All posts by n8rngtd.top

Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa side secured a very comfortable win this afternoon, finally ending Southampton’s unbeaten run in the Premier League with a 4-0 thrashing in a fantastic attacking performance from the Villans.

Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings, Douglas Luiz and Philippe Coutinho all found the net over the 90 minutes against the Saints as Villa made the most of the opportunities given to them, despite only having 38% possession and making almost 200 fewer passes than the visitors throughout the game.

After Watkins opened the scoring in the ninth minute, the Villa players swarmed their opponents, causing their defence and goalkeeper all sorts of problems, with nine shots on target overall. Fraser Forster was kept busy, conceding a second goals in the last moments of the first half and then letting in two more in quick succession in the early second half exchanges.

One other player who was integral to Villa’s success was Matty Cash, who made a huge impact despite not getting on the scoresheet himself.

According to SofaScore, Cash earned the second highest rating in Gerrard’s side (7.9), and it’s no surprise when you look at his statistics throughout the match. He was successful in 100% of his duels, winning six out of six, and also made three tackles, three clearances and one interception, with two key passes and the assist for the fourth goal.

It’s safe to say that the right-back – who was hailed as “exceptional” by Trevor Sinclair – was an absolute nightmare for his opponents not only in his defensive role, but by going the extra mile with the attacking threat Villa imposed on Southampton today.

Gerrard will be hoping that his side can continue their run of good form after picking up their second consecutive Premier League win, especially going into the last few months of the season.

The Villans are now level on 33 points with Crystal Palace in 10th and will surely be going into their clash against Leeds on Thursday with the intentions of breaking into the top half of the table. You can fully expect to see Cash starting once more after he stole the show with his marvellous performance today.

In other news: Aston Villa had a lucky escape over this one-time flop

Aston Villa are targeting a summer move for RC Lens midfielder Seko Fofana but face competition from other Premier League clubs who are also chasing his signature.

That’s according to reports in France this week who claim Villa are admirers of the Ivory Coast international who is rated at £18m.

With Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United also interested there are no guarantees he will choose Villa Park. More demand is also likely to drive the asking price up, and if they’re not careful the club could find themselves in a bidding war.

He’s the new Yaya Toure

The 26-year old is no stranger to England having spent three years playing for Manchester City’s U21 side before moving to Italy where he made 112 Serie A appearances for Udinese. He’s been described as a “phenom” by journalist Zach Lowry such are his extraordinary talents.

Since joining Lens for £7.6m in 2020 he has been a key player for them and so far this season has featured in all of their Ligue 1 games scoring seven goals.

He has been dubbed the “New Yaya Toure” and explained in an interview how they ‘hoped he would succeed Toure’. Despite this not working out, whilst at the club he received a lot of good advice from first team players and was coached by Patrick Vieira.

It also seems like he’s not the only player in France that the Villans have their eye on, with manager Steven Gerrard recently spotted watching a Marseille game reportedly there to scout Boubacar Kamara.

When you compare Fofana to Villa’s Douglas Luiz the man he would likely be competing with, he performs better in many areas.

Fofana excels in possession compared to Luiz with 131 more progressive carries this season. He also has a higher percentage of successful dribbles at 59% compared to 43%. With that in mind, it’s evident to see why he’s been compared to Yaya with strength and ball-carrying both major strengths.

He would be a perfect addition to the Villa team and could link up well in a midfield three alongside Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn.

However, with the money that both Spurs and Newcastle could offer, as well as the prospect of competing in Europe and for silverware, Fofana may decide to go elsewhere.

IN other news: Forget McGinn: Aston Villa dud who lost 100% duels was a liability against Leicester – opinion

After emerging as one of Tottenham’s brightest young prospects, it’s fair to say Alex Pritchard’s career hasn’t exactly panned out exactly as he would have wanted.

The playmaker made his debut for the north Londoners in a Premier League clash against Aston Villa in May 2014, featuring in a 3-0 victory as a 21-year-old.

Tim Sherwood was the man who gave him his first senior bow for the club, while the game might now be best remembered as the day the then-Spurs boss gave one supporter the chance to sit in the hotseat for a couple of minutes.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

After his departure, Pritchard found first-team minutes hard to come by, and while in March 2015 it was revealed that Mauricio Pochettino wanted to reintegrate him into the first-team setup at Tottenham, things just did not fall into place for him.

He made just the two total appearances for Spurs’ senior side, while he was perhaps most impressive in his loan spell at Brentford, where he managed 12 goals and seven assists in 47 games for the club.

Mark Warburton, his former manager at Brentford, said: “He can dominate a football. Alex is at his best with the ball at his feet. He sees a pass. He’s the best player I’ve seen in this division, certainly, to receive the ball on the half-turn at pace.

“Left or right side, he has the ability to take it on the half-turn and for us, how we play, that hurts the opposition. Technically he’s outstanding. For me, he is nailed on Premier League.”

Pritchard would then join Norwich on a permanent basis in the summer of 2016, but he has barely made an impression on the top-flight since then, with 48 appearances in the division and just three goals.

From being sold for around £8m to being valued at just £2.25m by Transfermarkt now, especially at an age of 28 where he should realistically be in the prime years of his career, is a real snapshot of his career.

To his credit, the attacking midfielder is showcasing his talent in League One with Sunderland, scoring four goals and providing 12 assists for Alex Neil’s side this season.

Currently lying fourth in the table, but six points off the automatic spots, there is every chance still that Pritchard could be playing Championship football next season.

Despite that, it’s obviously a far cry from the kind of Premier League stardom which was no doubt anticipated when he first made his name known in a Spurs shirt having come through the academy.

Daniel Levy will no doubt be laughing all the way to the bank at seeing his sale of the midfielder turn out so well from a financial point of view.

AND in other news – Spurs plot record-breaking swoop for £100m-rated “tank”, Conte will be buzzing

Aston Villa have joined West Ham in the race to sign Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Brownhill profiled

The 26-year-old made the move to Turf Moor from Bristol City in 2020 and has gone on to make 81 appearances for the Clarets.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-updates/” title=”Aston Villa latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The £40,000-a-week midfielder, who was described as ‘fabulous’ by Lee Hendrie, is currently at the top of his game with a career-high £6.3m Transfermarkt valuation.

The 26-year-old was wanted at Villa Park last year during Dean Smith’s time in charge, and it looks as if he is still on the radar under Steven Gerrard.

The Latest: Villa interest in Brownhill

90min shared a story regarding Brownhill’s future on Friday, claiming that West Ham are readying a summer bid for the Burnley man.

The report also name-checks Villa, along with Everton, Leeds, Wolves Fulham and Bournemouth, with an interest in the midfielder, although it is the Hammers who appear to be leading the way.

The Verdict: Gerrard not impressed?

Gerrard was able to watch Brownhill up close on Saturday during Villa’s 3-1 win at Turf Moor. The Clarets ace didn’t exactly impress, though, finishing as Burnley’s worst-rated midfielder, as per SofaScore.

He lost all five of his duels, failed to make a tackle or clearance and committed three fouls, one of which resulted in a yellow card.

Brownhill was also unsuccessful with three of his four crosses and didn’t register a single shot or dribble, so based on that performance, Villa’s interest in him may cool heading into the summer transfer window.

In other news: Gregg Evans shares ‘very important’ behind-the-scenes AVFC news

Rangers return to action in the Premiership at Ibrox as they look to end their domestic league campaign on a high.

The Gers are nine points behind their arch-rivals at the top of the table and winning the league seems impossible, although they can build up momentum for other competitions.

Gio van Bronckhorst has the chance to end the season with two trophies under his belt as the Light Blues are set to compete in the finals of both the Europa League and Scottish Cup.

Rangers beat RB Leipzig 3-1 in Glasgow on Thursday night to secure their place in a major European final as James Tavernier, Glen Kamara and John Lundstram all scored.

It was a magical night at Ibrox and Van Bronckhorst may look to make a number of changes to his team in order to keep things fresh and avoid burnout, with two huge matches coming up later this month.

One alteration that he must make to his starting XI is the introduction of Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman returned from injury to feature on the bench against the Bundesliga outfit and the Dutch head coach must finally unleash him from the start this afternoon.

GvB must unleash Ramsey

The 31-year-old has not started a game since 17t April, against Celtic in the Scottish Cup, and this match is the perfect opportunity to bring him back into the team. Rangers have little to play for in the Premiership aside from getting minutes into players who need them, such as Ramsey.

The former Arsenal star is a match-winner on his day, showing throughout his career that he has the quality to make the difference at the top of the pitch. He provided 130 direct goal contributions in 371 matches for the Gunners, including 91 in 262 Premier League outings.

Martin Keown previously dubbed him an  “outstanding technician” and Rangers have seen glimpses of the Welshman’s quality in the final third since he joined on loan from Juventus in January.

Ramsey has scored two goals in three Premiership starts for the Light Blues, including the opener against Celtic in early April, and this shows that he still has the quality to be a match-winner from midfield.

Therefore, he must finally be unleashed against Dundee United, as getting him fit and firing ahead of the two cup finals would be a major boost to Van Bronckhorst’s squad, given the 31-year-old’s ability to be the difference-maker with his goals and assists.

AND in other news, Big setback as Rangers hit with huge injury blow which will leave GvB fuming…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte could be looking to repeat his success at Inter Milan amid links to Victor Osimhen…

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Niccolo Ceccarini to Radio Kiss Kiss, Spurs are among the teams interested in signing the Napoli striker during the summer transfer window (via Sport Witness).

He said: “Victor Osimhen’s situation is very clear, if great offers arrive Napoli would listen to them without thinking twice. But it will take a very high amount to snatch him from Neapolitan society, it will not be easy.

“There are clubs from England like Newcastle and Tottenham that could go on the assault in the summer.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

It remains to be seen how much the 23-year-old would command this off-season, though he is currently valued at €70m (£60m) by CIES Football Observatory, who assess the transfer value of professional footballers on a scientific basis.

Imagine him and Harry Kane

It’s also believed that this move wouldn’t be down to any Harry Kane departure, so the pair could well emerge as a potential partnership under the Italian head coach heading into the 2022/23 season.

Conte ended Inter’s 11-year wait for a Scudetto by winning the Serie A title last season and he did so by deploying a two-man attack, in which Romelu Lukaku – now at Chelsea – partnered Lautaro Martinez.

In this case, Kane can fill the Belgian’s role, albeit at a far greater level, given his ability to drop deeper as a playmaking option, whilst Osimhen could be the pacier and trickier player to nip in behind the defence.

The prolific Nigeria international has averaged a goal contribution once every 95 minutes across all competitions this term, having registered a total of 17 goals and six assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Compared to his positional peers in Europe across the last 365 days, the Napoli marksman is in the top 4% for shots (3.85 per 90) and the top 6% for non-penalty goals (0.65 per game), proving that he isn’t relying on a gifted spot-kick and can generally form chances himself, via FBRef.

“Osimhen is a thoroughbred bomber. He can become a super striker over time. He has to understand a few things, and then he can become a world-class centre forward,” once claimed his manager Luciano Spalletti.

Meanwhile, former Manchester United loanee Odion Ighalo has previously waxed lyrical about Osimhen’s work rate for the team to Elegbete TV (via Goal.com), claiming the 6 foot 1 marksman has a “lion’s heart” as he “has the mentality of a winner.”

He is also blessed with searing pace – during his time in Ligue 1, only Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe could match his speed numbers.

Just imagine him playing in off Kane in the Premier League, his skillset could be an ideal fit, not just for the English top-flight but also in Conte’s proven and successful system.

Osimhen and Kane could strike fear into many a defence for the next few years and as such, chairman Daniel Levy must approve any move for the free-scoring £60m-rated animal.

AND in other news, Forget Kane: Spurs’ £72m-rated “dream” who won 83% of his duels gave Arteta nightmares…

Manchester United are expected to have a big summer transfer window following the arrival of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, and now one of the Dutch coach’s former players has been linked with joining the manager.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Man United are plotting a move and are currently in talks for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-man-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-more-nunez-ten-hag-nkunku-richarlison” title=”Read the latest Man United news!”]

Plettenberg tweeted: “Update Timber: FC Bayern inquired about him but it is said that the 20 y/o could join Ten Hag to MUFC!

“Talks with his management have taken place. Manchester United is seriously interested.”

It’s thought a deal could cost as much as £35m this summer.

Ten Hag would love him

There is no doubt that the Red Devils are in need of improving their squad and their defence has been an area that has been criticised this season, so if Ten Hag could bring in a player he knows can be effective in his style of play he would surely love to have him at the club.

The £27m-rated youngster who was hailed as “reliable” by Marco van Basten has had a great season with the Dutch coach winning the Eredivisie this season and has been giving glimpses of his outstanding defensive abilities.

According to SofaScore, Timber has won the majority of both his aerial and ground duels (67%), with an impressive 91% pass accuracy and making 2.4 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 1.4 clearances and an astonishing 90.8 touches on average per game, proving that he has been a real solid presence for Ajax in his 30 league appearances.

However, it is not just his defensive attributes that have made Ten Hag desperate for the centre-back to join him at Old Trafford as his effectiveness in attacking opportunities is a massive bonus too.

The 20-year-old who has been described as a “top talent” has scored three goals, contributed two assists, created one big chance and has been successful in 72% of his dribbles for the Dutch Champions.

With that being said, signing the young talent could be a major coup for Manchester United and Ten Hag this summer if they can secure a deal for Timber in the transfer window.

Considering he has played for the new manager already he could be an instant success in the North West.

AND in other news: “Close sources”: Sky Sports journo “told” big MUFC update that’ll excite Ten Hag

The 37-year-old will work with the PCA full-time from October

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2021Daryl Mitchell, the Worcestershire opener, will retire at the end of this season after nearly two decades at New Road.The 37-year-old Mitchell will call time on his career after his side’s final Championship match of the year against Leicestershire, beginning at New Road on September 21.Mitchell has made more than 500 appearances across all formats for Worcestershire since his senior debut in 2005. He has scored 13,874 first-class runs at an average of 38.75 and has 38 centuries to his name, putting him among the top-six century-makers for Worcestershire. He also has 3874 List A runs and 2310 runs in T20s and is the only Worcestershire player to have taken 100 T20 wickets.Mitchell captained Worcestershire for six seasons and spent four years as chair of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, where he is now director of cricket operations and the chair of its newly formed advocacy group. He will take up working with the PCA full-time in October.Related

• Doughty Danny Lamb, Tom Bailey make Nottinghamshire battle for vital victory

• Lyndon James, Tom Moores rough up Lancashire's bowlers

• Brett Hutton makes his stats count as Nottinghamshire seize the upper hand

• Matt Fisher trawls through Somerset once more as Yorkshire harvest two-day rout

• Worcestershire slip towards heavy defeat after Jack Leaning, Sam Billings lead way for Kent

“I’m in a lucky and privileged position to be able to transition from playing to that role and really excited about that for the future,” Mitchell said. “Hopefully, I can go out with a bit of a bang with a couple of hundreds and a couple of wins. That’s the plan.”I have nothing but fond memories here at New Road. I’ve had a brilliant career here and played with some fantastic people and I’m looking forward to coming next year as a fan. This place is very close to my heart, and I guess I’ll go full circle and bring the kids down next year just like my dad used to bring me.”Fanos Hira, Worcestershire CCC chair, said: “Daryl has been an outstanding, loyal and committed player for our club. He has been supremely impressive on the field, and having dealt with him on many matters off the field, I am sure he has a very healthy future in sports administration. In many ways, he is a role model for elite sportsman as they transition to a new life after sport.”

Four Tests, three ODIs and 14 T20Is part of a packed home schedule

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2021India are set to host New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa over the next nine months as part of the 2021-22 home season, for a total of four Tests, three ODIs and 14 T20Is spread from November 2021 to June 2022.Stretching a jam-packed home season to June is a rare occurrence considering it is month of extreme heat and the onset of monsoon in different parts of India. But it is a direct consequence of the IPL becoming a 10-team tournament from the 2022 edition as two new franchises will be announced in October by the BCCI.The home series announced were all part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the 2018-23 cycle, but the final schedule has come with one change: Sri Lanka will now play two Tests instead of three, as originally planned, and three T20Is in February-March 2022. The Tests will start on February 25 (Bengaluru) and March 5 (Mohali), and the three T20Is on March 13 (Mohali), March 15 (Dharamsala) and March 18 (Lucknow).The tours of New Zealand and West Indies remain as scheduled.Only three days after the T20 World Cup final on November 14 in Dubai, New Zealand will play the first T20I in Jaipur, followed by two more on November 19 (Ranchi) and 21 (Kolkata), and then the two Tests starting November 25 (Kanpur) and December 3 (Mumbai).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

West Indies are slotted to play three ODIs on February 6 (Ahmedabad), February 9 (Jaipur) and February 12 (Kolkata) and as many T20Is, on February 15 (Cuttack), February 18 (Visakhapatnam) and February 20 (Thiruvananthapuram).Only five days after that series ends, Sri Lanka will play the first Test in Bengaluru.South Africa will play five T20Is in June 2022, covering for the ODIs that were abandoned last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. That three-match series had to be postponed after the first ODI in Dharamsala, which had been abandoned because of rain. The BCCI has now decided to replay that tour as a T20I series on June 9 (Chennai), June 12 (Bengaluru), June 14 (Nagpur), June 17 (Rajkot), and June 19 (Delhi).Between the Sri Lanka and South Africa series, the BCCI will also slot in the IPL, this time with 10 teams, which could further extend the duration of the tournament. Also, soon after New Zealand leave India in December, India are scheduled to tour South Africa for three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is; that tour will go on from December 17 to January 26, without taking travel and quarantine dates into account.The 14 T20Is and another T20 World Cup in Australia next year mean India’s next T20I captain after Virat Kohli will have his hands full. India will also play another three T20Is, along with as many ODIs, in England next summer.

Belfast schoolgirl scores 121 not out as Ireland defeat Zimbabwe by 85 runs in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2021Ireland’s Amy Hunter has become the youngest player to score a senior international century, hitting an unbeaten 121 and taking her side to a win against Zimbabwe on her 16th birthday.Hunter overtook the record previously held by India’s Mithali Raj, who scored 114 not out in and ODI against Ireland at the age of 16 years and 205 days in June 1999.Shahid Afridi is the youngest man to hit an ODI century. He was 16 years and 217 days old when he scored 102 against Sri Lanka in 1996.Hunter is younger than any man or woman who has scored a century in T20Is. No one has scored a hundred in Test cricket at a younger age, where records are known.Playing just her fourth ODI on Monday, Hunter’s knock came off 127 balls and included eight fours. It was the highest score by a batter for Ireland Women, passing Karen Young’s 120 made in 2000 against Pakistan.Having managed just seven runs across her previous three innings – all against Zimbabwe – Hunter’s latest performance helped her side to a total of 312 for 3 from their 50 overs in the fourth and final ODI in Harare, the highest team total by Ireland Women in ODI cricket. Ireland won the match by 85 runs to seal the series 3-1.”It feels really good, it’s a bit surreal right now,” Hunter said. “When I was coming up to my fifty, I just wanted to stick by and get there, then when I came to my hundred I didn’t know what to do, take my helmet off or keep it on, but it was unbelievable.”I felt more nervous for my fifty. I didn’t do so well in the first three games so I was just delighted to be out there and get that first four away and from there it kind of flowed. From fifty to a hundred felt like it went much quicker than from nought to fifty.”Hunter shared a 143-run stand for the third wicket with captain Laura Delany. Delany, who scored 68, was in the middle when Belfast schoolgirl Hunter brought up her ton.”Del’s so supportive of me and she always backs me and tells me to back myself and back my skills so it was unbelievable,” Hunter said.