All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United have set funds aside to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s playing squad in one key area…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who dropped a fresh claim to supporters on Twitter this week. When asked about potential names or positions the club were looking at, he replied:

“There was 15m set aside for a midfielder …”

Short and sweet, but this should come as no surprise as the Yorkshire giants have been on the lookout for a new option in the engine room for quite some time and they failed to find someone during the summer.

Some of the names linked to Leeds in recent months include out-of-contract Reading playmaker John Swift, Huddersfield Town dynamo Lewis O’Brien and Marseille sensation Boubacar Kamara.

Bielsa needs it

The fact that United have been trying to sign a new midfielder for the last few windows speaks volumes and that addition is needed now more than ever.

Bielsa’s side have struggled for form and consistency throughout the 2021/22 campaign, as highlighted by results this year already. After beating Burnley in the Premier League in a six-pointer to move eight points clear of the relegation zone, the Whites were defeated by West Ham United in the FA Cup.

Injuries have certainly played their part, with as many as 11 players expected to be absent ahead of another clash against the Irons, this time back in the league.

One of those is England international Kalvin Phillips, who plays an integral role as Bielsa’s lynchpin in defensive midfield – capable of spraying the ball around the pitch, he is often the start of many attack, whilst only two players manage more tackles per game than him, proving to be a brick wall in front of the backline at times.

Then there are players like Mateusz Klich – long a mainstay under the Argentine head coach – who have been underperforming and holding the team back.

That is exactly why a new midfielder is paramount to their chances of improvement this season.

Although, the fact that Nixon claims some money was set aside for one is certainly encouraging and if you’re Bielsa, you’ve got to be encouraged by what you’re hearing from the Elland Road hierarchy.

He will surely be buzzing by this heading into the remainder of the window. It’s now on Victor Orta and co to deliver for their manager.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Meslier: Leeds lightweight who lost 86% duels badly let Bielsa down vs West Ham…

With just three wins under their belt from 15 Premier League games so far this season, Leeds United have only scored 15 goals in that time.

Taking this into account, it seems as though the club are keen on bringing a new attacking talent to Elland Road in an effort to bring an extra spark to their forward line.

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet El Nacional (via MOT Leeds News), Leeds are apparently preparing a firm offer to sign Real Madrid attacker Mariano Diaz.

Since making his senior debut for the Spanish giants back in August 2016, the 28-year-old – who is currently valued at £9m by Transfermarkt – has made just 63 senior appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing three assists in the process.

With fellow Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema scoring 17 goals in 20 appearances so far this season, it’s easy to see why Diaz, who has been described as a “real goalscorer” in the past by former Lyon assistant coach Gerald Baticle, has found regular game-time hard to come by this season, making just one appearance in La Liga.

Taking all of this into account, and with Victor Orta apparently clashing with a Leeds supporter in the stands at Elland Road during their 2-2 draw against Brentford, he would surely get this disgruntled fan and any other unhappy Leeds supporter back onside if he manages to secure a deal for Diaz in January.

If this were to happen and Diaz was then able to score a decent number of goals for Bielsa’s side, he could completely turn around Leeds’ underwhelming first half of the season and finish it on a strong note away from any danger of being in a potential relegation battle.

Also, with Patrick Bamford having returned from injury and back amongst the goals with his late equaliser against Brentford, his presence alongside Diaz’s potential arrival in January could be just the tonic for Leeds going forward.

Looking ahead to January, if the Whites are indeed preparing a bid to sign Diaz, this could be a great piece of business from the Yorkshire club and give Bielsa an extra attacking option who has the pedigree of scoring goals in a top team alongside world class players at Real Madrid.

In other news – Time to shine: Bielsa must now unleash “superb” £17k-p/w prodigy after big Leeds blow

With four Premier League games played and three won under Antonio Conte, Tottenham Hotspur have had a fairly successful run of results under the Italian.

In addition to this, Spurs have only conceded one goal in those four league games since Conte came in after conceding 16 in their opening 10 league games of the season under Nuno Espirito Santo’s short-lived guidance.

Even though they’ve not been leaking many goals under Conte, it seems as though the 52-year-old and Tottenham’s current sporting director Fabio Paratici have their eyes on signing a player in the upcoming January transfer window who could strengthen the Lilywhites’ defence even further.

According to Corriere di Puglia e Lucania (via Sport Witness) Spurs are eyeing up a move to sign Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic next month and are apparently “ready to enter in negotiations” for the player.

With current Spurs defender Cristian Romero sustaining a serious hamstring injury playing for Argentina in last month’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil and not expected to be available again until some point in the new year, the signing of Milenkovic could be a masterstroke from Paratici, adding real quality depth and ensuring they are well-stocked upon Romero’s return.

Since joining Fiorentina back in the 2017 summer transfer window from FK Partizan Belgrade, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £22.5m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 149 appearances for the Serie A side across all competitions, chipping in with 13 goals and one assist along the way.

Having drawn comparisons in the past to former Manchester United centre-back Nemanja Vidic by former Serbia coach Mladen Krstajic, Milenkovic has shown this season how much of a defensive unit he is.

In the 14 Serie A games he’s appeared in for Fiorentina so far this season, Milenkovic has managed to rack up an average of 2.9 clearances per game, 1.9 tackles per game and 1.3 interceptions as well as winning 66% of the duels he’s been involved in.

To put those numbers into perspective, Romero boasts 2.4 clearances, 2.3 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per Premier League outing, suggesting the Serbia star is right up there alongside Spurs’ summer signing.

With all of this in mind, it could be a great move for Spurs to add Milenkovic to their squad in January to add a bit more strength and depth to Conte’s squad at the back, which would be useful considering Spurs have played with three at the back with two wing-backs in the games that Conte has been in charge.

In other news: Harry Kane linked with another move away

Some Manchester United supporters are fuming after the club’s former player Steve Bruce was linked with taking interim charge of the Red Devils.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left his role as United manager on Sunday morning following the demoralising 4-1 defeat at the hands of Watford in the Premier League.

The result leaves the Red Devils a whopping 12 points behind current leaders Chelsea, with their title chances effectively over after just 12 games.

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The search for Solskjaer’s successor is now on, with some reports claiming that an interim manager could take charge until the end of the season.

According to The Athletic, Bruce is keen on taking the role, having been sacked as Newcastle United manager last month. The 60-year-old enjoyed a great playing career with the Red Devils, making 414 appearances and winning three Premier League titles during a glorious period in the 1990s.

However, his 23-year managerial career has not yielded a single trophy, while the highest Premier League finish he has achieved as a coach is 10th. He was also deeply unpopular on Tyneside, with many Newcsstle supporters lamenting his conservative tactical approach.

United fans furious at Bruce rumour

After the managerial links came to light, these United fans reacted angrily to the rumours about Bruce potentially taking the Old Trafford hot seat.

“Please tell me the Steve Bruce thing is a really bad joke”

Credit: @littleman1979

“Oh please”

Credit: @M_acBrown

“What sort of things be this. Ah”

Credit: @ZanuteySages

“I love Steve, he is genuinely a wonderful football guy but I absolutely don’t want this”

Credit: @MOVIESTVMAD

“No. Just no. I don’t care if it’s Carrick during the interim. Not another legend coming in to ‘save the club'”

Credit: @markziegs

“Goodbye. I’m going back to bed”

Credit: @JasonofSuburbia

In other news, some United fans have flocked to another managerial claim. Read more here.

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst is set to go in search of a third straight victory in charge of the Ibrox giants tonight.

The Gers face Hibernian away from home in the Scottish Premiership with the chance to potentially increase their four-point lead at the top of the table.

He has won his first two matches in charge of the club after taking over from Steven Gerrard, beating Sparta Prague 2-0 and Livingston 3-1.

Passenger

Despite the positive results, one player who has struggled in the Dutchman’s opening games is English winger Ryan Kent.

Van Bronckhorst must brutally axe him from the starting XI after two poor performances out on the left wing for the Gers. He left a lot to be desired against Sparta and Livingston, failing to live up to his own high standards for the club.

Earlier this year, Leon Balogun called him a wizard and explained how difficult he is to defend against. He said:

“Who causes me real problems in training every now and then is Ryan Kent. He’s a wing wizard, my god, he’s a problem.

“There was this one goal, I think against Hamilton where he just turns the defender inside out, dropping the shoulder, dropping it again, and the guy doesn’t know where he is, so we have a few of them.”

Last season, Kent produced ten goals and nine assists in the Premiership. This shows that he has the quality to be a consistent attacking threat for Rangers, but his recent performances have been well off the mark in comparison to that.

Per SofaScore, he lost 12 of his 17 duels and completed one of five crosses against Livingston. This comes after he lost seven of his 11 duels against Sparta and failed to complete a single ball into the area. He ended both games without a single goal or assist to his name, showing that he is struggling to match his previous heights.

Therefore, the £18k-per-week gem must be brutally axed from the XI by van Bronckhorst against Hibernian. It would be a surprising call from the manager but he may benefit from a game on the bench to take him out of the spotlight and offer him the chance to focus on getting himself back to being 100%.

AND in other news, Gio could unearth Goldson 2.0 in “superb” Rangers teen who is “going to be massive”…

Southampton fans were far from happy with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s quotes following the Saints’ exit at the hands of Chelsea in the League Cup.

The Saints travelled to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday to face the Blues in the fourth round of the League Cup. The hosts went ahead when Kai Havertz headed in, but Che Adams was able to take the game to penalties. In the end, the European champions progressed, but it was a display full of positives from the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit.

Hasenhuttl spoke to the media after the match, and was clearly happy with what his side produced against the current Premier League leaders. He claimed that his side were the “Pride of London” because of their showing – even though they were unable to progress to the next round.

The comments were shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Hasenhuttl comments below

“Play the same team against Watford. I dare you”

Credit: @TheBig_Borowski

“We lost Ralph”

Credit: @Eliassfc2

“Class! We didn’t win… again.”

Credit: @OllieSoton

“Going out of the cup is amazing. Sack him immediately”

Credit: @cleetus_van

“Yeh, I’d still rather we had played crap and scabbed a 1-0 win. Really had enough of heroic failure”

Credit: @rmbyres

“Still lost though.”

Credit: @SouthernMan7

In other news, Southampton fans were far from happy with this man against Chelsea.

West Ham are reportedly set to tussle with Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur for the signing of in-form Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas.

The Lowdown: Hammers’ superb form continues

The Hammers are in a wonderful place at the moment, excelling under David Moyes and sitting fourth in the Premier League.

Sunday’s 4-1 way away to Aston Villa was another exceptional result, and on current form, there is no reason why they shouldn’t dream of a top-four finish.

Rumoured incoming investment from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky could lead to more funds being available for new signings, too, only strengthening West Ham’s current position.

The Latest: De Tomas to east London?

According to Fichajes, the Hammers are interested in signing De Tomas, with the 27-year-old in devastating form so far this season, scoring six goals in 11 La Liga games – the same tally as Michail Antonio in the Premier League.

The £10.8m-rated attacker is also reportedly wanted by Leeds and Tottenham, so it may not be straightforward for West Ham to sign him.

The Verdict: Added firepower

There is little to fault about West Ham currently, but a few injuries to key players could potentially expose a lack of squad depth as the season progresses. That is especially the case at centre-forward, where there is no natural senior backup to the in-form Antonio.

Signing De Tomas could help eradicate that issue, with the Spaniard bringing a near-guaranteed goal threat – 34 goals in 64 appearances for Espanyol – and providing competition for the Jamaica international.

He is in the peak years of his career at the moment, and while Leeds and Spurs are good clubs in their own right, West Ham are currently outperforming both of those on the pitch, and possibly off it too assuming that the rumoured Czech investment comes in.

In other news, West Ham have also been linked with a move for a La Liga midfielder. Find out who it is here.

Many Wolves fans have been left slamming the display of Francisco Trincao in their game at home to Newcastle United in the Premier League.

The Portugal international missed a big chance to score in the first half that would have put the Midlands club 2-0 up after Hwang Hee-chan had given them the lead, but they ended up conceding an equaliser to Jeff Hendrick moments later to make the score 1-1 at half-time.

Other than that opportunity, he struggled to really get into the game, and seemed to be bullied off of the ball a little bit too easily at times, with some members of the Molineux faithful noting his physicality.

Before the match this afternoon, Trincao had only managed one goal and no assists all season (Transfermarkt), and it seems as if he is struggling to adapt to English football.

Wolves fans on Trincao display

These WWFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he is ‘awful’:

“Trincao way off the pace Adama on at half-time surely”

Credit: @CaritaMejor

“Trincao horror show”

Credit: @lewis_sharp17

“Trincao is awful.”

Credit: @JBabbacombe

“Trincao just isn’t very good”

Credit: @FourFourTwoPls

“Trincao might not be tough enough for the Premier League.”

Credit: @Ashley19345299

“Get Trincao off the pitch”

Credit: @MichaelKlump44

In other news, find out what Pedro Neto footage has Wanderers buzzing here!

Tottenham Hotspur have been named as a potential destination for Mauro Icardi this week…

What’s the word?

According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport, the 28-year-old has many admirers across Europe and he could leave Paris Saint-Germain regardless of his marital issues off the pitch.

It’s thought that the eight-cap Argentina international is frustrated by his lack of game time at Le Parc des Princes this campaign, though that should hardly be a surprise as he’s playing second fiddle to names like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

The report claims he has interest from England but only Spurs are mentioned in that regard, whilst Juventus and Milan are also mooted.

It remains to be seen how much a transfer would cost, with Transfermarkt valuing the out-of-favour forward at just £31.5m.

Icardi solution?

The addition of a new attacker certainly seems to be the priority for sporting director Fabio Patatici as he looks to bolster Nuno Santo’s frontline.

That should hardly be a surprise as reports throughout the summer suggested that the Portuguese wanted to deploy a two-man up top system and he was looking for a new striker to partner Harry Kane, rather than replace him.

But even then, the Lilywhites are woefully short on options in the final third. The England skipper is Nuno’s only senior centre-forward and that’s certainly a major problem.

An injury to Kane, irrespective of his form, would be a killer blow to their chances of success in this campaign.

For example, his last long-term injury saw Spurs crash out of the FA Cup and Champions League, and if the 2019/20 season didn’t come to a halt before restarting, his absence could’ve cost them a place in Europe, too.

Last season, he contributed to 54.4% of all their goals scored in the Premier League, so it’s vital that Paratici and co find him a viable backup, if not partner.

The Argentine has been a regular goalscorer throughout his career and despite a lack of game time in Paris, he still has bagged 36 goals in just 72 matches – a goal every other game.

“Mauro is an animal in the box,” once claimed his former Inter boss Stefan Pioli, a team where he scored 124 goals in 219 appearances.

It’s crucial for Spurs to find another forward this winter and Icardi could be an interesting candidate, given his lack of regular game time under Mauricio Pochettino.

Paratici could solve one of Nuno’s most troubling issues with a swoop for the 28-year-old marksman.

AND in other news, Signed for £55m, now worth 64% less, Levy’s had a nightmare over “gifted” Spurs flop…

Rangers returned to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday as they beat Dundee 1-0 away from home.

Steven Gerrard’s side had been held to a 1-1 draw by Motherwell in their last league match, although they did beat Livingston 2-0 in the cup during the week.

Joe Aribo scored the only goal of the game as the Gers picked up the three points and moved to the top of the table this weekend.

Despite the win, there were some negatives to Rangers’ performance and one of them was the display of midfielder Ianis Hagi.

The Romanian international is reportedly closing in on a move to Italian giants Roma, with the two clubs said to be working on a deal ahead of the January window. Perhaps the speculation over his future got to his head and caused him to lose focus in the game, with question marks surrounding his position at Rangers in the long-term potentially playing on his mind.

It is also worth mentioning that it was his first Premiership match since August due to Covid, but his performance was worrying all the same.

Defensively, he offered very little to the team. Per SofaScore, he won 50% of his duels on the pitch and failed to make a single block, clearance, tackle or interception. This suggests that he did not put in the hard yards for his team off the ball and did not press well enough throughout the match to win possession back for his side.

Perhaps he could get away with some lapse play off the ball if he provided quality in possession. However, he was also unable to make his mark offensively. Per SofaScore, he gave the ball away 16 times in his 73 minutes on the pitch, whilst also having three shots blocked and failing to produce a single key pass in his time on the pitch.

Therefore, Gerrard will surely be frustrated and feeling let down by Hagi’s display against Dundee FC.

It was a disastrous performance and he will need to up his game if he wants to have a regular spot in the starting XI in the coming months.

He could also need to be wary of how his form could affect a potential exit, with Roma likely to be watching his displays for Rangers closely if they are trying to add him to their squad.

AND in other news, Forget Aribo: Rangers beast with 93 touches stole the show for Gerrard’s side…