All posts by z3u9t.icu

Pep Guardiola is reportedly willing to sell Manchester City superstar Raheem Sterling this summer in order to fund transfer moves for Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland, which could prove to be an excellent decision by the Spanish manager.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Guardiola is planning an overhaul of his Man City attack this summer, which could see Sterling depart as the Etihad outfit look to raise funds ahead of potential moves for Aston Villa’s Grealish and Borussia Dortmund’s Haaland.

The report suggests that the former Barcelona boss no longer considers the England international to be an integral part of his squad and that he would be willing to sell him this summer should the club receive a suitable offer.

Should Man City sell him?

Sterling was one of City’s most impressive performers earlier in the campaign and has contributed nine goals and six assists in the Premier League this season, averaging a superb 7.23 rating.

However, after a poor run of form, which has seen him contribute no goals and just one assist in his last 11 appearances, he has dropped down the pecking order under Guardiola and has regularly been left out of key games in the Champions League and Premier League.

The former Liverpool man has truly looked desperate for a goal in recent weeks and it seems as if his far too regular habit of missing big chances has finally come back to haunt him under Guardiola, who has preferred the more consistent Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez on the wings for the past few months of the season.

Sterling is obviously still an incredibly talented footballer, with Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers labelling him “world-class” last season but if City do want to cash in on him, then they need to do it sooner rather than later.

The 26-year-old’s form over the past few months, as well as the financial impact of the pandemic, has seen his market value, according to Transfermarkt, drop 37.5% from £144m in December 2019 to £90m.

If Sterling’s poor performances continue then his value will only continue to drop further, so Guardiola is perhaps right to want to sell him this summer in the hope that they can still receive a huge fee for the winger, which can go towards improving the squad ahead of next season.

And, in other news… Txiki should seal Man City swoop for “amazing” gem loved by Bruno Fernandes

Daniel Farke’s time at Norwich had been a ticking timebomb for a few months now. However, after the Canaries defeated Brentford on Saturday, it had brought him time.

Unfortunately, the sad reality for the German, was that the club’s hierarchy had already made up their minds before the match.

Regardless of whether they beat the Bees, Farke was going to receive the sack and he duly did on Saturday evening.

It was bizarre timing but with an international break now upon us, it makes sense to give the team time to gel under a new manager.

Whoever the next head coach is will also get an opportunity to work with a squad now with renewed confidence.

To add to the strange nature of Farke’s sacking, their win this weekend was their first of the season.

That alone tells you why the 45-year-old has been given the boot by Stuart Webber and co. Who the Canaries will turn to next is interesting.

Their previous manager had been with the club for four years. Thus, you feel that whoever Webber decides to appoint, will define his reign in Norfolk.

Among the contenders, according to the Independent, is Frank Lampard. The ex-Chelsea manager has been tipped by many to take over at Carrow Road, with presenter and Norwich supporter Jake Humphrey taking to Twitter on Saturday evening to suggest that he was the best choice.

Lampard doesn’t have experience of working in a relegation battle but should the sad eventuality occur of dropping out of the division, the Englishman would be in a good place to take them back up immediately.

He has experience of working in the Championship where he impressed at Derby County while he knows the Premier League inside out.

Hailed as “unbelievable” by Scott Parker, the 43-year-old could be the man to extract more from the talented squad at his disposal.

The England great has a phenomenal track record of working with young players, bringing the likes of Reece James, Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham into the mainstream limelight.

Individuals like Harry Wilson also thrived under his guidance in the Championship at Derby, leading us to believe he could have a wonderful impact at Carrow Road.

After all, Norwich have a vast number of young players in their squad. From the likes of Todd Cantwell and Kieran Dowell to Max Aarons and Josh Sargent, he could have a game-changing impact.

They are yet to really live up to their full potential and have been off the pace this term but Lampard could be the one that finally unleashes their true ability in the top-flight.

Should he achieve that, then Norwich’s chances of remaining in the Premier League will only increase. This is certainly an appointment that Webber must consider.

Celtic are thought to be keeping tabs on Newcastle United midfielder Joe White, according to Chronicle Live’s Lee Ryder.

The Lowdown: White profiled…

The 19-year-old is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also play in a deeper central role.

The Englishman – who is sponsored by Adidas, the manufacturers of Celtic’s kit – has made 60 appearances for Newcastle’s youth sides, four of which have come in the EFL Trophy against senior opposition.

He was handed a professional deal when he was 17 years of age, but that is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, and it seems as if a St James’ Park exit could now be on the cards.

The Latest: Celtic interest

Reliable reporter Ryder shared a story regarding White on Friday morning. He claimed that the Magpies are in danger of losing the teenager for a nominal compensation fee next summer, with a number of clubs outside of England showing an interest.

Celtic, Rangers and clubs from Germany and the Netherlands are all keeping an eye on the teenager, who was labelled as ‘very clever’ by Dave Wilkes, who knows White from his time at Carlisle.

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The Verdict: Smart move?

White caught the eye of former Newcastle manager Steve Bruce against Burton Albion during pre-season, and it seems as if he could be a star of the future.

On that basis, there’d be no harm in interim Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson exploring a possible winter window move for the midfielder, especially with a nominal fee being touted due to White’s contract situation. He is attracting interest from clubs across Europe, so it could prove to be a real coup in the long run.

Celtic are also short of midfield options, with Ange Postecoglou relying heavily on Callum McGregor, David Turnbull and Tom Rogic this season; and even though White may not be a viable first-team option straight away, you’d expect that he could be in the future.

In other news: £9,000-a-week Celtic ace is ‘about to leave’ Parkhead, journalist claims 

An update has emerged regarding interest from Newcastle United in Stoke forward Tyrese Campbell.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Magpies are preparing a £20m bid to send to the Potters at the start of the January transfer window.

The report claims that Eddie Howe has been impressed by the young attacker’s form for Stoke and wants to make him his first signing at St James’ Park.

Fans would love him

Newcastle must ensure that they can get a deal over the line for Campbell, as the supporters would surely love to see him at St James’ Park.

He is a talented young, homegrown, attacker with potential who could excite the Toon Army. At the age of 21, he has plenty of time on his hands to develop, and supporters may love to have a player at the club with room for growth instead of a veteran who is in his final few years of playing.

Since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, Campbell has produced 17 goals and seven assists for Stoke in 33 Championship starts. He has averaged a goal every 1.94 games in the second tier, whilst also popping up with assists for his teammates. In total, his tally for the club stands at an impressive 20 strikes.

Last year, Potters boss Michael O’Neill lauded the 21-year-old as a ‘great finisher’ and claimed that defenders are frightened of him. He said: “Tyrese is a great finisher. If you are a good finisher you have to get in the positions and he did that today.

“He’s not looked the same since he came back, but today he was excellent and did a lot of good work. He is a young player who is still developing. When he is in that mood, defenders are frightened at this level. It’s nice he got the two goals, but he has to keep going now.”

This shows how much talent the £6.6k-per-week gem has and why he could be an excellent signing for Newcastle in January. He has proven that he can make a big impact in the final third in the Championship and Howe could attempt to coach him into translating that form over to the top flight.

Given his young age, he could have the potential to grow into a Premier League player, and joining in January could give him five months to adjust to life at the top level before kicking on next season. Fans would love to see him progress and develop over time at St James’ Park, and his form for Stoke suggests that he has the raw talent required to do as such.

AND in other news, “Among leading NUFC targets”: David Ornstein drops transfer update which will excite fans…

It would be fair to say that not a single Liverpool player came away from Sunday’s defeat to Fulham in a positive light.

The Reds turned in an awful performance, falling to an all-time low of six consecutive defeats at Anfield for the first time in their history.

There were a handful of truly woeful performances from the home side, with the usually reliable James Milner firmly amongst them.

Starting his first Premier League game in over a month, the former England man was expected to be an experienced and calming presence in the middle of the park for Liverpool and for Jurgen Klopp.

However, he was quite the opposite, habitually arriving late into tackles and accumulating three fouls throughout the 90 minutes – more than any other player, according to WhoScored.

This was a constant source of frustration for the reigning Premier League champions as it allowed Fulham to reset and regain their defensive shape, a huge reason as to why they were able to somewhat comfortably hold out for the second period.

Deployed alongside Georginio Wijnaldum and Naby Keita, it also wasn’t the best afternoon for Milner from an attacking standpoint either.

The former Manchester City man had only one shot, that effort flying off target, whilst also contributing zero key passes or dribbles.

For a player so experienced, the 35-year-old was also ponderous on the ball, taking an age to release it. He was dispossessed once, whilst also having two unsuccessful touches. Only Xherdan Shaqiri conceded possession more frequently in the entire Liverpool team and he played the entire game whereas Milner was substituted with 15 minutes of the clash remaining, rightly so too.

Considering the Reds’ current plight, it seemed a smart move from Klopp to turn to more experience in midfield. However, it was a gamble that certainly did not pay off with Milner seemingly causing more damage to his team than he was worth.

He was late into tackles and late to play passes. Liverpool might have been better off if he was late for the team bus…

AND in more news, take a look at why Liverpool must secure a deal for Kalidou Koulibaly sooner rather than later…

Manchester City bounced back from disappointment in the derby with an emphatic 5-2 win against Southampton on Wednesday evening.

Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne both helped themselves to braces, with Ilkay Gundogan also getting on the scoresheet, although Pep Guardiola’s side perhaps could and should have scored more at the Etihad.

Although Mahrez was arguably the star of the show, Guardiola will be delighted to see Gundogan back on the scoresheet after going six games without a goal, and the German midfielder looked back to his best against the Saints.

As per SofaScore, the former Borussia Dortmund man would earn an impressive 8/10 rating for his display, with only Mahrez, De Bruyne and Phil Foden rated higher on the night.

During the 90 minutes, Gundogan would have 93 touches of the ball and impressively complete 74/79 of his passes, resulting in a superb 95% pass accuracy, which was joint with Ruben Dias as the best score of any player who started the game.

As well as his goal, the 30-year-old would contribute three key passes, which is even more than City’s chief creator De Bruyne, who would manage just one.

It is also double the 1.5 key passes Gundogan has averaged in the Premier League so far this season, which emphasises just how good he was against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side on Wednesday.

The midfielder, who joined City for £20 million in 2016, also excelled from a defensive point of view, as he made four interceptions and two tackles during the game, which again is far more than the 0.8 interceptions and 0.8 tackles he has averaged per game in the Premier League this season.

Therefore, it was an all-round display from Gundogan and after some arguably disappointing performances recently, he looked back to his best in the 5-2 win against Southampton, which will surely delight Guardiola.

And, in other news… Txiki disasterclass: City sold 6 ft 5 beast starring in the PL far too easily

After securing the signing of Luke Plange in January, Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira is reportedly keen on another Derby County transfer swoop, this time for Rams winger Malcolm Ebiowei.

Vieira sees Ebiowei as a long-term prospect and according to reports from The Sun, has reportedly made a decisive move to land the 18-year-old who will be a free agent in the summer.

The next Zaha

Former Arsenal and Rangers academy product Malcolm Ebiowei has enjoyed a breakout year in Wayne Rooney’s Derby side, with the financial issues at the club paving the way for regular minutes.

His performances in the U18 Premier League saw him score seven goals in seven appearances and clearly attracted the attention of the English coach. Ebiowei has continued in that vein, having seized his opportunity under Rooney this season.

The 18-year-old winger has started in 53% of Derby’s Championship games this season. And whilst he has just one assist to show for his 14 appearances in England’s second division, his underlying numbers are promising.

So promising in fact, that considering his position and versatility in attack, he is reminiscent of Palace’s talisman Wilfried Zaha.

Comparing their numbers, Malcolm Ebiowei completes an average of three dribbles per game and makes around one key pass per game. Zaha, on the other hand, has completed an average of two dribbles per game and around one key pass per game during the Premier League season.

Ebiowei’s average of one shot per game is not too far off Zaha’s average of two, whilst the teenager edges Zaha’s offensive participation as he is dispossessed on an average of just once per game, whilst the Ivorian international is dispossessed around four times per 90.

In fairness to Zaha, his 11 goals and one assist in England’s top-flight demonstrate the current difference in end product, though with Ebiowei’s similar numbers for offensive participation, Vieira would be right to take a chance on a player that Rooney claimed has “enormous ability.”

In other news: Forget Gallagher: £53k-p/w Palace ace who lost 71% duels let Vieira down vs Leeds…