2019, having made 49 appearances in all competitions, in which he has contributed 17 goals and 14 assists (per Transfermarkt).

Thuram, who is the son of French World Cup-winner Lillian Thuram, also scored two goals against Real Madrid recently, demonstrating his credentials in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

If City were to sign the young forward in January or in the summer transfer window, he could be the man to help unleash Gabriel Jesus for the Citizens. Since joining from Palmeiras in 2017, the Brazilian forward has contributed an impressive 70 goals and 30 assists in 155 appearances (per Transfermarkt).

The 23-year-old has come under criticism at times during his City career, with himself admitting that he was struggling with the weight of expectation at the club, perhaps as he tries to emulate Sergio Aguero, with the Argentinian having netted a remarkable 255 goals and 73 assists in his 373 appearances for the club (per Transfermarkt).

However, with the 32-year-old’s contract set to expire at the end of this season, it could be argued that they are in need of striking reinforcements ahead of next season. Perhaps Thuram could be brought in to take the pressure of Jesus, following Aguero’s seemingly close departure.

Thuram’s teammate Denis Zakaria described the Frenchman as “phenomenal” back in 2019, so he is clearly well thought of at the Bundesliga club.

WhoScored lists one of the Mönchengladbach man’s strengths as aerial duels and he also stands at 6 foot 3, which suggests that he could play in the target man role that is arguably missing in Pep Guardiola’s side. The Citizens have just Aguero and Jesus available as natural strikers in their squad at the moment, neither of whom are particularly tall.

Although City have mainly played with one-striker formations so far this season, perhaps the signing of the £28.8 million-rated man could tempt Guardiola into trying two up-front, with Thuram perhaps paired with Jesus, where he could take some of the expectation of the 23-year-old’s shoulders and allow him to flourish.

Glasgow Rangers will want to bounce back from the thrilling 3-3 draw with Benfica in the Europa League when Steven Gerrard’s side take on Hamilton Academical in a game of top versus bottom in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Rangers gave away a three-goal lead in Lisbon on Thursday night and will want to get back to winning ways this weekend. The Gers are still unbeaten so far this season, so they will be looking to make short work of the Accies.

Scott Arfield reportedly faces a race against time after picking up a knock in the draw away at Benfica, whilst Nikola Katic remains the only long-term absentee injured on the sidelines. Gerrard is hopeful that Arfield will have recovered in time to face the Accies but it may not be worth the risk with the home game against the Portuguese giants at the end of the month.

Here, Football FanCast has taken a look at how Gerrard could set his side up for the clash with the Accies, which sees him make three changes to the side that faced Benfica.

The Ibrox boss has a decision to make with Connor Goldson and Filip Helander as the Gers gear up to face Hamilton on Sunday. Whilst we think Gerrard should give Goldson a rest, it’s likely Leon Balogun will replace Helander in the starting-lineup instead. Gerrard may hand summer recruit Calvin Bassey a rare start which will see Borna Barisic drop to the bench, whilst James Tavernier retains his place on the right flank.

As we outlined earlier, Arfield could still be sidelined for a few more days, meaning that Joe Aribo could come into the centre of the midfield alongside Glen Kamara and Steven Davis.

Ryan Kent is set to continue on the left of Alfredo Morelos, who broke club legend Ally McCoist’s record with his 22nd goal in 38 Europa League games for the Gers.

With Rangers such firm favourites for this match Gerrard may use this opportunity to run an experiment on the right wing which sees summer signing Cedric Itten start instead of Ianis Hagi – particularly given the form of Brandon Barker, who has only scored once in eight games in all competitions so far.

AND in other news, Lesson for Gerrard: Glasgow Rangers star striker Alfredo Morelos must not be benched again…

West Brom produce many a talented player through their impressive academy setup, but they usually find it hard to keep hold of their very best options.

As we’ve very much seen in recent years with the likes of Nathan Ferguson, Izzy Brown and Tyler Roberts all departing the Hawthorns for little or no money at all.

However, that is not always the case, as seen with former U23 striker Marcus Forss, who handed the Midlands outfit a cruel reminder of what could’ve been on the international stage this week.

The 21-year-old was released by the club in 2017 with then-manager Tony Pulis deeming the forward to not be good enough to make the step-up into the senior side.

But how has he gotten on since?

Where is Forss now?

Forss soon joined Championship side Brentford, which should be a damning sign considering just how well they recruit players – Neal Maupay, Ollie Watkins, Said Benrahma and Rico Henry to name just a few.

He started out in the B team, where he scored 21 goals in his maiden campaign, before being promoted into the first-team and sent out on loan to League One outfit AFC Wimbledon.

The young striker would continue his rich form, bagging 11 goals in just 19 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

He has now taken his senior Bees tally to a total of nine goals, with six coming in all competitions this season, so he’s certainly starting to make his mark alongside their summer arrival, Ivan Toney.

Forss has even announced himself on the international stage, bagging on debut against World Cup winners France as Finland defeated them 2-0 at the Stade de France on Wednesday night.

His form has now caught the eye of Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund, another true sign of West Brom making a catastrophic mistake over his talents, as you only have to look at how Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, and now Jude Bellingham have done for them in recent seasons.

In a window that Albion spent a desperate £15m on Karlan Grant, they could have perhaps had a long-term solution if only Pulis gave him a little bit of faith.

AND in other news, 43 y/o a worthy candidate to succeed Bilic at West Brom…

Neco Williams has become something of a regular in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side in the last few matches, following the injury suffered by Trent Alexander-Arnold shortly before the international break.

The Reds will be relieved, therefore, that they kept hold of the Welsh international this summer when he was attracting heavy interest from Wolves.

It was suggested by The Times that the 19-year-old could have been part of the deal which saw Diogo Jota join Liverpool, but the Merseyside outfit were not keen to lose Williams and ended up selling young Ki-Jana Hoever to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side instead.

Following the injury to Alexander-Arnold, suffered against Manchester City, the Welsh defender has now appeared in each of Liverpool’s last three games, although his disappointing average rating of 6.22 in the Premier League may be a cause for concern for Klopp.

The academy graduate may become an even more important member of the Reds’ first-team in the coming weeks, following the injury to makeshift right-back James Milner in the recent 1-1 draw against Brighton.

That leaves Williams as the only fit right-back at the club, so the Reds will be breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn’t let go during the summer transfer window as this period of Christmas fixtures could well be the making of the 19-year-old.

Fans of the Merseyside club will be hoping that the youngster starts to show the sort of performances he enjoys with Wales with the Reds, with Ryan Giggs in particular full of praise for Williams after a recent performance against Bulgaria.

“I thought Neco, his first start, on the other flank Rhys [Norrington-Davies] with his first start, were outstanding. Neco was brilliant, he’s done really well since he’s come into the team.” (per Sky Sports)

Klopp was also complimentary of the young defender when he made his Premier League debut earlier this year, saying:

“I liked [it] a lot, he’s confident.”“The two situations—yellow card, another foul—he can learn that, that’s absolutely no problem. I like how he played a lot.” (per ThisisAnfield)Therefore, the young talent has earned a lot of praise for his performances in his career thus far and he now looks set for an extended run in the Liverpool first-team, so fans will be hoping to see him show his quality.

Crystal Palace could secure Roy Hodgson his next Andros Townsend before the winter transfer market closes, according to latest reports.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, Palace are tracking former Tottenham Hotspur right winger Marcus Edwards ahead of a potential switch to Selhurst Park.

However, it’s claimed they will face stiff competition from several other Premier League clubs should they try to prise the 22-year-old away from Vitoria de Guimaraes, including Fulham, Southampton and West Ham United, amid interest from Championship clubs Brentford, Bournemouth and Swansea.

The next Townsend?

Edwards has emerged as one of England’s hottest prospects over the past couple of years or so but was deemed surplus to requirements during his time at Spurs.

Which, of course, is something that Townsend knows a thing or two about, having fallen out of favour with the club’s hierarchy after a row with fitness coach Nathan Gardiner.

The diminutive attacking midfielder decided to try his luck elsewhere and left Spurs for Vitoria de Guimaraes last September. Since then, he has established himself as a first-team regular starter under João Henriques and has helped to propel the Conquerors into the top half of the table.

Valued at £11m via Transfermarkt, in 46 games for Os Vimaranenses, Edwards has scored ten goals and supplied eleven assists in all competitions, which is a pretty impressive return.

Once compared to Lionel Messi by his old boss Mauricio Pochettino, the former England U20 international has bagged once and two assists in just nine appearances in Liga NOS so far this season, whilst the speed demon is averaging 1.1 shots and 2.7 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, even Townsend is only managing 1.1 shots and 1.6 dribbles on average per game in the Premier League this season, as per WhoScored.

Hodsgon’s current first-choice wide option on the right wing has only contributed to three goals in the Premier League this season, so could probably do with the extra competition to challenge him to play at an acceptable level.

It’s fair to say that Townsend is not exactly known for his finishing, which WhoScored lists as one of his glaring weaknesses, so Edwards could come in and add another dimension at the same time as causing a distraction for Eberechi Eze to wreak havoc on the left wing.

AND in other news, Parish masterclass: Crystal Palace struck gold by signing Eberechi Eze from Queens Park Rangers…

Ruben Neves is back, ladies and gentleman. If ever there was an opportunity to coin the phrase form is temporary, class is permanent, it was at full-time on Sunday.

As Wolves dug deep to find a late equaliser courtesy of Romain Saiss against Spurs, it was Neves who quietly ran the show in the middle of the park and played like a man possessed.

Nuno Santo has tinkered with his system in recent weeks and deciding on a four-man defence that was battered 4-0 by Liverpool only a few weeks ago was brave.

However, against a Tottenham side possessing the effervescent Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, they were made to look average. Very rarely did they have a chance to score and credit has to go to Wolves’ backline.

Saiss was considerably better than the performance he put in against Burnley but equally, Neves was better than we’ve seen all season. The Portuguese has struggled in 2020/21 and we’ll be the first to admit at FFC that we’ve doubted him.

Of course, it will take more than one performance to really start believing the midfielder’s hype again but against one of the title contenders, this was an excellent display.

That being said, it was a performance that is likely to go under the radar. Neves didn’t do anything too eye-catching but he quietly went about his business in a robust fashion. Throughout his time on the pitch, he won five tackles and five interceptions, making a mighty 11 ball recoveries.

His ability to reclaim possession of the ball was phenomenal and it was down to that reason that Son and Kane rarely had the chance to break. Neves was repeatedly in the way and then used his magnificent passing range to good effect.

The Portugal international completed 82% of his passes and was successful with all three of his crosses. This was a complete performance from someone who looked at ease playing against Spurs.

Neves’ place in the side has been called into question at times this term but this was a performance to silence the doubters. He definitely still has the attributes to thrive in this Wolves team.

Just imagine what he could do alongside a more mobile midfielder.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for 51-cap DEMON who’s “outstanding physically”…

Speaking exclusively to Transfer Tavern, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey discussed Lewis Dunk’s controversial goal during his side’s draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

In the fixture itself, Brighton dominated the first half and deservedly took the lead against the Hammers thanks to Neal Maupay’s scrambled finish just before the break.

However, after David Moyes withdrew Mark Noble and Jarrod Bowen for Manuel Lanzini and Andriy Yarmolenko at the interval, West Ham appeared much more energised in the second half and went on to equalise via Ben Johnson’s 60th-minute strike.

Brighton then thought they had won the fixture with Dunk’s 70th-minute goal, but Tomas Soucek headed powerfully home 12 minutes later to share the spoils at the London Stadium, with the game finishing 2-2.

However, there was a significant amount of controversy surrounding Dunk’s finish, as it appeared as if the ball stuck the Brighton defender on the arm before he slotted past Lukasz Fabianski.

“As football fans, we’d have all agreed that it would have been very harsh to disallow that goal,” Halsey told Transfer Tavern. “However, the new law, ‘Law 12 – Handling the Ball’ says that if an attacking player benefits from an accidental handball and it falls for them and they put it into the back of the net, then the goal should be disallowed.”

He continued: “Now, I think you can clearly say [the ball] hit Dunk in the midriff and then hit him underneath the arm. So, under the new law, it should have been disallowed for accidental handball because it did look like it brushed the underneath his arm.”

Following the game, Moyes called for clarity on the handball rule, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “It definitely hits his arm. Unless you tell me the rules have changed, I think anything hitting the arm and leading to a goal should be chopped off.”

It would appear that the 57-year-old was correct in stating that the goal, which was reviewed by the VAR official, should have been chalked off, as Halsey claims that, under the current rules, even an accidental handball which leads to a goal should not be allowed to stand, and instead, a free-kick should be given to the opposing team.

As such, it would appear that Moyes is right to feel aggrieved with the decision made by the VAR official on Sunday, and perhaps he should have seen his side leave the game with all three points.

Dare we say it? Glasgow Rangers are surely the favourites to win the Scottish Premiership this season after a weekend which saw them move 19 points clear of Celtic.

Steven Gerrard’s side looked to be in trouble early on after Celtic duo Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths came close to scoring on several occasions, only to be denied by the safe hands of veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor, but they roared back after the break thanks to an own goal from Celtic skipper Callum McGregor to win 1-0 and maintain their impressive run of form.

It’s the first time Rangers have been unbeaten in their opening 22 top-flight appearances since the 1967-68 season and we reckon that the best is yet to come.

This wasn’t just the first game to mark the New Year, it clearly means much, much more, and may have set the tone for the rest of 2021.

Whilst the Premiership league leaders may have played three games more than their arch rivals, they have now set themselves up rather nicely for the rest of the domestic campaign.

It will no doubt feel like very familiar territory for Gerrard, after Rangers threw away a huge points advantage to see Celtic confirmed as Scottish champions for the ninth season in a row last year.

This time, however, it’s fair to say that the momentum seems to have already started to shift towards the Govan side of Glasgow.

Against Neil Lennon’s side, Rangers may have been left to feel a little anxious, although they gradually grew into the game as the afternoon wore on. The Gers side that started at Ibrox was mostly comprised of seasoned veterans and established first-team regular starters with a whole host of international caps between them.

Indeed, it feels like Gerrard has finally found his winning formula, as they’ve now gone five games unbeaten since the humiliating defeat at the ands of St. Mirren in the Betfred Cup.

As the old adage goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, a popular witticism which can often be associated with Rangers, as Alfredo Morelos couldn’t resist a cheeky scrap (or two).

There’s no doubt the Scottish Premiership title win will be well deserved if and when it comes, and to do the Old Firm double over Celtic in the same season will surely be the icing on the cake.

AND in other news, Forget McGregor: Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo spared Gerrard’s blushes against Celtic…

Glasgow Rangers are back in action this afternoon, as they travel to take on Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Rangers currently remain unbeaten this campaign, including a 3-1 win at Ibrox against the struggling Steelmen earlier this season, and are now 20 points clear of Celtic at the top of the table.

Steven Gerrard doesn’t usually make too many changes but he may have a trick up his sleeve for the trip to Fir Park.

Here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting XI for Rangers this afternoon, which sees Gerrard make three changes from their Premiership encounter against Aberdeen.

Maybe Jon McLaughlin could come in, but Allan McGregor has been so strong since the start of this season that we reckon Gerrard will stick with his trusted goalkeeper. McGregor will keep his place in goal behind a back four of Calvin Bassey, Filip Helander, Connor Goldson and James Tavernier.

It’s hard to imagine many changes in Gerrard’s side but perhaps the most obvious one after the Aberdeen game would be handing Helander a rare start and Leon Balogun dropping to the bench as some sloppy defending nearly cost them the game. Borna Barisic could also follow suit which will give a chance for Bassey to stake a claim.

Steven Davis has been one of the mainstays for the Gers this season – starting 15 times – but at 36 the Northern Irishman is no spring chicken, so bringing Bongani Zungu into the midfield to join the in-form Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo makes sense. Zungu has made a total of ten appearances for the Gers since Ross Wilson signed him on an initial loan deal from French Ligue 2 side Amiens with the option to buy during the extended summer transfer window.

Therefore, it would only be natural for Gerrard to bring Zungu back and drop Davis to the bench for a rest, and it’s the perfect chance for the Bafana-Bafana midfielder to start in his favoured position at the base of the midfield as he seeks to build his confidence after a tricky start to life at Ibrox.

Upfront, Alfredo Morelos is likely to lead the line, having bagged a brace against Aberdeen, with Ianis Hagi in the right wide position and the ever-reliable Ryan Kent on the left wing.

AND in other news, Rangers simply can’t afford to lose Alfredo Morelos amid Bayern Munich interest…

This has been an awful season for Celtic but things could be set to change in the coming weeks.

That’s if Dermot Desmond finally pulls the trigger and sacks Neil Lennon. A host of replacements have been talked about from Eddie Howe to Jack Ross, but a new name is now on their radar.

On the chalkboard

For Celtic, this has been a campaign completely out of the ordinary. They have had an almighty stronghold over Scottish football in the last decade, winning an impressive nine titles in a row.

Rangers haven’t even been in the equation until this season, but they have bounced back in tremendous fashion. The Hoops are 23 points behind their fierce rivals and are sinking without a trace.

Although Lennon’s management has to be questioned, undoubtedly their biggest problem on the field has been their defence.

With Christopher Jullien out for the next four months, things are only set to get worse for a side who have shipped 11 more goals than Steven Gerrard’s team. That’s despite playing three fewer games in the league.

Their defensive problems extended to Europe as well where they conceded a mighty 19 goals in just six outings. Thus, if they are to get themselves out of this rut, they must improve in that area.

Benitez to arrive?

Fortunately, the Bhoys could be on the verge of bringing a defensively adept coach to Glasgow.

Rafael Benitez has been linked with the Parkhead hot seat over the last few days and if Dermot Desmond is able to hand him the keys, it could be game-changing.

That’s because Benitez instantly revived the fortunes of Newcastle in his last major job in British football.

Although he was held back by the financial constraints of Mike Ashley, his impact was felt almost immediately in the northeast of England.

The Spaniard was brought to Newcastle in March of 2016 with the club staring relegation in the face. They still went down, but Benitez showed that he does have what it takes to turn round a crisis – bringing them back up the year following.

The 60-year-old failed to win his first four opening games but then went on an unbeaten run towards the end of the campaign where the Magpies were unbeaten in six.

In the process, they kept three clean sheets and conceded just once in a 5-1 rout of Tottenham. Considering they’d conceded 56 times in 28 games before his arrival, it spoke volumes about the type of impact Benitez can have.

This type of record has the potential to be huge for Celtic. Of course, they aren’t in a relegation battle but it’s evident that before addressing any other aspects of their play, they must sort out the defence.

Hoops pundit Russell Boyce said last month: “I would go all out for Benitez, I think he would be the absolute masterstroke. He would be ambitious and I genuinely think he would generate the club more money than he would cost them.”

For that, and for the fact he’s improved a disastrous situation before, he’d be ideal for Desmond. That’s without considering his European pedigree too.

AND in other news, Hammond could find Celtic’s new McGeady with swoop for “outstanding” 6-goal gem…