All posts by z3u9t.icu

A journalist has dropped a quite big claim on Rafa Benitez and the proposed Newcastle United takeover consortium.

Writing in her latest piece for The Guardian, Louise Taylor has claimed that the former manager at the St. James’ Park faithful appears to be the consortium’s ‘preferred candidate’ should they complete a takeover in the North East, as he already has inside knowledge of the Tyneside club and is currently out of management and available for work.

Newcastle should hire Benitez if possible

If the Magpies do end up getting taken over by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group, then Benitez could well be the ideal candidate to potentially replace Steve Bruce.

The former Liverpool and Chelsea manager may feel as if he has unfinished business at the Toon, and if he was given the financial backing in the transfer market, then it may be seen as an attractive project for him to return.

Benitez guided NUFC to promotion back to the Premier League from the EFL Championship and managed to keep them in the top flight for two consecutive terms after that, boasting no fewer than 62 wins from 146 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt), a 42.5% win ratio.

Nonetheless, it would be very interesting to see who the potential new owners would go for as their manager of they were to take over, or whether they would even stick with Bruce.

In other news, find out what takeover ‘advantage’ Newcastle have here!

Some Sunderland fans were far from happy with the performance of Josh Scowen despite their 1-0 victory over Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

The Black Cats are currently enjoying a strong run as they attempt to earn promotion to the Championship. They are currently third in the League One table and are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in the division (Sky Sports). They are just three points off the top of the table with two games in hand, too (BBC).

Aiden O’Brien scored the only goal of the game to secure another three points for the Wearside outfit, but many Sunderland fans were not best pleased with Scowen. He completed only 41% of his passes and lost possession a huge 24 times in the middle of the park – the second-most of any Black Cats player (SofaScore). Quite frankly, he must do better if Lee Johnson’s men are to continue their promotion charge.

These supporters took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the 27-year-old’s “dreadful” display at the Memorial Stadium.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Scowen

“really poor, NO service coming in for Wyke, is Winesta playing today? Scowen, Gooch and Power have been dreadful and has O’Nien finally be found out as a back up CB.”

Credit: @gazk_mackem

“Never in doubt, love an ugly win. However Scowen is starting to infuriate me!”

Credit: @CLQ_W1LKS

“What do Gooch and Scowen bring to the team . Both are performing poorly in my opinion.”

Credit: @safctim

“How does Scowen even make it on there, awful”

Credit: @RyanC2408

“Scowen may press well but he doesn’t retain the ball well off and gives away needless free kicks , 6 at best.”

Credit: @Keiith_C_1971

“Get Scowen off now eeeeey”

Credit: @tomdawson97

In other news, many Sunderland fans are delighted with this injury update.

Celtic’s hunt to bring a new manager to the Bhoys dugout already feels like a tired and drawn-out affair.

Parkhead witnessed Neil Lennon leave the job a number of weeks ago but we are still no closer to discovering who his replacement could be.

What’s the word?

Eddie Howe is the undoubted favourite for the role at the minute. He was in advanced talks with the Hoops hierarchy but things have stalled for the time being.

That’s because of a number of reasons. Howe doesn’t want to return to management until the summer while issues are lingering over the backroom staff he wants to bring with him.

One source suggests that Celtic have said no to his requests, one of which could be to bring Richard Hughes to the club instead of Fergal Harkin.

However, a new reason has come to light. Speaking to Transfer Tavern, Peterborough director of football Barry Fry said: “He’ll have to do a lot of work, because Celtic on and off the field are in a little bit of disarray at the minute. You know what I mean?”

Fry continued: “There’s a lot of players unhappy. I think there’ll be a lot of comings and goings at Celtic in the summer and I’m not sure that’s Eddie Howe’s thing. I think he’ll want a Premier League job to be quite honest.”

Fry has plenty of contacts within the game, mainly in the Premier League and English football, so his words should be taken with more than a pinch of salt.

More twists to come

With Howe waiting until the summer to take up a new job, perhaps he’ll look to see the impact Dominic McKay has when he arrives at the club.

McKay is due to replace Peter Lawwell as Celtic’s CEO and his main task when he walks through the door will be to address the playing squad.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-edouard-desmond” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

This could lead to plenty of twists in terms of staff upheaval. Of course, both Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer are linked with exits while they need to address the future of Karamoko Dembele too.

If McKay can get some of those players so stay then it may turn out that Howe does want to come to Glasgow. After all, a Celtic team without Edouard and Ajer would be even tougher to manage.

A move to the Premier League seems safer for the 43-year-old but if he really wants to test and prove himself, Celtic is the place to do that.

Lucien Favre has emerged as an alternative for the former Cherries boss and could be more suited to the current situation at Paradise.

He took over at Borussia Dortmund in 2018 when the club were rather lost in a transitional stage of their history. When he first took on the role in Germany, he said: “Training Borussia Dortmund is an appealing task that I am taking on gladly. We will now build a new team together.”

The Swiss coach didn’t win a trophy with Dortmund but he did reignite a lost spark; winning 61.82% of his matches before being given the boot.

That was a big improvement on the man who managed the Bundesliga outfit before him; Peter Stoger. He won just 41.67% of his games so Favre was clearly adept at rebuilding a team.

Bearing in mind Fry’s comments, perhaps the biggest twist of them all could occur in the coming weeks; forgetting about Howe and moving on to other targets.

AND in other news, Forget Dembele: Celtic could save millions by unleashing rarely-seen “tricky” 18 y/o…

Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa’s performances have not gone unnoticed as he is attracting interest from some big sides and the club are hoping they can tie him down to a new deal.

The latest on Konsa

According to The Mirror, Villa are already talking to the defender about a new contract to stop the possibility of interested sides Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

A new deal is needed

Konsa has been a vital asset for the club this season, playing in 23 Premier League games, and establishing himself as Tyrone Mings’ partner at the back.

The Athletic also recently reported that Konsa is on Gareth Southgate’s radar ahead of a possible England call-up, which shows how good his performances have been. Therefore it is understandable to see why the club are desperate to fend off interest with a new contract.

The defender has been praised by fans and pundits alike, with Kevin Phillips saying: “He’s been at the heart of everything Villa have done this season. He’s been excellent with Mings, they haven’t been breached too much this year.”

The £10.8m valued ace is still only 23 years-old, so has a bright future ahead, and therefore the club need to make sure they can keep him at Villa Park for as long as possible so that they can build and progress into a consistent top half team.

In other news, fans reacted to this update on Targett!

According to The Liverpool Echo’s Phil Kirkbride, Everton right-back Jonjoe Kenny is heading to Celtic on a loan deal.

What’s the story?

With Jeremie Frimpong having sealed his transfer move to Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen, Neil Lennon has been left without a natural at right-back, with Anthony Ralston clearly not in favour.

Now, Kirkbride has claimed that Kenny could be the man Lennon has turned to solve his problem, and that with the Toffees unable to agree a permanent deal with fellow Premier League side Burnley, the 23-year-old looks set to head north of the border to join Celtic for the rest of the season.

Lennon will be buzzing

With the Hoops’ main rivals for Kenny’s signature out of the way, Celtic appear to have been handed a major boost in their bid to land the £6.3m-rated Kenny, and thus solve their crisis at right-back.

Kristoffer Ajer, predominantly a centre-half, has had to fill in there, and whilst he hasn’t exactly put a foot wrong, it certainly isn’t a long-term solution for Lennon.

In Kenny however, Celtic will be getting a man described as an “outstanding talent”, and one that has built up some top-level experience by playing for Bundesliga side Schalke last season – he played 31 times in the German top flight for the Gelsenkirchen outfit.

A loan deal just helps tide things over for Lennon until the summer, when they can focus on bringing some more permanent additions to the squad. For now, needs must, and Kenny’s signing would represent a solid capture.

Leeds United narrowly lost to Wolves last Friday night, but there was a decision late on in the game which left former Premier League referee Mark Halsey shocked.

Halsey ‘amazed’ following referee decision

Wolves defender Conor Coady headed the ball out for a Leeds corner in the dying stages of the match. However, he was knocked to the ground and referee David Coote stopped the play to allow Coady to be treated for a head injury. Due to the fact he blew the whistle just before it left the pitch for a corner, he then proceeded to give the ball to the home side rather than allow Leeds the chance to attack.

Halsey discussed the incident with This Is Futbol and said: “When I was watching (the) game I thought, ‘they’ll restart play’ because he’s blown the whistle before the ball gone out of play, and the Leeds player is going to get the ball.

“So I was pretty sure he was going to restart play by giving the ball to Leeds or getting Wolves to kick it back to them. But when he dropped the ball to the goalkeeper, I was just, I was amazed because Leeds had the ball and you know, they looked like they were gonna score at any time, every attack. They had many chances.”

Leeds are right to feel aggrieved

Leeds are flying in relation to their fellow promoted teams this season, but the margins in the middle of the table are so fine. Therefore, to be denied a late corner when 1-0 down is massively frustrating and that extra point, had they equalised, could make a difference to league position come the end of the campaign.

Hopefully there will be a little more common sense used when Coote is next in this situation as although he was right to be conscious of a possible head injury, it should not have cost Marcelo Bielsa’s side the chance to attack one last time.

In other news, Leeds are interested in a European prospect!

Writing for football.london, as shared on Twitter, reliable Lilywhites correspondent Alasdair Gold has shed light on a ‘huge’ Tottenham transfer decision Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho have to make if they wish to have a busy summer window – with exits ‘needed’ to raise funds for signings. 

Amid the financial difficulties at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, coming as their state of the art £1.2 billion ground has sat largely unused over the last 12 months due to coronavirus, Gold has shed light on Spurs’ upcoming summer transfer window and the implications surrounding it.

Tottenham could be set for ‘huge’ transfer decision

In an article, the journalist has explained what he understands regarding any business Tottenham will do at the end of the season, explaining that any new signings will need to be funded by potential outgoings.

Harry Kane, who has been a star man for Tottenham this season, is at the centre of this dilemma – with Gold shedding light on the ‘huge’ transfer decision Levy and Mourinho have to make.

He says that what comes in the next few months is ‘likely to define’ whether the 27-year-old will ‘bankroll’ a summer spending spree, coming as clubs with financial power may look on Kane with ‘envious eyes’.

Due to the financial dilemma in north London, Tottenham face a big transfer call over the star striker and whether or not his exit would leave too big a hole – with Mourinho potentially wishing to reinforce his team for the 2021/2022 campaign.

Transfer Tavern take

Time will tell whether Kane makes way to assist Levy and Mourinho’s transfer budget for the summer, but Gold claims it will be a massive decision for Tottenham as the window looms.

Any new acquisitions will need to be funded off the back of exit deals, with Tottenham having to decide whether they stick or twist with Kane.

This will be determined over the next few months and how the Lilywhites finish 2020/2021 and it will certainly be an interesting development to watch over.

In other news: Tottenham are planning to unleash this ace over the last few months of the seasons, find out more here.

Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope has beaten some of the Premier League’s most illustrious names to the GIVEMESPORT Fans’ Player of the Month award for December.

In a poll run by fan engagement experts Snack Media, the England international faced Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and Manchester United talisman Bruno Fernandes, who both notched up seven Premier League goal involvements apiece last month. 

However, it was Pope’s performances at the other end of the pitch that resonated more with the English top flight’s audience, as a return of three clean sheets saw him narrowly pip Salah and Fernandes to first place.

In the first of five votes carried out over seven days via Snack’s digital and social networks, the 6 foot 3 shot-stopper won the award by just 1%, leaving Fernandes in second and Salah in third.

The full list of contenders from the final shortlist polled as follows:

– Nick Pope (Burnley) – 22%

– Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) – 21%

– Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 20%

– Tomáš Souček (West Ham United) – 18%

– James Justin (Leicester City) – 12%

– Anwar El Ghazi (Aston Villa) – 7%

The Championship vote opens at 11am on Monday 11th January. To vote go to: https://www.footballfancast.com/fan-awards

Wolves’ recruitment over the last few seasons has been second-to-none – signing the likes of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho for a combined £20m is smart, smart business.

Although it hasn’t always gone their way…

What was the word?

In the last January transfer window, the Midlands outfit were linked with a move for wing wizard Jarrod Bowen whilst he was ripping it up for Hull City in the Championship.

The Athletic’s Tim Spiers reported at the time: “They are admirers of Jarrod Bowen at Hull City but the forward would cost £20 million.”

He would go onto sign for Premier League rivals West Ham for that exact fee, so the decision to turn their nose up at that sort of price is now certainly looking like a massive mistake.

Perhaps a surprise considering the Old Gold had been monitoring him ever since his breakthrough at non-league Hereford United.

One that got away?

The 23-year-old somewhat made a decent impact in his maiden half-season in east London, providing one goal and four assists as the Hammers narrowly escaped relegation.

Now settled, Bowen has become one of David Moyes’ most lethal options in attack and Wolves know all too well about that having been truly stung by him earlier this season.

Per WhoScored, the winger has scored three goals in nine appearances whilst also averaging 2.2 shots, 0.9 dribbles and 0.8 crosses per game.

Two of those strikes came against Nuno’s men, where he rated out as SofaScore’s Man of the Match (8.2). He absolutely gave Conor Coady (5.9) and Romain Saiss (6.2) nightmares.

Football.London graded his display a 9/10 and said: “[Bowen] took his goal superbly, composing himself before curling past Rui Patricio to give the Hammers the lead.Right place at the right time to tap home his second of the game. Should have had a hat trick.”

Bowen is now valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, an increase of 25% on what the Irons paid for him in January – and that’s finally starting to look like an absolute steal.

His former Tigers boss Grant McCann regularly waxed lyrical about his potential during his time in Yorkshire, dubbing the maestro an “exceptional talent” who is often “unplayable.”

Without Diogo Jota, Nuno could’ve done with a player like Bowen in the side. He would’ve taken some pressure off of Raul Jimenez in terms of goalscoring.

AND in other news, Wolves can find a Conor Coady successor in “exceptional” teen sensation…

Lee Johnson and Kristjaan Speakman have a big job on their hands in January.

It will be up to the duo to negotiate Sunderland through a transfer window which could make or break their promotion bid. So, who should they target?

What’s the word?

Johnson has made it clear that the Mackems need players capable of stretching the play in January.

As a result, we can assume that he will be in the market to sign either some strikers or wingers who can beat their man and score goals.

Where will they target? Well, if William Storey manages to secure a takeover and buy Sunderland from Stewart Donald then he’s already admitted he’ll look at Premier League clubs for loans.

Consequently, The Sunderland Echo have pieced together a list of targets the Black Cats could sign. One player is Liverpool attacker Liam Millar.

In their report, they stated that he may represent an attractive option for the Black Cats and it’s certainly a viable move.

After all, the 21-year-old was linked with the north-east side in 2018 when Jack Ross was in charge at the Stadium of Light. Phil Parkinson also reportedly wanted to bring Millar to Sunderland last summer (Goal, via the 72) so he’s clearly someone the club have been keeping a close eye on.

Bye-bye Grigg

If Sunderland want to sign rapid players in January then Millar certainly fits that definition to perfection.

The youngster has scored five goals in just 14 outings for Liverpool U23s this season through a mixture of playing up top and on the left-wing.

Speaking about the forward in 2018, This is Anfield writer Jack Lusby said: “His finishing is stellar, and his movement on and off the ball make him an excellent option up front or out wide. He can beat a man with ease and has a variety of finishes in his armoury.”

Lusby added: “He’s clearly a big talent.”

That, in a nutshell, is exactly what Johnson requires in January. He’s suggested that he wants a forward capable of getting in behind but that’s a rather damning assessment on Will Grigg.

As far as Sunderland’s current strikers go, he is probably the most nimble. However, he’s failed to score this season and has just eight goals to his name since signing in January 2019.

If Millar does indeed sign on the dotted line next month, it would only be detrimental for Grigg. It doesn’t feel like he’ll ever make it at Sunderland.

Millar, on the other hand, could easily make a difference to Johnson’s team.

AND in other news, Sunderland can fix Johnson’s big issue with swoop for “really lively” beast compared to Andy Cole…