All posts by h716a5.icu

Ralph Hasenhuttl looks to have suffered a blow at Southampton, with young midfielder Alexandre Jankewitz having reportedly handed in a transfer request at the South Coast club.

According to The Athletic, the 19-year-old has become frustrated with a lack of first-team opportunities with the Saints and is keen to move away this month, with Eredivisie side FC Groningen interested in signing him.

The Swiss U21 international joined Southampton in 2018 and has been a regular with both the U18s and David Horseman’s B team during his time with the club, and made his first-team debut as a substitute in the recent 2-0 win against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Southampton reporter Dan Sheldon named Jankewitz as his young player to watch in 2021, so he is clearly held in high regard at the South Coast club, and it would undoubtedly be a blow if he were to leave this month.

Unfortunately for the teenage midfielder, he looks to have been a victim of Southampton’s success so far this season, as we have seen all of the Saints’ central-midfielders perform extremely well in the Premier League.

James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu formed an excellent partnership earlier in the season before Ibrahima Diallo stepped up brilliantly in the absence of the Spanish midfielder, so Jankewitz is perhaps unlikely to break into the first-team at this moment in time.

The report from The Athletic suggests that the 19-year-old no longer wants to be playing academy football and feels that he should be playing week in week out, which is always going to be a struggle under Hasenhuttl when you consider the strength of his current midfield options.

Perhaps if they can convince him to depart on a loan deal to aid his development then that would suit both parties but when you consider that Jankewitz was linked with a move to Barcelona during last summer’s transfer window, it would surely prove to be bad news for Southampton if he were to leave on a permanent deal and then fulfil his potential elsewhere.

They are left in a tough situation right now.

And, in other news… Semmens must make £9.9m-rated beast his January priority after disaster vs Arsenal

Glasgow Rangers had been expecting a fairly quiet January and that’s near enough exactly what they got, although Steven Gerrard did manage to conduct some transfer business before Monday’s deadline day.

Apart from a few outgoings, albeit mostly on loan, there wasn’t too much for Rangers fans to get excited about in the winter transfer window.

However, that didn’t stop Ross Wilson from signing Scott Wright and Jack Simpson before the close of play on deadline day, with Simpson’s teammate Nnamdi Ofoborh following suit from Bournemouth before immediately leaving on loan for Wycombe Wanderers.

And now, all eyes will be on the summer to see what business Rangers will carry out before the start of next season, with one name who could very much be in the frame.

Rangers-linked Fashion Sakala is set to become a free agent after rejecting a move to Europa League rivals Royal Antwerp, according to reports.

The 23-year-old has made 22 Jupiler Pro League appearances so far this season for Oostende and has 12 goals to show for his 21 starts, with Oostende currently outside Europa League contention at the halfway point of the campaign.

The Zambian international has attracted interest from clubs across Europe, including Anderlecht, Newcastle and West Ham, but seems to be keen on a move to Ibrox after he dropped a big hint about his future on Instagram.

Voetbalkrant revealed Oostende tried to offload Sakala in the January window, although this came to no avail, as a move failed to materialise.

His contract with De Kustboys is set to expire at the end of this season, leaving him free to move in the summer, and when the time comes to take the next step, it’s highly likely he’ll have no shortage of suitors.

A return of 12 goals sees him ranked sixth in the Jupiler Pro League overall. For context, that’s more than current Rangers outcast Greg Stewart has managed in his past three seasons alone.

With great risk often comes greater reward and this could ultimately play into Ross Wilson’s hands, as signing the soon-to-be free agent would give them some added firepower upfront and aid them in their quest for domestic and European success.

Given that he could join on a free transfer, it would be an absolute bargain from Wilson.

AND in other news, Exciting Rangers wonderkid Kai Kennedy is making waves in the Championship…

Steve Bruce can ease his injury nightmare by repeating the masterstroke of playing Isaac Hayden in defence when Newcastle United visit Chelsea on Monday night.

The Toon boss is facing a serious headache ahead of travelling to Stamford Bridge, after losing Fabian Schar for several months due to a torn knee ligament sustained in last week’s 3-2 win over Southampton.

United were already without options in central-defence before the Saints affair, with captain Jamaal Lascelles sidelined with a hamstring injury and Federico Fernandez missing as he continues to feel the effects caused by coronavirus after testing positive in November.

Bruce opted to name Hayden in central defence at home to Southampton to help deal with his mounting injury problems, in a decision that has since seen the Arsenal product earn a wealth of praise.

BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks included the £22,000-per-week talent as part of his Team of Week for the last Premier League matchweek, having felt Hayden was brilliant and pivotal to Newcastle claiming a result.

“Hayden was magnificent in the last 20 minutes of this fixture. His clearance off the line from a Danny Ings sliced shot was outstanding. His ability to sense the danger and hold off the Saints bombardment was quite brilliant,” Crooks noted.

Hayden started the Southampton match beside Schar but was later joined by Paul Dummett and Arsenal loanee Joe Willock as Bruce threw everything but the kitchen sink at retaining Newcastle’s one-goal lead, having fallen to nine men due to the Schar’s injury and a red card for Jeff Hendrick.

It was the eighth time this season that Hayden has now opened a fixture at centre-half across all competitions, having sporadically been utilised like a swiss army knife capable of getting the job done regardless of where he plays.

Bruce should now stick with Hayden in the Newcastle backline for his side’s upcoming trip to Chelsea, as the 25-year-old would be expected to help ease United’s injury nightmare.

Hayden certainly made the position his own against Southampton, with no Toon player who started offering more than his six clearances, per WhoScored. That is greater than the highest average amount achieved per game among all Premier League players who have featured more than five times this term, with that honour heading to Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo (5.9).

Only Javier Manquillo, who featured for just 24 minutes, achieved a higher pass completion rate than Hayden among the Magpies against the Saints, as well, with the Spaniard finding teammates with 86% of his seven passes while the Englishman completed 78% of his 23.

No Newcastle player has also averaged a higher number of successful tackles per Premier League game when fielded at centre-back this season than Hayden, who offers 2.8 from 3.3 attempts, while Fernandez (1.5/1.8) is the only other option to average more than one, per WhoScored.

So, clearly, Hayden can help ease Bruce’s injury nightmare by featuring in defence against Chelsea on Monday, in what could be another masterstroke move by the United boss.

AND in other news, a £47k-p/w colossus is weighing up his future at Newcastle United…

As the 2,300+ replies to Celtic’s full-time tweet on Sunday evening will tell you, Neil Lennon, and the club as a whole, are in a spot of bother.

Their fiercest rivals now need just seven points to win the title and finally stop the Bhoys in their tracks. They have won the league nine seasons in a row but at long last, their strong grasp over Scottish football is being surrendered.

The Hoops have been shocking this season and it is surely only a matter of time before Lennon is shown the exit door. He has claimed that he won’t exit his post unless he is forced to but even that feels farfetched given the support that Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell have shown.

Though, if he does leave, who will walk through the door? Eddie Howe has been linked, while fellow Englishmen John Terry and Frank Lampard have both been talked up.

“You’re looking at both clubs and this is obviously Steven Gerrard’s third season there. If either of these guys, Terry or Lampard, come in, you’re looking at them hitting the ground running,” Kevin Campbell told Football Insider.

“You look at that Celtic squad and of course they can do it because they’ve won nine-in-a-row,” he continued.

The job at hand cannot be underestimated, however. As many as 12 players could depart this summer and if an exodus does occur, one of the players they have to build the squad around is young defender Stephen Welsh.

He’s only played 12 times for the Hoops but if a coach like Terry arrives, it could be game-changing for the central defender.

The 21-year-old has impressed during his minimal opportunities this term and based on what Terry has done for the defenders at Aston Villa, he could take Welsh to a brand new level.

Villa defender Tyrone Mings called the 40-year-old the “perfect mentor” for the work they’ve done together. You only need to look at the way Villa transformed a struggling defence under the stewardship of Terry during their promotion-winning campaign in 2018/19 to understand what he can bring to a team.

Mings isn’t the only one to hail Terry, however. The club’s marauding left-back Matt Targett told The Times last week that regular Zoom meetings with the former England international were game-changing during lockdown.

“We go through clips and say what I’ve done well, what I need to improve on. If my body shape’s wrong, John goes up to the screen and shows me the body shape I should be in.”

“He’s probably one of the best people to learn from,” Targett added.

On the opposite side of the pitch, Matty Cash has also reserved praise for Terry’s influence on the training pitch: “We do a lot of work with him as a unit and it shows.”

From fighting relegation last season, Villa are now firmly in the race for Europe. Together with Dean Smith, Terry has taken a bunch of young defenders under his wing and made them some of the most consistent players in the English top-flight.

His influence on a player like Welsh, therefore, is exciting to think about. He’s just 21 years of age and with his best years undoubtedly on the horizon, it could be a blossoming partnership.

All Desmond and Lawwell need to do now is to convince Terry to move to Glasgow. With their current form, that may be easier said than done.

AND in other news, Get rid: Celtic gem who won just 14.2% of his duels continues to be a problem…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Southampton midfielder Carlton Palmer gave his verdict on whether Che Adams could replace Danny Ings as the Saints’ main man.

Ings, who will have just a year remaining on his contract in the summer, continues to be linked with a move away from St. Mary’s.

Tottenham are one club who are said to be interested in acquiring the services of the England striker, and a move to White Hart Lane could put the wheels in motion for Adams to become Southampton’s leading No.9.

Palmer, however, feels his old side will need to dip into the transfer market if Ings does end up departing.

When asked whether Ralph Hasenhuttl should turn to Adams or sign a direct replacement in an exclusive interview with FFC, the retired England international said:

“They’re going to have to dip into the transfer market. You know, goalscorers are a special breed. You’ve either got that natural talent of goalscoring or you haven’t, and Danny Ings has certainly got that. So to replace his goals, I think they’re gonna have to go and buy.”

After a difficult debut campaign in the Premier League where he was only able to score four times, Adams has shown promise this season, already surpassing that tally. The 24-year-old alone, however, is unlikely to be enough for Hasenhuttl in a post-Ings era.

Ings scored 25 goals in all competitions for Southampton last season, showing the kind of firepower the Austrian manager will need to replace down on the south coast.

Details have been shared on a key Premier League decision in the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

As per the British and Irish Legal Information Institute website (via The Chronicle), the English top flight were ‘provisionally minded’ to conclude that the Gulf country would become a director at the St. James’ Park faithful as part of a proposed takeover in 2020.

This is despite insistence from the prospective buyers that the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would be in charge instead of them, insisting the two parties are separate entities.

The league wrote a letter to the Magpies on June 12th after the division’s governing body concluded that the KSA ‘would become a director’ at the North East club. The latter disputed this conclusion which is why an arbitration hearing is needed.

There were a list of reasons why the PL were ‘provisionally minded’ to come to the conclusion, in which Judge Mark Pelling says is ‘the sole issue’ that needs to be settled in the upcoming arbitration case, to see ‘whether this conclusion is correct’.

Arbitration should make things clearer

There is clearly a stand-off between the Tyneside club and the Premier League over whether the KSA government and PIF can be considered as separate entities or not.

The pending arbitration case should settle this dispute, and thus make things a little bit clearer as to what direction the potential takeover is heading.

Nonetheless, members of the Toon Army will be hoping that NUFC win the case, which could prove to be a step further in potentially reviving the original deal between Mike Ashley and the consortium.

In other news, find out what PIF claim has been dropped by a finance guru on the potential takeover here!

With not a lot to play for between now and the end of the season for Wolves, they can begin focusing on how they can improve ahead of the next campaign.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, Wolves are one of a number of teams in the race to sign Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill.

The 25-year-old has only been in the Premier League for the best part of 14 months but plenty of teams clearly like what they’re seeing from him.

Wolves have already made trips to scout Brownhill, but they have been joined by Southampton, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Aston Villa, per TEAMtalk.

The Clarets signed him for a price of £9m, so you’d imagine they’d want a similar sort of fee in order to sell. They may also need to improve on his £35k-per-week wages in order to tempt the midfield general elsewhere.

Moutinho heir in waiting

There are very few positives from Wolves’ arduous season. They are in the bottom half of the table and haven’t been able to build upon their accomplishments of being in Europe last term.

With Raul Jimenez missing through long-term injury, they’ve not been their usual selves and that’s all been encompassed in Joao Moutinho. The Portuguese midfielder oozes class but has been one of a number of Old Gold players to suffer. He has only scored once this term and has attracted criticism as such.

Wolves reporter Tim Spiers has even claimed that this could be his final campaign as a regular in the starting XI. At the age of 34, he is no spring chicken and his best days may well be numbered.

With that in mind, the Molineux outfit will need a replacement. Could Brownhill be that man? Quite possibly.

The midfielder played a starring role for Bristol City in the Championship where he was given a more advanced role. In doing so, he contributed to 15 goals and 12 assists during his final two-and-a-half seasons in that part of the world.

Brownhill was capable of cutting through opponents, producing 1.4 key passes per match during his final half-campaign in the second tier. For context, despite Moutinho’s one assist in 2020/21, he has provided 1.2 key passes per game.

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Crucial, however, is the added penetration and zip he could bring to Wolves’ midfield. Brownhill is a player who loves to run himself into the ground, something Sean Dyche was keen to stress last September. He said: “(He’s got) boundless energy, will and desire, and he’s a good footballer. I’ve been really pleased with how he’s come through.”

Since signing for the Clarets, he has added to the defensive side of his game too, playing in a deeper role when Dyche’s men don’t have possession. Indeed, that’s a similar position to the one in which Moutinho plays at Molineux.

He starts attacks from deep by winning the ball back and then laying it forward. That’s an attribute in which Brownhill has thrived since arriving in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old has registered 1.4 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per match this term. In comparison to Moutinho, he is streets ahead in terms of his reading of the game. The Portugal international has only made 1.3 interceptions but importantly, wins two tackles per outing.

You can see why Brownhill would be a good replacement, though. He’s got an incisive pass but he’s also adept defensively. It might not be the most eye-catching of signings, but it would be smart business from Jeff Shi to bring in the 25-year-old.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for “dangerous” £37k-p/w beast with “really big potential”…

Many Aston Villa fans have been reacting to Rico Henry’s comments on social media, with the left-back revealing his experiences with the club as a youngster.

Recent reports have suggested that the Brentford ace remains on Dean Smith’s transfer radar ahead of the summer window.

Henry a possible Taylor replacement?

Smith worked with Henry in London prior to moving to Villa Park, and the 23-year-old has gone on to make more than 120 appearances for the Bees.

Should a move to Villa go through, Henry could come in to replace the ageing Neil Taylor, with the Welshman – who has made just one league appearance this season – out of contract at the end of the campaign.

Henry, talking to Brentford’s YouTube channel (as cited by Birmingham Live) shared his story of how he started out as a Villa fan before switching his allegiances to Birmingham City.

“You know what, people don’t know this. (I supported) Aston Villa because my dad supported them.”

“I went on trial at Villa and didn’t get signed so my dad stopped supporting them. So we were kind of forced to watch Birmingham. It was crazy.”

“I’m quite detached now. Brentford is my team and you don’t want to think about other clubs. Now I don’t really support anyone.”

@AVFC_News shared the story on social media on Sunday morning, which – as to be expected – received plenty of attention from numerous Villa supporters.

Here is what they had to say regarding Henry, with one fan describing him as an ‘excellent’ left-back.

Villa fans react

“This to me if true sounds like he’s hinting that he would love to play for us. The fact that he said he don’t support anyone hints he would snap our hands off if we came crawling. I say sign the kid, He’s a very good left-back and would do very well for us”

Credit: @joebaker_1998

“It’s a whole different story when wages of 40k+ come into it”

Credit: @WatkinsOffside

“Think that wound soon change if we signed him”

Credit: @AV7689983427

“Love the part where he says after he stopped supporting Villa they were “kind of forced to watch Birmingham” Clearly not the most favourable option.”

Credit: @JackJenningss_

“Just because he didn’t get signed, they switched to the rivals. Bit daft”

Credit: @JBulman24

“Still an excellent LB, who he supports won’t matter if Smith & Lange really pushed hard enough, we’ll soon see, but our club’s signings tend to come from where we least expect, but I’d like to see n have said for a while is Dwight McNeil”

Credit: @OgeeDj68

In other news: Villa learn price for in-demand Premier League midfielder, find out more here. 

Celtic’s priority ahead of the summer transfer window is seemingly set on luring the best young talent they can find to Parkhead.

Liam Shaw has already agreed a deal to join the Hoops but there are others in their crosshairs, particularly Kyle Joseph and Kwadwo Baah.

What’s the word?

The Bhoys are relentlessly striving to improve the depth of their talent pool at Paradise. As such, they could now line up a move for another young player.

That happens to be 16-year-old St Mirren gem Dylan Reid. He has recently just signed a new deal until 2023 with the club but his manager, Jim Goodwin, is wary of suitors from elsewhere.

Speaking over the weekend, he said: “He’s had his head turned by a number of huge clubs. I’m not just talking about here in Scotland.

“The two big boys [Rangers and Celtic] in Scotland would love to have him. Half a dozen of the big lads in England would love to have him and we’ve got teams in Germany as well.”

Brown successor on the cards

At the tender age of 16, Reid doesn’t have much first-team football under his belt but as the season comes to a close, he is starting to emerge as a genuine option in the middle of St Mirren’s side.

He made his senior debut against Rangers earlier this month, appearing from the bench for two minutes. The young midfielder was then among the subs again against Hamilton last weekend.

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We’ve not had a great chance to catch a glimpse of his qualities, but Goodwin only has fine words to say:

“The age situation doesn’t concern me,” the St Mirren boss began. “He’s not a small 16-year-old, he’s very athletic and strong already. Technically, he’s already as good as what we’ve got in the squad.”

“He’s been training with the first-team for a number of weeks and he looks as if he belongs here. He doesn’t look out of place in any session we’ve had him in.”

Possessing the ability to play in holding midfield, he could be the long-term successor to a certain Scott Brown.

The Hoops skipper is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with completely hanging up his boots. Brown has looked leggy at points this term and at the age of 35, you can hardly blame him.

Therefore, the idea of signing an athletic and strong midfielder like Reid certainly has plenty of appeal.

At just 16, he would undoubtedly be one for the future but as his manager says, Reid doesn’t look out of place among senior professionals.

AND in other news, Better than Christie: Celtic made error selling “quick” Rodgers gem with 65 key passes…

Reports linking Roy Keane with the vacant Celtic managerial role seem to be gathering pace.

On Thursday morning, Football Insider revealed that the Hoops had ‘sensationally’ opened talks with the Irishman and were ready to offer Keane a return to management 10 years on from his last position.

Fresh Keane update

The Daily Mail, cited by the Daily Record, have now had their say on the former Celtic midfielder.

They also claim that the 49-year-old has held discussions with the Hoops hierarchy, with Keane seemingly interested in becoming Neil Lennon’s long-term successor.

However, the latest report added that Keane is just one of a “number of candidates” in the frame to take over in Glasgow, meaning there could be more twists and turns to come yet.

Transfer Tavern take

With more than one outlet now sharing details of Keane’s reported Celtic discussions, it seems as if the Sky Sports pundit could well be making the move back to Scotland.

If he does, we feel it would be a risk, purely based on his lengthy absence from the dugout.

Yes, it would be sensational – causing huge public interest to shift towards Glasgow – but a 10-year gap from being the main man on the touchline could be a cause for concern.

Perhaps some fans will be hoping that one of those other candidates steals the show.

In other news: Report shares who Keane’s number two could be after Wednesday news, find out more here.