All posts by z3u9t.icu

Southampton are reportedly interested in signing goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco from Deportivo Alaves this summer and, if he were to join, he could usurp both Alex McCarthy and Fraser Forster and become first choice under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

According to reports from Spanish outlet El Gol Digital, Leeds United and Southampton are keen on signing the 28-year-old shot-stopper this summer, with both reportedly willing to pay the €10m (£8.6m) that Alaves would demand for their number one.

The former Real Madrid youngster has been a mainstay in Alaves’ side for the past six years since joining on a free transfer from Los Blancos, making 207 appearances, in which he has conceded 257 goals and kept 67 clean sheets.

The football scouting website FBref rates Pacheco highly when it comes to passing, as he scores 95/100 for his passes over 40 yards completed. In the same statistic, McCarthy scores a measly 2/100.

It seems as if the Spanish ‘keeper also has the advantage when it comes to saving shots, as he scores 98/100 for the expected goals per shot he faces, meaning he concedes far less than expected, whereas McCarthy scores 82/100 in this statistic.

It has been suggested that McCarthy has had the edge over Forster for much of the season because of his ability with the ball at his feet, but it seems clear that Pacheco would be an upgrade from this perspective, with WhoScored also suggesting that his main strength as a goalkeeper is his long passing.

Forster has been between the sticks for recent games against Everton and Sheffield United and, whilst he boasts an impressive clean sheet record on his rare appearances this season, it seems clear that Hasenhuttl sees him as second choice behind McCarthy.

The former Celtic loanee is also 32 and McCarthy is 31, and whilst that isn’t particularly old for a goalkeeper, Pacheco is 28 and therefore could be a fixture in this Southampton team for the next few years he were to join.

Considering Alaves currently sit 19th in La Liga, it seems likely that if Southampton were to come knocking in the summer following Alaves’ possible relegation from the Spanish top flight, then Pacheco could be easily convinced by a move to the south coast of England.

Therefore, Martin Semmens should definitely try and bring him to the Premier League, as the statistics seem to suggest that he would fit in well in Hasenhuttl’s side and could be an upgrade on both McCarthy and Forster.

In other news… Southampton handed big boost in hopes of axing £40k-p/w flop this summer

West Brom have a rather talented academy system having earned elite category one status nearly a decade ago.

Over the years, plenty of names have made their senior debuts, namely Nathan Ferguson, Kyle Edwards, Rekeem Harper and Dara O’Shea in recent seasons.

Soon another emerging Baggies hopeful could join the long list of players to make it from the youth set-up to the senior fold – Finn Azaz.

The 20-year-old midfield starlet has continued to impress during a loan spell at League Two outfit Cheltenham Town this season and he’s starting to develop as a potential long-term heir in a key position.

At 6 foot 1 inches in stature, the young gem doesn’t appear to be the most mobile option in the engine room. However, that’s far from the case as he not only displayed a creative side this term but shown an ability to dazzle with the ball at his feet.

Indeed, according to GloucesterLive journalist Jonathan Palmer, Azaz has been operating as a ‘no.10’ for the high-flying Robins.

Speaking to the Express & Star, he said:

“Finn Azaz is operating in a ‘number 10’ role supporting two centre forwards and has excelled so far,” before adding: “He has plenty of tricks and flicks in his locker but has already shown progress regarding when to try things and when to keep it simple. His ability has shone through since pre-season and he looks a real talent based on his early competitive appearances.”

Of those to make 16 or more appearances, the Albion loanee ranks among the best for chances created as he’s provided 1.1 key passes per 90, whilst he’s not afraid of having a pop at goal either, averaging 1.7 shots per 90, via WhoScored.

Given the dubious future of West Brom right now, both financially and in terms of player turnover, Azaz could become a ready-made option, especially if the Midlands side are relegated straight back to the Championship.

Matheus Pereira has been above and beyond their best player this term, averaging the second-highest WhoScored rating in the team. He’s both their top goalscorer and top provider, and has delivered more shots and key passes than any other Baggies star too.

Which only emphasises why Azaz could be his heir at some point later down the line, given his ability to create and left fly with an effort or two.

The Hawthorns prodigy could be the next big thing to make it at the Baggies.

AND in other news, West Brom dodged a massive £14m bullet with failed January swoop…

Many Rangers fans have been left to slam the display of Scott Arfield despite their 1-0 win over Livingston in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday evening.

It was certainly a game not short of controversy, as Steven Gerrard found himself sent off at half time for two bookable offences after questioning the referee who decided to give Alfredo Morelos a booking for simulation in the penalty box in the first half.

Nonetheless, the Colombian striker tapped home with just a few minutes left of the match to go to give the Ibrox faithful all three points and thus take a big step toward securing the SPFL title.

However, although there were some very good performances in a Gers shirt, Arfield flattered to deceive and was consequently subbed off with around 20 minutes to go.

The central midfield player lost out on five of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on target, successful dribble or key pass, as he failed to really grab hold of the fixture, registering fewer touches than his own goalkeeper in Allan McGregor (Sofascore).

Rangers fan reaction to Arfield display

These Gers supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as say that the 32-year-old was ‘woeful’:

“Think it was a mistake to play Arfield from the start. Not sharp enough after injury”

Credit: @BigJamieReid

“About time Arfield done nothing again”

Credit: @RFC1872II

“Arfield been the worst performer on pitch which is some going with Beaton on there as well”

Credit: @KuriousOranjj

“Arfield is having a shocker tonight.”

Credit: @Rt_415

“Arfield off Hagi on he’s been miles off it tonight”

Credit: @glasgowgolfer77

“Kent and Arfield have been absolutely woeful”

Credit: @pies1690

In other news, find out why Rangers fans have slammed one journalist recently here!

According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United are amongst the club’s in the race to sign Schalke defender Ozan Kabak.

What’s the word?

It’s claimed the Red Devils could face a bidding war for Kabak as Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Liverpool and RB Leipzig are also keen to secure the services of the 6 ft 1-inch colossus.

Schalke are willing to accept a transfer fee in the region of £25m for the Turkish international, 20, who has won six caps for his country so far.

There has been plenty of interest in the young defender, with Ed Woodward trying to bring him to Old Trafford, but he faces stiff competition with Premier League rivals Liverpool and former European opponents Leipzig looking to prise him away from the VELTINS-Arena.

Nemanja Vidic 2.0?

Kabak has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dismal season for Schalke, as they remain rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga.

The Turk has made nine top-flight appearances this season, while he is averaging one tackle and 3.6 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

While Harry Maguire is United’s first-choice defender, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has struggled to find the right partner for the club captain.

Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof are jostling for position in the starting line-up, but both arguably have their flaws, while Timothy Fosu-Mensah is seemingly reaching the end of his time at Old Trafford.

Kabak would be a significant upgrade on most, if not all, of the options currently available to Solskjaer. Standing at 1.86m tall, he is cut from a similar cloth to club legend Nemanja Vidic in terms of both his physicality and style of play.

Just like Vidic, Kabak has demonstrated an ability to lead by example, as he is a powerful threat in the air.

He’s also drawn comparisons with Real Madrid great Sergio Ramos, which is high praise indeed for someone who is still in the early stages of his career.

You only have to watch Kabak to see how good he is, but the numbers speak for themselves too. Last season, he produced three goals and an assist in 26 Bundesliga games, whilst he averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 3.6 clearances per game, as per WhoScored.

Stuggart sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger was effusive in his praise for his former charge, saying: “It’s incredible how worldly-wise he is for his age. It’s astonishing. I see him every day and am amazed at how mature he is. He wants to know everything; he wants to learn German right away and understand everything. That’s the kind of attitude we need. He’s already a role model, despite his age.”

This sort of maturity would be most welcome in Manchester and to be able to get a centre-half of his calibre who is capable of covering and competing with Maguire and the others for a place in the starting XI would be a smart bit of business by Woodward.

AND in other news, Manchester United may forever regret not signing Aston Villa star man Jack Grealish…

Liverpool’s unbeaten home record came to an end on Thursday night as they were beaten in the Premier League by Burnley, in what was another extremely disappointing performance by Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Reds remain without a goal in the league in 2021 and have now failed to find the back of the net in their last four top-flight fixtures against Newcastle, Southampton, Manchester United and Burnley respectively.

Whilst a lot of fingers might be pointed at Divock Origi, for the glorious chance he wasted in the first-half, it was perhaps Trent Alexander-Arnold who disappointed most at Anfield.

As per SofaScore, the 22-year-old would lose possession an extraordinary 39 times, which was one more than the 38 times he gave it away at Southampton recently, meaning he has set a new unwanted record in the Premier League this season.

Although the website handed the England international a 7.2 rating, which was the third-best of any Liverpool player on the night, it is difficult to see why, as he was far from good enough going forwards or defensively.

The academy graduate was dribbled past twice and would win just one out of four of his ground duels during the game, with Burnley winger Dwight McNeil beating him far too easily down the left-hand side on a couple of occasions.

Perhaps most disappointingly, Alexander-Arnold would attempt 22 crosses against Sean Dyche’s side, and only one was accurate.

Whilst this could be down to the baffling tactics Liverpool had of playing to Burnley’s strengths by sending hopeful crosses into the box, it was still poor that the right-back was so wasteful when given the opportunity to create, especially as he was often afforded a lot of space on the right-hand side.

Unfortunately, this now seems to be a running problem for the Reds, as against Manchester United last weekend, he would attempt 10 crosses, and none of them would find a Liverpool shirt.

Last season saw the £99 million-rated defender contribute an impressive 13 assists in the Premier League but as we approach the half-way stage of this season, he has managed just two, suggesting that the quality of his crosses has definitely declined this season.

Considering opposite full-back Andrew Robertson would attempt just six crosses against Burnley, it seems clear that it was part of Klopp’s tactics to give the ball to Alexander-Arnold during the game, however, he would end up letting the German manager, as well as the fans, down with his wasteful display.

And, in other news… Liverpool can sign Gini upgrade in £49.5m-rated beast dubbed “a gift from the footballing gods”

Leeds are one of several Premier League clubs to be linked with Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite recently but the Whites would be making a big mistake if they signed him.

It was reported in November by Spanish news publication Sport (via Sport Witness) that Leeds, along with West Ham and West Brom, are interested in signing the Danish international in the January transfer window.

However, it was reported earlier in December by ESPN that the striker is determined to stay at Barcelona to prove himself, which may come as a relief to some Leeds fans.

The Danish international was far from impressive in his last spell in England with Middlesbrough, where he will have worked with current Leeds director of football Victor Orta during his time with the Teesside club.

Braithwaite would make 40 appearances for ‘Boro, in which he contributed nine goals and two assists (per Transfermarkt).

Whilst this isn’t the worst record, he was openly criticised by Tony Pulis for his attitude during his time at Middlesbrough, with the current Sheffield Wednesday boss saying:

“The biggest disappointment for me is he’s the highest-paid player I’ve ever worked with in the Championship.

“As a matter of fact, the last club I worked at, which was a Premier League club, he’d be in the top five earners at the club without a question of a doubt.

“Steve Gibson bent over backwards, backwards, to give that lad everything he wanted to bring him to this club.

“To show the disrespect he’s shown to this club by saying he’s not coming back, to Steve Gibson, who’s made him a multi-millionaire, let’s make no bones about it, the wages and what he’s earning are astonishing.

“For him to show Steve Gibson that disrespect, and the supporters and his fellow players, it’s just amazing.

“I’ve dealt with players all my life, some can make your hair curl – not mine. But for him to come out and say that, it just puts him up there as such an ungrateful person.

“For a person who said twice he didn’t want to go, he wanted to stay and help the club get promoted, then within 36 hours when he knew the club from Spain was in for him, then he wanted to go.” (per Gazette Live)

Although his form since leaving Middlesbrough has been fairly impressive, with his efforts with Leganes earning him a move to Barcelona earlier this year, Leeds would do well to avoid a character such as Braithwaite in their squad.

The 29-year-old has scored three goals for Barcelona so far this season but truthfully, most strikers in the world would manage those sorts of numbers when supported by the likes of Lionel Messi, Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele, to name just a few.

[freshpress-quiz id=“562145″]

Therefore, when you consider the impressive form of Patrick Bamford so far this season, and Braithwaite’s previous form in England, it could definitely be argued that Leeds would be making a mistake if they signed the £6.75 million rated forward in January and it should be a relief that he is keen to stay with the Catalan side.

And, in other news… Leeds may already have the heir to Phillips’ throne in teenage prodigy wanted by PSG

Liverpool were held to their second successive draw in the Premier League as they played out a stalemate with Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Wednesday.

However, the return of Spanish midfielder Thiago is a huge boost for Jurgen Klopp’s side, with the 29-year-old having been limited to just two appearances in the Premier League since his summer arrival from Bayern Munich before his substitute appearance against the Toon.

The former Barcelona man has spent two months on the sidelines with a knee injury following a horror tackle from Everton’s Richarlison back in October but was still able to demonstrate his immense quality on his first appearance back against Steve Bruce’s side.

Thiago replaced James Milner in the 73rd minute of the game and the Reds looked much more threatening with him on the pitch, with the quality of his long balls causing problems for the Newcastle defence.

As per SofaScore, the £43.2 million rated midfielder completed 21/23 of his passes during his time on the pitch, resulting in a superb pass accuracy rate of 91%.

The Spanish international was accurate in all six of his long balls, whilst he also impressively won all six of the duels he was involved in during his brief time on the pitch, emphasising that he is not one to shirk away from the physical nature of the Premier League.

Following his cameo, Michael Owen was full of praise for the midfielder on Twitter, saying:

“We’ve only been treated to snippets of play so far but I genuinely get excited when @Thiago6 steps onto the pitch. He’s so different to anything in the @premierleague. A proper baller.”

Therefore, despite his lack of match fitness at the moment, Klopp should consider starting the Spaniard against Southampton in the Reds’ next Premier League fixture on Monday, as their last two results emphasise the need for a creative midfielder to try and unlock stubborn defences.

With the Saints having kept seven clean sheets in the top-flight so far this season, it certainly won’t be an easy task for Klopp’s side at St Mary’s, so Thiago should definitely be involved at some point next Monday.

And, in other news… Forget Jones: “Out of this world” LFC ace who lost possession 31x was Klopp’s worst performer vs NUFC

West Brom have long struggled to score goals, even during their promotion campaign.

Baggies outcast Charlie Austin ended the campaign with ten for the season, making him their top goalscorer – a far cry from the 23 that Dwight Gayle managed just a season earlier albeit under a different manager.

It’s why Karlan Grant was signed for £15m from Huddersfield Town this summer. He bagged nearly double what Austin managed with 19 goals in a struggling side.

However, it’s all well and good doing that but Slaven Bilic may still need to tweak his system to bring the best out of the 23-year-old.

In just his second start, Grant fired home his first goal by getting on the end of a low cross from Callum Robinson during Albion’s 1-1 draw with Brighton last week.

This sort of predatory instinct in the box should have Matheus Pereira’s ears ringing – but only if he’s deployed through the middle as it’s arguably his best and most lucrative position.

The Brazilian sensation, who signed for a total of £9m in the summer, delivered eight goals and 20 assists of which 64% of his goal contributions came in the number ten role, per Transfermarkt.

Yet this season, he’s played four of six games at right-wing and only once behind the striker.

As someone who averaged 2.8 key passes per game, via WhoScored, it’s imperative that the 24-year-old playmaker is the man feeding Grant as the season rumbles on.

There’s no point trying to whip in crosses for a player that’s not known for his aerial ability – he won just 0.8 duels on average per match last season – nor is that sort of thing in Bilic’s tactical playbook (West Brom ranked 16th for aerials won in the Championship).

Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews described Pereira as “an all-round attacking player” who has blown him away with “his skill, his ability on the ball, the way he takes the game to the opposition and the vision he has.”

Whilst former coach Nate Weiss dubbed him a “genius” because “he is able to do things that no other player can do.”

Having him play centrally in attacking midfield is the best thing Bilic can do right now – the likes of Robinson, Grady Diangana and Kyle Edwards can take up the places out wide instead.

AND in other news, West Brom should unleash “exceptional” beast after Ahmed Hegazi sale…

West Brom are back in the big time but they face an almighty task of staying there having not picked up a single victory in any of their opening eight matches of the 2020/21 season.

Indeed, they could be merely another one-season wonder tracing the footsteps of Fulham and Norwich City in recent times.

A major Achilles heel of this Baggies side is scoring goals – only two teams have found the net fewer times, Sheffield United and Burnley, who occupy the only two spots below them in the Premier League table.

Whilst no Albion player besides Callum Robinson has scored more than one goal this season.

In their final top-flight campaign before relegation in 2018, the Hawthorns had a prolific goalscorer in Salomon Rondon, but how is he getting on now?

He would have certainly been good to still have around.

Where is Rondon now?

Upon relegation to the Championship, the Venezuelan international was sent to Newcastle United on loan, where he won the Player of the Year award after providing 11 goals and seven assists in 32 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

The Magpies then lost Rafa Benitez to Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Pro and the 31-year-old soon followed him there after they activated his £16.5m release clause.

A rather poor decision from former CEO, Mark Jenkins.

Over in China, Rondon has continued his form as a noted goalscorer, contributing to 21 goals, 14 of which scored by himself.

At the Hawthorns, he scored more goals (20) for Tony Pulis than any other Albion coach, whilst no manager has deployed him more than the flat-capped Welshman either, so he was clearly quite the favourite.

Jim White once lauded Rondon as “unbelievable” on talkSPORT (via This Is Futbol) whilst Lee Clark compared him to Les Ferdinand for his “swashbuckling” playing style.

If only he was still on the books in the Midlands, no other player offers his sheer power (4.6 average aerial duels won in final WBA season) and goalscoring finesse.

AND in other news, 43 y/o a VERY worthy candidate to succeed Bilic…

Liverpool have been the kings of the transfer market in recent times.

It seems like it’s been a long while since the Reds have gotten a signing wrong, with Jurgen Klopp assembling a world-beating side that has delivered both domestic and continental success.

However, they haven’t got here by just spending whatever they’ve wanted, a clever system of good sales and smart buys has left them with a comparatively small net spend, but for all their good work, one transfer has to be questioned, especially when you consider some of the Reds’ previous transfer business.

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The Merseyside outfit have just completed the signing of Diogo Jota for a reported £45m fee, and while the Portuguese winger has all the tools needed to be a rousing success at Anfield, you have to wonder why they opted for Jota at £45m over Timo Werner at £47.5m?

Werner was a well-known target of Liverpool’s and at one point it looked as though the deal would be done, but they couldn’t cough up the cash to get it over the line and in the end, the German went to Chelsea.

Yet, here we are a few months later and Michael Edwards is brokering a deal for just £2.5m less for a man who scored 21 league goals fewer than Werner last season, that doesn’t seem like value for money to us.

Of course, wages could have been the stumbling block, but with Thiago reportedly earning £210k a week after signing for the Reds, we can’t imagine that paying Werner what he wanted would have been too much of a problem.

No matter which way you look at it, the Anfield outfit have missed a trick here, Jota may well become a fantastic player, but it’s hard to argue that he provides better value for money than Werner would have.