All posts by n8rngtd.top

Charlton Athletic boss Nigel Adkins will have plenty of decisions to make this summer.

The Addicks may not know which division they’ll be competing in, given they could still sneak into the League One playoffs, but that shouldn’t stop Steve Gallen and co. from planning ahead.

No fewer than eight first-team players are out of contract, whilst six loan deals are also set to expire, as per Transfermarkt.

This includes a player currently playing his football away from The Valley in Erhun Oztumer, who joined division rivals Bristol Rovers back in October.

The versatile 29-year-old midfielder has struggled to make an impression with the Gas languishing in the relegation zone. In fact, he’s been one of their worst performers (6.3), as per WhoScored ratings.

Only one other player to feature in ten or more matches has managed worse.

If you’re failing at a club facing the drop, then surely there is no place for him back at a team vying for promotion, especially if they do go up to the Championship.

In 27 appearances in all competitions, the playmaker who is lauded for his creativity has only provided two goals and two assists, playing in a variety of roles ranging from no.10 to right-winger.

Three other players are actually recording more key passes per outing than Oztumer (0.9), too. Whilst seven players to feature for the Addicks this term would rank above him back in southeast London, only adding to the fact that he likely has no future under Adkins.

Once dubbed the non-league Messi at Dulwich Hamlet, it was no surprise to see the former Sivasspor prospect rise up through the leagues.

“It was such a privilege to watch Erhun at Dulwich and he’s honestly one of the most exciting players I’ve ever seen in the flesh,” said Hugo Greenhalgh, one half of the Forward The Hamlet podcast.

Oztumer quickly earned the praise of former Rovers boss Ben Garner too, after excelling in their FA Cup win at his former club, Walsall. “He was the brightest player on the pitch today,” Garner said. “Some of his quality, his link-up play was absolutely fantastic.”

However, matches like that have been few and far between, especially in an Addicks shirt, where he has only ever scored and assisted once in 19 appearances.

It’s time to wave goodbye to the 29-year-old this summer, with his contract up, it’s an easy decision for Adkins and Gallen to make.

AND in other news, THIS emerging prospect could save Charlton a lot of money this summer…

Leeds United have joined the race to sign exciting Sheffield United youngster Kyron Gordon, according to fresh reports.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are still basking in the glory of Saturday’s amazing 2-1 victory away to Manchester City in what was one of the results of the season. Stuart Dallas’ last-minute winner was a memorabnle moment for Leeds supporters as their team continue to thrive back in the Premier League.

Leeds don’t want to rest on their laurels in the summer transfer window, though, with Bielsa likely keen to make new signings.

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Leeds enter the race to sign Gordon

According to the Daily Mail, the Whites are now in the race to snap up Gordon from the Blades, with Manchester United also believed to be interested.

The 18-year-old is a highly-rated prospect who has been in and around the first team at Bramall Lane this season, albeit without being given his senior debut.

Transfer Tavern take

Signing talented homegrown talent tends to be exciting for any club, so Leeds’ rumoured interest in Gordon should be considered a positive. The hope is that Bielsa is looking towards the future and not just the present, eyeing up individuals who can take take the team forward when current stars drift past their best.

Gordon could fit into that category, and the fact that the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool are monitoring the situation speaks volumes about his potential.

Also, in a season which has seen Diego Llorente, Liam Cooper and Robin Koch all succumb to injuries, it is little surprise that Bielsa wants to add centre-back depth at Elland Road, even in the form of a raw youngster in Gordon.

In other news, one Leeds defender has come in for huge praise after his display against Manchester City. Find out who it is here.

Celtic may be without a permanent first-team manager but that hasn’t stopped the Bhoys from preparing adequately for next season.

They have already agreed a pre-contract with Liam Shaw while similar moves could be sorted for the likes of Siriki Dembele and Kwadwo Baah.

On the chalkboard

Celtic will have a list of areas they need to improve in ahead of next season. If they are to usurp Rangers again then the defence will surely be their first port of call.

The Hoops have shipped 14 more goals than the league winners this term but they could also do with more fluidity in the final third.

Besides Odsonne Edouard who has 20 goals to his name, the Glaswegian outfit have missed a regular scorer.

It hasn’t helped that James Forrest has only just returned from an injury lay-off that has kept him out since September. The Scotsman scored 16 goals and provided 22 assists last season so has been missed considerably.

Add that to the fact that Ryan Christie’s numbers are significantly down and it hasn’t helped Celtic.

The winger has netted five times all season has just a solitary strike to his name in 2021. Christie has been linked with moves to Leeds and Arsenal but his form surely doesn’t warrant a switch of that calibre.

He has been particularly abject in recent months and thus, Celtic could do with an upgrade.

Dazzling Lovric

Last summer, Celtic were linked with a move for Croatian winger Kristijan Lovric. It was reported that his current team, Gorica, turned down a bid in the region of £4.5m for his services the previous winter.

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The Hoops revived their interest but ultimately couldn’t conclude a deal. Clearly, there is a longstanding interest in the 25-year-old and with Celtic needing attacking recruits; they should turn to him again.

Lovric is yet to be capped by his country but has been one of the best players in the Croatian top-flight this term. The left-winger has scored on 16 occasions, taking his tally for Gorica to 42 in 88 outings.

He is a free-scoring forward with plenty of eye-catching abilities, picking up 21 assists in his Gorica career to date.

What really stands out, however, are his dribbling abilities and sprint speed. Speaking about Lovric last season, HNTV commentator Damir Petravic said: “He dribbles and scores in the style of Robben, shoots free throws like Pirlo or Pjanic, and knows how to sprint like Mbappe.”

That quote is about as glistening as they come. The statistics also paint the attacker as an incredibly dangerous player.

So far this season, Lovric has managed five dribbles and five shots per 90 minutes. On top of that, the Croat has produced 5.37 successful attacking actions over the same metric.

Those numbers are incredibly eye-catching. Take Christie, for instance; he has only produced 2.5 dribbles and two shots per game for Celtic this term in comparison.

Lovric would be a brilliant addition if the Hoops can finally conclude a deal.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Edouard: Celtic must swoop for 28-goal “sensation” who’ll “go to the very top”…

Barcelona have denied reports suggesting they have agreed to sign Gini Wijnaldum this summer as his Liverpool future remains up in the air.

The 30-year-old’s current Reds deal expires at the end of this season following five successful years at Anfield.

Wijnaldum has been a consistently influential player under Jurgen Klopp, proving to be a key presence throughout as Liverpool have clinched Champions League and Premier League glory.

Barcelona have been continually linked with signing the Dutchman on a free transfer this summer, though, and reports over the weekend even suggested that he has agreed to join the La Liga giants.

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Barcelona deny Wijnaldum deal agreed

According to Mundo Deportivo [via Sport Witness], however, Barca have claimed the rumour ‘is not true’, in the latest twist in the saga.

It looks set to be an interesting few months in regards to Wijnaldum’s future, with the Netherlands international seemingly still weighing up his options.

Transfer Tavern take

The hope is that Wijnaldum decides to stay put at Liverpool, signing a new deal and extending his stay on Merseyside for another few years.

He is still at an age where he can remain an important player, as hinted by his 27 league starts this season, and his brilliance would only be truly appreciated if he chose to move on in the summer.

In other news, James Pearce has provided a key injury update on one influential Liverpool player. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing Sheffield Wednesday defender Osaze Urhoghide this summer.

The next transfer window could potentially be a busy one at Elland Road, as Marcelo Bielsa looks to further fine-tune his squad ahead of next season.

Leeds have enjoyed a more-than-adequate return to the Premier League, currently sitting 11th in the table, but the aim is to repeat that feat next year, or preferably better it.

The Whites could make additions all over the pitch, but one transfer rumour that has emerged claims they are eyeing up a versatile defender.

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Leeds keen on Urhoghide move

According to the Sheffield Star, Wednesday youngster Urhoghide is considered an option for Leeds, as they look to snatch away an exciting player from their local rivals.

The 20-year-old is out of contract at Hillsborough at the end of the season, so the Whites could snap him up on a free transfer.

Urhoghide is capable of playing at centre-back or in either of the full-back spots, making nine Championship starts for the struggling Owls this season.

Transfer Tavern take

It is always good to see Leeds linked with talented young English players and Urhoghide fits into that category, having made a name for himself with Wednesday.

His versatility could also come in handy, allowing him to fill in across several positions and hopefully mature as a player under Bielsa’s tutelage.

That versatility, youth and the fact he is available for free makes him a low risk high reward signing from Director of Football Victor Orta, if it goes through.

In other news, a key Leeds player is believed to be attracting interest from other clubs. Find out who it is here.

Many fans of Crystal Palace have been reacting to a post on Twitter in which Matt Woosnam shared an article of his regarding the future of the Eagles manager Roy Hodgson.

In Woosnam’s article for The Athletic, the journalist claims that the south London side’s recent 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion has “done little to assuage the concerns of critics” of Hodgson, who has a matter of months remaining on his contract as the Palace boss.

Woosnam also claims that there “appears to be no sign of certainty” as to whether or not the Eagles will look to offer the 73-year-old a contract extension and also questioned, after sharing his article on Twitter, whether the former England manager would accept a new deal “knowing he was never first choice,” as well as whether Hodgson’s much-maligned style of football will be “tolerated” when fans return to Selhurst Park.

In reaction to the journalist’s tweet, many fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with plenty appearing to be firmly of the belief that Hodgson should not remain in charge of Palace beyond the end of the current season.

So, what exactly did these Crystal Palace fans have to say in reaction to Matt Woosnam’s tweet regarding Roy Hodgson’s future?

“Any extension of Hodgson contract will require an extension on many players contracts I think. It would be madness to allow a man in the last year of his contract to form a new squad knowing he won’t be there.”

@UpperTierSteve

“No thank you. He doesn’t develop youngsters, he only wants 28/29-year-olds and upwards at the club – he didn’t even want Eze, we could have signed Watkins and Justin but Roy didn’t want them. Will not be getting a season ticket if he stays.”

@Hape9999

“If this man gets a new contract, for the first time in my adult life I’ll not renew my season ticket. It won’t mean much to the club but will definitely be a big thing for me. I’m someone who’d probably still have a season ticket if I lived halfway across the world.”

@pdot_j

“If we lose Wilf, will these tactics keep us up even with Roy? You play like this all the time and you get lucky (Brighton, Fulham) now and then but, eventually, it stops working.”

@rickerz61

“Let’s not even entertain this idea.”

@WarrenAJB

“No no and no.”

@Kevbartleyy

“I reckon he knows that this is his last season.”

@cpfcjude

In other news: One Palace star has been linked with a move elsewhere in the Premier League, find out more here!

Following their heroics in the Manchester derby at the weekend, Manchester United have a crunch European tie to look forward to against AC Milan.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men welcome the Italian giants to Old Trafford for the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 meeting on Thursday.

Will the Norwegian be tempted to stick or twist for the match especially with the Red Devils still challenging on three fronts?

We are not predicting sweeping changes from Solskjaer for the game considering the tough level of opposition, with potentially just two changes in store.

Dean Henderson will continue in goal in the extended absence of David de Gea. The usual No.1 is still back in his home country following the birth of his child.

In defence, English trio Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka should all remain after their impressive showings at the weekend. However, one alteration could occur at centre-back with Eric Bailly replacing Victor Lindelof. The Swede has only just made his return to the starting line-up from a back injury so might not yet be ready to start two matches in just a couple of days.

Elsewhere, midfield duo Fred and Scott McTominay are likely to start once again, with the irrepressible Bruno Fernandes deployed just ahead.

However, there will certainly be another change to the forward line as both Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford are on the sidelines. The former was ruled out at the Etihad Stadium so Daniel James should continue in his place.

Meanwhile, £72m-rated forward Rashford should be replaced by fellow academy graduate Mason Greenwood after sustaining a knock on his ankle against City.

AND in more news, take a look at how Diogo Dalot could send a stark reminder to Manchester United and Solskjaer as he returns to Old Trafford on Thursday…

It could be looking more and more unlikely that Carlos Vinicius’ stay with Tottenham Hotspur will become a permanent one in the summer after he failed to get on the pitch against West Brom last weekend.

After making his first start of the Premier League season in the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea recently, the Brazilian was relegated to the bench for the visit of the Baggies, with Harry Kane selected ahead of him, despite having only just recovered from injury.

Whilst the decision paid off, with Kane scoring Spurs’ opening goal in the 2-0 win, it is slightly worrying that the on-loan Benfica man didn’t feature at all in the 90 minutes, even though Mourinho’s side were comfortable in the second half.

In fact, 16-year-old Dane Scarlett was brought on ahead of Vinicius with Kane staying on for the whole game, which suggests that the 25-year-old might not be in Mourinho’s good books at this moment in time.

Whilst the Brazilian has impressed with his Europa League and FA Cup appearances this season, he has been limited to just one start and five substitute appearances in the Premier League, with no goals or assists to his name.

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Although it was always unlikely that he would be able to usurp Kane from Mourinho’s starting eleven, you would have perhaps expected him to have more opportunities in the top-flight, especially with Kane having spent the last couple of weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

The £18 million-rated striker was prolific last season with Benfica, contributing 18 goals and five assists in Liga NOS, but he has been unable to replicate that form in England’s top-flight, and he may well be fighting to save his future with the North London club after being snubbed against West Brom.

Mourinho did suggest in a recent press conference that Vinicius and Kane could play together up top but certainly so far, he has arguably not shown enough to convince the Portuguese manager, and Daniel Levy, that he is worth paying the £40 million required to make his move permanent in the summer.

And, in other news… £80k-p/w Spurs gem showed he can still be key under Mourinho with superb WBA display

This January has already proven to be a testing time for Leeds United.

They are yet to win, yet to score and have conceded seven goals in three outings. On top of that, they were dumped out of the FA Cup at the hands of League Two Crawley Town.

Evidently, this has not been a good start to the year, but fortunately, Victor Orta could turn the tide with a few additions late in the window.

Given there are just a matter of days before the market closes, it feels unlikely that Leeds will be too active.

After all, Marcelo Bielsa likes working with a small squad and after the ordeals with Dan James and Jean-Kevin Augustin, United prefer incomings in the summer.

Though, what if Leeds did sign a few of their reported targets? Well, there are three players on their radar that could join and if they arrive at Elland Road, here’s how the Whites’ starting XI may look.

The first thing you’ll notice is that Patrick Bamford is still leading the line. Leeds have been linked with Montpellier’s Andy Delort but the Englishman is the club’s undisputed number 9.

Behind him though is one change. Despite being a favourite of Bielsa and missing just one league game under the Argentine, Mateusz Klich drops out. That’s because Erick Pulgar could walk through the door before the deadline closes.

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FFC have already spoken about how he could be a perfect Klich successor and the latest on the Fiorentina midfielder’s situation is that Leeds could sign him on loan.

We’re tipping two changes to be made defensively. French left-back Jordan Amavi – once of Aston Villa – was touted with a switch over the weekend.

If he does sign, it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see him usurp Gjanni Alioski pretty quickly. That’s because he’s far better statistically and also has Premier League experience to boot.

The final change is at centre-back, a problem position for Leeds this season. Over the festive period they had Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente all out. Therefore, we reckon defensive target Loic Bade could come straight in at the heart of the defence.

The youngster is currently at Lens but is an eye-catching centre-back, one capable of replacing the qualities Pontus Jansson left behind.

AND in other news, Orta masterclass: Leeds could end a 4-year problem with swoop for £25k-p/w beast…

Speaking exclusively to Transfer Tavern, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey discussed Lewis Dunk’s controversial goal during his side’s draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

In the fixture itself, Brighton dominated the first half and deservedly took the lead against the Hammers thanks to Neal Maupay’s scrambled finish just before the break.

However, after David Moyes withdrew Mark Noble and Jarrod Bowen for Manuel Lanzini and Andriy Yarmolenko at the interval, West Ham appeared much more energised in the second half and went on to equalise via Ben Johnson’s 60th-minute strike.

Brighton then thought they had won the fixture with Dunk’s 70th-minute goal, but Tomas Soucek headed powerfully home 12 minutes later to share the spoils at the London Stadium, with the game finishing 2-2.

However, there was a significant amount of controversy surrounding Dunk’s finish, as it appeared as if the ball stuck the Brighton defender on the arm before he slotted past Lukasz Fabianski.

“As football fans, we’d have all agreed that it would have been very harsh to disallow that goal,” Halsey told Transfer Tavern. “However, the new law, ‘Law 12 – Handling the Ball’ says that if an attacking player benefits from an accidental handball and it falls for them and they put it into the back of the net, then the goal should be disallowed.”

He continued: “Now, I think you can clearly say [the ball] hit Dunk in the midriff and then hit him underneath the arm. So, under the new law, it should have been disallowed for accidental handball because it did look like it brushed the underneath his arm.”

Following the game, Moyes called for clarity on the handball rule, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “It definitely hits his arm. Unless you tell me the rules have changed, I think anything hitting the arm and leading to a goal should be chopped off.”

It would appear that the 57-year-old was correct in stating that the goal, which was reviewed by the VAR official, should have been chalked off, as Halsey claims that, under the current rules, even an accidental handball which leads to a goal should not be allowed to stand, and instead, a free-kick should be given to the opposing team.

As such, it would appear that Moyes is right to feel aggrieved with the decision made by the VAR official on Sunday, and perhaps he should have seen his side leave the game with all three points.