All posts by z3u9t.icu

Aston Villa and Manchester United have both been linked with a move for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

And, according to Goal, relayed by The AVFC Faithful, the Switzerland international could leave for as little as €6m (£5m) this month, with a number of Villa fans responding to the update on social media.

Zakaria, valued at £24.3m by Transfermarkt, has six months remaining on his deal with Monchengladbach, meaning he could pen a pre-contract agreement with a Premier League side right now ahead of a summer move.

However, Johan Lange and co appear to be after a holding midfielder immediately with Marvelous Nakamba sidelined, and reports have suggested Zakaria could be available due to his precarious contract situation.

The 25-year-old has made 16 appearances this season, taking his Monchengladbach tally to 144, but it seems as if he may not hit the 150 mark following the recent update.

Villa fans react

This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to The AVFC Faithful’s post, with many urging the club to swoop and one labelling a €6m fee as ‘a steal’.

“offer them 10 I beg”

Credit: @Jamie_UTV

“C’mon NSWE, get your lovely fingers all over this. Unbelievable price for a great player. There’s gotta be a catch, surely?”

Credit: @BabyTaylorAVFC

“YOU WHATTTTT”

Credit: @AVFCJJC2

“This is a steal. Get it done @AVFCOfficial”

Credit: @BradDavis28

“I would love Bissouma and I would pay 40m in a heartbeat. But surely this is something we should be all over… the value for money is off the scale”

Credit: @BOOMBEEF

“Omg pleaseee”

Credit: @doyle_josh1

In other news: ‘Called it a week after Gerrard arrived’ – Lots of AVFC fans flock to Ornstein’s transfer update.   

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans were critical of Florian Kamberi’s performance in their 0-0 draw at Portsmouth in League One on Tuesday night.

The Owls perhaps would have settled for a point in the end as Massimo Luongo was given a straight red card for violent conduct in the 69th minute, meaning that they had to hold out for more than 20 minutes with 10 men on the field.

However, when a team goes down a player, they really need the help of the forwards to hold the ball up and bring others into play whenever they can attack.

Alas, Kamberi struggled while Wednesday had 11 men, let alone 10, as he lost out on all seven of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on goal or dribble. In addition, he was guilty of losing possession of the ball seven times in total during the game (SofaScore).

Sheff Wed fans on Kamberi display

These Owls fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘poor man’s Stevie May’, referring to the Scottish striker who only managed seven goals in his 42-match Wednesday career:

“Kamberi not offering much at all!”

Credit: @ABKTowl

“Kamberi, poor man’s Stevie May”

Credit: @Elliott51084

“Kamberi & Gregory just can’t play together. Running the same lines, banging into each other. It’s embarrassing.”

Credit: @bensaavage

“Kamberi totally oblivious. Hook him.”

Credit: @mrpaulhank

“Kamberi ain’t good enough”

Credit: @LockStar9

“Just like to say, I don’t think I have ever seen anyone slip over on a football pitch as much as Kamberi. Reckon he might need bigger studs or something.”

Credit: @ReeceDaviesSWFC

In other news, one man’s display against Hartlepool was slammed by these Sheff Wed fans

Rennes striker Gaetano Laborde would be a better option than youngster Fabio Silva at Wolves, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Silva struggles at Wolves

Silva made a big-money move to Molineux from Porto in 2020 but he has found it extremely difficult to fulfill his potential to date.

The 19-year-old has scored just four goals in 46 appearances for Wolves, often looking out of his depth in the physical Premier League.

It has led to rumours linking Wanderers with a move for a striker, with Laborde one name who has been tipped to join the club.

The Latest: Hatfield makes Laborde claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hatfield claimed the 27-year-old would be a superior backup option behind Raul Jimenez, suggesting a deal should get done:

“Yeah, for me, I think that’s a fair kind of proposition to make upon the relationship between Lage and Silva at the moment.”

Laborde is enjoying an impressive season for Rennes, scoring six goals in 14 Ligue 1 appearances. His current deal expires in the summer of 2025.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375704”]

The Verdict: Sign him up

It would be unfair to write off Silva because of his age, but at the moment, he simply isn’t offering enough in terms of end product and it is affecting Wolves’ goal threat. They have only scored 13 goals in 17 league matches.

There is too much pressure on Jimenez to perform regularly, especially after a serious head injury kept him for the majority of the last campaign, but Laborde would ease the Mexican star’s workload.

Aside from his aforementioned prowess in front of goal, the £16.2million-rated Frenchman has also averaged 1.2 key passes per game in the league this season – Silva has averaged a disappointing 0.1 – and chipped in with three assists, showing he can create as well, perhaps making him the perfect foil to even play alongside Jimenez.

In other news, three Wolves players struggled despite the win over Brighton. Find out who they are here.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been included in FIFA 22’s latest Team of the Week following his displays for Argentina during the international break.

Villa shared the news on Twitter, and, as to be expected, many Villa fans were quick to praise the shot-stopper as a result.

Martinez, who has featured in all but one of Villa’s Premier League games this season, earned his 13th and 14th caps for his country, helping them qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The 29-year-old didn’t concede a goal in a win over Uruguay and a stalemate with Brazil and has been included in EA Sports’ Team of the Week alongside the likes of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

Martinez’s new in-form card is rated at 86, two higher than his base card which was released at the beginning of the series.

Villa fans react

This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply to Martinez’s card, with one saying his son will be ‘buzzing’ at the update, while another labelled the fan favourite as a ‘phenomenon’.

“You just love to see it”

Credit: @branvilladon

“The bloke is a phenomenon”

Credit: @markwalker1985

“YES!!! Give me him red”

Credit: @AlexLeeXXI

“Oh that’s filthy”

Credit: @ajbyrne_avfc

“My son will be buzzing”

Credit: @designs_HR

“Absolutely gorgeous”

Credit: @ChukwuemekaSZN

“WWWWW”

Credit: @AVFCJJC

In other news: Lots of Aston Villa fans flock to Leon Bailey injury news. 

Taking to Twitter in reply to a Tottenham supporter, Sportitalia TV’s transfer ‘insider’ Gianluigi Longari has made a two-word claim involving River Plate striker Julian Alvarez.

The Lowdown: Spurs in striker search?

Over the summer, Tottenham chief Fabio Paratici pinpointed the centre-forward position as one of the main areas to strengthen for Spurs given their over-reliance on star man Harry Kane.

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As per The Telegraph, Spurs’ managing director had his sights on Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic as well as other lesser-known targets like Crotone forward Simy, who eventually sealed a loan move to Salernitana.

Ahead of Janaury, Tottenham have been tipped to target reinforcements for the forward areas yet again, and as per Longari’s information, their eyes may now stretch beyond Europe.

The Latest: Spurs eye Alvarez…

Dropping a two-word Spurs claim on social media, the Italian reporter has revealed that they are one of the many clubs eyeing a move for Argentine striker Alvarez.

Simply stating ‘they are’ when a supporter pleaded for Tottenham to be interested in the 21-year-old, Longari lifted the lid on Paratici’s fondness for the Primera División sensation.

The Verdict: Good option…

As Tottenham assess striking options for Antonio Conte, we believe their scope should spread far and wide, leaving no stone unturned. This could mean weighing up alternatives to the likes of Vlahovic in prolific options outside of Europe.

Alvarez certainly comes as a brilliant target from the South Americas, as evident by his phenomenal haul of 17 goals and eights assists over 2021/22 in the league alone (Transfermarkt).

His proficiency in front of goal is only matched by his plaudits, with the 21-year-old even drawing comparisons to Luis Suarez. Meanwhile, Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni called the player ‘amazing’, leaving little wonder Tottenham have taken an interest.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist makes exciting Spurs transfer claim with big offer tabled, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to extend their lead at the top of Group G in the UEFA Conference League later this evening.

Nuno Santo will take a much-changed squad to the Netherlands to face Vitesse and they head into kickoff on the back of three straight wins in all competitions, including a 5-1 whitewash against NS Mura in this very competition last time out.

Spurs defeated Newcastle United on Sunday to go fifth in the Premier League standings but none of the starting XI are expected to feature today.

But what sort of lineup could the Portuguese head coach select? Here’s what we are predicting…

As already mentioned, there could be a whole new 11 starting in Holland.

Between the sticks, club captain Hugo Lloris is replaced by Pierluigi Gollini, who has started all four of their matches in this tournament, whilst there could be a new back four of Ben Davies, Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga.

They come in for first-choice quartet of Sergio Reguilon, Eric Dier, Cristian Romero and Japhet Tanganga. The latter of which gets the nod over Matt Doherty, despite the Northern Irishman featuring regularly in this competition as he misses out through injury, along with Ryan Sessegnon.

Giovani Lo Celso was one player who did not see any minutes on the pitch at St James’ Park, so he is likely to come in to partner Harry Winks, with Dele Alli also coming back into the starting XI, likely as captain, despite being snubbed in their last two league outings.

Nuno has already confirmed that Steven Bergwijn will be back after injury, so he lines up on the right over Lucas Moura, as 20-year-old “big talent” Bryan Gil takes the place of Heung-min Son on the other flank.

Teenage starlet Dane Scarlett is in line for an opportunity as the only other centre-forward available to the manager. His involvement means Harry Kane is rested ahead of the weekend.

The likes of Dilan Markanday, Nile John, Jack Clarke and Harvey White could be involved from the bench.

AND in other news, Paratici could fix Nuno’s biggest problem with Spurs swoop for £31.5m-rated “animal”…

Liverpool fans were delighted to see Harvey Elliott in individual gym training as he recovers from the injury he suffered against Leeds United.

Elliott, who was signed from Fulham in 2019, has developed into a hugely promising talent for the Reds, appearing in four Premier League matches at the start of this campaign after impressing last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers – he scored seven and provided 11 assists in 41 Championship matches (Transfermarkt).

Unfortunately, his progress was stunted against Leeds as he suffered a serious injury (Sky Sports). There were bound to be worries the youngster may not feature again this campaign, but a video has emerged from his Instagram (via Anfield Watch) showing the 18-year-old back in the gym. It seems that he could be back a lot earlier than expected going by the footage.

The video has of course been doing the rounds on Twitter ahead of Wednesday’s huge clash against Atletico Madrid, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on what one fan called an ‘amazing’ update…

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Elliott footage below

“Amazing”

Credit: @appersons

“Get him fit still has a big part to play”

Credit: @Da_Official_Kid

“Insane! Keep up the good work! Love his mentality!”

Credit: @feepee84

“Wow… This is a beautiful sight I thought it will be longer than this Hopefully 1 more month max”

Credit: @iamktj25

“Legit can’t wait to have Harvey Elliot back One of the most exciting young players I’ve seen come through since”

Credit: @PeterLFC94

“Great to see this! Well done Harvey can’t wait to see you back on the pitch”

Credit: @nikki43621557

In other news, Liverpool fans rage at this James Pearce tweet.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has confirmed that Leeds United defender Luke Ayling will require surgery ahead of the Whites’ Premier League clash against Watford on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the story?

The right-back had played the full 90 minutes in every single top-flight game this season for Marcelo Bielsa’s side before he was forced off in the closing stages of the 1-1 draw against Newcastle at St James’ Park a couple of weeks ago.

The 30-year-old then missed the subsequent clash at West Ham last time out, and Hay has now revealed that as well as missing today’s game against Watford, Ayling will require surgery to fix an issue in his knee.

Writing on Twitter, the journalist confirmed: “Ayling has a knee injury. That requires what Bielsa called “simple” surgery (a clean-out job, essentially).”

Fans will be gutted

Ayling has been a virtual ever-present for Leeds and arguably their Mr Reliable, having played the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League game last season bar one – and even that was when Bielsa decided to take him off him to try and find a goal in the last 20 minutes against ten-man Arsenal.

The versatile defender also wore the captain’s armband on 12 occasions last year, and his leadership at the back is something the Whites could really do with given the tough, winless start they have endured to begin this Premier League campaign.

Described as a “great technician” by former Arsenal academy team-mate Cedric Evina, Ayling’s absence from the Leeds side cannot be underestimated, with Bielsa saying after Leeds’ 3-0 victory over Aston Villa last October that the right-back “transmitted serenity to the rest of the team”.

He will once again be missed today, but the reports that he now requires surgery are sure to have both Bielsa and the club’s fans very worried about the amount of time he could miss and how many games he could be ruled out for amid this tricky run.

Meanwhile, Beren Cross has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to add further reinforcements to his forward line.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Red Devils are one of two Premier League clubs interested in securing the highly-rated 22-year-old’s signature, with local rivals Manchester City also listed as potential suitors.

Isak only put pen to paper on fresh terms at the Estadio Anoeta in July, but his new deal is believed to include a €90m (£76m) buyout clause, meaning an imminent exit could be on the cards.

Solskjaer would love him

After struggling to make an impact in a two-and-a-half-year spell at Borussia Dortmund, the youngster left the Signal Iduna Park in the summer of 2019 as he searched for regular game time to continue his development.

Isak scored just one goal in 13 frustrating appearances for BVB, failing to cement his place in the starting XI on a regular basis as a result, but has transformed his fortunes since arriving in Spanish football.

The 6 foot 2 attacker has gone from strength to strength during his time at Sociedad, bagging 17 goals and providing two assists in 34 La Liga appearances last season.

And his standout performances at club level saw him become a vital cog in Sweden’s national team setup over the summer as Janne Andersson’s charges reached the last-16 of Euro 2020.

Although Isak failed to find the back of the net during his four appearances at the European Championship, the versatile forward did provide two assists for his teammates and spearheaded the Scandinavian’s attack to great effect.

One impressed onlooker was Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who hinted at the forward becoming the breakout star for the tournament following his eye-catching displays.

He tweeted: “Don’t think there’s much doubt that Alexander Isak will attract a lot of attention from clubs across Europe. Exceptional talent.”

Therefore, United’s football director John Murtough must swoop for the Sociedad ace before their domestic rivals do, providing Solskjaer with another talented striker who he’d surely love to have at his disposal.

And, in other news…Report reveals concerning update over “quality” Man Utd maestro, Ole will be worried

Albian Ajeti’s first-half display against Ross County has angered loads of Celtic fans. 

Celtic were looking to return to winning ways after falling to defeat away at arch-rivals Rangers prior to the international break.

Visitors Ross County, meanwhile, were aiming to pull off an upset in Glasgow and land their first victory of the 2021/22 season.

Ajeti led the line for Celtic, with Liel Abada to his right and new signing Jota to his left.

He’d only played seven Scottish Premiership minutes before this fixture, having come on as a substitute in the 6-0 rout of St Mirren.

Ajeti had a chance to put Celtic in front midway through the half after being set through on goal, but he could only direct his shot straight at the goalkeeper.

The Swiss striker actually recorded fewer touches than Hoops ‘keeper Joe Hart and his SofaScore rating of 6.4 is the second-lowest in the team after the opening 45 minutes.

Here’s what fans had to say.

These Celtic fans rip into Ajeti

“Ajeti needs to do better in every aspect of his game.. offering nothing at the moment”

Credit: @steo_kelly89

“We are missing Kyogo’s movement big time… Ajeti like a statue”

Credit: @grimbobaggins1

“Ajeti positioning is criminal at times”

Credit: @dalehayward1

“Be nice if Ajeti tried a leg today”

Credit: @michaelmcp

“Long way to go but Ajeti just offers absolutely nothing when we want to play like this. So static.”

Credit: @CalMcl

“Ajeti couldn’t finish his tea”

Credit: @o_sneddon

In other news, Chris Sutton has floated this intriguing CEO idea.