All posts by z3u9t.icu

Numerous fans of Aston Villa have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relayed a report regarding the “brilliant” form of on-loan midfielder Conor Hourihane.

The report by Birmingham Live discusses the fact that, since joining Swansea on loan in the January transfer window, the 30-year-old has hugely impressed for the Championship promotion hopefuls, scoring five goals, providing one assist and averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.98 over his 11 appearances for the Swans.

In comparison, Villa’s midfielders have contributed just one goal between them over the same period, a run which has seen Dean Smith’s side take just five points from a possible 18.

After Aston Villa News relayed the report on Twitter, many fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with plenty urging the Villans to bring the £42,000 per week Hourihane back to Villa Park this summer, while others dubbed Smith’s decision to let Hourihane leave the club a “silly mistake”.

So, what exactly did these Aston Villa fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Conor Hourihane’s fine form?

“Honestly, Barkley isn’t the upgrade on this fella that we thought.”

@EllTomVilla

“Don’t understand why he wasn’t playing, even stranger Villa let him go.”

@Gaz57600216

“Keep Hourihane Villa.”

@Trev_villaboy

“Get him back, give him game time. So good at set-pieces. Amazing at the edge of the box strategy.”

@europeancycle

“We are missing him big time. Silly mistake – get him back.”

@MTB_Jeff

“Keep him he’s a brilliant player.”

@straightedgeze2

“Just get him back.”

@dan54287301

“Keep Conor Hourihane this summer and do not offload. He has gone out on loan and smashed it. Definitely worth retaining his services.”

@nijp10

In other news: Villa learn asking price for in-demand PL midfielder – find out more here! 

Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly is top of Everton’s list as they look to bring in a top-level centre-back this summer, according to Football Insider.

Ancelotti is said to have identified the heart of the defence as an area which must be improved if his side are to break into the Champions League.

The Toffees have flirted with a top-four finish this season but recent defeats have seen them slip to eighth.

Former target of Manchester City

Koulibaly was pursued by Manchester City last summer. According to The Guardian, City saw a bid of €60m (£51.7m) rejected by Napoli before moving onto an alternative target in the form of Ruben Dias.

Ancelotti managed the Senegalese defender during his stint at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, describing him as the best defender in the world in 2019.

Koulibaly would bring real pedigree to Goodison Park. He has made 71 appearances in European competition, been included in the Serie A team of the year and earned a nomination for the FIFPro World XI two years ago.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Is this deal feasible? Koulibaly turns 30 this summer and has two years left on his contract, while Transfermarkt value him at £54m.

That would make him Everton’s record signing, surpassing the £44.5m outlay for Gylfi Sigurdsson in 2017.

Would he be keen on the move? On the one hand, he could reunite with a world-class manager, and Everton are on an exciting upward trajectory. Let’s not forget that they lured James Rodriguez, formerly of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, to Merseyside last summer.

However, at this fairly advanced stage of his career, perhaps Koulibaly would prefer a team who are already established in the Champions League, rather than an aspirational club such as the Toffees.

In other news, Patrick Boyland names three players who he feels would be a good fit for Everton.

Odsonne Edouard could end up leaving Celtic for as little as £8m this summer.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a recruitment source that the 23-year-old’s camp believes he can seal a Parkhead exit at the end of the campaign in a deal worth between £8m and 10m.

Edouard is entering the final 12 months of his Hoops contract in the summer, and regardless of who comes in to replace Neil Lennon, he wants to leave the club ahead of the 2021/22 season.

The Frenchman has netted 81 times in 162 appearances in green and white, but it seems as if his days at Celtic Park are numbered.

Transfer Tavern take

Should Celtic sell at £8m over the coming months, the Hoops could be in line to make an embarrassing loss on a player they valued at £40m last summer. They paid Paris Saint-Germain £9.27m back in 2018 and owe the French giants a whopping 40% of any sale.

Therefore, should an £8m transfer go through, Celtic would have to hand over £3.2m to PSG, leaving the Hoops with the remaining £4.8m – a £4.47m loss on the £9.27m they forked out three years ago.

There has been talk that AC Milan could offer loanee Diego Laxalt plus cash for Edouard’s services this summer, so that could be a possible avenue for the Hoops to explore over the coming months going off this latest update.

In other news: 25 y/o Celtic ace could leave this summer following eight-word admission, find out more here. 

Fans of Aston Villa have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed the ‘significant’ news that Jaden Philogene-Bidace has put pen to paper on a new deal with the club.

According to a statement on the club website, Philogene-Bidace has signed a new deal with Dean Smith’s side that will see him remain at Villa Park until the summer of 2024.

The 19-year-old forward, who is yet to make a senior appearance for Villa, is said to have highly impressed for the club’s U23 side this season, bagging five goals and providing two assists over his 11 appearances.

And, after the club relayed the news of the England U19 international’s new contract on Twitter, fans of Villa flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing delighted at the prospect of  Philogene-Bidace remaining at their club for the foreseeable future.

So, what exactly did these Aston Villa fans have to say in reaction to the news regarding Jaden Philogene-Bidace?

“Our club is doing all the right things. This kid is special.”

@hill_hilly18

“Fantastic news!! I love the approach our club is taking to promoting youth and building for our future!”

@jamesupnorth

“YESSSSSSSSS UTVVVVV.”

@Finleydb10

“Fantastic news! A lot of big clubs been sniffing round him, one to watch for sure.”

@TheWillRoss

“This is great news. Chukwuemeka next, hopefully.”

@SimonLRead

“Class news.”

@vill1874

“Outstanding. This club is amassing all the best young talent out there. Well done Jaden. Great choice.”

@EvoflashUK

“This is super, super news and shows the ambition and pull of the club – up the villa!!! Aaron Ramsey next!!”

@StephenArnold78

“Superb Jaden.”

@gazswain

“Excellent news. Future star! Massive statement on intent by Villa.”

@tonywoots69

“Incredible.”

@DOUGLASLUlZ

“This is significant. Congratulations.”

@richallen10

In other news, these Villa fans are loving this crazy statistic – find out more here!

Steve Bruce must urge Newcastle United to sign Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury on loan during the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports (Transfer Centre, 19/1, 13:42), Bruce is in the market for a new option for his engine room as the Toon boss feels like he is currently lacking a midfielder with the energy to control play at both ends of the field.

Newcastle would be expected to face strong competition should they move to sign Choudhury this month, and any deal for the former England U21 international is likely to go down to the wire.

The 23-year-old has fallen out of favour at the King Power Stadium this season after earning a career-high 20 outings in the Premier League last term, with Brendan Rodgers only calling on the Loughborough-born midfielder to play 70 minutes of top-flight football to date.

Rodgers has confirmed Leicester would prefer to sell Choudhury in the January transfer window if he is to leave the East Midlands outfit in search of more game time, as the loan offers received so far have not been attractive enough from a Foxes perspective.

Sam Allardyce is thought to have marked Choudhury as his top target for West Bromwich Albion to sign this month as, like Bruce, he strives to bring in a new midfielder.

The Leicester product also reportedly favours a move to The Hawthorns over Southampton or Newcastle as he feels he will be given the most playing time, while not having to relocate, per the Express and Star.

Should Newcastle sign Choudhury?

Bruce should do all he can to ensure Choudhury opts for a move to St. James’ Park by the end of the winter market by pushing Newcastle to have a package in place that will appeal to Leicester, as the Foxes outcast could be the ideal option to solve his midfield headache.

Choudhury may be out of favour in the Premier League this season, yet he has kept his fitness up with frequent minutes in the Europa League with Rodgers opting to rotate his options. But those chances will likely soon dwindle, as Leicester look to negotiate their way through the knockout stages.

That will, more probably than not, see Choudhury face the same situation as he does in the top-flight, where Rodgers has omitted the £7m-rated anchor from six matchday squads and left him as an unused substitute on 10 occasions and counting.

It was not that long ago that Rodgers was a firm advocate of Choudhury’s talents in the engine room and those sentiments were also echoed by former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison, who told BBC Radio 5 Live: “What Choudhury gives you is that he can sniff out danger, he destroys it and can make a tackle, but he’s also really good on the ball.”

Choudhury reflected his Carabao Cup exploits over the 2019/20 Premier League season with 1.2 interceptions and 0.8 successful tackles a game. Those numbers would suggest he can provide Bruce with strong depth as Isaac Hayden (1.85) and Matty Longstaff (1.4) are the sole members of his current unit who break up opposition play more often this term, per SofaScore.

His ability to be the box-to-box presence may not be as strong, with Choudhury rarely carrying possession up the field with just 0.1 successful dribbles a game last season. But his defensive prowess may better free Jonjo Shelvey, who ranks second only to Matt Ritchie (1.63) for key passes (1.2).

AND in other news, Newcastle face heightened competition for a £2.7m target…

Everton must look to offload Fabian Delph at the end of the season after Carlo Ancelotti admitted he is “frustrated” by the midfielder’s injuries.

What’s the word?

Via quotes by the Liverpool Echo, the Blues boss has vented his frustration at Delph’s string of issues that have kept the England international sidelined since the start of December.

Delph sustained a hamstring injury during the first-half of his side’s 1-1 draw with Burnley and missed Sunday’s meeting with Fulham due to fitness concerns, which had kept him from taking a place in the squad that beat Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup.

The £80,000-per-week midfielder had returned to Ancelotti’s matchday plans earlier this month when listed among the substitutes against Leeds United and Manchester United, and would have featured in some capacity against Spurs if included.

Ancelotti now hopes Delph will be fit to play a role in Wednesday’s Premier League clash with title-chasing Manchester City, as the former Sky Blues midfielder can help to ease the burden on those who have played frequently this season.

“He’s not injured again, but he has a little problem and is not fit 100%,” Ancelotti said. “The fact he had a problem in the past we want to be sure to put him in.

“He was on the bench the game before and during training he had a contraction of his muscle, not a big problem but he’s not available for the [Fulham] game. Maybe Wednesday he will be.

“Of course, we are frustrated because I think he’s an important player with a lot of experience. He could help us with the fact, in this moment, as in the game against Tottenham, I only had two midfielders.”

Time to get rid

Delph has now missed 19 of Everton’s 29 Premier League and cup games through injury, illness or fitness issues this season after sitting out the Fulham affair, while missing 21 of the Toffees’ 38 top-flight fixtures last term.

The 31-year-old has also only started four of his seven appearances across all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign, as the £10m ex-Man City midfielder brought his total outings to 27 since being signed to a three-year deal under Marco Silva in 2019.

Delph is bleeding Everton’s majority owner Farhad Moshiri dry on his £80k-p/w deal, that has seen the Blues pay out almost £11m in wages over his 135 weeks at Goodison Park so far.

Everton are seeing absolutely no value in his signing with Delph costing the club, including the fee paid to Man City, £770,500 a game. He is also yet to score or assist a single goal.

Ancelotti must now see that Delph does not play into the third and final year of his current deal, and should urge the Blues’ Director of Football Marcel Brands to spend the coming months shopping the 20-cap international on the transfer market.

Time simply has to be up for the perennially crocked dud.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring an “exciting” teen prospect Carlo Ancelotti could sign for free…

Steve Bruce will be desperate for good news as Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson ramps up his return from a hamstring injury.

That’s according to Chronicle Live, who note that the forward has been able to do some light jogging sessions in a bid to get back as soon as possible.

The Magpies are yet to win a Premier League game without Wilson leading the line since his £20m arrival from AFC Bournemouth last summer, and have seen their lead over the clubs in the relegation zone be completely eliminated in recent weeks.

Newcastle held a 10-point advantage over Fulham when Wilson suffered a deep hamstring tear at home to Southampton last month, but now sit just a point above Scott Parker’s 18th-placed Cottagers – albeit with a game in hand over the west London side.

Wilson has been doing triple sessions in a bid to return as soon as possible after vowing to do ‘everything’ in his power to help the Toon avoid the drop, having been ruled out for six to eight weeks in a “devastating” blow for Bruce.

The £46,000-per-week frontman has also been working with Jonny King, a friend and physio from his time at Bournemouth, who helped Wilson during his recovery from minor knee surgery last year and a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in 2017.

Newcastle are conscious of not rushing the striker back too quickly and aggravating his issue given the nature of the injury and his explosive pace, but will hope to see Wilson return and add to his goals, with the Magpies having scored just twice in the four matches that the forward has sat out to date.

United were particularly toothless in attack last time out against West Brom, with Bruce’s side unable to beat Sam Johnstone despite five of his side’s nine shots being on target.

Only 37% of Newcastle’s shots found the target at home to Wolves, despite directing six of 10 on target at Manchester United after a sloppy 40% of their attempts required saving at Chelsea.

Bruce will surely be desperate for more good news on Wilson’s road to recovery as Newcastle near Aston Villa’s visit to St. James’ Park. As, while the summer signing will not be expected to feature on Friday, the upcoming international break will certainly prove useful in aiding his return.

United only play Villa and have a trip to fellow strugglers Brighton and Hove Albion before a short break in fixtures, after which Wilson will have reached the eight-week period that he was initially ruled out for.

That mark also comes with a home clash with Tottenham Hotspur in a tough run for the Toon with further games against relegation-rivals Burnley and European hopefuls West Ham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester and title-elect Manchester City.

Newcastle will not be expected to take many points from that run without their 10-goal top-scorer on the pitch, with Wilson’s haul helping to beat the Irons, Burnley and Everton (twice) already this season while helping claim draws with Spurs and Fulham.

Dwight Gayle and Joelinton are each yet to score while carrying the strain in Wilson’s recent absence, too, making a quick but safe return for Wilson increasingly important for Bruce. If he can get his main man back after the international break, that could be huge for the Newcastle boss and his club’s hopes of staying in the top flight.

AND in other news, Newcastle eye summer swoop for £16k-p/w maestro once lauded for being “the most gifted” player…

West Ham United have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of Gaetan Laborde after the Montpellier striker’s agent, Christophe Hutteau, stated he will not leave the Ligue 1 side this month.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Explica, Hutteau has gone on record to say his client has no intentions of securing a mid-season transfer and will see out the 2020/21 campaign at the Stade de la Mosson.

Laborde is believed to be a target for Olympique de Marseille in the winter market after scoring six goals in 17 Ligue 1 appearances, while West Ham plus Bundesliga and Russian outfits have previously been linked.

Marseille value Laborde between €8m (£7m) and €10m (£9m) but face offering at least €15m (£13.5m) to seal a deal, with Montpellier in agreement with the forward and his representative that a summer separation better suits all parties.

“Gaetan’s first wish is to stay until the end of the season. This is the career plan we had set with President Laurent Nicollin. There is no intention of leaving this winter,” Hutteau said.

“If he stays, it will be anything but a disaster because he feels good in this club, where he continues to progress, where he takes pleasure.

“Now we can imagine that the club of Montpellier could say to itself ‘if there is a concrete offer, I find myself in the obligation to sell’. This can also be this situation, it is not to be excluded. There is nothing closed.”

A huge blow or a lucky break?

Hutteau stating categorically that Laborde will remain with Montpellier until the summer will come as a huge blow for West Ham if the east London outfit were considering a move to sign the 26-year-old in the January window.

However, in bringing the former France U20 international to the London Stadium, David Sullivan would have left David Moyes scratching his head in the dugout as Laborde – who has provided a hand in 11 goals this season (six scored, five assisted) – has displayed all the characteristics that left the Scottish coach seething last month.

“I thought the biggest thing tonight was that we had a great chance to go two or three up, maybe even more,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london, following the 3-1 defeat at home to Manchester United.

“We played really well but we didn’t kill it off when we had the chance to do so, show a clinical edge to our finishing or our final pass which was needed. I think that was what cost us tonight.”

Laborde would likely have not fared any better, having taken the second-most shots by any player in Ligue 1 thus far this term with 47 efforts in 17 games, yet only directing 22 on target and six into the back of the net, per WhoScored.

He’s further offered only 1.1 key passes a game, wins 50% of his aerial duels, completes 51% of his attempted dribbles and takes an unsuccessful touch every 37.1 minutes.

West Ham are in need of additional goalscorers with no Premier League side above the Irons in the table scoring fewer goals than Moyes’ men thus far, but Laborde may not have been the answer and this huge blow may actually prove to be a lucky break.

AND in other news, David Moyes must consider a drastic U-turn on £18m-rated West Ham “monster”…

With Manchester City bolstering their centre-back options with the signings of Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias during the recent summer transfer window, it seems as if John Stones’ time at the Etihad may well be coming to an end.

The England international joined the Citizens from Everton in a deal worth £50.04 million back in 2016 but now seems to be surplus to requirements in Pep Guardiola’s side, following their summer acquisitions of Ake and Dias.

The 26-year-old has made just one appearance in the Premier League this season, which came in their opening fixture against Wolves (per WhoScored), in which he earned a disappointing 6.57 rating.

The centre-back has also made three appearances in the Champions League, where he has averaged a less than impressive 6.42 rating, although in the one start he made he did impress against Olympiacos, earning a 7.08 rating.

Guardiola suggested during the summer that Stones could be put up for sale after what was a frustrating campaign for the former Barnsley man, with injury issues regularly keeping him out of the City first-team.

The likes of Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Stones in recent times and when we consider the plethora of options Guardiola now has available to him at centre-back, perhaps it would be best if the Citizens cut their losses on Stones and sold him on.

The centre-back was praised by teammate Kyle Walker back in 2017, with the right-back suggesting that:

“John is an unbelievable player. You don’t quite appreciate him until you are playing alongside him. He rarely gets beat, he is great on the ball and he is very calm and level-headed.” (per Sky Sports).

Unfortunately for the defender, his performances since 2017 clearly been on the decline, and the fact that he has never played in more than 27 Premier League games in a season for City, suggests that injuries have been a problem for the 26-year-old and that he has never really been able to establish himself as a mainstay in Guardiola’s side.

Although he is now valued at just £22.5 million, which is less than half of what City paid for him, they may be better served axing the defender now while he still retains value, especially if they need to recuperate some of the significant funds they spent on Dias and Ake during the summer.

Tottenham Hotspur were one of the teams mooted with interest in James Rodriguez during the summer transfer window, but the 29-year-old would opt for a reunion with his former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti at Everton…

What was the word?

According to the Daily Mail in August, Spurs had the Colombian sensation on their radar, though several Premier League clubs were also in the race as it was believed Rodriguez was keen to make the move to England.

He would then sign for the Toffees for free despite claims he would cost around £22m – Rodriguez’s former club, Banfield, released a statement (via Goal.com) claiming they would not be receiving any funds from the transfer as he didn’t cost the Merseyside outfit a penny.

Perhaps that only goes to show just how desperate the La Liga giants were to offload his £140k-per-week wages from their financial bill.

Everton’s steal

The £31.5m-rated playmaker has already proven that, on his day, he’s still that world-class sensation we witnessed at the 2014 World Cup.

Per WhoScored, Rodriguez has delivered three goals and three assists in ten starts, whilst also averaging 2.5 key passes, 2.2 shots and 1.9 dribbles per game.

Gabby Agbonlahor’s misguided claim that his recent form had tailed off due to the “cold” English weather is merely an uneducated view as he’s been so much more than what the numbers state.

Even during their drab 1-1 draw with Burnley last week, the enigmatic maestro, who’s now only on £90k-per-week, led Ancelotti’s pressing system and attempted more tackles than any other player on the pitch and no other attacking Toffees player made as many defensive contributions either.

In reality, he would’ve been the perfect fit for Jose Mourinho, especially with performances like the one we just saw against Arsenal – doing the dirty work when needed and the ability to turn on the style at a click of the fingers.

The sort of player that Spurs have lacked ever since the departure of Christian Eriksen.

Not a single player of the north London outfit has managed more key passes or dribbles than Rodriguez, whilst it is only Harry Kane that has managed more attempts at goal per game, via WhoScored.

During his time in Munich, Jupp Heynckes lauded him a “god-send” for the club whilst Madrid president once claimed Rodriguez was “a new talent” who “oozes quality.”

Kane’s international teammate, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, has also waxed lyrical, he told the ECHO: “He’s a top, top player and for me, as a centre-forward, I knew chance-creation would be there and it would be down to me to put the ball in the back of the net. I’m really enjoying playing with him. He’s a different level. He dictates games.”

You could only imagine how good a midfield of Rodriguez, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele would’ve been at Spurs.

AND in other news, Levy must perform a U-turn over £150k-p/w “freak of a talent” amid fresh Mourinho claims…