All posts by h79snht.top

Real Madrid are reportedly wary of the threat that the ‘wonderful’ Matt O’Riley will pose for Celtic in their much-anticipated Champions League clash.

The Lowdown: Huge night awaits at Parkhead

The Hoops face one of their biggest matches in years on Tuesday night, with European champions Madrid making the trip to Parkhead.

It promises to be a deafening atmosphere and Ange Postecoglou’s side will be dreaming of a huge shock following a superb start to the season.

It will be a night where every Celtic player will need to perform but O’Riley will be a key figure, having already provided five assists in just six Scottish Premiership appearances this season.

The Latest: O’Riley singled out

Madrid newspaper AS [via Sport Witness] write that the 21-year-old is a player for Carlo Ancelotti’s side to worry about, given his ‘wonderful’ quality:

“He is physically very powerful, he is about 1.90 tall, and he has a very fine kick with his left leg. Last Saturday he gave two assists in the resounding victory against the ‘enemy’ Rangers; one of them, for Jota, was wonderful.”

However, they also pinpoint the big weakness for the Bhoys, believing their defence will not be able to stand up to the quality on show from Madrid.

The Verdict: Massive occasion for youngster

This is surely the biggest game of O’Riley’s blossoming career to date – one that represents a wonderful chance for him to showcase his talent on the biggest club stage of them all – and it is exciting to see the mighty Madrid single him out as a threat.

The young midfielder will likely come up against two of the best of their generation in Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, but he should embrace the challenge with open arms.

Postecoglou has urged his team to approach the game in a fearless manner and O’Riley must heed his manager’s words, not being overawed and simply playing the way he has all season to date. It’s easier said than done, but he is more than capable of standing out on a massive night.

Newcastle United head into the first international break of the 2022/23 campaign without picking up three points in any of their last six Premier League matches.

The Magpies have won one game in the English top-flight this season and that came on the opening day against newly-promoted Nottingham Forest.

Eddie Howe’s men have since lost one and drawn five as they have struggled to find the cutting edge required to brush the opposition aside, leaving them tenth in the table.

They have been defensively sound, conceding four goals in six matches outside of their 3-3 draw with Manchester City, but have only scored eight in total.

Newcastle have found the back of the net three times in their last four Premier League games as they have been found wanting at the top end of the pitch.

Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson have both scored two goals from three starts respectively and this suggests that the other areas of the team are not chipping in with enough quality in the final third.

No central midfielders have got their name on the scoresheet so far this season, whilst Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin (one) are the only other forwards with goals in the top flight.

Howe is not getting quality attacking play from the middle of the park and he should be particularly disappointed with Joe Willock’s lack of involvement going forward.

He burst onto the scene at St. James’ Park during his initial loan spell in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign as he scored eight goals in 11 Premier League starts, suggesting that he had the quality to be a consistent, goal-scoring, midfielder for the club.

Newcastle then paid more than £20m to sign him from Arsenal on a permanent basis in the summer of 2021 and he has failed to get anywhere near the standards he set during his loan.

In the 2021/22 season, Willock averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.71 – placing him 17th in the squad – and produced two goals and zero assists in 29 matches. The £20k-per-week lightweight also lost 60% of his aerial duels and 52% of his battles in total, which shows that he struggled to offer much physicality in midfield whilst also faltering in front of goal.

This term, he has failed to chip in with a single goal or assist and is averaging a SofaScore rating of 6.81, whilst losing 56% of his duels in seven starts. 12 Toon players have averaged a higher rating than him and this shows that he is, once again, struggling to put in consistently impressive displays.

The dud, who Reach editor Andrew Musgrove claimed is “not stepping up”, must now finally be ditched by Howe and endure a spell on the bench. Elliot Anderson, who managed seven goals and six assists in 20 starts on loan at Bristol Rovers last season, could come in for him to be given a chance to show what he is all about at first-team level.

Playing the Magpies academy graduate ahead of Willock could also give the 23-year-old the kick he needs to get back to his goalscoring best from two seasons ago. Therefore, Howe must now drop the former Arsenal man and give the young Scot an opportunity in midfield.

Allan has reportedly now agreed to leave Everton and join United Arab Emirates (UAE) side Al-Wahda before their domestic transfer deadline.

The Lowdown: Talks held

Earlier his week, it was reported that Allan was in talks with Al-Wahda over a potential move there before the UAE’s transfer deadline of October 4.

He has been given the green light to leave Goodison Park after they recruited fellow central midfielders Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye and James Garner in the summer transfer window.

The Latest: Deal agreed

As per Football Insider, Allan has now reached an agreement to sign for Al-Wahda before their domestic deadline.

He is set to leave ‘straight away’, so an official announcement is expected soon.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-8/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Good riddance

It is safe to say that Allan has been a bit of a flop at the Merseyside club ever since his arrival from Napoli back in 2020, with 57 games played in total with no goals and just three assists to his name across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

The Brazilian was a key part of the squad that almost got relegated last term, and has not yet made an appearance for the Toffees so far this campaign, meaning that he will not be missed if he leaves.

Allan is currently the Blues’ joint-fifth highest earner on £70,000-per-week as well, so a lot of money would be saved on the wage bill once he departs.

After a shocking start to the new Premier League season which has left Wolves in 18th place with just one win to their name, the Old Gold need to ensure that their next manager can keep them well clear of trouble.

One man who is reportedly interested in taking over from Bruno Lage at Molineux is current Lille manager Paulo Fonseca.

According to 90min, the Portuguese manager has shown an interest in the vacant role, despite having only taken charge of Lille in June.

The 49-year-old has been linked with both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in the past so is clearly keen to work in the Premier League, and considering the plethora of Portuguese talent on offer at Molineux where better for the former Roma boss to find his feet in England’s top flight?

During his time with Lille, the French side have had a very ordinary start to the season, winning four, drawing one and losing four of their opening nine games in Ligue 1.

However, Fonseca boasts impressive records with Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga and Porto, having averaged more than 1.7 points per game at all of those clubs, so he could bring a winning mentality with him to Wolves.

Fabrizio Romano was full of praise for Fonseca when he was linked with Spurs, saying:

“He is perfect in the dressing room and perfect in his relationship with the players.

“He likes to play a 3-4-2-1 formation and likes to play with quality and fast players behind the striker.”

Both of these statements seem like they would be an excellent fit for Wolves given their current situation, as Lage was said to have lost the dressing room before his eventual sacking, while three goals in just eight games this season suggests that the players are not clicking on the pitch.

If Fonseca can boost the players’ relationship off the pitch then surely it will be only a matter of time until they begin to blossom on it, so his ability to win over a dressing room could be key in turning Wolves’ fortunes around.

The promise of playing a 3-4-2-1 could also see Wolves get back to their best, as they boasted a fine defensive record in the league early last season when playing three centre-backs, while the likes of Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence and Goncalo Guedes would definitely fit the mould of a quick player capable of playing behind the striker.

Therefore, Fosun should definitely consider appointing Fonseca if he is indeed keen on a move to Molineux.

Tottenham Hotspur squandered numerous chances as they were held to a goalless draw by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

The north Londoners remained second in group D and failed to respond after losing 3-1 to arch-rivals Arsenal at the weekend, having put in a wasteful display in attack.

Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic both went close and were the most likely to break the deadlock for Antonio Conte, though he also needed goalkeeper Hugo Lloris at the top of his game to deny the home side on a couple of occasions, too.

At times, Spurs had the Bundesliga outfit camped in their own half as Kane and Heung-min Son’s link-up play was encouraging, but also frustrating. In the end, it was a useful point that should’ve been much more as they remained tied on points with the Europa League winners.

Both of the aforementioned duo could be questioned for their lack of firepower but it was perhaps Richarlison who cost the English team more, resulting in him being hooked by the 79th minute.

Indeed, even Lloris (39) registered more touches of the ball than the Brazil international (32) and with what little involvement he had, the 25-year-old proved careless.

If anyone epitomised just how wasteful Tottenham were at the Waldstadion, then it was certainly Richarlison, who made just 61% of his 23 passing attempts, whilst also failing to provide an accurate cross or long ball from three combined attempts, via SofaScore.

Meanwhile, the former Everton dynamo – who is currently valued at £61m by CIES Football Observatory after his £60m summer switch – lost possession 14 times and lost 84% of his duels, meaning he not only handed the ball back to Frankfurt once every 2.3 touches but was also hugely lightweight against the opposition.

Richarlison failed to register an attempt on target too, only compounding his, and subsequently Spurs’, misery in Germany.

‘Clunky and careless in possession’ is how The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick described the Brazilian’s display in his post-game ratings column, where he was graded amongst the worst of Conte’s starting XI, whilst The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke suggested that he was “not on it.”

On the above evidence, it was the £134k-per-week star that cost Conte most over in Frankfurt and he’ll do well to keep his place in the starting XI with Spurs set for a fast turnaround as they face an in-form Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

AND in other news, Sold for £13m, now worth £36.5m: Spurs had a shocker on “unbelievable” £79k-p/w talent…

Everton were linked with plenty of players over the summer, with Frank Lampard desperate to stamp his mark on a side that were beaten and bruised throughout a testing season.

With the inevitable sale of Richarlison, the Toffees earned a much-needed £60m cash injection to reinvest.

A winger was a must, and in Dwight McNeil, they secured a solid if unspectacular option, perhaps freeing up the money used to buy Amadou Onana.

However, with how Everton have started the season, perhaps they should have invested more heavily in a reliable source of goals from out wide.

Before yesterday’s defeat, they boasted the outright best defence in the Premier League but had only scored eight goals in nine games.

Perhaps if they had secured the signing of Ismaila Sarr from Watford, who they were credited as holding an interest in, they might have been able to turn some of those draws into wins.

Especially if he were to have replaced Anthony Gordon, who despite his two goals, has largely disappointed so far this campaign.

The Senegalese speedster conversely has four goals and two assists in the Championship and would have joined already in possession of Premier League experience.

In just 22 games last season, he scored five and assisted twice in the top flight.

Meanwhile, the boyhood Evertonian could only muster four goals and two assists having played 13 more games.

Gordon is actually yet to have an outstanding goal-scoring season, whereas Sarr has already lit the Championship up previously. If he had joined and brought even a fraction of the ability that led him to 13 goals and ten assists in the 2020/21 season, he would have surely been a success.

Also, Lampard would have benefitted from a proper wide man with pace and power far greater than any of their current wide men.

Journalist Rob Blanchette actually thought the winger would be a good buy for Manchester United, citing him as “young, hungry and electric.”

Whilst Gordon showed flashes last season that he could be just this for Everton, his average SofaScore rating of 6.79 this season suggests his failed move to Chelsea might be affecting his form.

With Sarr reportedly having been available for £25m, just £5m more than McNeil, perhaps this will go down as one of Kevin Thelwell’s rare transfer blunders during his short time on Merseyside.

Former Scotland international Frank McAvennie has backed Glasgow Rangers to sell centre-back Leon King if a big offer is made for the youngster.

The Lowdown: King attracting interest

As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, a plethora of clubs are monitoring the 18-year-old, who started against Liverpool in the Champions League earlier this month.

Out of contract in the summer of 2024, the highly-coveted Scotland under-21 international has already been scouted by the likes of Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester United.

The defender has already made 19 appearances for the Light Blues’ first team so far, including ten in the Premiership and Champions League this season.

The Latest: McAvennie’s claim

McAvennie thinks that a move to the English top flight would significantly help King to progress his ability and his overall career.

When questioned by Football Insider about whether the teenager would be receptive to a Premier League move, the 62-year-old claimed: “Of course he will and Rangers will sell him if the offer comes in.

“There are no two ways about it. The same as [Nathan] Patterson. He went to Everton and he is in the squad now. It took him a while, but he is a good player.

“King is a good player, but he got shown up in Europe. If he goes to England, he will learn.

“One thing I noticed was that every day you are playing with better players, no disrespect to Rangers, but you are training with different players. You become a better player.

“So I think he could be tempted but it would have to be a big offer for Rangers to sell him because they need him.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-5/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Big potential

Having settled in well in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers defence, the 18-year-old has been rewarded with appearances in all four of the Light Blues’ Champions League group games this autumn.

As per WhoScored, the centre-back has averaged 2.5 tackles, 2.3 clearances and one interception per game in that group stage campaign – an impressive return for any defender, never mind a teenager just finding his way in professional football. Indeed, he has made more tackles in the Champions League than any of his team-mates.

Having been hailed by journalist Jonny McFarlane for his ‘incredible’ ability to ping the ball across the pitch, it is clear to see that King could have a big future ahead of him.

Therefore, it appears only a matter of time until the Light Blues start receiving big-money offers for his services, just as they did for Nathan Patterson, as McAvennie highlighted.

Everton have hit a bad run of form in the Premier League with three consecutive defeats in a row after losing to Newcastle United last night, and the lack of goals in the team is a clear contributor to the team’s failure to pick up points.

With Richarlison making a move to Tottenham Hotspur and Dominic Calvert-Lewin struggling with injury issues there was no doubt that the goal contributions and quality in the forward line would decline at Goodison Park, but again the transfer window was an opportunity to eradicate that scenario.

Despite their efforts on Deadline Day, the Toffees were unable to secure the clinical finisher the side desperately needed but they did sign up Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil, with the latter scoring eight goals and delivering two assists for Brighton and Hove Albion last season whilst McNeil offered just one assist to Burnley.

As a result, Everton failed to sign attack-minded players with an eye for goal that could really make a convincing difference when replacing the goal contributions of both Richarlison and an injury-prone Calvert-Lewin. That could ultimately cost them significantly if Frank Lampard is unable to identify solutions quickly.

The Toffees boss may consider waiting it out until the transfer window opens in the new year, but he could look closer to home in the Everton academy to promote a young player who can assist the team with their attacking threat.

One player who could be the perfect addition to the team is Mackenzie Hunt. He has the ability to add not just goals to the team, but he could also fill a James Rodriguez-shaped void with his playmaking abilities.

The 20-year-old rising star who was dubbed “fantastic” by former Manchester United squad member Kirk Hilton has been putting in several impressive performances in the EFL Trophy, and his most recent performance in the 6-0 win over Hartlepool gave an impressive glimpse of his talent.

During his 62-minute minute appearance, Hunt scored one goal and delivered one assist while making three key passes. Immediately you can begin to appreciate why he’d be able to replace Rodriguez’s impressive set of attributes.

He won 50% of his duels and made one tackle as well, proving that his defensive talent is also worth keeping an eye on for Lampard.

The attacking midfielder has tallied up 59 appearances in the Everton U18 and U21 teams scoring five goals and delivering nine assists to his teammates which is an impressive record given his age. Unfortunately, he is yet to be given an opportunity in the first team.

Hunt signed a new deal to remain at Goodison Park back in June this year, and Kevin Thelwell spoke out on the player’s contribution and experience to the youth teams after the youngster penned his new terms:

“Mackenzie progressed under the guidance of Paul Tait during their time together with our Under-18s and we are confident he will benefit once again from the experience and knowledge of Paul and his Under-21s coaching staff.”

With that being said, Lampard could add a fresh perspective to his team during the congested fixture schedule and may well unearth a diamond that can save the club millions when looking to strengthen their attacking options. In doing so, he could well unearth a Rodriguez-esque talent.

Korean football journalist Steve Han has shared a potentially big Son Heung-min injury update for Tottenham Hotspur supporters.

The Lowdown: Spurs seal dramatic win…

The Lilywhites came back from 1-0 down in Marseille on Tuesday night to seal a last-gasp 2-1 victory courtesy of second half goals from Clement Lenglet and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Spurs faced a mountainous task in their final Champions League group game when Chancel Mbemba’s opening goal on the stroke half time put Marseille in the ascendancy. The Premier League side seemed to have it all to do but Lenglet’s leveller inspired real hope, akin to their domestic comeback against Bournemouth at the weekend.

Antonio Conte’s side pushed for the decider, which finally came five minutes into stoppage time as Hojbjerg grabbed their second last-gasp winning goal in the space of four days.

In what was a joyous night for the north Londoners, proceedings were somewhat marred by a head injury to star forward Son.

The Latest: Korean journalist shares potentially big Son update…

However, in some more potential good news for Tottenham after their win, Korean football reporter Han has shared what he knows on the 30-year-old’s condition from Son’s own camp.

Han says that insiders from the winger’s side are ‘cautiously optimistic’ that his injury isn’t as bad as first feared yet and his pain apparently ‘subsided’.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-3/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Son is now awaiting full evaluation in London this morning.

Han explained (via Twitter): “Spurs flew out of Marseille after the game and are now back in London. Son’s camp remains cautiously optimistic that he has avoided the worst, which would be surgery. Pain apparently subsided for him since being taken off as he awaits full evaluation in the morning in London.”

The Verdict: Hopeful update…

Avoiding the worst on Son’s part would be massive, not least due to his importance at Spurs and the looming 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where his native South Korea will be taking part.

The forward’s personal dream of featuring at the tournament could be put in danger depending on the severity of his injury, but judging by this update, it appears hopeful that surgery could be avoided.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Marcus Thuram to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent report by 90min, who revealed that Fabio Paratici sent Spurs scouts to watch the centre-forward in action during Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund last Friday – ahead of launching a potential move for the 25-year-old in the winter market.

However, a further report by Italian media outlet CalcioMercato also claimed that the likes of Inter Milan, Juventus and Bayern Munich are keen on the France international, while Arsenal are also reported to be interested in the striker – who is free to discuss pre-contract terms with a new suitor in January.

Finally, CalcioMercato add that, with Thuram’s current deal at Borussia-Park set to expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, the Bundesliga side could be willing to part with the attacker for a reduced fee this winter – in order to receive some sort of fee for a player as talented as the Frenchman.

Paratici must move

Considering just how impressive Thuram has been in Germany this season, it is not difficult to understand why Paratici and Antonio Conte would be interested in a move for the 25-year-old in the January transfer window.

Indeed, over his 15 Bundesliga fixtures in 2022/23, the £26m-rated striker has been in devastating form, having already bagged ten goals, provided three assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.7 shots – 2.0 of which have hit the target – making 0.9 key passes and completing 1.5 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the £54k-per-week talent who Denis Zakaria labelled both “crazy” and “phenomenal” average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.19, not only ranking him as Mönchengladbach’s fourth-best performer in the league but also as the joint 23rd-best player in the German top flight as a whole.

Furthermore, FBref rank the Frenchman in the top 13% of forwards in Europe’s big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, in addition to the top 5% for non-penalty xG, the top 10% for shots, the top 22% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for dribbles completed and the top 9% for touches in the opposition penalty area over the last 12 months.

And, with Thuram being a late inclusion in Didier Deschamps’ 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup, should the 25-year-old manage to continue his remarkable club form for France in Qatar, the striker could well attract even more attention than he currently is by the time January rolls around.

As such, it would appear an extremely wise move for Paratici to open talks with the Mönchengladbach star’s agents at the earliest possible opportunity, as Tottenham landing the forward ahead of their most bitter rivals Arsenal would undoubtedly represent a huge coup for the Italian – particularly considering the Gunners’ current top of the table standing in the Premier League.