All posts by z3u9t.icu

Journalists caught a ‘risky’ move by Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte during their 2-0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites seal big win…

The Lilywhites, looking to make a good impression back in Europe’s most prestigious competition after a two-year absence, managed to get off to the perfect Group D start.

Two goals from Richarlison in the last 15 minutes of the contest secured all three points for Spurs against the Ligue 1 side but they were made to work hard for their win.

Before the Brazilian’s brace, proceedings were very much on a knife edge, with Conte making the brave decision to take off two of his back three just past the 70 minute mark.

Clement Lenglet and Cristian Romero both made way for Japhet Tanganga and Ben Davies, presumably with Man City in mind at the time.

The Latest: Journalists make ‘risky’ claim…

This call by Conte certainly raised eyebrows among members of the press, with one calling it a ‘risky’ decision whist others branded the substitutions as ‘odd’.

“Lenglet and Romero make way for Davies and Tanganga. A risky tactic from Conte, who appears to be prioritising Man City this weekend. Hardly an attacking move and arguably increases the chances of Marseille hitting Spurs on the counter-attack. 0-0.” – George Sessions, PA Sport reporter (via Twitter).

“Romero & Lenglet make way for Tanganga & Davies. Odd changes but a consequence of the mad schedule. Conte wants his defenders fresh for Haaland and Co. on Saturday.” – Dan Kilpatrick, The Evening Standard (via Twitter).

“For Lenglet and Romero. Hmmm.” – Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic (via Twitter).

The Verdict: Bold…

The Premier League’s side’s move to bring off two reliable defensive assets at 0-0 certainly was a bold one.

Luckily for supporters, Conte’s men stormed to a late victory regardless, and it looks like Spurs’ flurry into the summer transfer market has now granted them an option to make such changes.

Lenglet’s arrival on loan from Barcelona and Romero’s permanent signing from Atalanta have gifted Tottenham real strength in depth with solid players like Davies and Tanganga now able to come on in their stead.

Given the mountainous task a trip to Man City presented at the time, it’s arguably understandable why Conte elected to bring off his summer acquisitions in preparation to face Pep Guardiola’s champions.

Man City officials were sent to run the rule over Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby as the Premier League champions seemingly eye a new target.

The Lowdown: City summer overhaul…

The Sky Blues, guided by sporting director Txiki Begiristain and manager Pep Guardiola, orchestrated a real summer overhaul with past mainstays making way for fresh faces.

Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho all left Eastlands after many years of faithful service with quartet Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Stefan Ortega and Julian Alvarez coming in their stead.

Manuel Akanji soon followed Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, but despite City’s plethora of summer activity, it appears Begiristain and co have their sights on a new name.

The Latest: City eyeing Diaby?

According to 90min, Man City officials were sent to run the rule over Diaby in midweek as his Leverkusen side triumphed 2-0 over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

On-lookers were said to be ‘impressed’ by the Frenchman, who even bagged himself a goal in front of Etihad Stadium chiefs.

The Verdict: Make the move?

City possess an abundance of star quality in the forward positions, most notably Haaland, Alvarez, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne.

Rising stars like Cole Palmer are also awaiting their chance to impress Guardiola, and unless there are a few high profile departures, we struggle to see where a player like Diaby fits in this team.

That being said, the 23-year-old does possess unquestionable quality.

Called ‘astonishing’ for his footballing brain by the Rheinische Post (via Bundesliga.com), Diaby notched an incredible 13 goals and 12 assists over 32 league starts last year.

If Guardiola can somehow fit him in, there would be few who’d question he possesses enough class for a role.

Wolves may be having problems in the Premier League but their academy side are continuing to impress as they sealed their spot in the knockout stages of the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday night.

After defeating Shrewsbury Town 2-1 in their opening fixture thanks to a late brace from Joe Hodge, James Collins’ side repeated the trick against Stockport County last night to ensure their progression from Group C.

Goals from Lee Harkin and Tyler Roberts earned the Old Gold all three points, with only a late consolation from Conor Jennings putting a dampener on another impressive win and performance from the youngsters.

One man who staked a claim for a first-team spot with his performance was the much-discussed Chem Campbell, who is emerging as one of the top talents in Wolves’ academy.

As per SofaScore, the 19-year-old winger would earn a sold 6.6/10 rating for his display, with his creative ability clear to see throughout the 90 minutes, as he contributed three key passes, which was the most of any Wolves player to feature.

The teenage winger was heavily involved in Wolves’ attacking play, having two shots on target, one shot blocked and one shot hit the woodwork during the game, so he was clearly unlucky not to get on the scoresheet.

Considering Wolves’ lack of goals and shots this season, with just three strikes in seven Premier League fixtures and only 2.86 shots on target per game thus far – the third worst in the division – Lage might consider promoting Campbell to the first team in the hope that he could ease their attacking woes.

Express and Star journalist Liam Keen was particularly impressed with one of Campbell’s solo runs during the game against Stockport County.

He said: “Chem Campbell, wow. A sublime solo run almost results in a goal, but the goalkeeper tips it around the post. He’s been slightly quieter this half but is clearly a cut above this level.”

Campbell is clearly ready to be making his mark in senior football and with no loan move possible until January, a spell in the first team could well be on the cards for the teenager, especially when you consider the poor form of fellow wingers Pedro Neto, Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-Chan, who have just one assist between them this season.

The Wales U19 international managed nine goals and nine assists in the Premier League 2 last season, so if Wolves continue to toil in front of goal, then Lage should consider unleashing Campbell in the first team, having afforded him just nine minutes of senior action so far this campaign.

Glasgow Rangers have the opportunity to move back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a win over Hearts today.

The Ibrox side won their last match before the international break against Dundee United, however, this had been preceded by three consecutive defeats to Napoli, Ajax, and Celtic as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men displayed a worrying lack of confidence and cutting edge.

There could be some big changes ahead of the match at Tynecastle, with plenty of new signings still looking to stake a claim in the Light Blues side. The Dutchman should be aiming to slot a few into the starting XI today, and unleashing Welsh winger Rabbi Matondo could boost the team’s chances against Hearts.

On the Chalkboard

Since arriving from German side Schalke in the summer for £3m, Matondo hasn’t had much opportunity to display his talents.

He has only started two league matches so far, although he does have an average SofaScore rating of 7.1 for his Premiership outings this term and Van Bronckhorst should deploy him on the right wing in order to take advantage of his explosive pace.

Last season, German statisticians clocked the winger at speeds of 22mph in a Schalke shirt, showing that his pace can be a huge asset in today’s match.

The 22-year-old can certainly get the better of Hearts left-back Stephen Kingsley, who has been in solid form this season, ranking joint second in the squad with a rating of 6.98 as per WhoScored. Matondo’s pace should be enough to terrorise Kingsley however and he could be in for a torrid afternoon.

Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie described Matondo as being “excellent” against St Johnstone earlier on in the season and Van Bronckhorst will be hoping he can replicate a performance like this in order to break Hearts down.

Premiership matches away from home appear to be the Dutchman’s kryptonite at the club, winning only seven of his 13 away ties in his Rangers career.

A changed line-up could work wonders today and the inclusion of Matondo will surely give the Light Blues some attacking impetus.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has shared some injury news ahead of today’s blockbuster derby clash against Manchester United.

The Lowdown: Derby day…

One of the most important days of the footballing calendar has arrived for City supporters as the Premier League champions take on cross-town rivals United at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon. The battle for supremacy over Manchester begins at 2pm in what should be an absolutely mouth-watering clash.

Both sides come into this game on a solid run of form, but it’s the Sky Blues who boast the best numbers statistically, having scored the most goals whilst conceding the fewest out of every team in the top flight.

Spearheaded by on-fire marquee summer signing Erling Haaland, Guardiola’s side have been thrilling at times as they seek to retain their domestic crown for a third successive year.

However, Erik ten Hag is aiming to upset City, and on derby day, form is arguably more irrelevant than ever.

The Latest: Stones ruled out…

Speaking to the media ahead of this huge clash, Guardiola has confirmed that City will be without England international John Stones after he was taken off with a hamstring injury against Germany in midweek.

City’s head coach gave an estimated timeframe for the 28-year-old’s return but officially ruled the defender out of contention to feature against the Red Devils today.

Guardiola said: “It will not be four, five or six weeks, it will be less. I don’t know when he will come back, but I think maybe 10 days to two weeks.”

Goal Machine! Show your love for Erling Haaland with this awesome t-shirt! Click here to buy…

The Verdict: Setback…

For Stones himself, this latest injury problem comes as an annoyance, considering that he was just starting to recapture his best form.

The 28-year-old has contributed immensely in recent weeks, even scoring a thunderous long-range effort against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

As per WhoScored, the elite ball-distributor has also averaged a higher pass accuracy domestically (96.8%) than any other player in City’s squad.

Called an ‘unbelievable player’ by team-mate and compatriot Kyle Walker, not being able to call upon the centre-half comes as a setback for the champions ahead of a massive occasion.

Newcastle United are keen on Shakhtar Donestk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, but must be wary that he’s ‘hot property’.

That’s according to CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs, who was speaking to GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

Mudryk came through the youth ranks at Shakhtar and signed a new contract in February which runs until the end of the 2025/26 season (via Transfermarkt).

According to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, Newcastle are keen to sign a new winger in 2023, and the Ukrainian typically operates on the left flank.

The latest

Jacobs says that Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen could compete with Newcastle for Mudryk’s signature, but does stress that the Bundesliga outfit may be reticent after previously being ‘messed around’. For now, the Magpies are monitoring the Ukrainian with a view to a potential move.

He told GiveMeSport: “You’ve got Arsenal and even Bayer Leverkusen [who are interested], but the challenge with Leverkusen is that they have been messed around before with Mudryk.

“They actually had a deal to sign him and it never came off. So are they going to return into the fold knowing that they’ve been messed around once before?

“But he’s hot property, and the better he does, the more clubs are going to be circling. But Newcastle certainly hold an interest and are keeping tabs on the situation.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The verdict

Mudryk has been in excellent form so far this season, tallying eight goal contributions already. Domestically, he has provided four assists in his first four league matches, but he has been even more impressive in the Champions League.

Having scored one goal and set up two more against RB Leipzig on Matchday One, he found the net once again at home to Celtic last time out.

Analyst Sam McGuire has compared him to Sadio Mane, talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed him ‘The Ukrainian Neymar’ and Shakhtar sporting director Darijo Srna claimed that the 21-year-old is the third-best left winger on the planet behind Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

It’s clear from these appraisals that he has generated a huge amount of excitement, and a big move seems like it’s in the offing. Whether it will be to St James’ Park is another matter.

Everton made plenty of smart signings over the summer, completely revamping their midfield in the process.

It was clear that Frank Lampard had identified this as a problem area, and whilst converting Alex Iwobi to a box-to-box midfielder helped up the work rate, he still felt it necessary to add Idrissa Gana Gueye and Amadou Onana as well.

Whilst they have looked far more solid this season, boasting the joint-best defence in the league so far, they have only scored eight goals in nine games this season.

Iwobi has excelled both offensively and defensively, and the hulking Belgian is clearly the future anchor of the team. That leaves another space in midfield for a slightly more forward-thinking player, and one could argue that a prime Mikel Arteta would slot in perfectly.

Signed by David Moyes on a permanent move in 2005 for just £2.8m, he quickly became a fan favourite for his ability to score from seemingly anywhere.

He played 209 times for the Toffees, scoring 35 times and assisting a further 38.

Known nowadays for his brilliant managerial mind, he had so much talent to control a midfield. If backed up by the defensive excellence of Onana, he would be even freer than he was under the Scotsman.

This season, the 21-year-old is averaging 1.1 interceptions, 2.4 tackles and 1.4 clearances per game, and has a brilliant ability to use his 6 foot 4 frame to steal possession and set his side away on the break.

If he had Arteta to feed, the Spaniard would be the ideal man to run into open space and have options to find or the option to shoot.

There is a reason why Moyes dubbed him a “valuable player”, before claiming: “With his talent, goals should be a bigger part of his game. He can eliminate people in and around the box and he’s a great finisher with both feet.”

There is hope that James Garner can perhaps become that player in the near future, but for now, Evertonians will reminisce of a midfielder who would complement Onana perfectly in today’s side. 

West Brom are still looking for their Steve Bruce replacement and one man touted with a potential switch to the Hawthorns is Russell Martin.

The Athletic claimed that the young manager, who is currently in charge of Swansea City, is one man on Ron Gourlay’s shortlist as the Baggies look for a new leader to push them up the table.

After an impressive spell at MK Dons, which chairman Pete Winkleman described as “amazing”, Martin has earned plaudits for his style of play with the Swans and currently has them eighth in the league after some strong recent form.

However, that form came to an end with a bang on Saturday, as they were trounced 4-0 at Burnley in a game that highlighted the limitations of Martin’s style of play.

There was some non-existent defending for Burnley’s first goal as Vitinho was left unmarked at the back post to head in, while Martin’s philosophy of playing out the back played a big part in the third, as Ben Cabango’s slack pass was capitalised on by the hosts.

If he were to arrive at the Hawthorns he would undoubtedly stick to those principles, as he reinforced in a viral video.

He said: “If it doesn’t work and I get sacked, at least I get sacked doing something I believe in. I don’t get sacked regretting that I have bowed on my principles.”

Implementing that sort of style takes time and results in a lot of mistakes at the back at first, which was emphasised last season when the Swans shipped 68 goals in the Championship as they finished 15th.

Even with a more impressive standing so far this season, there are still only three teams that have conceded more than Swansea’s 20 goals, which suggests that they are far from defensively solid.

Sir Alex Ferguson famously said that attack wins you games but defence wins you titles and if West Brom have any aspirations of returning to the Premier League in the next few years, they must appoint a more defensively sound manager.

The Baggies will be hoping that this season can still be salvaged, so perhaps a manager as inexperienced as Martin is not the saviour right now.

It has been a hectic week at Aston Villa after the midweek sacking of Steven Gerrard following a heavy defeat at Fulham but the Villans must re-focus their attention for an important game against Brentford on Sunday.

Gerrard was relieved of his duties after seeing his side fall 3-0 at Craven Cottage on Thursday, a loss that left Villa hovering just above the relegation zone in the Premier League.

There is no time for the players to dwell on the Liverpool legend’s departure, however, as they need three points against the Bees on Sunday if they want to distance themselves from the bottom three.

Aaron Danks is the man in charge of the Midlands club this weekend and he will be hugely relieved about the news that emerged not long after the defeat at Fulham.

Douglas Luiz was sent off in London for a perceived headbutt on Aleksandar Mitrovic, with VAR encouraging the referee to produce a red card.

However, in a baffling turn of events, the Premier League have now reversed their decision and rescinded Luiz’s red card, meaning that he is available for selection at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon.

The former Manchester City dynamo has been a mainstay at Villa since joining the club in 2019, making 122 appearances, in which he has contributed seven goals and eight assists.

The 24-year-old machine also recently committed his future to the club and looks set to be an important player for Villa for the significant future, no matter who arrives as the new manager.

Back in 2021, Luiz’s impressive form caught the eye of his former manager Pep Guardiola, with the Citizens boss full of praise for the young midfielder.

He said:

“He’s an important player for Aston Villa. A guy who’s clever with the ball, so physically strong. He’s a lovely, lovely guy.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“659225”]

In the absence of Boubacar Kamara, who remains injured for the foreseeable future, it was vital that Villa have a defensive midfielder available for Brentford, so Danks will be delighted that Luiz’s red card was overturned.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte and sporting Fabio Paratici believe the club can sign Bari forward Walid Cheddira.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites make plans…

The Lilywhites are reportedly making transfer plans as we approach the mid-way point of this 2022/2023 Premier League season.

Spurs are currently third in the top flight table with seven wins from their opening 12 league matches but are arguably in need of a creative playmaker to link defence to attack.

Conte’s side have struggled to break down resolute sides in recent games and are without a win in all competitions since their 2-0 victory over Everton.

Much has been made of their links to Leicester City star James Maddison in this regard, yet according to a recent report, Spurs could also turn to the Italian second division for a fresh face.

The Latest: Conte and Paratici hold Cheddira belief at Spurs…

Indeed, a claim has emerged from Serie B linking the north Londoners with a move for Cheddira.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-3/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Morrocco international is now attracting interest from Tottenham, and more specifically both Conte and Paratici personally.

Serie B news state Cheddira has ‘entered the sights’ of Spurs with both Conte and Paratici believing they can sign the 24-year-old – having ‘smelled the deal’.

It’s added that Spurs are now ‘willing to bet seriously’ on the attacker.

The Verdict: Make the move?

Cheddira has been in absolutely scintillating form for Bari this season, scoring 13 goals in 13 matches already on top of five assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt).

While these performances and numbers have come in the Italian lower tier, this electric run of form cannot really go ignored, especially considering Cheddira is still fairly young and can only improve.

Moroccan reporters are excited about the player’s capabilities with verified journalist Hamza Hachlaf calling his recent showings ‘too good to be true’.

He is clearly an exciting player and may well be one to watch in the near future.