All posts by n8rngtd.top

Tottenham Hotspur secured an emphatic victory in Austria last night as they made easy work of beating Europa League rivals Wolfsberger. Jose Mourinho opted to start the likes of Gareth Bale and Dele Alli in their 4-1 win on enemy soil.

Goals came from the Real Madrid loanee, Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and substitute Carlos Vinicius. It was a convincing performance from the team and one that Mourinho will be pleased with following their back-to-back defeats to Everton in the FA Cup and Manchester City in their latest Premier League clash.

However, one man in particular was a weak link for Spurs in the middle of the park. Moussa Sissoko struggled to get a grip on the game and was the culprit for Wolfsberger’s only goal of the 90.

Moussa Sissoko vs Wolfsberger

Not only was the Frenchman to blame for Michael Liendl’s second half penalty, but his overall stats weren’t anything to write home about. Before he was hauled off in place of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sissoko fumbled his way through the match.

According to Sofascore, he committed a whopping six fouls, which was more than any other Spurs player on the pitch. He also lost nine of his 13 attempted duels, squandering 70% of his challenges. This is very out of character for Sissoko, who won 3/5 duels against Man City and 6/7 against Everton.

The £90,000 per week midfield man is a regular under Mourinho and has missed just five Premier League fixtures this season. He has also been ever-present in Tottenham’s EFL Cup and FA Cup run, according to Transfermarkt.

However, with Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele and Hojbjerg all competing for their spot in the lineup, Sissoko can’t let performances like this become a regular thing or he risks slipping down the pecking order.

In other news, Steve Howey drops verdict on Spurs boss Jose Mourinho’s issue with Gareth Bale…

The winter window has only just closed but after landing just one acquisition in January, Wolves are already being linked with some new faces ahead of the summer.

On the chalkboard

One player linked with Wolves in recent days has been Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

According to TuttoJuve, the Welshman’s future in Italy is now in doubt and thus, the Serie A giants may choose to cash in.

It’s reported that both the Old Gold and Tottenham are interested in signing Ramsey who could cost €10m-€15m (£9m-£13m).

Ramsey is currently on a wage of £300k-per-week in Turin so it seems far-fetched that Wolves would pursue a deal like this. After all, one of the main reasons they didn’t end up targeting Christian Eriksen and Diego Costa in January was because of their wages.

Claims from Tim Spiers suggest that Joao Moutinho could be in his final season of regular football at the club so Wolves will need to find alternative midfielders from somewhere.

The solution

Wolves signed 20-year-old Vitinha on loan from Porto in the summer but after his arrival, he’s started just two Premier League outings.

It’s been a difficult campaign for the Portuguese but he’s progressed well and demonstrated that he has the potential to thrive in Nuno Santo’s system.

Hailed as “special” by Jeff Shi when he first penned terms, he scored an absolute peach against Chorley in the FA Cup. Arguably, his best performance of the season came against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

As the Old Gold tasted defeat late on against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, Vitinha won 100% of his duels and also completed all of the dribbles he attempted. It was a high-class performance on what his very first start in the top-flight of English football.

The youngster may not have had many chances to prove his worth this term but the small glimpses we’ve seen should be enough to convince Wolves to lure him to the Midlands permanently next summer.

Just like they do with Willian Jose, the Old Gold have an option to buy Vitinha next summer. As good as a player like Ramsey is, this would be a smart way for Wolves to save some cash.

Ramsey’s wage demands would be astronomical but in Vitinha, they’d be assured of not only having a player they can develop for the future – a mantra that fits the club’s policies – but also of having a high-class performer on low wages.

Nuno must continue to nurture him this season before unleashing him properly in 2021/22.

AND in other news, 67% duels lost: Nuno must axe £73k-p/w “liability”, he’s been costing Wolves for weeks…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Dean Windass has delivered his verdict on a potential return to Leeds United for James Milner.

The midfielder started his career at Elland Road but hasn’t played for the Whites since 2004. After leaving Yorkshire behind, Milner has gone onto play for Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool.

He is now a multiple Premier League winner and he’s also earned a Champions League winners medal for his troubles.

Milner has previously been asked whether he would return to the club he rose through the ranks of as a trainee and he didn’t rule it out in 2019, saying: “I’m a fan. I always follow the team and the results. So you can never say no or even yes because just so much changes in football, you never know what happens.”

Football FanCast questioned Windass about a potential return this week and he admitted that although it would be a good fit for the player, he’d probably struggle to get into the side.

He said: “I think that’d be a good fit for him. But I think with James, he’d still want to play. And if he went to Leeds he won’t play, he will be just like he is now at Liverpool – a squad player. James will want to go on and play for an extra two or three seasons.

“I played until I was 39/40 in the Premier League and I wasn’t as fit as James Milner. So I’m sure that he won’t be looking at 35 – when I was younger, at 35 you retire. You get your pension and that’s it, you’re done. You play now until you’re 36, 37 or 38 and I’m sure that James will look that way.”

The £140k-per-week Liverpool midfielder played 50 times for Leeds between 2002 and 2004, scoring five goals in the process.

He was part of the side that were relegated from the top-flight 17 years ago so a return to Elland Road would be a fairytale ending to his career.

Certainly, as far as heading back to somewhere he loves, it would be a positive move for the 35-year-old. However, given his age, it’s unlikely he’d have what it takes to thrive in Marcelo Bielsa’s system.

You only need to look at the minimal impact Pablo Hernandez has had at the age of 35 this term. He’s started just two Premier League games all season.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano hints at possible “opportunity” for Leeds, it would usurp Rodrigo deal…

David Sullivan must deliver Watford forward Ismaila Sarr to David Moyes as West Ham United look to solve their striker crisis following Sebastien Haller’s exit.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, the Irons are ready to splash £30m to make Sarr the club’s first signing of the January transfer window with Moyes on the lookout for attacking reinforcements.

Michail Antonio is now the east London outfit’s sole recognised senior centre-forward after the club sold Haller to AFC Ajax for £20m on Friday, leaving Moyes facing the fraught prospect of fielding no strikers at all if Sullivan fails to land a new addition this month.

Watford were able to retain Sarr in the previous transfer window after rejecting a £25m bid from Crystal Palace despite their relegation to the Championship, but West Ham are expected to top the Eagles’ offer to test the Hornets resolve.

The Vicarage Road natives are quietly confident they will be able to once again fend off any interest despite an expectancy that clubs will test the waters, looking to sign the Senegal forward who both Liverpool and Manchester United were denied last summer through their refusals to meet Watford’s £40-50m valuation.

Sarr has been a creative force in the second-tier this season with the 22-year-old speed machine offering four goals and five assists in 18 appearances, living up to Sadio Mane’s hype after the Reds gem told The Athletic: “He’s rapid. I think defenders will struggle.

“I was speaking to Robbo [Andy Robertson], I said, ‘Watford have a really good player. I will need to help you more otherwise Ismaila Sarr will kill you, because he is a good dribbler and very, very fast.’”

Dream deal

Landing Sarr may prove expensive for West Ham but the £63,000-per-week forward may prove to be the Irons’ dream deal in their search of Haller’s replacement. The club, if they do a deal, would be delivering Moyes a clinical talent who would add versatility and brutality to the Scot’s attacking line.

Sarr has netted goals and provided assists from central and wide-right positions for Watford this season, and is firmly a star who former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips believes is a “top player” who “will only get better”.

Moyes would take a great deal of confidence in Sarr’s arrival through his creativity in the Championship so far this season, with the 32-cap attacker creating six big chances for Watford to score on top of his assists, while spurning three clear cut chances himself, per SofaScore.

The 6ft Senegalese dynamo further takes 1.5 shots and offers 0.8 key passes a game in the second-tier, while winning 6.4 duels with a 50% success rate, being fouled 2.9 times, winning possession 0.7 times, and delivering 0.5 accurate crosses.

Sarr’s ability to play on the wing and thrive through the centre is also very reminiscent of Antonio’s rise to prominence at the London Stadium, with him having often been a wide player before the 5 ft 10 gem made a move to striker and became West Ham’s main forward threat.

AND in other news, David Sullivan can seal West Ham’s dream Sebastien Haller heir in an “extraordinary” gem.

Is this the start of a stunning turnaround?

If you told Sunderland supporters that within a week of Lee Johnson walking through the door they’d score four unanswered goals, they’d have laughed in your face.

Although Johnson tasted defeat in his first game against Wigan, they bounced back in devastating fashion to utterly demolish Lincoln 4-0 last weekend.

All of a sudden, there is fresh positivity surrounding the Black Cats, something that has been far too infrequent over the last five or so years.

A clash against 14th place Wimbledon on Tuesday will be an interesting one and it is unlikely Johnson will make too many changes considering the previous result.

That being said, we’re tipping him to make one this evening.

The only change from Saturday’s win over the Imps is Aiden McGeady dropping out. The Irishman still hasn’t played a great deal of football since being drafted back into the senior side and like he was at Oldham, could be rested.

The tricky 5 ft 11 winger claimed an assist against Lincoln but so did Chris Maguire when Sunderland beat Oldham in the Papa John’s trophy last week.

Consequently, Maguire gets another run-out and an opportunity to prove himself. Johnson also has a big decision to make on Jack Diamond, someone we think should get the nod again.

He has been superb since the new head coach walked through the door and ran Lincoln ragged last time out, scoring and completing two dribbles.

Denver Hume, Luke O’Nien and Lynden Gooch are all still injured so it’s Callum McFadzean who starts once again on the left-hand side of the defence.

The midfield looked sturdy on Saturday so the usual trio of Josh Scowen, Grant Leadbitter and Max Power all start from the off.

In other news, Better than Maguire: Sunderland have just unearthed their new Josh Maja in “powerful” wizard…

Niels Nkounkou has every right to be furious with Carlo Ancelotti after the Everton boss opted to omit the young full-back from his matchday squad at Burnley on Saturday.

Ancelotti is without star defender Lucas Digne for the foreseeable future after the Frenchman was forced to undergo surgery, having sustained an ankle ligament injury in training.

The Toffees fear Digne will be out for up to three months but Ancelotti expressed belief in his other options last month, despite the inexperienced Nkounkou being his only recognised alternative.

Ancelotti doubled down on his support of Nkounkou ahead of Saturday’s trip to Burnley, even though he fielded Alex Iwobi at full-back in the 1-0 loss to Leeds United, claiming the 20-year-old would earn minutes at Turf Moor.

“Nkounkou was not in the squad because I have 11 players, I decided to put Iwobi on the left. The squad is really big,” the Italian said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

“He’s still young, he needs more experience, he needs to work more. But I am honestly satisfied for what he is doing. He will have time in the next game because we have a lot of games.”

Yet Ancelotti chose against naming Nkounkou in his 18-man squad to face Burnley with Fabian Delph stepping in at left-back, as he did for Manchester City on 13 occasions in his final season at the Etihad before joining Everton for £10million in 2019.

But the 31-year-old pulled up in the first half as Everton trailed 1-0, forcing Ancelotti into a reshuffle with centre-half Ben Godfrey moving to the left of a four-man defence and Iwobi coming in at right-back.

Nkounkou will be fuming with Ancelotti to have not gotten a chance to prove his first-team worth at Turf Moor, even just from the bench, having arrived from Olympique de Marseille in the summer after Everton saw their options dwindle following Leighton Baines retiring.

The Toffees were lauded for signing Nkounkou in the off-season, with former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock hailing the Frenchman as a “magnificent find”. But questions are now being raised over his chances of seeing out the season on Merseyside, with suggestions the £2.7m-rated gem could look to secure a loan deal this winter.

Nkounkou has only featured for 69 minutes in the Premier League this season but his talents are not questioned by those who have played alongside him, with Marseille full-back Jordan Amavi backing the youngster to shine in the future.

“He has a lot of qualities, I find that he is a powerful player, technically he is quite comfortable,” Amavi said, via quotes by Foot 01.

“Afterwards, he has to work; he is still young. As for succeeding elsewhere, maybe he would have had his chance, he could have played. But he was not launched, he made the choice to leave, it is his decision, good for him, I do not worry, he will have a very good career.”

It remains to be seen when – or if – Ancelotti will next offer Nkounkou the chance to demonstrate those skills in Royal Blue with the Toffees hosting title-chasing Chelsea in their next Premier League fixture.

AND in other news, “If I’m the chairman…” – Exclusive: Pundit drops huge Everton January transfer window claim.

He might not be able to play on Thursday night, but Tottenham Hotspur’s summer arrival, Joe Rodon, has to be the man to replace Toby Alderweireld going forward.

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was dealt one hell of a blow that put a massive dampener on their 2-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend as the Belgian centre-back went off injured in the second-half without coming into contact with an opposition player.

Alderweireld has played a big part in the north Londoners keeping three clean sheets in four matches.

Following the match, the Special One claimed: “It’s bad, it’s bad. It’s a muscular injury,” which may have to be taken with a pinch of salt but it would not be a shock considering he had played three international matches in just over a week beforehand.

There will be a temptation to bring Davinson Sanchez back into the fold having not made the matchday squad in any of their last four Premier League outings whilst he only made the bench last time out in the Europa League.

The one-time club-record £42m arrival, who is now worth €50m (£45m) will undoubtedly feature against Ludogorets this week and that’s a risk they can afford to make given the level in competition, but regardless of his performance, he can’t be trusted for their trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

A frontline involving Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz is a scary prospect as it is, it’ll only be made worse by putting a player dubbed a “liability” by many supporters next to Eric Dier, who is not a centre-back by trade himself.

An argument can easily be made against Rodon, considering his only top-flight experience has been a total of ten minutes across substitute appearances against Burnley and City, but he’s far more worth the gamble than an already-known calamity.

The Welshman’s ceiling is high having drawn comparisons to Rio Ferdinand and John Terry whilst journalist Dominic Booth added: “Rodon is a leader given his age, a bit of an old head on young shoulders. He’s good in the air despite not being a huge presence, and looks destined for bigger things.”

In his four appearances for Swansea before the switch, he averaged a whopping 7.8 clearances, 5.3 aerials won and 2.3 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.

His 6 foot 4 presence will be much-needed in the absence of Alderweireld. It’s on Mourinho to take that punt for the foreseeable future.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Winks: Jose must unleash “phenomenal” Spurs monster tipped as “future captain”…

As the dust settles on another hectic transfer window, Aston Villa’s attentions will already have turned towards their plans for the following year.

Big decisions will have to be made, not just in terms of the kinds of signings that need to be made, but also which of Dean Smith’s current first-team squad need to be sold.

And one man whose future is really up for debate, is Ahmed Elmohamady. The Egypt international’s contract at Villa Park comes to an end in the summer of 2021, meaning that he will be free to negotiate a pre-contract with foreign clubs in January and thus eventually seeing him leave on a free transfer when his deal expires.

Whilst the right-back has proven to be an astute piece of business since arriving from Hull City in 2017 – he has made an impressive 117 appearances for Villa – the time is surely right for the club to say goodbye to him.

At 33, he’s way past the peak years of his career, and whilst he’s done well in terms of his longevity thus far, if Smith is intent on ensuring his side push on and establish themselves as a top ten club, then making ruthless decisions on players like Elmohamady have to be made.

The £25k-a-week earning ace has been a reliable performer and welcome dressing room presence for Smith, with the Villa boss waxing lyrical about the veteran right-back when he penned an extension to his deal in 2019.

He said: “He’s deserved it for his performances, which is what all players deserve to get new contracts from. He was integral to the 10-game winning run we had at the end of last season to get into the playoffs. If you captain a country like Egypt, you have to be a certain type of character and player. He’s established himself in our dressing room and the English game and he’s a very well respected and good player to have in our squad.”

With Villa also spending decent money on Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest, it already feels like the club are moving in a fresh and new direction. When Elmohamady’s contract comes to its end, the Midlands side should just bid a fond adieu.

Mark Robins will look to make it back-to-back wins this coming weekend as Coventry City travel to face Barnsley in the Championship.

The impressive 3-2 win over Queens Park Rangers last weekend saw the Sky Blues gain their first three points of the new season.

Gaining promotion from League One to the Championship last term, Robins has made significant changes to his squad via the transfer market, bringing in a whole host of new faces, including Gustavo Hamer from PEC Zwolle and Callum O’Hare on a permanent deal from Aston Villa.

For the trip to Barnsley, Robins is unlikely to make any changes to the starting 11 which will ultimately be a key decision as he looks to gain a second win in three games.

Having three names on the injury list at the present time in Liam Kelly, Wes Jobell and Julien Dacosta, Robins has a fairly fit side. Whilst Kelly is back in training, it has been confirmed that the Barnsley game will come too soon.

Marko Marosi will continue in between the sticks, behind a back three of Dominic Hyam, Kyle McFadzean and Leo Ostigard.

The left wing back role will be taken up by Ryan Giles and Fankaty Dabo could keep his place on the opposite side.

Jamie Allen and Gustavo Hamer looked comfortable together last weekend and they will be deployed in the holding midfielder roles, allowing the likes of O’Hare and Jordan Shipley to play in advanced midfield roles.

The lone striker role will be taken up by Matt Godden, who has netted twice in two Championship outings, but Tyler Walker will be desperate to get on the pitch and be handed a chance by Robins.

Do you think Coventry can get all three points against Barnsley? Let us know in the comments section below…

Harry Wilson may have made his situation at Liverpool worse after putting in a disappointing performance on the international stage. The Welshman had very little impact on his country’s UEFA Nations League match against Ireland and was subbed off after 67 minutes.

He is currently in somewhat of a grey area with his club after being linked to a move away in the summer. He looks set to join another Championship side on loan this season, but it appears his Liverpool career could be coming to an end.

Wilson could leave Liverpool

The Wales international is squandering his chances of staying in the Anfield set-up. After parting ways with Rhian Brewster, and Xherdan Shaqiri also linked to an exit, Wilson’s time to step up could be now. He was given the chance to impress during Liverpool’s Carabao Cup clash against Arsenal, but the versatile winger went completely under the radar.

Despite his impressive loan spells with the likes of Derby and Bournemouth, Wilson has struggled to impress Jurgen Klopp. The 23-year-old has made just two senior appearances for the Merseyside outfit and has not yet been trusted to feature in the Premier League. However, he certainly has the capability. During his time with the Cherries, he scored seven top flight goals with one even coming against Manchester City (via Transfermarkt).

But completing just 17 passes and only 1/2 dribbles against Ireland is not a notable performance for the playmaker. Wilson also  lost possession 11 times and made an error that led to an opposition shot (via Sofascore). Despite boasting the ability to play on either wing and in midfield, his recent stats certainly aren’t doing him any favours and he could be headed for the door soon.

Especially in comparison to rising stars Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, the 18-cap Wales performer’s progress seems to have stagnated at Liverpool and a move may be best for all parties involved.

In other news, Solid England display from Jordan Henderson is much-needed boost for Liverpool ahead of Everton clash…