All posts by z3u9t.icu

Bolton manager Ian Evatt will surely be delighted to have seen his side bounce back from two straight defeats with a 3-2 win against Port Vale in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night.

Wanderers lost on penalties to Wigan in the League Cup last week before travelling to Cambridge in League One and coming back home with a 1-0 loss.

Evatt’s side were 2-1 down at half-time against Port Vale, with Eoin Doyle’s opener cancelled out by strikes from Tom Conlon and David Amoo. However, Bolton came on strong in the second half and Nathan Delfouneso equalised in the 54th minute, before substitute Oladapo Afolayan scored the winner with 13 minutes left to play.

Despite picking up the group stage win, there was one player who may have ended the game being disappointed with how they played – Liam Gordon.

The 22-year-old defender endured a difficult night as he struggled down the left flank. Although neither of the conceded goals were solely his fault, both of Port Vale’s strikes in the first half came down his side, with Gordon tucked in too narrow to prevent the cross coming into the box and then standing still in the six-yard box to allow the player to fire a shot past Matt Gilks.

However, it was his general play, aside from the goals conceded, that will have left Evatt feeling let down by Gordon’s performance.

Per SofaScore, he lost 73% of his duels on the pitch as he won one of four ground duels and two of seven aerial battles. This suggests that he was not strong enough to hold off his opponents and come out on top in physical battles, allowing Port Vale to retain or win back possession of the ball.

He completed zero tackles and made one interception in the 90 minutes, whilst being dribbled past once and completing one clearance. This further emphasises his lack of quality in the defensive third and how he was unable to show Evatt that he is a competent defender who can be relied upon in League One matches.

On the ball, Gordon did not fare much better either. He lost possession of the ball 15 times and was successful with two of his six crossing/long ball attempts.

This suggests that he lacked the ability on the ball to make an impact going forward, which is another example of how he let Evatt down with this poor display.

West Ham have been handed a timely injury boost ahead of the Premier League’s return next weekend…

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic, Irons defender Arthur Masuaku is expected to be available for selection after the international break, having been absent since March with a knee problem.

The 27-year-old left-back has yet to be named in any of David Moyes’ three matchday squads but he has been keeping up his fitness levels by playing for the U23s squad in the Premier League 2.

Masuaku featured for the full 90 minutes in their wins over Arsenal and Chelsea and during their defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion. An encouraging sign.

It was also claimed in the report that there were no plans to farm the DR Congo international out on loan or sell him on, so that only goes to show what the Hammers’ boss thinks of him.

Timely boost

Masuaku is certainly not the first choice in the current squad, with Aaron Cresswell taking that crown, but having him fit and available is certainly a big boost to Moyes.

If the Englishman were to get injured, then the 5 foot 10 dynamo is his only senior back-up, whilst at times last season, the pair of them played together when the 58-year-old wanted to deploy a back-three.

He started ten of their opening 11 matches in 2020/21 and that was largely with Cresswell making up the backline as a left-sided centre-half.

His return allows Moyes to be flexible in his tactics, something that he may not be able to do without Masuaku at his disposal, given his lack of options in the role.

Despite a lack of game time last season, Masuaku still managed to top the charts for dribbles per game (2.4), which was more than Cresswell (0.1) and even the likes of Michail Antonio (1.7), Said Benrahma (1.4), and Jesse Lingard (1.1), per WhoScored.

This suggests that he’s very much one of Moyes’ more attacking defensive options and could be one reason why he likes to deploy him alongside Cresswell at times.

The 27-year-old isn’t bad defensively either, having averaged 1.7 tackles per game (joint-third most).

Valued at £6.3m and on wages of around £40k-per-week, Masuaku’s presence on the pitch will certainly be needed, especially when the games come thick and fast with the Hammers in the Europa League this season.

After returning against Southampton next Saturday, the Irons will head to Croatia to face Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday, before returning to England to host Jesse Lingard’s Manchester United in back-to-back matches.

Cresswell won’t be able to play them all, so his availability should come as a timely and big boost.

AND in other news, West Ham dealt hammer blow as huge Rush Green development emerges, fans will be fuming…

Tim Sherwood has named the Premier League club that could benefit from poaching Ralph Hasenhuttl from Southampton.

What’s the talk?

Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood has suggested that Spurs should try to poach Hasenhuttl from Southampton to replace Nuno Santo.

The ex-Blackburn man has said that the Saints boss has proven that he can thrive under pressure and deploy a front-foot style of play.

Sherwood said on Sky Sports News (1:33pm, September 25, 2021):

“I think there’s Potter at Brighton, and the guy you mentioned earlier, Hasenhuttl.

“I think he deals with the pressure, he has been beaten 9-0 twice, he comes back from that, he still has the identity of how his team wants to play, on the front foot, give the fans what they want to see.”

There’d be fury

Southampton chief Martin Semmens must avoid a Southampton nightmare following these comments from Sherwood on Hasenhuttl. Supporters would be furious if the club allowed the manager to be poached midway, or even a quarter of the way, through the campaign as it would leave them in a precarious situation looking for a replacement whilst still playing important Premier League games.

Hasenhuttl now has a proven track record of keeping Southampton in the top-flight, after managing it in the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns.

Therefore, supporters would be devastated to see him depart to join Tottenham at any point during the current campaign. It would leave Semmens in a nightmare scenario and could cause fans to panic about where the club is headed, depending on where they are in the Premier League table at the time.

However, this is pure speculation for now as Nuno Santo is still the manager at Tottenham and these comments from Sherwood are merely a suggestion. It is not time to hit the panic button yet, but it could be a situation that arises in the coming months and Semmens will need to avoid making a major blunder if it does.

AND in other news, Ralph masterstroke: Southampton flop has seen value plummet 64% since St. Mary’s exit…

West Bromwich Albion are reportedly interested in a swoop for Watford striker Andre Gray as they search for depth up front [Football Insider].

Enduring a frustrating 2020/21 campaign, the 30-year-old registered six goal contributions in 31 appearances; five goals and one assist [Transfermarkt].

West Brom are rumoured to be keen on luring Gray to the Hawthorns either permanently or on loan, citing his experience as a proven Sky Bet Championship striker who could be available for a relatively modest sum [Football Insider].

Watford are open to letting the forward leave should an offer for his services materialise.

In light of this news, no wonder loads of West Bromwich Albion diehards took to Twitter to discuss these latest developments.

West Bromwich Albion FC fans react:

Replying to popular West Bromwich Albion fan outlet WBA Report, here is what some Baggies fans had to say about the pursuit, and it seems they’re not too happy with the latest target…

“we could get a 21 year old championship proven striker who we could get a solid 15-20 goals from and have a decent sell on value incase a big club wants him. or we go for the aging striker who barley scores.”

Credit: @WbaOllie

“What is happening man? Absolutely no way we should be looking at him, dreadful player #WBA”

Credit: @JamieTheo2

“Please make it stop”

Credit: @buutler9″We don’t want him”Credit: @luis_turton”No.”Credit: @19jem92″No, just no”Credit: @markwba3In other news, West Brom fans react to a player departure.

Michael Ball has offered his thoughts on Yerry Mina’s future at Everton amid links to Kalidou Koulibaly.

What’s the talk?

Former Everton defender Michael Ball has claimed that he could see Yerry Mina leave the club this summer if Rafa Benitez brings in Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. He told This is Futbol:

“I can see Mina going if Koulibaly comes in.

“I feel, with the big wages and also his international image, Everton could probably demand a decent fee which could go towards new signings.”

Everton have been touted with a potential swoop for Koulibaly from Napoli this window, but the Italian club are determined to keep hold of the Senegal international.

Fans would be buzzing

Marcel Brands must ruthlessly axe Mina from Everton’s squad this summer if he can replace him with Koulibaly, or another quality centre-back target.

The Colombian defender played fewer Premier League matches than Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane last season, with Carlo Ancelotti opting for a back-three for the most part.

If Rafa Benitez comes in and opts to play a back-four, then Mina could be well down the pecking order. He could potentially be the fourth-choice option behind the aforementioned trio, which is not ideal for a player who is on £120k-per-week – the highest wage at the club.

Supporters will not want to see a reserve option taking up such a chunk of the wage bill when that money could be better spent elsewhere. Therefore, fans will be buzzing to see Mina sold if it means that the club can bring in an upgrade on the defender.

Speaking earlier this year, Ball claimed that Mina and Keane have a “lack of pace” which has played a part in the club’s failures in the Premier League. He said:

“I think Everton’s failures this season is how deep we have played because of the lack of pace of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina.

“They play very, very deep, which is ok to defend as a unit, but it makes it difficult for our midfield. And our lack of legs in midfield, other opposition teams can bully us in those areas and cause us a lot of problems.”

This, along with his wages and potential ranking in the pecking order, suggests that Everton need to sell Mina this summer. If they can get a solid replacement through the door, such as Koulibaly, Brands should be swiftly axing the central defender from the team and moving on.

AND in other news, Brands could finally replace Gueye by landing “excellent” £34k-p/w beast for Everton…

Flocking to an official club tweet, many West Ham United fans have been left overjoyed as midfielder Declan Rice returned to training amid question marks surrounding his future.

The 22-year-old, widely believed to have rejected two new contract offers, has been at the centre of reports linking him with a possible move away from the Irons.

The Telegraph first broke news that Rice turned down the approaches from West Ham to extend his current deal but the outlet have also recently brought an update that he has not made any demands to leave before August 31.

Having played in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final over the summer, Rice has resumed training with West Ham ahead of a gruelling 2021/22 season, in which the Hammers will be competing in the Europa League group stage.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments/” title=”West Ham latest developments…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

West Ham’s official Twitter channel released an image of Rice’s return to Rush Green and it’s safe to say that many Irons supporters are relieved, flocking in excitement to the “beautiful” post.

Given how crucial he is to Moyes and the club overall as a player – he posted the squad’s fourth-highest WhoScored performance rating in 2020/21 – it’s understandable why they are happy to see him return. Check out some of their best reactions below.

West Ham fans flock to post on Rice

“Best thing I’ve seen all day @_DeclanRice COYI”

Credit: @mikee4112

“Come onnnnnnnn”

Credit: @JackCastle_1

“This is what we’ve been asking for”

Credit: @JakeSheppardWHU

“It’s beautiful”

Credit: @WHUMatt1

“Yesssss”

Credit: @Adamjr66

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to see that man strut back into the training ground.”

Credit: @AlfMulligan

“PHEW! Please don’t ever pull a Harry Kane, Decs!”

Credit: @ThommyCoombes

“Things we love to see”

Credit: @samthomas97_

In other news: ‘As of now’…Journalist says ‘really exciting’ 54-goal player close to West Ham move, find out more here.

West Ham United could capitalise on a ‘stalemate’ between Inter Milan and Cagliari to sign midfielder Nahitan Nandez, according to La Repubblica (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

The Uruguay international made 32 league appearances for Cagliari last season, averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.2 dribbles and one key pass per game (via WhoScored). His performances earned him a call-up to his country’s squad for the Copa America this summer.

Serie A expert Mina Rzouki has raved about Nandez, labelling him ‘unstoppable’ and claiming that he’s ‘one of the most underrated players’ in the Italian top flight. The 25-year-old, formerly of Boca Juniors, is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt.

The latest

The report from La Repubblica (via Sport Witness) claimed that Inter boss Simone Inzaghi has made Nandez a primary target, but the reigning Serie A champions have seen an offer rejected by Cagliari.

The player is ‘certain’ to leave the Sardinian club this summer, either in a permanent deal or on loan with an obligation to buy.

He is said to relish the idea of joining Inter but negotiations between the two clubs appear to have stalled. The Nerazzurri are under pressure to make a breakthrough, with West Ham waiting in the wings if the impasse between the Serie A duo isn’t resolved.

The verdict

Nandez appears to be an excellent all-round midfielder judging by his performance figures and the praise which has come his way, but West Ham’s priorities should lie elsewhere in the remaining weeks of the transfer window.

Above all, they need to sign a starting centre-back to ensure that their defence doesn’t prove to be their undoing. The goals they conceded in Sunday’s 4-2 win at Newcastle made this abundantly clear.

After that, the focus should be on recruiting some cover and competition for Michail Antonio at centre-forward. A clear gap exists in that area of the squad, where there is no natural alternative to the injury-prone 31-year-old.

In other news, some West Ham fans were unhappy with this man’s performance at St James’ Park on Sunday.

An update has emerged regarding the future of Helder Costa at Leeds United.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, super-agent Jorge Mendes is working on a deal to get the 27-year-old out of Elland Road this summer. Mendes is trying to find a new club for the Portuguese winger and believes that his best bet could come from La Liga.

The report claims that Marcelo Bielsa is willing to let Costa leave, although it remains to be seen how much of the £15m they paid Wolves for his services they will be able to recoup in the coming weeks.

Fans will be buzzing

Leeds fans will surely be buzzing with this news as it seems to indicate than exit for Costa is not too far away from happening. Mendes is trying to faciliate a move for the former Wolves attacker and the time is right for him to go following on from his performances in the Premier League last season.

Whilst the likes of Stuart Dallas, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison were able to make the step up to playing regular top-flight football, Costa found it difficult to compete at the top level. The aforementioned trio all averaged WhoScored ratings of 6.87 or higher, whilst each scored eight goals or more in the league.

Costa, on the other hand, averaged a dismal rating of 6.32 and scored just three times in the Premier League, with two of thise coming in his second appearance of the campaign. This shows that he was not able to perform consistently, either in his general performances or with his goal contributions.

Speaking earlier this year, former Leeds player Noel Whelan branded Costa as a massive flop and said that he has been a disappointment at the club. He told Football Insider: “The one player that disappointed me was Helder Costa.

“He is fourth in the pecking order in terms of wingers for me. Poveda has to come before him now. He is direct, exciting and wants to take people on. He wants to do his job as a winger and Costa does not.

“He plays it safe and he’s negative. For a player that cost £16million I need to see a hell of a lot more from him.

“Costa has been a massive flop. A real disappointment again.”

Therefore, Leeds fans may be glad to see that Costa could be on his way out the door in the coming weeks. The club will be letting go of a player who does not have the quality to be a key member of Bielsa’s team in the Premier League next season, and selling him could free up funds to improve on his position. Victor Orta could rake in the money from the £36,000-per-week flop and use it to sign a forward who is capable of competing with the likes of Harrison and Dallas.

AND in other news, Leeds must act swiftly to land £13.5m-rated magician, he’d be an upgrade on Klich…

Many Everton fans have been left fuming as a fresh update emerged on Rafael Benitez.

As per Sky Sports, the former Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle boss is set to be appointed as the new manager at Goodison Park as early as next week.

He has agreed key aspects of his deal with the Toffees as they provisionally plan to confirm his arrival on Tuesday.

It is not surprising at all to see so many Evertonians strongly against his imminent appointment, given his past connections with Liverpool, with whom he won the Champions League back in 2005.

The Spaniard also previously called the Blues a ‘small club’ after a draw in the Merseyside derby in February 2007, and it seems that many Toffees fans have not forgiven him for that.

Everton fans on Benitez manager update

These Everton supporters fumed as the update on Benitez was shared across Twitter, with one accusing club owner Farhad Moshiri of being “absolutely clueless”:

“If Rafa becomes #Everton Manager, I’ll park my support into the deepest underground garage on earth until he’s gone. …and I know I am not alone…”

Credit: @SoccerExc

“Moshiri is absolutely clueless in how to run a club”

Credit: @scoobyefc

“Will be the same situation @Everton in 15 months, with another veteran manager coming in for a big paycheque and zero planning for the future. Don’t understand the club any more”

Credit: @R_Cog

“We’re an actual circus of a club. If Twitter thought I liked a rant before this season will be next level”

Credit: @MartinLobb6

“Oh god”

Credit: @wineandlemonad1

“Must visit Dr for anti angry meds”

Credit: @Phil16551649

In other news, find out what big transfer claim has been dropped about one Everton target

Former Crystal Palace striker Marcus Bent has backed the decision to appoint Patrick Vieira as the Eagles’ new manager.

After a lengthy search for Roy Hodgson’s successor, Vieira has moved into the Selhurst Park hotseat having been handed the reins on Sunday.

A host of big names were linked with the top job, with former Borussia Dortmund chief Lucien Favre among those to turn down the position, before ex-Arsenal captain Vieira was appointed on a three-year deal.

It is Vieira’s first managerial position since being sacked as Nice’s boss after a two-and-a-half year stint in charge of the French club.

Vieira began his coaching career in charge of Major League Soccer franchise New York City FC in 2016, but it is the first time the ex-France international will be in a Premier League dugout.

Despite his lack of experience in comparison to previous Palace boss Hodgson, Bent believes Vieira will prove to be a success at Selhurst Park.

Bent exclusively told Football FanCast: “Personally, I thought they needed to go down the Vieira route.

“The manager had to be experienced to a certain extent but they needed a breath of fresh air. They needed some input of life.”