All posts by z3u9t.icu

Martin O’Neill has inherited a squad who, on paper at least, are capable of finishing inside the playoffs this season, but a succession of injury problems in central defence could be his downfall in the coming weeks. 

Indeed, Forest moved to bring Leicester City’s Yohan Benalouane to the club earlier this month in a bid to bolster their limited options in central defence, but he sustained a head injury against Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

That Jack Robinson, a centre-back by trade, was forced to start the game in central defence alongside Benalouane speaks volumes about the problem O’Neill is facing at this moment in time with regard to his strength in depth.

However, according to a recent report from the Daily Mirror, Forest are interested in signing West Ham United prodigy Reece Oxford, who is becoming frustrated with his lack of first-team football under Manuel Pellegrini.

Standing at 6’3″, Oxford is a commanding physical presence who could hold his own in the Championship, while his technical quality in possession of the ball suggests he has a blend of attributes which will eventually allow him to blossom into a fantastic top-flight defender, whether it be at Forest or elsewhere.

Time is running out for O’Neill to secure a deal for Oxford, but if he wants to give Forest the best possible chance of securing promotion this season he simply must go all out to secure his signature.

Oxford’s arrival would not only be game-changing in the context of Forest’s short-term promotion ambitions, but also in terms of their long-term strategy, with his potential to establish himself as a mainstay at the heart of the defence arguably representing the most appealing aspect of the mooted deal.

With the transfer window set to slam shut on Thursday evening, O’Neill must make the potentially game-changing signing of Oxford a priority for the club in the final hours of the window.

Forest fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Keinan Davis is a target for former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith in his new post as Norwich City manager, according to Football Insider. 

The lowdown

Davis has been limited to just 11 minutes of football so far this term after sustaining an injury in August.

That injury actually saw a mooted loan move to Championship side Stoke City called off.

The 23-year-old has been with Villa for six years, making 86 first-team appearances and recording 13 direct goal contributions (six goals, seven assists).

He’s apparently earning £45,000 per week at Villa Park, more than the likes of Matt Targett, John McGinn and Douglas Luiz (via Spotrac).

Former Villan Jack Grealish said after the Premier League’s restart last year that Davis was ‘unplayable’.

The latest

Smith wants to bring a ‘Premier League-calibre frontman who can spearhead the attack’ to Carrow Road, and believes Davis fits the bill.

He’s confident that a deal can be done, with his price tag believed to be somewhere between £2million and £4million.

Smith ‘has always rated Davis highly’ and he apparently played a key role in discussions over a new Villa contract last year.

The verdict

In previous years, Villa have rejected ‘multiple bids’ for Davis, but that stance may now have changed.

Indeed, they were seemingly ready to let him join Stoke before injury intervened.

The signing of Danny Ings in the summer has pushed him further down the pecking order, and that’s not all.

Teenage sensation Cameron Archer may well have nudged ahead of him after snatching his EFL Cup opportunity with a hat-trick against Barrow and a goal at Stamford Bridge.

Davis may be open to a reunion with a manager that clearly admires him, and back-to-back wins for the Canaries will give him hope that he wouldn’t be joining a sinking ship.

In other news, fans react to this behind-the-scenes reveal. 

Gio van Bronckhorst is set for his first Scottish Premiership match in charge of Rangers today as the Glasgow giants look to build on their 2-0 win on Thursday in the Europa League.

The Gers beat Sparta Prague in the Dutchman’s first official game as Steven Gerrard’s permanent successor, with Alfredo Morelos scoring both of the goals in the game.

He opened the scoring with a fine, first-timed, finish in the first-half before nodding in a second after a defensive calamity at the back for the Czech outfit.

How many changes will Gio make to the side? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the team, with Juninho Bacuna, Nathan Patterson and Fashion Sakala coming in.

With games now coming thick and fast heading into the festive period, it could be beneficial for Rangers to make use of their squad in the coming matches. Van Bronckhorst has a healthy number of players to choose from, with Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun the only major absences heading into this clash, which could allow him to make a few changes to freshen up the XI.

The first change we are predicting is Nathan Patterson in for James Tavernier at right-back. Gio could want to take a closer look at the young defender from the start and it would allow the ex-Newcastle man to have a rest, after giving the ball away 27 times against Sparta.

Patterson has started one Premiership match this season and registered one assist. This match against Livingston could potentially provide him with a platform to show that he deserves more minutes on the pitch, but it will be down to him to put the performance in and prove to Gio that he warrants a place in the XI.

In midfield, £14k-per-week gem Joe Aribo could be axed from the XI.

Football FanCast published an article explaining why he should be taken out of the team and we predict that Gio will remove him from the side, with Juninho Bacuna replacing him in the number 10 role. The ex-Huddersfield man managed a goal and an assist in the club’s last Premiership match and could provide an attacking spark in an advanced position.

Finally, we are predicting that Fashion Sakala will replace Ianis Hagi on the right wing. This is not a slight on the Romanian’s performance against Sparta and is simply a case of rotation and keeping players fresh for this grueling set of games in the next month. The Gers coach will need his players in a good condition in case they are needed for an extended period due to injuries, which is why it is worth sharing the minutes in these matches.

AND in other news, Time’s up: Gio must brutally axe “languid” £14k-p/w Rangers gem vs Livingston…

A promising development has emerged on Rangers centre-back Nikola Katic regarding his plans upon the end of his current loan spell…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Scotland, the defender sees his long-term future at Ibrox and is not looking to seal a permanent move away from the club.

The report claims that he will remain on loan at Croatian side Hajduk Split before returning to Glasgow next summer to fight for his place in the team at his parent club.

Fans will be delighted

Rangers fans will surely be delighted with this claim as it suggests that Katic is up for the challenge of winning his place back in the side next season.

It could be a timely decision from the defender as Giovanni van Bronckhorst has a difficult situation looming in the summer. Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun are both out of contract, which could leave two sizeable holes in the squad to fill if they both decide to part ways with the club.

Katic already has experience of playing at the top level in Scotland. He made 59 appearances and scored six goals for the club in his first two years at Ibrox before suffering a cruciate ligament injury. Therefore, he may not need a period of adaptation to adjust to Scottish football, as he already knows the drill in the Premiership.

His former Gers boss Steven Gerrard previously hailed the defender’s mentality, saying: “The kid is a winner and a warrior. We know what he gives. Anyone his age, after giving the penalty away, might have gone into their shell. It might have affected their performance.

“But if you knock Niko Katic down, he’s gonna get back up and come again. That’s the man, that’s the player.”

This highlights his willingness to work hard for the team and come back from adversity, which means that he could have a good chance of returning next summer and establishing himself in the firs team.

Katic has the prior experience and the mindset required to make an impact next season, but what is his current form like?

He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.97 for Hajduk Split this term across nine league outings. The centre-back has won 64% of his duels and made 4.1 clearances per game, showing that he has been consistently delivering solid performances for the club.

Therefore, Rangers fans will surely be delighted to hear that Katic sees his long-term future at Ibrox, as it appears as though he has the potential to come back and become an important player for the Light Blues if Van Bronckhorst is willing to give him a chance to shine.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst can finally axe the new “Alex Rae” from Rangers by signing £4m “conductor” in January…

Aston Villa defender Kortney Hause is interested in returning to West Ham in the January transfer window, according to a transfer claim.

The Lowdown: Hause’s West Ham previous

The 26-year-old spent much of his youth career with the Hammers, with a spell in east London between 2003 and 2011, but he never made a first-team appearance for the Irons.

Hause ended up moving to Villa in 2019 after playing for the likes of Wycombe Wanderers and Wolves, with 54 appearances to date for the 1982 European Cup winners.

Minutes have been tough to come by this season, though, with just four Premier League starts coming his way, so a January exit could make sense.

The Latest: Hause wants West Ham return

According to Football Insider, a source close to Hause has informed them that the defender is ‘keen’ on going back to West Ham this month.

His current Villa deal expires at the end of this season, but the report stated that his club have the option of extending that by 12 months.

The Verdict: Good squad signing

Hause might not be the big-name addition that some West Ham fans might crave in January but he is someone who could add strong squad depth in the long-term injury absence of Angelo Ogbonna.

He won 10 caps for England’s under-21s in the past, highlighting his pedigree, and he has averaged 4.4 successful headers per game across all competitions so far this season. He also earned glowing praise from Aston Villa journalist Pat Rowe, who said last September: “He always looks so assured now this season, and physically, he just dominates players, he’s got the pace.”

At 26, Hause is at a point in his career where he has plenty of experience but should just be about to enter his peak footballing years, further showing why it could be an astute piece of business for West Ham to bring him back to east London.

In other news, West Ham have been backed to sign another player in January. Find out who it is here.

Crystal Palace are thought to be keen on signing Wolves left-back Rayan Ait Nouri, according to Jeunes Footeux, relayed by Sports Witness.

And, as to be expected, a number of Palace fans have been giving their thoughts to the links on social media.

Patrick Vieira has just one senior left-back on the books at Selhurst Park in Tyrick Mitchell, and apparently wants another to compete with the 22-year-old.

Ait Nouri only made the permanent move to Molineux in the summer in a deal worth just shy of £10m and has made 10 appearances in all competitions under Bruno Lage.

The French defender now seems to be on the radar of his countryman Vieira, while Newcastle United are also name-checked with an interest in the 20-year-old.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the links to Ait Nouri on social media on Wednesday afternoon. This is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply, with a mixed response and one labelling the full-back as ‘class’.

“I will flip”

Credit: @Sumo08112

“IM ON MY KNEES”

Credit: @EBERZEE

“Huh”

Credit: @IocaIpIa999tic

“He’s class but this just stalls Mitchell’s development and we don’t need him with Tayo and Reece coming through too”

Credit: @connor_paIace4

“Lol what”

Credit: @CPFCMax9

“please”

Credit: @bentekefan0

In other news: Palace and Leeds could battle again as transfer news emerges on £18m-rated beast. 

A number of Liverpool fans have bemoaned an injury update on Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane, with the pair now doubtful to face Arsenal on Saturday.

The Reds have again been dogged by injury problems so far this season, as was the case in 2020/21. Last time around it was a plethora of defenders that Jurgen Klopp had to make do without and now it is the midfielders’ turn, with Naby Keita, James Milner, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott all currently missing.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

Not only that, but it now appears as though Henderson and Mane could now join the quartet on the sidelines.

According to the Liverpool Echo [via Anfield Edition on Twitter], the pair could both miss Saturday’s visit of Arsenal in the Premier League, having picked up injuries on international duty. They will continue to be assessed this week.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-11/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans fume at injury latest

These Liverpool fans reacted to news of the club’s latest injury setback on Twitter, cursing the Reds’ luck in the fitness department.

“Pain”

Credit: @tjz_6

“Arsenal winning at Anfield will kill me off”

Credit: @Callum__Moran

“Every international duty”

Credit: @mihamiha2323

“Why is it just Liverpool players? I just don’t understand. Every international break… Can we just stop playing stupid international games.”

Credit: @docilecharizard

“Don’t care anymore fed up with it”

Credit: @Royston679

“We’re done”

Credit: @rakamavlana

In other news, some Liverpool fans have shot down an exit rumour involving one player. Read more here.

West Ham United are targeting a move for Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile this month with David Moyes’ side short on numbers at the back and in need of defensive reinforcements.

What’s the story?

According to Foot Mercato, the Hammers are looking to sign Badiashile and the Frenchman’s representatives have already been contacted.

The £25.2m-rated defender has been subject to interest from numerous Premier League clubs and could be on his way to England over the coming weeks.

West Ham fans will be buzzing

The Irons are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements whilst first-choice duo Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna are sidelined, with the latter out for the foreseeable future after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Thus, the signing of Badiashile would surely be one that goes down well with the London Stadium faithful.

At just 20 years of age, the young defender is certainly a hot prospect, having started eight of Monaco’s 19 league matches this term with the French outfit 7th in Ligue 1.

The centre-back was also an ever-present in Monaco’s Champions League qualifying campaign as well as starting four of their six Europa League group stage games.

Like Zouma, the Frenchman has recently suffered a hamstring injury but returned just before Christmas off the bench in a 2-1 win over Stade Rennais.

Although inexperienced, Badiashile is now in his fourth season as a regular for Monaco’s first team, having made his Ligue 1 debut in a 4-0 home defeat to PSG back in November 2018 as a 17-year-old.

The defender went on to make another 25 first-team appearances in all competitions that season and has made 104 appearances in total since stepping up from the Monaco youth ranks in 2018.

All of that has seen him impress rapidly in French football, winning a mighty 2.1 aerial duels and 1.7 tackles per match this term. Funnily enough, that first statistic ranks exactly the same as Kurt Zouma, a fellow French defender, meaning they could create a mightily impressive partnership at the back.

As for his tackling, he’d be ranked first for centre-backs at West Ham, winning more than every defender besides Arthur Masuaku and Ben Johnson.

As a consequence, he’d surely fit seamlessly into Moyes’ defence in East London.

After a strong start to the campaign, in which they won eight of their first 15 Premier League games, the Hammers’ form has stagnated slightly since both Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma were ruled out.

Since Zouma suffered his injury in early December, the Hammers have lost four games out of seven in all competitions, winning two whilst keeping just one clean sheet.

In other news: West Ham interested in promising forward

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch must finally start Kalvin Phillips in the Premier League on Saturday as his side take on Watford at Vicarage Road.

The England international has missed the best part of three months with injury, having gone down in the 2-2 draw against Brentford at Elland Road in early December. He was named in the matchday squad for the 3-2 victory against Wolves three weeks ago before finally making his return to competitive action last time out against Southampton.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Rather understandably, Marsch chose to bring him on as a second half substitute against the Saints, but with another week’s worth of training under Phillips’ belt, now is surely the time to bring him in from the start.

The midfielder’s return offers Leeds another boost in the final few weeks of the season, with their recent results seeing them climb away from the relegation zone and put some distance between them and the bottom three.

His influence in the middle of the park cannot be understated, and that’s not to mention the kind of impact he has in lifting spirits both among his team-mates and the crowd whenever he’s on the pitch – something about which former Whites midfielder Michael Brown has previously waxed lyrical.

The 45-year-old said: “He is a wonderful talent and he loves Leeds United. What I like about him is that he is such a level headed kid. Brilliant to talk to. He is a proper Leeds supporter and how can he play!

“Kalvin can play so many positions. Central defence, in a three, holding midfield and he can even play more advance in a number eight. He has a bit of everything in his play – short and long pass, a tackle when needed, energy, competitive – a proper player.”

After seeing Phillips deliver a fine performance against Bristol City a couple of seasons ago, The Athletic’s Phil Hay raved: “You’d say that an enforced break has done Kalvin Phillips the world of good. He’s been an animal in the past two games and when he plays like he did today, the opposition are snookered. Surely his last season in the Championship.”

That line from Hay about leaving teams “snookered” is exactly the kind of impact Marsch will be hoping that his midfield talisman will be able to bring; and after getting a brief runout against Southampton, Phillips should be in contention for a bigger role at Vicarage Road.

The £45m-rated star must finally start against Watford on Saturday afternoon.

AND in other news – Signed for £5m, now worth 700% more: Orta struck dream Leeds deal with “quality” 22-year-old

Leeds United selling Helder Costa this summer would allow Jesse Marsch more funds to bring in new signings, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Costa out on loan

The Angola winger joined Valencia on loan last summer, with Marcelo Bielsa unable to afford him regular playing time at Elland Road in 2021/22. However, Costa has failed to set the world alight in La Liga, making 19 appearances in the division but failing to score and registering just one assist.

It could be that the 27-year-old is sold by Leeds at the end of the season, permanently bringing an end to his time at the club.

According to a report by El Desmarque (via Sport Witness), the deal which took Costa to Valencia included a €20m (£16.7m) purchase option, although that figure has now been described as ‘inaccessible’ for the La Liga outfit, so the Whites may need to re-negotiate the agreed fee if they are to offload the attacker permanently.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Jones talks up Costa exit

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that it would be the right decision to offload Costa for good as Marsch looks to bring in his own players to Leeds.

The transfer insider said: “It could be a good opportunity for Marsch to start making his mark on the team and bringing in players that he actually wants.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-39/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Time to get rid

It makes complete sense for Leeds to sell Costa for good in the summer transfer window considering that he seems to be surplus to requirements there, despite being hailed as ‘immense’ by his former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

His current Whites deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2024, so they should still be able to receive a healthy fee for his services.

Costa is valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, and if Leeds could receive a similar bid for him despite the aforementioned purchase clause, they would likely consider it good business to be done with a fringe player who is out of form.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has made a key Leeds transfer claim. Read more here.