All posts by z3u9t.icu

Manchester City fans are far from happy after it was revealed Liam Delap has a significant injury, although it is not sure when he will return to the action.

Delap is a highly-rated youngster at the Etihad Stadium. Last term, he scored 30 goals in all competitions for the club’s development squad (Transfermarkt) and, with the departure of Sergio Aguero on a free transfer, there was hope in some quarters that he could break into the first-team squad and pick up some serious minutes.

However, he is yet to play a single minute for the senior side this term under Pep Guardiola, and he has now been dealt a further blow. As per EDS Coach Brian Barry-Murphy, the 18-year-old is on a list of several players who have significant injuries and it is not sure when he will be available.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Delap news below

“Pain”

Credit: @Cancelocityv3

“citeh’s strikers are cursed.”

Credit: @CityzeNish_

“So unlucky”

Credit: @alexpaolo9

“Shame. I really thought he’d break through”

Credit: @mcfcjosh9320

“Pain, this was his proper opportunity before we go and sign a striker”

Credit: @MCFCAJ10

“don’t tell me his bones are made of glass as well”

Credit: @aalexariton

In other news, Man City fans react to this transfer news.

Portsmouth have enjoyed a strong start to the 2021/22 campaign and are currently sat in fifth position in League One during the first international break of the season.

Danny Cowley’s side have 10 points on the board, with three wins, one draw and one defeat after five games. Only Sunderland (12) have more, with Pompey one of six teams tied on 10 points below the Black Cats at the top of the table.

The south coast side won their first three league matches of the season, beating Fleetwood, Crewe and Shrewsbury. They were then held to a 0-0 draw by Doncaster before losing 1-0 to Wigan in their last game of the month in League One.

A number of players caught the eye with their performances in August, including on-loan Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu – who started four of the five games and impressed between the sticks with an average SofaScore rating of 7.30 (before denying Cristiano Ronaldo from the penalty spot in midweek).

Forget the Republic of Ireland international, though, as it was Clark Robertson who was Pompey’s star man in August with his excellent performances at centre-back, as his defending helped Bazunu to rack up clean sheets and earn a high SofaScore rating of 7.18.

He was a defensive powerhouse throughout the month as he helped the team to keep four clean sheets in five games in League One. The only league goal Pompey conceded in August came in the 1-0 defeat to Wigan, with none conceded in the first four matches.

Keeping a clean sheet is a team effort, but Robertson stood out with his dominance in defence. As per SofaScore, he won an incredible 74% of his duels on the pitch, averaging 6.4 duels won per game. This shows that he was able to dominate the opposition and prevent them from winning much against him, stopping attacks and creating opportunities for his team to hit on the break, or to alleviate pressure by retaining possession.

Robertson, who joined from Rotherham in the summer, also made zero errors leading to shots or goals to further illustrate just how reliable he was for Cowley at the back. This shows how he was virtually faultless in the five matches, which is why he was arguably Pompey’s star man during August.

His excellence at the back built a platform for the attacking players to do their work without needing to worry about silly errors behind them. With just one goal conceded from five league games for Cowley’s side, Robertson’s performances have undoubtedly been key to their strong start to the campaign.

AND in other news, Pompey fans will be buzzing with Cowley’s claim on gem tipped to “become a top player”…

A number of Liverpool supporters have been hailing Kostas Tsimikas after the left-back produced a hilarious social media post poking fun at himself and Mohamed Salah.

The Reds continued their strong start to the season on Sunday, winning 3-0 away to Leeds United and jumping to third in the Premier League table.

It was a comprehensive victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side, on a day that saw Mohamed Salah score his 100th Premier League goal.

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The Liverpool superstar received endless plaudits for the achievement, but Tsimikas was more in the mood for joking about it.

The Greek left-back posted a photo of him holding up Salah’s shirt with ‘100’ on the back of it, saying it is the amount of Premier League goals he and the Egyptian have combined.

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Liverpool fans hail hilarious Tsimikas post

Tsimikas’s first goal in the competition will hopefully come soon, but regardless, these Liverpool fans loved his post, taking to Twitter to praise the Greece international…

“I love him”

Credit: @JhennyLFC

“What a sweet guy”

Credit: @LFC_GIN

“Hahah this boy”

Credit: @keshwizzi_

“Tsimikas is actually too funny”

Credit: @sxlang_

“Hahahahahhaha”

Credit: @KanoButPC

“LOOOOOOOL”

Credit: @_bubblxs

In other news, James Pearce has provided a key update regarding one Liverpool player. Find out who it is here.

Former Newcastle United star Steve Howey believes that Adam Armstrong will score goals in the Premier League for Southampton.

Armstrong completed his move to Southampton earlier this week, signing a four-year deal with the Saints.

The 24-year-old was in fine form for Blackburn Rovers in the Championship last season as he scored 64 goals and 19 assists in 160 games for the Ewood Park outfit.

Southampton finished 15th in the Premier League last season accumulating 43 points in the process. Manager Ralph Hassenhuttl has moved to strengthen his side this summer bringing in six new players, with Armando Broja, Theo Walcott, Tino Livramento, Romain Perraud, Dynel Simeu and Adam Armstrong all putting pen to paper on deals at St Mary’s.

After impressive seasons in the Championship, Howey reckons Armstrong will be successful in front of goal in the Premier League.

He told the Transfer Tavern: “I think the lad will score goals and I really wish him the best of luck.  People like him and Ivan Toney, it just goes to show they weren’t given an opportunity at Newcastle and they’ve worked so hard to get back and you’ve get to say fair play to them, ‘you deserve your chance’, and I think both of them will score goals.”

Both Toney and Armstrong were the two top scorers in the Championship last season, with Toney netting 33 goals and Armstrong getting 28.

Leeds United left-back Niall Huggins is on the verge of completing a move to Sunderland, with the youngster undergoing a medical at the Stadium of Light on Thursday.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ summer clearout

Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta may have sealed some exciting incomings this summer, most notably signing Junior Firpo from Barcelona, but there have also been plenty of outgoings.

A total of nine players have departed, either permanently or on loan, including experienced fan favourites like Pablo Hernandez and Ezgjan Alioski, and it now looks as though Leeds have cleared another name from their squad.

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The Latest: Huggins set to join Sunderland

According to Football Insider, Huggins is extremely close to sealing a permanent move to Sunderland, with his medical taking place on Thursday morning after the two clubs agreed terms on a deal.

The 20-year-old only signed a new Whites contract last December, but it appears as though Bielsa has U-turned and sees no long-term future for him at the club.

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The Verdict: Right time to leave

At 20, Huggins will no doubt be keen to enjoy regular playing time and that wasn’t going to come his way at Leeds.

With Firpo coming in as the Whites’ new first-choice left-back, and Leif Davis a strong long-term option, it is hard to see where he would fit in.

Huggins will hope to become a key man at a Sunderland side amongst the favourites to be promoted from League One this season, forging a strong career for himself away from Leeds.

It is not yet clear if there is a buy-back or sell-on clause in the deal, but one would have to assume Orta would be clever enough to add something along those lines.

In other news, Leeds have reportedly made contact with a Premier League player over a move to Elland Road. Read more here.

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Graham Roberts insists that Milan Skriniar would have been one of his top targets this summer, although it does not appear that he will be joining the club.

Spurs are reported to be in talks to sign Cristian Romero from Atalanta for a fee of around €55m (£46.8m).

They are also reported to be pursuing Takehiro Tomiyasu of Bologna, who can play as a right-back and a centre-back, as well as a defensive midfielder.

Spurs were reported to be interested in Skriniar last summer, with Steve Hitchen travelling to Italy in an attempt to strike an agreement.

It remains to be seen if Spurs will make a potential move for the Inter Milan defender this summer but it seems unlikely given the pursuit of separate defenders.

But Roberts believes that Skriniar, who is valued at £54m by Transfermarkt, would have been an excellent signing, and admits that he would have placed him at the very top of his shortlist.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think last year we could probably have got him for 40 million. I know Inter need to sell because they’ve had to get rid of Conte and people like that because of the money situation.

“You never know but I would say he would have been one of my top targets, I don’t believe we need to start messing the team up.”

Everton head into their opening Premier League clash next week in a bit of a sticky situation.

They were ruthlessly beaten 4-0 by Manchester United in pre-season on Saturday so the Toffees will need to significantly improve.

However, with Rafa Benitez spending rather meagre sums so far, it’s been a rather anticlimactic summer to date.

On the chalkboard

Everton have looked to strengthen their options on the wing heading into the new season.

They’ve added Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend to their ranks but you sense they still need a signing of fairly high calibre in that region of the pitch.

Leon Bailey was linked with a move to Goodison Park but ultimately joined Aston Villa instead.

Everton signed James Rodriguez last summer but they lack quality and depth beyond that. Alex Iwobi is the prime example.

Signed for a whopping £34m, he’s scored just four goals since moving to Merseyside and such was his lack of end product that Carlo Ancelotti started fielding him at wing-back.

The solution

One answer to Benitez’s problems could be Josip Brekalo.

The Wolfsburg gem was touted with a move to Goodison Park a few months ago but it looks as though they still have a keen eye on the 23-year-old wide man.

That’s according to Transfer Market Web who suggest a bargain fee of €15m (£12.7m) will be enough to sign him. However, they will need to fend off interest from a number of other clubs including Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.

If they secure his signature then he’d represent a huge upgrade on Iwobi.

For starters, he scored more goals this season than the Everton winger has managed in his entire Everton career to date.

Brekalo found the net on seven occasions last term, taking his tally in Wolfsburg colours to 21 overall.

He also added three assists as he earned his place in Croatia’s squad for Euro 2020.

Not only does Brekalo have end product – something that Iwobi lacks – but he’s also incredibly progressive with the ball.

Described as a player who can “torment defenders everywhere” by journalist Ronan Murphy, he ranks in the 75th percentile for total carrying distance of the ball across Europe’s top five leagues.

Iwobi ranks higher in that department but without goals and assists, it rather counts for nothing.

Dismally, the Nigerian ranks in the 29th percentile for shot-creating actions while Brekalo ranks in the 67th percentile.

As a result, it’s evident why the young attacker would be such an upgrade on Iwobi.

AND in other news, Everton may repeat Lacina Traore howler by signing 83-cap gem Rafa compared to Shearer…

If Ange Postecoglou didn’t already have selection issues heading into Celtic’s first competitive fixture next week, he certainly does now.

The Hoops drew 0-0 with their pre-season opposition on Wednesday evening but it was a clash marred with injuries.

On the chalkboard

Mikey Johnston earned a rare opportunity but had to be withdrawn early in the first half while Odsonne Edouard also sustained an injury against Charlton.

The Bhoys were already missing James Forrest due to his self-isolation period and he remains a doubt for their match with Midtjylland next week.

They could also be without Vasilis Barkas. The Greek stopper was injured in the warm-up and had to sit on the sidelines for the entire game.

He was pictured sitting next to the pitch with his fingers on his right hand severely strapped up.

The extent of his problem isn’t known but Celtic already have somewhat of a headache in his position.

Barkas missed a great deal of last season after he suddenly became number 2 to Scott Bain. His first campaign in Glasgow wasn’t an easy one as he was subject to a number of individual errors.

However, Bain and third choice ‘keeper Conor Hazard weren’t a pillar of solidity either, making their own mistakes.

Their £4.5m signing from last summer had been entrusted between the sticks against Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton but now faces a race to be fit for next week.

The solution

One of the areas Celtic needed to look at strengthening this summer was their goalkeeping department.

They’ve been linked with moves for Benjamin Siegrist and Mat Ryan but the latter has now departed Brighton for Real Sociedad instead.

Another target has been Freddie Woodman but there could be complications regarding a swoop for the Newcastle stopper.

Leeds are also interested in the 24-year-old but he was on the verge of joining Bournemouth on loan before the Magpies realised that Martin Dubravka had sustained an injury.

This may give Celtic an opportunity to weigh up a bid themselves and if they can conclude a deal, it would surely fix Postecoglou’s biggest headache.

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The new head coach would have a reliable man to replace Barkas next week and potentially aid their leaky backline throughout the entirety of 2021/22.

The £9m-rated Woodman has previously been described as “unbelievable” by Lee Clarke who coached him at Kilmarnock and it’s easy to see why; he’s a very safe pair of hands.

He didn’t miss a single game last season for Swansea, keeping 21 clean sheets during his 48 outings for the Championship side.

The Newcastle goalkeeper’s form in recent campaigns has also earned calls for him to be included in Gareth Southgate’s England set-up.

Clearly highly thought of, he’d be a wise signing for Postecoglou and co.

AND in other news, Celtic expected to launch bid for 23 y/o who “terrifies defenders”, he’s a big upgrade…

Tottenham Hotspur run the risk of repeating one of last summer’s most disastrous mistakes.

The Premier League side have regularly been linked with a move for Lyon centre-back Joachim Anderson, who excelled during a loan spell at relegated Fulham last season.

Back in May, Eurosport journalist Dean Jones claimed Spurs were in “pole position” to secure his signature over arch-rivals Arsenal, whilst renowned transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had suggested that the 23-year-old was a “main target” for the club.

However, it appears the Denmark international is no longer a priority – or even an option.

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Spurs are now looking elsewhere after it was revealed that the Ligue 1 outfit were looking for a fee in the region of £26m.

If this is true, then recently-appointed sporting director Fabio Paratici may well copy Steve Hitchen and Daniel Levy’s error from a year ago.

The North Londoners were very close to sealing a move for Inter Milan colossus Milan Skriniar, even to the point of Hitchen flying out to Milan to try and get a deal over the line.

However, as per The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare, Spurs were some way apart from matching their asking price. This turned out to be an absolute disaster.

By not signing a new centre-back of the calibre of Skriniar, the Lilywhites went on to record the worst defensive record of any of the traditional ‘big six’, and former manager Jose Mourinho was plagued by a lack of leadership and regular individual mistakes.

The state of play right now is the same, so Spurs must look to pay what’s required for Andersen.

Despite it being his first season in the English top-flight, the Danish colossus was handed the armband in 17 of his 31 appearances (54.8%), which is a rather glowing endorsement from Scott Parker on his ability to lead the side out.

That should encourage Spurs immensely, considering they never plugged the void left behind by Jan Vertonghen.

Furthermore, Andersen recorded an average of 4.8 clearances, 3.2 aerial duels won, 1.4 interceptions and 1.1 tackles per game, on top of an impressive 81.4% passing accuracy, as per WhoScored.

It’s no wonder the 6 foot 4 beast was described as “absolutely sensational” by Tony Gale. Similarly, The Sun’s Tom Barclay claimed that he was a “[Harry] Maguire-type”, also adding that he’s “a great talent, captain material, good in the air.”

Valued at €20m (£18m) by CIES Football Observatory, Andersen’s experience and subsequent performances in the Premier League make him a very appealing candidate to help solve Spurs’ defensive issues.

Paratici must reconsider his stance here to give Nuno Santo the best chance of success. Both of Spurs’ other central targets, Cristian Romero and Jules Kounde, are expected to cost around double the £26m mooted with Andersen.

Therefore, Spurs must return to the Fulham loan sensation before next month’s transfer deadline.

AND in other news, “I’ve been told”: talkSPORT drop big Spurs transfer claim, fans will be buzzing…

The Athletic’s Aston Villa correspondent Gregg Evans is ‘sure’ the club will consider signing another centre-back this summer.

The Lowdown: Engels departure

Villa have just three senior centre-backs on the books going into the new season at this moment in time.

They did have four, however, Bjorn Engels returned to Belgium last month, joining Royal Antwerp on a permanent deal.

Engels made just 19 appearances for the club in his two-year Midlands stay, so Dean Smith now has Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause as central defensive options.

The Latest: Evans’ claim

Villa have already spent big this summer on Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City, and attacking reinforcements are still wanted ahead of the new campaign.

Evans posted on Twitter on Friday lunchtime, updating supporters in regards to the club’s summer business, with a number 10 still a priority.

He tweeted a link to an in-depth story, however, in his social media post, Evans ended it by informing supporters that he is sure a new centre-back will be considered soon.

“Had a closer look at AVFC plans in attack. This includes why No.10 is still a priority position; why a striker is not on the radar (yet); Villa’s attempt to keep Grealish. (For those asking, I’m sure another CB will also be considered soon)”

The Verdict: Positive news

Should Evans’ claim prove accurate and the club do indeed add to their defensive ranks, it’ll certainly be a wise decision.

Mings may well end up remaining on international duty with England until the middle of July, should England reach the final of the Euros, so he may return to Bodymoor Heath with just a few weeks to go before the new season.

Should one of the three get injured, Smith would be down to the bare bones at the back, so bringing in a fourth senior centre-back would be a shrewd decision.

It appears as if attacking additions are still the club’s priority, but at least Evans has reassured supporters in regards to looking at signings at the back.

In other news: ‘Absolute madness’ – Many AVFC fans erupt at ‘garbage’ transfer news, find out more here.