All posts by z3u9t.icu

An update has emerged on PSG striker Mauro Icardi, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services… 

What’s the talk?

According to Calcio Mercato, Newcastle are one of three clubs looking at the PSG centre-forward ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims that Tottenham and Juventus are also keen on the Argentina international, whose contract in Paris expires in 2024.

Get it done

PIF must secure a January deal for Icardi ahead of Juventus and Spurs as he could be a terrific addition to the squad to kickstart their reign on Tyneside. He is a proven, top-class, centre-forward in European football and could come in and score the goals to fire the Magpies up the Premier League table.

Icardi has spent the bulk of his career to date playing for Inter in the Serie A and PSG in Ligue 1, two European heavyweights, and has an eye-catching goal return. In 219 games for Inter, the attacker scored a phenomenal 124 goals.

His form for the Italian giants earned him a transfer to PSG in 2019 and his goalscoring form continued. He has scored 36 goals in 72 games for the French side to date, including five goals in 11 Champions League appearances for the club.

Juventus and Italy centre-back Giorgio Chiellini lauded the Argentine in his autobiography, hailing him as a world-class striker. He said:

“Among the great attackers I have faced, I highly value Icardi, who inside the area is almost impossible to mark. Mauro against Juve has often scored, it hurt me.

“He’s a world-class centre-forward, even if he lacks something in the collective game, he’s a Trezeguet but with different characteristics, lethal in the aerial game but perfectible outside the surface.”

This shows how well-thought-of the £31.5m-rated attacker is in the Italian game, with an experienced veteran in Chiellini lavishing praise on him. Couple this with his sensational goal return in both Italy and France and it helps to paint a picture of the type of player Newcastle would be getting in January.

Last season, Joe Willock (eight) and Callum Wilson (12) were the only Newcastle players who scored more than four goals in the Premier League. This suggests that there is a lack of goalscoring talent in the current team and Icardi could, therefore, come in and solve that issue based on his record throughout his career at the top level. PIF must now work hard to make sure that he is a Magpies player come February 1st, 2022.

AND in other news, PIF must reignite move for “stratospheric” goalscorer, he could be NUFC’s next Shearer…

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will run the rule over loaned-out Frederic Guilbert in the summer, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece says. 

The lowdown

Villa paid £4.5million to sign Guilbert, a right-back, from SM Caen back in 2019, and he made 25 Premier League appearances during their first season back in the top flight.

Last January, half a season on from the arrival of Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest, he sealed a loan move to RC Strasbourg.

That spell in Alsace was extended in the summer and will run to the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

Guilbert, who’s valued at £5.4million by Transfermarkt, has featured in the Ligue 1 outfit’s last 17 games, starting 14.

His £40,000-per-week Villa contract has 18 months left to run.

The latest

Preece was asked in a fan Q & A whether Gerrard would give Guilbert a chance to challenge Matty Cash ahead of the 2022/23 season.

“He’ll have a good look at him in the summer before a decision is made,” he replied. “He’s been doing well in France!”

The verdict

Guilbert could be worth a try. Since his switch to Strasbourg a year ago, he’s impressively laid on seven assists in 33 matches.

Compare that to Cash, who’s in the midst of something of a barren run in that department. His last Premier League assist came way back in December 2020.

Gerrard may want more production from full-back, which was a key part of his success at Rangers.

And that could open the door for the 27-year-old, who may still harbour hopes of resurrecting his Villa career.

In other news, Tyrone Mings reacts to this huge Villa boost.

Davie Provan has partially blamed Glasgow Rangers’ Champions League exit on striker Alfredo Morelos after he returned late to Ibrox following his holiday.

The Lowdown: Morelos late

Morelos took a break after the Copa America, where he and his Colombia teammates reached the semi-finals. He didn’t return to Glasgow until the end of July, with Steven Gerrard saying that he didn’t know when the 25-year-old would be available (via The Scottish Sun).

He missed the Gers’ Champions League third qualifying round first leg clash with Malmo, which the Gers lost 2-1. He did score in the second leg at Ibrox, but the 55-time Scottish champions were defeated by the same scoreline to exit 4-2 on aggregate.

The Latest: Provan slams Morelos

Writing in The Scottish Sun, Provan slammed Morelos over his late return from international duty which caused him to miss the first leg against Malmo. He fumed:

“Beating Malmo and Ludogorets could have seen Rangers collect the thick end of £80m within a year.

“That would have given them a decent chance of keeping their better players. Not now. Unless Park has discovered oil under Ibrox, he’ll have to sell.

“Alfredo Morelos would be a good place to start. Eighteen months ago the striker was dropped for a Scottish Cup tie at Tynecastle after returning late from Colombia.

“Ahead of the Malmo first leg Gerrard admitted he didn’t know when to expect the striker back in Glasgow. Biggest game of the season and Morelos can’t get himself on a plane in time?

“Sorry, but that reflects as poorly on Gerrard as it does Morelos.

“Too often the Gers gaffer has put his own credibility on the line for Morelos and been let down.

“Look, I get Gerrard’s support of the Colombian. Football coaches would pick Jack the Ripper if he was good for 20 goals a season.

“But Morelos has disrespected everyone who’s gone out on a limb for him.

“What did team-mates make of his no-show for the game in Sweden?

“Morelos is on record saying he wants to play in a better league, Rangers should give him the chance now.”

The Verdict: Difficult situation

On the one hand, the £10.8m-valued Morelos (Transfermarkt) deserves a break. While he did not play a huge role in Colombia’s Copa America run, he still needed to be mentally and physically prepared for the entire tournament, so he could not afford to switch off. It is only natural that he took some time off to recover once the competition had come to an end.

However, as Provan hinted, the issue is Gerrard not knowing when his star striker would be available. How can the manager be expected to get the Gers ready to compete at the highest level if he does not know what is going on with one of his most important players? There has to be better communication, but Morelos can still make up for his absence if he helps the Gers reach the Europa League group stage.

In other news, many Rangers fans hammered this man’s performance against Malmo.

Manchester United have suffered a substantial selection setback ahead of their Premier League encounter with Newcastle United after midfielder Fred was ruled out of contention for Saturday’s fixture.

What’s the word?

The 28-year-old is set to miss the next two matches for the Red Devils after the Brazilian football federation triggered FIFA rules to impose a ‘five-day ban’ on the Premier League clubs who refused to release players for international duty this month.

A report in the Manchester Evening News states: “The Brazilian FA are looking to punish sides who refused to let their players travel to red-list countries over the international break by triggering a clause in Fifa rules which prevents players being selected from the 10th to 14th of September.

“Under current Fifa legislation Brazil can demand players who had been selected for international duty are ineligible to play in matches for five days after the end of the international break as punishment for clubs not releasing them.”

As a result, Fred is set to miss United’s clash against the Magpies at Old Trafford over the weekend, as well as their opening Champions League clash against Swiss outfit Young Boys on Tuesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be gutted

This decision is likely to leave United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer feeling gutted, as the South American dynamo has become an integral part of the first team squad in recent years, starting 53 Premier League games since the start of 2019/20 and ten European fixtures last season (WhoScored).

With fellow defensive midfielder Scott McTominay also expected to be unavailable through injury, Fred’s enforced absence will come as a big blow to the 20-time English champions.

After starting all three of United’s opening league fixtures, the tough-tackling engine room operator (his two successful tackles per game this season is the joint-highest in the squad) would have been expecting to feature from the off once again against Newcastle, but Solskjaer will now be forced to field an alternative lineup in the middle of the park.

In other news… Reliable journalist reveals intriguing Man Utd update, Solskjaer will be concerned

On-loan Aston Villa youngster Brad Young netted twice for Carlisle United against Everton’s under-21s on Tuesday evening, and a number of Villa supporters have heaped praise on the 18-year-old on social media.

Young, who helped Villa lift the FA Youth Cup last season, was among a number of academy players sent out on loan over the summer to gain some first-team experience.

He is yet to start a League Two game for Carlisle, but the forward staked his claim to manager Chris Beech with a brace in a 2-0 win in the EFL Trophy during the week. The Villa loanee proved to be the difference at Brunton Park with a goal in each half, taking Carlisle to the top of Group A.

Villa fans react

Footage of Young’s second goal of the evening was shared on Twitter by Carlisle during their live commentary of the game. These Villa fans were quick to react to the forward’s strike, with many heaping praise on the youngster.

“Yessssss”

Credit: @jmxavfc

“2 goals from Brad Young. Tearing it up”

Credit: @will_avfc

“BRAD YOUNG’S ON FIRE, YOUR DEFENCE IS TERRIFIED!!!”

Credit: @JackJenningss_

“Go on Braddy Boy!”

Credit: @TheVillaDecree

“Perhaps you might start playing him more regularly now”

Credit: @pudshack72

“Go on son”

Credit: @Reece_AV

In other news: ‘Believe it or not’ – Preece shares worrying under-the-radar update on Villa ace who Smith loves

Southampton are reportedly closing in on the loan signing of Armando Broja from Chelsea, as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side look to replace Danny Ings ahead of the Premier League kick-off this weekend.

What’s the word?

Southampton are looking low on quality striking options following Ings’ shock move to Aston Villa recently and it seems clear that they must bring in at least one striker to replace the England international ahead of the new season, with the Saints travelling to Goodison Park to take on Everton on Saturday.

It seems as if they are close to their first attacking addition of the transfer window, with Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach sharing the news on Twitter, after it was initially reported by Adam Newson, that Southampton are looking to do more business with the Stamford Bridge outfit this summer.

The Saints have already signed Dynel Simeu and Tino Livramento on permanent deals from Thomas Tuchel’s side in recent weeks and it now appears as if they will use their connections there to seal a loan swoop for the 19-year-old Broja.

Would Broja be a good signing?

Although he is only a teenager, Broja demonstrated his pedigree in a loan spell at Vitesse last season, contributing 10 goals and two assists in 30 Eredivisie appearances, averaging a solid 6.78 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

It was suggested last month by Chelsea reporter Kristian Sturt that the Blues had already rejected several loan offers for the Albanian forward and that they could even make him their third-choice striker next season.

However, the imminent arrival of Romelu Lukaku will almost certainly change that, and Southampton could be the team to take advantage with a loan deal.

Whilst the 19-year-old has just one Premier League appearance to his name thus far, his impressive goalscoring records with the academy sides and Vitesse suggest that he could be an excellent option for Hasenhuttl next season.

As he would likely be just a loan signing, there is little risk with this deal, whilst you would hope that the Saints will also be looking to add a permanent signing to fill the void left by Ings, which should take some of the pressure off the £2.7m-rated Broja to be one of the main source’s of goals next season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, this could be a shrewd acquisition by the Saints, and fans will no doubt be excited that they are clearly looking to add a striker in time for the new season.

And, in other news… Southampton targeting former Bayern Munich defender

Sunderland’s previous League One outing saw them comfortably beat Morecambe 5-0 thanks to goals from Ross Stewart, Nathan Broadhead, Alex Pritchard and Leon Dajaku, making it the second league game of the season where they’ve managed to put five goals past their opponents with the first being their 5-0 victory over Cheltenham Town back in September.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, Sunderland have the opportunity to add even more firepower to their squad after a recent report from The Northern Echo claimed that Lee Johnson is “considering recalling Jack Diamond and Josh Hawkes from their respective loan spells in order to increase his options in the second half of the season.”

Taking into account how many injuries Sunderland have at the moment, particularly in the defensive areas, Johnson could have the mindset of overpowering their opponents in an attacking sense, in the same way they did with Morecambe, to make up for their defensive weaknesses, which could make it a smart move to have the likes of Diamond and Hawkes at his disposal again.

In 12 League Two appearances for Tranmere Rovers, Hawkes has managed to score one goal and provide two assists whilst playing in a number of different midfield and attacking positions.

For Diamond, he has racked up five goals and four assists in 17 appearances for Harrogate Town across League Two and the FA Cup.

This shows why Johnson reportedly wants the duo back at the Wearside club in January to see if they can continue their good starts to the season back at Sunderland and help the Black Cats win promotion back to the Championship.

If Johnson can guarantee Diamond and Hawkes regular playing time back at Sunderland for the remainder of the season, then Kyril Louis-Dreyfus should definitely bring them back in case his squad are struck down with any more injuries that could be a setback for their promotion hopes.

Providing the duo do return in the winter and are able to have a positive impact on the team and their results moving forward, this would be a massive boost for the fans who would undoubtedly be thrilled, especially if the team manages to secure promotion.

In other news: Johnson could solve major SAFC predicament by unleashing “terrific” 21 y/o sensation – opinion

Celtic have come back fighting this season after a campaign in 2020/21 that was plagued with issues at Parkhead.

The Hoops relinquished their control of Scottish football to their arch enemy but Ange Postecoglou has arrived at Celtic Park and reinvigorated a club that looked rather lost.

He has brought in a number of new signings, completely revamping the playing squad and changing the way they play.

The quadrant of Jota, Kyogo, Liel Abada and Giorgos Giakoumakis have contributed to 79 goals between them while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Josip Juranovic and Carl Starfelt have all made themselves at home in the heart of the defence.

Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate also made an instant impact after arriving in January, all scoring already in the famous green and white.

However, there are a couple of purchases that have to be questioned. Yosuke Ideguchi has spent plenty of time on the treatment table since penning terms over the winter but the biggest concern has to be James McCarthy.

Indeed, RTÉ analyst Eamon Dunphy dubbed him a “terrible flop” earlier this season and it’s rather hard to argue with that assessment.

The Irishman arrived on big wages, £14k-per-week in fact, and he’s not done a lot to justify that salary. Hailing from Ireland, he appears to be cut from the same cloth as his international colleague, Shane Duffy.

He arrived from Brighton on a season-long loan deal last term and picked up a sizeable wage. However, like McCarthy, he had a torrid time in Glasgow despite previously thriving in the Premier League.

It’s difficult to grasp why the duo have both struggled so much, but one theory puts it down to the intensity of Postecoglou’s training sessions.

The Athletic reported last year that the former Crystal Palace midfielder had been finding life difficult in training as the pace of the manager’s sessions and the demands he placed on his players were simply too much for him to cope with.

As a result, it’s hardly a surprise that McCarthy has barely featured this campaign. The central midfielder has played 20 times in total, of which only eight appearances have come in the Premiership.

Consequently, there have been hints for him to be axed from the squad this summer. Alan Hutton told Football Insider: “You look at the ground Hatate covers, even McGregor. They’re workhorses. They get up and down the pitch, they make things happen and that question mark is over James McCarthy.

“Is he capable of doing that for 90 minutes? At the moment, I’m not so sure.”

He has only been at Celtic for just under a year but when you consider the sheer number of options Postecoglou boasts in his engine room, it’s tough to see McCarthy ever making it at Celtic.

It might just be time to cut ties with the Irishman.

AND in other news, Sources: Deal now agreed for potential “£20m-plus” talent, it’s bad news for Celtic…

Arsenal splashed out £24 million for the services of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale during the summer transfer window. That fee could be set to rise to £30 million – but the early signs indicate that is money well spent.

The Englishman has been very impressive this season for the Gunners and his impact is one of the reasons why the North London club have been able to turn their form around and march up the table.

Ramsdale has been able to dislodge Bernd Leno as the number one keeper at Arsenal. His performances so far this season are unlikely to change that pecking order any time soon. The new Gunners shot stopper has kept five clean sheets from his last eight matches between the sticks.

In Arsenal’s next Premier League assignment, Ramsdale will need to be at his best again. The Gunners are the outsiders in the Liverpool v Arsenal betting for the game at Anfield. It is likely to be a game the in-form keeper is relishing.

Arsenal should continue to be one of the popular Premier League betting tips this season. Arteta has been able to not only survive a period where his job was under threat, he has got the Gunners moving in the right direction. They will now be targeting a return to Europe.

Ramsdale Should Get Better With Age

Although the goalkeeping position was not the obvious area that Arsenal needed to improve in the summer, supporters will be delighted that Ramsdale is now at the club. He may fill the role between the goalposts for many years to come as he is likely to keep on improving.

Some of Arsenal’s best keepers over the course of history have excelled, and in some cases been at their best, in their 30s. With more experience of the highest level, Ramsdale could go on to become of the best keepers in Europe.

The former Bournemouth and Sheffield United man is a player who may also be a future Arsenal captain. He shows a lot of passion on the field and has done a great job organising the backline in front of him this season.

England Role Up For Grabs Ahead Of World Cup

With Ramsdale impressing in the latest Premier League campaign, his performances would not have gone unnoticed by England boss Gareth Southgate. The Arsenal number one will be pushing for the starting position with the national team ahead of the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

Ramsdale was part of the England squad for Euro 2020 but he did not feature at that tournament. He is still waiting to make his debut for his country but that may not be far away.

There is strong competition for the gloves with England as Jordan Pickford always seems to do well when he wears the national team jersey. The Everton man impressed at Euro 2020 as his performances were excellent.

Ramsdale and Pickford will be giving everything for their respective clubs to earn that starting spot at the 2022 World Cup. England go into that competition as one of the strong contenders to lift the trophy.

The challenge for Ramsdale now will be to maintain the high standards he has set at Arsenal. If he continues at the level he is producing, it could be a great season for him and the Gunners.

Everton are renowned for making howlers when it comes to their transfer business, and following the appointment of Frank Lampard on Deadline Day, a signing made on the same day has yet again failed to improve upon the team’s problems as they continue to battle against relegation this season.

Lampard signed Dele Alli from Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the winter transfer window, in a two and a half year deal that is reportedly worth up to £40m, and it hasn’t been an easy ride so far for the midfielder.

Since making the switch to Goodison Park in January, Alli hasn’t been given the opportunity to make an impact on game days with on average 28 minutes played over his six appearances, with no goals and no assists so far, which leaves a huge question mark over Lampard’s trust in the player.

The attacking midfielder competes for a position with a number of players including Abdoulaye Doucoure, Donny van de Beek and Andre Gomes to name a few, but even when injuries and suspensions weakened the centre of the pitch, Lampard opted to play defender Mason Holgate in midfield over deploying Alli, which again speaks volumes.

The 25-year-old, who has previously been described as a “freak of a talent” by Darren Anderton, has gone downhill significantly and was branded a “waste of time” by Simon Jordan, in a scathing review of Alli on talkSPORT last week:

“He’s been there for two months, he’s a complete and utter waste of time,” Jordan claimed.

“He was a waste of time at Tottenham for two years, he’s been a waste of time being signed for Everton. It was a waste of time signing.”

However, the clause in the £19.8m-rated flop’s contract could put Everton in a great position if the former Chelsea boss decides to sell the player in the summer following his disappointing move so far.

When looking into the finer details of the deal, the Toffees would only have to pay Spurs £10m for Alli once he makes 20 appearances for the club, with the amount increasing to up to around £40m depending on his team performance and involvement according to Fabrizio Romano.

With that being said, if the reports are accurate Farhad Moshiri could potentially make a profit on the player this summer if they sold him for more than £10m, owing to the fact that there are just eight games left available for Alli to potentially take part in, which if he played every one would only put his appearances at 15.

Ultimately, Lampard must learn a lesson from this particular transfer if he manages to keep the club in the Premier League, by making sure he makes better decisions in the summer transfer window when choosing players to come in to inspire a better outcome next season for Everton.

In other news: 100% duels won: Frank could save EFC from relegation by unleashing £92k-p/w “leader”