All posts by z3u9t.icu

Since Aston Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris took charge of the Midlands club back in 2018, they have not been reluctant when it comes to splashing the cash on new players.

One player that has been brought into the club in recent years that has gone on to become a key figure for Villa is striker Ollie Watkins, who joined from Brentford back in the 2020 summer transfer window in a deal worth a then club-record fee of £28m.

Since becoming a Villa player, the Englishman, who is currently valued at £31.5m according to Transfermarkt, has gone on to make 58 appearances across all competitions, scoring 21 goals and providing six assists along the way.

Labelled as a “selfless” player by former Villa manager Dean Smith, Watkins’ future could become the centre of some speculation after former Villa and Arsenal player and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson recently claimed on Soccer Saturday (via Birmingham Live) that Mikel Arteta’s side should launch a move to sign the 26-year-old.

Given how he’s started 16 of Villa’s 20 Premier League games this season and is currently listed as the third-highest rated Villa player to have started more than one league game according to WhoScored, it would certainly be a big blow if the striker were to join Arsenal, or any other club anytime soon considering how important he is to Steven Gerrard’s side.

Taking into account how Villa said goodbye to Jack Grealish during the previous summer transfer window after fellow Premier League club Manchester City came calling with a £100m offer, if the same were to happen with Watkins and Arsenal, the Villans could start to build up a reputation as being a selling club or a place for players to use as stepping stone to make a move elsewhere, which is not what anyone associated with Villa would want to happen.

Even though his current contract at Villa Park isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2025, it would be worth Gerrard or any of the club’s hierarchy to have a discussion with Watkins to make sure he knows how valued he is there and convince him to stay where he is by reaffirming their ambitions of securing European football and becoming an elite club.

In other news: Deal agreed: Fabrizio Romano delivers Villa transfer update, Lange is working wonders – opinion

Sam Johnstone is arguably one of West Bromwich Albion’s best players on their books, and the subject of his contract, which ends in the Summer of 2022, has been a hot topic.

What’s the story?

Head Coach Valerien Ismael has delivered a promising update on the immediate future of Baggies goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone, as rumours of a cut-price move in January to a number of clubs have circulated non-stop since the beginning of the season.

Ismael hailed Johnstone as the “best player” when discussing the plans for January;

“Yes, we are planning for that,” Ismael responded when asked if he expects Johnstone to still be at the club after the transfer window.

“We definitely don’t want to lose the best player in the squad.

“For our purpose and what we want to achieve, Sammy is a massive part of our project regardless of his contract situation and is a big part of my thoughts.”The England goalkeeper has been linked with Tottenham, West Ham and Southampton to name a few of the Premier League clubs reportedly desperate to secure the star’s signature either in January or in the summer when he will be available on a free.Make or break for West BromWest Bromwich Albion are in a vulnerable position right now despite sitting third in the table, with a shaky run of form over the last few months where goals were not being scored.They have scored fewest out of the top three, however luckily for Ismael, goals conceded have been few for the side, with the least strikes conceded out of the top three teams.This statistic only puts further emphasis on the importance of keeping Johnstone until the summer for West Brom, and it could really be a make or break situation for the side, being the difference between Premier League football or staying for another season in the Championship next season. Thus, fans should be delighted that Albion are planning to keep him at the Hawthorns heading past the winter.West Brom will be hoping to be in a position to prove to Johnstone that is worth staying for the second half of the season by the time the transfer window opens in a few weeks, with the Baggies currently working hard to close the gap with top of the table, currently only five points shy of Fulham.Ismael should be doing everything he can to keep the stopper sweet until the inevitable in the summer when the 28-year-old will be available to go on a free to wherever he pleases, hopefully with the Baggies back in the Premier League as a result of his dedication.In other news: Ismael must axe Hugill from the team

Wolves have enjoyed a consistent and comfortable first half to their Premier League season, with the side sitting 8th in the table right now, but climbing as high as fifth and sixth over the past four months thanks to seven wins and four draws from their last 18 fixtures.

A lot of credit must be given to the defensive attributes that Wolves have displayed over the season, conceding only 14 goals, with an interesting statistic that proves just how strong Wolves have been out of possession – Bruno Lage’s side are the only Premier League team to not concede a goal from a set piece so far this season.

Although we could credit the whole team and Lage for the performances we have seen over the last four months, there is one player in particular that has been given high praise for Wolves and rightly so.

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher recently did a ‘half season awards’ on Sky Sport’s Monday Night Football, with Neville naming Wolves goalkeeper, Jose Sa, as the best Premier League summer signing praising his “massive impact” on the side.

“The signing of the season properly is Ronaldo for what he has brought to the Premier League, but the kid at Wolves, I was flipping between the pair earlier, but he’s only conceded 14 goals from 18 games.

“The Wolves goalkeeper has had a massive impact on their season and at this moment in time Manchester United are struggling.”

According to OneVersusOne, Jose Sa has made 71 interceptions this season so far putting him in third place amongst his goalkeeper peers in the Premier League and in the top ten (sixth) when it comes to shots saved (62)

The 28 year old keeper also has the highest rating of any other player in the Wolves team on SofaScore, with a 7.15 average.

Neville isn’t the only one to recognise and credit Sa on his phenomenal form, his manager at Molineux has also praised his player;

“He is very important for us. He came with lots of ambition to replace a top goalkeeper in Rui Patricio, and he is doing very well.

“We are very happy with him and we hope he can continue with what he is doing for us.”

The £12.5m-rated beast will be hoping to keep up the impact he is making on his side as Wolves charge on into the second half of the season in the hopes of snatching a finish that could secure the club European football next season.

Given that he was only signed for just £6.25m, it’s fair to say Jeff Shi pulled off a transfer masterclass with the6 foot 4 goalkeeper.

In other news: Ruben Neves squashes rumours of a move away

Reports have suggested that Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips could favour a move to Liverpool instead of Manchester United, due to the Whites’ rivalry with the latter club.

The Lowdown: Phillips on the move?

The 25-year-old has matured into one of the most influential midfielders in the country, not only thriving for Leeds but also winning England’s Player of the Year award and playing a central role in their run to the final of Euro 2020.

Phillips’ quality, couple with the Whites’ struggles so far this season, may suggest that his head could potentially be turned by a move at the end of the campaign.

The Leeds midfielder has been tipped to join Liverpool in the past, and a fresh rumour has now emerged regarding the situation.

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The Latest: Liverpool over United?

According to The Daily Star, Phillips believes that a mooted £60m move to Manchester United would leave too much bad blood at Leeds, considering the dislike that both clubs have for one another.

It is mentioned that Liverpool could duly be viewed as a better option, with the midfielder potentially joining the Jurgen Klopp revolution at Anfield.

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The Verdict: Hard to keep him

While it is painful for any Leeds fan to accept the idea of Phillips wanting to move on – England manager Gareth Southgate has hailed him as ‘magnificent’ – he may feel that he has come as far as he can at Elland Road.

His loyalty cannot be questioned and it wouldn’t be a massive shock if he saw out his contract until 2024 out of respect for the Whites, but it feels most likely that he will move elsewhere soon.

Having acquitted himself so well on the big stage for England during the summer, Phillips belongs at a Champions League-playing club in order to go up another gear. Liverpool would be ideal, with their pressing and possession-based game perfect for the Leeds hero, who is averaging an 83.7% pass completion rate and 2.6 tackles per game in the league this season.

In other news, another Leeds player has been tipped to join Liverpool. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United have no new injury problems ahead of their trip to Manchester City on Tuesday night, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds preparing for City clash

The Whites were beaten 3-2 away to Chelsea on Saturday, conceding a late penalty to lose in heartbreaking fashion at Stamford Bridge.

It doesn’t get any easier for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, with reigning Premier League champions City welcoming them to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Leeds also have numerous injury problems to contend with at the moment, but a fitness update from the manager at least indicated that the situation hasn’t worsened.

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The Latest: Hay gives injury update

Taking to Twitter on Monday afternoon, Hay confirmed that Bielsa doesn’t have any new injuries in his squad, but nor is he expecting anyone who is sidelined to return for the Manchester City clash.

The journalist tweeted: “From Bielsa’s pre-City presser: no fresh injuries ahead of tomorrow but none of the players who were absent at Chelsea are ready to return. That would mean Bamford, Phillips, Cooper, Struijk, Koch still unavailable.”

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The Verdict: Huge task ahead

This is arguably going to be Leeds’ toughest game of the season so far, as they look to take down a City side who have won their last six league matches in a row and currently sit top of the table.

It is difficult enough beating them when everyone is fit – the Whites famously triumphed at the Etihad last season – but seeing off Pep Guardiola’s star-studded team without the likes of Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper is even harder.

Anything other than a defeat would feel like a huge bonus for Leeds, although they have at least shown that they can cause the big teams problems since their return to the top flight, as highlighted by their valiant efforts at Chelsea on Saturday.

In other news, David Ornstein has provided an important update on one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

According to The Mirror, the probable appointment of Antonio Conte as Tottenham manager is against Daniel Levy’s wishes, who has instead been ‘keen’ for Paulo Fonseca to take over.

The Lowdown: Conte’s arrival imminent

Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties at Spurs after Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Manchester United, the club’s fifth loss in seven Premier League matches (Sky Sports).

Conte is set to become the club’s next boss, expected to put pen to paper on an 18-month deal (via The Express).

The Italian maverick has of course already enjoyed major success in England with Chelsea and has a rather stunning list of accomplishments across his career, racking up five domestic league titles on the back of his famous three-at-the-back counter-attacking style.

The Latest: Levy keen on Fonseca

However, it seems Conte is not Levy’s favourite for the job.

The Mirror say that the Lilywhites chairman was ‘keen’ on a return for Fonseca, who almost made the move to north London in the summer, and it was only because of Fabio Paratici’s insistence that Conte became the priority. Scott Parker was also a name in the conversation.

The report does say that Spurs are still ‘poised’ to appoint the Italian however, so it doesn’t appear as though Levy’s wishes will obstruct what is an exciting move for the former Juventus gaffer.

The Verdict: Conte the obvious choice

With nine career trophies to his name, Fonseca impressed at Shakhtar Donetsk in particular, drawing massive praise out of Pep Guardiola when the Ukrainian outfit bested Manchester City in a Champions League group stage game back in 2018.

He then made the move to AS Roma and was even hailed as ‘similar to (Thomas) Tuchel’ by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but was eventually replaced by Jose Mourinho.

However, the Portuguese does not have Conte’s pedigree. The Italian has won league titles with three different sides in major European leagues – Juventus, Inter Milan and Chelsea – and also managed the Italy national team.

He has therefore proven his ability at the highest level – as soon as it became clear he was available, he was surely the only man for the job if Spurs truly have any ambition of challenging for trophies.

In other news, Spurs make their move for this man.

A permanent deal for Celtic winger Jota will be ‘a no-brainer’, but only if he maintains his current performance levels, according to Alan Hutton. 

The lowdown

The 22-year-old joined Celtic on loan from Portuguese outfit Benfica at the end of the summer transfer window and the Hoops have the option to make the deal permanent for a fee of £6.5m.

He has made a strong start to his spell in Glasgow, contributing to eight goals in his first nine Premiership matches. Among those players who have made at least five appearances, WhoScored have him as Celtic’s third-strongest performer, behind only Anthony Ralston and David Turnbull.

A Bola reported last Saturday that the Hoops were ‘satisfied’ with Jota and were ‘thinking about moving forward to the definitive purchase’. A £6.5m deal would be one of the 10 most expensive outlays in the club’s history.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, former Scotland defender Hutton praised Jota’s efforts up to this point, but he also urged Celtic to take their time over the decision, stressing that it is ‘a lot of money’ to spend on one player and warning that they could regret making a hasty call.

The 36-year-old said: “If he can maintain this standard of performances, then that £6.5million would represent value for money.

“I’ve read a lot of people just saying ‘get him signed up now’, but I think you just always have to be careful.

“£6.5million for a team in Scotland is a lot of money, and you don’t want to go maybe a bit early and then realise that he’s tailing off towards the end of the season.

“The best thing to do would be to wait until January, monitor the situation and see if he is still progressing and performing.

“If he is doing that – then it’s a no brainer. I’m very sure Celtic will be happy with his displays and just hoping he can continue to produce – and if he does, they’ll sign him up.”

The verdict

Celtic can play the long game here. Jota is only 22 years old and his recent performances have illustrated his potential.

Parting with £6.5m will clearly put a dent in their budget, but it wouldn’t just help them in the short term. They could easily turn a handsome profit a few years down the line if Jota catches the eye of wealthy European clubs.

Hutton is right to advise Celtic against rushing into a decision, but the evidence so far suggests that the player is going a long way towards meriting a permanent deal.

In other news, Celtic are keeping tabs on this Premier League ace

West Brom were relegated back into the Championship last season as they were unable to retain their Premier League status. It was a disappointing year which saw them finish 19th, 13 points off safety.

The Baggies were second in the Championship in the 2019/20 campaign. It is a division they know very well. This time the club will be hoping they can claim the title as well as promotion back into the lucrative land of the Premier League.

The Midlands club have made a positive start to their season. They have won seven of their opening 13 matches, which leaves them second in the standings, behind only Bournemouth. West Brom have English Championship betting odds of 17/10 for the title. They are odds-on at 2/5 in the promotion betting, such is the confidence behind them.

Valerien Ismael’s side have lost just two games so far through the opening three months of the Championship season. They lost 0-1 to Stoke in a tight Midlands derby, while more recently they were defeated by Swansea City.

Summer Signings Have Bolstered The Squad

West Brom did some smart business during the summer and they have added players who have not only strengthened the squad, they have also added depth in all areas. Alex Mowatt was one of their new additions. He arrived on a free transfer from Barnsley to hook up with his former head coach again.

Mowatt has been impressive for the Baggies, scoring three goals in the league. He has scored two fantastic goals, both of which could be contenders for the goal of the season. Those strikes came from outside the box and have been on the volley. They are a great example of how technically gifted the midfielder is.

Another notable signing for the Baggies came through the loan market. They signed Norwich’s Jordan Hugill until the end of the season. The forward played an instrumental role in helping Norwich win the Championship title last year. He played 31 games for the Canaries during their promotion campaign.

Goals Spread Amongst Team

Unlike some of their promotion rivals, West Brom have shared the goals amongst their squad so far this season. This means they are not reliant on one player. Karlan Grant leads the way with six Championship goals. He is a striker who is proven in this division as the last time he played in the second tier, he scored 19 goals for Huddersfield.

Callum Robinson and Matt Phillips have both had good starts to the season. They have supported Grant well, operating as a front three in many games. Both players have lots of experience of playing in the Premier League so should find this level much easier.

At the other end of the pitch, West Brom did well to retain goalkeeper Sam Johnstone over the summer. He was their Player of the Year last season. If they can make a quick return to the Premier League, he will get to prove himself again as one of the best ‘keepers in England.

Promotion is the minimum aim for West Brom this season but if they can do it as the champions this time, it will be the cherry on the cake at the end of the campaign.

New Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira made an impressive start to his squad overhaul in the summer, but there’s still work to be done in the upcoming transfer windows.

One reported target who the capital club were unable to bring to Selhurst Park a few months ago was Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga.

The highly-rated 24-year-old was linked with a move to Palace throughout the summer, and the Italian outfit’s chief executive Giovanni Carnevali admitted he was one of three stars to ask for a move away from the Mapei Stadium.

“Just like (Manuel) Locatelli and (Dominico) Berardi, Boga also asked us to try other experiences,” Carnevali revealed. “We listened to him and the agents – but no concrete offers have arrived.”

With the Ivory Coast international still believed to be keen on a fresh challenge, Palace may be tempted to revive their interest in Boga over the winter and make a formal offer for his services.

Vieira could now really do with a player of this calibre.

The former Chelsea youngster made a solid contribution during his maiden campaign in Serie A after arriving back in July 2018 before backing it up with 11 goals and four assists in his second season.

And although the tricky forward’s productivity dropped slightly throughout 2020/21, his overall game was more impressive than the numbers suggest.

Boga completed 3.2 dribbles per game last season, far more than any of his Sassuolo teammates achieved and also successfully dribbled past 91 opponents, the third-highest number in the Italian top division.

He’s backed that up with three assists in his first seven top-flight appearances this term, indicating the level of talent that Palace would be getting if they rekindle their interest in the player.

With Wilfried Zaha continuously linked with a move away from his boyhood club, Boga could take over the reins on the left-wing, and form a formidable duo with fellow wideman Michael Olise.

Olise has lit up south London since arriving from Reading, and the 19-year-old is expected to play a pivotal part in Palace’s exciting future, and the arrival of the £18m-rated Boga could help to elevate the teenagers game to another level.

And, in other news…“People are watching him”: Sky Sports journo drops claim, Palace fans will be worried 

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a double injury boost ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, Valerien Ismael revealed that both Matt Clarke and Robert Snodgrass will be available for the trip to Stoke City on Friday evening, as both players have recovered from their respective knocks.

Speaking about the current state of his West Brom squad, the Frenchman said: “Matt Clarke is completely back in full training now so he will be available for the game at Stoke.

“Snods is back in training. He twisted his ankle last week but he trained yesterday to test everything, he’s fine so he’s back in training.”

Ismael will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Clarke was for the Baggies prior to picking up a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the club’s last six league fixtures, the news that the Brighton & Hove Albion loanee is once again available for selection is sure to have left Ismael buzzing.

Indeed, over his three league appearances for the Baggies this season, the £2.7m-rated centre-back has made an average of 2.3 interceptions, one tackle, 2.7 clearances and has won a whopping 7.3 duels per game, with these returns earning the 24-year-old an average SofaScore match rating of 7.03.

Meanwhile, the return of Snodgrass will also come as a major boost to the 45-year-old Albion boss, as, despite putting four past Cardiff City on Tuesday, West Brom had struggled to break their opponents down over their previous five Championship fixtures, bagging just five goals over this period.

However, with the potential of being able to bring a player who scored five goals and registered five assists in his last full Premier League season at West Ham United off the bench against Stoke, Ismael’s goalscoring worries will have been considerably eased.

In other news: Sources reveal West Brom development on “committed” £28k-p/w ace, Ismael surely gutted