All posts by z3u9t.icu

Manchester City’s quadruple hopes are still alive and kicking after Pep Guardiola’s side secured a spot at Wembley with a 2-0 win against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Ilkay Gundogan finally broke the home side’s resistance with 86 minutes on the clock as he headed home the rebound after Aymeric Laporte’s shot came off the bar, before Kevin De Bruyne added a late second after running through and smashing a left-footed shot past Joao Virginia in the Everton goal.

Although there were plenty of impressive performances from City as they dominated proceedings against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, the standout performer was arguably Fernandinho in central midfield.

The 35-year-old is still going strong in Guardiola’s side and has shown himself to be a more than reliable cover for Rodri in recent months, which is ironic as the Spaniard was brought in as his long-term replacement.

As per SofaScore, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man would earn an impressive 7.6 rating for his display, with only Oleksandr Zinchenko rated higher from both sides, with the Ukrainian rated a 7.7/10 for his performance.

During the game, the experienced midfielder completed 63 of his 73 passes, which was the most of any City midfielder, whilst both of his long ball attempts also found a City shirt, per SofaScore.

Fernandinho, who reportedly earns £150,000 per week at City, was regularly the winner when in duels with Everton players, as he impressively won 13 of the 20 duels he contested during the game, which again was far more than City’s other midfielders Gundogan and Bernardo Silva combined, per SofaScore.

However, the most impressive and perhaps surprising part of the Brazilian’s performance were his driving runs from midfield, as he completed all four of his dribbles during his time on the pitch, one of which led to City’s best chance before the opening goal as he cut back to Raheem Sterling in the area after a lung-busting run into the area.

Considering he has averaged 0.4 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season, it was almost unprecedented how willing he was to run with the ball against Everton, which emphasises just how good he was.

Therefore, you could definitely argue that the Brazilian was the star for City in the FA Cup and he once again showed just how good he can be when selected by Guardiola.

And, in other news… Txiki can repeat Gundogan masterclass with City swoop for £7.65m-rated beast

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 150 appearances for Newcastle United, has called on Steve Bruce to start Sean Longstaff on Sunday against Tottenham as Isaac Hayden’s replacement.

Hayden has been a mainstay in Bruce’s side having started 48 games in the Premier League, as well as constantly being a reliable and underrated part of Newcastle’s midfield receiving a 6.67 WhoScored rating.

When Hayden went off injured during Newcastle’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton before the international break, he was replaced by Jeff Hendrick who has been largely ineffective since he joined in the summer with fans not impressed with a number of his performances.

Asked who should replace Hayden in the Toon midfield, Howey told FFC:

“I’d probably say Sean Longstaff because I think he’s got a good range of passing, but I think both the Longstaffs will feel as though their noses have been well and truly pushed out.

“So they’re obviously not going to be happy with the current situation but if one of them does get a chance it’s a case of right, ‘I’ll show you’ and it’s up to them to prove to Bruce that he was wrong to leave them out.”

Longstaff has made just nine Premier League starts for the Magpies this term, with the last of those coming on January 12 against Sheffield United.

Hayden picked up an innocuous injury when Yves Bissouma fell into his leg while it was planted and as a result, he’ll miss the remainder of the season.

That injury news came just as Bruce was starting to see players such as Javier Manquillo, Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson start to return from their injuries.

With a swift click of the fingers, Pedro Neto’s outstanding season has come to a premature end.

The winger has enjoyed a scintillating breakthrough campaign at Wolves, putting a number of Premier League teams to the sword with red-hot dribbling and his devastating left-foot.

Neto is the club’s top scorer this season on five goals while he’s also Nuno Santo’s chief creator with six assists.

Those aren’t breathtaking numbers but it says a lot that at the age of just 21, he is the standout player in a top-flight side.

The Portuguese sensation has stepped up admirably in the absence of Raul Jimenez but like his Mexican teammate, he now faces a considerable period on the sidelines.

Wolves have had rotten luck with injuries this term and only last week Jonny was ruled out for the best part of a year with another ACL injury.

Neto won’t miss quite as much time, but he’s now set to miss the next six months with a significant injury to his knee cap that requires surgery.

On the chalkboard

The youngster will be a huge miss to Wolves between now and the end of the campaign and they will struggle to replace him.

After all, Nuno’s side have hardly been full of goals. Fabio Silva has only found the net three times this term while Willian Jose hasn’t scored at all.

They can take comfort from the fact that Adama Traore bagged his first Premier League goal since December 2019 in the win over Fulham but he has some way to go before rediscovering his best form.

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One player Wolves could turn to is a player in their academy; Theo Corbeanu.

The 18-year-old hasn’t made a single first-team appearance for the club but he was on the bench in both of their FA Cup ties this term while he’s appeared among the substitutes in the top-flight on six occasions.

He is yet to make a breakthrough but evidently, the Canadian is very much on Nuno’s radar.

A winger or centre-forward by trade, Corbeanu possesses many of the qualities that have made Neto such a stand out fixture in the Wolves starting XI.

He is a tricky individual with the ability to find the net and create. This season the teenager has five goals and two assists for the U23 side.

The forward has made a dazzling impact in James Collins’ team and has earned eye-catching praise along the way: “He’s athletic, tall, can head it, can defend, can dribble past people and score, he can shoot, he can pass, he’s both footed, he’s got a bit of everything,” Collins admitted.

“Theo can be anything he wants to be. He’s an outstanding prospect,” he concluded.

We saw the ruthless impact Corbeanu can have when he was given an opportunity to shine in the EFL Trophy against senior opposition. During that competition, the attacker managed 1.8 key passes per game and 2.3 successful dribbles.

Only Pedro Neto (2) has managed more key passes a match in Wolves’ Premier League side this term while only Traore trumps the youngster in terms of take-ons.

Clearly, the Wolves prodigy has plenty to offer to the senior squad. With Neto now on the sidelines, this feels like the perfect chance to hand him a first-team berth.

AND in other news, Wolves may have their new Jimenez in rarely-seen beast with an “assassin’s mentality”…

Leeds United have identified a potential summer signing in Ivan Toney but face competition to acquire the player if they do make a serious offer.

The latest on Toney

According to TEAMtalk, Brentford are ready to slap a £30m asking price on star striker Ivan Toney, with Arsenal, Leeds and West Ham all keen.

The 24-year-old joined the Bees last summer in a deal worth just over £5m from League One Peterborough to replace Ollie Watkins, who has shone in his first campaign in the Premier League.

This would be a great coup for Leeds

The Englishman has truly set the Championship alight, playing 33 times in the division and scoring 25 goals whilst also picking up nine assists along the way (WhoScored). His stats show how much of an attacking threat he poses as he has averages 2.8 shots and 1.1 key passes per game in 2020/21.

Toney, who was once hailed as a “gem” by his former Peterborough manager Steve Evans, looks like he will break the 30-goal mark this season; and despite him having a large price tag in £30m, it feels like he is worth that type of money.

He is still young and should have the scope to grow into an even better forward when he reaches his prime. That other clubs in the Premier League are also interested in him highlights his quality, and this could be a huge signing for Leeds to work alongside the in-form Patrick Bamford.

In other news, Danny Mills fumes at this Leeds player’s agent!

With the transfer deadline on the horizon, West Brom have entered the running to secure a last-gasp loan move for Premier League wonderkid Billy Gilmour.

What’s the word?

According to reports in Spain (via the Mirror), the Baggies are one of several teams eyeing up a late swoop for the Chelsea midfielder, though it won’t be easy given the interest in him.

The likes of arch-rivals Wolves and Aston Villa as well as West Ham and Crystal Palace are all keen on securing him before tonight’s 11pm transfer deadline.

Forget Sawyers

Albion boss Sam Allardyce only has one more domestic loan space available. Given the club’s success with Conor Gallagher this term, he would be wise to pair up his former academy teammate in the middle of midfield.

Gilmour is a unique prospect with the world at his feet, as Roy Keane told Sky Sports last season (via talkSPORT):

“As the game started I literally got out of my seat, which I very rarely do, and I thought, ‘Who is this kid?’ There are certain traits you want from a midfielder, quality on the ball, football intelligence, composure. He had everything. It was one of the best performances I have seen in a long, long time.”

The 19-year-old, valued at £6.75m by Transfermarkt, can play various roles in central midfield. Against Liverpool and Everton, he thrived as an anchorman, but a record of 16 goals and 13 assists across the U23s and U18s suggests he can also contribute further forward.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-west-brom-news-and-transfer-rumours” title=”Read this week’s latest West Brom news, transfer rumours and more…”]

Indeed, the young Scottish starlet has taken inspiration from a plethora of midfield greats, namely Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Busquets.

This sort of Spanish flair is something he’s been able to display in relatively short game time, and you’d struggle to liken that sort of profile to any of Allardyce’s current options.

“He’s so talented on the ball. He looks so comfortable; the minute he moves, he manipulates it,” said Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp. “He’s a big talent for Chelsea and Scotland going forward – and a really well-rounded kid.”

The only deep-lying playmaker in the squad right now is Romaine Sawyers, but he rates out as Albion’s second-worst player per WhoScored ratings (6.13).

He has struggled to have much of an influence at either end of the pitch – on average, he is dribbled past 1.8 times per 90 and only pulls off a successful tackle 50% of the time. The Hawthorns graduate provides the least number of key passes per 90 of all of the Baggies’ midfield options too, via WhoScored.

Gilmour, based on his ten competitive appearances, is only dribbled past 0.8 times per 90 and makes 71.4% of his tackles. Adding to the aforementioned creative aspect, the teenager has delivered two key passes per 90, on average, also via WhoScored.

West Brom sporting director Luke Dowling would be wise to make a move for Gilmour before the end of the day, as evident above, the £10k-per-week dynamo would alleviate some of those midfield struggles.

Allardyce can forget about Sawyers’ struggles by landing Gallagher’s Blues teammate in a last-gasp swoop. It could prove to be beneficial for all those involved.

AND in other news, Exclusive: West Brom backed to seal PL striker before deadline

Carlo Ancelotti must block Manchester United from signing Jarrad Branthwaite after the Red Devils became the latest Premier League club to begin monitoring the Everton prospect.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Red Devils scouts are tracking Branthwaite’s progress following an impressive start to life on loan with Championship side Blackburn Rovers.

The left-sided centre-back moved to Ewood Park in the recent winter transfer market and made his seventh outing under Tony Mowbray during Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, having yet missed a second of available game time at the second-tier outfit.

Ancelotti sanctioned a half-season loan spell for the £15,000-per-week 18-year-old as he recognised the need for him to play regular senior football, having only awarded Branthwaite one of his five appearances for Everton during the 2020/21 campaign.

Branthwaite joined the Toffees from Carlisle United in a £1m move in January 2020, and is noted as having earned the attention of Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as United, given his stylish and impressive performances for the Blues and Blackburn.

Everton are happy with Branthwaite’s progress and see him making the step up to a regular first-team role at Goodison Park in the future, where question marks are said to lie on Yerry Mina’s future with Ancelotti’s best centre-back partnership still unclear.

But the Merseyside outfit are wary of the increasing number of sides eying Branthwaite, while Manchester United consider their future options as well as a first-team ready centre-half for the upcoming summer window.

Should Everton sell Branthwaite?

The heightening interest in Branthwaite from the Premier League’s established top-six sides just goes to show the level he has been performing at with Blackburn, despite Rovers now being without a single point from their last four Championship games.

Mowbray oversaw a 1-1 draw against Stoke City in Branthwaite’s first match for the Ewood Park natives, after which he described the 6 ft 5 titan’s display as “remarkable” for his age. And, despite Blackburn’s form since, the Rovers boss continues to be impressed by the England U19 international, as he “does what it says on the tin” most weeks.

Branthwaite’s displays have also returned the highest average number of successful tackles per game by a Championship centre-back who has played at least five times this term with 2.7, per WhoScored – the next-best being AFC Bournemouth duo Diego Rico (2.2) and £12m man Chris Mepham (2).

Everton’s teenage talent further ranks ninth among all second-tier centre-halves for interceptions with 2.3 a game (Rico is first with 3.3), which would see him rank first at Goodison Park (Michael Keane and Mason Holgate are first with 1.4) and second for successful tackles – only behind Holgate (3), and with more than Mina (1) and Keane (0.8) combined.

If Branthwaite continues to impress on a similar trajectory between now and the end of the season, he will be more than ready to play a role in Ancelotti’s plans next term – especially should Mina depart – or secure a Premier League loan to gain further top-flight experience.

What Everton cannot do is sanction a permanent deal for the defender to join a Manchester United, City or Liverpool, as the Blues would only live to regret letting a future star leave so early in his career.

AND in other news, a £23.5m-rated Everton ace proved his doubters wrong in Saturday’s Merseyside Derby win over Liverpool…

Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that both they and Sheffield United have been charged after failing to control their players.

The Saints faced the Blades of Saturday March 6th, and ended up winning 2-0 thanks to goals from James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams. However, tempers flared in the latter stages of the game after John Fleck made a late and reckless challenge on Adams.

Both sides have now been charged by the FA after they were unable to control the tempers of their players (Sky Sports). As of yet, no punishment has been dished out.

The news was shared by Twitter account @SouthamptonPage, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Saints supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with plenty pointing the blame to the officiating, which has of course been abysmal throughout the season.

Let’s see what the Southampton fans had to say below

“And What did the VAR and the Ref fail to do”

Credit: @1960msr

“Literally nothing happened”

Credit: @Callum999

“Should charge the ref, dangerous tackle, Adams was lucky not to suffer serious injury”

Credit: @spmooney68

“Couldn’t handle Vestergod. Their problem…”

Credit: @SamuelR75523948

“I’ll be quite honest this made my day! Finally some passion and fight more please!!”

Credit: @Watcha_Dave

“What a joke! Nothing in it except a bit of passion after a late challenge. Nobody was sent off which shows there wasn’t that much in it. The FA need to put more of their time into sanctioning players who have been seen to diving & cheating”

Credit: @andrewwells68

In other news, Southampton fans react to news on this defender.

The Papa John’s Trophy may not be of much significance to Sunderland but it was an excellent excuse to rediscover their confidence on Tuesday evening.

The Black Cats have drawn two successive games since returning from a bout of Covid that saw four matches postponed but they finally returned to winning ways this week.

They secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Port Vale but they were quite unfortunate it wasn’t more. Lee Johnson’s team selection was close to spot on as his dynamic attack tore the opposition to shreds.

Aiden O’Brien and Aiden McGeady popped up with the two goals, but it was hard to ignore the performance of Elliot Embleton.

The attacker has predominantly played in midfield this season but was given a rare chance to flourish further forward on Tuesday. It was an opportunity that he took brilliantly, running the Vale defence ragged.

Embleton set the tone in the first-half when he very nearly won his side a penalty. He got beyond his man and then looked to have been brought down just inside the area. However, the referee awarded a free-kick just outside the 18-yard box.

From that moment onwards, the youngster didn’t look back and was a constant threat down the flanks. Previously described as a “nightmare” to play against by Max Power, he lived up to that billing in midweek.

The 21-year-old was an absolute dynamo, striking the woodwork with an attempt on goal that he was mightily unfortunate not to score with.

Furthermore, Embleton was successful with all three of the dribbles he attempted – more than anyone on the team – and was fouled two times by Port Vale defenders.

The winger didn’t just show good qualities technically, but he was outstanding physically too. Embleton won 87.5% of the duels he contested, meaning he lost just one.

On top of that, the wide man also completed 88% of his passes in what was an assured display. A goal would have capped off his night beautifully and it was unfortunate that he didn’t find the net.

On another day, he could easily have had a couple.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Grigg: Speakman can boost SAFC promotion bid by signing “terrific” 12-goal gem…

Gabby Agbonlahor has tipped Jacob Murphy to make a career out of playing at right-back for Newcastle United.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Aston Villa striker believes that the 25-year-old could thrive in his new role as the St. James’ Park faithful look to offer him a new deal in order to fend off the reported transfer interest from Rangers:

“I think sometimes you just need a chance and there’s probably a lot of wingers out there that will turn into right-backs.

“Matty Cash was a winger and he’s gone to right-back.

“Sometimes you have the winger qualities and then you can get taught how to defend a bit better and you can be a perfect right-back. Murphy could probably be that.

“He’s got the speed that you need at right-back, he’s got quality on the ball. We’ve seen his free-kick against Wolves.

“That might be the new position for him and something that he’s probably working on now and will be the career ahead for him.”

Murphy new to the right-back role

Indeed, Murphy has only played in the right-back role a mere all come in the 2020/21 term in the Premier League.

The Tyneside club have had quite mixed fortunes while he has been playing in that position, drawing 1-1 away versus Wolves – a match in which he scored a fine free-kick,  a 2-1 home win against Everton and a 2-0 loss away at Southampton (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, Agbonlahor believes that it is a role that Murphy can certainly adapt to and thus play out throughout the rest of his career.

Should Murphy carry on at right-back?

Indeed, the question now is whether Murphy should carry on in the right-back role for Steve Bruce’s team.

Traditionally a winger, he may not get as much game time as he would like with the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron and Ryan Fraser all occupying the side positions in the North East.

With just Javier Manquillo and perhaps Emil Krafth, who is also capable of playing as a central defender, to compete with at right-back, perhaps Murphy could well make a career for himself in a new role as Agbonlahor claims.

In other news, find out the promising view that a legal expert has given on the takeover here!

Will Grigg is a perplexing figure. In 2016/17, he fired in 19 League One goals as Wigan raced to promotion under Paul Cook.

However, since signing for Sunderland, he has been abject and devoid of any confidence.

To remix his famous song, Grigg is no longer on fire and neither is he ice-cool in front of goal. Instead, he represents a lukewarm figure during a topsy-turvy time for Sunderland.

Since signing for the Mackems in 2019 for a fee of £4m, he has scored just eight times and is yet to find the back of the net this season at all.

When he arrived, Stewart Donald revelled in excitement, hoping he’d score a hat-trick in the play-off final. Of course, that never became a reality.

Fortunately, Phil Parkinson and Lee Johnson have had Charlie Wyke scoring consistently instead. Unfortunately, though, is the fact they don’t have many regular goal scorers behind him.

Or do they? You only need to look at Sunderland’s ever-improving academy to realise there’s a forward in superb form.

The young player in question is Mitch Curry, someone finding the back of the net with fierce regularity for the U23s.

Last season, they failed to win a single game and finished with just one point in PL 2. Though, with Curry leading their line after signing from Middlesbrough, they have picked up a victory in five of their ten outings.

From those matches, Curry has scored seven strikes, including two against Norwich only last Monday. It was a haul of goals that saw him earn his senior debut against Wimbledon on Tuesday evening.

Curry was the lucky beneficiary from a COVID-19 scare at the club, coming on for the final 15 minutes in place of a certain Grigg.

The 21-year-old registered just two touches but it surely won’t be too long before we see a proper breakthrough at first-team level. He only needs to take inspiration from Jack Diamond, someone who is quickly becoming a key figure under Johnson.

Crucially, Curry possesses an ability that not many Sunderland strikers have; speed.

Speaking about the youngster in 2016, Boro U18 coach Gary Liddle said: “Mitchell is young, a first-year scholar. (He has) blistering pace, we’re still working on the other side of his game, his hold up play and his link-up play but that’s coming along nicely.”

The attacker has had four years to develop since and if he can work on his hold-up play, he could prove a danger to not only Grigg but also Wyke.

He’ll have to work hard to get that point but with Sunderland in the position they’re in, academy players are far more likely to get senior opportunities. If Curry starts to perform, it could well pave the way for Grigg’s exit and an improvement in the wage bill.

He is undoubtedly one to watch.

In other news, Dreyfus could save SAFC millions in the transfer window with a genius system…