All posts by n8rngtd.top

Taking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans weren’t impressed with the performance of defender Craig Dawson during their encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.

All eyes were on the centre-half position and how David Moyes would line up without the injured Angelo Ogbonna, who underwent surgery on his ACL injury.

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West Ham have been tipped to target a new defender in January, including the likes of James Tarkowski and Niklas Stark, but for now Moyes will have to improvise with his current crop.

He elected to start Dawson next to Kurt Zouma after some impressive performances recently, yet many West Ham fans feel he didn’t have his best outing today.

The 31-year-old, as explained by West Ham correspondent Tom Clark, was often caught out by Wolves forward Raul Jimenez and struggled to cope with his diagonal runs in-behind at times.

He was also cynical in the challenge at points and among the lowest-rated West Ham players on SofaScore, leaving little wonder why supporters weren’t blown away.

West Ham fans slam Dawson…

Taking to social media with criticism, West Ham fans took aim at his passing in parts whilst he also played the likes of Jimenez onside fairly frequently.

Find all of their verdicts down below:

“One of Dawson traits. Caught so many times last season with players running in behind him”

Credit: @JThommo72

“Mate how bad has dawson been. Giving the ball away playing them onside. No pace to cover himself. Dont know why diops not playing he’s always solid”

Credit: @BillWHU1

“Dawson has been absolutely terrible so far, whole team not much better”

Credit: @BillyHull22

“Diop instead of Dawson against city please”

Credit: @rayo4591

“said it once and ill say it again. Craig Dawson is very poor at passing”

Credit: @WHULuds

“Dawson passing been horrendous”

Credit: @westhamonline5

“Dawson can’t continue starting. We are going to lose so many games because of him”

Credit: @TheHammers_

“Dawson has been awful”

Credit: @OD_SMITH

In other news: ‘Yesssss’, ‘Get in’, ‘What a day’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘great news’ has many West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

West Ham United manager David Moyes has some massive decisions to make as his side returns to Premier League action this afternoon.

The Irons head north to face defending champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in a huge clash which sees third face fourth.

After a 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, the east Londoners bounced back with a routine victory over Rapid Wien in the Europa League, a win which sealed top spot in their group and their place in the knockout stages of the competition.

Moyes rang the changes in Austria, so it will be interesting to see what sort of line-up he will select against Pep Guardiola’s Citizens today, especially after they sealed an impressive three points against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.

Here’s the Hammers XI that we’re predicting…

There could be as many as eight changes from the side which won in Vienna on Thursday night.

Lukasz Fabianski did not make the trip, so he will be well-rested for his return between the sticks this afternoon, whilst Irons “monster” Issa Diop is the only defender to keep his place, meaning 31-year-old Craig Dawson is axed, having started twice in the last nine days and been unconvincing against Wolves.

The £12.5m-rated Frenchman will join his fellow countryman Kurt Zouma in the heart of defence, with Aaron Cresswell returning at left-back and academy gem Ben Johnson continuing to get the nod on the right over Vladimir Coufal, who got some much-needed minutes in midweek.

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Tomas Soucek is the second player to feature in back-to-back matches this week and he should be rejoined by Declan Rice, who will lead the team out in Manchester, taking the place of club captain Mark Noble.

Further up the pitch, Jarrod Bowen is another to keep his spot in the starting XI but he will be joined by his usual league allies, Pablo Fornals in the no.10 role and Said Benrahma on the other flank. They take the places of summer signing Nikola Vlasic and Manuel Lanzini.

Up top, Thursday’s goalscorer Andriy Yarmolenko is axed as Michail Antonio is due to return.

The leading £70k-per-week West Ham talisman, who was dubbed a “complete monster” by journalist Paul Brown earlier this season, didn’t travel to Austria, so he should be raring to go today.

AND in other news, “A definite target”: Ex drops big West Ham transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Pete O’Rourke has made a Leeds United transfer claim involving Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley.

The Lowdown: Whites ‘best placed’ to sign Barkley…

As per recent claims, the 27-year-old is a Whites transfer target ahead of the January as Bielsa eyes more options in the advanced positions.

Barkley has actually managed to impress Thomas Tuchel when called upon this season, with the German holding special praise last month, but that still hasn’t been enough to earn him more playing time. The England international has only featured in a handful of matches so far over 2021/22, prompting him to be linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Backing Leeds’ interest, Fichajes reported that Bielsa and sporting director Victor Orta by extension are the ‘best placed’ side in the race to sign Barkley as they enter pole position for him.

The Latest: O’Rourke backs claim…

While he doesn’t say if Leeds are winning the race, O’Rourke has made an interesting transfer claim involving the former Everton star and Bielsa.

As per his information, speaking to GiveMeSport, Barkley is the Whites manager’s ‘immediate target’ ahead of the winter window. O’Rourke explained:

“”Barkley is Bielsa’s immediate target in the January transfer window if he can get one in.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

The £110,000-per-week midfielder could feasibly revive his career at Elland Road and regain favour with Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate as the World Cup looms next year.

Leon Osman, Barkley’s former teammate at Goodison Park, has called the player an ‘exceptional talent’, and we believe he has the ability to become a success at Leeds.

Compiling his numbers from last season, the 27-year-old averaged a consistent 1.6 key passes per 90 during his temporary stint at Aston Villa, with only Leeds star Raphinha bettering that number among Bielsa’s squad over 2021/22 (WhoScored).

It’s clear that Barkley is capable of turning it on when he’s handed the chance, and Chelsea’s forgotten man could be an astute purchase for Leeds in January.

In other news: Journalist makes Leeds managerial claim as Orta now eyes ‘supernatural’ serial winner, find out more here.

Flocking to Twitter, plenty of Manchester City supporters have absolutely erupted over the latest on their chase to sign Fiorentina sensation Dusan Vlahovic.

Pep Guardiola has shared that his team’s player availability ’emergency’ is officially over, with Ferran Torres now the only man unavailable as the Sky Blues travel to Watford this evening (The Daily Mail).

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City are seeking to maintain their impressive winning run since losing 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace in late October, a hot streak of victories which includes triumphs over bitter rivals Manchester United and European powerhouses Paris-Saint Germain (mancity.com).

As January looms, however, sporting director Txiki Begiristain has been tipped to target a natural striking option and heir to club legend Sergio Aguero, coming after he failed to land one for Guardiola in the summer.

Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) have shared an exciting update on their quest, with the Italian source claiming that Tottenham are slipping away in the race for Vlahovic and City now emerging as favourites.

As Begiristain and the Citizens gather ‘more and more information’ on the 21-year-old ahead of the winter window, it is believed that a ‘shower of millions’ in the form of a Man City bid could now be tabled.

Man City fans ‘buzzing’…

Amid their heavy links to Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland, Fiorentina’s star man could come as an ideal alternative, leaving little wonder as to why plenty of City fans are excited by this latest claim from Italy.

Likened to Haaland himself, the striker has been in hot form for La Viola over 2021/22, scoring 12 goals and setting up two others in just 15 Serie A starts (WhoScored).

He also averaged a killer 3.4 shots on goal per match in that time – more than any Man City player has under Guardiola in the Premier League so far this campaign.

Unsurprisingly, a fair few City supporters want to see him make the move to Eastlands, as they took to Twitter with excited reactions:

“Buzzing, some good news.”

Credit: @SumonM21

“Please let this be true”

Credit: @Jacob4rmstrong

“No way”

Credit: @Mantus_G

“Music to me ears”

Credit: @vhoooosh

“Siuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu”

Credit: @Weezy_ef

“Finally a striker. Please just sign one lads”

Credit: @BernardoTouch

“LESSS GOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @King_Kevin100

In other news: ‘Aaaah’, ‘Siuuu’, ‘Finally’…Many Man City fans go wild as ‘perfect’ £53.9m claim emerges, find out more here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers signed Fabio Silva for £35m in a record-breaking transfer for the club, but Silva has since only been given 36 minutes of Premier League football so far this season under Bruno Lage.

The Portuguese boss hasn’t been playing the 19-year-old forward often, with just two starts for the side in the league cup, during which he has bagged two assists for the side.

The Wolves manager did speak out last week about why he hasn’t been included in the side much this season:

“Fabio is important for us,” Lage said. “He’s a young talent. Me and my staff have a pathway for the youth. Luis (Nascimento) worked with Fabio before so we see potential in him.”

“He needs to continue to work and wait for that chance. He needs to work for today and work for tomorrow.”

The teenager played 37 games in all competitions last season under Nuno Santo, scoring four goals and assisting three times for the side but has become out of favour for game time since the arrival of new manager Bruno Lage, in the summer.

Silva has been predicted to be an “extraordinary striker” by Sporting CP legend, Manuel Fernandes and even compared the teenager to Ronaldo.

“When Ronaldo was 17, he played as a centre-forward for Sporting’s youth teams. I saw him doing things that I’m now seeing a boy from FC Porto do, Fabio Silva.”

One of the main reasons that Silva did get so much game time last season was due to the fact Raul Jimenez suffered a horrific skull injury a few months into the season in November 2020, missing the rest of the season for Wolves, meaning that the youngster had the opportunity to step into his shoes quickly.

Although the Mexican has made his return to the side, Lage will need to look at future prospects for Silva, who will be keen to break back into the first team.

Wolves will be looking to capitalise on their fantastic first half of the season, with the view to securing a European spot by finishing in the top half of the Premier League.

The number of attacking options in Wolves’ locker still hasn’t deterred the rumour mill from working overtime when it comes to the imminent winter transfer window, with Enner Valencia linked to a move to the Molineux.

However, Lage could make smarter moves by saving millions and forgetting about the aforementioned target, utilising Silva in the team instead.

In other news: Hatfield hints at an early exit for Traore

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has claimed that Tottenham may be planning a ‘system reboot’, following claims that Antonio Conte is receptive to offers for Tanguy Ndombele (Football Insider). 

The Lowdown: Receptive to offers for Ndombele

Since the Italian’s arrival in N17, Ndombele has played just five minutes of Premier League football. After arriving at Tottenham in the summer of 2019 for a club record fee of £54m, the Frenchman has struggled to establish himself as a key component of this Spurs side, with just six goals and four assists in 61 top-flight appearances.

Despite being under contract to the club until 2025, it is reported that Conte has made it clear to the club’s powerbrokers that they should be receptive to offers for Ndombele. This comes amid reports that Juventus are interested in singing the Frenchman in the January transfer window.

The Latest: Pundit claims system reboot is needed

Speaking to Football Insider in the wake of these reports, former Premier League manager McLeish claimed that Tottenham are right to trim the squad of inconsistent players like Ndombele.

He said: “You have to regroup as a squad at some point. For a pretty long time, there have been players who haven’t quite made the grade at Spurs, who haven’t been able to sustain themselves at the top level.

“The consistency is key. How many times have we said ‘he was great last week’ and then we don’t speak about him for 10 weeks as he isn’t playing.

“So I think there has to be a bit of a system reboot. That will mean some players have to leave and you say goodbye.“

The Verdict: Reboot necessary for top four push

Despite Ndombele being called  ‘magnificent’ by former Tottenham manager José Mourinho, it is clear that Conte does not hold a similar opinion of the midfielder; and with the 24-year-old having a current market value of £40.5m, this could be the right time to offload him. This comes as Spurs are reportedly planning ‘the biggest window in the club’s history’, with suggestions that as many as 10 transfers could be completed between incomings and outgoings.

With a bid for Champions League qualification in mind, Conte will surely not mess about when it comes to dropping players from the squad. The Italian has already called on Ndombele to ‘work much more than the others’, so if he doesn’t see results, we could see the player leave the club in January, as McLeish has seemingly hinted.

In other news: Tottenham lead transfer race for £59.5m-valued beast who’s earned Haaland comparisons

Rangers are battling a number of Premier League sides in the race to sign West Brom star Sam Johnstone in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to TEAMtalk, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has got his sights set on the England international as the man to bolster his goalkeeping options, but he won’t be an easy target to get.

It’s claimed that Spurs, Newcastle and West Ham are all also interested in the 6 foot 3 shot-stopper, whose contract at the Hawthorns comes to an end in the summer.

The report adds that Rangers “could even offer a pre-contract in January in view of next season and beyond.”

A new era at Rangers

While Allan McGregor has served Rangers incredibly well with a whopping 416 games to his name, his performances this campaign have just reinforced the idea that his best days are well and truly behind him.

In fact, McGregor has a save percentage of just 50% in the Scottish Premiership for the Gers, which is the joint-lowest in the division, and at 39, should surely be out of Van Bronckhorst’s plans at Ibrox.

And, the Dutchman could kickstart that new era by making a swoop for the 28-year-old Johnstone.

His former boss Steve Bruce labelled the shot-stopper a “diamond”, and given the kind of shift he has had to put in last season at The Hawthorns, it’s no surprise why he has earned such praise.

No goalkeeper in the Premier League faced more shots on target (228) than Johnstone, while no goalkeeper has made as many saves as him either (161) – it was no surprise then that he earned rave reviews for his performances, with Micah Richards hailing his former teammate as “exceptional” last year.

Despite the fact the Baggies were relegated from the Premier League, Gareth Southgate called Johnstone up for the England squad back in September for the Three Lions’ World Cup qualifiers – an indication that the level he’s playing at right now isn’t quite where his actual ability lies.

If Van Bronckhorst is keen to go with the whole ‘out with the old, and in with the new’, then swapping an ageing and declining veteran in McGregor, for someone much younger and skilled in Johnstone, could well be the way to go.

Meanwhile, Rangers are battling to sign this star…

After having their two previous Premier League fixtures against Watford and Arsenal postponed, Wolves are finally back in action tonight with a league clash at Old Trafford against Manchester United. 

With the Molineux outfit having the likes of Jonny, Pedro Neto, Hwang Hee-chan, Yerson Mosquera and Willy Boly out with injuries, here’s how we feel Bruno Lage could line his team up to take on the Red Devils. 

Having played in all 18 of Wolves’ Premier League games so far this season, keeping seven clean sheets in the process, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jose Sa start in goal for the Old Gold on this occasion.

In a back three, we can see Lage sticking with the same trio that began their previous league outing in the 0-0 draw against Chelsea last month with Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss lining up together to try and keep another clean sheet. 

For the wing-back positions, we think Nelson Semedo will return on the right-hand side with Ki-Jana Hoever dropping out after he played against Chelsea.

In the left-wing back position, we think Fernando Marcal will start to try and help the three defenders behind him keep United’s attacking players quiet.

In the two central-midfield roles, we think Lage will once again go with Wolves’ reliable duo of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.

Then for the front three, we can see Lage sticking with Raul Jimenez in the central striker role but bringing in Francisco Trincao and Adama Traore on the wings with Leander Dendoncker, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £75k-per-week according to Salary Sport, and Daniel Podence dropping down to the substitutes bench. 

Whether Lage goes with this exact starting XI that we have suggested or not, this will still be a big test for Wolves and a very rewarding one if they manage to beat United, who have managed to score at least one goal in their six previous league games and push further up the table towards a European place. 

Given the break that Wolves have had since their previous game as a result of their two postponements, this could potentially work in their favour and give the players a boost against a United side that were in action just a few days ago for their 3-1 win over Burnley.

In other news: Lage could sign Lewis O’Brien…

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United side went into Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Burnley knowing that three points would considerably increase their chances of remaining a top-flight side come the end of the current campaign – with the Whites sitting just five points above the Clarets in 18th place prior to kick-off.

And, thanks to a fortunate first-half strike by Jack Harrison, a second-half stunner from Stuart Dallas and a 92nd-minute header by Daniel James, Leeds would go on to secure the much-needed win against Sean Dyche’s side – with the match ending 3-1.

However, despite the positive result, there were nevertheless a couple of Bielsa’s players who will be hoping to put the fixture behind them as quickly as possible, with Raphinha and Tyler Roberts being two of the more notable disappointments on Sunday afternoon.

Although, it will undoubtedly be the latter of this duo who will be most frustrated with his display against Burnley, as the 22-year-old forward was incredibly ineffective over his 58 minutes on the pitch at Elland Road.

Roberts should’ve played his last game

Indeed, the £7.2m-rated man was once again fielded as Bielsa’s lone striker against Burnley, and the Wales international offered very little in the role, hitting the target with just one of his six shots and the opposition goal, completing a mere 11 passes and missing his one big chance – somehow steering a free header wide of the far post in the first half.

The £22k-per-week forward also lost both of his two duels – a failure rate of 100% – lost possession of the ball on four separate occasions and committed one foul – for which he was booked – before picking up an injury midway through the second half and being withdrawn by the Argentine coach.

These returns saw the 22-year-old receive an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.6, ranking him as Leeds’ joint-worst performer against the Clarets.

As such, with it being reported that Roberts could be on his way out of Elland Road in the January transfer window, albeit on a temporary basis, the Welshman’s display on Sunday – coupled with his poor performances over his 18 further Premier League appearances so far this season – lead us to believe that Bielsa should instead look to make the attacker’s move away from the club a permanent one this month.

It is looking more and more as if the youngster is simply not of the standard required for the Whites.

In other news: LUFC must avoid disaster on £22k-p/w gem who “transmits security”, MB would be furious

According to a report by 90min, a West Ham United transfer update has come to light involving Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Adama Traore as they join the race to sign him.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing forward…

As is well known, West Ham boss David Moyes is eyeing new additions in the attacking areas as he aims to strengthen his side’s chances of a top four finish.

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An out-and-out striker is thought to be high on both his and recruitment chief Rob Newman’s agenda this month though they have also been linked with wide players and attacking midfielders.

Indeed, the likes of Anwar El Ghazi, a natural winger, and Man United ace Jesse Lingard have been mentioned as news now emerges involving Traore.

The Latest: West Ham join race…

As per 90min, West Ham are now one of the club’s eyeing a move for Traore with Wolves boss Bruno Lage now ‘sanctioning’ his exit from Molineux.

It is believed that Moyes and co are being ‘kept informed’ of the 25-year-old’s situation with it looking more and more likely he could leave in January.

The Verdict: Get it done?

There is little arguing the Spain international is a major threat going forward when at his best and we believe West Ham should certainly consider a bid, especially considering his huge price drop.

As per 90min reporter Jude Summerfield, Traore’s valuation has plummeted ‘from £50m to around £22m after failed contract talks’ – gifting West Ham a golden opportunity.

According to WhoScored, the Premier League ace has averaged a head-turning 4.5 dribbles per 90 in the top flight this campaign – far eclipsing that of any West Ham player.

He’s also been called ‘undefendable’ by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, perhaps pointing to a possible bargain at £22m.

In other news: ‘Tears in my eyes’, ‘Finally’…West Ham fans flock to ‘very exciting’ transfer development, find out more here.