All posts by h716a5.icu

After a successful week on and off the field, things are starting to look a little rosier for Nuno Santo and Wolves.

They defeated Chorley in the FA Cup and then finally dipped their toes into the transfer market to sign Willian Jose on loan from Real Sociedad. With both of those things in mind, change is needed in their attack.

On the chalkboard

Wolves’ 1-0 win over non-league Chorley was far from pretty. Those types of cup ties are never too attractive in terms of the football, but the display that Nuno’s men put in was rather diabolical.

They had fewer chances to score than the National League North side and struggled to interlink between defence and attack.

It was torrid display that was typified by an isolated Patrick Cutrone. With Jose on the verge of arriving that day, the Italian needed to put in a convincing display.

Unfortunately, he failed to do so. Cutrone completed just 11 passes all night, finishing with a success rate of 61%.

Alarmingly, only substitute Adama Traore and John Ruddy completed fewer passes. On top of that, Cutrone’s 24 touches were exactly the same as their goalkeeper and only more than Traore and Pedro Neto. Considering the latter was also a substitute, it didn’t bode well.

Against non-league opposition, Cutrone should have been one of the stars of the show. Instead, much like his Molineux career, he struggled.

The solution

Wolves may not have too much depth in attacking areas right now but they simply have to drop the £62.9k-per-week Cutrone against Chelsea.

If he struggled against Chorley, then he’d surely also find life difficult against a Blues side with a point to prove under new manager Thomas Tuchel.

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As such, they must drop the Italy international to the bench and field someone else in attack. Nuno preferred a two-pronged strike force last Friday but on this occasion, he should go with one up top.

Whether that’s Fabio Silva or new signing Jose, both feel more equipped at this moment in time to danger Chelsea.

The club’s record signing scored against West Brom and their recent addition from Real Sociedad scored twice in his final game before coming to England.

Of course, Silva has hardly been rampant in front of goal but his confidence under Nuno is growing.

This is the ideal time to put faith in the young Portuguese – not someone who has failed the current manager on a regular basis.

AND in other news, Wolves could find their new Costa with swoop for 87-cap flop, he won’t cost a penny…

Many Arsenal fans were left slamming the display of Cedric in their side’s 2-1 away loss to Wolves in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.

Mikel Arteta’s team took a deserved lead through Nicolas Pepe just after the half an hour mark, a goal which came after Bukayo Saka had hit the post and also had a goal chalked off by VAR as Alex Lacazette was found to be a fraction offside in the build up.

However, a David Luiz red card and consequently a converted Ruben Neves turned the game on its head, with Joao Moutinho then scoring a screamer from outside of the box before Bernd Leno was given his own marching orders for handling the ball outside of his area.

Although there were some very good performances in a Gunners shirt on the night, Cedric’s flattered to deceive several members of the Emirates Stadium faithful.

The Portugal international lost no fewer than nine of his duels in the match, the most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch, and also failed to make a single interception, key pass or accurate long ball, as he earned a pretty poor 5.6 overall rating on Sofascore, the second lowest out of any player, behind Luiz.

Arsenal fan reaction to Cedric display

These Gooners slammed his performance on Twitter, with a couple of AFC supporters even going as far as to call the 29-year-old ‘awful’:

“Cedric is playing so badly now, this guy hasn’t made any passes so far ever since Leno came off #WOLARS”

Credit: @hayth_09

“Cedric and Bellerin been awful all game #WOLARS”

Credit: @krish___kr7

“Thought Cedric should have come off at HT for Gabriel as he was getting roasted, Saka move into LB and ESR and Pepe narrowly sit behind Lacazette”

Credit: @DaisJenks

“Cedric was poor”

Credit: @afccxo

“Cedric getting toasted by Adama who has been off form throughout the season and all of Cedric’s long balls were awful, one good assist and Edu decided to make him 2nd choice lb, ambitionless owner and club”Credit: @uvarsenal”Cedric and Bellerin not good enough however its easy to do against 9 men. Neto was non-existent with 11 v 11″Credit: @Forrest992HIn other news, find out which left-back Arsenal were interested in signing before the window shut here!

Leeds United may not have utilised their stance in the January transfer window, but their business in the summer speaks for itself. Victor Orta did well to recruit the likes of Robin Koch and re-sign Jack Harrison on loan, but his best business was arguably through signing Raphinha.The winger joined the Yorkshire outfit from Rennes back in October for a sizeable fee of £17million, according to BBC Sport. But his price tag reflects his ability and he has already shown what he can do both on and off the ball for his new club.Leeds faced off against Crystal Palace last time out in the Premier League and bagged themselves a convincing 2-0 win at Elland Road. Whilst Raphinha may not have gotten involved in the goalscoring against the Eagles, he has contributed two goals and two assists in his last five matches, as per Sofascore.The £60,000 per week speedster pulled off a stunning piece of footwork at Elland Road to completely bamboozle Palace’s Gary Cahill. His silky nutmeg to outperform his defender and get into a dangerous position is just a snippet of the excellence he can conjure up.

According to Transfermarkt, his tally for the seasons so far sees him notch eight goalscoring contributions in 17 Premier League appearances, and 12 in 25 overall. His performances in front of goal have been hugely beneficial to Leeds – who aren’t looking to experience another 16 years outside the top flight any time soon.

Raphinha is one of three options Marcelo Bielsa has on the right flank, but he has been the most consistent and most present since joining in the summer. Helder Costa has slipped down the pecking order and Ian Poveda still has a lot of experience to gather before he can be a fully-fledged starter.

Orta pulled off a huge coup in signing Raphinha, who was recently lauded by Emile Heskey for being an “exciting” player with a “fine edge”. Plenty are already wise to his abilities and there is surely only more to come.

In other news,ÂLeeds interest in Tommaso Pobega could be trouble for Shackleton…

Julian Nagelsmann will be Tottenham Hotspur’s top option to replace Jose Mourinho should fortunes not soon change in north London, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The Telegraph’s Matt Law has claimed that the Portuguese boss is facing a pivotal 12-day period in which his job could be under serious threat past the current campaign.

Spurs have lost five of their last six in the Premier League but do still have a place in the Carabao Cup final and likely the last 16 of the Europa League too.

The RB Leipzig manager, thought to be one of the most exciting up-and-coming coaches in the game, is said to be Daniel Levy’s first choice should he be forced to sack Mourinho.

He’ll make Spurs ‘mean’

Whilst it is still too early to say whether or not Mourinho should face the axe – after all, he’s one game away from clinching their first piece of silverware since 2008 – it wouldn’t hurt to consider alternatives just as long as they are genuine upgrades.

And that’s where Nagelsmann is an intriguing candidate.

The 33-year-old has been tipped to reach the heights of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, arguably two of the best managers in the Premier League right now, whilst he has drawn inspiration from the latter.

Perhaps more interestingly, it is comparisons to legendary arch-rival Arsene Wenger that could signal a new direction at Hotspur Way.

Nagelsmann has been noted to be a fan of the former Arsenal man’s work with current Gunners winger Reiss Nelson outlining the similarities between the two in an interview with Bundesliga.com.

During a loan spell under him at Hoffenheim, he was asked if there was a connection, and he replied:

“Yeah, 100 per cent. They give youth a chance like Arsenal do, bringing young talents through like Jack Wilshere. It’s the same with the boss here. He gives opportunities to young players and he has belief in them.”

But it is not only the faith in emerging prospects that makes the German so appealing. He’d certainly help alleviate one of Tottenham’s biggest problems – that leaky backline.

The revolutionary record-breaker has developed Leipzig into one of the meanest defences in the Bundesliga – indeed, no other side has conceded fewer (18) this season. Not even league leaders Bayern Munich (31), who have subsequently splashed €42.5m (£36.5m) on RB colossus Dayot Upamecano.

Known for his innovation in an attacking sense, the German outfit always remain compact defensively and have never spent over €16m (£14m) on a central defender, which will be music to Levy’s ears as it shows he can develop what he has – or at the very least, not spend bucket loads.

They are the fourth-most successful side in the Bundesliga for pressing, though they top the charts for total number of pressures per 90 (50.7), as per FBRef, which makes their impressive goals against tally all that more impressive as despite the constant work-rate, they aren’t letting the opposition into potential gaps and spaces.

This is because Leipzig are compact in the middle of the pitch, leaving the opposition with a lot of long balls to play instead, and that’s also nullified as all of their central defenders tower above 6-foot, whilst they top the division for successful aerial duels won per 90 (59.4%), via FBRef.

No side has faced fewer shots (56) across this season either, so clearly, Nagelsmann is a bit of a defensive genius too. Wenger’s invincibles had a pretty impressive and resolute defence too.

Spurs’ problems at the back are well documented. Only one other top-seven team leaked more goals last term, while this season, Mourinho has chopped and changed his options with every passing week.

Clearly isn’t able to coach the likes of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez into being better central options, so this is where Nagelsmann could make an immediate impact, as evident above.

“I see [Nagelsmann] as a great coaching talent in all the relevant areas that a coach has to fulfil: leadership, dealing with the players and their tactical development,” said Ralph Rangnick to SPORT1, via Bundesliga.com.

Quite rightly, the Leipzig gem must be atop Levy’s shortlist should Mourinho depart in the near future. They’d be getting their very own Wenger-like leader, one capable of resolving the biggest nightmare.

AND in other news, Three Spurs stars who must buck up their ideas ahead of summer window

West Brom have finally started to turn things around, even if it is a little too late, with two draws and one victory.

In the process, the Premier League’s leakiest defence has only conceded one goal and that was to second-placed Manchester United, who the Baggies ended up securing a point against – and even then, it could have been better.

However, with Albion boss Sam Allardyce stopping the rot defensively, it has come at a grave consequence as Brazilian midfielder Matheus Pereira has struggled to make much of an impact further up the pitch.

The 24-year-old playmaker is now suffering big time…

On the Chalkboard

According to WhoScored, the Midlands outfit are averaging 7.7 shots per game this season, and in two of the aforementioned trio of matches, they have failed to surpass a total of seven attempts.

The only time they did, Pereira racked up six shots on his own but still failed to score.

It’s now six appearances since he last scored, and 12 games since he delivered an assist.

The £11.7m-rated dynamo has seen his defending figures increase over the last few matches, seeing five tackles with a season-high three in the game against Burnley but in terms of creativity, it’s decreased.

Pereria has only managed to provide more than two key passes once since November, where he delivered a whopping nine against relegation rivals Sheffield United.

Similarly, the attacking maestro has manged a rating above 7.0 just once in his last five outings, via WhoScored.

Two weeks ago, Allardyce revealed that the Baggies needed eight clean sheets in 13 matches to have a shot at clinching survival in the big time, but in doing so, they have suffered in front of goal.

Pereira has often been shifted out wide as the signing of defensive anchorman Okay Yokuslu has brought about a new system that sees Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Conor Gallagher at the tip of a three-man midfield, leaving the enigma to play out wide.

His poorest returns have come out on the wing, providing only five goals and eight assists, compared to eight goals and 13 assists when deployed in the no.10 role, as per Transfermarkt.

This is a player once lauded as a “genius” by former Nurnburg coach Nate Weiss and considering he’s among the highest-earners on a reported £30k-per-week at the Hawthorns, he must be utilised to great effect.

Yes, Albion needed to stop leaking goals (they have conceded 11 more than any other PL side) but they will not pick up points unless they find the back of the net – only two teams have scored fewer.

Getting Pereira back to his best through the middle is clearly the way, otherwise, Allardyce risks ruining one of their better players.

AND in other news, West Brom’s “dynamic” £15k-p/w gem has been Moore’s finest parting gift…

Many Everton fans have been left to slam the display of Andre Gomes despite their 1-0 away win at West Brom in the Premier League on Thursday evening.

Richarlison ended up getting the only goal of the game midway through the second half to give the Goodison Park faithful all three points and thus help them climb up the table.

However, although there were some very good performances for the Merseyside club, Gomes flattered to deceive several members of the Toffees faithful.

The central midfield player lost out on nine of his duels in the match, the most lost out of any of his teammates, as he also lost possession of the ball no fewer than on 16 separate occasions, the joint-second highest of any Blues player (Sofascore). Losing your battles and giving the ball away relentlessly is hardly a good combination for a midfield player.

Everton fan reaction to Gomes display

These EFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to say that the former FC Barcelona man is ‘dreadful’:

“Why is Andre Gomes even here, he was literally one of our worst players today. Allan should have been the fourth scout for MOTM #efc. Up the Toffees as we march on to top 4 glory #everton”

Credit: @gersonselema

“Another solid if unspectacular victory for #EFC. Both achieved with fair few injuries. Thought Gomes and Iwobi very poor today. Defensively we are sound though. Bit of quality from Sigurdsson and into Top 4! #COYB”Credit: @D_Button”Another ugly win but we will take it. Siggy showed why he can’t be dropped at the moment, especially when James is out. Great finish from Richarlison. Negatives were an appalling first half and the performances of Gomes and Bernard in particular who shouldn’t play again. #efc”Credit: @sicurrie”Gomes has stunk the place out today, but we squeak the win #EFC”Credit: @ItsJohnThomson”Gomes, Bernard and Iwobi are dreadful FACT #EFC”Credit: @MrGriff1878″Gomes & Iwobi are doing my head in! #efc”Credit: @boycey1978In other news, find out what Carlo Ancelotti comments on one star’s future has left Everton fans buzzing here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former England star Rob Lee said that it’s ‘easy’ to say that links to Real Madrid links have turned Mohamed Salah’s head and as such, have impacted his recent performances.

Salah is still the top scorer in the Premier League, however, he hasn’t scored in his last four games and he has, perhaps, not been playing with the same energy and intensity that people have become accustomed to seeing.

Lee believes there are a lot of contributing factors to Salah’s form including injuries, other players not performing, a lack of fans and the pandemic but he has also questioned if the Egyptian is unhappy at the club.

Since signing for the Premier League champions, Salah has been adored by the Liverpool fans and has had their full backing but with no fans inside the stadium, it seems his willingness to go that extra yard may have disappeared.

Lee told FFC that he does not believe this dip is solely down to Salah being linked with a move to Real Madrid and that Salah is still totally loved by the fans, despite Robbie Fowler saying the club should let him go.

“I think it’s an easy thing to say about players when they get linked away, and they start playing badly. I do agree it is sometimes the case though.

“Is he unhappy at Liverpool? I would say the club loves him and the Liverpool fans love him.

“I just think it’s an accumulation of a lot of things. Injuries, the pandemic and the fact that their front three haven’t scored the goals they usually do. I just think a lot of things have gone against them this season.”

The Egyptian is still a world-class player and he may fancy the chance to play for Real Madrid, but as it stands, his focus needs to be on Liverpool and getting them out of this current slump.

Whether he has lost a bit of focus amidst transfer rumours, or if, as Lee suggests, that other factors have contributed to Salah’s mini goal drought, Jurgen Klopp will need his talisman to start scoring in the very near future as The Reds look to get out of this terrible slump.

Fabian Balbuena is set to leave West Ham on the expiry of his contract this summer.

That’s according to the player’s agent Renato Bittar who, in an interview with Versus Radio [via Hammers News], said that talks with prospective suitors were already underway. He added that Balbuena will stay in Europe and could even be picked up by another Premier League team.

The Paraguayan international moved to east London from Brazilian club Corinthians in the summer of 2018. He has since made 59 appearances for the Hammers.

This season, he enjoyed a run of nine consecutive starts starting with the 4-0 win over Wolves in late September and culminating with a 2-1 victory at Leeds in November. However, he has played only two Premier League games since then, being relegated to the substitutes’ bench as David Moyes has favoured Issa Diop and Craig Dawson in the centre-back positions.

According to football.london, West Ham will be obliged to make Dawson’s loan deal from Watford permanent if he makes 15-20 Premier League appearances. He is currently on 13.

After the update on Balbuena was shared on Twitter by @westhamtransfer, these Irons fans expressed their concerns over his likely departure, with one supporter hailing him as a “good servant” during his three years at the London Stadium.

These West Ham fans would be sad to Balbuena go

“If we got into Europe surely we would wanna keep him for cover”

Credit: @tom_deal6

“Shame, I quite like Balbuena. Him and Ogbonna were solid this season and a big reason we are where we are.”

Credit: @northwesthammer

“Left it late to offer him a new contract, why !”

Credit: @kevalaaarrr

“Genuinely think that’s a loss tbh. Would rather he was playing than Diop at the mo. Him saying he’s off has probably influenced that as well.”

Credit: @jamiebaxter182

“Would be a shame to see The General leave”

Credit: @jonnysharpe

“He wants to return home to Paraguay. He’s been a good servant to us but wants to finish his career in his home country.”

Credit: @Spanishbrit

In other news, this West Ham player’s post-Manchester United tweet elicited a mixed response from fans.

Manchester United are reportedly lining up an audacious move for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Pedro Neto.

According to The Sun, the Red Devils want to bolster their right-flank and are interested in the Portuguese winger, with him being on their transfer shortlist.

Should he arrive at Old Trafford, he could certainly emulate the type of impact that his compatriot and international teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, had at United..

Whilst the 21-year-old still has some way to go to even come close to matching the levels of the current Juventus superstar, the signs are extremely promising.

Signed from Lazio at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, Neto had an extremely encouraging first season, notching five goals and racking up six assists in all competitions.

He has almost matched those numbers already during the current campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo, scoring five goals and notching four assists in the Premier League alone, highlighting his considerable progress.

Neto has certainly been a key player for Wolves, with the young winger contributing to 32% of his team’s entire goal haul this season.

He also got his international career off to the best possible start, scoring on his senior international debut in a 7-0 rout of Andorra.

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It could be said then there is a lot of responsibility on his young shoulders but he is certainly taking that in his stride.

Of course, should the £31.5m-rated winger sign for the Red Devils, there will certainly be inevitable comparisons to Ronaldo, but they do make some sense.

According to WhoScored, Neto is averaging two key passes, and 2.1 dribbles per game this season which are statistics that are interestingly higher than Ronaldo’s numbers of 1.1 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game respectively.

Whilst Neto still has some way to match the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s meteoric five shots per game in all competitions, he is still up with the best in Wolves’ current squad, with only striker Raul Jimenez overcoming him.

With Nuno labelling Neto as a “very talented” player, he will surely loath losing him to a Premier League rival but the young Portuguese ace could certainly be the right-winger that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United are searching for.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Donny van de Beek’s awful showing in the Red Devils’ 3-1 defeat against Leicester…

Crystal Palace have reportedly become the latest side to express their interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ defender Dion Sanderson.

According to Football Insider, the Eagles are eyeing the 21-year-old, joining Sheffield United and Huddersfield amongst the youngster’s admirers.

He is the perfect player for Steve Parish to bring to Selhurst Park in the summer.

Sanderson has spent the last two seasons away from Wolves on loan at Cardiff City and Sunderland, respectively.

He was in and out of the starting XI whilst in the Welsh capital but has earned plenty of plaudits for his performances at the Stadium of Light this season.

The centre-back has made 22 appearances in all competitions for the Black Cats, playing every minute of the last nine League One matches, with the club managing to claim six clean sheets in that time.

Sanderson’s manager has also been left suitably impressed. Black Cats’ boss Lee Johnson has described him as an “absolute Rolls Royce” as a result of his recent performances. Whilst the Premier League would be a considerable step-up for the youngster, his potential indicates that he could certainly be a viable option in the top-flight.

It is not only his attributes that lend themselves to an argument for why Palace should sign him, but also his profile.

With Gary Cahill, Mamadou Sakho and Scott Dann all out of contract at the end of the campaign, the Eagles will certainly be needing a centre-half. One that is receiving rave reviews seems the ideal candidate.

Sanderson’s age is also a huge benefit. At the current time, Palace possess on average the oldest squad in the Premier League meaning new and younger recruits will be more than welcome going forwards.

Rated at just £135k, he is a hugely affordable option and definitely one Palace should be pursuing for the summer transfer window.

AND in more news, take a look at which contract needs to be extended at Selhurst Park beyond any other…