All posts by n8rngtd.top

After appointing Lee Johnson less than a week ago, Sunderland’s new technical director Kristjaan Speakman could be about to deliver another masterstroke.

According to The Athletic, the Black Cats could soon have a new academy lead in Mike Dodds, who is currently the Head of Professional Development Phase at Championship outfit Birmingham City.

It’s claimed that the Dodds has been lined-up to follow Speakman to the north-east despite the club reshuffling their academy system in the past few days.

The pair have played a huge part in developing some of City’s brightest players, most notably Jude Bellingham, who secured a £25m move to Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

You also have the likes of Nathan Redmond, Jack Butland and Demarai Gray in years gone by.

Earlier this year, the SAFC chief lauded Dodds, he said:

“In Mike, we have someone who is an exceptional coach with a deep understanding of player development and the pathway through to the senior squad.

“The combination of him and our lead coaches at each age group really strengthens our programme moving forward.”

Sunderland have been looking for a new Academy Manager ever since the departure of Paul Reid back in July this year and a move for Dodds not only makes a ton of sense but would also provide major encouragement for the future.

The Black Cats never truly profited from players like Josh Maja, so getting in someone who has consistently delivered is the right way to go about it.

Johnson has plenty of young hopefuls amongst his first-team ranks, namely Jack Diamond and Elliot Embleton, so getting the appointment right for the Academy of Light should be high on the agenda.

The League One giants really should look no further than Dodds. It would be another masterclass from Speakman having already delivered Johnson.

AND in other news, Forget McGeady: Johnson should unleash Sunderland prodigy who has the “scare-factor”…

Joao Cancelo has established himself as a regular under Pep Guardiola so far this season and his performance against Newcastle United on Boxing Day emphasises that he is quickly becoming the Spanish manager’s most important player at Manchester City.

The Portuguese right-back, who was signed from Juventus in the summer of 2019, struggled for regular game time in his first full season with the Citizens, making just 17 appearances in the Premier League, with Kyle Walker regularly keeping him out of the side.

However, this season, the 26-year-old has been a mainstay in the City team, having made 10 appearances in the top-flight, averaging a superb 7.28 WhoScored rating.

This is enough to rank him as City’s second-best performer in the Premier League, behind Kevin De Bruyne.

Guardiola has found a way to accommodate both Cancelo and Walker, with the Portuguese international regularly featuring as a left-back but recently, he has been preferred to the Englishman at right-back.

With the former Tottenham Hotspur man missing the Boxing Day fixture against Newcastle United, Cancelo was trusted to start at right-back and he produced another sensational display which was a testament to just how important he has become under Guardiola.

As per SofaScore, the former Valencia man, who earns £80k per week at City, earned an impressive 7.9 rating for his display, which was the best of any player on the pitch.

He was given license to push a lot further forward throughout the game and produced a creative display that De Bruyne would have been proud of, as he made three key passes and had a role to play in both goals, with his pass to Raheem Sterling leading to Ilkay Gundogan’s opener, whilst his cross found its way, via a defender, to Ferran Torres for City’s second.

The right-back was unfortunate not to pick up more assists, however, as both Sterling and Sergio Aguero squandered excellent chances after pinpoint crosses from the Portuguese international.

Following the game, Guardiola was full of praise for Cancelo, saying:

“He’s a player with incredible quality. His regeneration, physicality is incredible. He could play tomorrow!”

Whilst Walker missed this match after testing positive, it seems unlikely that he will reclaim his starting spot in Guardiola’s side if Cancelo keeps up this current form, unless he switches back to left-back in future matches.

Either way, Saturday’s masterclass really emphasises just how important Cancelo has become in this City side of late, which could well spell trouble for Walker’s long-term future at right-back.

And, in other news… Manchester City leader who completed 116 passes was Guardiola’s true hero vs NUFC

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has discussed whether Tyrone Mings deserved to get sent off during Aston Villa’s recent win over Crystal Palace.

Dean Smith’s men did pick up three points from the game despite Mings’ sending off. Goals from Bertrand Traore, Anwar El Ghazi and Kortney Hause helped Villa get the win. Mings picked up one yellow card for a clash with Wilfried Zaha and then picked up a second yellow for a holding offence on the same player (as per BBC Sport).

Smith’s side were 1-0 up when Mings was sent off but despite the numbers disadvantage, they still managed to win the game 3-0.

Halsey criticises Mings’ reaction

Halsey, whilst talking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern spoke about whether Mings deserved to get sent off. The former referee believes that Mings was ‘silly’ to get involved with Zaha and the Englishman had himself to blame for the sending off, although he did say that Zaha was clever in drawing the two yellow cards.

Halsey said:

“I think Mings has got himself to blame in that situation. I mean, everyone knows what Zaha is like, he’s got a short fuse, we all know that. So why does Mings get involved? Mings did show a little bit of petulance by sort of coming down hard on him on the back of his leg or the back of his hamstring and there was no need to do that.

On the second one, Mings has given Anthony Taylor nowhere to go for a second caution for a holding offence. Zaha knew exactly what he was doing and as I said, Mings was silly, you know, he was silly, and he’s got no complaints.”

The 27-year-old Mings has made 13 Premier League appearances this season and it was his first sending off of the campaign. He has racked up a good rating of 6.89 in the league (As per Whoscored).

Mings’ suspension can hurt Villa

Because of Mings’ sending off, the defender will be suspended for Villa’s Premier League game against Chelsea later today and considering his performances in the current campaign, he could be a very big miss for Smith’s men.

Villa are currently as high as seventh in the Premier League table and they are only three points behind third-placed Leicester City. They even have two games in hand on three on Leicester, Everton, Tottenham and Liverpool (as per BBC Sport).

This suggests that Villa are in an advantageous position in the table because of the games in hand but Mings’ absence might prove costly against Chelsea, who are level on points with Smith’s men as things stand.

West Brom boss Sam Allardyce is worryingly targeting a reunion with one of his most expensive flops this month, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Sky Sports claim that the 66-year-old is keen to link up with Everton outcast Cenk Tosun before the end of the January transfer window as he bids to keep the Baggies in the Premier League.

Big Sam first brought the Turkey international to England three years ago, paying a whopping £27m to Besiktas.

The 29-year-old is heavily out-of-favour under Carlo Ancelotti at Goodison Park having played only 43 minutes in the top-flight all season.

Inexcusable mistake

After disastrous deals surrounding Charlie Austin, Kenneth Zohore and even Karlan Grant in the past 18 months alone, the last thing Albion need to do is bring in another expensive striker not fit to play in the big time.

In 54 Premier League appearances, Tosun has only bagged ten goals and there must be a reason for him playing just 15 times since the start of the 2019/20 season, via Transfermarkt.

The Toffees are still feeling the effects of Big Sam’s terrible decision as the outcast is sitting on £100k-per-week, which would easily eclipse every single West Brom player.

Indeed, when those figures are broken down more, it looks far, far worse. Tosun has cost the Merseyside outfit around £4m per goal alone.

Given the worrying lack of finances at the Hawthorns right now, this isn’t something the Baggies can afford to take a punt on.

Tosun has also been described as a player who “runs with a fridge freezer on his back” by Everton fan and author John Merro, which is far from inspiring either.

Big Sam’s need for a new striker has been ramped up tenfold this week after it was confirmed that Grant would be absent for the next six weeks at least, so it’s important not to rush into a panic buy.

Signing Tosun would be exactly that. Another inexcusable error.

AND in other news, Exclusive: West Brom tipped to sign free-agent with “special qualities” this month…

Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope has beaten some of the Premier League’s most illustrious names to the GIVEMESPORT Fans’ Player of the Month award for December.

In a poll run by fan engagement experts Snack Media, the England international faced Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and Manchester United talisman Bruno Fernandes, who both notched up seven Premier League goal involvements apiece last month. 

However, it was Pope’s performances at the other end of the pitch that resonated more with the English top flight’s audience, as a return of three clean sheets saw him narrowly pip Salah and Fernandes to first place.

In the first of five votes carried out over seven days via Snack’s digital and social networks, the 6 foot 3 shot-stopper won the award by just 1%, leaving Fernandes in second and Salah in third.

The full list of contenders from the final shortlist polled as follows:

– Nick Pope (Burnley) – 22%

– Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) – 21%

– Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 20%

– Tomáš Souček (West Ham United) – 18%

– James Justin (Leicester City) – 12%

– Anwar El Ghazi (Aston Villa) – 7%

The Championship vote opens at 11am on Monday 11th January. To vote go to: https://www.footballfancast.com/fan-awards

Leeds United have previously been named as one of the clubs interested in rising talent Louie Sibley in what could be an exciting end to the January transfer window.

According to Football Insider pundit Kevin Phillips, the Derby starlet would be tempted to make the switch and play under Marcelo Bielsa, who guided the Whites to a long-awaited return to the Premier League.

As it stands, Leeds are 12th in the Premier League on 23 points. Patrick Bamford is currently their leading scorer on ten goals, seven ahead of the next highest, as per BBC Sport. But this isn’t good enough for a side looking to reassert themselves in England’s top flight and stay there for seasons to come.

Would Sibley fit in at Leeds?

The 19-year-old has attracted a lot of attention thanks to his progress with the Rams. Last season saw Sibley contribute ten goals and nine assists across all competitions, which is a solid return for a midfielder. He was also recently lauded as an “outstanding” player following his youth level hat-trick for Derby.

Leeds would hugely benefit from signing a player who can conjure up some creative genius in the middle of the park. Bamford is currently out on his own trying to find his team the results they need to survive. He needs all the support he can get from any new addition that Victor Orta brings to the club this month.

However, should the Whites make a move for Sibley, who was rated at £15m by Derby in October, it would heap a lot of pressure on fellow young talent Jamie Shackleton. The 21-year-old was recently axed from Bielsa’s lineup after a string of disappointing performances.

As per Transfermarkt, Shackleton hasn’t started under Bielsa since their 4-1 loss to Leicester back in November. He has since been dropped from the squad, left on the bench or reduced to cameo appearances in a Leeds shirt.

He is already struggling to grab minutes and with an added competitor, he could be in serious trouble.

Either he is would potentially be cast aside, ir it could turn out to be the huge motivational boost he needs to impress the boss on the training pitch and re-establish himself as a regular starter.

In other news, Leeds will be kicking themselves over missed Jean-Philippe Mateta move…

Steve Bruce may rue Newcastle United’s failed January transfer swoop for Sporting CP midfielder Matheus Nunes.

What’s the word?

According to Record, the Magpies lodged a €13m (£11.5m) bid for Nunes in the winter market but they saw the approach immediately turned down.

The Leoes were reluctant to weaken head coach Ruben Amorim’s squad during a Liga NOS title challenge, with the Jose Alvalade Stadium natives presently top of the table and four points clear of rivals FC Porto and a further five clear of SC Braga.

Sporting also believe Nunes, who they signed from Portuguese second-tier outfit GD Estoril Praia in January 2019, will only continue to increase his market value and edge closer to the €60m (£53m) release clause inserted in his new contract penned in October.

Sporting President, Frederico Varandas, additionally believes Nunes’ performances will soon justify the Lisbon outfit’s €10m (£9m) investment in Amorim, after the Leoes head coach successfully promoted the 22-year-old into the first-team fold during the second half of last season.

Nunes has now made 33 senior outings for the Leoes across all competitions, and scored his second goal for the club by heading home a stoppage-time winner over rivals Benfica on Monday night.

Record’s report is the latest to emerge from Portugal citing Newcastle’s interest in the 6ft Brazilian, after claims emerged in the January transfer window of a loan approach that carried a £10m obligation to turn the deal permanent at the end of the season.

Will Newcastle rue missing out on Nunes?

Reports of an improved bid from Newcastle would suggest United carry significant interest in Nunes’ potential, but failing to submit a tempting enough offer to Sporting in the mid-season market may leave Bruce ruing the Toon’s inability to get a deal done.

Sporting appear to have a lot of confidence in the midfielders’ talents and seemingly firmly believe he is worth more than close to a sixth of his release clause, so will be expected to demand even more in the summer should the Magpies revive their pursuit.

Nunes is consistently improving the more he features under Amorim, having gone from a player drifting between being one of the first names on a teamsheet and a substitute for much of the campaign, to scoring his first goal in senior football against Braga last month and regaining a starting role.

He is also recording a higher volume of total passes per 90 (37.2) in the Liga NOS this term than Bruce is seeing from Almiron (36.5) in the Premier League, along with more key passes (0.7) than Sean Longstaff (0.6), Matty Longstaff (0.5) and Jeff Hendrick (0.4), per WhoScored.

Nunes further matches his creative eye with an energetic presence to dart from box-to-box with three successful dribbles per 90, more than any central midfielder to have featured for the Toon in the top-flight this term. But also with close to as many successful tackles (1.2) as Jonjo Shelvey (1.3).

Newcastle returning in the summer with an even bigger offer for Nunes will be a clear admission that the club made a blunder in January by not pursuing a deal any further, and their inactivity could likely lead to a heavy hit to the pocket as well.

AND in other news, Newcastle United faced late enquiries over a £15m deal to sell a Steve Bruce outcast…

Many Liverpool fans have been responding to a tweet from Reds news Twitter account @TheAnfieldTalk, which relayed a revelation made about Ozan Kabak by former Arsenal head of recruitment Sven Mislintat. 

This comes after the Reds signed the 20-year-old on loan from Schalke for the rest of the 2020/21 campaign, with an option to make his move permanent in the summer. 

Per The Athletic, Mislintat described Kabak as “a top lad” to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and the Stuttgart sporting director has also claimed that the Turkey international is a similar type of player to Dejan Lovren, who won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Supercup and the Premier League at Anfield before leaving the Merseyside club last summer. 

Mislintat was of course in charge of recruitment at Stuttgart while Kabak was at the club, so his comments do hold some weight, and it’s fair to say Liverpool fans weren’t too happy to hear a comparison to Lovren, who was often a divisive figure during his time at Anfield. 

So, how have these Liverpool fans been reacting? 

It seems from the replies to @TheAnfieldTalk that plenty of Reds supporters don’t think very highly of Lovren, as Mislintat’s comments seem to have got alarm bells ringing for many Liverpool fans. 

“So he’s full of mistakes”

Credit: @1DanE_T

“If he’s a Dejan Lovren type well we’re in trouble.”

Credit: @amadu38

“Send him back”

Credit: @Elismpj

“Dejan? My goodness we just signed a flop”

Credit: @Raph_8

“Oh no”

Credit: @SeulmentFirmino

“Have we got a receipt”

Credit: @Msudais01

“Terminate his contract already!”

Credit: @TeeBamuza

“Comparing him to Lovren doesn’t fill me with any confidence at all!!!!”

Credit: @Monstaza

In other news, James Pearce has fired back at Paul Merson over his Kabak claim.

Glasgow Rangers are leading the race to sign KV Oostende striker Fashion Sakala this summer.

What’s the word?

The 23-year-old is widely expected to leave the Belgian side and a host of sides are interested in taking him.

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Rangers are front-runners and they hope to agree a pre-contract move for the talented Zambian.

Sakala only joined Oostende from Spartak Moscow back in 2018 but has seen his value skyrocket after catching the eye with a string of impressive performances.

A number of Championship clubs and Ligue 1 leaders Lille are among the other sides understood to be interested.

Huge boost for Steven Gerrard?

There’s no doubt this fresh transfer news will be a significant boost for Steven Gerrard. The Zambia international is a sought after talents across European football, with Gerrard keen to bring him to Ibrox.

It seems Sakala – who is currently valued at £1m via Transfermarkt – is ready to take the step up after scoring 13 goals and assisting three more in 24 Jupiler Pro League appearances this season, and he is available to talk to clubs about a free transfer.

Gerrard’s tactics may be a little more complex than Alexander Blessin’s, but just like the German, the Rangers manager also likes to play on the counter where possible, releasing the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent and Kemar Roofe in behind.

With Borna Barisic and James Tavernier pinging balls in from the left and right, Sakala could really excel in this system, as his uncanny ability to find the back of the net, coupled with his solid dribbling, means that he could help Rangers flat-track bully mid-table and lower-level opposition.

A return of 13 goals sees him rank sixth in the Jupiler Pro League, that being the sixth-best of all strikers in a leaderboard topped by Ianis Hagi’s former teammate Paul Onuachu. For context, that’s more league goals more than Morelos and Jermain Defoe have managed between them in the Scottish Premiership this season.

By the numbers, he would top the charts out of the entire Rangers squad for the number of shots taken (3 per 90), he would be oint-eighth with Ryan Jack for key passes made per game (1), and fourth for dribbles attempted per game (1), which shows he could give the Gers plenty of impetus in the offensive end.

Rangers, therefore, should look to wrap up a deal for the striker as soon as possible by way of a Bosman move.

AND in other news, Joe Aribo was superb for Rangers against Dundee…

David Moyes should urge West Ham to test Sheffield United’s resolve with a bid for Aaron Ramsdale in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Claret & Hugh, the Hammers may look to sign Blades shot-stopper Ramsdale at the end of the season, should Chris Wilder fail to keep his side in the Premier League.

The Bramall Lane natives presently sit bottom of the table on 11 points after 26 games, 15 points behind 17th-placed Newcastle, having lost their last four and avoided defeat on just five occasions all term.

Ramsdale has started all 26 of Sheffield United’s top-flight fixtures since returning to South Yorkshire in an £18.5m deal last summer, re-joining his boyhood club from AFC Bournemouth three-and-a-half-years after moving to the south coast.

The 22-year-old presently has no desires to leave Bramall Lane for the foreseeable future, but he is expected to be the subject of a number of approaches if the Blades instigate a fire sale upon relegation.

“I want to build a rapport with my team-mates, my defenders and the fans for when they come in next year,” Ramsdale said on Sunday, via quotes by Yorkshire Live. “I have been on loan and only had the one season with Bournemouth.

“This is now time for me to kick on and whatever league we are in next year, I want to be part of it and help the team and be consistent every week.”

West Ham are likely to be in the market for a new goalkeeper in the next transfer window, with Lukasz Fabianski out of contract this summer while he and Darren Randolph will turn 36 and 34 respectively before the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

Should West Ham sign Ramsdale?

West Ham moving to sign Ramsdale if Sheffield United are relegated could be met with scepticism from supporters, given it will be the goalkeeper’s second relegation in as many seasons following Bournemouth falling out of the Premier League last term.

But Moyes should overlook any fears and test the Blades’ resolve, as the former England U21 international could be a wise pick up as the Irons likely look to add a younger pair of hands between the sticks.

While Ramsdale endured a tricky start to his second spell at Bramall Lane, he has begun to rediscover the form that saw Wilder target him as Dean Henderson’s replacement. He is also highly-rated by England manager Gareth Southgate and the Three Lions coaching staff.

Former Premier League star Shaka Hislop described Ramsdale as being “outstanding” for the Cherries last season, amid links with a possible switch to Chelsea. The ex-West Ham ‘keeper also suggested: “As a young goalkeeper, you are looking for weaknesses in his game. I don’t think he has an awful lot.”

Ramsdale has since been through his troubles this season but is coming out on the brighter side, despite Sheffield United’s terrible form, with Jurgen Klopp labelling him “incredible” after Liverpool beat the Blades 2-0 on Sunday.

The German was impressed by the shot-stopper’s display having pulled off what Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness claims were “saves he is not entitled to make”, the type of stops that would go down a treat at the London Stadium where Fabianski continues to make unbelievable saves.

Ramsdale also offers more saves per game (3.54) than Fabianski (2.88) so if Moyes is looking to go younger in goal, he should urge West Ham to test Sheffield United’s resolve.

AND in other news, West Ham have been slapped with a £20m asking price to sign an “outstanding” talent this summer…