All posts by z3u9t.icu

Both Crystal Palace and Norwich City have been linked with a move for FC Koln defender Sebastiaan Bornauw recently.

And, according to Bild, the Bundesliga side are looking to receive at least €15m (£13m) for the centre-back’s services this summer.

The 22-year-old, who has two caps for Belgium, was a regular in Germany last season. He made 24 league appearances and scored his only goal of the campaign in a 1-0 win over Schalke on the final weekend.

Wolfsburg are also keen on signing Bornauw, so should the Eagles wish to bring the defender to London, they may need to act relatively fast, despite not having a manager in place.

Palace have three senior central defenders out of contract in a matter of weeks at this moment in time in Scott Dann, Gary Cahill and Mamadou Sakho.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the asking price for the Palace target on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

This is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply, with one describing it as ‘positive news’.

“We have to make this happen”Credit: @matthew_poole30″Please do it”Credit: @Kikoojap3″Positive news”Credit: @CPFCMax9″Give it to me”Credit: @Kevbartleyy”That would be great for #CPFC. That would be so important after Sakho is no longer there!”Credit: @VK_FCA1907″Without a manager, these are not real links. Agents spreading news.”Credit: @PalaceScout

In other news: Eagles keen on Chelsea defender, find out more here. 

Jordan Henderson will not feature for Liverpool again this season, handing Jurgen Klopp another gutting injury setback…

What’s the latest?

Speaking ahead of their rearranged Premier League encounter with arch-rivals Manchester United, The Athletic’s James Pearce revealed that Jurgen Klopp has “ruled out” his skipper for their remaining four matches.

Earlier in the day, it was revealed that Virgil van Dijk will not play again this season either, whilst Joe Gomez also finds himself on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, so Henderson now becomes the third Reds star to be ruled out until the 2021 campaign.

However, the 30-year-old is due to return to training in the final week of the season, meaning he could still make this summer’s European Championships, though the German claims his inclusion will be “a decision for Gareth [Southgate] and Hendo.”

Liverpool were hoping to have Henderson back at some point April after he had groin surgery in February, as per Sky Sports, but now it has been confirmed that his season is over.

He last featured for the Reds in their 2-0 defeat to Everton several months ago.

Gutting setback

Liverpool’s season very much still hangs in the balance.

Mounting injuries throughout the campaign have seriously hindered their title defence, leading to Man City being crowned as the 2020/21 champions earlier this week.

There is still a small chance that the Merseyside giants could make Champions League qualification, though.

A win over the Red Devils this evening would see them move into fifth place, leapfrogging West Ham, and whilst the points gap to the top four would still be significant, it would not be insurmountable.

Having a player of Henderson’s stature and influence available would certainly have been an added bonus when there is so much at stake, especially given Steven Gerrard’s glowing endorsement of his former teammate to BT Sport (via the Daily Mail).

“Obviously, I played with him for numerous years with Liverpool and England. A very fit, athletic boy who’s selfless in his approach on the pitch, puts everyone else above himself,” he said. “When you play alongside him you appreciate the job he does for the team and I think over the years he’s been developing parts of his game. His passing range now is fantastic.”

Klopp’s midfield could be further impacted with Ozan Kabak’s likely absence a worry as it means Fabinho could drop back into defence, a worrying prospect as Liverpool have one just once since the turn of the year with him in that role.

AND in other news, Reds handed boost in race to sign “massive” 23-year old gem, Edwards must act…

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes the scenes in Glasgow last week will hurt Rangers’ ability to attract sponsorship.

The Lowdown: Some trouble during 55 celebrations

Last weekend was one of celebration for the Gers – their 4-0 win over Aberdeen meant they completed an unbeaten Premiership season (BBC), and the players also finally received the trophy at Ibrox.

Although the celebrations were mainly peaceful, there were some disturbing scenes in George Square as supporters scuffled – 20 people were arrested (firstpost.com).

The Latest: Maguire worried about impact on Gers

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire has revealed his fear that this could damage the Gers’ ability to attract new sponsorship deals. He explained:

“Rangers want to promote themselves as a much broader brand off the back of winning the Premiership, especially if they get into the group stages of the Champions League.

“Anything which is indicative of intolerance and bigotry is going to scare potential sponsors and commercial partners.

“They’ll ask if they want to be associated with such small-minded views. This ought to have been a fantastic celebration. The social distancing issues were a further concern.

“To hijack what should be a fantastic achievement for them, to use it as a vehicle for some people to put across their poisonous views, it’s counterproductive.

“The people should realise they have an opportunity to be ambassadors for Rangers.”

The Verdict: Better image needed

The coming season promises to be an important one for Rangers. While winning their first trophy in 10 years will increase the number of possibilities for the 55-time Scottish champions to bring in money at the board room level, participation in the group stages of the Champions League will also make them a very attractive proposition. In 2020, the Gers brought in £9.8m in commercial income (cfbfootball.com) – there is room to grow.

The last thing they need is to be associated with images of their supporters causing trouble. In this case, it was a minority, but some fans do need reminding that their own actions can hurt their club. Hopefully, in the future, they heed that message.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this article.

Manchester United could be hit with a bitter blow following the decision to postpone their Premier League meeting with Liverpool at Old Trafford.

The fixture, that was originally due to be played on Sunday, was postponed following a protest by Red Devils supporters at the Glazer family’s current ownership of the club.

Fans managed to make their way into the stadium and onto the Old Trafford pitch as numbers grew, leading to the decision to postpone the match to another date.

Whilst a potential rearrangement wil,l of course, frustrate the squad and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with them having already prepared, it could also have damaging consequences on the remainder of the current campaign.

Looking at the Red Devils’ current calendar, two out of the next three weekends between now and the end of the campaign are already taken up by Premier League fixtures against the likes of Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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Meanwhile, mid-week fixtures against the likes of Fulham and Leicester City are added into the mix, along with the second-leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final against AS Roma. Should the Red Devils progress past the Serie A outfit, Solskjaer will also have the Europa League final to consider on the 26th May where they will be required to travel to Gdansk in Ukraine.

The only free weekend for the Red Devils is the 15th or 16th of May, however, this could cause serious problems for the team in the fact that they could potentially be forced to play seven fixtures in just 20 days.

It goes without saying that this packed calendar could cause some complications for Solskjaer in relation to injuries and fatigue.

So whilst it remains to be seen when the fixture between the Red Devils and Liverpool will actually be played, it will certainly be a worry for United going forwards for the remainder of the campaign as wherever it get squeezed into the calendar, it won’t come at an ideal time at all.

AND in more news, read which current Red Devil has given the club a huge boost…

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Rob Lee, who made 280 Premier League appearances, has claimed that Dominic Calvert-Lewin should remain at Everton despite having a good season.

Manchester United have reportedly enquired about the England international and the Toffees have slapped an £80 million price tag on their star striker, who has scored 15 goals this season.

Calvert-Lewin started the season as one of the most in-form players in the Premier League as he scored 11 goals in 11 games but injuries have disrupted his second half of the season.

Speaking on whether Calvert-Lewin should leave Everton this summer and what he must do before getting a move away, Lee exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Not at the moment no, but I think he had a great start to the season scoring 11 in 11 but he needs consistency and that’s what teams will be looking for, consistency, especially for the amount of money that Everton would demand for him.

“I don’t see the point in him going or the point in Everton letting him go. He might as well have another season there and if he does as well as he started this season then in a year’s time, I’m sure that there’ll be clubs after him.”

The 24-year old was signed from Sheffield United in 2016 for just £1.6 million so the Toffees would make a comfortable profit on the striker if he was to leave.

Everton still have a chance of qualifying for the Europa League this season as they find themselves just four points behind Tottenham Hotspur in sixth.

Tottenham Hotspur return to action in the Premier League this afternoon and know a victory would see them move back into the top four following a poor run of results.

Last time out, Jose Mourinho’s side bounced back from an embarrassing week in which they were defeated by arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby before being knocked out of the Europa League despite holding a two-goal advantage by Dinamo Zagreb.

Spurs defeated an in-form Villa outfit 2-0 on their own patch, and now travel up the country once more, this time to face Newcastle United at St James’ Park later today.

The Portuguese will be sweating on the fitness of several of his key stars, whilst a welcome name could return to the fold, so with that in mind, here’s our predicted XI and the latest team and injury news from the Lilywhites’ camp…

In total, there could be as many as three changes from the side that saw off Villa with ease.

Having missed the trip to Villa Park, Heung-min Son is set to return having enjoyed some time off to recover during the international break and he should come straight back in for £25m-rated beast Carlos Vinicius, who partnered Harry Kane up top in a rare formation change.

He could be joined by Gareth Bale in the attack after the Welshman was snubbed from the starting XI, whilst Lucas Moura is expected to move back into the no.10 role over the likes of Giovani Lo Celso – who is axed here – and forgotten star, Dele Alli.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-more” title= Read this week’s latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more…”]

It means the deeper midfield duo of Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is set to continue, leaving Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks on the bench.

The third and final change is likely to be at full-back, with Serge Aurier back from illness. He’ll take the place of Japhet Tanganga, who deputised to great effect. Perhaps it’s an unfair call, but the Ivorian has been Mourinho’s first-choice in the role for most of the campaign.

Ben Davies and Matt Doherty have both been ruled out and are subsequently unavailable for the trip, whilst Sergio Reguilon, who was withdrawn early through injury, is expected to be fit enough to start in the north-east.

At the back, Eric Dier could be overlooked once again, with Joe Rodon and Davinson Sanchez surely continuing in the middle after an impressive clean sheet last time out. It also means there is no place for Toby Alderwerield, who missed the Villa trip through illness too.

The £25m-rated Englishman has been snubbed from their last five league games, so is very unlikely to feature here.

Hugo Lloris heads the XI back between the sticks.

AND in other news, Spurs: Jose Mourinho should unleash 18 y/o prodigy against Newcastle…

Southampton fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat against West Brom on Monday evening and Ibrahima Diallo’s poor performance was arguably one of the key factors behind Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side being overwhelmed by the relegation candidates.

The French midfielder has been a regular in Southampton’s side this season since joining from Stade Brest in an £11m deal in the summer transfer window, making 16 appearances in the Premier League and averaging a less than impressive 6.44 WhoScored rating for his performances.

With Oriol Romeu ruled out for the season with an ankle injury, the 22-year-old has been expected to fill in as his replacement, but he simply doesn’t offer the physicality or ball-winning attributes of his Spanish teammate.

This was clear to see on Monday as he was regularly on the losing end of battles in midfield against West Brom’s powerful midfield duo of Okay Yokuslu and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

The physical nature in which West Brom play isn’t exactly a secret, yet Hasenhuttl opted to stick with his midfield duo of Diallo and James Ward-Prowse when an extra man in midfield could have allowed Southampton to dictate possession and win the midfield battle, which is arguably how they lost the game.

As per SofaScore, Diallo earned a 6.3 rating for his display at the Hawthorns, which was tied with Danny Ings as the worst of any outfield Southampton player who featured on Monday. The midfielder won just two of his 12 duels during the game, losing 83%, whereas Yokuslu and Maitland-Niles won 15 duels between them.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

Diallo won just one tackle during the game, which is less than the 1.5 he has averaged per game in the Premier League so far this season.

Whilst Hasenhuttl has very few options in central midfield, Romeu averaged 3.4 tackles per game in the top flight this season. Diallo has arguably not been the best replacement thus far, and perhaps someone such as Jack Stephens could have filled in on Monday, as he was utilised in that role against Manchester City last month.

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Selecting the Frenchman as part of a two-man midfield always seemed destined to fail against a West Brom side in confident mood after their 5-2 win at Stamford Bridge recently, and Hasenhuttl needs to show more tactical nous if he wants to avoid his team being sucked back into the relegation battle.

In other news… Forget Williams: Semmens should seal Saints swoop for “special” £4.5m-rated dynamo

Many England fans were left to slam the display of West Ham United man Jesse Lingard despite their 5-0 home win over San Marino on Thursday night.

It was a very comfortable night as expected for the Three Lions with goals from James Ward-Prowse, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (two), Raheem Sterling and a debut strike for Ollie Watkins that sealed all three points and got Gareth Southgate’s men off to a perfect start in their group.

However, Lingard never managed to get himself on the scoresheet and was guilty of missing a lot of good chances in the game, with no fewer than ten shots taken in total, the most out of any player to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

The attacking midfield player currently on loan from Manchester United also lost possession of the ball on nine separate occasions in the match, the fifth-most out of any of his teammates (Sofascore), although his general attacking play was easy to the eye at times.

Nonetheless, it did not stop several England supporters venting their frustrations with the 28-year-old.

England fan reaction to Lingard display

These Three Lions fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one claiming that he was ‘very poor’ while another even went as far as to say that it was a ‘disasterclass’:

“Yeah Lingard just looked out of his depth tbh, wasn’t on it at all”

Credit: @1874adam

“Eminem could play football better than Lingard”

Credit: @bilsnm

“I thought Lingard was rubbish last night, should have scored at least 3”

Credit: @Mike50873271

“Lingard wasn’t good tonight but you won’t hear about it because his name’s not Kalvin Phillips”

Credit: @VidukaEra

“Lingard disasterclass”

Credit: @cpfcames

“Lingard was very poor”

Credit: @AndrewHornet77

In other news, find out what official club post Hammers have flocked to here!

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Leeds are fully intent on extending Marcelo Bielsa’s time at the club.

What’s the story?

The Argentine has come to signing one-year rolling contracts at Elland Road, and inevitably that always raises questions towards the end as to whether he will put pen to paper on a new deal.

Reports in recent days and weeks have even thrown former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri’s name into the equation, but Romano has insisted that the Italian is not on Leeds’ radar, and that Bielsa is the man they want in charge for the foreseeable future.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano said: “I’m told that they are planning with him and that they are doing their best to keep him. They want to go on with him and are doing their best to convince Bielsa. What I’m told is that there is nothing with Allegri, and that he’s looking for something different.

“All respect to Leeds, but Allegri is looking to win titles and was one of the best managers in Serie A, and is looking for top, top clubs. Leeds is an amazing project but they are happy with Marcelo Bielsa. I think, yes, they will go on with him and are planning with him. It’s up to Bielsa, we know he’s a particular as a person and not just as a manager. But let’s see what happens in the coming weeks.”

Radrizzani must act now

Make no mistake about it, if there’s one priority for Andrea Radrizzani when it comes to this summer, then tying down Bielsa to a new deal at Elland Road simply has to be it.

The Argentine has been the catalyst for Leeds’ revival over these past few years, leading them to the Premier League after so many years away and already establishing them as a force with which to be reckoned within it.

Bielsa has very much built himself as the face of the Yorkshire club, and it’s incredibly difficult to imagine a time without him sitting down on his chair in the dugout and barking out instructions constantly.

Making sure he signs a new contract would send a hugely important message about Leeds’ plans for the future, and act as a welcome boost to the playing squad too, most of whom have been on that long journey from the Championship to the top flight.

Meanwhile, Leeds must surely regret selling this star…

Some fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which ExWHUemployee provided an update on the fitness of West Ham left-back, Arthur Masuaku.

So far this season, Masuaku has made 10 Premier League appearances for David Moyes’ side, providing one assist and averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.87 – ranking the £6.75 million-rated defender as the club’s sixth-best performer in the top flight.

However, the 27-year-old has not featured for the Hammers in the league since December of last year, having undergone surgery on a knee injury.

Although, in a recent post on Twitter, the reliable insider ExWHUemployee claimed that the DR Congo international should make a return from the sidelines in the next two to four weeks, something which appeared to please a number of the West Ham fan base, many of whom flocked to share their delight at the insider’s injury update regarding the left-back.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to ExWHUemployee’s injury update regarding Arthur Masuaku? 

“This would be a massive boost for our European push.”

@ScoutSoucek

“Best Sunday news (Liverpool a close second).”

@LenaWHU

“He was the reason Fornals’ form was so good at the start of the season.”

@JackNew140192

“5-2-3 with Benny and Arthur on the left.”

@billywhufc_

“Him and Benrahma down the left.”

@LukeBar81276466

“Can’t wait to see him back.”

@SamanthaWalsh1

“Yesss! King Arthur back before the end of the month? What a huge boost that’ll be!”

@TheWestHamYank

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!