All posts by z3u9t.icu

With previous reports claiming that Aston Villa’s owners will provide financial backing for Steven Gerrard to make some transfer deals in the current January window to help him make his mark on the squad and improve it where he sees fit, it seems as though the club have identified a player that could help the former Rangers boss do just that.

What’s the word?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, Villa have registered their interest in signing Everton defender Lucas Digne this month with Gerrard apparently wanting to recruit a top-class left-back for his side.

Since joining Everton back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Barcelona in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m, the left-back has gone on to make 127 appearances for the Toffees across all competitions, chipping in with six goals and 20 assists, showing how much of an attacking talent he has been from the left full-back position.

Having been labelled as a player who has a “wand of a left foot” by former Villa loanee Ross Barkley in the past, Digne has found himself in a difficult situation at Goodison Park in recent weeks after a reported behind-the-scenes falling out with manager Rafa Benitez has put his future at the club in jeopardy, with a January exit looking likely for the player.

With this in mind, Digne could be the ideal player for Villa to sign and give Gerrard what he wants this month, especially as a more attack-minded full-back with Targett only managing to score three goals and provide five assists in 88 appearances for the Villans.

Also, with Villa having Matt Targett and 36-year-old Ashley Young as the only two players in their squad that predominantly play in the left-back position, it could be worth the Midlands club adding some extra quality in that position, which would surely leave a lot of Villa fans buzzing.

Taking all of this into account, it’s definitely worth Villa approaching Everton at some point this month to see if they can work out a deal that would see the 28-year-old make the move to Villa Park and potentially get his season back on track and improve Gerrard’s squad at the same time.

However, with fellow Premier League clubs Newcastle United, West Ham United and Chelsea all reportedly interested in signing the £27m-rated Frenchman this month, it could be a challenge for Villa to secure his signature.

In other news: Villa could make a move for this Serie A starlet…

With six goals scored and none conceded in their two previous games against Arsenal in the Premier League and FC Porto in the Champions League, Liverpool are in a good position to take on Southampton at Anfield in their next league match at the weekend.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Jurgen Klopp could select in his starting XI to take on the Saints, one player that should definitely be in the team on this occasion that didn’t start in midweek is Jordan Henderson.

Despite not starting the match against Porto on Wednesday night, Henderson still managed to impress in the 27 minutes of action he got in the second half after he replaced goalscorer Thiago Alcantara.

During his cameo, Henderson managed to highlight what a useful midfield option he is for the Reds in an attacking and defensive regard.

As well as providing the assist for Mohamed Salah’s goal, Henderson managed to complete 17 passes with one cross and long ball and even have one shot at goal.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-liverpool-news” title=”Check out the latest Liverpool news!”]

Henderson also managed to help his side keep a clean sheet on the day by winning five of the six duels he was involved in and complete two tackles, ultimately earning himself an overall match rating of 7.3/10 from SofaScore, which is higher than the likes of Tyler Morton and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who started the match managed to get.

It’s been the same story for Henderson in the Premier League this season as well with an average of 1.4 key passes per game and 1.4 tackles per game under his belt.

With this in mind and the fact that he managed to have a rest by not playing the whole game, Henderson, who has been labelled an “athletic” player by former Reds captain Steven Gerrard, should definitely be in the starting XI to face Southampton, who he could absolutely terrify with his attacking prowess, defensive capabilities and ability to control the tempo of a game.

Looking beyond the Southampton clash, if Liverpool can keep the £18m-rated midfielder fit and playing regularly throughout the rest of the season, he will undoubtedly play a big part in their push for the Premier League title.

In other news: Fewer touches than Alisson: Liverpool dud who won just 35% duels wasted his big chance – opinion

In 2020 FC Barcelona and Rakuten introduced an initiative to dedicate the external façade at the Nou Camp to celebrating their fans worldwide.

The innovative idea was to use fans photos to form a giant mosaic with the aim of keeping them virtually connected during the COVID-19 led restrictions to accessing the Nou Camp.

And in 2021, following last year’s success, Rakuten and FC Barcelona decided to bring back “The Big Picture” keeping fans connected in the spirit of optimism.

Rahul Kadavakolu, Director, Global Marketing & Sports Partnership Supervisory Department & Vice President, Global Sports Business, Rakuten Group, Inc explained:

“I believe that the most appealing aspect of The Big Picture is its ability to leverage Rakuten’s technology to bring fans together — cutting across borders to give them a sense of community and connectedness. If fans can’t get to the stadium, then we take the stadium to the fans. It delivers an experience to fans where they are. “

Fans were able to submit their image to form part of the giant mosaic and Rakuten, who are FC Barcelona’s Main Global Partner and first-ever Official Innovation and Entertainment Partner of the legendary club, used their integrated Augmented Reality technology to help the fans find the section of the mosaic they are featured in.

The finished mosaic, revealed in November 2021,  can be viewed here , and when you scroll in, you can see, the players images merge into the individual fans photos.   The mosaic is a giant 47.7m x 9.6m – which is longer than five double decker buses.

As Rakuten explain:

The true global appeal of this initiative is in its ability to bring together Barça’s international fans by leveraging Rakuten’s technology and highlighting the passion and loyalty that binds together supporters of the five-time European Champions.

One such fan, highlighted during this project, was Sylvanus Afful Assan-Annobil, a Ghanaian FC Barcelona fan who believes supporters of the club have a special quality that resonates with the club’s motto of being ‘More than a Club.’

“We’re more than just fans. We are one big family of fans who are so fervently loyal to the club. We all have Blaugrana-coloured blood flowing through our veins, and that’s what keeps us together.”

He continued:

“The mosaic provides an inimitable way to connect fans all around the globe. Camp Nou is the soul of our club. FC Barcelona has a very large fanbase all around the globe, and there are millions of fans out there who have never had the opportunity to be there. Being part of The Big Picture signifies their real bond to the club and makes them feel present at the stadium during every match.”

Another fan, illustrating the global reach of FC Barcelona, is Indian Anushree Chakraborty, who said:

“FC Barcelona has the strongest fan-centric culture. Our fan base aren’t just football supporters. Our emotional connection with the players is different, and initiatives such as The Big Picture bring us closer than ever.”

Rahul Kadavakolu, added

“Rakuten in Japanese means optimism. The Big Picture gives us an opportunity to bring to life our focus on optimism and empowerment by capturing and commemorating the passion and dedication of FC Barcelona fans and using our innovative technology to bring them closer together. This 100% fan-centric initiative provides fans with a timely reminder they are the heart and soul of FC Barcelona.”

What an amazing project, I can’t say I have seen that done anywhere else, but must admit, I would love to.  The fans and clubs, to my way of thinking, are one.  I have often talked about fans being the heartbeat and it looks like FC Barcelona are more than aware of their importance.  Maybe other clubs will come to realise the same one day!

Image from: unsplash.com

A big twist has emerged on Rangers’ search for a new manager, regarding former Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Dutchman is ‘one step’ away from taking over at Ibrox to replace Steven Gerrard in the dugout.

The report claims that he is the favourite for the position, following Sky Sports’ claim that Gio van Bronckhorst has held positive talks with the club.

This marks a remarkable twist in the saga with a new coach suddenly leapfrogging previous candidates to become the favourite.

Elation

Rangers fans will surely be over the moon with this update as it suggests that Koeman could be Gerrard’s replacement at Ibrox. The experienced Dutch coach recently left Barcelona and is available as a free agent, with this report now claiming that he is on the verge of accepting the job to compete for the Premiership title this season.

Supporters would surely love to see him in the dugout as he has an impressive C.V spanning a number of years, whereas van Bronckhorst is still in the early stages of his own coaching career.

The 46-year-old won an Eredivisie title with Feyenoord and averaged 2.03 points per game across 136 league matches for the Dutch club in four seasons, whilst he also spent a short spell in China.

Koeman, meanwhile, has managed 342 Eredivisie games and averaged 2.06 points per match. This included time with Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV and Vitesse and he won three league titles in that time. He has won nine trophies in his career as a head coach, showing that he knows what it takes to win silverware – with more experience in the game than van Bronckhorst.

The ex-Barca man has also experienced coaching in Britain. He finished seventh, sixth and seventh in three full seasons with Southampton and Everton earlier in his career which shows that the 58-year-old has proven himself in multiple countries with several clubs. Van Bronckhorst’s C.V, however, is based on his four years at Feyenoord in his home country.

Therefore, fans will surely be over the moon with the prospect of Koeman becoming the club’s new manager. With all due respect to van Bronckhorst, Koeman has a better background, as shown by his managerial statistics, and could be a terrific appointment for the club as he has a track record of success over a prolonged period of time. It is now down to Ross Wilson to ensure that he can get a deal over the line that would surely elate supporters.

AND in other news, Time’s up: GVB could become an instant hit at Rangers by axing £1.8m-rated dud…

West Ham could finally end their nightmare of a striker search after an exciting claim emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to ExWHUemployee on a recent episode of ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast, the Irons hold an interest in out-of-contract Torino star Andrea Belotti.

It’s not the first time that the east London outfit have been linked to the Italy international, with some reports in Italy claiming back in May that the Hammers were the ‘front-runners’ to seal his signature.

Meanwhile, there seems little chance of him signing an extention at his current club, so West Ham could sign a pre-contract agreement with him from January.

“Andrea Belotti has chances to leave Torino as [a] free agent next summer, as things stand now,” revealed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. “He’s out of contract in June 2022 and he has not accepted yet last Torino proposal to extend [his] current deal.”

Bargain solution

It’s fast approaching the two-year mark since club-record flop Sebastien Haller departed the London Stadium for Eredivisie champions Ajax and perhaps quite shockingly, he has never been replaced.

That’s a troubling prospect considering Michail Antonio, 31, has been dealt with several injury problems over the course of his Irons career, having failed to start more than 24 league games in any of the last four seasons.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news-transfer-updates-gsb-kretinsky-moyes” title=”Read the latest West Ham news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Belotti, who will cost GSB absolutely nothing, seems like a worthwhile solution.

The Euro 2020 champion has proven to be a very prolific marksman in the Serie A over several years, hitting double figures in every campaign since 2015/16, with a career-best of 28 goals coming in 2016/17, as per Transfermarkt.

It’s no wonder former Hammer, Joe Hart, gave a glowing endorsement of the Italian striker to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

“Andrea is similar to all the great strikers, English and not. It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special. He’s Belotti and that’s it. He has [an] instinct for goals, personality and he’s a team player: he’s always focused on his team and plays hard to help it.”

The 41-time international is currently valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, so Newman and co would certainly be landing themselves a complete bargain, on the above evidence.

Ex is one of the most reliable in the business when it comes to West Ham, so if he claims there is interest in the forward, then he should be believed. Therefore, many around east London should be excited by this news.

AND in other news, West Ham receive huge fitness boost ahead of Wolves clash…

A number of Wolves supporters have erupted with glee in response to a post on the club’s official Twitter channel following the incredible 3-2 win at Aston Villa yesterday.

Bruno Lage’s side enjoyed one of their most memorable Premier League victories of all time on Saturday afternoon as they made a dramatic return to action following the international break.

It looked as though Wolves were going to suffer a disappointing defeat for much of the game, with Villa leading 2-0 late on.

However, the visitors produced a remarkable comeback, with goals from Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Ruben Neves completing a stunning turnaround in the final 10 minutes.

After the game, Wolves’ official Twitter channel posted a brilliant photo of the celebrations after the Portugal midfielder’s winner, the image captioned with the word ‘iconic’.

Wolves fans love club tweet

Needless to say, lots of Wolves fans lapped it up, taking to Twitter to hail an “unbelievable” afternoon.

“Inject this shot all day long”

Credit: @OllieCaines

“What a photo!”

Credit: @nigelsutherland

“How can anyone not love football”

Credit: @SophieLloyd0

“Love this”

Credit: @OttoTheWise

“Oooooooo babyyyyyyyyyyyy”

Credit: @TomTonks

“Unbelievable!!!”

Credit: @tson0803x

In other news, some Wolves fans were left stunned by one player’s piece of brilliance. Read more here.

Leeds United made a big mistake signing Rodrigo for a club-record fee in 2020, according to former top flight striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.

The Lowdown: Rodrigo struggles at Leeds

The Spaniard joined Leeds for £27million last year, making him the most expensive signing in the club’s history in the process.

While there were high hopes for Rodrigo when he arrived, he is yet to meet those expectations, scoring just eight goals in 38 appearances after Saturday’s dramatic late penalty.

This season, the 30-year-old has registered just that one goal and no assists in eight Premier League starts.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Agbonlahor critical of signing

Someone who isn’t impressed by what he has seen is Agbonlahor, 35, who told Football Insider that Rodrigo is ultimately proving to be a huge waste of money, when asked the question:

“I think so. He shows some good touches and stuff but you need to score goals. If you don’t score goals there’s no point being in the team.

“You don’t want him to just be a hard worker who can press without getting the goals.

“I think Leeds need to get to January and try to get reinforcements. Bielsa doesn’t look like he’s doing the job he was doing last season.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-21/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Potential flop

There is still time for Rodrigo to come good at Leeds and Saturday’s delightfully cool spot-kick is a start, but with each passing week, it does appear as though he will never live up to his billing.

While there have been sporadic moments of quality from the former Valencia man – a double at Burnley last season, for example – a lack of consistency has been on show far too often.

Marcelo Bielsa has needed Rodrigo to step up in the absence of injured star man Patrick Bamford in attack and he quite simply hasn’t.

All that said, perhaps Saturday’s equaliser can turn things in the right direction.

In other news, a worrying update regarding Bielsa’s future has emerged. Read more here.

Southampton fans were far from happy as their B side lost 3-2 to Birmingham City on Monday despite being 2-0 up.

For the Saints’ senior side, it has not been the best start to the season at all. Eight games in, they have won just one match during 90 minutes, an 8-0 victory over Newport County in the League Cup, and they are without a victory after six Premier League matches (Sky Sports).

Things are not going to better for the club’s development side, either. They were without a win in five matches in their top flight, and were well in with a chance of changing that form against Birmingham. However, despite a two-goal lead, they were unable to hold on, and eventually lost 3-2. As a result, they remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

Southampton’s official Twitter account shared the result, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform below.

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

“Some serious questions need to be asked about our academy…”

Credit: @TheSaintCentre

“What a joke”

Credit: @Conor_SFC

“We trudge on.”

Credit: @PixelKicker

“Rotten top to bottom”

Credit: @griffryan

“Losing philosophy throughout this club at the moment. Needs curing”

Credit: @liamd543

“Delete this club ASAP”

Credit: @WillWray10

In other news, Southampton fans slammed this man against Wolves.

Lucien Favre features on Newcastle United’s list of potential replacements for Steve Bruce, according to The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope. 

The lowdown

The expectation is that the 60-year-old will be relieved of his post imminently following the completion of the PIF takeover at St James’ Park.

Favre’s two-and-a-half year stint as Borussia Dortmund manager came to an end last December when he was sacked amid a poor run of form (via BBC Sport).

The Swiss native, who has also managed the likes of Nice and Hertha Berlin, took 68 victories from his 110 matches as Dortmund boss. That equates to a win percentage of just under 62% (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

In a tweet, Hope claimed: “[I] understand ex-Dortmund boss Lucien Favre is among those being discussed.”

He is just one name on the owners’ shortlist, which also features Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers and Rangers’ Steven Gerrard.

The verdict

When discussing if Favre would be a good fit for Celtic back in March, football commentator Derek Rae raised some key concerns, saying that his personality didn’t seem to align with the ‘passionate and emotional nature’ of Dortmund and that his drive for possession is ‘sometimes overdone if anything’.

Rae also noted that Favre was ‘a coach, not a British-style manager’.

In light of this, can we really say that Favre is the right fit for Newcastle, a club renowned for its passionate fan base? Perhaps not.

In other news, Newcastle’s top transfer target has been revealed. 

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has backed Rodrigo to have a good season if Marcelo Bielsa’s side can maintain their standard from the previous campaign.

The Whites impressed last term following their promotion from the Championship, finishing in ninth, but individually, Rodrigo had his struggles.

The 30-year-old was far from proficient in front of goal in the early stages of his Leeds career, not coming to life until the end of the season.

However, having had time to adapt and now free from injury, The Athletic’s Phil Hay believes Rodrigo could end up being a star for the Yorkshire club by the end of this campaign. And Palmer shares a similar sentiment, suggesting that the Spaniard will deliver if the team plays well as a whole.

“People don’t realise how tough the Premier League is until you actually come and play in it and experience it week in, week out,” the ex-Leeds player told FFC when discussing Hay’s Rodrigo prediction. “It’s a tough league.

“A player like Rodrigo will depend on how Leeds United do. I think it’s going to be a difficult season for Leeds United in terms of the standard they set last season, people knowing the way they play, getting used to the way that Leeds United play. They’ve got to dig in.

“Players like Rodrigo, if Leeds are having a good season, I’m sure he’ll have a good season.”

The Whites have had a slow start to the campaign, taking two points from their first three games. From their point of view, hopefully Rodrigo can start firing soon to give that attack a boost and Patrick Bamford some respite.