All posts by z3u9t.icu

Former Manchester City Michael Ball has waxed lyrical over the ability of Phil Foden in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast after some mesmerising displays for the club in recent weeks.

Foden has developed into one of City’s most important players and has been a regular under Pep Guardiola this season.

The 20-year-old is still rotated, much like the rest of the Catalan’s squad, but he has made 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and registering nine assists.

That includes a goal in each Champions League quarter-final tie against Borussia Dortmund, along with strikes against Chelsea and Liverpool in the league.

Now firmly a big-game player, Foden, who is valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, could also play a central role for England this summer in the rearranged European Championships.

And Ball has been wowed by the youngster’s displays, as he kicks his game up a notch, with City now on the verge of winning the Premier League title and 90 minutes away from the Champions League final, after beating PSG 2-1 in the first leg of their last-four encounter.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Ball said: “Foden just looks unbelievable right now, he’s on fire, teams are putting two or three players around him.

“He’s just going about them the way he is, he’s just got that awareness about him, and he’s playing alongside top, top players and that does help.”

Sunderland had to rely on a last-gasp winner from Everton loanee Nathan Broadhead in order to win 1-0 and take all three points against Gillingham.

It was a game that Alex Neil’s team completely dominated at the Stadium of Light, recording 80% possession and 25 shots on goal, but they were pretty wasteful at times going forward, and The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who their three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were on the day.

Could these men be looking over their shoulders regarding their place in the XI?

Corry Evans

Admittedly joint with Anthony Patterson in terms of overall rating (6.9), Evans ranks in third here given the goalkeeper’s clean sheet.

The captain lost out on five of his duels in total, and also failed to record a single shot on target, dribble, clearance, interception or key pass, while he was guilty of giving the ball away on six separate occasions.

Luke O’Nien

With a 6.7 rating, O’Nien was the Wearside club’s second-worst performer.

The central midfield player was subbed off for Elliot Embleton in the 68th minute, after making little impact going forward.

He was guilty of missing a big chance, and was off target with both of his efforts on goal, while he also made no dribbles or key passes, and lost possession a total of 17 times.

Ross Stewart

It certainly was not Stewart’s best game for the Black Cats, as he recorded just a 6.0 rating.

The striker was perhaps starved of quality service at times, but he did miss one big chance, and was off target with both of his shots.

He also made no successful dribbles or key passes, and lost the ball six times in total, as Broadhead came on to save the day.

In other news, find out what big SAFC injury blow has now emerged here!

West Ham boss David Moyes has revealed that they are dealing with further injuries ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash at Arsenal…

What’s the latest?

The Irons make the short trip to the Emirates Stadium later this evening, where they will be looking to bounce back from the weekend’s disappointing 0-0 draw with Burnley, while their place inside the top four is now at risk, especially if the Gunners pick up three points.

And speaking ahead of kick-off, the Hammers boss has claimed that he has a few more injuries.

“I think we’ve got some people who have got injuries,” he told reporters during his pre-game press conference (via the club’s official website).

Of course, he’s not going to say exactly who is doubtful because that would give Mikel Arteta a massive advantage, though Said Benrahma and Manuel Lanzini were the two players to make way in the second half. It remains to be seen whether that was tactical or due to knocks.

Meanwhile, central defender Craig Dawson did miss last week’s final Europa League group game with a problem but he was involved again on Sunday.

Injuries piling up

Indeed, if Moyes is without further first-team players tonight, then he is having a bit of a nightmare with the bulk of his defensive line on the treatment table.

Both of his first-choice centre-backs, Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna, are expected to miss the majority – if not all of – the rest of the 2021/22 season, whilst full-back duo Aaron Cresswell, who has been absent since colliding with the post against Man City, and Ben Johnson have been missing in recent games.

That’s an entire back four absent for Moyes, so if he is claiming that he has further players with injuries, then he must not only be worried but also quite angry as he seemingly cannot catch a break right now.

Ryan Fredericks is another name that has been missing from the matchday squad for several weeks now, only adding to his defensive woes and that ultimately gives the Scot a substantial lack of options ahead of tonight’s encounter.

This will be the Hammers’ fifth game inside two weeks, with another two matches to play before their Boxing Day clash with Southampton at the London Stadium.

The hectic festive fixture list is doing the manager no favours whatsoever, so you can understand if he was a little anxious over the coming days and weeks.

AND in other news, Moyes could land another Tomas Soucek in West Ham swoop for “extraordinary” 6 ft 5 colossus…

Aston Villa gem Cameron Archer bagged a stunning hat-trick as the Midlands outfit defeated Burton Albion in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night.

The 19-year-old was in ruthless form at the Pirelli Stadium, delivering an absolute goalscoring masterclass in front of first-team manager Dean Smith, his assistant Craig Shakespeare and sporting director Johan Lange.

Having gone two goals down, it was the young forward who kickstarted the comeback ten minutes before the break.

The Walsall-born teenager fired a low-driven effort past the home goalkeeper before doubling his tally to put Villa into the lead just after the hour mark. He beat the Brewers’ backline with a nicely-timed run before slamming the ball into the net once again.

He completed his hat-trick with less than 20 minutes to go, it was yet another clinical and impressive finish from the striker.

BirminghamLive reporter Ashley Preece described Archer’s display as “absolutely sensational” in his post-match ratings column.

“It was finishing of the highest order with Archer being applauded off by Smith, Shakespeare, Danks and Lange in the stands. Archer was levels above here, whacking home his trio past Balcombe in the Burton net,” he added. “Villa need to get his contract sorted now. His development since the summer has been staggering. The boy’s some finisher.”

It merely continues his electric form in 2021/22, having been given a proper opportunity for the senior side in the Carabao Cup, where he bagged another hat-trick against lowly Barrow and a magnificent header against the Champions of Europe, Chelsea.

The Claret and Blue Army have witnessed many a young talent break through the system and become regular first-team stars over the years, with the likes of Gareth Barry and Jack Grealish being prime examples.

But it’s been a while since a proper frontman went onto become a hero at Villa Park – perhaps the last being Gabby Agbonlahor. Whilst Archer and the former Lions star aren’t like-for-like, the young prospect could well be the man to break the trend.

Archer has “genuine pace” but is also “stocky”, according to Preece, so he can combine sheer speed and physicality to dominate opposing defences for years to come, and just like Agbonlahor, he had to go out on loan to the lower divisions before getting his chance.

The 19-year-old marksman enjoyed a successful stint at local side Solihull Moors, where his former boss Jimmy Shan waxed lyrical about his ability.

“He’s a centre-forward. His movement is excellent but it’s his pace that makes him such a threat,” he said. “He was rapid, let me tell you. He doesn’t look quick but he just pulls away from defenders with ease. He’s a bright and intelligent guy and very inquisitive.”

Also described as a “major talent” by Guardian journalist John Brewin, Villa boss Smith could genuinely unearth the next big thing in the Midlands by unleashing Archer more frequently.

The teenage sensation could be the first homegrown talent since Agbonlahor to go onto greatness in the senior side.

AND in other news, “Sources confirmed…”: Gregg Evans drops Aston Villa update that’ll really worry fans…

Steve Bruce may have to call on Jacob Murphy to feature at right-back when Newcastle United visit relegation rivals West Bromwich Albion after an injury to Emil Krafth.

The Toon boss revealed on Friday that Krafth will have to undergo late assessments on a “nasty” shin injury ahead of Sunday’s trip to The Hawthorns, having been forced off with the issue during last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Krafth underwent scans at the start of the week to assess the severity of his injury alongside Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin, who have been ruled out until April with knee and groin problems respectively, and is now a potential doubt to face Sam Allardyce’s Baggies.

The Wolves match marked Krafth’s seventh start of the Premier League season and third in a row, having enjoyed his longest run in the side all term after falling out of favour following back-to-back appearances in October.

Outings against Burnley and Manchester United earlier in the campaign had proven to be the Sweden international’s only successive top-flight appearances until Newcastle visited Old Trafford following a 2-0 loss at Chelsea last month.

However, Krafth’s run in the side could come to an end this weekend, with Bruce unsure on his availability while speaking to the media on Friday.

“Krafth has got a nasty shin injury so we’ll see how they are today and tomorrow,” the Toon boss said.

Being without Krafth on Sunday could leave Bruce without a recognised right-back as he continues to await the return of Javier Manquillo, with the Spaniard only recently taking up light training sessions following his ankle injury sustained against Southampton in February.

Should Krafth be ruled unavailable for Sunday’s trip to West Brom, Murphy may emerge as Newcastle’s stand-in option after being called on in the role by Bruce previously this season.

Murphy has been given four of his eight Premier League starts during the 2020/21 campaign in a full-back role, while making the remaining seven of his appearances from the bench.

His performance at right-back against Wolves in October returned the 26-year-old’s best WhoScored match rating of the season so far at 7.74, while penning his second and third best grades against Leeds United (7.08) and Everton (7.01) in the role as well.

Those performances return an average 7.27 rating, compared to his overall seasonal score of 6.52.

The £25,000-per-week outcast, who has only played 40 minutes of an available 540 in the top-flight since 30 January, also averages a higher number of passes blocked (1.3) and successful dribbles (1.6) per league game compared to Krafth (0.2 and 0.2 respectively) and Manquillo (0.4 and 0 respectively), per WhoScored.

He may not have featured in the role recently, but should carry enough stock to warrant consideration for a long-awaited recall if Krafth is not passed fit in time.

AND in other news, some Newcastle players want a “very good organiser” lauded by those he’s worked with to replace Steve Bruce…

David Moyes faces a potential goalkeeper crisis with Lukasz Fabianski and Darren Randolph both injury concerns ahead of West Ham hosting Leeds United in the Premier League on Monday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites visit the London Stadium to round out the weekend’s action, after the Irons landed a nine-day break between fixtures since losing 2-1 at Manchester City last time out.

The Hammers were strong for much of the Etihad Stadium affair but fell to goals from centre-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones, while a wait for action has seen the east London natives slip to seventh in the standings but with at least one game in hand on each of the sides above them bar Everton.

The Toffees visit fourth-placed Chelsea earlier on Monday night with a view to moving inside the Champions League place previously occupied by West Ham. So, as Moyes strives to keep West Ham in the top-four race, here’s a potential line-up that the Scot could field against Leeds…

Republic of Ireland international Randolph opened the action as West Ham lost 2-1 to Manchester City last time out after Fabianski was ruled unfit the day before, having developed an elbow injury following an accidental training ground collision.

Unfortunately for the Irons, Randolph suffered a minor recurrence of a recent thigh injury at the Etihad that has required further treatment, but Moyes was hopeful that at least one of his shot-stoppers will be passed fit ahead of tonight’s clash with Leeds.

“I think we’re pretty much as we were,” Moyes said on Friday while discussing his side’s fitness. “Lukasz Fabianski hasn’t trained yet [this week], but he’s got a chance of playing.

“Darren Randolph’s got a little bit of a problem with his hip. He’s doing a bit of work in the gym. We’ve got a little bit of a consideration with both of our goalkeepers, but I’m hoping that I’ll have one of them fit for the game on Monday night.”

Should both be deemed fit, Fabianski will be expected to take over duties between the sticks, having kept eight clean sheets in 24 Premier League games this season to Randolph’s one shut out in two top-flight outings to date.

Ben Johnson endured a challenging afternoon against Manchester City having returned to the starting line-up to occupy the left-back spot in Moyes’ five-man defence, and will be expected to fall to the bench at home to Leeds.

The versatile defender taking a seat on the sidelines will, in turn, see a return to the four-man defence of Aaron Cresswell, Craig Dawson, Issa Diop and Vladimir Coufal as West Ham continue to await the return of Angelo Ogbonna from a high ankle sprain.

Declan Rice and eight-goal top-scorer Tomas Soucek will anchor the midfield to continue their run of playing every minute of Premier League football this season.

Jesse Lingard has played all but eight of an available 450 minutes since joining West Ham on loan from Manchester United in January, and will strive to continue his run of scoring or assisting a goal in his last three outings in claret and blue.

The Red Devils-owned playmaker will be expected to feature more centrally against Leeds than he did against Manchester City, having offered little defensive support on the left-wing at the Etihad.

Lingard moving back into the central position would allow Moyes to recall £23,000-per-week playmaker Said Benrahma, who has not started either of the Irons’ last three league games despite penning his fifth assist of the season across all competitions in last month’s 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

Pablo Fornals will be expected to maintain his recent run in the starting line-up after returning at home to Tottenham Hotspur and impressing against both Jose Mourinho’s side and Manchester City.

Michail Antonio will hope to add his eighth goal of the Premier League campaign at home to Leeds after scoring in each of his last two outings.

AND in other news, West Ham are monitoring a nine-goal 21-year-old but face a huge hurdle to strike a deal…

Reported Manchester United target Declan Rice is not for sale this summer, according to Sky Sports News.

The lowdown

The Telegraph’s Northern Football Correspondent James Ducker reported earlier this month that United would target West Ham midfielder Rice this summer, with incoming manager Erik ten Hag set to be given access to a transfer ‘war chest’.

Irons manager David Moyes said recently that the Englishman was worth £150million at a ‘minimum’.

That would be the biggest transfer in Premier League history, smashing the £105.75milllion record set by Jack Grealish’s move to Manchester City.

Rice is under contract until the summer of 2024, but West Ham crucially have the option to extend that deal by a further year. He’s believed to have turn down three offers of an extension, one of which was worth around £200,000 per week (via The Guardian).

The latest

Live on air on Friday evening, presenter Mike Wedderburn relayed an update on Rice.

While West Ham won’t countenance a sale this summer, their stance could change at the end of next season, he told Sky.

“Our chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol has spoken to West Ham today. West Ham have said this: they will not sell Declan Rice this summer, even if he doesn’t sign a new contract.

“The Hammers would be prepared to sell Rice in the summer of 2023 if he doesn’t sign a new contract.”

The verdict

This presents Man. United with an interesting dilemma. They can either bide their time for Rice, who will only be 24 years old come the 2023 window. If he’s their no. 1 target, they may be patient.

Or they may decide that they simply have to furnish Ten Hag with a marquee midfield addition this summer, particularly with Paul Pogba set to leave on a free transfer.

They’ve been linked with Rice’s England team-mate, Kalvin Phillips, who is available for a fee of £60million (according to The I’s Mark Douglas). This cheaper, swifter deal could prove to be more desirable.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano drops a key update concerning Ten Hag. 

If you thought things couldn’t worse for Sheffield United, their defeat to Everton just about summed things up.

The Blades held proceedings at 0-0 for the vast majority of the game but let a crucial point in their bid for survival slip away late on.

With ten minutes to go, Iceland international Gylfi Sigurdsson popped up for the Toffees to seal all three points for the visitors.

It was a gut-wrenching blow that piled even further pressure on Chris Wilder and his side. Sheffield United still only have a point to their name and are seemingly fading away without a trace.

It was another tough night for the South Yorkshire side which wasn’t helped by the withdrawal of David McGoldrick in the second half. He may not have been his usual bullish self but he received very little help from George Baldock on the right-hand side.

The wing-back was impressive during his first season in the Premier League but has unfortunately seen his performance levels drop in 2020/21. This was a display that typified it, losing possession a colossal 16 times as he struggled to ever really get his foot on the ball properly.

Baldock registered a meagre pass success rate of 62% and was bullied by a rampant Ben Godfrey, someone who surpassed the Sheffield United defender on multiple occasions. In total, the Blades wing-back was beaten for pace three times so it’s no surprise to see that he completed just a solitary tackle.

To emphasise how poor the 27-year-old’s night was, he lost a hefty 69% of his duels, winning only one of eight contested on the ground. Baldock was slightly better in the air – winning three of the five duels attempted but overall, it was a disappointing outing.

It was a performance that will have left Wilder frustrated, especially having conceded such a late goal. Perhaps it’s time for Jayden Bogle to come into the side permanently?

The former Derby defender found the back of the net against Brighton and looked assured going forward on his only league appearance of the season. It’s safe to say that Baldock lacked those qualities on Boxing Day.

Time will tell how patient Wilder is.

AND in other news, EXCLUSIVE: Dean Windass drops bombshell over Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United future…

Manchester United could deny Manchester City the title this weekend as they take on Liverpool at Old Trafford.

The game then is important for two reasons; first to technically keep the title race alive heading into the final four matches of the season whilst, of course, the Red Devils will be extremely keen to overcome their great rivals in the form of Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.

In order to do that, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer simply has to include forward Mason Greenwood from the start.

Whilst the United striker has not been as prolific this season having struck just ten goals in all competitions compared to 17 last term, he has found his best form at just the right time for the Red Devils.

Since the start of March, the 19-year-old has netted six goals and also came off the bench last time out to score against AS Roma in the UEFA Europa League.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news-from-old-trafford-fofana-solskjaer-van-de-beek-wwodward” title=”The latest Man United transfer rumours and news from Old Trafford…”]

Four of those goals have come in the league, meaning Greenwood has plundered more strikes in his last four Premier League appearances than he managed in his previous 27 appearances in the competition.

It is that sheer goalscoring threat that would make him a hugely attractive option to return to the starting line-up against Liverpool, especially alongside the in-form Edinson Cavani.

With the Reds having struggled defensively this season – conceding on average 0.3 goals per game more this year than in 2019/20 – the 19-year-old is likely to be a huge threat at Old Trafford.

Even his teammates are aware of the talent that Greenwood possesses, with Scott McTominay labelling him as “top drawer”.

He would certainly be deserving of that title should he turn in another impressive performance against Liverpool but only if he is afforded a start from Solskjaer.

AND in more news, find out why Solskjaer will already be delighted with a summer transfer decision made by the Red Devils…

A source from Tottenham Hotspur has dropped a big transfer update involving a wonderkid at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Bobby Clark impresses

Bobby Clark, who is the son of former Magpies ace Lee Clark, who made more than 150 senior appearances at St James’ Park, has been impressing at a young age.

Back in November 2019, the Daily Mail reported that a whole host of top clubs in European football, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Tottenham, were interested in signing the then 14-year-old.

The Latest: Tottenham offered Clark

As per Football Insider, according to a Spurs source, the north London club have been offered the chance to sign Bobby Clark, who is now 16 years of age.

He has already been in the media spotlight after breaking records on Tyneside, as he became the youngest-ever player to represent the Magpies at under-18 level at the tender age of just 14 years and 206 days.

Newcastle are now expected to make a decision over the young talent, who has also represented England at under-16 level.

The Verdict: Newcastle must clear pathway

Given how talented Clark appears to be, Newcastle should be looking to clear a pathway for the midfielder so that he sees a future for himself at the Tyneside club.

The Magpies should also be particularly wary of letting one of their brightest prospects go to their Premier League rivals before ever giving him a first team chance.

In other news, find out which Lampard-likened ace Newcastle want to sign!