All posts by z3u9t.icu

As the Premier League progresses and players are getting transferred like trading cards in January, it’s interesting to look at the top players of the league to far. Maybe it will inform some transfer decisions, maybe it will inform some betting options or maybe it is all pie in the sky given the ridiculous sums bandied around in the press and on TV.

Whether you’re looking for some insight or amusement, take a look at our picks for the players to keep an eye on in the Premier League.

Photo by Emilio Garcia on UnsplashJamie Vardy, Leicester City FCAre all goals created equal? That is the question that is posed from looking closely at Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy. The striker memorably put away three goals in September in a game against Burnley in the early days of the Premier League – but one of them was an own goal. No, Jamie, we’re not about to forget it either.However, Vardy is making up for it for being one of the top scorers of the Premier League, third in place behind Liverpool’s Salah and Jota. In 16 games played he has gained nine goals and his ability to turn the tables on his opponent at the last possible moment makes for a nail-biting experience to watch. For that alone, you should keep an eye on him.Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait to see him, as at the moment he’s off for a month with a hamstring injury incurred during his game against Liverpool on December 28th, 2021. He can do some sports betting online like the rest of us for the time being.Kieran Trippier, Newcastle FCOnly as of the 4th of January has the news been confirmed that Keiran Trippier is joining Newcastle United FC. Coming in from Atletico Madrid of all teams, the 31-year-old defender was bought for £12million to Newcastle, where he will be reunited with his old Burnley turned Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe. Doesn’t that warm the heart?The sad reality is that Newcastle is currently second to last in the Premier League at the moment, having shamefully won only one game since the season started, and they’ll need a decent injection of talent to pull them out of this slump. Will Trippier be the one to pull them out?He’s got the experience, having played for Burnley, Tottenham, and England in the past, and his time with Atletico Madrid has left a good impression, concluding with a La Liga win last season.Mohamed Salah, Liverpool FCLiverpool FC are currently third on the Premier League table, just a point behind Chelsea and vying for that semi-final space – and no one can say they would have got there without Mohamed Salah.Salah not only tops the scorers’ chart but the assists chart too, having assisted on 9 goals on top of his 16 scored in 20 games. In the process he equaled Jamie Vardy’s record of scoring a goal in 15 consecutive Premier League games, proving he can go against the best before him and extending his long history of breaking records.It was frankly a snub to see that he wasn’t nominated for the FIFA Fifpro World 11 awards, especially when 10 Premier League players made the cut.Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp agrees, saying that Salah is “phenomenal” and that “For sure, at the moment, he is the best player in the world.”Does praise get any higher? Even, no, especially, if it’s coming from your boss.Unfortunately, yet another game has been postponed due to an outbreak amongst the players, so we’ll have to wait to see how Salah does against Arsenal in the first semi-final match of the season.

Image from: unsplash.com

Newcastle United reportedly now have ‘the opportunity’ to sign AS Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Lowdown: Newcastle’s new Gascoigne?

Back in 2019, the player’s agent Claudio Vigorelli claimed that his client ‘resembles’ former Magpies midfielder Paul Gascoigne for his ‘physical qualities’ and can be ‘devastating’ like Gazza with his ‘technique and quality’ (The Daily Mail).

The former England international was a cult hero at St James’ Park, being their Player of the Year in the 1987/88 season, and scored 20 goals in 94 games in total for them across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Zaniolo is still only 22 years of age, and given the comparisons to Gazza, he seems to have a big future ahead of him.

The Latest: Opportunity comes around

As per Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Newcastle now have ‘the opportunity’ to sign Zaniolo for ‘significant amounts’ of money, with Tottenham Hotspur also an option for the Italy international.

However, they will not be able to sign him in the January transfer window, but a deal may be possible next summer.

The Verdict: Makes sense

With the Magpies currently in a relegation battle, it would make a lot of sense for them to wait until the summer before they can assess whether they can sign Zaniolo.

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Currently rated at £36m by 16 goals and provided a further nine assists in 87 matches for Roma, showing that he has an eye for a goal and an assist.

At 22, he has so much potential, and if Newcastle can avoid relegation, he would certainly be an astute signing to target.

In other news, NUFC are in ‘advanced talks’ with this DoF candidate

Wolves have a number of wingers in their squad, and with all of them competing to be a starter in the side, there is little room for obvious error when the opportunity arises for a starting position in the team.

Bruno Lage decided it was Francisco Trincao’s time to shine in the line up against Brighton away from home last night in their midweek Premier League fixture, that saw the side take their first three-pointer in five games, securing a 1-0 win at the AMEX.

Despite the win, Lage took to his post-match conference to make an honest statement following Trincao’s mistake in front of the dugout in the final third which led to Wolves conceding a corner, and spoke briefly about the 21-year-old’s time with Wolves so far:

“Sometimes he needs to understand the game better,” Lage said. “That’s the big experience for him and what he can learn.

“If you look at the first 15, 20 minutes, every time he tried to link the game, they counter-press and we lost the ball.

“After that he tried to link the game the way we wanted. In the Premier League there is always a good tempo and a good rhythm, and when you come from outside (England) you need to adapt.”

The Portuguese winger has had inconsistencies in his performances so far, with just one goal and not a single assist in his 14 appearances for Wolves so far this season compared to his position competitor, Daniel Podence, who has offered two goals and two assists for the side in fewer appearances.

He struggled to make an impact on his side last night against Brighton, losing the ball every 2.8 times he touched it which only continues to add to Wolves lower possession record away from home. That sits at an average of 44.1% in the Premier League, compared to 53.2% when the side plays at Molineux.

With that first statistic in mind, it’s clear to see why Tim Spiers described him as “sloppy” in possession earlier this term.

As a result of these poor performances, Lage must make the decision to axe the consistency that Trincao lacks into the team in the attacking third, especially during the congested fixtures coming up over Christmas and New Year, where Wolves can pick up a lot of points and will need to have trustworthy players to elevate their chances to get more comfortable in the top half of the table.

Wolves have an option to buy Trincao for £25m when his season long loan from Barcelona ends in the Summer of 2022, but the forward will have a lot of convincing to do for the club to feel that they should secure a permanent move for him, and prove that he can make a positive impact on the side’s efforts to secure European football next season.

Lage will have to now assess how he is going to move forward with his attacking options, as Wolves have been hit with a devastating blow to their starting side with Hwang Hee-Chan getting injured during the game last night, which could give Trincao the chance to redeem himself.

For now, however, he definitely deserves to be axed; his performances have not been good enough.

In other news: Adama Traore attracting January transfer interest

Giovanni van Bronckhorst officially started his reign as Rangers manager earlier this week and will now have the chance to run the rule over the first-team squad.

Not only will he be able to sit down and assess the options currently available to him in the team, he will also be able to check up on the players who are out on loan at other clubs to see whether or not they are worth bringing back to Ibrox in January.

Not good enough

One player who could make his way back to Glasgow in January for the wrong reasons is winger Glenn Middleton, who is currently out on loan at St Johnstone in the Premiership.

He has endured a difficult season on the pitch and has now suffered a blow off the field, with Saints boss Callum Davidson confirming that the forward will be out until Christmas. The 45-year-old said: “Glenn will be out for four to six weeks. Which will take us up to Christmas time.”

His injury could allow Van Bronckhorst to have a tough conversation with him at the training ground, presuming that he returns to Rangers to undergo his treatment. Middleton’s form has been poor in the Scottish top flight and the Dutchman must ruthlessly axe him from the squad and allow Ross Wilson to cash in on the youngster in January – recalling him from his loan to do so.

As per SofaScore, he has failed to produce a single goal or assist in 11 league matches this term. He has averaged a dismal 0.6 key passes per game despite playing in a forward role and has 0.5 shots on target per game, whilst losing possession 8.3 times from 19.2 touches per match.

Off the ball, he has been a lightweight. As per SofaScore, he has lost a whopping 76% of his duels on the pitch – on the ground and in the air. This shows that he has not been strong enough to hold his own in the physical side of the game, whilst also faltering in the final third when in possession.

Therefore, the £495k-rated dud is not good enough to make the breakthrough at Rangers any time soon on the evidence he has provided to date. Van Bronckhorst should ensure that he is sold in January whilst he still has potential as the club can maximise value for him, rather than allowing him to continue to play poorly and decrease his value to possible suitors.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst set for big behind-the-scenes Ibrox boost which should leave Rangers fans delighted…

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele…

What’s the talk?

According to Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness, PIF have submitted a proposal to the French forward as they attempt to bring him to St James’ Park.

The report claims that they have offered him €15m (£12.7m) per season in wages and a €15m signing-on fee, with the attacker out of contract at the end of the season and available on a pre-contract agreement in January as it stands.

Fans will be buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be buzzing with this update on the PIF’s efforts to land Dembele for the club for two reasons.

Firstly, they will be delighted to read that the owners are being ambitious and ready to spend a decent chunk of money to bring players to Tyneside. If he signs a three-year contract with the club on €15m per season, they would be committing €60m on the 24-year-old including the signing-on fee, which in total comes to around £50.8m, and this proves that they are willing to spend big in the market.

Fans will also be buzzing with this news as the prospect of Dembele arriving at the club is an exciting one. PSG forward and former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi previously tipped him to become ‘one of the best’, with the Argentine saying: “On the pitch he’s a phenomenon. It’s up to him where he ends up, he could be one of the best. He’s young and he is adapting.”

The 24-year-old has 51 goal contributions in 120 matches for Barcelona, having managed 32 in 50 for Borussia Dortmund earlier in his career. In total, he has produced 40 goals and 43 assists in 170 games at the top level for the two clubs, which works at out at roughly a goal contribution every two games. This shows the level of quality he could bring to Eddie Howe’s side, with his ability to score and set up goals.

Last season, Dembele scored three goals and set up two in six Champions League outings for the Catalan giants, which shows that he can deliver in the final third at the highest level of club football. Therefore, he could have the potential to arrive at Newcastle and make a big difference to the team by chipping in with vital goal contributions in the Premier League.

AND in other news, PIF can land Howe’s dream NUFC deal with “world class” £126m gem, he’s the next Suarez…

Frank McAvennie has now claimed that James McCarthy is ‘not fit enough’, and so that makes him a ‘big problem’ for Celtic.

The Lowdown: Injury problems

McCarthy has had a history of injury problems dating back to his days of playing in the Premier League with the likes of Wigan Athletic, Everton and Crystal Palace.

He has only managed to play in a mere eight games at Parkhead so far this season, and has not yet been able to complete the full 90 minutes (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Available

As cited by The Scotsman, Ange Postecoglou has claimed that McCarthy will be available for the visit of St. Johnstone on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Hoops striker now pundit McAvennie has given his reaction to the news, suggesting that he needs to stay fit so that he can be a mainstay in the side:

“He’s a big problem.

“He is the one Celtic wanted to come in and sit in the middle. That’s an important part of that side.

“It’s not happening because he’s not fit enough. He’s getting more injuries because he’s not fit enough when he does play.

“I don’t know what the situation is, I like him. Turnbull and Rogic are great going forward.

“So we need someone to sit in the midfield and win tackles. That’s what he’s for and he is a good player.

“I don’t think there is anyone else at Celtic who can do that, so we need to be careful with him.”

The Verdict: Don’t rush him

The Celts already have a plethora of options in the middle of the park, and so they do not need to rush McCarthy back just yet.

At 30 years of age now, he is clearly not going to be as fit as he was a few years ago, and with his injury history, he may struggle playing in back-to-back matches.

However, McCarthy’s experience above all is vital to the team, and so he should at least make the bench for the weekend.

In other news, find out which ‘heart-throb’ who ‘the ladies love’ McAvennie wants the Bhoys to sign here!

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a major boost regarding Raul Jimenez’s future availability.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by Birmingham Live, the government’s recent decision to take all countries off of the UK’s red list for foreign travel has handed Bruno Lage’s side a significant boost regarding the centre-forward’s availability, as the 30-year-old will no longer be required to quarantine upon his return from international duty with Mexico.

Gerardo Martino’s side are due to face Panama in World Cup Qualifying next February, a fixture which, prior to the recent changes, would have resulted in Jimenez having to quarantine for 10 days upon his return to the UK. Mexico are also set to take part in a number of international friendlies in the coming months, which could also have seen the striker ruled out of a number of Premier League fixtures due to the previous red list rules.

Lage will be buzzing

Considering just how important a part of the Wolves first team Jimenez has proven himself to be in recent seasons, with returns of 17 and 27 goals in his first two campaigns at Molineux, the news that he will be free to travel to and from international duty with Mexico without restriction is sure to have left Lage buzzing.

Indeed, while the forward has not exactly been in the best goalscoring form of his career in the current campaign, the £25.2m-rated marksman has nevertheless impressed over his nine Premier League appearances, scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 2.1 shots and making 2.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Nuno Espirito Santo dubbed a “special” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as the club’s joint fifth-best performer in the league.

As such, the fact that Lage will no longer have to worry about the striker being unavailable due to travel restriction rules will certainly come as a major boost for the 45-year-old, who will undoubtedly be hoping that the £41k-per-week Jimenez can fire his side to a top-half finish this season.

In other news: Lage must unleash £40k-p/w Wolves “outstanding talent” who could become “a top player”

Kevin Phillips has given his reaction to some Newcastle United injury news involving Callum Wilson.

The Lowdown: Back training

Speaking in his pre-game press conference before the Magpies lost 2-1 at Wolves on Saturday, Steve Bruce revealed that the 29-year-old is due to start training ‘in the next couple of days’, and hinted that he could make a return to the squad after the upcoming international break.

The former Bournemouth striker has not played since he scored in the 2-2 draw at home to Southampton in the Premier League in late August.

The Latest: Phillips reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League Golden Boot winner Phillips has claimed that Wilson being back in training is a big boost for Newcastle. He said:

“That’s a massive boost. They’ve missed him hugely. When he plays, he guarantees you goals, guarantees you a threat.

“That’s what Newcastle have lacked. It’s great news for him to be back in training.

“I’m sure they can’t wait for him to get out there and get going again.”

The Verdict: Huge

It certainly is huge that Wilson is back in training, as he could be back in a black-and-white-striped shirt after the international break has finished.

There is no doubt that Newcastle have missed him, having not being able to win any of the last four Premier League games without him, only managing to score four goals in that time (two in three matches prior to his injury.

He is such a key player for Bruce’s team and gives them a focal point up top from which the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron and Joe Willock can thrive.

In other news, find out what controversial beIN reveal has been dropped on the potential takeover

Many Everton fans have been left fuming as Fabrizio Romano has revealed how long Abdoulaye Doucoure will be out injured for.

The Italian football journalist and transfer expert has been told that the injury is indeed a stress fracture, not a complete foot fracture, which was confirmed by the club, but he is still expected to be out for at least six or seven weeks.

This means he will likely miss the entire month of November, including crucial fixtures against the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City, while Liverpool visit Goodison Park on December 1.

Doucoure is currently ranked as the Goodison Park faithful’s second-best player behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the Premier League so far this season, with an average rating of 7.3 given by WhoScored, and has looked like a player reborn under Rafa Benitez.

The central midfield player ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles (2.5), interceptions (1.1), clearances (1.4), shots (1.8), key passes (1.1) and dribbles (0.9) per match, and also has two goals and four assists (WhoScored), highlighting his importance to team.

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Everton fans on Doucoure injury update

These supporters of the Merseyside club fumed as the injury update on Doucoure was shared on Twitter:

“Never-ending pain.”

Credit: @ParrettGost

“Terrible, terrible season for injuries so far”

Credit: @Scott_Oberman

“Season over already.”

Credit: @MaxREFC

“I hate everything”

Credit: @efc_alex18

“Call it a day now”

Credit: @Paul_D99

“Curse FC”

Credit: @Ryan__Hughes

In other news, find out what club news has Toffees raging here!

Tottenham Hotspur gem Dane Scarlett could have a big future in north London and he may well play a part during the 2021/22 campaign.

The 17-year-old academy prospect has now played five times for the senior side, including 90 minutes against Portuguese outfit Pacos de Ferreira in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying stage.

His form for the young Lilywhites has certainly caught the eye, having bagged three goals in six appearances at U23 level, on top of an impressive 23 goals and four assists for the U18s, via Transfermarkt.

Spurs fans have every right to remain cautious but Scarlett is a talent they should be hugely excited about.

For every Harry Kane, there is a Cameron Lancaster, but the teenage sensation is different. He’s something special and under Nuno Santo, he could well become a first-team star.

Given the 28-year-old’s arduous transfer saga in the summer and reports suggesting that the new head coach wanted to play two up-top, Scarlett could soon see his game time increase at the club, particularly as they still remain in all domestic and European competitions.

Rotation will be key and Kane remains their only senior centre-forward, so it would not be a surprise to see more of the emerging Hotspur Way prodigy throughout the current campaign.

Scarlett became the youngest-ever player to feature for the north Londoners last season and he’s someone that former manager Jose Mourinho regularly praised in the press.

After an assist off the bench in their Europa League clash with Wolfsberger AC, the ‘Special One’ told BT Sport (via The Athletic):

“He is a diamond, a kid with incredible potential. He has worked many times with the first team and that gives him a different personality. He is still 16, 17 soon (in March) and I believe next season he will be a first-team squad player because he has a lot of talent.”

Scarlett has even drawn comparisons to Marcus Rashford, who Mourinho managed at Old Trafford, so this sort of analysis shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“He is going to be a fantastic player and I hope everything around him goes well. He is a striker, a number nine, I have been playing him from the sides similar to Marcus Rashford and he is very clever,” he added.

It’s not every day that a promising talent of this nature comes up through the Spurs system. He is one rare and exciting prospect that should have the Lilywhites faithful super excited to see more.

This season could well be Scarlett’s time to shine.

AND in other news, £14.4m-rated dud’s Spurs days are surely numbered after Nuno’s latest major call…