All posts by n8rngtd.top

Rewind through the last decade and Celtic supporters will recall triumphant joy. The Hoops were the dominant side in Scottish football and won countless honours.

Nine times in a row they won the SPFL title but it didn’t come without blood, sweat and tears.

Whenever the transfer window came along they seemed to be dealt some colossal setbacks. The likes of Virgil van Dijk and Moussa Dembele both departed while Kieran Tierney was another to leave Glasgow for pastures new.

Having come through the Hoops academy, his loss was arguably the most difficult to take. He left in a record-breaking £25m move to Arsenal and has since thrived. He has been a pillar of consistency at left-back for the Gunners, registering 1.3 key passes a game.

For context, no Arsenal player with over one start to his name has more this season.

He has been a roaring success and you can’t deny that the Bhoys haven’t missed him. Boli Bolingoli is now out on loan while Diego Laxalt has defined inconsistency down the left.

Laxalt is set to head back to Milan at the conclusion of his loan spell in a few months time which means Celtic may well need a new full-back. In recent weeks, it’s been reported that they are still interested in French defender Romain Perraud.

The 23-year-old nearly joined the Glaswegian outfit in 2019 before his team at the time, Nice, pulled the plug. He is now with Brest, where he’s very quickly becoming one of the most fearsome left-backs in Ligue 1.

He has been linked with Premier League side Leeds United and thus, it will not be a straightforward chase for his services. That’s because he is a modern-day full-back possessing all of the traits that Tierney lovingly brought to Paradise.

Leeds reporter Phil Hay commented last month: “It’s very clear from the performance data that he’s a very attacking left-back, who is good at creating chances, taking shots himself, a threat going forward, but also really good at employing the press, good as part of a team that likes to press aggressively. On those basic pointers, you can see why Leeds are interested.”

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Add words from French football expert Adrien Dryll into the equation and the idea of signing Perraud becomes all the more appealing. “Indeed, Romain Perraud rapidly became a fan-favourite at the Stade Charlety, thanks to some Roberto Carlos-esque rockets from outside the box,” he began.

“Keeping everything in perspective, Perraud’s style is, on some points, quite similar to the former Real Madrid full-back’s. He has a fighting mentality, an incredible shot power and a left-foot that has proven throughout the season to be a deadly weapon for set-pieces,” Dryll concluded.

It’s hard to disagree with those claims. After all, the full-back has been involved in eight goals this term, providing five assists for his teammates.

He is rampant down the left flank, very much like a certain Tierney. Possessing a wand of a left foot, Perraud loves to get forward, something we can understand using Smarterscout’s video-game-like ratings where they rate abilities out of 99.

Adjusted to Premier League standard – via The Athletic – Perraud’s carry and dribble volume ranks at 89 out of 99. On top of that, expected goals from his chance creation are rated at 75 while his shot volume is a staggering 99 for someone in his position.

It’s not known how much the Frenchman would cost but he comes with glowing reviews and eye-catching stats. It’s hard not to be appealed and if Celtic can sign him, thwy may finally get a replacement for Tierney.

AND in other news, Celtic could find their Brown heir in £50k-p/w gem, he’d be a “really good signing”…

Jose Mourinho should unleash Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on West Ham this Sunday after seeing Moussa Sissoko struggle against Wolfsberger in the Europa League.

The Tottenham boss took the opportunity to rotate and provide some game time for the fringe players after losing Harry Kane, Sergio Reguilon, Giovanni Lo Celso and Serge Aurier to injury in quick succession, but Sissoko struggled to have much of an impact occupying a deep-lying role.

Goals from Heung-min Son, Gareth Bale and Lucas Moura gave Spurs the lead in the first leg of the Europa League last 32. Yet, Sissoko threatened to undo all their hard work after his clumsy challenge in the box allowed Wolfsberger to pull one back by way of a penalty from Michael Liendl.

It was a night to forget for the Frenchman in Budapest and may have damaged his chances of starting again anytime soon. An uncharacteristically lightweight display from the 31-year-old saw Sissoko lose 70% of his duels overall, winning just four out of his 13 ground duels in total, as he struggled to get a foothold in the game.

Compare this to that of Hojbjerg’s with the Dane’s duel success rate a fine 51% this season, and it’s clear just how much they missed out by having Sissoko on the pitch for as long as they did instead.

Hojbjerg burst onto the scene at Southampton after a brief stint with Bayern Munich. Having excelled for the Saints, Spurs took a punt on the versatile midfielder and have been duly rewarded, with the 25-year-old establishing himself as one of the club’s most consistent and reliable performers this season.

In 23 Premier League appearances this season, he has so far averaged a WhoScored match rating of 6.97 for his efforts, that being the best of all midfielders and the fourth-highest overall, bettered only by the likes of Kane, Son and Tanguy Ndombele.

And this is simply why he must start against West Ham on Sunday. “Pierre is, first of all, very intelligent. He reads the game very well. He’s going to be a coach one day, for sure,” Mourinho said after the 2-0 win over Arsenal.

He added:

“Physically, he’s very, very strong, and technically he’s much better than people think. Because sometimes people think the guy that is good technically is the guy that does the backheel. The guy that is good technically is the guy that does something wonderful. But these are not my words. These are words from coaches of 30, 40 years ago. Simplicity is genius.

“And the guy is so simple in everything he does with the ball. And I think he’s a phenomenal player. Congratulations, Mr Levy.”

Having Hojbjerg at their disposal is at least one of the few positives for the Lilywhites, who have otherwise endured a rather frustrating season as they currently lie six points adrift of the top four

No other Spurs star is averaging as many as Hojbjerg’s 2.8 tackles per game, while he also tops the charts for interceptions (1.3 per game) and is third behind Kane and Son for assists this term, as per WhoScored.

That merely shows how big an influence he is on this Spurs team – a game-changer.

Starting the Danish midfielder against David Moyes’ side would be a good step in the right direction and could put them back on track heading into the business end of the season.

He has the ability to change the game in their favour from the anchorman role, especially with Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard in fine mettle in front of Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice.

AND in other news, Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale stole the show in vital Europa League win…

In recent comments made on Patreon, ExWHUemployee revealed the West Ham United board’s summer valuation of defensive midfielder Declan Rice.

According to ExWHUemployee, David Moyes recently stated that the West Ham board believe Rice is “worth £100 million” in the summer transfer market.

However, the manager claimed that he “wouldn’t put a price” on the head of the £49.5m-rated 22-year-old, as well as confirming that he “wouldn’t be sanctioning” the sale of the midfielder for the figure at which owners David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady (GSB) value the England international.

ExWHUemployee also revealed that Moyes claimed he wants Rice to know his “ambitions can be achieved” while playing for West Ham and that he is “pushing” this stance with both the £32,000 per week ace as well as the club’s board.

Transfer Tavern Take

So far this season, Rice has proven himself an indispensable part of Moyes’ highly impressive West Ham side, with the midfielder starting all 26 of their Premier League games, over which he has scored one goal, provided one assist and averaged a WhoScored match rating of 7.0 – ranking him as the fourth-best performer in a team currently occupying seventh place in the Premier League.

As such, it is not surprising to hear that Rice’s valuation in the board’s eyes has increased from the reported £80m figure which Chelsea were quoted for the midfielder last summer, with West Ham’s hopes of European qualification very much alive this season.

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!

West Brom manager Sam Allardyce is reportedly eyeing a reunion with one of his former players this January transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to the Sunday Mirror [10/01, page 72], the Baggies could want Bordeaux striker Josh Maja on a loan deal for the rest of the season.

It’s claimed that the Midlands outfit could sign him permanently in the summer should they keep their top-flight status, which right now looks to be in serious jeopardy.

Maja was a 17-year-old rookie at Sunderland when Big Sam was in charge back in 2015/16.

Shades of Berahino?

The need for a new striker at the Hawthorns has increased tenfold in recent weeks.

Allardyce’s side already ranked among the Premier League’s worst attacks having scored just 11 goals in 17 outings – only better than two other teams in the division.

And now they have moved on Charlie Austin, who has rejoined former club QPR on loan, despite the devastating injury blow to summer signing Karlan Grant, who is now out for the next six weeks at least.

Against Blackpool in the FA Cup on Saturday, the 66-year-old had to deploy a strikerless formation which saw Matheus Pereira act as a false nine – they were subsequently knocked out, so it clearly didn’t go to plan.

The 22-year-old, who earns a reported £57k-per-week, could be an interesting solution to this nightmare.

Maja enjoyed a very decent run in Ligue 1 last term, bagging six goals, primarily from the bench as 15 of his 21 appearances were as a substitute, though this season, he’s not been able to replicate such form with just two goals in 11 starts, per WhoScored.

Despite the way he acrimoniously departed the Black Cats in 2018, the young striker still received many plaudits from his time at the club – former boss Jack Ross lauded him “fantastic” to work with on and off the pitch, whilst his ex-Bordeaux manager Paulo Sousa dubbed him a “scorer” with “sharp and strong qualities.”

At 5 foot 11, he’s the exact same fit and profile of former Albion frontman Saido Berahino, especially as Jermain Defoe mentored him at the Stadium of Light – a player who Victor Anichebe compared to the controversial striker in 2013.

Two years later, Berahino bagged 14 goals in 38 games for West Brom in the top-flight, Allardyce would surely love to see Maja come in and replicate such form.

Once dubbed a “unique talent” by local Sunderland journalist Phil Smith, Maja could be a bargain solution to Big Sam’s increasing problems.

AND in other news, Allardyce must axe £38k-p/w disaster after another pathetic display…

Jose Mourinho will be looking to get back to winning ways when his Tottenham Hotspur side travel to Sheffield United this afternoon in the Premier League.

The north London outfit failed to keep hold of a one-goal lead once again earlier in the week as Fulham punished their profligacy, repeating an all too familiar trend which has seen Spurs also drop points against Wolves, Newcastle and Palace.

Now they face a rock-bottom Blades side at Bramall Lane, who come into the game on the back of their first win of the campaign after they defeated Newcastle 1-0 on Tuesday night.

With Spurs facing an eight-day rest following this encounter, we’re likely to see a strong side named, so with that in mind, we’re predicting as many as three changes from midweek.

Here’s our predicted lineup as well as the latest team and injury news…

Mourinho is blessed by the fact that he has a full squad of players to choose from barring, Giovani Lo Celso, who remains on the treatment table for the remainder of January, at least.

There’s one alteration to the backline as Davinson Sanchez is axed for Toby Alderweireld. The £27m-rated Belgian colossus was a surprise exclusion from the starting XI at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday, despite only playing 45 minutes in the Marine cup tie.

Sanchez was caught napping for the goal and whilst Joe Rodon could be considered, it seems likely that the 31-year-old comes back in to add much-needed stability. He’ll partner Eric Dier with Sergio Reguilon, Serge Aurier and Hugo Lloris all remaining.

In midfield, we could see Moussa Sissoko back in his natural central role alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, whilst there’s a big decision to make over Tanguy Ndombele.

He again failed to complete a full 90-minute match – something he’s yet to do in the Premier League this season – and given the short turnaround since midweek, he may not be risked from the off.

There was also a lack of creativity throughout the second half with Spurs managing 41 fewer passes than the visitors, so there could be a shock start for Dele Alli after he impressed up in Liverpool.

It means Harry Winks is also dropped, along with the French midfielder.

Mourinho is also able to welcome back Steven Bergwijn from illness and he’s surely going to come straight back in after Sissoko’s inclusion at right-wing against Fulham.

He’ll get the nod over Lucas Moura and Gareth Bale.

AND in other news, Mourinho must ruthlessly axe £30m Spurs star once slammed as a “disgrace”…

To suggest that Rafa Mir’s time at Wolves has been a disaster would be putting it lightly.

The Spaniard has played just four times for the senior side and has struggled to ever really make an impression on Nuno Santo.

In fact, he has found life difficult in England as a whole. Mir hasn’t scored in English football and endured a dismal loan spell at Nottingham Forest, where he didn’t find the net.

However, back in his native Spain, the 23-year-old has been a joy to watch this season. He is finally making an impression and because of that, Nuno should be taking note.

Mir has always been highly thought of. The very fact he had two years in Barcelona’s famous La Masia is evidence of that. Though, like a lot of players that pass through their gates, he has not achieved much since departing.

The striker hasn’t lived up to his true billing and he hasn’t met expectations either. When he penned terms in January 2018, former Wolves star Diogo Jota said; “He’ll be a good signing for us.”

That has been anything but the case. Mir has struggled with the language and has never settled in the Midlands.

Unfortunately, the forward’s time at Wolves could be coming to an end just as his career takes off. On loan at Huesca, the Spanish outfit have an option to buy the player.

Though, if Nuno and Jeff Shi have any sense, they will try and convince him to stay. After all, his form this season dictates he could be a valuable option for the club next term. Wolves have their own option to buy Willian Jose who is currently on loan from Real Sociedad but by bringing Mir back in the summer, they could save a fair amount of cash in the transfer market.

Wolves supporters are unlikely to be convinced by the striker but he has been a force in Spain this season. In total, Mir has racked up nine strikes in just 22 outings. Six of those have come courtesy of recent hat-tricks.

The tall and quick attacker knocked three goals past CD Marchamalo in the Copa del Rey in December before scoring another trio of goals when Huesca defeated Real Valladolid last Friday.

Mir was in inspired form, demonstrating attractive all-round qualities. He completed both of the dribbles he attempted and won a colossal six aerial duels. Based on that, he feels like the complete striker. He is quick, physical and importantly, he can now find the net.

With Raul Jimenez injured for the last 14 games, Wolves have won just four matches. One of the reasons they’ve struggled so much is down to a lack of firepower. Fabio Silva has scored twice all campaign for instance.

Thus, Mir could give Nuno’s men some much-needed firepower in 2021/22. He must be given the chance.

AND in other news, Forget Jota: £75k-p/w ace who goes “under the radar” has been a bigger miss for Wolves…

After signing from Lyon in the final few weeks of the summer transfer window, it’s been no surprise to see Aston Villa manager Dean Smith look to try and slowly ease Bertrand Traore into first-team action.

The Burkina Faso international has played just four times, with the majority of his action coming in the Carabao Cup – the winger has seen just nine minutes of Premier League football thus far for his new club, with a couple of very short cameos against the likes of Fulham and Liverpool.

But with the international break now over, Smith must surely be tempted to throw his big-money signing into his starting line-up, even despite seeing Villa thump Liverpool 7-2 last time out.

Speaking at the announcement of Traore’s signing, Smith said: “We’re delighted that Bertrand has chosen to come to Villa. He’s a player with immense talent who will really enhance our attacking options.”

With Leicester deploying a back-three in these first weeks of the new campaign, Traore’s ability to beat players one-and-one could be crucial to ensuring Villa don’t leave Ollie Watkins isolated and starved of service.

The former Lyon star averaged a very impressive 1.6 shots, 1.1 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game for the French side last season, and the X-factor that he possesses could give Villa an out-ball on Sunday night.

In terms of average possession per game, Leicester rank fourth in the entire division with 55.2%. Brendan Rodgers has got his side looking to dominate the ball, so having a pacy outlet like Traore could be the kind of difference-maker that tilts the tie in Villa’s favour.

The pace and movement of a front-three of Traore, Ollie Watkins and Jack Grealish could cause havoc on the counter-attack, with the former’s directness and willingness to take players on being a potential game-changer.

Smith must surely consider starting his summer signing on Sunday.

And in other news, Villa must beat the competition to sign this EFL star.

Aston Villa appear to have had the last laugh despite seeing former goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini now play for Champions League side Atalanta.

What’s the story?

The club signed the Italian shot-stopper back in the summer of 2016 when Roberto Di Matteo was in charge, and the then Villa boss made it clear that they had made a major statement of intent with his signing.

Di Matteo insisted: “We have managed to sign him despite the fact he was being chased by a number of top sides and that is a great sign. He’s a young man but has plenty of experience and I’m sure he’ll prove to be an excellent signing for the club.”

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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In the end, Gollini managed just 20 appearances in total for Villa, before Steve Bruce made the decision to let him leave the club permanently for just £3.75m. Whilst things have worked out for him back in Italy, Villa shouldn’t feel too regretful now.

Emi Martinez’s arrival

Make no mistake about it, prior to the summer transfer window, Gollini’s exit would surely have been looked at by Villa with a sense of regret and ‘what if’.

The Italian has established himself as the number one goalkeeper for Atalanta who stunned sides across Europe by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, before eventually losing to Paris Saint-Germain.

A cruciate ligament injury has kept him out of action for the start of this season, but with 41 appearances across all competitions in the previous campaign, there’s no doubting he will reclaim his spot in between the sticks.

But whilst Gollini has impressed, Villa have solved their goalkeeping conundrum with their summer move for Emiliano Martinez. The massive Argentine arrived off the back of a FA Cup and Community Shield victories with the Gunners, and has helped his new club keep the best defensive record in the Premier League with just two goals conceded.

What was initially a massive Bruce blunder in letting Gollini go, has now seen Villa enjoy the last laugh, with Martinez set to form the backbone of their side for the next few years to come.

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to do business this transfer window with Real Madrid duo Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon expected through the door and Daniel Levy could make one hell of a statement by adding a striker to that impressive swoop…

What’s the word?

According to the Express, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho wants to add Torino talisman Andrea Belotti to his squad to resolve their attacking problems before next month’s deadline.

They claim that the north London outfit are trying to secure the 26-year-old on an initial loan deal but the Serie A outfit want in excess of £50m for his services.

It’s no secret that the Portuguese boss is desperate for a second option upfront after Harry Kane’s injury last season exposed a serious lack of squad depth.

Just imagine…

Well, Spurs securing one of the most lethal finishers in Europe would certainly be one huge way to end their striker nightmare and he’d certainly be worth every penny of that £50m asking price.

Across the Serie A and Europa League last season, the Italian marksman bagged a whopping 22 goals in 42 appearances. He also averaged 3.2 aerials won, 2.9 shots, 1.3 dribbles and 1.2 key passes per game, via WhoScored, showing he’s more than just a prolific goalscorer.

Belotti can bring others into play and clearly provides relentless work rate – something echoed by Torino president Urbano Cairo, who labelled him a “real captain” who’s “dragging us through games.”

Meanwhile ex-England boss Fabio Capello once claimed that Belotti was “one of the best strikers in Europe,” before adding: “He knows how to move, he basically knows how to do everything. He’s fast, technically skilled and is probably better than [Gabriel] Batistuta.”

His playing style has been likened to that of Jamie Vardy, Didier Drogba and Andriy Shevchenko – even Sergio Aguero due to his movement off the ball.

Spurs’ recent freebie arrival Joe Hart is also a huge fan having enjoyed a loan spell in Turin back in 16/17 – “It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special. He’s Belotti and that’s it,” he said.

Mourinho isn’t going to get a better all-round forward to provide genuine competition to Kane than Belotti, so he should absolutely push for Levy to seal this deal.

Just imagine a frontline of Bale, Son, Kane and Belotti. It would be an absolutely terrifying prospect for their league rivals.

AND in other news, Spurs could secure Mourinho his next Diego Costa with £5m swoop…

Manchester City secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages with a 0-0 draw against Porto on Tuesday night but Pep Guardiola will still surely be frustrated that his side weren’t able to secure a win in Portugal.

His side’s profligacy in front of goal was perhaps the main reason why the Citizens weren’t able to earn all three points, with Ferran Torres one of the main culprits.

The Spanish winger, who joined from Valencia during the summer, endured a terrible night at Estadio do Dragao, which may convince Guardiola that the youngster shouldn’t be played as a striker again in future matches.

As per SofaScore, Torres earned a 6.5 rating for his display, with only Raheem Sterling rated lower of the Manchester City players who started the game.

During his time on the pitch, which totalled 71 minutes, he had just 15 touches of the ball and could complete just five out of nine passes, suggesting that the game completely passed him by and he was able to have very little impact.

However, he was still able to miss one big chance and lose possession five times during the game meaning that the few times he did have the ball, he was extremely wasteful with it.

It was no surprise therefore that Guardiola substituted Torres with around 20 minutes remaining, and his replacement Gabriel Jesus was able to have a much more telling influence on the game, having just two fewer touches than the Spaniard did, despite being on the pitch for significantly less time.

The Brazilian also saw a late goal disallowed due to a VAR offside call but looked dangerous when he came on, which may be enough to suggest that he should start ahead of Torres up front in future matches.

You can understand why Guardiola opted to start the 20-year-old, after his impressive performance in the reverse fixture, which led to him praising his performance in the 3-1 win, saying:

“It was an incredible combination from Phil [Foden] and Ferran [Torres].

“Ferran has an incredible sense of goal. The most satisfying thing was the way they came in. Always the people who come from the bench are so important.”

The £40.5 million-rated Spanish international will have to put in a much-improved performance next time out if he wants to keep his place in Guardiola’s side, however, with the Citizens set to face struggling Fulham at home on Saturday.

And, in other news… Manchester City missed out on a “big talent” in 2018, he was ready to join