All posts by z3u9t.icu

With West Bromwich Albion currently on a run of three games without a win in the Championship, having scored just two goals over the same period, Valerien Ismael’s lack of a clinical goalscorer at The Hawthorns has been badly exposed.

While the Frenchman may shoulder some of the blame for not signing anyone other than Jordan Hugill in attack during the summer transfer window, the club’s previous recruitment must also be scrutinised.

It was only two years ago that the Baggies shelled out a rather considerable £8m on Cardiff City centre-forward Kenneth Zohore, a move which, with the benefit of hindsight, has proven to be a substantial waste of the club’s money.

Nightmare

Indeed, over his 17 Championship appearances in his debut season at West Brom, the £20k-per-week forward failed to impress, scoring just three goals, registering no assists and missing four big chances for his side, as well as hitting the target with an average of just 0.6 shots and making 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Neil Warnock once dubbed a “manager’s dream” at Cardiff earn a disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.67, ranking him as Albion’s fourth-worst performer in the second tier of English football in 2019/20.

As a result of his general level of displays that season, Zohore was subsequently loaned out to Millwall the following campaign, where once again the Denmark international failed to make any real impression.

Over his 17 Championship appearances for the Lions in 2020/21, the 27-year-old found the back of the net just twice, provided no assists and missed three big chances, in addition to hitting the target with just 0.4 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the striker earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.65, ranking him as Millwall’s joint sixth-worst player in the league.

Furthermore, despite Ismael’s distinct lack of options up top, the 45-year-old has left Zohore out of his matchday squads since the Baggies’ second game of the Championship season, something which highlights the current opinion of the Danish marksman at The Hawthorns.

As such, it will perhaps not surprise Albion fans to learn that Transfermarkt now value the 27-year-old at a mere £1.8m, just 22.5% of the £8m fee that West Brom paid for the centre-forward just 24 months ago, which duly illustrates what a nightmare the club’s deal for Zohore has proven to be.

In other news: Ismael must sanction January swoop for “unbelievable” £18m beast, he could transform West Brom

Celtic head into the international break with positivity and negativity engulfing Ange Postecoglou’s team.

Of course, the Hoops lost the Old Firm derby, but then ended the transfer window by signing three players on deadline day.

On the chalkboard

How Postecoglou begins to fit all of these new signings into the squad will be interesting to witness.

Of course, the Bhoys lost the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer and Ryan Christie, but they ended up securing the additions of 12 new first-team faces.

Celtic’s defence has been mediocre again at times this term, but after Anthony Ralston’s flying start to the campaign, his role seems to be one of the few positions that are actually nailed-on.

Greg Taylor missed the clash with Rangers last weekend through injury but it wasn’t Boli Bolingoli who was entrusted at left-back. Instead, it was new signing Josip Juranovic who was playing out of position.

It’s perhaps surprising that Bolingoli is still at the club, but in the words of The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin, it would be a surprise if he got any regular football.

Writing in his post-deadline day column, he said: “Boli Bolingoli will remain at Celtic despite no intention to use him in the first team.”

Fans buzzing

On that evidence, it looks as though the Ivorian full-back will never be seen in a Bhoys shirt ever again.

Postecoglou is yet to hand Bolingoli a single minute in competitive action since he became the manager and it would be a huge surprise if that changes.

Foreign transfer markets are still open but despite that, the defender seemingly has no interest in departing Parkhead.

Although that will frustrate Celtic supporters, news that he’s set to just sit on the sidelines for the season should delight them. After all, this is a player who has let them down on countless occasions.

He’s also a man who Neil Lennon was forced to call “stupid” last season. Bolingoli went on an unsanctioned trip to Spain during the height of the pandemic and hasn’t stepped foot in a Celtic shirt since.

Unaware of the events which had taken place, he continued to train upon his return and even featured from the bench against Kilmarnock days after coming back. He not only put his teammates and coaching staff at risk, but also everyone at Killie.

It caused uproar throughout the Premiership and the £1.9m-rated dud was subsequently sent on loan to Turkey.

After that, it looked unlikely that Bolingoli would ever play for Celtic again, and the player’s worst fears appear to have been confirmed this summer.

Postecoglou isn’t a fan of him and has turned to Adam Montgomery instead as a late substitute and backup to Taylor.

Considering that he’s a homegrown talent, supporters should be delighted with how this is playing out. He certainly deserves a role in the side over someone like Bolingoli who has disrespected the club so significantly.

AND in other news, “Being monitored”: Journo makes Celtic transfer claim, their next Ajer may arrive soon…

Life at West Bromwich Albion has gotten off to a very good start for Valerien Ismael, with the Frenchman having overseen a relatively successful summer transfer window, as well as seeing his Albion side impress over the opening five fixtures of their Championship campaign.

Regarding the Baggies’ transfer business, the 45-year-old manager managed to address a number of problem areas within his squad, landing the signings of centre-forward Jordan Hugill, central midfielders Alex Mowatt and Jayson Molumby, centre-back Matt Clarke and versatile left-midfielder Adam Reach.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, Albion have dropped just two points over their opening five games of the season, results which have left the club sitting second in the Championship standings, behind table-toppers Fulham on goal difference alone.

As such, it is perhaps to be expected that a number of the 45-year-old manager’s players have impressed so far this season, however, rather than the headline-grabbing top goalscorer Callum Robinson topping the club’s performance charts – as may have been expected – it is actually one of Ismael’s summer signings who has so far stolen the show for West Brom this season – Alex Mowatt.

Forget Robinson

While Robinson has hardly disappointed for Albion so far this season, having scored three goals and averaged a SofaScore match rating of 7.42 over his four Championship appearances, it is nevertheless the former Barnsley midfielder who currently tops the Baggies’ player rankings.

Indeed, over his five second-tier appearances so far for West Brom, the £6.3m-rated central midfielder has scored two goals, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of one shot and making 1.4 key passes per game.

The 26-year-old has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 2.4 interceptions, 2.8 tackles, 0.8 clearances and winning 6.6 duels per league fixture.

These returns have seen the player Steve Evans dubbed a “special” talent earn a rather remarkable average SofaScore match rating of 7.48, ranking him not only as Ismael’s best performer in the Championship but also as the joint eighth-best player in the entirety of the division.

As such, should Mowatt be able to maintain this form over the remainder of the season, not only could the £6.5k-per-week midfielder play a starring role in Albion’s push to secure automatic promotion, he could go on to be viewed as one of the signings of the season.

In other news: West Brom could be heading for transfer disaster which would leave Ismael gutted

Celtic could be in the mix to sign Liverpool forward Divock Origi on loan this summer, according to The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Previous Origi links

Origi has been linked with a move to Parkhead on more than one occasion this year.

The first came back in March where he was tipped to move to Glasgow as part of a potential swap deal involving Odsonne Edouard.

The second came just last month, with 90min claiming Celtic were monitoring the Belgian forward with Liverpool ready to move the 26-year-old on.

The Latest: Possible loan move?

The Daily Record shared a story on Thursday morning, looking at five strikers who could complement Celtic’s transfer strategy.

One of those was Origi, with the report claiming that although a potential £10m transfer fee is a non-starter, the Hoops could be in the mix for a temporary deal, should the Reds make him available.

The Verdict: A possible Edouard replacement?

With Edouard still looking to seal a Parkhead exit this summer after his move to Leicester City collapsed, Origi could turn out to be a smart replacement.

Origi, described as ‘unreal’ by teammate Caoimhin Kelleher back in the 2019/20 season, has plenty of experience at the highest level.

He’s made 29 appearances for his country and 157 for Liverpool, scoring 62 goals for club and country during his career.

Origi’s Anfield deal also expires next year, so perhaps a loan move with an obligation to buy could be explored by the Hoops, which may make more financial sense for all parties involved.

In other news: Celtic ‘in talks’ to sign 25 y/o who has same agency as superstars like Son and Varane. 

Southampton fell to a 3-1 defeat against Everton on the opening day of the new Premier League season after a second half collapse at Goodison Park.

Ralph Hasenhuttl handed debuts to Tino Livramento, Romain Perraud and Adam Armstrong, and the latter made a great start to his life as a Southampton player as he was found by Che Adams through on goal and clinically found the bottom corner to give the Saints a half-time lead.

However, as was so often the case last season, Southampton fell apart in the second half, with Richarlison taking advantage of some slack defending to equalise just a few moments after the restart, before Abdoulaye Doucoure’s screamer and Dominic Calvert Lewin’s scrappy goal sealed the points for Rafa Benitez’s side.

One man who unfortunately disappointed at Goodison Park was Perraud on what was his competitive debut for the Saints after a summer move from Stade Brest.

As per SofaScore, the Frenchman earned a poor 6.1/10 rating for his display, which was the joint-worst of any player to feature from both teams.

During his time on the pitch, the 23-year-old won only two of his seven duels, whilst he completed just one tackle, struggling to deal with Everton’s experienced right-hand side of Seamus Coleman and Andros Townsend.

Perhaps most worryingly, the young left-back struggled immensely with his passing, losing possession on 23 occasions, the most of any player in the game.

He also completed just 12 of his 22 passes, resulting in a 55% pass accuracy, a significant decrease on the 79.9% he averaged in Ligue 1 last season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Considering that the defender was perhaps signed for his impressive attacking returns last season, as he managed three goals and seven assists in the French top-flight, Saints fans must be disappointed that he was so poor going forward today and will be hoping to see a lot more from him in future games.

In other news… Semmens heading for Saints transfer disaster with Premier League “machine”

Former Southampton midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern that he would be “totally against” Graziano Pelle returning to the Saints.

Pelle enjoyed a successful spell down on the south coast between 2014 and 2016, scoring 30 goals in 80 appearances before going on to join Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng.

The 36-year-old striker is now a free agent following his exit from Parma, prompting some Southampton fans to call for him to be re-signed.

It is something that Palmer, though, would be against, with the ex-Saint suggesting it would be a backward step for the club.

“I’m totally against it,” Palmer said when asked if the Premier League outfit should bring the Italian back to St. Mary’s.

“Fans, you know, will always put their hands up for a former favourite of theirs to return to the club, but it’s not always a wise move for him to come back. I think that would be a backward step for them.”

Nostalgia aside, there is little reason to re-sign Pelle this summer, with the 6 ft 4 former Southampton striker not having the best of times at Parma. In 13 games, he scored just once before leaving the Serie A outfit at the end of his contract.

Newcastle United are reportedly in a battle with another club in the Premier League to try and sign Jason Knight before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: Knight impresses

Despite a very disappointing 2020/21 season for Derby County, who barely survived relegation from the Championship, Knight had an impressive individual campaign.

Described as a ‘manager’s dream’ by Wayne Rooney back in January, the versatile player won six of his duels per game in the division and also averaged 1.5 tackles per match, scoring two goals (Sofascore).

The Latest: Knight monitored

As per The Irish Examiner, Knight is being monitored by both Newcastle and Burnley ahead of a potential move.

He has emerged as a target for the Tyneside club as Steve Bruce looks to strengthen his squad before the new season starts.

The Verdict: Sign

The Magpies simply need to get bodies in before the deadline given that they have one of the smallest squads in the Premier League, and Knight could prove to be a valuable player for them.

Given that he would be coming up from the Championship into the top flight, the Republic of Ireland international should not cost too much, and at 20 years of age, he still has a lot of potential while also being entrusted as Derby captain on a handful of occasions last term.

However, with the Clarets also interested in his signature, the Magpies need to act fast in order to get their man.

In other news, find out which Premier League club have agreed a fee for this NUFC target

Barry Fry has rubbished claims that West Ham United may be able to prise Ivan Toney away from newly-promoted Brentford this summer.

The Hammers have held a long-standing interest in the former Peterborough United striker, but Fry revealed co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold turned down the opportunity to sign the frontman before joining Thomas Frank’s Bees last August.

Chelsea are also interested in Toney, who is rated at £35million.

The 25-year-old, who made two Premier League appearances during his spell on the books of Newcastle United, played a key role as Brentford won promotion via the Championship play-offs last season.

Toney scored 33 goals and registered 10 assists in an eye-catching first campaign with the Bees.

While West Ham are still keen to sign the striker, Peterborough director of football Fry insists it would take a hefty offer for boss David Moyes to strike a deal before the transfer window slams shut at the end of next month.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Fry said: “Now that Ivan Toney has got Brentford in the Premier League, they will want an arm and a leg to sell him, and quite rightly so.

“They need him to retain their Premier League status and it would take an almighty offer to prise him away.”

Dean Smith appears to have somewhat of a transfer war chest this summer at Villa Park but a shrewd and under the radar piece of business could be Chris Wood ,who has been backed to impress for the Villans by former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey.

Wood is part of an illustrious club that may surprise a few people, especially Villa fans who may not be impressed with links suggesting Smith could move for the striker, as he is one of only eight players to have hit double figures in the last four Premier League seasons.

The New Zealand international has a contract that runs until 2023 but that has not stopped Villa from being linked with the striker, and it would appear no price tag would put them off if they accept Manchester City’s £100 million offer for Jack Grealish.

It would certainly be a different type of signing to Ollie Watkins but with Smith unable to rely on his main striker to be firing every single game, a proven Premier League player like Wood who would offer them a different style of attacking could be a smart signing, according to Howey, who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“He’s certainly a very good outlet, you can just clip a ball into him if you’re under pressure and he can win you a foul further up the pitch. 

“If he can improve his hold-up play then I certainly think you’ve got a striker there with his goals that could be quite good for Villa.”

Wood was signed from Leeds when they were in the Championship and despite being part of a Burnley side who are more often than not in a relegation battle, he’s thrived off great service and Sean Dyche’s side playing to his strengths.

Despite his frame and being six foot three, his touch and finishing with his feet is very underrated. You just have to look at his goal away to Fulham last season which left Alphonse Areola with no chance, and Alan Shearer praising him last year for being very good at occupying two centre backs at once, saying he’s “horrible to play against”.

Recent European Championships have obtained a reputation for being goal-shy affairs, often without much in the way of highlight-reel worthy stunners. Arriving a year late has clearly allowed some pent up energy to build as Euro 2020 racks up the goals and a host of stunners to boot. As the tournament reaches the quarter-finals stage we’ve already been treated to outstanding strikes, including a long-range effort that will do down in the annals of football history – unless you’re a Scotland fan.

Let’s start with a man who wouldn’t have been on many people’s radar when it came to planning a Euro 2020 Squad Builder, Andriy Yarmolenko. The Ukraine and West Ham ace cut in from the right before delivering a trademark finish into the top right-hand corner from all of 25-yards.

Next up a goal with huge permutations as Wales reached the knockout phase for a second consecutive tournament thanks in many ways to an Aaron Ramsey delight. Running in behind a motionless Turkish defence, having already spurned numerous chances, the Juventus ace brought down an exquisite Gareth Bale pass before coolly slotting home from inside the area.

If there had been any doubts about whether the players could produce the quality after an arduous domestic campaign, they were put to bed when Turkey met Switzerland on the final matchday in Group A. After Haris Seferovic had opened the scoring with a driving left-footed strike from the edge of the box, Liverpool outcast Xherdan Shaqiri revved up his own left foot and produced two moments of sheer quality – the latter rounding off a sweeping counter-attack.

Despite ending up on the losing side, perhaps the brightest moment from a nightmarish campaign for Turkey came when Irfan Can Kahveci fired home a screamer after manipulating the ball inside with the sole of his foot.

Goals can be judged by many means, but one that can never go unnoticed is the importance of the moment. Fortunately for Andreas Christensen, his piledriver against Russia would be noteworthy regardless of scale. With the emotion of a nation and a full Parken Stadium in Copenhagen hanging on every moment, the centre-back seemed to appear from nowhere as the ball broke loose to fire home from all of 30 yards, sending Denmark through and the crowd wild.

Scotland fans look away now, and later. Another game on a knife-edge settled by a moment of pure genius as a man known for big moments, Luca Modric, produced once again. The Real Madrid man’s sumptuous strike with the outside of the right boot put Croatia back in control and ultimately broke the hearts of the Tartan Army.

Perhaps the shock of the tournament until now came when France were dumped out on penalties against Switzerland at the Round of 16 stage. Despite the disappointing night’s work, Karim Benzema and Paul Pogba found time to provide two memorable moments. The former produced one of the greatest touches ever seen at the Euros before chipping an onrushing Yan Sommer. Just 15 minutes later a dancing Pogba seemed to wrap up the tie with a postage stamp strike that almost took the net camera with it.

Many peoples in-tournament favourites, Italy were forced to go all the way to extra-time in their round-of-16 tie against Austria. With the prospect of penalties on the horizon, Juventus winger Federico Chiesa produced a much-need moment of magic with incredible control before unleashing an unstoppable volley from a tight angle.

Unfortunately, it’s time to look away again. No goal compilation that follows this tournament will be complete without a look at Patrik Schick’s quick thinking effort from inches shy of 50 yards out. Created by a fortunate deflection, Schick was playing in 4D after spotting David Marshall way off his line and sending a pinpoint effort curling over the back-pedalling Scot – creating meme-worthy content in the process.

Honourable mentions should go to certain Cristiano Ronaldo and Kevin de Bruyne efforts, albeit not worthy of ousting any of the above.

As the competition reaches the last eight stage we can look forward to yet more memorable moments, goals, shocks and potentially even an effort worthy of beating Patrik Schick’s procession to Goal of the Tournament.