All posts by z3u9t.icu

Everton must bring in some fresh talent to strengthen their bid to finish in that elusive seventh position to bring European football back to Goodison Park.

So far, their ambition to get that is failing after a poor Christmas and New Year period compared to the Toffees’ usual high standards.

Many players have lost form and an issue that has been problematic for some time now is that Everton don’t have a proper goal-scoring striker.

Cenk Tosun has just not had the impact many thought he would and Richarlison has been the main source of goals even though he isn’t normally a frontman.

So, to end their wait for a good striker, Everton must look to bring in Willian Jose this window.

Jose, (who is valued at £22.5 million on Transfermarkt) could definitely transpire to be a brilliant signing for Everton, adding significant strength to their arsenal and fire-power in the final third.

The Brazilian forward has scored seven league goals this season and is improving game-by-game to provide more of a presence for his current team Real Sociedad.

Everton have been without a talisman ever since Romelu Lukaku left the club and that is an issue the club must look to solve during this transfer window.

The Toffees have previously been linked (via Mundo Deportivo) with the 27-year-old – understandably so as well. Last season, Willian Jose scored 20 times in 40 outings and the season before was slightly lower with 14.

He really is reaching his peak capacity in the game and could be a brilliant addition for Everton whilst he is in this kind of goal-scoring mood.

Do you agree that Everton should sign Willian Jose… Let us know!

This forms part of our Transfer Watch series, where The Transfer Tavern analyse whether a club should sign a transfer target based on a recent performance.

The Lowdown: Newcastle lurking for Osimhen

It has been widely reported that Newcastle will now look to battle a number of big European clubs to try and sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli in the summer.

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However, St James’ Park is not thought to be his preferred destination in the Premier League, and with the likes of top-four chasers Tottenham Hotspur reportedly joining the race, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) may face an uphill battle to try and bring the Nigeria striker to Tyneside.

The Latest: Great individual performance from Osimhen

Even though Napoli lost 3-2 at home to Fiorentina in Serie A on Sunday afternoon, Osimhen put in a great individual performance, scoring one goal and supplying an assist as he ranked as their best player on SofaScore.

The Nigeria international won five of his individual duels, bettered only by two of his team-mates, while he also completed one successful dribble and a team-high three key passes (SofaScore).

The Verdict: Sign him

Given Callum Wilson’s injury problems this season, and the fact that Chris Wood has only managed two goals since arriving from Burnley in the January transfer window, the Magpies should be looking to bring in an elite forward to complete their attack for next term.

Described as a ‘perfect’ striker by journalist Aaron West after Sunday’s display, Osimhen would bring Newcastle’s attack to another level. After all, he has now scored 16 goals and provided five assists in total so far this season (Transfermarkt).

Also, he is still only 23 years of age, so he coukd spearhead Eddie Howe’s side for many years to come.

In other news, NUFC are now eyeing this shock transfer

Celtic midfielder James Forrest will miss his side’s vital Scottish Premiership showdown with Rangers through injury, Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Huge clash at Ibrox

The Hoops face their biggest game of the season on Sunday afternoon, making the trip to face their biggest rivals at Ibrox.

Celtic currently lead the way by three points at the top of the table, so Postecoglou will know how priceless victory would be this weekend, even though avoiding defeat remains the key.

The league leaders will have to make do without an old head, however, with an injury blow emerging in the build-up on Friday.

The Latest: Forrest ruled out

Speaking to the media on Friday, Postecoglou confirmed that Forrest would miss out, having failed to recover from an injury picked up last month:

“In terms of injuries, everyone has got through the international window well, the only one who is not available for the weekend is James Forrest. He still has a bit of a niggle from his last game, so he’s the one that’s ruled out.”

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The Verdict: Experience will be missed

In truth, Forrest hasn’t been the influential player he once was this season, only managing eight starts in the league, with a knee injury keeping him sidelined in the early months of the campaign.

That being said, the Scot’s vast experience in this fixture could have made him a priceless figure on Sunday, with the occasion unlikely to get the better of him.

That nous will be missed at Ibrox – he still has four goals this season and has won 18 out of 25 total appearances against Rangers – but the hope is that Celtic still have enough quality to pull through and show that they are the champions in waiting.

In other news, a pundit has dropped a key Celtic injury claim. Read more here.

If Leeds United fans were keeping an eye on the academy during the mid 2000s, then seeing James Tavernier’s name on the books may not be too much of a shock to the system reading it now.

The full-back was a part of the club’s youth system from the age of nine after being picked up from local side Farsley Celtic.

The Bradford-born ace would then spend six seasons at Leeds, predominantly playing in a central midfield role, before eventually making the switch to Tyneside to join Newcastle for nothing.

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While Tavernier has since gone to be a star north of the border at Rangers, he admitted that growing up, his biggest Leeds icon was a certain Lucas Radebe.

He revealed: “My idol would be Lucas Radebe. The captain of Leeds, ‘The chief’ as he is known at Leeds. He was a great leader back in the glory days of Leeds and I just remembered him being such a figure at the club.”

But while Radebe may be his inspiration, Tavernier has carved out a real reputation as being one of the most productive full-backs in Europe, boasting an impressive goal record that even puts to shame someone like Trent Alexander-Arnold.

As per Transfermarkt, the Englishman has bagged himself a career total of 86 goals at senior level, with 77 of them coming with the Gers.

What perhaps makes that record all the more impressive in Tavernier’s case, is that he has also stepped up with a whopping 105 assists for the Ibrox side, while it has only come in 335 games – essentially, even as just a full-back, Tavernier averages more than one goal contribution every other game.

It’s been no surprise then that the defender has earned some high praise, including from former Gers boss and current Aston Villa Steven Gerrard who spoke glowingly about his consistency levels.

He said: “When we turned up we knew we had the best right back in the league, and that’s stayed the same. His consistency has been outrageous really. He’s gotten stronger and stronger as the games go on.

“He’s led his team to three European runs in succession, so he deserves a lot of credit. The good thing is he’s available all the time, he puts himself out there, and the numbers for a full-back, no matter what league or what level you’re playing at, are outstanding.”

All in all, the man with a whopping 204 career goal contributions to his name despite predominantly playing at right-back has surely got Leeds wondering what could have been.

AND in other news – Sold for under £1m, now a PL winner: Leeds suffered embarrassment with “special” star

Leeds reporter Conor McGilligan has reacted to suggestions of the Whites bringing in Jesse Lingard this summer.  

The Lowdown: Lingard’s situation

Lingard looks set to leave Manchester United at the end of June when his Old Trafford contract expires.

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The versatile attacker, who has contributed to 56 goals in 229 games for Leeds’ rivals, is currently exploring and considering his options.

The 29-year-old has recently been linked with Newcastle, West Ham and Roma, but a claim has now been made over a potential move to Elland Road.

The Latest: McGilligan reacts

LeedsLive shared a story on Thursday morning, looking at five possible summer targets for Victor Orta on free transfers.

One of those is Lingard, who the report describes as ‘perfect’ in Jesse Marsch’s 4-2-2-2 system.

LeedsLive posted their suggestion on Twitter regarding Lingard, to which McGilligan responded:

“Could be a decent move!”

The Verdict: Decent indeed…

Lingard showed with West Ham last season that he can be a major asset in the Premier League, contributing to 14 goals in just 16 appearances for the Hammers.

Labelled as ‘sensational’ following his loan spell at the London Stadium, the Englishman can play anywhere in attack, versatility which could be handy under Marsch.

The Leeds boss doesn’t actually have a natural attacking midfielder to choose from at this moment in time, so if he wants to put his stamp on the side using a 4-2-2-2 system, signings like Lingard could be shrewd moves.

You’d expect that he’ll have plenty of offers on the table over the coming months, though, but it could still possibly be one to watch.

In other news: ‘They’re going to…’ – Insider now drops Orta and Marsch’s plans after Leeds transfer meeting. 

While Aston Villa have been busy getting some new players to join the club during the current January transfer window, it seems as though they could have a challenge on their hands to keep one of their current squad members at Villa Park before the end of the month.

What’s the latest?

According to West Ham United insider @ExWHUemployee on his Patreon page (via Birmingham Live) Villa defender Kortney Hause is apparently one of a number of potential centre-back targets for the east London club.

Hause originally joined Villa on a loan deal from fellow Premier League side Wolves in the 2019 January transfer window before the Villans secured him on a permanent basis in the following summer in a deal worth a reported fee of £3m.

Overall, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, has made 54 appearances for Steven Gerrard’s team across all competitions, scoring four goals in the process, showing what a danger he can be in front of goal at times.

Gerrard would be livid

Given how Villa only have three centre-backs in their squad at the moment including Hause after Axel Tuanzebe had his loan spell brought to an end earlier this month, it wouldn’t be wise for Johan Lange to allow Hause to leave the Midlands club this month.

That’s especially when you consider that Ezri Konsa picked up an injury in Villa’s recent 2-2 draw against Manchester United.

While a move to West Ham could be tempting for Hause given how David Moyes’ side are on the hunt to secure a Champions League place this season, Villa have their own aspirations of securing European football in the near future.

Therefore, it could persuade the defender to not only stay at Villa this month but also to sign a new deal with them before his current one expires at the end of the campaign.

Moving forward, with the current situation at Villa the way it is in terms of their centre-back options, it would be nothing short of a disaster if Gerrard were to see Hause make a move to West Ham this month, as it would surely leave him livid, specifically if they don’t then manage to bring in any new defensive options before the January window closes.

In other news: “Keen to..” – Ashley Preece drops behind-scenes AVFC update that’ll have fans sweating – opinion

Leeds United moved five points clear of the relegation zone with a hard-fought point at Crystal Palace on Monday evening.

Jesse Marsch’s side were far from their best down at Selhurst Park but few teams have taken anything away from the Eagles on their own patch this season, including the likes of league leaders Manchester City (0-0), Arsenal (3-0 loss) and Spurs (3-0 loss).

It was a pretty disappointing display from the Yorkshire giants, making that point all the more valuable and not to mention the fact that Premier League safety is still firmly in their grasp.

The Whites mustered up only two shots on target, in comparison to Palace’s seven, also managing nine fewer shots inside the penalty area, so you could even argue that they were lucky to return north with a point.

Dan James, Jack Harrison and Raphinha all struggled to make their mark in the attack, though there was one shining light for the American head coach in skipper Liam Cooper, who was an absolute rock at the back.

As per SofaScore, he earned the highest rating of any outfield player for Leeds (7.6) and it’s easy to see why as he won absolutely everything up against their former transfer targets Jean-Philippe Mateta and Conor Gallagher, as well as Wilfried Zaha and co too.

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The 6 foot 2 colossus, 30, won a whopping nine of his 11 duels (81%), both in their air and on the ground, and also registered a match-high seven clearances, two tackles, one interception and one block.

It seems no one was getting past the Scotland international on the day and without his leader-like presence in the backline, the Premier League’s second-worst defence may well have crumbled from the Eagles’ pressure, particularly in the second half where they managed a 56% share of the ball.

Elsewhere, Cooper was among the most active players, registering the third-highest number of touches (69), which was more than Kalvin Phillips and any of Leeds’ attack, whilst one of his 34 accurate passes resulted in a key chance created – the same as James and Rodrigo, and more than Raphinha.

Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Graham Smyth was certainly left impressed by the skipper’s display as he wrote in his post-match ratings column: ‘Solid with few mistakes, lots of full-blooded defending and aerial battles.’

Whilst young goalkeeper Illan Meslier will take plenty of the plaudits for keeping out Palace’s seven attempts on goal, it was the colossal captain in front of him that helped thwart the home side to stop there being way more chances on the night.

As such, the £35k-per-week Cooper was Marsch’s big shining light down in south-east London.

AND in other news, Victor Orta could finally replace Pablo Hernandez in summer swoop for “gorgeous” 24 G/A “top talent”…

Everton are having a season of nightmares with manager troubles that have seen the search for a sixth manager in six years begin amid poor performances in the Premier League leading to the side falling to 16th in the table, just four points off the relegation zone, without a single win in their last five league games.

What’s the word?

Journalist and Everton insider, Alan Myers, has given an update on the current managerial situation at Goodison Park, when asked by a fan whether Duncan Ferguson could become the full-time manager of the side.

Myers gave an update on the progress in his Twitter replies, writing:

“My understanding is nobody has made any decisions yet on the way forward, I think the search process continues running alongside what may happen in the next two or three games.”

Sky Sports have reported several potential suitors for the job including Derby County manager, Wayne Rooney and out of work ex-Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, who are reportedly both favourites in the search for the next Everton manager.

Fans surely frustrated

Myers’ update will leave fans further frustrated as the pressure mounts on the Everton board to find the right manager to lead the club out of the despairing season they have faced so far.

Everton lost their fourth game in their last five on Saturday against Aston Villa, and fan fury boiled over as former player Lucas Digne secured an assist for the goal that led to Villa’s victory at Goodison Park.

That led to one fan throwing a bottle at the former Everton defender, and supporters took their anger further by approaching Bill Kenwright on his way out of the stadium, with videos surfacing on social media of Toffees fans demanding answers from the chairman.

Farhad Moshiri needs to work fast in finding solutions for the problems Everton currently face, with Ferguson under pressure to take something from the glimmer of hope their two games in hand has given them over Norwich City that they have gained from postponements, and at this stage every game has become a must-win for the Toffees.

Ferguson seems like a temporary solution and thus, fans will surely grow all the more frustrated the longer the wait goes on to find a new permanent head coach.

In other news: Wayne Rooney hints at interest in becoming Everton manager

Transfer insider Dean Jones believes that a Celtic swoop for Ahmed Kendouci would be the ‘icing on the cake’ for their January transfer window, as per GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Transfer request submitted

Kendouci has been linked with a move to Parkhead this month, despite Ange Postecoglou already adding to his midfield ranks with the signings of Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Matt O’Riley.

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The 22-year-old, who has scored 18 goals for Algerian club ES Setif, has even handed in a transfer request following links of a move to Celtic Park.

The Hoops’ crosstown rivals Rangers have also been name-checked with an interest in Kendouci, who can play as a central, attacking or left midfielder.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Transfer insider Jones was talking to GiveMeSport regarding a possible late January move to Celtic for Kendouci.

He believes that a late move for Kendouci could continue the ‘positive’ steps taken under Postecoglou and labelled as potential late deal as the ‘icing on the cake’, saying:

“They don’t want to lose everything they’ve built, in terms of momentum, up to this point.

“Since Ange came in, almost everything has been a positive. I think this would be the icing on the cake if they could get someone of his quality through the door.”

The Verdict: Not vital

Even though another new face would be exciting for Hoops supporters heading into a crunch period of fixtures, not signing Kendouci this month wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Celtic are now well-stocked in the middle of the park following their January business and still have David Turnbull to come back into the frame from injury.

However, it seems as if the Hoops are keen on the versatile midfielder, and getting one up on their Glasgow rivals could be nice ahead of the Old Firm derby next week, so it may be one to keep an eye on ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.

In other news: Kieran Devlin has claimed that another Premier League club are now ‘in for’ this Celtic gem

Arsenal’s Rob Holding will be on Newcastle’s January centre-back shortlist, journalist Pete O’Rourke has told Give Me Sport. 

The lowdown

A recent report from The Daily Mail suggested that the Magpies want to sign two centre-backs this month, while The Athletic’s Chris Waugh said over the weekend that the club were hopeful of adding both Lille’s Sven Botman and Seville’s Diego Carlos to their ranks.

Newcastle have the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League for goals conceded and the outright worst for expected goals against.

A potential alternative to the aforementioned duo, especially with Botman seemingly now unattainable, Holding has two-and-a-half years remaining on his Arsenal contract and is valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke is certain that the Gunners defender is one of the names under consideration at St James’ Park.

He stated: “Rob Holding at Arsenal. I’m sure he’s on Newcastle’s list.”

The verdict

Holding has found Premier League minutes hard to come by this season as he battles with the likes of Gabriel and Ben White. He has only started three times in the top flight in 2021/22, with most of his game-time coming in the domestic cups.

He may duly be open to leaving the Emirates Stadium and, intriguingly, data from FBRef shows he’s stylistically similar to Botman, with a high volume of progressive passes and blocks.

He also earned praise last month for reporting alleged racist abuse of some Arsenal team-mates during one Premier League match, with a statement from the anti-racism group Kick It Out saying that “his actions are a great example of taking a stand and being an ally to his team-mates” (The Mirror).

Is he actually good enough to address Newcastle’s defensive woes, though?

If scouts were watching him on Sunday, they may be far from convinced. Holding produced what Football FanCast editor Matt Dawson called a ‘royal stinker’ as Arsenal were shocked by Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, while he ranks a lowly 18th in WhoScored’s performance rankings among Mikel Arteta’s squad this season.

Ultimately, Newcastle can’t afford to take any chances on these crucial signings, especially with their Premier League status on the line beyond the midway point of the season.

In other news, Chris Waugh has said that PIF want to upgrade on this £10m Benitez signing