All posts by n8rngtd.top

Many Derby County fans have been left to slam the display of Lee Gregory in their 0-0 draw at Barnsley in the EFL Championship on Wednesday evening.

The striker, currently on loan from Stoke City, was guilty of missing a big chance to win the match, but instead the Pride Park faithful had to settle for a point to edge them ever closer to safety.

Gregory did not have the best of games by his standards, losing out on five of his duels, while also failing to record a single successful dribble and losing possession of the ball 11 times (Sofascore).

Aside from that one great chance, the 32-year-old struggled to make any sort of real impact on the fixture, recording fewer touches than his own goalkeeper Kelle Roos and a mere 25 in total, the fewest out of any Rams player to have started the clash (Sofascore).

Derby fan reaction to Gregory display

These DCFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that the Englishman was ‘rubbish’:

“Gregory was rubbish send him back !!! #dcfc #dcfcfans”

Credit: @JillianW123

“Roos and Mengi really good today. Edmundson worked very well in midfield but lacks control with the ball at his feet. Gregory had an absolute stinker with an awful touch when he was through in the first half and missing the 1v1 in the second. Lucky not to give away a pen #dcfc”

Credit: @Joe43534774

“Must admit Lee Gregory is worse than I thought #dcfc”

Credit: @rooybears

“We let Marriott go on loan and we sign Lee Gregory no wonder we are in trouble #dcfc”

Credit: @Rammie007

“It’s the reason why Gregory allowed out on loan. Not good enough, doesn’t score enough. We need Derby players in the summer not loan players”
Credit: @ijclarke72

“Gregory has had the chance to win 3 games now, and fluffed them all. Not impressed.”
Credit: @RamInSweden

In other news, find out who was hammered for their display versus Cardiff City here!

Liverpool slumped to their sixth straight home defeat in the Premier League after their 1-0 loss to Fulham on Sunday.

Pearce reacts

Things went from bad to worse for the reigning Premier League champions as they fell further off the pace in the race for the top four. If there were any doubts of their title charge being over before the game, they have now surely been confirmed.

Mario Lemina scored the only goal of the game right on half-time to secure the points for the relegation-battling Cottagers, who latched onto a mistake from Mohamed Salah.

After the full-time whistle, The Athletic journalist James Pearce provided immediate analysis on the game as soon as referee Kevin Friend put the whistle to his mouth.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Liverpool have had just 10 shots on target in their last three games, which is nowhere near good enough for a team which recently won the Champions League and the Premier League in the space of 13 months.

It’s becoming increasing unfathomable that their gruesome run has continued. Jurgen Klopp freshened the squad up and featured some new faces in a bid to provide some new ideas, but ultimately nothing new came to the table.

The mystery is growing. Only Klopp and his coaching staff can work on the possible answers with a huge Champions League game on the horizon in midweek.

In other news, Liverpool blockbuster move in trouble as ‘unplayable’ star’s hefty demands emerge

According to a report by Sport Italia TV journalist Gianluigi Longari, writing on Twitter, West Ham United lodged an inquiry over Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic last summer – with GSB once eyeing a move for the 6 foot 5 powerhouse as this transfer news emerges. 

Milenkovic, who has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Tottenham (Fabrizio Romano via WeAreTottenhamTV) – is now attracting Manchester United’s attention amid ‘difficult’ contract negotiations with his current club.

West Ham inquired for Milenkovic

This is according to Longari’s information, and whilst revealing the Red Devils’ interest in signing Milenkovic, the journalist also claims that GSB and West Ham lodged an inquiry for him last summer.

Once likened to legendary Premier League defender Nemanja Vidic, the Serbian stands at a towering 6 foot 5 and arguably holds the potential to become a world class centre-back at just 23-years-old.

Milenkovic’s former coach Ivan Tomic described the colossal defender as a ‘beast’ and journalist Dejan Stankovic labelled him ‘fearless’ (ESPN) – leaving little wonder why West Ham were allegedly interested.

However, there is no report of that interest being current, with Man United instead on the look out for his signature.

Transfer Tavern take

David Moyes has had no shortage of class centre-back options at his disposal this season, with the likes of Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna (currently injured), Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena all arguably impressing for West Ham at points over 2020/2021.

Seemingly the last position GSB need to strengthen at this present moment, this update that they lodged an inquiry for Milenkovic last summer comes as intriguing one.

In other news: West Ham fans blasted this ace against Man City, find out more here.

Tom Davies has been saved from getting undeservedly axed from Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, as Everton will not have Allan back in contention to play in midweek.

That’s according to the Liverpool Echo’s Adam Jones, who notes that the 30-year-old is not ready to make a return following hopes he could be declared fit and made available for selection on Wednesday night when Jose Mourinho’s Spurs visit Goodison Park to contend for a place in the Quarter-Final.

Allan has not been seen on the field since limping off against Leicester City in mid-December with a hamstring injury, which ruled the £21m summer signing from Serie A side SSC Napoli out of 11 fixtures across all competitions.

Ancelotti hopes to be able to call on Allan against Fulham on Sunday, which would leave Jean-Philippe Gbamin as Everton’s only player unavailable while James Rodriguez is still being monitored, having been withdrawn in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Manchester United due to a tight calf.

Allan was a constant fixture of Ancelotti’s Premier League plans following his move to Goodison Park in the off-season, starting 12 of a possible 13 games with his only absence in that period coming against Brighton and Hove Albion in early October due to a groin strain.

The Brazilian’s subsequent hamstring injury has now resulted in his longest enforced break between league appearances since 2011, having at worst missed three successive games over the past decade through injuries.

Ancelotti offering the 10-cap enforcer a recall to the Everton starting line-up in the FA Cup would likely have come at the expense of Davies, who stood in as the Toffees’ holding midfielder against Manchester United over the weekend.

Fans waxed lyrical over Davies’ performance on social media following the draw, with select supporters dubbing the Blues academy graduate as their Man of the Match for his hard work and determination in the midfielder’s return to the side.

Davies had played just one minute over Everton’s previous two Premier League games, but was given a reprieve against the Red Devils to earn just an eighth top-flight start of the term.

For Davies to have been axed for Allan to feature against Tottenham would have come as a very much undeserving blow for the £14.5m-rated 22-year-old, who brought energy and grit to the engine room at Old Trafford.

Davies came into his own after the break as he sought to drag the Blues back into the game while two goals behind, with his perfectly weighted pass through to Dominic Calvert-Lewin creating the shot which rebounded into the path of Abdoulaye Doucoure to pull a goal back.

Yet his creativity was nothing compared to his defensive efforts, with Davies offering a joint game-high three successful tackles during the 74 minutes he was on the field, but with a 100% success rate compared to Andre Gomes (43%) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (75%), per WhoScored.

Davies also registered the second-most clearances (4) by any single player, with Michael Keane (5) the only one to lump the ball long in efforts to protect his side’s goal, and trailed only Richarlison (2) for dribbles (1) as one of just two visiting players to carry possession successfully up the pitch.

Davies’ efforts on any other week would have more than ensured he retained a place in the starting line-up for the following game, so missing out for Allan to return at home to Tottenham would have come as a cruel blow that Ancelotti is now able to avoid.

AND in other news, Everton have their eyes on a £10m+ striker boasting 18 goals this season…

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard recently confirmed Nikola Katic has suffered a setback which has ruled him for the rest of the season.

What’s the word?

The Rangers defender sustained an injury during pre-season training last summer but his agent had insisted his client was pushing for a return in early 2021.

However, it was subsequently revealed he has not managed to recover as quickly as previously hoped, and as such will be forced to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.

And now, former Rangers fullback Alan Hutton has claimed the Croatian centre-back may be missing from first-team action for a full year following Gerrard’s latest update.

He said: “I think he’s an excellent player but these are injuries you must take your time with, you can’t rush him back. You don’t want it happening again just for the sake of pushing yourself to get an extra month and trying play a few games.

“You may as well take your time, get it right, have a full pre-season because that’ll be him out for a full year, so it’s going to be difficult for him to get back up to the level that we’re used to seeing him play. It’s going to take some time so think pre-season is a good time for him to build up slowly with the rest of the team and then get back into action.”

Gerrard faces a selection dilemma

The timing of the injury blow almost couldn’t be much worse after Rangers sent George Edmundson out on loan to Derby County in the January transfer window, with Gerrard’s side facing a very busy fixture list between now and the end of the season.

Kilmarnock are next on the agenda, and then there are Europa League games and an increasingly hectic Scottish Premiership schedule subject to Covid-19.

Prior to his injury, Katic had established himself as an integral part of Gerrard’s side, including getting himself into the Ibrox faithful’s good books with a dramatic winner at Parkhead to beat Celtic. In his last season alone, he averaged two tackles per 90 in the Europa League. For context, even Leon Balogun and Filip Helander have only managed 1.4 and one respectively.

Now, the long-term absentee is expected be sidelined for several more months to recover from the blow. This means that the 24-year-old will not only miss the Europa League, but he’ll also be unavailable to help the Gers in their push to regain the title for the first time since the 2010/11 season.

Having just Connor Goldson, Balogun and Helander available at the back leaves little margin for error, with the relatively inexperienced Calvin Bassey also an option in the central defensive role if required as a last resort.

Barring a coronavirus crisis, an injury crisis could quickly cause problems, so Gerrard will have to consider managing his options carefully to avoid a potential catastrophe.

Ultimately, the key thing for the Gers boss is making sure the £10k-a-week earning Katic can get up to speed as quickly as possible without suffering any more setbacks. Rushing him back into the equation would do both him and the club more harm than good, so as Hutton rightfully says, it’s better for the Ibrox side to really play it safe with the 6 foot 4 titan.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must secure the future of Rangers centre-back Leon Balogun…

According to ESPN’s Julien Laurens, Arsenal are one of the clubs interested in signing RB Leipzig star Marcel Sabitzer.

What’s the story?

The Austria international has been a revelation for the Bundesliga side, captaining them to some impressive performances, including in the Champions League where Leipzig knocked out Manchester United in their final group stage game.

Now, it appears Sabitzer is on the radar of Mikel Arteta’s side, with Laurens revealing on The Gab and Juls show: “There is another club (interested in Sabitzer), I think Arsenal are very keen as well. I think there’s a few English clubs (interested).

“He will be perfect for the Premier League – the way he plays, 26 years old, it’s a good age, all that energy. I think he’s ready. He’s just ready. Maybe (he) needs a bit of time to adapt, but I’m not even sure he needs that. He would be a great signing, potentially quite cheap as well for the kind of player that you’re getting. It’s a no-brainer.”

Forget Isco

Make no mistake about it, if it’s a choice between Isco and Sabitzer, the Gunners absolutely have to go after the younger, and more in-form player in the £31.5m-rated Leipzig star.

His coach at the Bundesliga side, Julian Nagelsmann, has waxed lyrical about his abilities, saying: “I have always said I want more goal threat from midfield. He clearly took that both literally and personally. He’s a very important player for us.”

That ability to get goals from midfield is something Arsenal have lacked since the days of Aaron Ramsey, who of course left the Emirates to join Serie A giants Juventus on a free transfer.

Too much of the goal-scoring burden has been placed on the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, so Sabitzer’s arrival would help to lessen that and make the Gunners more of a threat from elsewhere on the pitch than just up front.

It’s a move Edu simply has to make.

Erling Haaland sent a one-word message to Takumi Minamino on Instagram after the Liverpool ace scored the opening goal in the 7-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League away at Selhurst Park yesterday lunchtime.

As shared on Twitter by a fan of the Anfield faithful, the Borussia Dortmund star sent ‘Takuuuuumi’ followed by an emoji of praying hands after the Japan international scored very early on to put Jurgen Klopp’s team 1-0 up in the clash and thus put them on course for a very handsome victory, one which in turn elevated them to first spot in the top flight table leading up to Christmas.

Of course, both Haaland and Minamino were teammates together at RB Salzburg and although they have since gone in different paths in the beautiful game, they seem to still have a nice friendship going.

Haaland has been linked to Liverpool

Haaland has previously been linked with a move to the Merseyside club, and it is not difficult to see as to why he has been dubbed as such a ‘huge talent’.

The Norway international has netted no fewer than 17 times in just 14 games in all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), and at just 20 years of age, will surely only get better from this point in his footballing career.

The striker is currently valued at £90m, and if the Reds were to make a move for him either in the January transfer window or in the summer, he would surely be worth every penny.

In other news, find out what a journalist has revealed amid exit rumours concerning Mo Salah here!

AFC Bournemouth forward Joshua King showed David Moyes what West Ham United are missing in just 13 touches against Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night.

King entered the action at the Vitality Stadium as a late substitute to replace Dominic Solanke as boss Jason Tindall sought to see out a 1-0 win to solidify the Cherries’ place in the automatic promotion places.

Bournemouth have been in top form since their return to the Championship with 10 wins in 19 games, but are yet to see the best from King who remains without a goal or an assist after playing just 347 minutes in a heavily disrupted campaign.

King missed the start of the season through a thigh injury and later tested positive for coronavirus, before sustaining a back injury in training that kept the Norway forward out of action until Tuesday’s meeting with Wycombe.

West Ham had strived to sign King in the summer under the instructions of Moyes but failed to seal a deal, with Bournemouth rejecting the Irons’ offer of £13million as they chased at least £17m for the 51-cap international.

Moyes has remained keen on the idea of working with King at the London Stadium ever since, with reports surfacing lately claiming the Hammers boss has stressed the importance of offensive additions after marking the 28-year-old as his top January target.

Irons chiefs are confident Bournemouth will be more inclined to accept a lower sum in January with King’s £45,000-per-week contract due to expire in the summer, and would have seen what sort of impact the former Manchester United trainee could bring to the club in his brief cameo during the week.

He may not have scored or assisted with Junior Stanislas’ 68th-minute strike all that separated promotion-chasing Bournemouth and their relegation-threatened opposition, but King impressed in his limited window of opportunity.

Only Diego Rico (15) took more touches than King (13) following Tindall’s late triple substitution, per WhoScored, while being the only Cherries player to record a 100% pass success rate with each of his seven passes finding a teammate.

King was additionally the only Bournemouth player to register a key ball, successful dribble or aerial duel won in the closing stages, while Wycombe piled on late pressure with Daryl Horgan and Fred Onyedinma doing their best to inspire a comeback.

Moyes would no doubt have been impressed by what King brought to the field at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday night, despite only playing the final nine minutes.

AND in other news, West Ham are showing short-term vision in the transfer market by targeting a £52k-p/w star who won’t cost David Sullivan a penny.

West Ham United’s failure to sign Bologna centre-half Takehiro Tomiyasu this summer is set to cost David Moyes deeply, with the Serie A outfit confident their star defender will soon be worth in excess of £30million.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, AC Milan strove to sign Tomiyasu in the recent transfer market but failed to convince Bologna to reduce their €25m (£22.6m) valuation closer to the Rossoneri’s offer of €15m (£13.5m) plus a small bonus clause.

Bologna refused to negotiate their asking price as they are convinced the 21-year-old will be worth more than €30m (£27.1m) to €35m (£31.6m) in only a matter of years, making conditions far from ideal for any side wishing to sign Tomiyasu in January.

The Japan international, for his part, is happy at the Renato Dall’Ara yet is aware that Milan continues to track his situation, though the San Siro giants are expected to adopt the same approach as the summer as Tomiyasu’s performances have not consistently been at the highest level.

Tomiyasu has started all five of Bologna’s Serie A fixtures this term, but Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side are yet to keep a clean sheet, have lost on four occasions and have conceded a total 10 goals to sit outside the relegation places only on goal difference.

His form is unlikely to see West Ham revive efforts to strike a deal, either, after the Irons took a keen interest in the 20-cap talent this summer, per the Evening Standard, amid Moyes’ search for a new right-back as Tomiyasu is also capable of playing in wide defence or holding midfield if needed.

A costly error?

While Tomiyasu has not hit the same heights this season as he achieved last term, the 21-year-old Japan international may yet prove to be a costly mistake for West Ham as he is a player well thought of in Italy.

Bologna describe their €7m (£6.3m) signing on their official website as: “Physically well structured, ambidextrous, he has the aptitudes of a true defensive playmaker.

“Takehiro strikes for reactivity, strength in anticipation – in particular, he dominates on high balls – and uncommon football intelligence.”

Tuttobologna reporter Manuel Minguzzi also lauded Tomiyasu while speaking with the Chronicle this summer, after Newcastle United scouted the defender in view of his impressive start to life in Italy once signed from Belgian side St Truiden.

“Tomiyasu is a very versatile defender: he can be both a full back and a central player, he is very applied and focused,” he said. “Fans can always expect maximum professionalism and commitment from Tomiyasu.

“As a central [defender] he made some mistakes, but in Serie A it is quite normal because adaptation is needed. Tomiyasu also possesses great qualities when building the game. I was very struck by the fact that in the first year of Serie A, he immediately became the protagonist.”

Tomiyasu currently averages 67 touches a game in the Italian top-flight, and has played Bologna’s highest number of passes (265), won the most aerial duels (11), recorded the most clearances (17) and made the second-most interceptions (14), per SofaScore.

Clearly, then, if the Japan international is able to shrug off his early struggles this season, his form will return and raise frustrations in east London that West Ham were not able to seal a deal this summer.

AND in other news, David Moyes needs a “terrific” West Ham man he expects “much more” from to step up now more than ever.

Carlo Ancelotti can cast Andre Gomes to the side and solve Everton’s creativity crisis with a winter raid on SS Lazio for rumoured target Luis Alberto.

What’s the word?

According to Il Tempo, via Sport Witness, the Toffees are monitoring Alberto’s situation at the Stadio Olimpico and could offer the former Liverpool dud a route out of Italy amid a dramatic fallout with his Serie A side.

Alberto is currently butting heads with the Lazio hierarchy after publicly shaming their decision to purchase a new luxury private jet, instead of paying the first-team their full salaries during the global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

His public outburst on Twitch saw Alberto handed a fine worth up to €70,000 (£62.4k), and will soon meet with manager Simone Inzaghi to see it they can mend the Spaniard’s shattered relationship with President Claudio Lotito and Sporting Director Igli Tare.

Lotito and Tare were furious with Alberto’s outburst and immediately dropped the 28-year-old from the senior squad feeling he betrayed them, and are not expected to offer a recall for this weekend’s meeting with Crotone.

Alberto is very loyal to Inzaghi, who is acting as a mediator and is a staunch advocate of the Spaniard, but could be offered a move to Everton with Ancelotti eager to solve his side’s lack of creativity.

Sevilla, where Alberto grew up, are also interested in the £45million-rated gem who had started six of Lazio’s opening seven Serie A fixtures this term, offering one goal.

Move aside Gomes

While Alberto is said to be loyal to Inzaghi, who likewise harbours a high level of respect for the Spaniard, Ancelotti can solve his creativity crisis by bringing the 28-year-old to Goodison Park in the New Year.

Alberto just penned a new, five-year contract with Lazio in September after a top-draw 2019/20 campaign, with only Atalanta’s Alejandro Gomez (16) claiming more assists than the Inzaghi favourite (15) who ranked first among all Serie A players for key balls (106), per WhoScored.

The former Liverpool flop, who managed just one assist and zero goals in 12 outings for the Reds in 2013/14, ranked joint-fifth in the Italian top-flight for successful (73) and attempted (107) dribbles, fifth for total passes (2,074) and eighth for shots taken outside the box (55) last term, as well.

His form in Italy has seen Alberto prove former Malaga head coach Javi Gracia right, having backed the midfielder to recover from his Anfield horror while with the La Liga side in 2015.

“He is talented, finishes well and scores goals,” Gracia said, via quotes by The Guardian. “He has a promising future. I have no doubt that he is a very good player.”

Ancelotti would no doubt adore having those traits at Goodison Park, where he has seen his current midfielders struggle to create chances with Abdoulaye Doucoure (8) ranking first among the Italian’s central options for key balls, Allan for successful (9) and attempted (14) dribbles and Gylfi Sigurdsson for shots taken from range (4) in the Premier League.

Gomes, meanwhile, is last for shots from outside the box (0), joint-third for key balls (3) and third for total passes (209) and successful dribbles (3), having played the third-most minutes (366) in the top-flight thus far.

It remains to be seen how Alberto’s crunch talks with Lazio chiefs Lotito and Tare go, and whether or not they decide to cash-in on the 28-year-old this winter despite his new contract.

AND in other news, seriously naïve comments from a Premier League hero show a “fantastic” Everton ace is criminally underrated.