All posts by h716a5.icu

If you cast your minds all the way back to the extended summer transfer window, you will remember Ross Wilson embarked on a big spending spree in a bid to stop Celtic’s ten in a row.

Rangers recorded a £10.35m net spend in the last window, per Transfermarkt, as Wilson brought in the likes of Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe on four-year deals.

They also secured the signing of Bafana-Bafana midfielder Bongani Zungu on an initial loan deal with the option to buy. But it hasn’t quite worked out for him at Ibrox, as he has been limited to mostly substitute appearances from the bench.

Just because a player is a fully-fledged international, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will succeed in the Scottish Premiership; a league that has become known for its physicality.

Rangers also stumbled across former Brighton centre-back Leon Balogun, who has turned out to be a rare gem of a find.

Now, however, they have missed out on the chance to sign a player who was once considered to be the ‘New Gazza’ – 34-cap England international Jack Wilshere.

Rangers had a legitimate interest in signing the free agent after his £100,000-per-week contract was terminated by West Ham on transfer deadline day but a move didn’t materialise and he recently re-joined Bournemouth instead.

There’s no two ways of saying this – this has to be one of Wilson’s biggest regrets in recent memory. Steven Gerrard was on the hunt for a new central midfielder in the summer and he ultimately brought in Zungu as backup for Steven Davis.

However, it’s fair to say that they still arguably lack a technical operator in the midfield who can play second fiddle to Davis, as Zungu has failed to register a single goal or assist so far this season.

Able to play at the centre, on the left or on the right, Wilshere could’ve been exactly that. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola once said: “He’s quality, he’s smart and has the quality on the ball. He has a special quality with the ball, dribbling as a holding-midfielder to attack central defenders — it’s not easy to do that.”

In his last season at Arsenal alone, he took 1.2 shots and made 1.8 key passes per game, via WhoScored, – successfully completing 3.2 dribbles on average.

For context, this would have put him top of the Rangers squad ahead of the likes of Joe Aribo (1.7) and Ryan Kent (1.9). In comparison, Zungu has shockingly only managed 0.1 dribbles per game this season, as per WhoScored.

This sort of attacking threat would’ve been most welcome in the Govan side of Glasgow, as he has shown a willingness to bring the ball out from the back to put his team on the front foot.

AND in other news, Rangers loanee Kai Kennedy showed his class against Hearts…

These Glasgow Rangers fans are absolutely delighted with a video of Andy Gray on beIN Sports on Saturday.

The Gers weren’t in action this weekend, but their fierce city rivals Celtic were in action against St. Mirren. It ended up being a fantastic day for the Ibrox outfit as St. Mirren picked up a surprise 2-1 win. The result means that the 54-time Scottish champions remain 23 points clear at the top of the table (BBC) – their first major trophy in 10 years is edging ever closer.

Andy Gray is a well-known Rangers supporter, and he was live on beIN Sports covering Everton vs Newcastle when the Celtic result came through. While the Toffees, for whom Gray used to play for, lost 2-0, he was delighted with the Bhoys’ struggles.

The Gers supporters loved his reaction, which was tweeted by the channel’s official Twitter account, and they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had so about the reaction from Gray below

“Love you Andy”

Credit: @Babsytherunner

“What a guy”

Credit: @Declan_1872_

“YAAAAAAS Andy!!! Once a Ger ALWAYS a Ger”

Credit: @theruralrider

“You love to see it”

Credit: @neesiam05

“Fantastic. On yerself Andy!”

Credit: @4ladshadadream

“Andy Gray Rangers through & through WATP”

Credit: @jacglp

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this Morelos update.

Despite Bertrand Traore’s best efforts, Aston Villa suffered their first Premier League home defeat since the 3-1 loss to West Ham on Sunday as they came up short against Leicester City.

The 2-1 defeat to Leicester, courtesy of early strikes from James Maddison and Harvey Barnes in the first half, made it two losses from their last four fixtures for Dean Smith’s side.

Villa lacked any real ambition and courage without the injured Jack Grealish, as the statistics make for grim reading. Smith’s side could only muster two shots to Leicester’s seven on target in the entire game, which is a far cry from the eight they managed against Arsenal.

Grealish’s absence would be a big miss for any side, but it is his confidence in front of goal Villa miss the most when he is absent as, for the most part, they looked rather lost for ideas this afternoon without the 25-year-old.

However, although far from perfect, Traore was one of the very few who could have left Villa Park with his head held high.

Although Villa were torn apart by Leicester’s blistering counter-attacks, the Villans still found some of their own joy down the right flank with Traore.

The 55-cap Burkina Faso international had initially been kept rather quiet by a dogged defence but burst into life shortly after the break, latching onto a cross from John McGinn before rifling the ball into the back of the net.

With a SofaScore match rating of 7.1 for his efforts, the right winger ranked the third-highest out of the entire Villa squad, with only Matt Targett and Ahmed Elmohamady scoring higher, yet he was the only true silver lining to take away from the defeat.

No player from either side completed more dribbles successfully than Traore (3), including Targett and Elmohamady, with the 25-year-old showing a willingness to try and push the Villans up the pitch despite being pegged back in their own half for large chunks of the game.

BirminghamLive also graded the former Saints defender a squad-high 7/10 for his display, but it was the goalscorer who should earn the plaudits instead.

Of all his teammates, only Trezeguet could muster the same amount of shots on target as Traore, who accounted for 50% of the team’s total shots on target, as the likes of McGinn and Ollie Watkins struggled to get a foothold in the game.

In terms of the statistics, the winger was performing at a level far above his usual standards, as he averages just 1.2 dribbles per 90 in the Premier League while also winning more ground duels (7) than his season’s average of 2.6 per game, via SofaScore.

He also made two tackles, that being better than his average of 0.6 per game, whilst he wasn’t dribbled past at all, which shows that he worked hard to win the ball back and try to set his side on the front foot.

Traore may have lost possession 16 times – the third-worst of any player on the pitch – but that merely showed his desire to try and spring a reaction after going behind so early in the match.

Smith has come to rely on Grealish as his main creative asset, so he will have been secretly pleased to see the former Chelsea star step up to the plate and impress on the wing in his absence, even despite the 2-1 defeat.

AND in other news, Tyrone Mings was superb for Aston Villa vs Brighton…

There has been a lot of speculation this season as to whether or not Fernandinho will depart Manchester City in the summer when his contract with the club expires but his recent performances, particularly against Arsenal last time out, have shown that he definitely deserves to extend his stay with the Citizens.

The Brazilian has been with Manchester City since signing from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 and has gone on to make 335 appearances since then, contributing 24 goals and 28 assists.

Whilst he is now 35-years-old and Rodri has become the regular first-choice defensive-midfielder in Pep Guardiola’s side in recent seasons, he has regularly shown his quality when called upon, with his performance in the 1-0 win against Arsenal at the Emirates recently emphasising his class.

As per SofaScore, the experienced midfielder would earn a 7.2 match rating for his performance in the win, with the Arsenal midfielders and attackers getting very little change from Fernandinho.

During the game, he would lose possession on just eight occasions, whilst completing three tackles, two interceptions and four clearances, which was the joint-most with John Stones of any City player.

Therefore, it seems clear that Guardiola can still rely on Fernandinho to perform in the top-flight, which is emphasised by the fact that City have lost just one of the games the Brazilian has appeared in this season.

Back in 2017, Guardiola dubbed Fernandinho “the best” defensive-midfielder in the world, so he is clearly held in extremely high regard by the Spanish manager.

Even if Fernandinho’s game time decreases a lot further next season, when he will be 36, it may be worth keeping him at the club in a coaching capacity, so he can continue to work with Rodri and help him become a truly world-class defensive-midfielder.

It was reported earlier this month that he could become a coach in Guardiola’s side on the expiry of his contract, so it certainly seems a possibility, although his performances this season do suggest that he has enough quality to continue featuring in this Manchester City side for another season at least, and therefore sporting director Txiki Begiristain should offer him a new deal to ensure that his future lies with the Citizens.

AND, in other news… “There’s a very good chance” – Exclusive: Pundit makes Haaland to Man City claim

Liverpool could potentially secure a perfect replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum as soon as the summer.

The Dutch maestro has long since been linked with a move to Barcelona, with the Reds reportedly interested in bringing Lyon’s Houssem Aouar to Anfield, should he depart

The Frenchman, rated at £45m, would be the perfect replacement in the Liverpool starting line-up.

His fledgeling reputation has continued to grow in his home country having starred for his boyhood club for the past four seasons.

In 161 appearances for the French giants, Aouar has scored 30 goals and notched the same amount of assists – incredible numbers considering that he is just 22 years of age.

Swapping Wijnaldum for Aouar would be a masterstroke from Klopp with the latter being a far more creative presence in the centre of the park.

When comparing the two players’ statistics, the Lyon man comes out on top with 1.4 key passes per 90 compared to Wijnaldum’s 0.7, whilst he is also taking far more shots – 2.5 per game compared to just one.

The two players’ defensive numbers are also extremely similar. Wijnaldum provides 0.8 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per match, whilst Aouar’s numbers sit at 0.5 and 0.7

This implies that the Lyon man could slot straight into Wijnaldum’s role but that he would add far more creativity and ambition to the Liverpool midfield.

With one of Fabinho or Jordan Henderson acting as a protective shield in front of the defence, and with Thiago Alcantara being deployed alongside him, the addition of Aouar would see Jurgen Klopp assemble a formidable midfield at Anfield.

They might well face considerable competition for his signature, with Arsenal also reportedly holding a long-standing interest in him.

However, Michael Edwards should try everything he can to get Aouar through the door and avoid a repeat situation of the Nabil Fekir fiasco.

In more news, read why we believe Jurgen Klopp should unleash Fabinho against Chelsea on Thursday…

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ young star Max Kilman has recently been linked with a move away from Molineux.

Kilman out?

Football Insider recently revealed that the Black Country club were strongly considering offloading the 23-year-old next season, whether it be a permanent transfer or loan move.

This comes after Kilman put pen to paper on a new five-year deal back in October with his contract not due to expire until 2025.

Kilman is adored by his teammates at the club, particularly by skipper Conor Coady who told the club’s official website that he was “outstanding” who is “brilliant to have around.”

Responding to a fan on Twitter, Spiers revealed that manager Nuno Espirito Santo was exploring the option of a possible season-long loan spell at the start of the season, but added it could be too late for such a move now.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

The jury is still out as far as Kilman is concerned, even though the 2020/21 campaign is the most first-team football he has played so far in one season.

The Englishman is yet to score a goal for Wolves but has provided one assist, averaged 1.3 tackles and 2.2 clearances (Whoscored).

Whether his performances will force the Wolves hierarchy to reconsider keeping him at the club, remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Kilman’s future seems to be out of his hands at this point.

In other news, Wolves star who is ‘hard to stop’ on brink of setback amid exit rumours – Report.

Tottenham Hotspur signing Matt Doherty for £15 million in the summer transfer window looked to be a bargain at the time but after a questionable first few months with the North London club, some Lilywhites fans may have been quick to write the defender off.

The Republic of Ireland international found himself behind Serge Aurier in the pecking order under Jose Mourinho, with the Ivory Coast international clearly benefitting from the added competition at right-back.

Whilst the number of fixtures Spurs have had to play this season has meant that Doherty hasn’t been short of game time, Aurier has often been preferred in the Premier League, whereas the Irish defender has featured more regularly in cup competitions, having made 11 starts in the Premier League, averaging a solid, if unspectacular, 6.72 rating.

Aurier, meanwhile, has made 14 starts in the top-flight, averaging an impressive 7.03 rating, and perhaps would have made more if it wasn’t for the minor injuries that have kept him out on several occasions this season.

However, just as Doherty’s arrival has encouraged an upturn in form from Aurier, the Ivorian’s recent injury problems have seemingly been a factor in the 29-year-old’s improved performances at right-back.

After a disappointing performance in the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in January, Doherty has bounced back and recorded impressive displays in recent weeks, with five out of six of his last performances in the Premier League seeing him rated above a 7/10 from WhoScored.

Although his assist for Harry Kane’s wonder goal against Crystal Palace on Sunday night was reminiscent of Tom Carroll’s assist for Gareth Bale in a 3-2 win against West Ham in 2013, it shows that Doherty is starting to get forward a lot more and replicate some of the form he regularly produced at Wolves.

As per SofaScore, against Roy Hodgson’s side, the right-back would register a 95% pass accuracy and impressively contribute three key passes, which shows that he is starting to become much more of an attacking threat in Mourinho’s side.

Considering he is now 29, it was something of a gamble for Levy to sign him on a four-year deal, but considering his recent performances, it looks like Spurs may actually have a real quality right-back on their hands, so that gamble looks to have paid off and it’s giving Mourinho a nice headache when choosing who to select between him and Aurier.

And, in other news… Forget Bale and Kane: Gem who had 99 touches had the best game of his Spurs career vs Palace

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Kevin Phillips thinks that Southampton will stay in the Premier League, but has warned his former side not to get complacent.

Saints topped the Premier League in November, but since beating Liverpool in their first game of 2021, have endured a horrible run of results – with their defeat to South Coast rivals Brighton on Sunday their 10th in their previous 12 matches.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men appeared to be keeping at arm’s length from the relegation-zone following victory over Sheffield United earlier this month, but Fulham’s win at Anfield the same weekend kept the Saints in touch with the bottom-three.

Southampton are currently seven points above Scott Parker’s team, although with the St Mary’s outfit in FA Cup action this weekend, that gap could be cut to just four by the time they return to Premier League action after the international break, with Fulham hosting Leeds and Brighton and Newcastle facing off.

Despite his concerns, Phillips doesn’t believe his former side will get relegated, but has warned Southampton to be wary of a “very good” Fulham outfit.

He told Football FanCast: “I did an interview a couple of weeks ago, and I said that I can’t see them getting dragged in, but football changes so quickly – the emergence of how Fulham are playing and that result up at Anfield would have done them the world of good.

“Will they get sucked in? I’m going to put my head on the block and say no, I think they’re always liable to pick up a result when you’re least expecting it.

“But saying that, they can’t be complacent. They need to get some more points on the board, and the nearer we get to the end of the season the closer you are to the bottom of that league, and I know I’ve been there with Southampton being relegated, the pressure builds and players start not performing and making mistakes. Fulham are a very good side.”

Manchester City’s quadruple hopes are still alive and kicking after Pep Guardiola’s side secured a spot at Wembley with a 2-0 win against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Ilkay Gundogan finally broke the home side’s resistance with 86 minutes on the clock as he headed home the rebound after Aymeric Laporte’s shot came off the bar, before Kevin De Bruyne added a late second after running through and smashing a left-footed shot past Joao Virginia in the Everton goal.

Although there were plenty of impressive performances from City as they dominated proceedings against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, the standout performer was arguably Fernandinho in central midfield.

The 35-year-old is still going strong in Guardiola’s side and has shown himself to be a more than reliable cover for Rodri in recent months, which is ironic as the Spaniard was brought in as his long-term replacement.

As per SofaScore, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man would earn an impressive 7.6 rating for his display, with only Oleksandr Zinchenko rated higher from both sides, with the Ukrainian rated a 7.7/10 for his performance.

During the game, the experienced midfielder completed 63 of his 73 passes, which was the most of any City midfielder, whilst both of his long ball attempts also found a City shirt, per SofaScore.

Fernandinho, who reportedly earns £150,000 per week at City, was regularly the winner when in duels with Everton players, as he impressively won 13 of the 20 duels he contested during the game, which again was far more than City’s other midfielders Gundogan and Bernardo Silva combined, per SofaScore.

However, the most impressive and perhaps surprising part of the Brazilian’s performance were his driving runs from midfield, as he completed all four of his dribbles during his time on the pitch, one of which led to City’s best chance before the opening goal as he cut back to Raheem Sterling in the area after a lung-busting run into the area.

Considering he has averaged 0.4 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season, it was almost unprecedented how willing he was to run with the ball against Everton, which emphasises just how good he was.

Therefore, you could definitely argue that the Brazilian was the star for City in the FA Cup and he once again showed just how good he can be when selected by Guardiola.

And, in other news… Txiki can repeat Gundogan masterclass with City swoop for £7.65m-rated beast

Peterborough Director of Football Barry Fry has exclusively told Football FanCast that Ralph Hasenhuttl is fortunate to have avoided getting the sack at Southampton.

The Austrian appeared on the verge of losing his job following Southampton’s forgettable 9-0 defeat to Leicester back in October 2019, but ended up turning things around and led the St Mary’s outfit to an impressive 11th-place finish.

Hasenhuttl’s Saints side then started this Premier League season in outstanding form, and topped the table in November after beating Newcastle.

But Southampton have endured a wretched run of form since mid-December, beating only rock-bottom Sheffield United, and although his side are in the FA Cup semi-finals, they’re just seven points above the relegation-zone and suffered another 9-0 defeat at Manchester United back in January, part of a six-match winless run.

And Fry told Football FanCast that Hasenhuttl losing his job still isn’t ruled out.

“In the present day of football I would say yeah, nobody survives that [two 9-0s]. There’s been a lot of talk about him going, but then he had a magnificent run and Southampton are playing superb football.

“He’s had one or two key injuries, but they’re a club Southampton in the Premier League that have got a good team if they pick their best XI. But they haven’t got a big squad and haven’t got strength in depth.

“Can I see them getting rid of him? Possibly.”