All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham United must push through with plans to sign Brentford ace Said Benrahma before the end of the EFL transfer market, despite Danny Murphy questioning the proposed deal.

What’s the word?

According to the Mirror, Irons chiefs believe that a deal to lure Benrahma to the London Stadium can still be secured even though they have been met with some unexpected hurdles in an emerging stand-off between the forward and his current side Brentford.

West Ham had agreed to pay the Bees a total £25million in a deal featuring an upfront £17m and planned to host Benrahma for a medical following his return from international duty, which The Guardian propose was scheduled for Wednesday.

The Guardian also suggest West Ham would be paying Brentford an upfront £25m with a further £5m on the cards through potential add-ons, but must see how things play out with his current Championship side or will turn attentions to signing AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King.

News first dropped on Monday that Benrahma’s proposed transfer was at risk of collapsing through ‘broken promises’, after the Algerian spoke with Bees Co-Director of Football Phil Giles over the weekend to make clear that his intentions are to quit the Championship side.

Yet former England international Murphy is not sure why West Ham are courting the idea of signing Benrahma at all, as the Irons ought to be focusing efforts on the backline as manager David Moyes already has a wealth of offensive weapons.

“He’s a super talent and I’m sure he will add quality to the squad and competition for places,” Murphy told talkSPORT. “But with [Jarrod] Bowen, [Andriy] Yarmolenko, [Pablo] Fornals, [Manuel] Lanzini, [Michail] Antonio and [Sebastien] Haller, to be using the best part of £30m on a player who you wouldn’t say is a priority…

“When West Ham are talking about needing defensive back-ups and then they want to plough that dough in a forward player when they’ve got lots … then it seems strange they are ploughing that much dough into this lad.”

Must push through Benrahma deal

While Murphy is right in that Moyes has targeted defensive options this summer, his justification for walking away from signing Benrahma is misplaced now that West Ham have finalised a loan deal with Watford for Craig Dawson.

Benrahma is also incomparable to the Irons’ current crop of forward options, particularly Antonio and Haller who are better served to playing central striking roles rather than on the wing where the Algerian would be contending for minutes.

The 25-year-old – who reports suggest is chasing a base £60,000-per-week, five-year contract should he leave Brentford – recorded 17 goals and 10 assists in all competitions last season, while Robert Snodgrass and Yarmolenko topped the scoring charts among all wingers at the London Stadium with five each and Snodgrass, Fornals and Felipe Anderson were the top creators with five assists each.

Anderson has since departed for FC Porto on loan, while Snodgrass is yet to be named in a Premier League squad and Yarmolenko has played just 30 minutes in the top-flight, showing why Moyes is right to target talented offensive weapons in the final week of the EFL window.

AND in other news, the dominant displays of an £10.8m-rated West Ham star are backing the Irons into a corner concerning his long-term future.

Wolves got their quest for a top-six finish back on track on Sunday, beating Everton 3-0 at Molineux in what was a very impressive performance.

The Midlands club got a lot right against the Toffees, keeping a clean sheet and carving out a lot of chances, but despite a number of good showings throughout the team, there was one man who stood out above the rest.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Six months after signing for the club, Daniel Podence finally got his chance to start his first Premier League game, and he definitely made the most of it.

The Portuguese winger ran the show, winning Nuno’s side the penalty that put them 1-0 up and proving a nuisance for the opposition defence all afternoon, completing four dribbles and having two shots on target before being subbed in the 70th minute.

The 24-year-old’s dribbling ability created a plethora of chances for the home team, and fans loved what they were seeing from their January signing, who seems to finally be emerging after failing to start a league game for his new club until this point.

The former Olympiakos man’s dribbling skills led to a number of fans comparing him to one of world football’s biggest names.

Indeed, plenty of Wolves fans noted the similarities between their man and Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard, and if the 24-year-old goes on to have a career half as good as the two-time Premier League winner, he will go down as a Molineux legend.

It remains to be seen if Podence can build on this performance, but to make this sort of impression on your first Premier League start can only be a good thing, and if he keeps it up, Nuno may soon have a selection headache on the wings.

Rangers appear to be closing in on a £3.5m move for Amiens midfielder Bongani Zungu but with a player that Steven Gerrard is all too familiar with becoming available for transfer, should Ross Wilson aim his sights elsewhere?

What’s the word?

According to Goal.com correspondent Neil Jones, long-term Rs target Ben Woodburn will be free to leave Liverpool this summer – either permanently or on loan.

The 20-year-old midfielder has struggled to break into the first-team under Jurgen Klopp with Curtis Jones seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order, and after loan spells with Sheffield United and Oxford United, it certainly seems like it’s time to move on.

Gerrard has long admired the Reds youngster, wanting him before his move to the Blades whilst last summer The Sun claimed Woodburn was once again ‘on the radar’ of the Anfield legend.

Maybe it can be third-time lucky?

Forget Zungu

We’ve already detailed why a move for the South African midfielder would be a disaster waiting to happen at Ibrox, which can be read here – but in short, Zungu has displayed nothing that screams ‘sign me up!’

Instead, a swoop for the transfer-listed Woodburn makes a ton of sense and with him in need of a revival, Gerrard can be the man to bring the best back out of him.

The legendary Liverpool star named the Welshman as his captain whilst in charge of the Reds’ youth team and lauded his abilities by saying:

“I think Ben needs to play so if Jurgen doesn’t need him it’s an excellent opportunity to come and play with his friends who he came through the system with, be the captain and leader in this team, and set the example. The challenge is when he comes down to this level can he approach it like a first-team game and so far he has been excellent.”

Gerrard has regularly called upon his old outfit for players, namely Ryan Kent and Sheyi Ojo, and now would be an ideal time for Woodburn to follow suit.

At Oxford, he’s shown glimpses, averaging 1.9 shots and 1 key pass per game, via WhoScored.

He’d certainly be less of a risk than Zungu, so it’s time for Wilson to switch tactics and pursue the player that his boss has seemingly chased every window since taking the helm in Glasgow – Woodburn is valued at just £4m by Transfermarkt.

AND in other news, Rangers could make a shrewd move with Lyndon Dykes signing…

Leeds United fans have been discussing one of their former players on social media this week after Twitter account All Leeds HQ posed an interesting question.

They asked supporters if they would take back defender Tom Lees if the opportunity ever arose, and it’s fair to suggest that not many were in favour of such a situation.

The 29-year-old is now captain of local rivals Sheffield Wednesday after he joined the Owls in 2014 from Elland Road.

Having come through the system at the club, Lees made 135 senior appearances, playing under managers like Neil Warnock, Brian McDermott and Simon Grayson.

Lees’ contract doesn’t expire at Hillsborough until the summer of 2021 where he will be in his 30s, so it’s a hypothetical situation to discuss, but you never know, Marcelo Bielsa is going to need a few central defensive additions this summer.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

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

Gaetano Berardi is set to leave on a free while loan star Ben White seems destined to return to Brighton, and either promoted to the first-team or sold to a big six club.

Here’s what fans have been saying…

AND in other news, Leeds fans discuss Kyle Bartley on Twitter…

Liverpool will hope to grab another three points as they continue their run for a 100-point season finish.

The Reds will host Burnley at Anfield in their fourth match as Premier League champions. Jurgen Klopp’s men need just eight more points from the remaining fixtures to finish the campaign as centurions. A win against Burnley will continue their 100% success rate on home soil for this season – the Merseyside outfit haven’t lost or drawn a single fixture at Anfield (via Transfermarkt).

Since the Reds wrapped up the league, Klopp has played about with his starting lineups and has introduced the likes of Neco Williams to his first league start.

Transfer Tavern have predicted how Liverpool could set up against the Clarets this afternoon, including four changes…

Mohamed Salah has been involved in six goal contributions in the four appearances he has made since the Premier League restarted. The Egyptian is on track for winning his third consecutive Golden Boot with his current goal count of 19 for the season. He needs to add just three more to his tally to draw level with leading scorer Jamie Vardy (via Premier League).

After a lacklustre performance from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain against Brighton (earning a Sofascore rating of 6.9), Klopp may want to return to full-strength in attack and start Sadio Mane.

Only one man will keep his midfield place with two changes likely to come in, in the middle of the park. Jordan Henderson will not feature due to an injury picked up against the Seagulls, which will more than likely mean Fabinho will play the defensive midfield role. Naby Keita should keep his position after providing two assists in his last two matches (via Sofascore).

Curtis Jones could find himself amongst the starting players with Georginio Wijnaldum earning a disappointing 6.3 rating against the Seagulls.

Liverpool’s back five may see one change, with Neco Williams moving to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right with Andy Robertson returning to the XI at left-back.

Do you think Klopp could line up like this against Burnley, Reds? Have your say in the comments below…

Leeds United had a relatively quiet January transfer window despite being linked with every man and his dog, but just how close were they from landing former Hull City hotshot Jarrod Bowen?

What’s he said?

Victor Orta and Marcelo Bielsa clinched Ian Poveda from Manchester City on a permanent deal and striker Jean-Kevin Augustin on loan from RB Leipzig, but it was the versatile Tigers sensation that many fans wanted at Elland Road.

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

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

According to The Sun, Leeds were lining up an audacious bid for Bowen, which started with £3m loan fee before being paid an extra £15m upon promotion.

But were they actually close to raiding him?  Here’s what Phil Hay claimed in a recent Q&A on The Athletic…

Transfer mistake?

Although the finances in this deal were always going to be a stumbling block, their move for Augustin shows that surely something could have been worked out as the west Yorkshire outfit are paying £2.5m in fees and wages alone – for just five months of action.

Bowen had become a superstar in the Championship in recent seasons, scoring at least 14 times each campaign. As a result he clinched a move to Premier League outfit West Ham, where he has scored one goal in 184 minutes of game time, taking his total for the 2019/20 season to 18.

Given that the Leipzig frontman has spent more time on the sidelines than on the pitch, having featured for just 48 minutes across three substitute cameos, via Transfermarkt, so that move is looking poorer by the week.

The 23-year-old may have been a pipedream for United, but oh how they could have done with him during their title run-in this season.

AND in other news, Leeds signing £6m ace makes a ton of sense this summer…

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have reacted to claims on social media that Keinan Davis has extended his contract at the club.

The 22-year-old striker has found playing time hard to come by at Villa Park this season, appearing just eight times in the Premier League.

Such a minimal amount of football had seen the Stevenage born striker expected to leave the club this coming summer, but claims on social media suggest that the Villans have trigged a 12-month extension.

Davis developed through Villa’s academy, before making his first team debut in the 2017 FA Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Villa’s Premier League status is not yet secure this season with the Midlands based club currently sitting 19th in the league table, but that has seemingly not stopped them from looking to the future by keeping Davis at the club.

Dean Smith’s side will be desperate to fight off a return to the Championship after gaining promotion via the play-offs last season.

Reacting to a tweet shared via @villareport, Claret and Blue fans shared their opinions on Davis’ 12-month extension:

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Villa discussion going on in the Vital Villa Forum! Click here to get involved!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are once again looking into the possibility of incorporating Chelsea’s Willian into their squad. If this transfer were to go through, it could potentially spell even more trouble for Ousmane Dembele.

What’s the word, then?

Barcelona have long admired the Brazilian winger and despite his age, they seem to feel he’s a type of player who would definitely fit their squad.

Even the 5 foot 9 man recently revealed that there was indeed contact with the Catalan giants before but that the move ultimately broke down, as quoted by DAZN series Saudade (via Metro).

Watch Spanish Football Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

So far, the Brazilian has played a total of 307 games for the Blues, bagging 55 goals and 56 assists in the process. This season he’s been a regular in the XI with 11 appearances to his name in the Premier League, even captaining them against Crystal Palace at the weekend, along with two goals and three assists.

Mundo Deportivo now state that the Blaugrana are still attentive to the Brazilian and that they value his skills and versatility, which could see them move for the Chelsea star once again in the near future.

All of that is further emphasised by the fact his contract will run out pretty soon.

But if that move were indeed to happen, a certain young winger would definitely not be over the moon because of it.

Another challenger approaches

Dembele is struggling for regular game time as it is and the potential incorporation of an experienced and well-rounded player such as Willian could definitely harm the Frenchman’s minutes.

After all, the Brazilian prefers to play on the right flank, the same one Dembele would gladly occupy given the chance and that would probably add more unwanted competition for the young attacker.

So far, the 22-year-old has only played seven games across all competitions for Barcelona, scoring once in the process, and while his injuries were definitely a big reason for that, he started four of those seven games on the bench even when he was fit to play.

By all means, he didn’t really have the easiest of times slotting into Ernesto Valverde’s line-up and with Willian’s arrival, that task would suddenly become that much more difficult.

Of course, how exactly would Barcelona fit Frank Lampard’s star into their system is a story for another time but one thing is for sure – Dembele would likely be the one to suffer from it either way.

Let’s see what ends up happening.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Times, Arsenal “would be interested” in talking to Mikel Arteta as a potential replacement for under-fire manager Unai Emery.

What’s the word?

The Gunners have endured a torrid time in the Premier League this season, with their 2-2 draw against Southampton on Saturday afternoon leaving them eight in the table with just 18 points to their name.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested Emery could have just a month to save his job, but now The Times claim that the Spaniard is now “increasingly likely to leave the club”.

It claims that the Gunners would be interested in talking to both Arteta and former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, with both being interviews for the job last year, before it was eventually given to Emery.

New lease of life

At this point in time, it really does feel like an ‘anyone but Emery’ situation. The Gunners have simply been woeful this campaign, already conceding 19 goals and scoring just 18. The north Londoners have also suffered chastening defeats to the likes of Sheffield United Leicester City, with the atmosphere at the Emirates on Saturday against Southampton reminiscent of the final days of Arsene Wenger’s reign.

The club are in desperate need of a rejuvenation, with a new man at the helm to bring a much-needed sense of direction and purpose. Arteta’s previous experience of playing for the club (he captained the side in his last couple of years) would give him a bit of goodwill to settle in to life in north London, whilst learning under the internationally revered Pep Guardiola at Manchester City makes his possible appointment an intriguing proposition.

And that new lease of life is what Arsenal can really do with now.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Leeds United fans are desperate to see Eddie Nketiah given a starting role in the near future.

However, it may not only be the fanbase that wants to see the striker lineup in the starting XI as the introduction of the Arsenal loanee could benefit another of United’s players.

Indeed, Jack Harrison could reap the benefits of the 20-year-old’s introduction into the team as his job may be made a lot easier by playing alongside a striker of Nketiah’s ilk.

The fact of the matter is that he’s a much more advanced forward than Patrick Bamford.

While Bamford’s work rate really can’t be faulted, you have to admit that he’s rarely in a position to receive a cross from the left side as he simply sits too deep.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A lot has been made of Harrison’s tendency to deliver crosses that simply don’t find their mark, but it’s no coincidence that he was finally able to assist a goal once Nketiah came on against Preston.

The Man City loanee isn’t the only winger that has benefitted from being able to play along with a more advanced striker either.

Helder Costa’s best performances in a Leeds shirt so far have come when Nketiah has been on the pitch.

We mastered the trick in the video below in 8 attempts… could you do better?

The Portuguese winger has only two assists to his name since joining Leeds United, but both of those have been to set up the loanee.

This suggests that a more willing runner and a striker with a canny ability can benefit Leeds’ most creative outlets.

He set him up against Salford City in the League Cup and against Brentford in the league, so it’s clear that Nketiah’s presence is helpful for the way Costa likes to play.

With Harrison putting in so many crosses as of late, it’s hard to see how the striker wouldn’t have the same effect on the former NYCFC man’s game.

After all, he’s improved his ability to cross recently. Via WhoScored, the 22-year-old has registered three assists in three games. He’s also managed six accurate crosses in his last five matches. Before that, he hadn’t managed any in six outings.

Harrison truly is the definition of an inconsistent footballer.