All posts by n8rngtd.top

Leicester City have reportedly made an offer to sign Florian Thauvin, according to Estadio Deportivo.

The report claimed that the East Midlands club offered him a four-year deal and a salary of €3.5m (£3m) per season, but Thauvin has not yet made a decision over his future at Marseille.

Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma and Napoli are also closely following any further developments with the player, but it has not been ruled out that he may leave in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Leicester should sign Thauvin

Brendan Rodgers’ team could do with a player like Thauvin in their ranks in order to boost the numbers in their squad for the 2021/22 season.

The 28-year-old has a lot of pedigree in the beautiful game, having won the World Cup with France back in 2018. He has been enjoying a good campaign so far, with no fewer than eight goals and a further nine assists in 37 games across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Football legend Paolo Maldini described him as a ‘high level’ player back in November of last year, which is noteworthy praise given the Italian’s glittering CV.

Currently rated at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, the French winger is certainly a player who the Foxes should be looking at signing come the end of the season.

In other news, find out which ‘outstanding’ ace Leicester are eyeing!

West Bromwich Albion fans have been reacting to their U23 side losing 5-0 against Leeds United.

The Baggies are currently struggling at the bottom of the Premier League. As it stands, they are 19th in the table and have picked up just 18 points from their first 29 games in the competition (Sky Sports). They are 10 points from safety with just nine matches left to play – it looks increasingly unlikely they will survive amongst the elite.

It seems their development squad is not fairing much better. They were in action against the Whites on Monday, and they were hammered 5-0. They are now bottom of their section with just 17 points from as many matches (flashscore.com). Not only that, the 5-0 scoreline was the same one the senior side were on the end of against the same opponents in December.

West Brom’s official Twitter account shared the result, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Baggies supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the West Brom fans had to say about the result below

“I’m no expert on the academy scene, but surely such consistently poor results is having no great influence on our youngsters. Don’t blame the coaches though, all down (to) Dowling.”

Credit: @joekapalo

“Not again”

Credit: @joshiecole2003

“When is it gonna end robbie”

Credit: @bruno_prest1

“Somethings clearly not right in our youth setup, I know Dowling has done some restructuring and coaches have moved on. I’d like to see more senior pros who are not getting a game time play in there, would be good experience for the U23’s too.”

Credit: @PallettJack

“I guess some things never change”

Credit:@BigAjayi

“well…at least Barca won’t rip us off anymore.”

Credit: @RobertsWBA23

In other news, West Brom fans were delighted with this club update.

The last few weeks have been a triumphant affair for Sunderland. Lee Johnson’s team are now fourth in the League One table and are unbeaten in their last eight matches, winning seven in that time frame.

It would seem that promotion could finally be on the cards for the Black Cats this season.

Before they prepare for the run-in, however, they face Tranmere in the Papa John’s Trophy final. The Mackems travel to the capital and Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon to face the League Two opposition in what should be a comfortable win on paper.

That being said, all form goes out the window when you play in a final. Sunderland have been at this stage before but tasted defeat to Portsmouth in 2019; they know they cannot afford any slip-ups.

With such a crucial match ahead, Johnson will have plenty of dilemmas to mull over in terms of his team selection. Here’s the XI we’re predicting him to pick.

Life at the Stadium of Light is never simple and that has been evident this week.

Sunderland defeated Portsmouth but, as the week drew to a close, it became apparent that injuries were going to bite them once again.

They are already missing a number of players including Denver Hume and Bailey Wright, but Jordan Jones is now a major doubt to play after suffering a minor injury. Both he and Aiden O’Brien are set to face late fitness tests but Johnson claims O’Brien is far more likely than Jones to play.

That being said, we suggest both could miss out. Consequently, Sunderland may make as many as four changes from the Pompey clash. Chris Maguire comes into the side for O’Brien while Conor McLaughlin, fit again after hernia surgery, is in for Jones.

He shifts into a central area in defence, with Max Power preferred at right wing-back in a five-man backline.

Wright is set to miss out while Dion Sanderson is cup-tied, having already played for Wolves under-21s in this competition. Fortunately, they have Tom Flanagan back, who can take the place of Sanderson.

The final replacement is in the middle of the park, where Carl Winchester has to sit out. The midfielder has already played for Forest Green in this year’s competition so, like Sanderson, he is cup-tied.

Johnson revealed that Grant Leadbitter is set to return from a dislocated shoulder, so he slots in for Winchester.

AND in other news, Dreyfus may be on the verge of repeating one of Donald’s biggest SAFC mistakes already…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer suggested his former club West Brom did all they could in the January transfer window.

During it, manager Sam Allardyce and technical director Luke Dowling were able to bring in the likes of Robert Snodgrass, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mbaye Diagne, giving the Baggies a boost in their fight for survival.

With West Brom struggling at both ends of the pitch this season, though, the Baggies could have perhaps done with further strengthening. They are one of the lowest scorers in the Premier League, registering just 20 goals in the current campaign, and have the worst record when it comes to goals conceded.

However, Palmer believes the club did what was realistically possible in the transfer market, noting the need to be financially cautious. In an exclusive interview with FFC, the former England international said:

“Well, the problem is in the position that they’re in, it’s always dangerous, isn’t it? Do you overspend to try and stay in the Premier League? Because, you know, if you go down, you’re left with a big wage bill.

“And it’s not that easy, as we’ve seen, to get automatic promotion from the Championship, so I think it’s a balancing act. And I think they would have taken that with a view when they brought Sam in.

“At the time they brought him in, obviously the wage they’ll be paying Sam and the recruitment they’ve done, I think they would have taken a calculated gamble in what they were doing. So, you know, I think they’ve done as much as what they can.”

Whatever the case, West Brom will believe that they can stay up. The Midlands club are currently nine points adrift of safety; however, they play 17th-placed Newcastle United on Sunday in a relegation clash that could completely change the dynamic down at the bottom.

The players can also draw confidence from having a very experienced manager in charge in Allardyce, with the ex-England boss boasting zero relegations from the Premier League on his CV, leading previous sides Crystal Palace and Sunderland to top-flight safety.

Leeds United will be reeling off the back of their latest Premier League performance.

Despite banking important results like their 3-1 win over Leicester, their trip to Arsenal put a stop to their solid run of form. The Gunners put in a convincing display with their 4-2 winning scoreline, leapfrogging the Whites in the league table.

Whilst they’re in no imminent danger where they are, Leeds will want to improve on their current 11th place position. Focus now shifts to Wolves, who will host the Championship winners at Molineux on the weekend.

There’s a lot to be positive about at Elland Road right now, though.

Leeds could very well push for a spot in the Europa League next season after wasting no time in reasserting their dominance at the top level. Familiar club faces and recent signings have worked in harmony together, with the likes of Raphinha and Patrick Bamford especially impressing.

However, one man who doesn’t seem to be as happy as the rest of the camp is Pablo Hernandez.

The Spaniard hasn’t started a match since Leeds were ejected from the FA Cup at the hands of Crawley Town last month. Summer signing Rodrigo has seemingly usurped the veteran’s position in midfield and frustrations could be mounting.

Hernandez, who has just 18 months left on his £19k-per-week contract, recently took to Instagram to post a cryptic message following the Arsenal defeat.

As quoted by Graham Smyth, the 35-year-old wrote on his Instagram story: “Although it was impossible for you, never claim anything in life, swallow the poison of hatred and accept injustices, rest assured that everything is balanced in the end.”

This isn’t the first time tension has built and has driven a wedge between Hernandez and Bielsa. La Vanguardia claimed that the Argentinian was furious with the playmaker after he threw down an Armistice Day armband in anger back in November.

This is reportedly why Bielsa decided to drop the Whites veteran, who has just 11 senior appearances for Leeds under his belt this season, as per Transfermarkt.

If Hernandez feels he isn’t being treated fairly, then it’s not unforeseeable that another spat between him and the manager could be on the cards.

In other news, Ezgjan Alioski’s performance vs Arsenal may have sealed his fate…

Manchester United play host to Everton in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Saturday night, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side set to play their first league game since they humiliated Southampton at home.

The Red Devils ran riot over Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, putting nine goals past the nine-man Saints, with Anthony Martial ending his eight-game goal drought after the Frenchman bagged a brace in the second half.

Unfortunately for Solskjaer, it wasn’t all rosy, as both Edinson Cavani and Luke Shaw were substituted at half-time having struggled with injuries, with Eric Bailly a doubt ahead of the game against the Toffees.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has predicted how United may line up for tonight’s action, which sees Solskjaer make three changes to the team that thrashed the Saints.

Solskjaer’s side are currently second in the table, just three points behind Manchester City, who have built up a tremendous head of steam.

In defence, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka should start as usual, with Victor Lindelof and Alex Telles making up the rest of the numbers.

This game may come too soon for Shaw after he appeared to suffer a knock against his former club, so it’s likely Telles will slot into place alongside the club captain instead.

Paul Pogba is likely going to return to the midfield, which means Scott McTominay will be forced to settle for a spot on the bench.

After a goal drought stretching to 12-and-a-half hours, Anthony Martial ended it with a double against the Saints, and his return to form was warmly welcomed by manager Solskjaer.

As such, Solskjaer will have to decide whether to opt for experience and go with the £49.5m-rated Martial and Marcus Rashford out wide or the fresher, younger option in Mason Greenwood on the right wing.

With Cavani expected to be fit to face the Toffees given Solskjaer’s pre-match press conference, the United boss could start the Uruguayan, drop Martial and have Greenwood to his right and Rashford on the left.

It would certainly be a bold call to move Martial to the bench given his double against the Saints, but that was against a side who ended up going down to 9-men.

Solskjaer will recognise that an Everton side who beat Leeds away from home last time out will surely prove a sterner test of their title credentials, and will need his most reliable and consistent players on the pitch, and Cavani has delivered him for whenever he’s played – the Uruguayan has bagged five goals and provided two assists in just 663 minutes of Premier League football.

Predicted XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Telles; Pogba, Fred; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Cavani.

AND in other news, Man Utd can find perfect Harry Maguire partner in Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane…

West Ham’s transfer policy in recent years has been incredibly peculiar. They have focused all of their efforts on the forward line, only to end up with a leaky backline.

The Hammers were nearly relegated last term but have bounced back tremendously this season. That being said, their bizarre recruitment policy was summed up when they sold Sebastien Haller last week.

The Frenchman was signed for a fee of £45m but then sold him for a mere £20.25m to Ajax.

Yet, there have been rare gems amongst the crowd. One of them was Dimitri Payet – another Frenchman – but his qualities vastly surpassed that of Haller’s.

The tricky attacking midfielder was a magician in East London, tearing teams apart on a regular basis and sinking some truly ridiculous free-kicks.

He was full of special moments, scoring 15 goals and registering 23 assists during the two years he was there. Everything good the Hammers did came through him, but since he left for Marseille, not a single player in the West Ham squad has been capable of producing similar moments.

However, that could be about to change. The Mirror reported over the weekend that the Irons are interested in signing Red Bull Salzburg forward Patson Daka – a man valued at around £25m.

The Zambian has an enormous degree of potential and would surely be a dream replacement for Haller. When it comes to Daka, he scores goals and he’s also lightning quick. The 22-year-old is capable of utterly embarrassing defenders with his running and ability to find the net.

Herve Renard summed him up perfectly: “He is a modern centre-forward, quick, capable of working hard and making the difference because he is skilful and has good movement.”

Haller was the definition of sluggish at the London Stadium, but in the Salzburg striker, they’d have an explosive individual capable of turning a game in an instant. Although players like Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma are capable of doing the same, their records in the Premier League to date are pretty inconsistent.

Daka, on the other hand, has been breathtaking this season. Taking on the mantle left by Erling Haaland in Austria, he’s netted 15 times in just 17 outings this term, adding to the 27 strikes he scored in 2019/20.

Although he plays in a different position to Payet, in terms of replicating the exquisite individual moments, Daka could be their best acquisition since the Frenchman.

This isn’t a player to rest on his laurels. He is a fighter who would surely take the Premier League by storm. He is too dangerous a striker to flop. David Sullivan would seal a big coup here.

AND in other news, Antonio 2.0: Sullivan must sign “rapid” £63k-p/w star who’ll “only get better” for WHU…

According to Le10Sport, Milan have made an offer for reported Aston Villa transfer target Mohamed Simakan.

What’s the story?

Reports over the summer suggested that Dean Smith’s side were very much interested in landing the Strasbourg centre-half, with his agent revealing last month that he expects the Premier League side, as well as other clubs, to make a move for him in January.

He said: “There were many teams on Simakan – Lyon, Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund. I think these clubs, including AC Milan, will try to push again (in January). The boy has picked up where he left off, showing his qualities, and it is possible his admirers will also increase.”

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

And now, French publication Le10Sport have claimed that Serie A giants Milan have made the first post-transfer window move to sign the 6 foot 2 defender, and that whilst they’ve seen an initial bid rejected, are prepared to make a fresh approach.

Better than Konsa

At just 20, Simakan is a couple of years younger than Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa, who’s been Smith’s preferred partner alongside Tyrone Mings.

And when you look at both of their performances for their respective teams this season, Simakan looks like the kind of prospect who the Villa boss should play next to Mings.

As per Sofascore, Simakan has won an impressive 2.2 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game in Ligue 1, whilst he wins 6.1 duels per match too, at an astounding success rate of 61%. Konsa, on the other hand, has averaged three times as less tackles, and less than half the amount of interceptions, whilst he only wins only marginally more duels at 6.7.

His agent added: “Mohamed is a class of 2000 who can play as a central defender or as a right-back. He has great strength, technically good, but his main gift is power and explosiveness.”

With Milan already making it clear that they mean business, it’s up to Johan Lange to make sure Villa aren’t left behind in the race to sign him.

A number of Everton fans have welcomed a transfer link to Isco as the Daily Mirror have reported that the Real Madrid star wants to work with Carlo Ancelotti.

As per the news outlet, Isco is keen to link up with the Italian as well as his former Bernabeu teammate James Rodriguez.

The Spain international is reportedly not in Zinedine Zidane’s plans and Los Blancos will apparently put him up for sale in the January transfer window. The Spanish giants plan to initially send him out on loan for the rest of the 2020/21 season, with an obligation to buy set at £18m plus add-ons.

Real Madrid have also spoken with representatives of Isco in the hope that they can sound out possible buyers both in Italy and England. However, the idea of moving to the Premier League is appealing to the attacking midfielder, with the Goodison Park outfit reportedly the most likely candidate.

A four-time winner of the Champions League, and with a combined tally of 105 goals and assists for Real Madrid (Transfermarkt), Isco would seem a shrewd signing indeed by the Merseyside club.

Everton fan reaction to Isco transfer links

These Everton supporters on Twitter were excited by the links to Isco, with one fan labelling the 28-year old as an ‘absolute baller’:

In other news, find out which Toffees outcast Ancelotti has confirmed will stay next season here!

Plenty of Manchester United fans have been raging over a reported update on the club’s drawn-out pursuit of Jadon Sancho.

Despite Dagbladet reporting this week that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident that a deal can be done before Monday’s transfer deadline, Sky Sports reported last night that Borussia Dortmund rejected a £91.3m offer from the Old Trafford club for the England winger.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has since tweeted that Dortmund have made clear to United that they will not accept anything less than €120m (£109.64m), with the Bundesliga outfit refusing to soften their stance despite the Red Devils’ apparent hopes that they would do so.

United’s links with Sancho go back to last year and the inability to get a deal done before the final week of the summer transfer window has left many supporters frustrated. Indeed, Donny van de Beek remains the only arrival at the club since the end of last season, despite Solskjaer’s side being linked with numerous players in recent weeks.

These Man United fans took to Twitter to vent their fury at the update on the Sancho saga, with one disgruntled supporter describing the whole affair as a “circus”:

Man United fans, are you getting tired of the Sancho transfer saga by this stage? Comment below with your views!