All posts by n8rngtd.top

Southampton’s decision to let Steven Davis join Rangers on a free transfer in the summer of 2019 looks to have been a poor one, with the Northern Ireland international emphasising his quality in Steven Gerrard’s side this season.

After an initial loan spell, the experienced midfielder was allowed to join the Ibrox outfit on a free transfer, having made the switch from Rangers to Southampton seven years earlier.

Southampton originally signed Davis from the Glasgow club in 2012 and he went on to make 226 appearances for the Saints, contributing 14 goals and 26 appearances.

However, his influence in Southampton’s side clearly waned and he made just three Premier League appearances in the first half of the 2018/19 season before joining Gerrard’s side on loan, where the former Liverpool captain was convinced to make the midfielder’s deal permanent in the summer.

Despite now being 36, Davis has been hugely impressive for Rangers this season and has been an important part of their superb title win, making 30 appearances in the Premiership, where his performances have seen him average an impressive 6.99 WhoScored rating.

The veteran, who reportedly earns £20,000 per week at Rangers, shows no signs of slowing down and was recently rewarded with a one-year contract extension by the club , so will undoubtedly be an important member of their squad next season.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

Davis also continues to be a regular with Northern Ireland and recently broke Peter Shilton’s long-standing record to become the most capped UK player in history after he earned his 126th cap for his country.

Considering the injury problems Southampton have faced, particularly this season, having someone of Davis’ experience at the club would have perhaps been useful both on and off the pitch, as he could have provided excellent cover when Oriol Romeu and Ibrahima Diallo were sidelined earlier in the season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Davis clearly has the fitness and talent to play at the top level, so it seems clear that Southampton let him go far too easily in 2019 as, even at 36, he could have been an important part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad this season had they stuck with him.

In other news… Southampton could find their Ward-Prowse replacement in 23 y/o beast who is a “joy to watch”

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, former Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood has made a claim about Ollie Watkins’ chances of featuring in the England squad for the Euros this summer, and if his claim turns out to be true, then it could well be good news for Dean Smith.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about Watkins’ chances of being called up, Harewood said:

“I wouldn’t rule it out. But with the calibre of strikers that we have now, I can’t see him being ahead of the majority of them that can play up there because you’ve [also] got the likes of Sterling and players like that can play up front now.”

Whilst Watkins will undoubtedly be hoping to receive his first England cap in the near future after an impressive debut campaign in the Premier League, keeping him away from Gareth Southgate’s squad could allow Smith to hold on to the 25-year-old for a while longer.

Since signing from Brentford in the summer transfer window for a club-record fee of £28 million, the striker, who reportedly earns £75k per week, has been a huge part of Villa’s success this season, contributing 10 goals and three assists in 27 Premier League appearances, resulting in an impressive 7.23 rating.

This includes an impressive hat-trick in Villa’s 7-2 win against Liverpool earlier in the season, with the young striker having also formed an excellent partnership with Jack Grealish this season, with the duo arguably the two most influential and valuable players in Smith’s squad.

If Watkins were to receive an England call-up, you could argue that it would attract the attention of the clubs in the Premier League who are regulars in the Champions League and Europa League, which could lead to Watkins having his head turned.

Tottenham Hotspur were linked with a move for the striker in the summer before his move to Villa and now that he has established himself in the top-flight, perhaps we could see them return for him in the future, especially if he starts performing on the international stage.

Furthermore, the youngster getting a well-earned break in the summer could be hugely beneficial to Villa, especially after such a demanding season.

Therefore, if Harewood’s claim comes true and Watkins is left out of Southgate’s squad for the upcoming friendlies and Euros, then it may well prove to be a boost to Villa.

And, in other news… Tyrone Mings let Smith down with a shocking display vs Newcastle

Writing on Twitter, West Ham United have confirmed a new deal for number one shot stopper Lukasz Fabianski until 2022 – prompting many Irons to flock in excitement to this news as the Poland international decides to extend his stay in east London. 

Fabianski, who is manager David Moyes’ first choice in between the sticks for West Ham, has now opted to remain at the London Stadium until the end of next season.

The 35-year-old’s deal was set to expire upon the conclusion of 2020/2021, but his one-year contract extension means he will remain a Moyes player for the foreseeable future.

West Ham have a real opportunity to clinch European qualification this season, with Fabianski’s new deal meaning he could be along for the ride if Moyes’ men make it.

Flocking to this news, Fabianski’s decision to sign on has prompted much excitement – with one Iron even calling it ‘amazing news’ – the shot-stopper has been superb since joining from Swansea in 2018.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans erupt at Fabianski new deal

“Amazing news”

Credit: @whuLeo

“Yesssss”

Credit: @whufc_lewis

“Fantastic news just need a quality back up”

Credit: @Ramsgatehammer

“Absolute no brainer. Stability in a position we’ve not had stability in for a long time.”

Credit: @CraigLewis1990

“Big for us, he has been solid”

Credit: @JakeWilliam0502

“Great news, don’t know why people keep discussing bringing in new GKs when he’s performing perfectly fine”

Credit: @henry_hh_95

“Beautiful stuff. Another year of the polish prince”

Credit: @ReganEveringha1

“Great news. Still a fantastic keeper, as we saw against Leeds on Monday. COYI”

Credit: @DJBazMati

In other news: West Ham are eyeing this starlet, find out more here.

It may have ended in yet another Premier League defeat for West Brom, but there’s no questioning that there were plenty of positives to take from the game against Everton on Thursday night.

The Baggies were left to walk away with nothing after a strike from Richarlison, but Sam Allardyce’s men put in one of their more impressive displays of the campaign and were desperately unlucky not to at least grab a point.

They managed the same number of shots and shots on target as the visitors, with Jordan Pickford forced into making a couple of fines saves on the night.

But, one man who let his manager down with a truly woeful display was Matheus Pereira.

The winger looked completely out of sorts going forward, being extremely sloppy in possession and causing any potential counter-attacks and dangerous moves to break down – as per Sofascore, he lost possession 24 times, which was the joint-most of any Baggies player on the pitch.

He also failed to provide a single key pass – something that three of the Baggies’ back-line managed – and missed the target with all six of the crosses that he attempted.

In his post-match player ratings for the Birmingham Mail, Joseph Chapman gave him a 5 (the lowest of any West Brom player), and wrote: “A bit like on Saturday against Brighton, he wasn’t at the races in the first period. Passes went astray, moves fell down when they reached him.

“That’s unlike Pereira, who knows already that Allardyce won’t hesitate to change things up. Marginally better in the second but must rediscover that spark.”

That point about Allardyce not being hesitate to “change things up” should result in Pereira being dropped from the Baggies’ next game.

The 24-year-old has failed to score or assist in his last six Premier League games, and his latest howler should see the West Brom boss take the initiative and leave him out against Newcastle United on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Carlton Palmer has exclusively delivered his verdict on West Brom…

Following GSB’s failed attempt to bring in a striker for West Ham United during the January transfer window, plenty of Hammers have pleaded with their club to sign Southampton star Danny Ings. 

Ings, who has scored 8 goals this season under Ralph Hasenhuttl (Transfermarkt), starring for the Saints as their arguable best player, is currently at the centre of contract disputes as the Englishman currently stalls on signing a new deal at St Mary’s.

The club and player are still in negotiations over an agreement to tie him down (The Daily Mail), and this situation has prompted interest from some Premier League clubs, including West Ham.

ExWHUemployee revealed at the beginning of this month that David Moyes and GSB could try to sign Ings in the summer (West Ham Way Podcast), and while there have been no fresh links, Irons are clearly eager to see him at the London Stadium, especially after seeing his wonder goal against Wolves on Sunday afternoon.

Flocking to social media, they have begged their side to get a deal done – find all of their best comments down below.

West Ham fans beg GSB to sign Ings

“just get Danny Ings signed. Just what we need. get it done Moysie!”

Credit: @stephenlott

“Ings in claret and blue next season.”

Credit: @westhamtransfer

“Need to do absolutely everything to get Danny Ings at West Ham in the summer”

Credit: @LiamCaseyX

“What a goal by Ings! Come to West Ham please!”

Credit: @Dyer1Adam

“Get Ings to West Ham”

Credit: @ClaireLacey_1

“Danny Ings for me ..proven premier league striker and hasn’t signed a new contract at Southampton…”

Credit: @belly1966

“Ings, El-Nousri, Toney 1 of them 3 in the summer I beg”

Credit: @HarrisonTuckwe1

In other news: West Ham are expected to bid for this 6 foot 3 powerhouse, find out more here.

Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash with arch-rivals Chelsea this evening, Jose Mourinho has been cruelly dealt some troubling injury news…

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick’s update ahead of tonight’s game against Chelsea, two of Spurs’ injured players have now seemingly been ruled out for the remainder of February.

Giovani Lo Celso has been absent since pulling up with a hamstring problem in their 2-0 defeat to Leicester City on December 20th, and the reliable journalist claims ‘there is little prospect of the midfielder returning for at least three weeks.’

While Sergio Reguilon is another who is currently on the treatment table at present.

Kilpatrick has also delivered an update over his progress as he too is out with hamstring trouble, though just like the Argentine, he’s ‘set to miss most of February.’

Cruel blow

Given Spurs’ current form, this will quickly become a nightmare for Mourinho as he could really do with both players right now. Indeed, they have lost back-to-back matches and now face the Blues, who have a bit of a new manager bounce after appointing Thomas Tuchel.

Spurs have missed both players and their attacking influence substantially over the last few weeks and would have hoped to have them back as soon as possible.

Across their two defeats to Liverpool (3-1) last week and then Brighton (1-0) on Sunday, Mourinho’s side have only amassed an xG of 0.47 as per Understat.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s strike against the defending champions was a rare scorcher from long-range, so without that, they’d have failed to score in successive outings.

Lo Celso ranks third for key passes per 90 (1.88) but when you factor in those that have played at least ten league games, he sits top of the tree, so clearly, Spurs have lacked his presence in attacking midfield as he’s been the man providing those valuable chances to Kane and co.

Similarly, only Kane (11) and Heung-min Son (six) have delivered more assists for Spurs than Reguilon (three) in the Premier League this term, as per WhoScored.

No left-sided full-back is managing as many as his 0.7 successful crosses per 90 either. And that’s a problem as they attack most down this flank (37%).

It’s no wonder that Spurs have struggled to score in the absence of the duo, so to be without them throughout the rest of the month with games against Everton in the FA Cup, league leaders Man City and for the return of the Europa League knockout stages, is potentially one cruel blow to their chances of stopping the rot anytime soon.

Even when Kane hopefully returns next week, he’s going to struggle to score goals himself if Spurs aren’t creating chances, so having Lo Celso and Reguilon sidelined for such a long time is certainly going to keep Mourinho up at night.

AND in other news, Mourinho must unleash “exciting” £26m-rated beast tonight, he could be Spurs’ game-changer…

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite will have thrilled Carlo Ancelotti after producing a brilliant performance during his Blackburn Rovers debut at home to Stoke City on Saturday.

Branthwaite only moved to Ewood Park  on Thursday after agreeing to a half-season loan deal to become the Championship side’s first signing of the January transfer window.

The 18-year-old described the deal as a “no-brainer” as Tony Mowbray’s side was the only club he wanted to leave the Toffees for, after making only one first-team outing at Goodison Park this term due to an early-season ankle injury.

Branthwaite played the full 90 minutes as Blackburn rescued a point at home to Stoke on Saturday, in a game that saw the Potters’ influence grow throughout the second-period as Rovers struggled to find their rhythm.

Stoke took the lead late in the first half courtesy of a Nick Powell header but were pegged back by Adam Armstrong, who saved the Lancashire outfit’s blushes against a 10-man Potters side with his 16th goal of the Championship campaign.

Despite Stoke’s pressure, Branthwaite offered a reassuring presence at the back with strong and assertive challenges, and Rovers have been lauded by Lancs Live for bringing a ball-playing centre-half to Ewood Park, even if the £15,000-per-week titan’s inexperience occasionally came to the surface at set-pieces.

Rovers supporters also flooded a club tweet praising Branthwaite for an assured display, with some describing the 6 ft 5 colossus as their Man of the Match for his brilliant efforts.

Branthwaite deservedly earned the praise of Blackburn supporters following his debut, as his performance offered Mowbray a key figure beside Rovers captain Darragh Lenihan that will have undoubtedly delighted Ancelotti back at Everton.

The teen talent, making his first senior appearance in any competition since September, attempted one additional tackle compared to his experienced central defensive partner Lenihan, with each man boasting a 100% tackle success rate with in each of their three and two respective tackles, per WhoScored.

Branthwaite further stood firm to provide his side’s second-most clearances (3) to help protect Thomas Kaminski’s goal, was never dribbled past, and offered two interceptions to thwart Stoke’s frontline consisting of six-goal striker Powell and Jacob Brown, who has offered 0.8 shots per game on average this season as a frequent attacking threat.

Ancelotti will also have been impressed to see the Blues’ prospect contest a game-high five defensive aerial duels with a 60% success rate, as he held down the left-side of defence beside full-back Barry Douglas, winning more aerial duels than Everton’s current centre-half options have averaged per game in the Premier League this season.

Branthwaite was also far safer in possession than 26-year-old Lenihan, with an 84% completion rate from 41 of 49 passes, compared to his teammate’s 74%, while losing possession 10 times compared to 19, and never shying from taking the ball to register 62 touches, per SofaScore.

Had Branthwaite’s performance been in an Ancelotti backline during a top-flight fixture, his efforts would likely have stood out, with only Ben Godfrey offering a greater haul of successful tackles per game (3.3) when fielded centrally for Everton, per WhoScored.

It was a good start to his team at Blackburn, hopefully for Everton, Branthwaite can continue to play in such a manner for the rest of the season and come back to Goodison Park as a player who is ready to battle for a regular place in Ancelotti’s starting line-up.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £9m defensive titan ahead of a potential January transfer.

Sunderland are back in action this evening as they head to League Two strugglers Oldham Athletic for the second round of the EFL Trophy.

Lee Johnson was only appointed on Saturday afternoon, and was thrown straight into the mire, though his presence in the dugout couldn’t inspire the Black Cats to a victory as Wigan Atheltic ended a ten-game winless run at the Stadium of Light.

Ahead of tonight’s fixture, the 39-year-old claimed he would use the encounter as an opportunity to implement his ideas, so there may not be too many alterations to the starting XI.

Although, there will be some changes in personnel as the likes of academy shot-stopper Anthony Patterson and Wolves loanee Dion Sanderson are set to be handed starts whilst Charlie Wyke is in line to feature.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper replaces Lee Burge between the sticks in the first change from Saturday’s defeat.

Central defensive pairing Bailey Wright and Tom Flanagan are set to keep their places, but Johnson will be forced into another change at left-back after Denver Hume was confirmed to be out for the rest of December.

We could see Callum McFadzean come in as the only alternative whilst Sanderson replaces Conor McLaughlin on the other flank.

In midfield, there could be some rare opportunities for the likes of George Dobson, taking the defensive midfield role from veteran Grant Leadbitter, as well as young 19-year-old sensation Daniel Neill, who may start alongside Josh Scowen further up the pitch.

Neill has started all three matches in the EFL Trophy thus far, but is yet to feature in League One this term.

Chris Maguire is another who keeps his place amongst the line-up but there are two more changes.

At left-wing we could see Jack Diamond come in as Aiden McGeady isn’t fit enough to start back-to-back matches in quick succession whilst the aforementioned Wyke replaces Will Grigg in the attack.

Predicted XI: Patterson; McFadzean, Wright, Flanagan, Sanderson; Dobson, Scowen, Neill; Diamond, Maguire, Wyke.

AND in other news, Sunderland could prosper immensely under Kristjaan Speakman…

Glasgow Rangers defender George Edmundson faces an uncertain future as Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard has been given a huge injury boost, if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Record, Nikola Katic is expected to make a full recovery from his long-term injury in January. The Croatian sustained an injury in training before the start of the season which has ruled him out of action for several months.

Gerrard brought in Leon Balogun as emergency cover in the summer and the Nigeria international has turned out to be a real bargain so far. But Katic is targeting a return from rehab for some time in January.

His agent Ives Cakarun said, as quoted by The Daily Record: “All is going well.

“We hope Nikola will be ready for January. It was a big operation, cruciate ligaments and both meniscus.”

The timing couldn’t be any better for Gerrard, as Balogun somewhat survived unscathed during the international break after a minor injury scare, which would have left him with only two viable centre-back options in Connor Goldson and Filip Helander, as Edmundson has been handed a lengthy suspension after breaking coronavirus protocols to attend a party with people from outside his household.

The Daily Record revealed both Edmundson and Jordan Jones have been hit with seven-game bans by the SFA for breaching COVID rules, which means they will only be available for selection by the end of December. So Gerrard and Ross Wilson must rid themselves of the Oldham Athletic academy graduate when the transfer market reopens in the winter as this is surely the final straw.

Get him gone, Wilson!

When trust is broken in a relationship, that is in essence where the problem lies. Gerrard, ever the consummate professional during his heydays at Anfield, will have been appalled by the fact that they couldn’t adhere to COVID regulations like the rest of their teammates.

Anyone who has watched The Last Dance will remember the time when Dennis Rodman went partying in Las Vegas during the NBA season. The trouble is, Edmundson isn’t Gerrard’s Michael Jordan, let alone Dennis Rodman. If anything, he’s a bit-part fringe squad player at best, someone who is often on the outside looking in. He has only made one appearance in the Europa League qualifying rounds so far this season, playing the full 90′ minutes against Lincoln Red Imps, before being left out of the squad along with Jermain Defoe and Jones for the group stage matches.

In two games in the Europa League last season, the 23-year-old made 6 clearances per game, but only managed 0.5 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game, via WhoScored. On the other hand, Katic, who is only one year older than his clubmate, managed 2 tackles per game in the European competition last term, as per WhoScored.

Former Celtic centre-back Gary Caldwell believes Edmundson, who reportedly earns wages worth £4,200-per-week, has made a “terrible” decision after the COVID breach. He told BBC Sportsound, as quoted by The Daily Record: “It’s terrible. Steven Gerrard will have something to say about it.

“If you can’t trust the players to adhere to Covid regulations, how can he trust them on the football park? To mark a man from a set-piece?

“It’s disappointing for Rangers but also disappointing for Scottish football.

“The situation clubs find themselves in financially, they’re going to need help at some point so we need to be showing Scottish football in the best light and unfortunately we didn’t do that.”

He burst onto the scene after a strong showing against Hamilton Academical at Ibrox last season, but will have hardly done himself any favours whatsoever with his latest blunder.

If everything plans out as is expected, it’s likely we will see Edmundson heading for the exit, either by way of a loan move or on a permanent basis, as Katic will probably battle Balogun, Goldson and Helander for a place in the starting line-up. You have to set an example, one way or another.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must put his faith in Ianis Hagi after “super” verdict from Romania U21 boss Adrian Mutu…

Former Premier League defender Kenny Cunningham questioned Jurgen Klopp’s tactics which saw Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi withdrawn early from the action against FC Midtjylland on Tuesday night.

The Reds made hard work of their 2-0 victory against the Danish side as they maintained their 100% record in the Champions League. Diogo Jota scored the opening goal of the game, which was the club’s 10,000th goal in competitive action, before substitute Mohamed Salah sealed the deal with a late second half penalty.

Klopp opted to make several changes to his starting line-up, which featured both Minamino and Origi in attack. Both players received match ratings of 6.5 (Sofascore) and were brought off just after the hour mark.

Speaking to RTE Soccer, Cunningham was baffled by this decision and expressed his disappointment that they were both substituted at the time that they were and even made references about private planes, even though the game was taking place at Anfield.

With this in mind, some supporters were astonished by what they heard from Cunningham and were quick to make their feelings clear on social media after the match had ended.

Fans blast Kenny Cunningham’s views

In other news, Liverpool fans howl at Jurgen Klopp’s FC Midtjylland verdict on “awful” asset.