All posts by z3u9t.icu

Kevin Campbell has backed Chris Wilder to be the next manager at Celtic as Examiner Live report he has become a favourite for the Parkhead job.

The 53-year-old has recently left his post as boss at Sheffield United and is thus available for any club to bring in.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Everton striker has claimed that hiring Wilder would be a good appointment at Parkhead:

“I do think he’d be a good appointment.

“If they were to pull the trigger then they’d have a manager who knows how to work to a budget and get the players onside.

“He plays an expansive brand of football with the centre-halves joining in with attacks etc.

“I think that’s something Celtic fans could get behind.”

Celtic should hire Wilder

Given that he plays an expansive brand of football as Campbell points out, Wilder is certainly a coach that would play a style that would surely excite the Hoops faithful.

Even though the Blades have struggled a lot in the Premier League in the 2020/21 term and look almost certainly as if they will be relegated down to the EFL Championship, the Englishman has still adopted the same style of play throughout and his heroics of guiding them to a very impressive ninth-placed last season should not be overlooked.

While he might not be the most glamourous name to Hoops fans, Wilder is certainly a man that should not be overlooked, as he could help steady the sinking ship for the Bhoys as they look to battle it out with Rangers once more for the Scottish Premiership title.

In other news, find out what managerial candidate has been ruled out for the Celtic job here!

Steve Bruce should push Newcastle United to sign Hakan Calhanoglu in the summer transfer window amid doubt in the AC Milan playmaker’s long-term future at the San Siro.

What’s the word?

According to Chronicle Live, Toon scouts are keeping a close eye on Calhanoglu’s situation with the Turkey international currently set to be a free agent at the end of the season.

The Magpies are expected to monitor the free-agent market closely over the coming months with funds due to be tight and likely having to sign unattached players or fringe options on loan.

Talks are expected to occur between Calhanoglu’s agent, Gordon Stipic, and the Milan hierarchy in the coming weeks regarding his future. The Rossoneri are still optimistic that a deal can be secured, though considerable distance remains between the two parties, per Calciomercato.

Calhanoglu is said to be asking for a €5.5m-a-season (£91.5k-per-week) contract to remain at the San Siro, where Milan’s best offer to date sits at €4m-a-year (£66.5k-per-week). The 27-year-old would accept lesser terms but has set the benchmark at no less than €5m (£83k-per-week).

Milan are continuing with discussions to retain the 52-cap international as Calhanoglu is considered to be a fundamental aspect of manager Stefano Pioli’s plans, having made a step up in his performances to offer an unpredictable nature that other options cannot deliver.

Should Newcastle sign Calhanoglu?

If Calhanoglu does leave Milan as a free agent at the end of the season, Bruce must position Newcastle strongly to contend for his services against what will likely be a wealth of options.

Calhanoglu has the potential to take the Magpies to another level alongside Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron and Callum Wilson, with the £31.5m-rated star a highly influential figure with 11 assists and six goals in 27 games across all competitions this season.

No Serie A player has created as many goals as Calhanoglu (8) so far in 2020/21, while also leading the Italian top-flight with 67 key passes – 13 more than second-placed Rodrigo de Paul (54), per SofaScore.

Those numbers would see the former Bayer Leverkusen ace rank third among all Premier League players for key passes – behind only Jack Grealish (76) and Bruno Fernandes (71) – and joint-first with Harry Kane for assists (11). Almiron (22) has created the most goalscoring chances for Newcastle, while Wilson (5) has registered the most assists at St. James’ Park.

But Sport Bild journalist Christian Falk believes Manchester United may be the one on pole for his signature, having held talks with Stipic last summer over a potential move to Old Trafford.

“It’s true and I think this will happen because last summer there was already talks with his agent,” he told the Stretford Paddock podcast in November.

“I don’t know if you know, but Juventus would have also have liked him last summer, but he said ‘no’. He said no because he already knew what would happen this summer with United.

“Talks are already very, very far at the moment, and he’ll be a free agent, so this transfer is very, very likely. He’s a technical player, perhaps it is [Paul] Pogba to show him the way.”

So, competition could be tough, and a transfer may make Calhanoglu Newcastle’s best-paid player – eclipsing Joelinton’s £86.5k-per-week deal – but Bruce should be pushing to strike a deal.

AND in other news, Newcastle are facing a dilemma over the future of a £40k-p/w ace set to be the subject of a tempting offer…

According to recent reports, Victor Orta and Leeds United have targeted Ruben Amorim as the club’s next manager – should Marcelo Bielsa walk away from the Whites this summer.

Reports from Portugal, as cited by Leeds Live, claim that the Sporting CP manager is viewed by Leeds as a potential replacement for Bielsa, whose contract expires at Elland Road this summer.

While the 65-year-old Leeds manager has confirmed he will inform the club of whether or not he plans to stay on longer than his current deal before the summer – as yet, there are no reports that a deal has been discussed between the Argentine and Orta.

As a result, Portuguese journalist, Bruno Andrade, has claimed that Amorim is one of the candidates Orta has lined up as a potential replacement for Bielsa, should he indeed depart Leeds at the end of their current campaign.

Transfer Tavern Take

While it still feels as if Bielsa’s job is unfinished at Leeds, as the newly-promoted side currently occupy 11th place in the Premier League standings despite the lingering feeling that they have not yet hit their ceiling, the previous unpredictability of the 65-year-old very much leaves the possibility of his departure this summer as entirely plausible.

And, considering the 37-year-old Amorim has impressed during his short time in charge of Sporting, losing just four of his 40 matches at the helm of the Portuguese side, he would very much appear to be an enticing prospect in the event that Bielsa does walk away.

In other news, Phil Hay shed light on this Leeds star’s contract details – find out more here!

Southampton are back in Premier League action on Saturday evening as they take on Leicester City at the King Power Stadium and Ralph Hasenhuttl should consider starting Dan N’Lundulu.

Danny Ings has been ruled out of the game against Brendan Rodgers’ side after testing positive for the current viral outbreak, leaving the Saints short on attacking options ahead of the game.

Wingers Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond are also sidelined through injury, meaning Theo Walcott is perhaps likely to keep his place on the wing, rather than moving up front, as we have seen on a few occasions so far this season.

Hasenhuttl is perhaps likely to hand Shane Long another start alongside Che Adams, with the Irish striker having seen a lot more game time in recent weeks as a result of the injury problems at the South Coast club.

However, considering he has found the net just twice in his last 36 Premier League appearances, the Austrian manager should consider putting his faith in 21-year-old N’Lundulu instead.

The striker has made six appearances from the bench in the top-flight so far this season – including a late cameo in the win against Liverpool last time out – having impressed with David Horseman’s B team, for whom he has 12 goals and three assists in 29 appearances.

This season alone has seen the young forward grab five goals and one assist in just seven Premier League 2 appearances, so he is more than deserving of a chance to show what he can do in the top-flight, as unfortunately, his six substitute appearances have totalled just 28 minutes.

That said, he has shown in those few minutes that he is strong, athletic and adept to the pressing game, and he could prove to be a great foil for Adams at the King Power Stadium.

Whilst he doesn’t have the experience of Long, he is definitely in better goalscoring form at the moment and considering the Saints’ lack of goals in recent fixtures, as well as the absence of Ings, Hasenhuttl must put his faith in N’Lundulu for the game against Leicester City.

And, in other news… Saints handed huge blow ahead of Leicester game as “outstanding” gem ruled out

The Athletic’s Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has shed some light on the behind-the-scenes view on Adam Forshaw at Elland Road.

This comes as Forshaw has been sidelined with a hip injury since September 2019.

What is Hay’s update on the behind-the-scenes view at Leeds United on Forshaw?

In the comments section of an article that the Leeds United reporter recently wrote for The Athletic about Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, one reader shared that they think Leeds have got a ‘major problem’, in that they have no ‘proper cover’ for holding midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

Hay replied to that reader to share that Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa is of the belief that Forshaw could perform that role if he were fit, saying: ‘I know he feels that a fit Forshaw could play there.’

However, with the 29-year-old having been out of action for over a year now, the journalist went on to say that ‘no one at the club can be sure of what comes next for him.’

Transfer Tavern take

It may be fair to say that this update certainly isn’t a positive one for the £2.88m-rated midfielder, as it seems like there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes uncertainty over his Elland Road future at present.

However, this also mightn’t come as a massive surprise, given that he has been out of action for so long.

In December, Bielsa indicated that the 29-year-old is yet to even return to training, so it seems like he’s still a while away from getting back to competitive action with the first-team.

With just over a year remaining on his Leeds contract and knowing that those behind-the-scenes at the Yorkshire clubs are unsure about what comes next for him, it may be fair to say that Forshaw’s days at Leeds could be numbered unless he can get himself fit and firing once again.

In other news, details have emerged on Bielsa’s plan for Robbie Gotts.

West Brom may have finally broken their winless hoodoo, but Slaven Bilic and his men have a lot of work to do if they are to remain in the Premier League.

The Baggies still occupy a place in the drop zone, some seven points off Crystal Palace in 15th position, who they face this weekend. If they lose that game, then the relegation dogfight will quickly look less competitive.

And that’s something Albion cannot afford going into the festive period.

They’ll need a decent January transfer window to solve most of their issues, though the chances that the Croatian will be backed by penny-pinching chairman Guochuan Lai seem rather unlikely.

One way around this could be solved by offloading some deadwood amongst their Championship-winning squad, starting with the likes of Charlie Austin.

Once the striker is out the door, the next on the list has to be veteran left-back Kieran Gibbs, who is just not getting into the side at the minute, so it’s pretty pointless having someone on his wages around.

The 31-year-old has not been seen since his red card against Everton in the second game of the season, when the Baggies leaked five goals. Bilic blasted his left-back for being “stupid” after the match.

In his absence, Bilic’s backline has leaked more than one goal just twice, excluding the thrilling end-to-end encounter with Chelsea.

Gibbs has only made the bench in three of their last seven Premier League outings too, which is hardly inspiring considering he’s earning around £55k-per-week at the Hawthorns as their second-highest earner.

Even last season, we barely saw the former Arsenal star on the pitch, starting just 14 matches in the Championship, where he averaged 1.2 clearances, 1.1 tackles and 0.7 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Given the calls for Conor Townsend to earn a contract extension, it doesn’t seem like Gibbs will be able to force his way into the side anytime soon. Therefore, it is only wise for Luke Dowling to look to offload him, he’s merely bleeding the club dry by not featuring.

AND in other news, Bilic must AXE “ruthless” Baggies star in SHOCK move vs Palace…

Tottenham Hotspur may endure a quiet January transfer window unless they can find a viable option at centre-back and according to latest reports, they might have just done that…

What’s the word?

Turkish outlet Fanatik claims that Spurs are one of several teams eyeing a move for Juventus titan Merih Demiral this month with the 22-year-old out-of-favour under Andrea Pirlo.

The north Londoners are set to battle top-flight rivals Liverpool and Leicester City as well as the likes of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

It’s claimed that a loan deal with an option to buy won’t be possible as the Serie A champions are wanting around €50m (£45m) for his signature.

Instant upgrade

It was only 18 months ago that the Turin-based side paid €18m (£16m) for the Turkey international from fellow Italian outfit Sassuolo, but evidently, he has found it hard to break into the starting XI over either Matthijs de Ligt or Leonardo Bonucci.

When he has played, however, he’s been one of Pirlo’s best performers, managing an average rating of 7.05, which is above that of the aforementioned duo.

Throughout his career so far, Demiral has averaged 4.6 clearances, 1.7 interceptions and 1.5 tackles per game, via WhoScored. This only shows the sort of resolute and imposing presence he can have at the back.

Something that Spurs could do with – ultimately, they are merely one injury away from a nightmare as they are yet to replace Jan Vertonghen.

The young centre-back has also been likened to Premier League legend Nemanja Vidic due to being a “natural leader” who is “cool under pressure,” so if he’s even half the player of the former United monster, then Daniel Levy would be onto a major signing.

Spurs may only be in the Europa League but imagine pairing Demiral alongside Toby Alderweireld and Sergio Reguilon, all in front of Hugo Lloris, and slightly behind Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

That would start to look like a defensive unit fit for Europe’s elite.

AND in other news, £120k-per-week dynamo has just given Mourinho a fresh dilemma…

TalkSPORT pundit Trevor Sinclair has slammed West Bromwich Albion’s reported consideration of potentially sacking Slaven Bilic after his side’s recent run of poor results.

Sinclair slams Bilic decision

The Baggies lost 2-0 to Fulham on Monday, meaning that the Midlands outfit are still yet to win a game in the Premier League since their promotion.

John Percy revealed earlier this week that the Croatian manager now faces a make or break match against Tottenham at the weekend to save his job. In response to the news, Sinclair said:

“What’s the point in sacking Bilic?

“If you’re going to give a manager money, give it to Slaven for the January window and see if he can keep you up. He’s done well enough to get them promoted in the first place.”

Be careful what you wish for

It is no surprise to see that Bilic is now under pressure – that is the cut-throat nature of the Premier League. To be without a win after seven matches puts them in the bottom three, and the fact their latest defeat was against a direct relegation rival makes matters worse.

However, it must be remembered that Bilic was able to get West Brom back into the big time – via automatic promotion as well. The manager will not, and should not hold on to his job only based on past glories, but as they sit only one point off 17th place at the moment, it could be too soon to start making such knee-jerk calls.

In other news, West Brom fans slammed this star against Fulham.

Manchester United will be all too aware that they can move above Manchester City in the Premier League as they prepare for today’s clash at Southampton.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side currently sit behind City in the table but can move above their fierce rivals if they beat the Saints on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Devils return to Premier League action for the first time since beating West Bromwich Albion in a 1-0 win at Old Trafford as they travel to St Mary’s to take on Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side, who are unbeaten in their past seven games in all competitions so far this season.

United battered Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday evening and may look to keep most of the same team in place for what could be another big game for Solskjaer.

You’d expected United to get at least something against the Saints; after all, they haven’t lost in the last nine times the two sides have met.

Here is our predicted line-up for Manchester United this afternoon.

Solskjaer could hand second-choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson his first start for his boyhood club in the Premier League amid reports that he is expected to replace David de Gea between the sticks.

It’s hard to imagine many changes to the back four, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Alex Telles and Harry Maguire likely to start. Maybe Victor Lindelof could keep his place, although there are concerns over his match fitness, so we’re backing Axel Tuanzebe to earn a recall as he has impressed in the Champions League so far this season.

Both Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba reportedly face a race against time to be declared fit to face Southampton at St Mary’s, whilst Jesse Lingard has returned to first-team training after completing a period of self-isolation.

Whilst Sunday’s game may come too soon for Pogba, it’s unlikely the Frenchman will start, which provides Solskjaer with the perfect opportunity to test Donny van de Beek.

Edinson Cavani offered very little going forwards against Istanbul in the Champions League, so switching Marcus Rashford back to the left and bringing Mason Greenwood back into the starting line-up on the right could be a shrewd move, whilst Anthony Martial is likely to lead the line.

AND in other news, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must unleash Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek vs Southampton…

Celtic head to Perth this lunchtime as they look to continue their impressive start to the SPFL season.

Neil Lennon’s side are through to the group stages in the Europa League but that will be the last thing on their mind as they face St Johnstone without a plethora of players.

The Hoops are unbeaten in the league and sit just one point behind the league leaders, so what sort of side will we see at McDiarmid Park this afternoon?

Here’s the lineup we’re predicting…

Bhoys number one Vasilas Barkas is a certainty to start this match as he has done in every game this season.

In front of him, however, Lennon is enforced into making one of three changes. It sees French centre-back Christopher Jullien welcomed back into the starting XI after Nir Bitton picked up an injury in midweek.

Both Shane Duffy and Kristoffer Ajer keep their places with wing-back duo Greg Taylor and Jeremie Frimpong continuing to operate in their respective roles.

In midfield, there are two more changes as skipper Scott Brown and attacking midfielder Ryan Christie are both rested.

It means there’s a start for the impressive David Turnbull next to Callum McGregor as well as £4.5m signing Olivier Ntcham, who takes up that advanced position in the hole.

Moi Elyounoussi continues to get the nod over Patryk Klimala and Leigh Griffiths despite not being an out-and-out striker whilst leading talisman Odsonne Edouard showed he’s past his injury troubles having notched the winner against FK Sarajevo.

Tom Rogic could be involved on the bench once again.

AND in other news, Hammon’s move for £10m English flop would be an unforgivable error…