All posts by z3u9t.icu

Some Liverpool supporters are angry that Craig Pawson will take charge of the Reds’ Premier League clash with Wolves.

The champions make the trip to Molineux on Monday evening, looking to get back to winning ways in the league, following their dismal 1-0 defeat at home to Fulham last weekend.

If Jurgen Klopp’s men are to have any chance of getting back into the top four battle this season, victory will be paramount on Monday.

It has been announced that Pawson will take charge of the game – Andy Madley will be on the dreaded VAR duty – with both Jurgen Klopp and Nuno Espirito Santo no doubt keen for controversy to be avoided.

Pawson was actually the referee for the corresponding fixture at Anfield back in December, with Liverpool cruising to a 4-0 victory and looking on course to defend their league title at that point.

Liverpool fans react to Pawson appointment

Here’s how Reds supporters reacted to the news on Twitter, with negativity the order of the day.

“I’m hurt more by who the referee is. He never gives us anything in home games let alone away games.”

Credit: @Alivirgtrentbob

“Handy 1 for Wolves”

Credit: @albarr1978

“Good job I don’t care anymore”

Credit: @Jonofitz

“Did a great job last time giving them a pen for Mane’s legit clearance albeit overturned. He’s hopeless.”

Credit: @themoney86

“Craig and Martin just don’t like us, also I think we are also victimized by the VAR decisions.”

Credit: @Mahomed64720744

“Horrible ref, hate him, the mail wrote, there were 13 50/50 decisions, he gave all 13 against (us)”

Credit: @ManniBerg

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham Hotspur have been scouting Fiorentina centre-back Nikola Milenkovic…

What’s the word?

The Italian journalist appeared on a recent ‘transfer special’ with popular Spurs YouTuber Chris Cowlin where he revealed that Spurs were among several Premier League teams that have scouted the 26-cap Serbian colossus.

After naming Eder Militao and Milan Skriniar as potential options, Romano said:

“Another interesting name is Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina because he’s out of contract in a year-and-a-half. He’s been scouted by a lot of English clubs and Tottenham are among those clubs sending scouts to look at this guy.

“In my opinion, he is so, so talented. [A] serious guy, a good player. Sometimes he’s also scoring goals, so he’s a good centre-back. For sure, I think that they will go for a centre-back, but we will have to see also about the budget that they could spend on this kind of player.

“For Milenkovic, it’ll be around €35m (£30m) to €40m (£36m).”

Levy must strike

Over the last few weeks, it has become increasingly clear that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho doesn’t fancy many of his current central defensive options.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick revealed that the 58-year-old blamed Fulham’s late equaliser on the “individual quality” of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez earlier this month – perhaps with a hint of sarcasm – whilst it’s suggested that he’s yet to completely trust the inexperienced Joe Rodon.

‘Mourinho wants his own transformative signing, a defender who could have the same impact on Spurs as Van Dijk at Liverpool or Ruben Dias at Man City,’ wrote Kilpatrick.

Indeed, Toby Alderweireld had been snubbed for three straight league outings until last night, in which Dier was the player axed from the starting XI.

The addition of Milenkovic before the deadline tonight could give him a quickfire solution – why wait until the summer? Spurs remain in all domestic and European competitions, and they have a Carabao Cup final on the horizon.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-deadline-day-latest-news-transfer-rumours-and-more” title=”Deadline day is here: Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

As Romano says, the 23-year-old is an impressive talent.

He has been likened to former Premier League great Nemanja Vidic due to his aggression and “fearless” nature.

“Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him,” added his former mentor at Partizan, Ivan Tomic.

The 6 foot 5 titan currently ranks as La Viola’s highest-rated player (6.91), per WhoScored ratings and it’s easy to see why – on average, he is successful in 81% of his tackling attempts and a very imposing figure at the back, also managing 3.3 clearances and 3.6 aerial duels won per 90 minutes.

By comparison, only Rodon is more successful in the tackles with Dier managing a measly 0.8 attempts per 90 and similarly, no Spurs centre-back has won as many aerial duels as the towering Milenkovic, as per WhoScored.

Evidently, he’d be a valuable upgrade at the back and given the coveted interest in his services, chairman Daniel Levy ought to strike now rather than waiting for a transfer tussle in the summer when his value would undoubtedly increase from a current €30m (£26.5m) as per CIES Football Observatory.

It’s time for the club to show they are serious about their trophy ambitions with a £30m swoop for Milenkovic.

AND in other news, Spurs could find ideal Dele Alli replacement in £36m “complete midfielder”…

Writing for football.london, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has dropped a behind the scenes claim involving Jose Mourinho and star striker Harry Kane – with the Lilywhites boss understood to have been unhappy with the player’s decision to omit himself from Wolfsberger. 

Spurs ran rampant during the Europa League tie and came away with a comfortable 4-1 victory, as goals from Son Heung-min, Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura and Carlos Vinicius all but cemented Tottenham’s place in the next round.

Kane chose not to feature against the Austrian minnows due to recent fitness issues, and while there was no fresh injury, the Englishman apparently did not want to take any risks.

Now, writing after Mourinho explained this to the press, Gold claims that he was not happy with Kane’s decision to omit himself from selection – whilst also claiming he was ‘bewildered’ when Gareth Bale chose to withdraw himself from the FA Cup defeat to Everton.

Transfer Tavern take

Gold went on to explain that he cannot afford a fall out with Kane, describing the forward as ‘all powerful’ at Tottenham, but Mourinho was apparently unhappy with the 27-year-old’s decision against playing.

The journalist may be correct in his assessment that a potential fall out between the pair would be detrimental, especially considering Kane has been described as ‘unplayable’ this season (BBC).

As this behind the scenes reveal emerges, it will be interesting to see whether the Englishman will play against West Ham United on Sunday.

In other news: Tottenham have re-joined the race for this star, find out more here.

Thanks to two wins on the bounce, Neil Lennon lives to see another day as the manager of Celtic Football Club. The Hoops have seriously struggled this season and have looked a shadow of their usual, dominant self.

With a mammoth 13 points between them and rivals Rangers, the chances of them winning their tenth consecutive Premiership title are becoming bleak. And following their early exit from the Europa League, a lot of things are uncertain in the Celtic camp.

If – or more likely when – the Bhoys finish as runners-up this season, the only way Lennon has a chance of keeping his job is if he has a promising January transfer window.

Celtic eyeing up Bright Osayi-Samuel of QPR

Recent reports have linked the Hoops with a move for 22-year-old winger Bright Osayi-Samuel. The Nigerian is approaching his final six months under contract at Queens Park Rangers and will be available for talks in January. However, Lennon is keen to get things moving faster than this and wants to bring the attacker to Parkhead in the upcoming window.

If Celtic plan their move for Osayi-Samuel, who tallied five goals and nine assists in the Championship last season, they must act fast. The playmaker has attracted interest from a lot of clubs, including neighbours Rangers.

Lennon is walking a very dangerous tightrope as talks of his exit continue to circulate. If Celtic can win their remaining matches of the year and secure a strong transfer window, the board could back him as the man to take them forward.

Signing Osayi-Samuel wouldn’t cost the club must, as he is currently valued at £3.15million by Transfermarkt. He would also be an extremely valuable recruit, as the Hoops do not currently have a recognised senior right-winger on their books. His creativity on the right will allow midfielders to be midfielders and maximise creativity for the likes of Odsonne Edouard.

He was recently lauded by manager Mark Warburton, who believes that the attacker is “destined for the Premier League”, whether that be with QPR or another club.

In other news, Mauricio Pochettino move could benefit both him and Lawwell…

One of Jose Mourinho’s worst nightmares at Tottenham Hotspur could become a reality in 2021…

What’s the word?

According to Defensa Central, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is ‘interested’ in signing Heung-min Son as neither Kylian Mbappe nor Mohamed Salah are likely to arrive at the Bernabeu.

They believe the Frenchman dreams of signing the impressive South Korean sensation but accepts that any deal would far exceed €100m (£90m).

Progress over contract talks with the 27-year-old have slowed down in recent weeks due to a change in representation, but it is thought that Spurs are prepared to offer him a bumper £200k-per-week deal, as per the Telegraph.

Worst nightmare

Madrid’s interest in Son could potentially throw a spanner in the works, though, especially as Daniel Levy has previously noted a special “partnership” with the La Liga giants after the sales of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale in the past.

The £81m-rated left-winger has firmly established himself among the Premier League’s best players in last 18 months, bringing home very lucrative attacking returns alongside Harry Kane.

Indeed, Son has scored 16 goals in all competitions this term alone, which at the moment is one fewer than the England skipper.

The pair have combined for 13 goals in the Premier League, tying a long-standing top-flight record set by Blackburn Rovers duo Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton back in 1994/95.

They are also three behind Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard for the record of lifetime goal contributions of any pairing.

12 of Spurs’ 29 league goals have come from Son too, so that only emphasises how important his role is under Mourinho right now and whilst interest in his services was always going to arrive given his form, it would serve as a cold reminder that they are still some way off the very top level.

As Darren Bent told Football Insider, an injury to Son could seriously “derail Spurs’ season massively” and the same has to be said if he’s at all swayed by the latest transfer interest.

Even in Kane’s absence last season, Martin Keown dubbed the enigmatic inside-forward a “revelation” on Match of the Day 2 [16/02, 10:45pm], which shows that in some ways Son is of even more importance to Spurs as he has stepped up without the prolific striker beside him.

We saw how difficult it was to replace Modric all those years ago – none of the likes of Paulinho, Lewis Holtby or Gylfi Sigurdsson could fill that void, and perhaps it wasn’t until Christian Eriksen’s arrival that Spurs finally found that midfield playmaker once again.

The same effect could certainly repeat itself if Son were to swap north London for Madrid this year.

AND in other news, Levy could find their next Ricky Villa in “rare” £36m speed demon…

Many Sheffield Wednesday were not happy with referee David Webb after he showed Josh Windass a red card during their Championship clash against Preston North End.

The Owls were down to 10 men midway through the first half after just 17 minutes as Windass appeared to strike Joe Rafferty in the chest with the studs of his boot.

Wednesday were rooted to the bottom of the Championship before this afternoon’s proceedings and were of course desperately looking to turn their fortunes around after Tony Pulis took to the dugout for his first match in charge.

But Windass’ first-half sending off did not help their cause, providing them with an uphill battle for the rest of the game, which they lost 1-0 courtesy of a Tom Barkhuizen goal.

Supporters were left fuming by the decision, with some saying that Rafferty was already on his way down before the two players came together.

Fans blast officials over Windass red card

In other news, Wednesday fans react as Owls’ key asset speaks out regarding his future.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Hull City striker Dean Windass has urged Manchester United to let Paul Pogba leave the club.

Pogba is once again facing the same old questions about his future after his agent Mino Raiola claimed that his client’s career with the club is over.

Having made no secret of his desire to leave Old Trafford in the latter half of last season, only the French World Cup winner will know what comes next as United prepare for the winter transfer market to open in January.

The 27-year-old will now face the usual questions over his commitment to the club he first joined at the age of 16 and where he has won the Europa League and EFL Cup.

After Raiola’s latest outburst, Windass told Football FanCast editor James Beavis he believes that United should rid themselves of the French midfielder.

He told FFC:

“Pogba, for me, just let him go. Let him go. He’s a liability.

“He’s not a team player, it’s all about me. Get rid of him, get him out, get his agent out and let him go and play football somewhere else.”

Since Raiola’s comments, Pogba came off the bench during the defeat to RB Leipzig in the Champions League and he was named in the starting line-up to face Manchester City and Sheffield United.

However, he remained an unused substitute on the bench as the Red Devils ran riot over Leeds United on Sunday night, meaning that the France international’s future at Old Trafford remains uncertain amid links abroad to his former club Juventus, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Raiola has made no secret of his desire to push for a move, though whatever Pogba truly thinks of the situation is another matter for another day.

However, given the fact that his contract will run out in 2022 and United have valued the Frenchman in excess of £150m in the past, whoever fancies taking a punt on Pogba faces an uphill task to do so in a period of such economic uncertainty.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer drops big claim on Solskjaer’s future at Manchester United…

Everton midfielder James Rodriguez was covertly impressive in Colombia’s World Cup qualifying win over Venezuela.

Rodriguez was making his first international appearance in more than year, as manager Carlos Queiroz handed the 29-year-old the captain’s armband in his 76th outing.

Queiroz had been unable to utilise Rodriguez in any of Colombia’s last six fixtures through a variety of injuries, with the midfielder sidelined for parts of his final year at Real Madrid nursing calf and medial collateral ligament issues.

Rodriguez was unable to influence the scoring on his return to international duty and remains without a goal for Colombia since his 22nd strike coming against the USA on October 12, 2018, while last assisting an effort when he penned his 25th assist against Qatar in June 2019.

Instead, goals from Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel sealed a 3-0 win for Colombia over Venezuela, enough for Queiroz’s side to sit second to Richarlison’s Brazil in the CONMEBOL table ahead of facing Chile on October 14.

Rodriguez, who has started each of Everton’s four Premier League fixtures thus far this season, had opportunities to pen his name to an assist against Venezuela but failed to see either of his two key balls turned home, per SofaScore.

Rodriguez failed to register a single effort on goal during his 74 minutes on the field against Venezuela, but impressed nonetheless with a 100% dribble success rate having got the better of his marker with each of his three attempts.

The £28.8m-rated star further stood out with 76 touches, which he converted into 58 accurate passes from 63 attempts, whilst also creating one big chance to score, winning five of six ground duels and providing two crosses into the area although neither found a teammate.

Venezuela were forced into committing one foul against Rodriguez, who made one successful tackle and was never penalised for his attempts by referee Guillermo Guerrero.

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping Queiroz manages Rodriguez’s workload over the current international break, having impressed since his summer switch to Goodison Park with three goals, two assists and four big chances created in the Premier League to date.

AND in other news, Everton were shown what they missed this summer as a £10m former target thrived on the international stage.

West Brom remain winless after seven matches in the Premier League having crashed to a 2-0 defeat at Fulham on Monday evening.

Slaven Bilic’s side were downed by two first-half goals, scored within four minutes of each other, as they dropped into the relegation zone.

The Croatian kept faith with the XI that drew to Brighton a week earlier, though before the hour mark he made some interesting changes with Matheus Pereira and skipper Jake Livermore being withdrawn.

It was the second successive match in which the 30-year-old was hauled off early – a surprise given he had played the full 90 in each of their previous five outings.

Perhaps Bilic’s patience is wearing thin as his main man simply isn’t performing.

And he ought to be careful as the was one shining light at Craven Cottage displayed his credentials with an industrious and energetic display.

Conor Gallagher recorded a whopping nine tackles, two clearances, two dribbles, one key pass and won four free-kicks, via SofaScore.

The Chelsea loan star, valued at €20m (£18m), also engaged in 27 duels and made 26 passes – no other midfielder or attacker managed to better his 7.2 rating either.

He was absolutely everywhere in midfield, it’s no wonder his box-to-box abilities were once compared to his parent boss, Frank Lampard.

“The one thing he has got is a fantastic engine, much like Lee Bowyer or Frank Lampard – it’s amazing, the resemblances between those two in their younger years particularly.

“He’s a classic No 8; he has an unbelievable energy, he does the ugly side of the game, but you have to let him off the leash and let him get forward.”

Keith Andrews on Conor Gallagher.

Gallagher was one of just two players who earned praise from Bilic post-game, he said: “I saw a young kid – Conor Gallagher, and I saw Barni Ivanovic – who is 30 something – who basically had more commitment.”

It’s rather telling that Livermore has been hauled off early twice now. He isn’t allowed as much time on the ball as he would be in the Championship, particularly against teams with a high-press like Fulham.

Whilst it’s too early to tell, maybe it could be the beginning of the end for the veteran midfielder. There’s a reason he’s been plying his trade in the second tier in recent seasons.

Bilic could continue to look to Gallagher’s exuberance and energy in midfield going forward. The former Charlton “jewel” was certainly a rare positive on Monday night.

AND in other news, Bilic must rue WBA not signing £5m bargain in speed demon who “terrifies defenders”…

Newcastle United kick off their 2020/21 season with an away Premier League fixture against David Moyes’ West Ham United at London Stadium.

The Toon Army will likely be hoping to see new faces Callum Wilson, Jamal Lewis, Jeff Hendrick and Ryan Fraser play some part in the game as Steve Bruce looks to get off to the best possible start by taking all three points back to Tyneside.

Two of those may well start the game in Lewis and Wilson, but Hendrick may not be able to get past the trusted pair of Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey in the centre of midfield, whereas Fraser is reportedly lacking fitness and will be monitored.

Other potential absentees include first-choice goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, meaning that Karl Darlow is likely to step in between the sticks, as well as Fabian Schar and Dwight Gayle, with Matt Ritchie also a doubt, according to BBC.

Javier Manquillo, Federico Fernandez and Jamaal Lascelles will likely comprise the rest of the four-man defence alongside Lewis, with Miguel Almiron, Sean Longstaff and Allan Saint-Maximin forming a three-man attack behind Wilson.

Indeed, this would mean that Transfermarkt.

Fraser and Ritchie may both push for starts if they can pass their respective fitness tests, but Bruce will likely stick with what he knows as it is only the first match back in the new campaign, with the likely exception of both Lewis and Wilson starting to give NUFC some firepower going forward.

Geordies, who do you think will start for Newcastle tonight? Comment below with your views!