All posts by n8rngtd.top

Celtic opened their Scottish Cup campaign last week with a routine 3-0 victory over Falkirk.

It was a nice distraction for the Bhoys as they were able to forget about their horrendous league season for a week and focus on other targets.

The Hoops have lost their grasp on the league title and have one remaining chance of winning some silverware this season. That, however, will be more difficult as they face fierce rivals Rangers in the next round.

This weekend, they are back in league action as they face Livingston at Parkhead on Saturday afternoon. They made a number of changes for their last clash so how will they line up when Livi travel to Glasgow?

We’re tipping Kennedy to make as many as four changes to the side which beat Falkirk a week ago.

That means a return to the line-up for a few of their star men. The £15,000-per-week Leigh Griffiths was handed a rare opportunity to lead the line but Odsonne Edouard is back this week. He’s scored 20 times this term and is their undisputed MVP from a rough-and-tumble campaign.

James Forrest keeps his place on the right flank after scoring his first goal following injury but Ryan Christie is axed from the starting XI. That means Mo Elyounoussi comes back after his impressive display against Rangers before the international break.

The Norwegian scored a wonderful diving header in that clash and deserves another run of starts.

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David Turnbull moves slightly further forward to play behind the striker, while Callum McGregor replaces Tom Rogic in the line-up.

The only remaining change to note is a return for Greg Taylor. Diego Laxalt consequently drops out, with Taylor now having a number of weeks of full training under his belt after injury.

AND in other news, Celtic may sign their best striker since Larsson with move for “powerful” £45k-p/w ace…

Sunderland are in action against Blackpool as they look to close the gap to the top two in League One, but the fans were far from happy with the performance of Callum McFadzean during the first half.

The Black Cats are in desperate need of a win if they want to earn automatic promotion to the Championship. Not long ago, their fate was in their own hands, but 2-1 defeats to Charlton Athletic and Wigan Athletic means they are now five points behind Peterborough with just five games left after this one against the Seasiders (BBC).

In the first 45 minutes, McFadzean struggled at left-back. He picked up a yellow card just 18 minutes into the match, meaning he must walk a tight-rope for the rest of the game. Lee Johnson will be hoping he does not do anything silly to get himself sent off and put his team under immense pressure.

The Sunderland supporters weren’t best pleased with what he had to show early on, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

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

“Ok take him off”

Credit: @ManixKnows

“take him off”

Credit: @DeanoCummings85

“Typical”

Credit: @AstroMackemTech

“Of course”

Credit: @KINGMAGUIRE1

“First yellow of the game and it’s for McFadzean. Looks like his man just gets the wrong side of him and he goes down, don’t think their man was ever getting there but still shouldn’t be getting caught out like that so easily.”

Credit: @ALS_Fanzine

“Controlled the game for large parts, poor in the final third again, mcfadzean waste of a shirt”

Credit: @jonny8686

In other news, Sunderland fans love news on this ace.

Watford are eyeing a move for Newcastle United goalkeeper Karl Darlow ahead of the summer transfer window, according to the Sunday Mirror’s print edition (via Chronicle Live).

The Hornets are poised to regain their Premier League status for the 2021/22 season. With four games remaining, they are sat in the automatic promotion places, six points clear of third.

With Ben Foster now 38, his stint between the sticks could soon be coming to an end, and the Sunday Mirror’s report stated that Watford are willing to pay around £6m for 30-year-old Darlow, who earns £25,000 per week at St James’ Park.

Newcastle have perfect alternative to Darlow

Newcastle may well entertain the approach given that they have Freddie Woodman, a ready-made deputy for Martin Dubravka, returning from his loan at Swansea City in the summer.

Woodman has kept an outstanding 20 clean sheets for the Swans, who could yet be promoted themselves as they are all but assured of a play-off place in the Championship.

Darlow dropped by Bruce after period as no. 1

With Dubravka injured, Darlow was Newcastle’s number one this season up until the 3-1 defeat at Manchester United, when he was twice beaten at his near post.

Dubravka was recalled by Steve Bruce for the visit of Wolves the following week in a move which may well have cost Darlow his first England call-up, as Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate said: “He’s probably found himself out of the team at just the wrong time in many regards, really,”

The 30-year-old Newcastle ‘keeper was said to be ‘very upset’ after missing out on the England squad for the March internationals just weeks after Bruce culled him from the Magpies’ starting XI.

Transfer Tavern verdict

This is a deal which would make sense for all parties. Watford would get a solid Premier League goalkeeper, while Newcastle can promote Woodman and Darlow can enjoy first-team football at Vicarage Road.

The £6m fee is also not to be sniffed at, given that Transfermarkt value the former Nottingham Forest goalie at just £2.7m.

In other news, Newcastle’s stance on the European Super League has been revealed.

Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell is excited about the prospect of Leeds United signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles this summer.

Marcelo Bielsa could have a busy time of things in the next transfer window, improving his squad further and attempting to take the Whites to the next level.

One player with whom they have been linked is Maitland-Niles, who is currently on loan at West Brom from Arsenal, making 11 appearances for the Baggies this season.

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Campbell tips Maitland-Niles to shine at Leeds

Someone who believes the five-cap England international would be a good signing for Leeds is Campbell, who talked up to the move to Football Insider:

“I think he is definitely someone who could fit into that team. He has good energy, a good engine and a lot of ability on the ball. The other big plus is that he can play in multiple positions, which we know Bielsa likes.

“I think that could be a great signing for Leeds.”

Transfer Tavern take

While Maitland-Niles hasn’t necessarily made the strides some hoped he would in recent years, he remains an exciting young players with lots of potential. Still only 23, he already has 121 appearances to his name for Arsenal, showing that he can cut it at a big club at a young age.

Furthermore, he is capable of thriving on either flank as a wing-back, or providing energy and quality in central midfield, with his versatility something which could appeal to Bielsa.

There may be a slight risk element in signing Maitland-Niles given his inability to inspire West Brom to escape their relegation rut, but he can be signed on a free transfer after his Arsenal deal expires this summer, which makes him worth a punt.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a move for a current South American international. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United could not find a way past Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday, the clash in Yorkshire ending 0-0.

Chances were certainly at a premium and here is how we rated the Red Devils throughout the game:

Starting XI

Henderson – 6/10: It was not an extraordinarily busy afternoon for the United stopper, only being forced into three saves according to WhoScored. His distribution was impressive though.

Wan-Bissaka – 7/10: Probably the most reliable of United’s defensive options, the former Crystal Palace man provided five tackles and two clearances as he dealt with the threat of the ever-dangerous Jack Harrison relatively well.

Maguire – 6/10: Again, not the busiest afternoon for the Red Devils’ captain, Leeds being restricted to just three shots. He was dominant in the air throughout the game but really should have scored with a free header in the first half and he was also booked.

Lindelof – 6/10: Not tested all too much, the Swede was solid if unspectacular. He produced three clearances as the hosts were kept at arms’ length throughout the majority of the game.

Shaw – 7/10: Like his fellow full-back, Shaw impressed at Elland Road. He was very effective going forwards, racking up one of the highest pass completion rates in the visitors’ side, whilst contributing a fantastic five key passes.

Fred – 7/10: Far better defensively than going forwards, Fred was instrumental in keeping Marcelo Bielsa’s troops quiet. The former Shakhtar man contributed three tackles, three interceptions and three clearances. He was also a reliable presence on the ball.

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McTominay – 6/10: After scoring twice and notching an assist in the reverse fixture this season, the Scot would certainly have been wanting to rack up a similar contribution in Yorkshire. That was simply not possible though, completing just 30 passes throughout the match.

Fernandes – 6/10: Arguably one of Fernandes’ worst performances for the club since joining last January. He had five shots throughout the clash but did not get any of those on target – an aspect that was somewhat synonymous with the majority of United’s attack play.

James – 5/10: Playing at a stadium where he could have potentially have been an employee, the young winger could barely get involved. He did not have a single shot and when presented with a chance to score in the second half, he dallied for too long before he was tackled by Ezgjan Alioski.

Greenwood – 7/10: The United academy graduate was probably the brightest spark for the visitors at Elland Road. On numerous occasions, he looked the biggest threat for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men but was regularly denied by Illan Meslier.

Rashford  – 6/10: Whilst still clearly finding his way back to full fitness, Rashford looked off the pace against Leeds. He struggled to find any room to work in and accumulated the worst pass accuracy rate of the Manchester United starting XI at just 69.2% before eventually being replaced.

Substitutes

Pogba – 6/10: Replaced Daniel James with just under 15 minutes of regular time remaining but did not really affect the game all too much.

Cavani – 6/10: The Uruguayan replaced Rashford towards the end of the tie but like Pogba, did not get involved too much.

Van de Beek – N/A: Introduced for Fred with just one minute remaining, the Dutchman was not on the pitch for long enough to earn a score.

After returning from injury recently, Southampton striker Michael Obafemi seemingly has an ideal opportunity to prove himself to Ralph Hasenhuttl in the final few games of the Premier League season.

The Republic of Ireland U’21 international was close to joining Swansea City on loan in the January transfer window after barely featuring in the first half of the season, before an injury problem meant that the deal was called off and that he would stay at Staplewood to recover.

However, the 20-year-old has now made a full recovery and should be in contention to feature in some of Southampton’s final five Premier League fixtures which, barring an unlikely series of results from Fulham and West Brom, will have very little bearing on the Saints’ season.

Hasenhuhttl’s side look to be safe from relegation despite an awful run of form in 2021, which suggests that some of the younger players in the squad could be given opportunities to impress over the coming weeks.

Obafemi has made just two substitute appearances for the Saints this season and has seemingly fallen behind the likes of Nathan Tella and Dan N’Lundulu in the pecking order, despite having plenty of experience in the Premier League.

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In total, the 20-year-old forward has made 35 appearances for the senior side at Southampton, in which he has contributed five goals and four assists, yet it seems that Hasenhuttl is not convinced by his professionalism, which might explain his lack of appearances earlier in the season.

However, now that he has returned from injury at a time where Danny Ings is currently sidelined, it seems as if he has been handed a golden chance to prove that he has the quality to play in the Premier League, and these next few games could end up defining his Southampton career.

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After all, Obafemi has just one year left on his deal, and if he fails to impress in the next few weeks, he could end up departing St Mary’s ahead of next season, either on loan or permanently, which would be a shame as he has shown a lot of promise at times, notably when he became Southampton’s youngest ever scorer in the Premier League back in 2018.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl handed huge boost over £5m Saints beast dubbed “one of the best” by Guardiola

During the first half of Tottenham Hotspur’s encounter with Leeds United at Elland Road, many Lilywhites supporters have slammed the first half display of Sergio Reguilon following his contribution to the home side’s opening goal.

The Spaniard was handed another start in a back four alongside the likes of Serge Aurier, Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier – and it’s safe to say supporters aren’t impressed with his first half showing.

Among the lowest-rated players on SofaScore, the 2020 Spurs summer signing played a heavy hand in Leeds’ first half goal which opened the scoring in Yorkshire.

Indeed, the 24-year-old almost scored an own goal only for keeper Hugo Lloris to somehow keep it out.

Regardless, the left-back wasn’t watching Stuart Dallas for the rebound who proceeded to smash home the loose ball.

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Following this crucial moment in the first 45 minutes, many Lilywhites supporters were livid – find all of their verdicts on the defender’s first half from Twitter down below.

Tottenham fans hammer Reguilon

“REGUILON HAS BEEN AWFUL RECENTLY”

Credit: @xstarboyspurs

“We got duped with reguilon he is shocking”

Credit: @DavidWi54260417

“reguilon is a fraud”

Credit: @Ay7evn

“SELLL REGUILÓN”

Credit: @thfcVC

“reguilon has been awful since coming back from injury, just ain’t the same”

Credit: @thfcluca_

“Reguilon has been really poor recently”

Credit: @HugoTHFC

“Reguilon is a bit of a liability. Let’s just hope his attacking ability compensates enough…”

Credit: @gserji22

“Reguilon isn’t very good is he”

Credit: @Dazzathfc1882

In other news: Spurs keen to sell this 66-cap ace, find out more here.

Danny Cowley’s Portsmouth side are interested in a deal to bring Harry Toffolo to Fratton Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to the BBC reporter Andrew Moon, who claimed in a post on Twitter that Pompey are targeting the Huddersfield Town left-back ahead of a potential move in the upcoming transfer window.

Catlin must swoop

Having joined the Terriers from Lincoln City back in January of 2020, Toffolo has so far gone on to make 51 appearances for the club, scoring three goals and providing seven assists along the way.

In the season just gone, the 25-year-old highly impressed over his 31 Championship fixtures, scoring two goals, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as helping his side keep eight clean sheets and making an average of 1.9 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 1.1 key passes per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.91 – ranking him as the club’s joint fifth-best player in the second tier.

However, considering just how well the £1.62m-rated defender performed for Huddersfield last season, it is questionable whether, firstly, the club would be willing to let him go this summer and, secondly, whether he would be willing to drop back down in division.

Although, Danny Cowley could prove to be a decisive factor in the potential switch, as the 42-year-old has signed Toffolo on two separate occasions in the past, firstly for Lincoln back in 2018 and then for Huddersfield in 2020.

As such, when taking into account the faith the Portsmouth manager has shown in him previously, perhaps the former England U20 international will be more inclined to make the move to League One this summer.

And, with Cowley obviously being a fan of the defender – whom he himself dubbed as “rampaging”, “hard-working” and “one of the best human beings we have ever worked with” – it would seem highly advisable for Mark Catlin to do all he can to land the £7.5k-per-week ace for his manager this summer, as the relationship between the two could well prove to be a key factor in Pompey securing a play-off position next season.

A transfer report from German news outlet Bild has claimed that Newcastle United will sign Jetro Willems for free in the summer window.

The Lowdown: Newcastle need a left-back

Jamal Lewis has clearly fallen out of favour with Steve Bruce, having been left on the bench in the St. James’ Park faithful’s last ten games in the Premier League, and only coming on for a mere six minutes in total in that time (Transfermarkt).

It has not quite worked out for the Northern Ireland international in the North East since his £14.85m move from Norwich City in last summer’s window, and so given that Willems is out of contract this summer, he would offer a much lower risk option with no transfer fee to be paid.

The Latest: Newcastle will sign Willems

As per Bild, the Tyneside club will sign Willems once his current contract at Eintracht Frankfurt ends, with the deal said to be close.

It would spark a return to the Magpies for the £2.7m-rated (Transfermarkt) Netherlands international after spending the 2019/20 season on loan there.

The Verdict: Willems transfer makes sense

Given that there is no transfer fee to be paid, the prospect of bringing Willems back to NUFC is a low-risk, high-reward move if he can get over his injury troubles.

The 27-year-old quickly became a fans favourite in his short spell, as several members of the Toon Army practically begged for him to be signed on a permanent deal once his loan expired.

Willems did well during his time in the top flight, winning no fewer than 5.1 of his duels a game, as well as averaging two clearances, 1.9 tackles and 1.1 successful dribbles per match (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, the left-back could certainly be a useful player to have around in the squad.

In other news, find out what big claim Ben Jacobs has dropped as news emerged on the takeover case here!

According to a Spurs source, speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy are ‘closing in’ on appointing a new manager after holding ‘extensive meetings’, and they are ‘increasingly confident’ of having their man by the end of this season.

The Lowdown: Spurs managerial saga…

Spurs have been on the hunt for a new manager ever since the departure of Jose Mourinho a month ago, and there has been no shortage of names linked with the role.

The likes of Scott Parker, Graham Potter and Roberto Martinez have been mentioned by reliable Lilywhites correspondent Alasdair Gold, while claims in the Italian media have pointed to former Chelsea bosses Maurizio Sarri and Antonio Conte.

Football Insider added that discussions have been held with Martinez and Rafael Benitez, and now they have dropped a major claim on when Levy could appoint Mourinho’s successor.

The Latest: Major claim emerges on timeframe

As per Football Insider, Spurs are now ‘closing in’ on a new manager after holding ‘extensive meetings’, with the north Londoners narrowing down their pool of candidates.

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The list is said to be diverse and included names from all age brackets and across overseas, but Levy has apparently shortened it to the extent that a possible timeframe has emerged on appointing a new manager.

It is claimed that the club are ‘increasingly confident’ of hiring their replacement for Mourinho by the end of the current campaign, and this report estimates that it could possibly happen the week commencing May 24.

The Verdict: Great news for Spurs…

Precisely a week away, if this timeframe does come to fruition, it could be a big development in the race to be Tottenham’s next manager.

Whoever Spurs’ next boss may be, they will need plenty of time to come in and assess the squad whilst also being appointed before the summer transfer window begins. Indeed, they will surely want to shape the Spurs team in their own image and liaise with chairman Levy over incomings and outgoings.

As a result, this claim Tottenham are ‘closing in’ on a possible appointment by the end of this season should come as a big boost for the club and its supporters.

In other news: Tottenham favourites to appoint this ‘perfectionist’ as manager, find out more here.