All posts by z3u9t.icu

Loads of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left fuming as a post emerged from Ewan Murray.

The Scottish football journalist has now claimed that the Light Blues were not ‘excellent’ in their performance against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership a couple of weeks ago, despite what he had heard and read.

He added that the display ‘smacked of grasping for hope’, which really wound up the Ibrox faithful.

Steven Gerrard’s men ended up drawing the game 1-1 at home, but had no fewer than 27 shots on goal, with ten of those on target, and overall dominated a lot of the key stats in the fixture (SofaScore).

Given that the Teddy Bears dropped more points at home in their 2-2 draw with Aberdeen on Wednesday night, it seems as if Murray is trying to get the fans to bite, and that’s exactly what’s happened.

Rangers fans on Murray post

These Gers supporters were left fuming as Murray posted his thoughts on the match on his official Twitter page:

“I agree with the 5 live reporter who said Hearts stole a point and that there was only one team in the game, and Rangers should’ve been out a sight, but what would he know?”

Credit: @Gordygfl

“Absolute nonsense, it should have been a 3 or 4 to nil game vs Hearts”

Credit: @FacelessRanger

“The only thing missing from that game was Morelos’s shooting boots. Don’t kid yourself on that Hearts troubled us at all.”

Credit: @8MmAaRrKk

“You’re talking nonsense, Ewan. Dominated the first half. Sat off second half. Still had 3 excellent chances in the second half.”

Credit: @mendrinkmilk

“Rangers shoulda been out of sight from hearts in the first half. You seem to be tweeting more about Rangers than golf recently. And btw, we’re top of the league for a reason”

Credit: @brianpaton9

“He’s deluded hahah thank God you have some sanity.”

Credit: @Rfc1872I

In other news, find out whose display against Aberdeen was blasted here!

Leicester City are keen on signing reported Liverpool transfer Gleison Bremer target this summer, according to a fresh transfer rumour that has emerged.

The Lowdown: Liverpool keen on Bremer

The Reds have been linked with a move for the Torino centre-back recently, as Jurgen Klopp possibly looks at boosting his defensive options this summer.

Bremer is enjoying another commanding season for the Serie A side, winning a mammoth average of four aerial duels and 3.4 interceptions per game, as well as being hailed as ‘incredible’ by his former manager, Davide Nicola.

It appears as though Liverpool are not alone in expressing an interest in the Brazilian, however.

The Latest: Leicester eyeing up move

According to The Telegraph, Leicester are considering a £40million bid for Bremer, with Brendan Rodgers seeing him as an ideal summer signing.

The 25-year-old’s current Torino deal expires at the end of the 2023/24 season, and it looks like there could be quite the fight for his services this summer.

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The Verdict: Squad role key

While Liverpool are clearly a more exciting proposition than Leicester at the moment, given their status as arguably Europe’s best team, Bremer may see the Foxes are the more sensible option.

The Torino man could find himself behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate in the centre-back pecking order at Anfield, with Joe Gomez possibly moving on.

In comparison, Bremer would likely go straight in as a key starter for Leicester, with the Foxes conceding 51 goals in 31 Premier League games this season. It may, therefore, depend on whether or not he is happy to play a squad role at Liverpool.

In other news, a key update has emerged regarding Liverpool’s interest in Jude Bellingham. Read more here.

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick is eyeing up a move for Leeds United hero Kalvin Phillips, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Phillips’ future unsure

The 25-year-old has become a modern-day Whites great, helping the club return to the Premier League and becoming a vital player for England, too.

Phillips’ performances have caught the attention of some of the country’s biggest clubs, however, and Leeds could find it tough to keep hold of him.

The Englishman’s current Whites deal expires in the summer of 2024, with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City linked with moves in recent times.

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The Latest: Man Utd keen on move

According to ESPN sources, Rangnick sees Phillips as one of three ideal midfield options to come in next summer, as United look to return to the top of English football.

Also mentioned in the report are Amadou Haidara and Jude Bellingham, who are both impressing at RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.

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The Verdict: Surely not joining them?

Many Leeds fans may understand Phillips deciding to move on at the end of the season, considering his potential interest in testing himself at Champions League level and potential to win major trophies.

That being said, the thought of him copying Alan Smith and moving to United is a grim one for Whites supporters, given the rivalry that exists between the two clubs.

Moving to Old Trafford could tarnish Phillips’ reputation, which would be a huge shame after 226 appearances and so many influential displays, so seeing him move elsewhere would be preferable if he does decide to leave.

In other news, a key update has emerged regarding Leeds’ January spending. Read more here.

Celtic have been linked with a January swoop for Motherwell defender Bevis Mugabi, according to The Scotsman’s Andrew Smith.

The Lowdown: Mugabi profiled

The Uganda defender, who once claimed he had Liverpool winger Sadio Mane in his ‘pocket’ during an international clash, has been at Fir Park since 2019. The 26-year-old has made 57 appearances for the club, 19 of which have come during the current campaign.

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A 12-cap Uganda international, the 6 foot 1 beast is primarily a centre-back who can also play as a right-back and was previously on the books at Southampton.

The Latest: Parkhead links

Smith shared a story for The Scotsman on Saturday morning, assessing what the Hoops may now do in the January window following their triple Japanese swoop.

He claimed that Ange Postecoglou could look to add to his defensive options, with interest in Mugabi emerging.

The Verdict: Is he needed?

With Christopher Jullien set to make a long-awaited return following the international break, a move for Mugabi doesn’t seem to be pivotal at this moment in time.

When the Frenchman returns, Postecoglou will have six centre-backs to call upon, all of whom could be permanent players should Cameron Carter-Vickers’ loan spell turn into a full-time switch over the coming weeks.

That should be plenty for Postecoglou, so perhaps he and new CEO Michael Nicholson should look elsewhere when it comes to any further winter additions.

In other news: Dressing room source shares big update on Postecoglou’s plan for Celtic ace with ‘tremendous composure’

Crystal Palace still want to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah this month, according to journalist Tom Barclay, who was talking to GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Ramsey links

Palace are yet to bolster their squad this month but could be set for a busy final few days of the January window going off recent reports. According to Italian news outlet TuttoJuve, the Eagles are getting ‘closer and closer’ to signing Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Patrick Vieira is attempting to ‘convince’ the Welshman over a move to Selhurst Park, with the 31-year-old set to leave Turin before the end of the month. However, it’s not only Ramsey who Vieira wants at Selhurst Park before Monday’s deadline, with Nketiah also on the radar.

The Latest: Barclay’s claim

Barclay was talking to GiveMeSport regarding Palace and the 22-year-old Gunners forward. He revealed that the Eagles are still interested in the £45,000-a-week striker and would like to bring him to the club ‘now’.

Barclay stated: “They are interested. They tried to sign him in the summer and they would like to have him and they’d like to sign him now if possible.

“He’s obviously out of contract at the end of the season. I was told it was a difficult deal to do, Arteta’s gone on record saying he wants him to stay, he’d like him to sign a new contract apparently.”

The Verdict: Unlikely?

Reports prior to the New Year suggested that Palace would cut short Jean-Philippe Mateta’s loan spell to make way for a new striker As we know, that hasn’t happened, and with just days remaining in the transfer window, it seems as if a move for Nketiah won’t materialise.

That’s because Mikel Arteta has previously ruled out a January exit for the striker, so perhaps Palace should be looking at a summer swoop, when Nketiah could be a free agent.

A cut-price move could still be a shrewd one, though, as the forward is only 22 years of age and has 75 appearances for the Gunners under his belt, scoring once every 102 minutes in the current campaign.

In other news: ‘We’re big time’ – Many Palace fans erupt as ‘class’ transfer news emerges

Crystal Palace supporters have been in high spirits in recent times after seeing their side get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson’s men went into their encounter with struggling Fulham at Selhurst Park having drawn one and lost two of their last three league games, a run which saw them fall towards the division’s bottom three. But the Eagles now sit 14th in the table after a routine 2-0 success over Claudio Ranieri’s Cottagers, with goals from Luka Milivojevic and Jeffrey Schlupp inspiring the hosts to a seventh Premier League win of the season, which in turn moved them four points clear of the relegation zone.

As such, there have been many delighted Palace fans up and down the country in recent times, with supporters likely lauding a fine team effort from their side on Saturday to finally get back to winning ways in the league for the first time since January 2.

And while it was Milivojevic and Schlupp that came up with the vital contributions, it was the performance of Mamadou Sakho in the heart of the Eagles backline that epitomised everything brilliant about Palace at the weekend.

Ultimately, the 28-year-old has proven to be an inspired addition to the Palace backline following his arrival from Liverpool on a permanent deal back in the summer of 2017, what with the centre back excelling in a loan spell earlier that year to underline his importance to this Eagles side.

And the defender, but for the odd lapse in concentration, continues to prove his worth to Hodgson, and that was none-more-so evident than on Saturday as the France international produced another authoritative display to help Palace to a ninth clean sheet of the season.

The centre back may have only touched the ball on 58 occasions over the course of the 90 minutes, what with Fulham dominating possession for much of the encounter, but Sakho finished the contest with a staggering 98% pass success rate, misplacing only one of the 41 passes he attempted – for what it’s worth, no other Palace starter hit 90% on Saturday (as per WhoScored).

And having someone like that on the ball who is comfortable in possession but invariably picks a pass can only be good news in bringing calmness and a measure of control to the backline – Sakho certainly helped do that at the weekend.

Yet the former Liverpool centre back also did his bit off the ball as well to stop Fulham in their tracks, winning three of the five aerial duels he contested over the course of the 90 minutes, as well as making a joint team-high eight clearances and two interceptions to relieve pressure on the Palace defence.

Clearly then, Sakho helped deliver a performance of note both on and off the ball to help Hodgson’s side to a crucial three points on Saturday, with the £13.5 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) the star in a great team display to underline just how much he epitomised everything brilliant about the Eagles at the weekend.

Palace and Fulham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Newcastle United are expected to have an explosive transfer window this summer, with new owners committed to improving the club’s Premier League form, and now it is reported that they have wasted no time in making a bid for a new player this summer.

What’s the word?

According to French news outlet Foot Mercato, Newcastle have made their first move by bidding around €60m (£50m) to sign hot prospect Darwin Nunez.

The North-East club are competing with a number of Premier League sides for the signature of the Benfica star, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool all also reportedly plotting moves for the 22-year-old.

Huge coup for Newcastle

Following their bid, if Newcastle United were able to secure the signing of the star striker over their competitors it would be a huge coup for the club going into next season.

The centre-forward – who is believed to be valued at £83m and has been hailed a “diamond” by Steve McManaman – has been drawing attention to himself this season, scoring 32 goals in all competitions – with 24 goals in 24 games in the league and six huge Champions League goals that guided Benfica to giant killings in the prestigious European competition.

Nunez scored two goals against Barcelona in the group stages, with Benfica taking four points from both games that ultimately led to the LaLiga giants falling into the Europa League, with the striker also bagging against Bayern Munich in the group.

The 22-year-old’s fourth goal in the competition knocked Ajax out in the second leg of their round of 16 clash, however, despite netting two impressive goals against Liverpool over the two legs in the quarter-finals, it wasn’t enough to progress the Portuguese side further – who crashed out of the Champions League at Anfield this week.

A goal-scorer of this calibre exactly fits the profile of what Newcastle need to take them to the next level in 2022/23, with Callum Wilson unable to fulfil the striker role successfully following a series of injuries since he joined the club in 2020, so the signing of Nunez would be an incredible upgrade.

Howe will have a lot of work to do this summer to identify players that can make a difference in the team to ensure they don’t find themselves in another relegation battle next season, and with the backing from the new owners, there’s no doubt that Newcastle will be able to attract a number of great prospects for the team going forward.

AND In other news: NUFC handed big injury boost as major Darsley Park update emerges, Howe surely buzzing

Taking to Twitter, South Korean football reporter Steve Han of Goal has shared news on Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min and his international tour of duty.

The Lowdown: International scares…

Spurs fans will look back to the torrid internationals of September hopeful of avoiding another repeat of the consistent blows.

During that particular break in the Premier League season, many Lilywhites players came back to Hotspur Way having sustained knocks on their tours of duty.

Indeed, the likes of Son, Steven Bergwijn, Oliver Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon returned to Tottenham injured from representing their countries over what was seen as the club’s worst international break ever (The Sun).

Meanwhile, South American trio Davinson Sanchez, Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso were subject to intense quarantine rules which forced them to spend a 10-day training camp in Croatia before flying back to north London (The Evening Standard).

The Latest: Son sustains ‘knock’…

As new Tottenham boss Antonio Conte potentially sweats on the fitness of his key players while they’re away with their countries, Han has shared news on Son’s condition as he flies out with South Korea.

The 29-year-old helped his country to a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over United Arab Emirates on Thursday as they remain undefeated in their group, with Son proving a constant threat and hitting the woodwork twice (Yonhap News Agency).

However, sharing an update, Goal reporter Han has said that the player was forced to miss training on Saturday and will now be monitored.

“Korea to fly to Doha today for a 3-day camp to face Iraq in #AsianQualifiers,” he explained on Twitter.

“Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Jae-sung didn’t train with the team on Saturday with minor knocks, and they’ll be monitored. Son and Kim so far have trained only once with the team in this camp.”

The Verdict: Spurs sweating?

Depending on the outcome of the ‘minor knock’, Spurs fans will be hopeful that it won’t impact Son’s Premier League return as new boss Conte aims to kickstart their season back into life.

Losing the winger would certainly be a setback considering that he was easily their second best player of 2020/21 behind Harry Kane. Only the Englishman racked up more goals and assists combined than Son and both men featured in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

Former Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo lauded the Korean as ‘amazing’ during his brief tenure in charge, and Conte will most likely have one worried eye on Son’s condition.

In other news: Spurs now close to signing ‘monster’ as Conte seeks to solve severe problem, find out more here.

An update has emerged on Rangers dud John Lundstram, regarding interest in the Ibrox midfielder’s services from down south…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, English Championship side Middlesbrough are eyeing up a deal to sign the midfielder this month.

The report claims that Chris Wilder, his former bosss at Sheffield United, is keen on reunion and his monitoring his situation with the January transfer window in full swing.

Nightmare

Gio van Bronckhorst can put an end to Lundstram’s Ibrox nightmare by brutally axing him this month and allowing him to join the Championship side.

The Gers have already brought in James Sands to strengthen their midfield options and this could free up the space for Lundstram to be kicked out of the squad, especially given that he has only started two matches since the Dutchman arrived.

He has endured a rough season in Scotland since his summer switch from the Blades and it could be time to cut ties with the £22k-per-week dud already. Van Bronckhorst is seemingly far from keen on him, as a starter, so far and the signing of Sands could push him further away from being in contention to make the XI, with this interest from Middlesbrough opening up a potential solution.

Neil McCann blasted the midfielder after a red card in the Europa League earlier this season, saying: “He’s let the club and himself down. He’s given Rangers a bit of an uphill task in the second half.”

Lundstram has also struggled in the Premiership, with a disappointing average WhoScored rating of 6.61 for Rangers this term.

Last month, Frank McAvennie questioned why he was not getting more game time at Ibrox and linked it to the end of his time at Bramall Lane, saying:

“He’s dropped off the map. Rangers made a big fuss of signing him in the summer and to me, it seems like he never gets a game.

“I know he’s scored a couple of goals so clearly he can hack it up here. I remember Sheffield United fans being happy he was leaving, that was never a good sign.”

The Englishman averaged an abysmal WhoScored rating of 6.23 in the Premier League for the Blades last season and this could explain why they were pleased to see him depart. It could also explain why he has been unable to find his best form for the Gers, as he endured such a rough campaign with United.

Lundstram has, therefore, been through a nightmare over the past 18 months and van Bronckhorst could end it for Rangers by selling him to Boro in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, “Decision” imminent: Journo drops big Rangers transfer claim that’ll excite Ibrox fans…

Celtic are closing in on a deal to bring Reo Hatate to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that Ange Postecoglou’s side are doing all they can to tie up a deal for the Kawasaki Frontale left-back ahead of the opening of the winter market, with the Bhoys believed to be attempting to fast-track the 24-year-old’s switch to Parkhead.

The report goes on to state that the Hoops have all but agreed terms with both the J League side and the defender, and are confident that Kawasaki Frontale will not stand in the way of the Japan international making a move to Glasgow prior to the expiry of his contract at the end of January.

Finally, it is said that Celtic are hoping to have Hatate’s work permit application and the surrounding paperwork completed before January 1, and are hoping that the left-back can make his debut in the Old Firm clash on the second of the month.

Postecoglou will be buzzing

Considering just how much of a problem position left-back has been for Postecoglou so far in his time at Celtic, should the Bhoys indeed manage to get a deal tied up for Hatate in the coming weeks, it would undoubtedly be an outcome that will leave the 56-year-old buzzing.

Indeed, the 24-year-old has highly impressed over his 29 J League appearances this season, scoring five goals, registering two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

The £720k-rated defender has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 52.4 passes and winning 5.3 duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the Japan international average a SofaScore match rating of 7.16, ranking him as Kawasaki Frontale’s fifth-best performer in the league, as well as the joint 15th-best player in the entire division.

As such, considering the fact that Greg Taylor has been sidelined for the vast majority of the current campaign due to injury, while Boli Bolingoli’s two appearances in all competitions this season prove that he is clearly not a player in Postecoglou’s first-team plans, the signing of a new left-back in the January window – particularly one as exciting as Hatate – will undoubtedly come as a major boost to the 56-year-old’s chances of going on to reclaim Celtic’s Scottish Premiership crown come next May.

In other news: “I’m sure..”: Celtic figure drops promising transfer claim that’ll delight Bhoys fans