All posts by z3u9t.icu

Aston Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton is considering leaving the club in the summer in search of regular game time.

That’s according to the reliable Gregg Evans from The Athletic, with his claims grabbing the attention of numerous Villa supporters online.

Heaton has made just 20 appearances for the club since joining from Burnley in 2019, with Emiliano Martinez establishing himself as Dean Smith’s number one.

The Englishman actually suffered a serious knee injury against his former side last year and hasn’t featured for the club since.

Heaton has been on the bench since December, but even though Villa will offer him an extension, it seems as if he’ll consider a permanent exit in the summer. His current deal, worth £42,000-a-week, still has two years left to run.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Evans’ claims on Heaton on Twitter on Tuesday morning. Their post got plenty of Villa fans talking, with many understanding over Heaton’s situation.

“Can’t blame him he’s class”

Credit: @JDGchef

“Such a shame with the way things went for him, I was so excited when we signed him. hopefully he can go to a club and perform well, just not if/when he plays us”

Credit: @j_d_richards

“Can’t blame him. Best of luck to him.”

Credit: @RJHINTONbot

“You can’t blame him, he’s far too good to be a number 2, but let’s face it he’s never getting a game ahead of emi”

Credit: @UtvJack

“Can’t blame him. Jed is capable backup.”

Credit: @TheVillanousOne

“Makes sense. Wasted on the bench, but doubt he’ll ever get past Emi.”

Credit: @MattH1874

In other news: Many AVFC fans buzz at update on Villa trio, find out more here. 

Tottenham Hotspur can advance into the quarter-finals of the Europa League by seeing off Dinamo Zagreb this evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side carry a two-goal lead to the Croatian capital thanks to a first-leg brace from Harry Kane, but what sort of side could we see the Portuguese tactician select?

The thought of rotation would’ve crossed his mind, but a 2-0 lead can often be a funny scoreline in football, so he may well want to keep many of his regular starters in the mix.

So, here’s the Spurs XI we’re predicting tonight, as well as the latest team and injury news…

Spurs were beaten by arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday, and we could well see as many as eight changes from he side that were defeated 2-1 at the Emirates.

Club captain and first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is likely to keep his place between the sticks, whilst the only other defender to remain from the weekend is Toby Alderweireld.

That means Sergio Reguilon is replaced by Ben Davies at left-back, with Eric Dier partnering the Belgian colossus in the middle over Davinson Sanchez, and Serge Aurier is preferred to Matt Doherty on the right after the 29-year-old’s nightmare display.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will serve a one-game suspension after picking up a third yellow card in the competition last time out, so we’re expecting Moussa Sissoko to partner Harry Winks as Tanguy Ndombele is another who earns a rest.

In attack, we could see Dele Alli earn a rare start in the no.10 role, even despite the return of Giovani Lo Celso from injury. The Argentine may not be risked from the off but fellow countryman Erik Lamela could keep his place as he’s suspended for their clash with Villa at the weekend.

The £14.4m-rated dynamo, dubbed a “nightmare” by Dier, scored a rabona against the Gunners before being sent off in the second half.

Lucas Moura is axed to allow the return of Alli.

Mourinho has ruled out Heung-min Son from featuring tonight, so Steven Bergwijn is surely in line for a return. He’ll have to impress, having started just one match since the defeat to Everton in the FA Cup.

Whilst the Spurs boss also confirmed that Kane would be involved, presumably to ensure this tie is dead and buried from early doors.

AND in other news, Mourinho must unleash “special” £26m-rated star tonight, could be his game-changer…

Fans of Manchester City have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report regarding City’s pursuit of Borussia Dortmund centre-forward, Erling Haaland.

According to James Ducker’s article for The Telegraph, Manchester City view Haaland as Sergio Aguero’s long-term successor at the Etihad Stadium, with Pep Guardiola’s side thought to be eager to get a deal done for the 20-year-old despite likely competition from Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United, following confirmation of Aguero departure this summer.

Ducker also goes on to claim that, in spite of the fact a move for the £99 million-rated Norway international almost certainly meaning that City would have to smash their £65 million incoming transfer record, the club’s desire to sign the Dortmund forward remains strong.

And, after City Xtra relayed the report on Twitter, fans of Manchester City flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing ecstatic at the prospect of their club pursuing a deal for the centre-forward this summer.

So, what exactly did these Manchester City fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Erling Haaland?

“That’s what I like to hear!”

@JMC_OfficiaI

“This is what we like to hear. Eases the pain of today’s news.”

@Priceless_Silva

“This is getting spicy.”

@DiasMcfc

“If we just sign him I would be very happy.”

@mancitymj14

“He’s the only reasonable replacement.”

@MattHarl42

“Firstly, Aguero is irreplaceable. But apart from that, this is needed.”

@lnGoodKompany

“Just pay whatever it needs to get him. If we don’t get Haaland after letting Aguero go someone needs to leave.”

@NickFilipovich

“WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR.”

@WaporteMC

In other news: These Man City fans were ecstatic as this transfer news emerged – find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Hull City striker Dean Windass has urged Leeds United to give Marcelo Bielsa what he wants this summer or risk him walking away.

The Whites have enjoyed a superb season and currently sit 11th in the Premier League table.

They are currently nine points clear of 18th-placed Fulham and are likely looking up rather than down as they try to finish the season strongly.

Bielsa, though, has yet to sign a new contract at Elland Road, with his current deal set to expire in the summer, as he only signs 12-month extensions each time he puts pen to paper.

The Daily Mirror have reported previously that he will sit down with the club to thrash out a new deal in the summer.

But Windass has told Football FanCast exclusively that Leeds need to tread carefully and ensure that they give him everything he asks for in the transfer market or risk seeing him walk away.

And he fears such a scenario would see Leeds again plunged into a media circus.

He told FFC: “You know what Leeds fans are like. They’re ruthless, they’re hostile, you see what happened with Dennis Wise, Gus Poyet, Kevin Blackwell. If the supporters are not happy, they’ll let you know about it because they’re diehard fans.

“If Bielsa leaves, of his own accord, then the supporters will go, ‘oh, legend’, if he goes because he doesn’t get what he wants then the board will get it.

“And it’ll be, again, Sky Sports News, talking about Leeds United’s off-field situation again. Which has been going on for the last five or six years. There’s always been a drama off the field.

“It’ll be a drama off the field if Bielsa says, ‘yes, I want to stay but the reason I want to stay is because I want A, B, C, D, and E, and if I don’t get it, see you later.’”

Leeds spent big in the summer transfer window to bring in a number of first-team players and have reaped the rewards this season.

Bielsa may be hoping for similar this summer.

Ex-referee Mark Halsey has admitted that he has “doubts” over the red card that was given to Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno during Wolves’ 2-1 win against them on Tuesday night.

Halsey unsure

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side came from behind to beat the Gunners who finished the game with nine men, after David Luiz was sent off during first-half stoppage time.

But Leno was dismissed after racing out his area to dispossess Adama Traore charging up the right-hand side, only for the ball to strike his hand which saw him given a straight red card.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Halsey revealed his doubts about the decision, regarding whether the German shot-stopper was denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

“It’s not about the last man, we keep going ‘oh he’s the last man’, it’s nothing to do with that,” he said.

“It’s about did the player deny a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity. In those situations, the referee must consider the distance between the offence and the goal, the general direction of play, the likelihood of gaining and keeping control of the ball and the location and number of defenders around at that moment.

“The one part of that criteria I felt was in doubt was is he going to gain control of the ball? If you take Leno out of the picture and he misses that, on the wet and slippery surface, I think there’s a bit of doubt there whether he (Traore) would have gained control of the ball.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

We have to agree with Halsey here. If Traore was barrelling down the middle of the pitch at the edge of the penalty box, then the red card would be unquestionable, but that wasn’t the case.

There were no guarantees from that position that Traore was going to score, due to the angle and where he would have ended up if Leno missed it. The Spaniard still would have had a lot to do to find the net from there.

Despite this, Wolves supporters won’t care one bit, as it was a huge win that pushed them far away from the relegation places and put a cork on their recent slump in form.

In other news, Key Wolves asset attracting interest from PL duo who left England international feeling ‘powerless.’

Carlo Ancelotti may rue his decision to introduce James Rodriguez from the bench during Everton’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City after the Colombian’s ineffectual cameo performance.

The ex-Real Madrid maestro started the night among the Blues’ substitutes, with Gylfi Sigurdsson initially preferred in the central attacking midfield role, before being called upon to replace Tom Davies with 21 minutes still to play.

Pep Guardiola’s title-chasing Citizens had just moved back into the lead when Rodriguez was introduced, with Riyad Mahrez restoring the visitors’ one-goal advantage after Richarlison fortuitously pulled the Toffees level in the first half.

However, Rodriguez never looked likely to add either his sixth goal in English football or an eighth assist of the season in all competitions, having struggled to get on the ball in dangerous positions.

Ancelotti going aggressive with the introduction of the £90k-per-week star and Deadline Day addition Joshua King also ensured Everton lost the energy and drive in the engine room that Davies delivered, or the width that Alex Iwobi brought to the side.

The Italian tactician’s decision further forced on-the-night captain Sigurdsson to drop back into a deeper role beside Abdoulaye Doucoure, where the Iceland playmaker would fail to track Bernardo Silva quickly enough and gift the Portuguese gem the space to score City’s decisive third.

His brief lapse of attention helped ensure Sigurdsson was criticised by the Liverpool Echo for a poor performance, having also struggled to get on the ball and influence the game in the manner the 31-year-old would have hoped to.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez was awarded the same matching rating of five out of 10 by the Liverpool Echo, for the £31.5m-rated ace did not have the time on the ball to offer a creative touch on Wednesday night.

Yet during Rodriguez’s 21 minutes on the field, no Everton player saw more of the ball than the 29-year-old, who – along with centre-half Michael Keane – registered 20 touches, per WhoScored.

But with the ball, Rodriguez proved immensely wasteful with a sloppy 67% pass competition rate, having only found a Toffees teammate with eight of his 12 passes. He, like all Blues players, also failed to create a single key ball or take a shot as the Citizens stayed in control.

The 80-cap international generally completes 82% of his passes per game in the Premier League this season, along with providing 1.8 key balls and taking 1.1 shots, per SofaScore.

It was part of the reason why the Colombian delivered a hugely ineffective performance, but also due to Rodriguez only recording two touches in the final third of the pitch, one more than he recorded on the edge of Jordan Pickford’s goal.

Meanwhile, Sigurdsson completed 11 of 14 passes in the final 21 minutes despite seeing less of the ball (15 touches, one in the final third), and contributed defensively with an interception – only Keane and Lucas Digne also broke up City’s play before passes were completed.

Rodriguez also struggled in his battles against the rampant league leaders, winning just 33% of his duels, as per SofaScore.

Ancelotti may look back on his decision to introduce Rodriguez from the bench and realise that he could have benefitted more after going behind by keeping Davies and his energy on the pitch.

With Rodriguez unable to help Everton gain ground in a game they were second best throughout.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is willing Everton to pay £26.5m for a £176k-p/w gem…

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

Fresh off the back of their win over Watford in the FA Cup, Manchester United return to Premier League action when they travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley on Tuesday night.

A first half-strike from Scott McTominay was enough to give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side an unconvincing victory at home to the Hornets at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Substitute Marcus Rashford looked lively after the break after he replaced Daniel James on the right wing as he came close to scoring on several occasions, only to be denied by the outstretched arms of Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.

Sir Alex Ferguson recently heaped praise on Rashford for the “fantastic” work he has done away from football after he campaigned for free school meals for children during the holidays.

Despite bursting onto the scene as a striker, the 23-year-old started alongside Anthony Martial on the right wing during the 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer previously admitted he has been impressed by Rashford’s recent displays after he started on the right wing for the first time in 18 month sand scored against Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League last year.

Martial also started on the bench for the FA Cup clash with Watford, which means it’s likely he will lead the line against Sean Dyche’s side.

But Rashford may, in fact, be better suited to starting upfront against Burnley as the games continue to come thick and fast for the league leaders, who currently near the top of the table, tied with defending champions Liverpool on points.

Although Martial did score against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, he has arguably struggled to replicate the form that saw him voted the Players’ Player of the Year last season.

That is also down to game-time, as the 25-year-old has battled his fair share of injury problems over the past couple of years alone, although he seems to have discovered a resurgence in form in recent weeks.

But the fact of the matter remains that Rashford has been in red-hot form, bagging seven goals and six assists in the Premier League this season, via Transfermarkt. Martial has also only recently recovered from a minor knock and it’s surely not worth the risk.

Against Newcastle – who, like the Clarets, can also be difficult to breakdown – the 39-cap England international assumed the role of lone striker and contributed to three goals, scoring once and setting up two others.

Whilst Bruno Fernandes will also be expected to start, having been rested by Solskjaer against the Hornets, redeploying Rashford as a centre-forward could cause Burnley several problems at the back.

AND in other news, Luke Shaw slammed by Carlton Palmer for decision-making during Man Utd’s defeat to Man City…

Manchester United will be looking to make amends and take a step closer to Champions League knockout qualification when they welcome Istanbul Basaksehir to Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

Bruno Fernandes scored the only goal of the game as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side secured their first Premier League victory of the season at home by beating a battling West Bromwich Albion on Saturday night.

Having beaten Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig, the Red Devils are top of Group H with six points, although they were humbled by Istanbul after an embarrassing defensive lapse of concentration earlier this month.

Here at Football FanCast, we’ve had a gander at how Solskjaer could set his side up for the Champions League clash, which sees him ring three changes to the team that scraped past West Brom at the weekend.

It’s likely Solskjaer will put his faith in youth over experience, which will see Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof drop to the bench, with Mason Greenwood, Scott McTominay and Axel Tuanzebe replacing them in the starting line-up.

Both McTominay and Fred are poised to resume their partnership alongside each other in midfield, with the young Scotsman having started five of the nine games in the Premier League so far this season.

This means that there is no room for Paul Pogba, who is working his way back from an injury he sustained whilst away on international duty with France.

Tuanzebe should be handed a starting berth after Lindelof played through the pain during the game against the Baggies. The Sweden international suffered a back injury during the international break, so could be rested for the rematch with Istanbul.

Elsewhere, Dean Henderson may push for a recall, but we’re backing David de Gea to keep his place in goal at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening, having been trusted for most of the Champions League fixtures so far and making one particularly excellent save against West Brom.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer makes stunning prediction about Paul Pogba’s future at Manchester United…

Christmas is here, which means 2020 is drawing to a close – perhaps a good thing if you are a Sheffield Wednesday fan.

The last 12 months have been topsy-turvy for everyone involved in football, but none more so than the Owls – we’ve had delayed wages, points deductions, a change in management and plenty of players come and go.

Hillsborough Stadium has seen it all this year, but how much can you remember?

The Yorkshire outfit are embroiled in a relegation battle this term having picked up only 12 points from their opening 20 matches, though they have had six points taken off them.

They did enjoy a mini-run in the FA Cup early in 2020 but for large parts, it’s been rather dour at Sheffield Wednesday.

So take your mind off things with this quick quiz, only the die hard Owls fans will be able to get at least 70% on this.

Go on, we dare you to give it a go…

AND in other news, Sheffield Wednesday can resolve striker woes with loan swoop for 18 y/o sensation…