All posts by z3u9t.icu

Glasgow Rangers have had some wonderful players down the years, but arguably none have been quite as good as Brian Laudrup.

The Denmark international had already had an illustrious career by the time he rocked up at Ibrox in 1994 for £2.5m, having appeared for the likes of AC Milan and Bayern Munich and having won the 1992 European Championships with Denmark. Across four years with the 54-time Scottish champions, Laudrup wrote himself into the club’s history books, scoring over 30 goals in more than 100 Scottish Premiership matches, and lighting up the whole of Scottish football along the way.

It appears he still has an affinity with the club as well. On Instagram, he shared a photo of himself with one of his old shirts with the caption: “Rumours say the no.11 is still vacant.”

This was shared on Twitter, and it has attracted the attention of the Gers supporters – as you can imagine, there have been plenty of comments that he could still do a job. They have taken to the social media platform to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best reactions below.

Let us know what you think!

Having already secured the Carabao Cup this season, Manchester City continue their bid to retain another domestic trophy tonight as they face Arsenal in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

In the week that they won their appeal against a two-year ban from UEFA competitions, thus paving the way for them to return to the Champions League next season, City will hope to maintain the positive mood by reaching what would be their sixth domestic cup final (not including the Community Shield) since 2016.

Pep Guardiola got the better of his former assistant Mikel Areta when their respective teams met in the Premier League a month ago, taking Man City’s consecutive run of wins over Arsenal to seven in all competitions, although the Gunners came out on top when the sides met at this juncture of the FA Cup three years ago.

Sergio Aguero is the only confirmed injury absentee for Guardiola, who could take the opportunity to switch up his team again from the midweek win over Bournemouth. Here is our predicted Manchester City XI for the match tonight, which shows five changes from the side that started on Wednesday:

Claudio Bravo has been Guardiola’s goalkeeper of choice for domestic cup competitions and could come in to give Ederson a rare night off. With the manager likely to go with a strong XI given that there is nothing more at stake in the Premier League, the full-back duo of Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker should be retained. John Stones could also keep his place after a strong performance in midweek, although Aymeric Laporte may be his centre-back partner tonight rather than Nicolas Otamendi.

Fernandinho seems likely to get the nod ahead of Rodri at the base of midfield, with David Silva also a probable starter following his magnificent free kick against the Cherries. Kevin De Bruyne should also come into the side after sitting out the win over Bournemouth, with Ilkay Gundogan the man to make way in midfield.

Guardiola may shuffle the pack with his attacking trio. Gabriel Jesus is again set to start at centre-forward, buoyed by what turned out to be the winning goal on Wednesday, although there could be changes either side of him. Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva both started in midweek, so both might drop out in deference to Raheem Sterling on the left and Riyad Mahrez on the right respectively.

The options are plentiful for Guardiola – it’s just a matter of him deciding what is his strongest team as he hunts down a ninth piece of silverware as Manchester City manager.

Man City fans, is this the team that you would pick for tonight? What changes would you like to see? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Lots of Everton fans have been lauding the possible exit of Cenk Tosun as Turkish website Sporx have reported that the Merseyside club are continuing to negotiate with Slaven Bilic’s West Bromwich Albion about a permanent transfer or a loan deal.

As per the outlet, a transfer fee would likely be in the region of around €8 million to €10 million, which is the equivalent of roughly between £7.2 million and £9 million.

However, West Brom may face competition from both Besiktas and Fenerbahce for his services,

Tosun has not enjoyed the best of times at Goodison Park, playing in just 51 games across three whole seasons, and having only completing the full 90 minutes in 10 of those matches, according to Transfermarkt.

His goal contribution is not great either for a striker who cost £20.25 million, with a mere 10 strikes in those appearances, a ratio of around one in five (via the website).

Perhaps it is not a surprise then to see these EFC supporters laud the possible exit of the 29-year old on Twitter:

Evertonians, would you sell Tosun? Comment below!

Whether they like it or not, AFC Bournemouth are having a fire sale in the ongoing summer transfer window. With the squad heading down to the Championship for the 2020/21 season, they are bound to lose some of their players at least.

Of course, Jordon Ibe is already a free agent, having been released by the Cherries, and his future certainly lies away from Bournemouth. According to a new report from the printed version of The Mirror (via The Boot Room), however, he just might stay in the Premier League.

The same outlet states that both Newcastle United and Crystal Palace are looking to scoop the 24-year-old up this summer.

Neither the Magpies nor the Eagles have a lot of money to spend in the market so Ibe being released by Bournemouth is an excellent opportunity to land him on a free transfer.

Another thing that seems to appeal to both Steve Bruce and Roy Hodgson is the fact that Ibe has Premier League experience and is still quite young. Of course, once, he was a hot prospect at Liverpool before ultimately falling off and moving away from Anfield.

Still, five goals and nine assists in 92 games for the Cherries is also not a particularly attractive tally.

However, just the fact that they would be getting him for free means that he’s worth the risk for Bruce and could still play a part in their redemption campaign in the following season.

Verdict

Needless to say, Ibe won’t exactly be one of the most exciting signings for Newcastle if he does end up coming this summer. However, with their budget being extremely low and Bruce not exactly having plenty of quality options on the table, he will simply have to do.

If nothing else, the 24-year-old can still add pace and give the team some much-needed depth. And then, they can only hope he can still turn things around.

Burnley defender Ali Koiki has rejected the offer of a new contract from the club and could be set to leave Turf Moor, according to a report from Lancashire Live.

The 21-year-old left-back is keen to play first team football after a prolonged spell with the Clarets’ under-23 side and he was not involved in pre-season training with Sean Dyche’s squad due to uncertainty over his future (as per Lancashire Live).

Koiki has been named on the bench for four first team games with Burnley but has never made a competitive appearance for the Clarets (as per TransferMarkt), with his only senior experience being the 15 appearances he clocked during a loan spell with Swindon in 2019.

There has been a degree of interest in the 21-year-old from Football League clubs but no deal has been reached. The Robins wanted to take him back last summer after his loan spell but were unable to reach an agreement, while Charlton took him on trial recently but cannot purchase players at the moment due to squad restrictions. [via Lancashire Live]

Although the youngster impressed with a 10-goal haul at under-23 level last term, he faces stiff competition at left-back among Dyche’s first team ranks. The manager already has Charlie Taylor and Erik Pieters at his disposal, along with under-23 captain Anthony Glennon, who made the bench for a handful of Premier League games towards the end of last season.

According to Football Insider, Koiki is unhappy that the Clarets boss hasn’t given him a chance in the first team so far, believing that his performances at underage level have warranted a senior debut for the club.

It is frustrating that a promising young player in Koiki looks set to depart without getting a chance to show what he can do for the first team, but Burnley can at least feel that they did their bit in trying to keep him by offering him a new contract.

In any case, Dyche seems well-stacked in the left-back area, while the Clarets will receive compensation if the defender signs for another club as he is under the age of 24. Therefore, some good may come from the potential departure of contract rebel Koiki.

Burnley fans, should Koiki have been given a chance or is it a case of ‘good riddance’? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson has tipped the club to finally offload defender Serge Aurier this summer after a year-long transfer saga with the Ivorian, especially considering that AC Milan have been showing a strong interest, according to Sky Sports. 

Aurier, who signed for Tottenham back in the summer of 2017, has become a slight pantomime villain in the eyes of many Lilywhites supporters, partly due to his often inconsistent and erratic showings in north London.

As a result, while the 60-cap international has also enjoyed his fair share of redeeming moments, Spurs could be looking to offload the 27-year-old to fund summer transfer activity.

Robinson has backed this up, especially considering that Tottenham allegedly missed out on Timothy Castagne to Leicester City after failing to sell Aurier.

Going on to claim that the ‘writing is on the wall’ for him, Robinson hints that manager Jose Mourinho sees the right-back as a ‘potential avenue of income’, insisting that Tottenham managing to offload the Ivorian would be a great bit of business.

“The fact that Spurs are listening to offers for Serge Aurier tells me that the writing is on the wall for him,” explained Robinson to Football Insider.

“We know the financial situation that Spurs are in and I think Jose sees him as a potential avenue of income. He could use the money to strengthen in that position or elsewhere. They might be able to get a decent fee for a player that they wanted to ship on anyway this summer.”

Last summer, Aurier admitted that he wanted a move out of north London, claiming that he was in fact ‘looking for an exit’ in search of much-needed playing time (as per Daily Mail).

AC Milan have been continuously linked with a swoop, with Gazzetta dello Sport via MilanNews.24.com reporting that negotiations were ‘advanced’ over an £18m move to the San Siro. However, this rumour didn’t come to fruition, but Spurs supporters could be hoping that the club can finalise his sale sooner rather than later.

Should Spurs sell Aurier to AC Milan? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Former Everton defender Luke Garbutt has officially signed for Blackpool on a one-year deal.

The 27-year-old joins the Seasiders after being released from his boyhood club in the summer. He will be managed by former Liverpool under-23 coach Neil Critchley in their bid to improve on last season’s 13th-placed finish in League One.

Blackpool announced their new signing by using an inside joke that a lot of Everton fans have appreciated. Their screenshot of Carlo Ancelotti during a recent press conference comes from his reaction when asked about Garbutt.

The left-back departed the Merseyside outfit earlier this year after 11 years and the Blues boss was asked about his decision to release him. However, Ancelotti was none the wiser of the situation and simply replied by saying: “Who?”

Many Toffees fans are loving Blackpool’s tongue-in-cheek tweet and have flocked to the comments to applaud the joke. One fan has said the announcement is ‘brilliant’, whilst another thinks that the Seasiders’ media team is ‘class’.

Read more replies from the Goodison faithful below:

Everton fans, what do you think of Blackpool’s announcement? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Eibar’s sporting director Fran Garagarza revealed that Newcastle United altered their stance over the terms on which they wanted to allow Yoshinori Muto to join the La Liga side after just one week.

Newcastle confirmed Muto’s departure to Eibar on a season-long loan on September 16, with the Japanese international forward having dropped further down the pecking order at St James’ Park following the £20m arrival of Callum Wilson from Bournemouth.

Magpies change stance to accept lower offer for Muto

Muto was made available for transfer by Newcastle, with the forward having only managed to register two goals for the Magpies in his first two seasons at St James’ Park. However, the Tynesiders turned down Eibar’s initial offer for the striker as they wanted a higher loan fee for the 28-year-old, as per Spanish outlet AS.

However, speaking to AS about Eibar’s transfer dealings this summer, Garagarza suggested that it took just one week for Newcastle come back and accept the Spanish club’s original offer for Muto. That came despite having told them they would not allow him to leave for the terms initially offered by the La Liga outfit.

He said: “Newcastle told us, either you reach some figures or Muto does not come out. We told them that it was impossible. (A week later he arrived) on the figures that we initially told them.”

Muto deal reminiscent of past Newcastle transfer failings

Newcastle enjoyed a productive transfer window this summer, with the Magpies having brought in the likes of Wilson, Ryan Fraser, Jamal Lewis and Jeff Hendrick. However, this news on their negotiations over Muto’s departure may remind fans of some of the less than salubrious moves that have been agreed in terms of both incomings and outgoings over recent windows.

Muto was a player that they brought in for a reported £9.5m, so to end up having to haggle just to secure a reasonable loan fee for him two years later shows the lack of quality they have had in the market. The Magpies may not be able to fully improve in this regard until new owners take over at St James’ Park, with the vicious cycle set to continue otherwise.

Geordies, what do you make of this update on Muto’s loan move to Eibar? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady can land David Moyes a young and exciting talent with a “fighting spirit” by beating Leeds to the signature of long-time West Ham United target Todd Cantwell.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Norwich City are now confident the Championship side can hold off Leeds’ interest and retain Cantwell beyond the end of the EFL transfer window.

Marcelo Bielsa’s newly-promoted Whites had submitted a £15million offer for Cantwell last month but saw the bid knocked back, with the Canaries valuing the 22-year-old at closer to £20m.

Norwich’s demands for their academy graduate seem to have led to Leeds cooling their interest, while Director of Football Victor Orta has since confirmed to the Yorkshire Evening Post that his side are now analysing other targets having looked into the potential of striking a deal.

The Whites’ turning attentions elsewhere could create an opening for West Ham to sign their long-time target, having been linked with a potential move for the midfielder in January at a time the England U21 international was level on six Premier League goals with James Maddison, Dele Alli and Jack Grealish.

Cantwell would not manage to add any additional strikes to his name beyond his six, with the Dereham-born talent last scoring on New Year’s Day and ultimately not being able to help Norwich avoid relegation.

A fighting spirit

While Cantwell’s goals dried up last season, Moyes and West Ham ought to look positively on his potential availability as they consider reviving efforts to sign AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King.

The Cherries ace is said to be a candidate to target ahead of Friday’s Deadline Day if efforts to acquire Brentford’s Said Benrahma fall through, however the Norwegian is keen to play as a number nine as opposed to the wide role Moyes envisages him occupying.

Bournemouth have also already snubbed a £13m bid from West Ham for the 28-year-old, who they value in excess of £17m and turned down an offer of €7m (£6.35m) from Serie A side Torino for.

Cantwell could cost marginally more than King at £20m, but offers an exciting option and has been lauded previously for his knowledge of the game having turned his career around.

“He is a smart guy and he has a kind of fighting spirit,” Kevin Hofland, who was assistant manager at Fortuna Sittard during Cantwell’s loan spell in Holland in 2018, told Sky Sports.

“He had to keep faith in himself. Of course, success is always important, but it is also important for a young player to experience some negative things in their life. That is when the real player will stand up.”

Darren Huckerby, who coached Cantwell in Norwich’s youth system, also told The Athletic: “He was always the most gifted, but needed more work mentally than the others.

“He would admit it himself he could get intimidated by other players, and it’s great to see where he is now, because five years ago you might have said it would be touch and go.”

Cantwell has only managed to start two of Norwich’s four Championship fixtures this term, but impressed in the top-flight last season with SofaScore data showing he recorded an average 0.8 shots, 0.9 key balls, completed 82% of his passes, made 1.4 tackles, 1.3 successful dribbles and won 4.4 ground duels a game in a side that struggled to just five wins.

In an offence featuring an in-form Michail Antonio and Pablo Fornals – who have been involved in two and three goals respectively this season – Cantwell could take his game above and beyond the numbers from last term.

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 were by no means quiet during the summer transfer window, but perhaps they missed out on that one final signing.

A back-up striker was signed in Fabio Silva and that didn’t come cheap at a club-record £35m, whilst two players were brought in to replace Matt Doherty in Nelson Semedo and Ki-Jana Hoever.

Although, there were no attacking additions despite the surprise sale of Diogo Jota to Liverpool.

It means Nuno Santo only has three options for two positions – at least until January. Each of Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence and Adama Traore are vying for a place either side of Raul Jimenez.

An injury crisis could quickly cause problems, so perhaps the Portuguese ought to delve into the promising academy set-up, and he’d be more inclined to do so after the U23’s storming win at Aggborough on Monday afternoon.

The young Wolf Pack side demolished Fulham 3-0 in the Premier League 2 with fringe first-teamer Oskar Buur, Pascal Estrada and former Bayern Munich hot-shot Meritan Shabani getting on the scoresheet.

It was the German’s third goal contribution in six appearances in the competition this season, an impressive return on the back of a serious ACL injury which kept him out for much of last season.

Scoring goals from midfield is perhaps something that Nuno is lacking amongst the senior side right now – only one player has scored more than once, Raul Jimenez (four goals).

Perhaps the influence of Jota is sorely missed with both Podence and Neto only finding the net once. Their contribution in terms of creation cannot be refuted, but it’s the seven-goal influence from the now-Reds superstar that is evidently absent thus far.

He’s already bagged four goals in three starts for Jurgen Klopp.

This is where Shabani can come to the foray. In a similar way to Traore, Nuno can transform the 21-year-old into an inside-forward that can also play in attacking midfield. You could also compare that to Morgan Gibbs-White.

Wolves U23 head coach James Collins hailed the young talent after the win on Monday and said: “He’s an unbelievable kid. His work-rate, his effort, his willingness to improve is outstanding. He’s got great ability.

Shabani told Transfermarkt that the club blocked any potential loan exit this summer, so if that’s indeed the case, then it would be wise to incorporate him amongst the first-team, especially after Max Kilman and Rayan Ait-Nouri’s impact in recent weeks.

Evidently, faith can be put in their youth system right now.

AND in other news, Wolves have a ready-made Moutinho heir in promising “goal threat”…