All posts by z3u9t.icu

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have erupted over a fresh transfer claim involving their club and Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

Jurgen Klopp has already been linked to a host of new midfield additions so far this month with the Reds and FSG seemingly setting their sights on a fair few central options.

The likes of Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham have been mentioned recently given Liverpool’s arguable lack of depth in that area.

Now, sharing some news on who Liverpool are also eyeing, Sport 1 and their reporter Patrik Berger say that the the Anfield side are one of the clubs interested in signing Zakaria from Monchengladbach.

The Swiss ace’s deal is currently set to expire this year as things stand, meaning he can negotiate a pre-contract this month or opt to leave as a free agent in the summer.

Alternatively, Monchengladbach could even sell for a cheap fee, with Sport 1 claiming they could offload for as little as €6-7 million (£5.07m-£5.8m).

Liverpool fans erupt…

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have erupted with their takes, with some believing he could be an ‘absolute bargain’ for Klopp.

The powerhouse 6 foot 3 midfielder can play both as a defensive midfield player and a centre-back whilst still being only 25-years-old, leaving little wonder why some supporters feel this way.

Zakaria averages 1.5 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.9 dribbles per game, showing his quality on both sides of the ball.

Find all of their best reactions down below:

“Seems like a no brainer for Liverpool and Klopp….”

Credit: @TheKop_

“€6m-€7m??? This sounds like an absolute bargain?”

Credit: @TomBrownrigg200

“We are crying out for a midfielder. €8m would be a rob. Buy him”

Credit: @JamzLFC786

“Plz”

Credit: @jj___lfc

“Sign him up a beg and let minamino go for 7m”

Credit: @lfanCai

“This is the classic no brainer. Best bang for buck.

sign him already”

Credit: @muootarek

“SIIIUUUUUUU”

Credit: @RitsonLFC

Celtic have been dealt yet another injury blow ahead of their upcoming Scottish Premiership clash against Dundee United.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Glasgow Evening Times, Ange Postecoglou suggested that Benfica loanee Jota could be set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury in the 1-0 victory over Hearts on Thursday evening.

Speaking about the 22-year-old’s knock, the Bhoys boss said: “It’s always a concern when a player comes off injured. Jota’s one who has played every game and he’s one we’d love to give a break to at some point. But it’s the kind of stage as a squad we’re at this moment.

“He wasn’t too downbeat after the game, he was hopeful it was nothing too serious. Ultimately, we need guys like Mikey and Liel [Abada] to step up, that’s why they’re here at the club. And if the opportunity exists for them it’s up to them to take it.”

Fans will be livid

Considering just how important a part of the Celtic side Jota has become since joining the club this summer, the news that the winger looks set to spend what could be a considerable amount of time on the sidelines is sure to have left Hoops fans outraged.

Indeed, over his 11 Premiership appearances this season, the £3.15m-rated man has scored five goals, registered four assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.5 key passes and taking three shots per game.

These returns have seen the Portugal U21 international average a rather extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.38, ranking him as the sixth-best performer in the entirety of the Scottish top flight.

As such, the fact that Jota looks to have picked up what could well be a serious injury will come as a huge blow to Celtic’s chances of picking up all three points against Dundee United on Sunday.

And, considering Postecoglou’s suggestion that his knock is due to playing too many minutes this season, fans will also undoubtedly be livid with their manager.

In other news: Ange must seal Celtic deal for “prominent” £13m-rated beast who “stole the show” in EL

With 25 strikes conceded in the Premier League so far this season, Aston Villa have let more goals in than Burnley, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Taking this into account, the upcoming January transfer window could provide the Midlands club and Steven Gerrard with the opportunity to bring some reinforcements into the club, particularly in the defensive areas.

One deal that the club could look to do to strengthen the squad up at the back is by signing Rangers centre-back Connor Goldson, who Villa are reportedly in the frame to sign in January according to journalist Peter O’Rourke.

It was previously reported that Goldson had rejected the chance to sign a new deal with the Scottish club in an effort to join a Premier League club, which could pave the way for Gerrard to reunite with the defender after the 29-year-old made a total of 182 appearances under the current Villa boss at Rangers, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists in the process.

Labelled as a player with “incredible leadership” on and off the pitch by Gerrard, signing Goldson in January could be a dream move for the Villa manager to help give some guidance to Villa’s younger defenders such as Ezri Konsa, Kortney Hause and Axel Tuanzebe.

Since joining Rangers back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Brighton in a deal worth a reported fee of around £3m, Goldson has gone on to make 188 appearances for the club across all competitions, showing how vital he has been for the team since his arrival and why they would presumably prefer to keep hold of him for the remainder of the season.

This season has seen the defender, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £27k-per-week according to Salary Sport, play in all but two of Rangers’ games across all competitions, completing the full 90 minutes in all of them, highlighting him importance to the club.

With Villa also linked with a move for Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez, Goldson could be a much cheaper alternative than the England international.

That’s when you take into account his advanced age and the presumption that the Reds would want more money for their player than Rangers would want for their asset, especially with his contract set to run out at the end of the season.

In other news: Lange must avoid transfer catastrophe at AVFC over “magnificent” £28.8m-rated machine – opinion

West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Braga youngster Vitor Oliveira, but they face competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham for his signature.

The Lowdown: Oliveira an emerging talent

The 21-year-old is an exciting young prospect in Portugal, scoring once in two Primera Liga starts so far this season. Also known as Vitinha (not the same one who played for Wolves last season), he struck four goals in Braga’s 6-0 hammering of Santa Clara at the weekend in the Taca de Portugal.

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Oliveira also averaged a 90.9% pass completion rate in his only Europa League appearance in 2021/22 to date, having three shots in that game.

The Portuguese starlet is being linked with a move to England, with West Ham seemingly in the mix to sign him.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

The Latest: West Ham keen on move

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], both West Ham and Spurs are keen on acquiring the Braga attacker’s signature.

The report claimed that the pair are ‘ready to battle’ to sign Oliveira, although it isn’t specified whether the transfer could happen in January or next summer.

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The Verdict: Added squad depth

While Oliveira wouldn’t necessarily come in as a regular starter for West Ham, he is someone who could be a solid backup for Michail Antonio from January onwards.

There may be times when the Jamaica international, who has started 14 of the Irons’ 16 Premier League and Europa League games so far this term, needs to be given a rest as the campaign progresses, at which point the 21-year-old Portuguese gem could fill in and prove his worth.

The fact that he has scored eight goals in just 11 Braga appearances overall suggests that he could be ready to make the step up to the Premier League.

In other news, West Ham have been linked with a move for a striker. Find out who it is here.

After securing a 2-1 victory over MK Dons in midweek thanks to two late goals, Sheffield Wednesday are back in League One action this weekend with a clash against Wycombe Wanderers at Hillsborough.

Looking ahead to the match, it seems as though the Owls will have to take on their next opponents, who are currently three points and five points above them in the league table, without one of their key players.

What’s the news?

In a recent Q&A for Yorkshire Live, Wednesday journalist Dom Howson revealed that Owls manager Darren Moore said that Marvin Johnson will be back training on grass this week after picking up a hamstring injury.

However, the reporter thinks that Johnson will miss the match at the weekend and possibly their Papa John’s Trophy match against Hartlepool next week, something that represents a big blow to Wednesday.

Howson followed that up saying his hunch tells him Johnson will return for the Portsmouth match next month.

While it’s good to hear that Johnson will start to get back to some sort of training in the coming days, it’s still a disappointment that he will miss the match against Wycombe at the weekend given how much of an opportunity this is for the Yorkshire side to follow on from their win over MK Dons in midweek and pick up a win against a promotion rival.

Since joining the Owls on a free transfer back in August, the 30-year-old, who is currently valued at £1.35m according to Transfermarkt, has played in 16 games for the Owls across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing two assists in the process whilst showing off his versatility by playing across a number of different positions on the pitch.

In three out of four previous league appearances for the Owls, Johnson has been deployed as a centre-back as a result of the current injuries to Sam Hutchinson, Lewis Gibson and Dominic Iorfa. Thus, having Johnson out on the sidelines again for the next couple of games is something that could leave the manager rather angry.

To highlight Johnson’s defensive capabilities, the Englishman has managed to rack up an average of 1.3 interceptions and clearances per game and 1.2 tackles per game in League One, which will definitely make him a big miss for the clash at the weekend against Wycombe considering they have managed to score a total of 30 league goals so far this season.

Moving forward, everyone at Wednesday will undoubtedly be hoping that Johnson will be able to make a full recovery by the time their league match against Portsmouth come around as Howson suggested.

In other news: Moore could save SWFC’s season with £270k-rated tank, he’s a “fantastic communicator” – opinion

Manchester City fans are delighted with the news they are interested in signing Toni Kroos, and they want the Citizens to capture the Germany international.

The Citizens have made a good start to the season under Pep Guardiola. They are currently third in the Premier League table, just two points behind leaders Chelsea (Sky Sports), and have won all three of their matches in the Champions League group stages (mancity.com).

City are well-known for having a whole host of midfielders and, according to El Nacional, they are now interested in signing another talented technician.

They say the Citizens are looking to take £27m-valued Kroos (Transfermarkt) to the Etihad Stadium – the 31-year-old is one of the most decorated players in world football, having won the World Cup and numerous Champions League and domestic league titles.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one fan calling it ‘interesting’…

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Kroos news below

“Yes , 2 year contract,him x kdb in midfield is angelic”

Credit: @FlyStraight8

“Ngl dream signing, idc who he benches”

Credit: @mcfcdavid_27

“Well if we aren’t paying a penny then I don’t mind he would do bits here”

Credit: @RyanAsk66514735

“interesting”

Credit: @SilkyCyrus_74

“i aren’t ready for this man”

Credit: @JRxch01

“The De bruyne X Kroos Combination that’s surely illegal”

Credit: @CanceloMerchant

In other news, Man City fans are far from happy with this Manchester United news.

After confidently beating Manchester United 5-0 in their previous Premier League match followed by progressing through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win over Preston North End, Liverpool are back in action on Saturday with a league showdown against Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.

Speaking ahead of the match against Graham Potter’s side, who are currently fifth in the table with 15 points from their opening nine league games of the season, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealed in his latest press conference that midfield duo Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara will miss the match. However, Naby Keita will be available to play despite being on the receiving end of a robust red-card tackle from Paul Pogba six days ago.

Taking this into account, here’s how we feel Liverpool will line up against Brighton, with just one member of the starting XI from Deepdale keeping his place in the side.

Despite making three saves and keeping a clean sheet in midweek against Preston, we think Klopp will take Adrian out of the team and put Alisson Becker back in after the Brazilian shut out Cristiano Ronaldo and co at Old Trafford.

In defence, we expect Klopp to reinstate the back four which started against United, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson occupying the full-back positions and Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate in the middle after all four were rested in midweek.

For the midfield, with Jordan Henderson impressing against the Red Devils with an overall match rating of 8/10 according to SofaScore and Fabinho  unable to play, it’s hard to see the captain not being picked to start against Brighton.

Next to the 31-year-old, now that it has been confirmed that Keita is fit enough to play after being stretchered off as a result of a hefty challenge from Pogba last weekend, we feel that the Guinean should slot back into the side following his recent run of good form.

For the final midfield berth, with James Milner picking up a hamstring injury against the Red Devils, we think Klopp will turn to Curtis Jones to play alongside Henderson and Keita after the 20-year-old completed 89 minutes in midweek.

In the front three, it’s almost a given that Mohamed Salah will start to see if he can add any more goals to the already impressive tally he’s built up so far this season. We feel that Klopp will bring Sadio Mane back into the team on the left wing, with Diogo Jota down the middle ahead of Roberto Firmino.

In other news: Klopp must unleash “important” Liverpool beast on Saturday, he’d terrify Brighton

Frank McAvennie has now revealed what he has heard about the ongoing situation with Connor Goldson and his Glasgow Rangers contract.

The Lowdown: No deal yet

Goldson is out of contract at Ibrox next summer, and West Ham United are reportedly monitoring his situation ahead of a potential approach in the January transfer window (Football Insider).

If he has not signed by January, then he can be approached by clubs ahead of a potential free transfer in the summer.

The Latest: McAvennie on Goldson

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie, who is now a pundit after playing as a striker for the likes of the Hammers and Celtic, has revealed what he and former Gers player Derek Ferguson have heard about the situation:

“There are a lot of rumours up here about Goldson.

“From what I hear, Rangers have offered him good money. I spoke to Derek Ferguson this morning and he’s heard there is a decent contract offer.

“There may be something going on, we just don’t know. It’s worrying he hasn’t signed a new deal yet.

“He’s a big player for them and he’s not tied down, that has to be a concern.

“There must be something going on otherwise he would have signed it. It sounds like the offer is good so it must be for Goldson.”

The Verdict: Sign him up

Goldson is clearly a very important player for the Light Blues, having played in all but two games and captained the team on a few occasions so far this season (Transfermarkt).

To lose him on a free transfer would be nothing short of devastating, especially as he still holds a decent market value.

Nonetheless, there are still a couple of months to go until January comes calling, and so it is imperative that the Gers get the central defender tied down between now and then, and meet whatever demands he has.

In other news, find out what early Team News before Hibernian Steven Gerrard has dropped here!

Tottenham Hotspur could have probably done with his huge potential and impressive qualities this campaign, but young summer signing Pape Matar Sarr is continuing his encouraging development at Metz.

So far campaign, the versatile 19-year-old midfielder has been utilised in an attacking role, out wide on the left flank and as an anchorman.

Sarr came up against Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain side just a few weeks ago and he did not look out-of-place despite coming up against some big names, including Gigi Wijnaldum, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

As per SofaScore, the teenage gem registered a squad-high 54 touches and made 77% of his 39 passing attempts. Sarr also made three tackles, without committing a single foul, showing maturity and composure way beyond his years.

The Metz loanee showed glimpses of his future ability right before the international break and even though they were defeated narrowly by Angers SCO, there was plenty to be excited about.

This time, against a team of lower quality than PSG, Sarr was able to assert his dominance even more as he made four tackles (without a foul again), registered 64 touches, made 88% of his passes and won nearly 64% of his midfield battles, via SofaScore.

He is one of the highest-rated youngsters in Europe right now and Spurs are certainly being shown what they’re missing before he makes his move to England next season.

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Sarr is in the mould of a certain World Cup and Nations League winner.

“I am told this guy is really more than an interesting talent. He has real potential, [he’s a] fantastic talent,” he told his YouTube channel last month. “One of my sources told me he could become one style of [Paul] Pogba player. He has style, he has potential, he has skills, so we will see what happens with this guy.”

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, the 19-year-old dynamo is averaging 1.2 key passes and 1.9 dribbles every 90 minutes in Ligue 1 this term, which provides some insight into why that lofty praise could come to fruition in the future.

Spurs may have to wait until the summer to see their man in action, but Nuno could well have his own Pogba-like beast in the 6 foot 1 Senegalese international.

This kind of prodigy should leave many around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium brimming with excitement as the club looks to have a more forward-thinking approach to their transfer dealings with Italian supremo Fabio Paratici at the helm.

AND in other news, Spurs source drops big behind-the-scenes Nuno Santo claim…

Sunderland have been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of Lynden Gooch ahead of their upcoming League One fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Sunderland Echo, Lee Johnson revealed that the Black Cats winger, who missed Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers due to a foot injury, looks likely to once again be unavailable for selection for the visit of Cheltenham Town this Tuesday.

Speaking about the current condition of the 25-year-old, Johnson said: “I don’t think it’s that serious. He picked up a knock in training before the Fleetwood game on the top of the foot. More than likely that’s been deferred to the bottom of the foot.

“It’s just started to cause him a bit of a problem. I would expect him to be out for Tuesday night, and then potentially to be back for Saturday or then Lincoln in the Papa John’s on Tuesday.”

Johnson will be gutted

While Johnson is not exactly short of options in the wide attacking areas of his squad, with the likes of Aiden McGeady, Aiden O’Brien, Leon Dajaku, Nathan Broadhead, Benjamin Mbunga Kimpioka all capable of operating from either flank, the continued absence of Gooch will undoubtedly have left the 40-year-old gutted.

Indeed, the USA international appears to be an important part of the manager’s plans this season, with the winger starting all seven of the League One fixtures he has been available for.

Having said this, with Gooch having failed to hit the back of the net so far this season, as well as providing his teammates with just one assist, perhaps the 25-year-old’s injury will allow for one of the Sunderland supporting cast to stake a claim for a regular starting spot in Johnson’s side.

Either way, the injury to Gooch will have come as a blow to the Mackems boss, who will certainly be hoping his side can continue their fantastic early-season form with a win over the Robins on Tuesday.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops Sunderland claim on “exciting” 21 y/o, Lee Johnson would be buzzing