All posts by n8rngtd.top

Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson were hard at work throughout the summer transfer window as they brought in a host of fresh talent to Glasgow Rangers.

The pair enjoyed their first summer working together at Ibrox and snapped up Ben Davies, John Souttar, Rabbi Matondo, Ridvan Yilmaz, Antonio Colak, Tom Lawrence, and Malik Tillman.

Of those signings, Colak has stood out above the rest with his sensational form for the Light Blues since completing his move from Greek side PAOK.

The Croatian striker has scored 13 goals and assisted two in 16 appearances in all competitions, including ten goals in nine Premiership outings.

Rangers’ new number nine is not the first Croatian predator to strut his stuff in front of the Ibrox faithful, though, as he is following in the footsteps of his countryman Nikica Jelavic.

In the summer of 2010, the late Walter Smith snapped him up from Rapid Vienna for a fee in the region of £4m on a four-year contract, with the forward signing at the age of 24.

Jelavic played 28 games in his debut campaign for the Gers and produced an eye-catching 19 goals and eight assists for the club in all competitions, including 16 goals in 23 Premiership matches.

The Gers manager, Smith, hailed the striker’s “special” and “terrific” goals towards the end of that season and he carried his form over to 2011/12.

In the first half of his second year in Glasgow, the predator scored 17 goals and set up seven in 28 outings – with 14 of those strikes coming in 22 top-flight appearances.

His remarkable form in front of goal led to interest south of the border and Premier League side Everton swooped to sign him for a fee in the region of £5.5m in January 2012.

He ended his time at Rangers with a whopping 36 strikes in 56 outings, whilst also assisting 15. This means that he cost the club roughly £111k per goal and £78k per goal contribution from the £4m they paid to sign him from Rapid Vienna in 2010.

The attacker produced a goal contribution every 1.09 matches and there is no doubt that he was a success on the pitch during his 18 months at Ibrox, as he was a prolific goalscorer and a creator for his teammates.

He also raked in a transfer profit of £1.5m for the Gers and this means that he ended up being a sublime signing from both a financial and footballing perspective.

Therefore, Smith certainly hit the jackpot by signing the striker in 2010 and van Bronckhorst will hope that supporters look back on the signing of Colak in ten years’ time in a similar vein, potentially with more goals to his name if he stays longer than 18 months.

Leeds United are looking to end a run of seven matches without a win in the Premier League as they play host to Fulham at Elland Road this afternoon.

Jesse Marsch’s side have lost all three of their last three outings in the top-flight, against Leicester, Arsenal, and Crystal Palace, and now face one of the newly-promoted sides at home.

The Whites are level, on nine points, with two of the three teams in the relegation zone and a victory today could send them further clear of trouble in the table.

They head into this match off the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Leicester, who are currently bottom of the Premier League and only have eight points on the board.

One player who the manager must ditch after that loss is centre-back Robin Koch as the defender had a shocker at the King Power last time out.

Patrick Bamford missed a penalty against Arsenal in the club’s last home game and has not scored in eight top-flight outings, but his German teammate has taken the spotlight off him with some frustrating displays of late.

The dud put in a dismal performance as he handed Leicester the lead by converting the ball into his own net from Dennis Praet’s ball across the box.

Koch left himself with too much ground to cover after not reacting quickly enough to the run behind him from Harvey Barnes and that forced him to reach for the ball with a sliding clearance and it was only ever going in one direction at that point – past Illan Meslier.

He was then beaten to the ball in the box by Jamie Vardy, who opened up the space for Barnes to be teed up to finish with ease, for the second goal.

Sofascore handed him a rating of 5.8 for his display but that is not the worst score he has had this term. The stats website ranked him at 5.6 for his showing against Brentford in the 5-2 defeat last month as he lost four of his five ground duels, was dribbled past once, and made one direct error leading to a shot.

These statistics suggest that the defender, who has lost 53% of his ground duels in the Premier League this season, has been a liability at the back for Leeds.

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross dubbed the 26-year-old’s defending as “horrible to watch” after a match against Manchester United and that aptly describes his recent form.

The £46k-per-week dud must, therefore, be ditched by Marsch as he cannot trust that Koch will put in a solid performance as the club look to end their winless run.

Liam Cooper came off the bench against Leicester and recorded a rating of 7.5 by winning five of his six individual battles, whilst also making two blocks, two clearances, three interceptions, and two tackles in just 45 minutes.

Marsch must now ruthlessly bin Koch from the starting XI and bring the club captain back into the fold to face Marco Silva’s side this afternoon.

Crystal Palace were reportedly interested in signing Leicester City ace Ayoze Perez during the summer transfer window and Patrick Vieira would have surely loved him at Selhurst Park.

Reports from Spain claim that the Eagles, alongside Premier League rivals Everton and Fulham, were keen on signing the attacking midfielder during the summer transfer window as he seeks an exit from the King Power Stadium.

However, Perez is reportedly so desperate to return to his native Spain that he is now keen to rip up his contract with Brendan Rodgers’ side, which is perhaps reflected in his lack of game time under the Northern Irish manager.

The 29-year-old first arrived in England in 2014 when he joined Newcastle United from Tenerife and he would go on to become a big hit with the Toon faithful, contributing 48 goals and 17 assists in 195 appearances for the northeast side.

A £30m move to Leicester City would follow in 2019 but he has struggled to consistently replicate that form with the Foxes, hitting just 14 goals and 11 assists in 105 appearances.

After making just 14 appearances in the top flight last season, it was perhaps no surprise to him targeted by other Premier League clubs and he could have been a stellar addition to Vieira’s side, especially in the Eagles’ attack alongside the talented Eberechi Eze.

The former QPR man has enjoyed a superb start to the Premier League season, averaging a 7.05 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the top flight, after notching two goals and two assists.

WhoScored suggests that both Eze and Perez like to dribble and play short passes, which suggests that they could have linked up well had the Spaniard made the move to Selhurst Park.

During his time at Newcastle United, Perez earned the praise of former goalkeeper Steve Harper on talkSPORT.He said (via SportsMole):

“He looks a quality, quality footballer and he’s made that number 10 role his own.

“As a link-up player technically, he’s very good but he needs to add consistency to get into the teams with the big boys.”

The prospect of Perez being at his best in a technical Palace attack that includes the likes of Eze, Michael Olise and Wilfried Zaha would surely have been an exciting one for Vieira, and the Frenchman may well be gutted that Palace couldn’t bring him in during the summer, especially if he completes a free transfer to a Spanish side in the near future.

Aston Villa could continue their efforts to bring Brentford manager Thomas Frank in as their new boss, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Frank linked with Villa job

The Villans are still working hard on acquiring the services of a new manager after Steven Gerrard’s sacking, with a host of names seemingly in the mix.

One of those is Frank, who has emerged as a front-runner for the role after impressing hugely at Brentford, taking them into the Premier League for the first time.

It appears as though Villa are still eyeing him up as a standout candidate, following a fresh update.

The Latest: Villa expected to test Frank’s loyalty

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that Villa ideally want a manager who knows the Premier League well, with interest in Frank still strong.

The journalist said:

“One of the key things I’m told they are looking for is someone with Premier League experience. Gerrard was an experiment that backfired but I think they are still willing to give someone else a platform if Pochettino does not arrive.

“I can see them testing Thomas Frank’s loyalty, for example.”

The Verdict: Would he quit Brentford?

Frank has done more than enough at Brentford to suggest that he would be a great appointment by Villa – Graham Potter has called him ‘fantastic’ – although the key could be whether or not he is happy to leave his current club.

Things are going smoothly for the Dane in west London, with his side earning a 0-0 draw against Chelsea in midweek, and he may see exiting the Bees as a risk.

That being said, Villa remain a prestigious club who could offer more money and ambition than someone of Brentford’s size, so the lure of the Midlands vacancy could hopefully be too great to turn down.

West Ham fell to a 1-0 defeat against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, with Marcus Rashford’s first-half goal the difference at Old Trafford.

After a disappointing first 45, David Moyes’ side had plenty of chances in the latter stages but couldn’t find a way past an inspired David de Gea in the United goal, with the defeat leaving the Hammers in 13th position in the Premier League.

Jarrod Bowen was guilty of missing arguably West Ham’s best chance of the game in the final moments, as he scuffed Pablo Fornals’ cross when he had to at least hit the target, but the former Hull City man was at least involved in the game on his return from injury.

As per SofaScore, the England international would have 39 touches of the ball at Old Trafford and was fouled on four occasions, which showed that he was willing to drive past players as we saw so often last season.

Gianluca Scamacca, meanwhile, cut an isolated figure up front for Moyes’ side and was rightly hooked after managing just 18 touches of the ball and making only nine passes in his 57 minutes on the pitch.

The Italian was also perhaps lucky to escape a red card, as he caught Lisandro Martinez with a high boot having already been booked for tripping Rashford.

The summer signing had no shots on target, completed no dribbles and failed to win any ground duels at Old Trafford, which emphasises that United’s centre-backs well and truly got the better of him.

Speaking of the striker’s performance, Malik Ouzia summed things up well, saying: “A really poor afternoon. Devoid of service but has to do more to get involved. Looks hurt by Lucas Paqueta’s absence.”

Hammers fans will have been hoping that the 6 foot 5 striker could make an impact against Martinez and Harry Maguire, given the latter’s lack of confidence and the former’s lack of height, but he showed very little attacking impetus and was barely involved at Old Trafford.

The fact that he managed fewer touches than Lukasz Fabianski’s 25, despite the Polish shot-stopper only featuring in the first half, shows just how little impact Scamacca would have on Sunday.

After another game in which the Hammers failed to find the back of the net, Moyes may revert back to the tried and tested Michail Antonio when his side face Crystal Palace next weekend.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore is ‘confident’ that Fisayo Dele-Bashiru will sign a new contract with the League One club.

The Lowdown: Attracting interest

The 21-year-old put pen to paper at Hillsborough from Manchester City two years ago, and has since gone on to become an integral member of the starting XI, having made 59 appearances to date.

The midfielder’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, but despite interest from Championship clubs Bristol City and Blackpool, it sounds like he is set to extend his stay with the Owls.

The Latest: Dele-Bashiru contract update

Speaking to YorkshireLive, Moore delivered an update on Dele-Bashiru’s situation and revealed that negotiations over a new deal are currently ongoing.

“We are talking (about a new contract) at the moment. The boy is happy here. He wants to stay here and we want him to stay here but we understand from a contractual point of view that it has got to be right for all parties.

“Myself and the staff are working extremely hard with him. When I look at his game from last year to where it is now, he has improved massively. That is work on the training ground. It is breaking down an individual’s game and looking at what you can add to it.

“We have certainly added elements to his game with the ability that he has got and we will continue to do so. I am confident that he will sign and I know we are doing all that we can.”

The Verdict: Fully deserved

Dele-Bashiru being offered fresh terms would be nothing less than he deserves given the impressive start he’s had to the 2022/23 season.

The Hamburg-born talent already has five goals and two assists to his name, and is averaging a 90.1% pass success rate across all competitions (WhoScored).

Just three points off automatic promotion, the youngster has played a significant role in helping his side reach their current position and could be influential when it comes to where they end up at the end of the season.

Everton could be set to swoop in and raid a Premier League rival in peril…

What’s the latest?

According to transfer insider Pete O’Rourke, Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Daniel Podence could be of interest to Frank Lampard.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said:

“Bit of a surprise this – Podence linked with Everton. I think most people would think Everton would be looking for an out-and-out striker right now to improve their goal-scoring.

“That’s been a big problem for Frank Lampard’s side. He’s sorted out the defensive side of things, improved a lot that side so they are looking to add more upfront and Podence on his day there is a quality player for Wolves, but again he flatters to deceive maybe on too many occasions for Wolves as well.”

He could be a perfect Everton player

With the Old Gold seriously underperforming this season, it could be perfect for the Toffees to swoop in and sign the 27-year-old who has intermittently impressed at Molineux.

The versatile £17m wiz last season scored six and assisted three in all competitions, but earns the bulk of his praise from how he drives his team forward and works relentlessly.

Podence embodies the bare minimum that Evertonians demand from their players, as he gets people on their feet with his quick feet, whilst Alan Smith has also praised his “great work ethic” during live coverage of Wolves vs Leicester City (via Molineux News).

In this current campaign, the diminutive wide man has made ten total chance-creating carries in just 953 minutes of play, suggesting an average of just over one a game.

He makes himself a constant threat for a side that are sitting in the relegation zone, even if his statistics themselves are not outstanding.

The £60k-per-week flyer would certainly provide additional space to the likes of Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon, as the opposition would have to remain alert in the presence of someone with such blistering speed.

Former Old Gold winger Michael Kightly highlighted this as one of his biggest assets, claiming after a performance against Everton: “He looked sharp, he looked strong. Every time we got the ball, he looked like he was going to make something of it.”

Lampard could surely mould him into a more efficient attacker, and if so, instantly becomes one of the Premier League’s more threatening prospects.

A claim has emerged on Aston Villa and their potential pursuit of Villarreal central defender Pau Torres at the start of 2023…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that Unai Emery will want to bring the defender in if he believes that the Spaniard is good enough for the Premier League.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “If he (Torres) is truly up to it, then Emery will know that and he’ll go and sign him. I think it’s as simple as that.

“There’s no-one else currently managing in the Premier League who will have as much confidence as Emery in him if that’s going to happen. It’ll be very interesting to see if it does.”

It has been reported that the club want to sign the central defender during the upcoming January transfer window, who is valued at around £40m by his club.

Big Tyrone Mings upgrade

Emery can land a big upgrade on former Villa skipper Tyrone Mings by securing a deal to sign Torres from Villarreal in the next window.

The England international has started 12 matches in the Premier League and averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.82 this season, whilst completing 83% of his attempted passes.

This comes after he averaged a score of 6.92 and completed 80% of his passes in 36 appearances in the top flight in the 2021/22 campaign.

Torres could be an improvement on the former Bournemouth man as he is a left-footed central defender who could slot in on the left side of Emery’s defence in the second half of the season.

The gem, who was once hailed as an “extraordinary talent” by his former coach Javi Calleja, has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.98 in 12 La Liga outings this term, completing 87% of his attempted passes.

He enjoyed a fantastic 2021/22 as he averaged a score of 7.09 and completed 86% of his passes, whilst scoring five goals and winning 72% of his ground duels – compared to Mings’ 59% and 52% last season and this term respectively.

These statistics suggest that Torres has the quality to perform to a higher level than the Villa central defender on a consistent basis, whilst he also has the ability to be a better option in possession.

Over the last 365 days, the Villarreal centre-back has completed 3.47 progressive passes per 90 and Mings has produced 1.84. This means that the Spaniard averages almost twice as many forward-thinking passes, which could improve how Emery’s side progress the ball up the pitch from the back.

Therefore, Torres could be a big upgrade on the Englishman both in terms of his defensive strength on the deck, his consistency in his performance, and his ability on the ball.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka ‘would be interested’ in returning to Crystal Palace, according to a claim from journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Wan-Bissaka unwanted at Man United

The right-back has endured a tough season at Manchester United so far, finding himself completely out of new manager Erik ten Hag’s plans at Old Trafford.

Wan-Bissaka has made just one appearance in the current Premier League campaign which lasted a mere four minutes, with Diogo Dalot often preferred in his position.

The Englishman made a name for himself at Palace, earning a big-money move to United in 2019, and it could be that a Selhurst Park reunion is on the cards in the near future.

The Latest: Palace return talked up

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke claimed that a return to Crystal Palace would appeal to Wan-Bissaka.

The journalist said:

“I’m sure Wan-Bissaka would be interested in making that return to Selhurst Park, probably on a loan deal initially. I think the right-back position at Palace is maybe not the strongest, with the likes of Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne sharing that spot right now.

“Somebody like Wan-Bissaka would probably be an upgrade on what they’ve got right now.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“398344″]

The Verdict: Makes complete sense

This feels like a match made in heaven for all concerned, with Wan-Bissaka such a highly-rated figure at Palace before he moved to United, also being tipped to become a ‘top, top’ player by former Old Trafford boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

It hasn’t worked out for him at Old Trafford and his attacking limitations have been exposed, with a meagre two goals and 10 assists in 127 games for United, but he could excel if he rejoins the Eagles, providing Patrick Vieira with another defensive option.

[freshpress-poll id=“396968”]

The hope is that Wan-Bissaka could even return to Palace as soon as January, with the Red Devils surely open to selling a peripheral figure and the player himself no doubt itching to enjoy more regular game-time.

Leeds United have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Ola Aina to Elland Road in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), who claim that, after being linked with a move for the Torino full-back over the course of the summer, Victor Orta could now be handed a second chance to land the 26-year-old this winter, with the Serie A side now said to be ‘on the hunt for potential buyers’ in January.

The report goes on to state that this is down to the fact that the Nigeria international’s current contract at the Stadio Olimpico is set to expire at the end of the season, with technical director Davide Vagnati eager to receive some sort of fee for a player he valued at €10m (£8.7m) in the summer transfer window.

Orta must move

Considering just how solid Aina has been for Torino in recent seasons, coupled with the fact the former Chelsea starlet is able to feature from either left or right-back, the argument that Orta simply must launch a move for the defender in January is an incredibly easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 21 Serie A appearances – £3.6m-rated talent highly impressed in an attacking capacity, creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.5 shots, making 0.8 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

The £31k-per-week full-back also caught the eye in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 1.2 clearances and winning 4.3 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per game, with these returns seeing the player who Michael Oti Adjei dubbed “unreal” average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.82.

It has been a similar story over his 10 league outings – six of which have come at left wing-back – in the current campaign, with the 26-year-old having already scored one goal and created three big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.7 key passes, 1.3 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and winning 4.3 duels – at a success rate of 55% – per game.

These returns have seen the 29-cap international average an even more impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.88, currently ranking him as Ivan Jurić’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of Italian football.

As such, with left-back having been something of a big problem for Jesse Marsch since his appointment at Elland Road earlier this year – with Junior Firpo struggling with both form and injuries since his move to the club last summer – it is easy to see why Orta would be keen on a move for Aina in January, as a player of his ability would be a very welcome addition at the back.