All posts by n8rngtd.top

Ilkay Gundogan has been voted the GMS Fans’ Premier League Player of the Month for January. In a poll run by fan engagement experts Snack Media, the midfielder took 24% of the vote after scoring five goals and making 10 dribbles. Burnley’s Nick Pope was in second place with 20%. 

In the first of five votes carried out over seven days via Snack’s digital and social networks, the 5 foot 11 German’s performances clearly struck a chord with Premier League fans up and down the country. 

The full list of contenders from the final shortlist polled as follows: 

• Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City) – 24% 
• Nick Pope (Burnley) – 20% 
• Paul Pogba (Manchester United) – 18% 
• Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) – 15% 
• Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 13% 
• Craig Dawson (West Ham) – 11% 

The Championship vote opens at 11 am on Monday 8th February. To vote go to: 

http://bit.ly/36EBNZ6   

When Sunderland travel away from the northeast under Lee Johnson, they appear to be a formidable force.

Their 1-0 win over Ipswich means that Lee Johnson is yet to taste defeat on the road since taking over The Mackems.

Although they need to improve at the Stadium of Light, it will bring them enormous confidence that they can go away and defeat fellow promotion hopefuls. Their 4-0 win over Lincoln was eye-catching but their ability to grind out a 1-0 victory at Ipswich should also be applauded.

Of course, they were helped by the red card to Ipswich’s Kayden Jackson who was given his marching orders after an appalling challenge on Bailey Wright, but they were good value for their win despite that.

Charlie Wyke was once again in the right place at the right time as he took his League One tally for the campaign to 12 strikes as he got the only goal of the game. The tall striker has been indomitable in recent weeks and is finding the net with superb regularity.

Though, it was arguably his supplier that was Johnson’s true hero on Tuesday night. Max Power delivered an inch-perfect cross that Wyke was able to get on the end of to prod the ball home.

Since moving to right-back, Power has defined his own surname. He is a force on the flanks and uses tremendous energy to get up and down. He linked well with Aiden O’Brien, particularly for the goal.

The winger beat his man and then put the ball into the path of the rampaging Power who provided the cross.

Coincidentally, that was just one of four balls into the area – two of which were successful. For context, his completion rate was better than anyone in the entire Mackems squad.

He was also keen to get on the ball and the very fact he touched it on 122 occasions goes to show what a threat the right-back was. Power had 66 more touches than the highest haul registered by an Ipswich player and managed 31 more touches than the next best for the Black Cats.

His influence was mighty, winning more aerial duels (3) than anyone besides Bailey Wright and Jordan Willis for Sunderland. Josh Scowen, meanwhile, was the only person to win more ground duels (4) than Power (3).

This was an all-action display but we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, he delivered a similar showing against Port Vale in the Papa John’s Trophy a few weeks ago.

This, however, was a far more important game with promotion aspirations on the line and Power delivered the goods.

AND in other news, Sunderland must swoop for 20 y/o gem who terrorised £44m worth of talent last month…

As the January transfer window draws nearer, huge international names continue to be linked with a move to the Premier League. One side looking to bolster their ranks in aid of keeping their place in England’s top flight is Leeds United.

The Whites have been connected with a move for Paris Saint Germain star Julian Draxler and would, given his contract situation, be able to agree pre-contract terms with the midfielder this month, whilst a loan move has not been ruled out either. Fabrizio Romano recently tipped the Whites to be “looking for this kind of player” as they potentially enter the transfer market once more.

Draxler would be ideal signing for Leeds

Draxler oozes creativity and flair. The German international has experience in abundance and a sharp eye for setting up a goal. For Leeds, he is the ideal addition to their recently promoted squad.

Marcelo Bielsa relies heavily on stalwart striker Patrick Bamford to score goals, which may cause a lot of problems against more defensively sound teams. The Whites seem to be in need of a bit of a mix up when it comes to their attacking options and it could be wise to add a creative spark from midfield.

The end of Hernandez

Whilst signing Draxler on loan, and perhaps even on a permanent deal down the line, is arguably a no-brainer for Andrea Radrizzani, it could lead to him letting go of 35-year-old Pablo Hernandez.

The Spaniard has been a loyal contributor to the Yorkshire outfit since his arrival in 2017, but his age and lack of contribution could spell the end of his time at Elland Road. So far this season, Hernandez has added just two assists to Leeds’ tally and has started on only two occasions, according to Transfermarkt.

He is the club’s only recognised attacking midfielder, which, in terms of squad depth, isn’t rally good enough for a side looking to stay and thrive in the Premier League. Leeds would benefit a whole lot from adding a player like Draxler, who has 22 goals and 33 assists for PSG, as well as 56 caps for his country, as per Transfermarkt.

According to WhoScored, the 27-year-old has averaged a higher passing percentage this season (89.5%) and more key passes (1.2) per match when compared to Hernandez’s totals of 78% and 0.6, respectively.

This highlights that Draxler’s capability to pick out important passes and build up play from the middle of the park is better than the veteran Leeds star. Quite simply, his creative flair is clearly more threatening than that of the Leeds man, whose days could be numbered at Elland Road.

Hernandez is contracted until 2022 with the Whites so by the time that expires, he will have turned 37. Now, is the time for Leeds to be brave and move out the old dogs in order to make way for younger, fresher legs.

If Leeds can do a deal to get Draxler to Elland Road, and get him playing to his best, it would be a huge coup for the Yorkshire-based club.

In other news, Leeds can land Alioski successor in Fredrik Andre Bjorkan…

Southampton’s January transfer plans look to have suffered a blow as Michael Obafemi’s loan move is off after the Irish striker suffered an injury ahead of the Saints’ fixture against Liverpool recently.

According to Daniel Sheldon, the Athletic’s Southampton correspondent, Obafemi sustained a significant muscle injury in training recently, meaning his prospective loan move to the Championship is now off.

The 20-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to the second division recently, with Swansea City amongst the suitors but unfortunately for the youngster, he now looks set for a long spell on the sidelines.

It is a big blow for the former Leyton Orient youngster, as he has managed just one substitute appearance for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season and was no doubt desperate to get some game time out on loan to prove that he is still capable of making it at the South Coast club.

Obafemi has seen the likes of Nathan Tella and Dan N’Lundulu move ahead of him in the pecking order this season, whilst the loan signing of Theo Walcott has also meant that the opportunities have been hard to come by.

Therefore, a loan move where the Republic of Ireland U21 international could get regular football and perhaps goals under his belt would’ve been ideal to build up his confidence, in the hope that he could return next season and challenge the likes of Danny Ings and Che Adams for a starting spot in the Southampton first-team.

The 20-year-old has 35 first-team appearances for Southampton to his name already, in which he has contributed five goals and four assists but Hasenhuttl has questioned his professionalism in the past, which certainly seems a factor in why he has barely featured so far this season.

Considering this season has been something of a write-off, and his contract is set to expire in June 2022, Obafemi will have to work hard to impress Hasenhuttl next season if he wants to have a long-term future with Southampton.

AND, in other news, Southampton signing “brave” gem will be the final nail in the coffin of forgotten Saints dud…

Many Everton fans have been discussing an update about Lucas Digne that recently emerged on social media.

The Times’ correspondent Paul Joyce has recently reported that the Toffees are now preparing to offer the left-back a new contract. An article written by the journalist has claimed that this is an attempt from Everton to ward off potential suitors for the Frenchman amidst reports linking him with a move. The defender is expected to get improved terms in the new deal and Everton are hoping he will sign the deal after he was linked with a move to Manchester City (as per the Times).

Digne is currently out injured and could be out well into the New Year too, but Carlo Ancelotti has already revealed that his rehab is going very well indeed (as per the Times). Digne is currently valued at £29.70m.

Digne arrived at Goodison Park from Barcelona in the summer of 2018 for a fee of £18 million. Since arriving at the club, he has made 87 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees while picking up 17 assists and a total of five goals (as per Transfermarkt).

Many Everton fans were raving about this update and they took to Twitter to make their opinion clear about Digne’s potential new deal.

What did Everton fans make of this update about Digne?

In other news, many Everton fans have been talking about the club’s links with a move for Sami Khedira – read more about it here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast’s Tom Ward, former England midfielder Carlton Palmer waxed lyrical over “talented” Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli after his impact from the bench this weekend.

Jose Mourinho’s side could only muster up a draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon, but still managed to keep their place atop the Premier League table ahead of this week’s stern test against defending champions, Liverpool.

Alli, who has been linked with an exit in January, has barely featured in the top-flight this season. Indeed it was only the third time he was actually named in their matchday squad.

In all competitions, the 24-year-old has played just 338 minutes, though Palmer was impressed with what he saw against the Eagles during his five-minute cameo.

He told FFC:

“He’s a young lad and without a doubt, he’s a talented player. If he takes that on board, which is the side of his game which is missing.

“It’s just like [Jack] Grealish. Jack Grealish has done that.

“When they had the break just before the end of the season, where Villa had those three or four weeks where they had to change things around because they were as good as down. Jack Grealish has realised that’s [defensive duties] part of the game now.

“He knows he has the ability on the ball, but he now knows what he has to do off the ball. And he’s doing that now.

“Dele Alli can turn his career around as simple as that.

“As he did on Sunday when I realised that and Mourinho’s the type of person that will give him plenty of confidence and will have told him ‘this is what I expect from you’.”

According to the Daily Mirror, Premier League rivals Everton are a potential destination for the out-of-favour attacking midfielder, who is currently valued at a whopping €70m (£64m) by CIES Football Observatory.

Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain could well reignite their loan interest from the summer too, as per Sky Sports, so Alli won’t be short of options.

However, if Alli continues to display a new defensive side to his game as Palmer suggests, then there could well be a future for him under Mourinho in N17 – as unlikely as that currently seems right now.

AND in other news, 38% duels won: Spurs calamity with 93 touches surely left Mourinho reeling with anger…

Just what must Allan Saint-Maximin be thinking? The Newcastle star has been one of the very few bright spots for the Magpies over the past year or so, and was duly rewarded with a bumper new contract earlier in the summer, despite only being at St James’ Park for one season.

At times it really has been the Frenchman versus the rest, and on Saturday afternoon against Chelsea, the winger had a disappointing display, which only served to highlight just how much the Tyneside club have relied upon him for some inspiration.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 13 times over the course of the game, and had just one shot on goal, whilst even that was off target. And with Chelsea dominating possession, the winger could only manage 14 passes, and failed to deliver a single accurate cross.

Eventually, whether it was because of his poor performance or just that he felt like the Magpies weren’t going to get anything from the game and wanted to save him from injury, Bruce hooked him after 74 minutes.

Nobody can fault for Saint-Maximin for at least trying to get things going, but you couldn’t help but feel that he was being held back by his manager’s game-plan and his teammates’ lack of quality.

But the longer Bruce’s defensive-minded tactics continue, the more frustrated Saint-Maximin will become. And if the French ace packs his bags and leaves St James’ Park, then there’ll be only man to point the finger at.

Whilst summer signing Konstantinos Tsimikas was never likely to be a regular in Liverpool’s first-team whilst Andy Robertson is fit and firing, Reds fans will have been expecting a lot more from the Greek international compared to what he has shown so far.

The left-back, who joined from Olympiakos in the summer transfer window, made just his second start for the Merseyside club in their 2-0 defeat against Atalanta on Wednesday evening.

The 24-year-old’s only other appearance of note was in the 7-2 win against Lincoln City, where he was perhaps unlikely to be tested as much in what proved to be a comfortable win against League One opposition.

Considering Liverpool had beaten Gian Piero Gasperini’s side 5-0 away from home in the reverse fixture, a lot of Reds fans will have surely been expecting a comfortable victory at Anfield but it was far from it, as the Serie A side claimed all three points in Group D thanks to goals from Josip Ilicic and Robin Gosens.

Jurgen Klopp will surely have been disappointed with the performance of Tsimikas in the defeat, with the Greek international replaced by Robertson shortly after the hour-mark.

As per SofaScore, the defender earned a 6.3 rating for his display against Atalanta, which was the joint-worst of any player on the pitch.

It was a disappointing display both attacking and defensively, as when he received the ball high up the pitch, he was very wasteful, with none of his four crosses finding a Liverpool shirt, whilst none of his long balls were accurate.

The former Olympiakos man recorded a pass accuracy rate of 78%, with 29/37 of his passes finding their mark.

He also struggled to win duels against the Italian opposition, as he was successful in just three of his nine ground duels on the evening.

When you compare this horror-show to Robertson’s superb display against Leicester City recently, which was excellent from both a defensive and attacking point of view (he set up Diogo Jota’s goal and helped keep a clean sheet), it seems as if Tsimikas is a long way off replicating the sort of performances the £67.5m-rated man has regularly produced since joining the club.

Whilst it may be too early to write Tsimikas off completely, the early signs are certainly not good.

And, in other news… Liverpool made an inexcusable error in selling “superb” centre-back

Southampton were reported to have made a bid for Sampdoria defender Omar Colley during the summer transfer window and they look to have now been handed a boost in their potential hopes of signing the centre-back in January, with the Serie A side now reportedly open to selling him.

It was suggested during the summer that the Saints were planning to bid €15 million (£13.4 million) for the Gambian defender but a move to the South Coast club never materialised.

However, Calcionews24 have now suggested that Blucerchiati are now open to selling the defender, as he has been relegated to the bench in recent weeks.

The 28-year-old has made just two appearances in Serie A so far this season, in which he put in mixed displays, earning a disappointing 6.05 rating in the 3-0 defeat against Juventus, whilst a goal in a 3-2 defeat against Benevento earned him a much more impressive 7.41 rating (per WhoScored).

Southampton’s centre-backs have been impressive so far this season, with Jan Vestergaard currently the club’s third-best performer in the Premier League, having averaged a superb 7.29 rating (per WhoScored). The Dane’s rejuvenation in recent weeks does make you wonder if Colley would still be a useful addition for Hasenhuttl.

Jan Bednarek has also impressed, having averaged a solid 6.84 rating across eight Premier League appearances, suggesting that it would be difficult for Colley to break up that current partnership.

While Jack Stephens has struggled at times this season, with the 26-year-old’s 6.40 average rating from his four top-flight appearances perhaps something for Hasenhuttl to worry about, he provides able back-up, while the club are still yet to see a glimpse of summer buy Mohamed Salisu.

WhoScored suggests that Colley’s strengths are aerial duels and interceptions, whilst he has no significant weaknesses, so perhaps he could be compared to former Saints man Virgil van Dijk, who has established himself as one of the world’s best defenders since joining Liverpool for £75 million.

That said, having kept four Premier League clean sheets already this term, maybe the south coast outfit should have other priorities if they want to buy in January.

David Gold and David Sullivan will have left a sour taste in the mouths of many West Ham United supporters for their slack efforts to strengthen David Moyes’ squad this summer, but can show their intent with the capture of AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King.

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, West Ham have begun talks with Bournemouth and King over a potential £10million deal to take the forward from the Vitality Stadium against rival interest from West Bromwich Albion.

King is eager to secure a move to a Premier League side following the Cherries’ relegation last season, having established himself as a top-flight player with 48 goals and 15 assists over the past five campaigns.

The window remains open for Premier League sides to do business with EFL clubs until October 16, which Irons boss Moyes is keen to explore after Felipe Anderson’s loan move to FC Porto and Grady Diangana’s departure for West Brom left him with a lack of options.

Baggies boss Slaven Bilic is also keen on King following news that striker Hal Robson-Kanu will require surgery on his broken arm, while Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur had considered signing the 28-year-old earlier in the summer.

King missed the start of the 2020/21 season for new manager Jason Tindall through an injury sustained whilst on international duty, but the £45,000-per-week 2021-free agent has since struggled to earn game time on the south coast with just 23 minutes to his name across all competitions thus far.

An ambitious signing from the EFL

King could serve as a late signal of intent by the West Ham ownership of Gold and Sullivan as the former Manchester United trainee and January target is one of the top talents still on the market now that the international window has closed.

The Oslo-born forward struck six goals and penned four assists whilst Bournemouth were relegated last season despite starting just 24 of 26 appearances, with successful strikes against the Red Devils and Chelsea that secured a vital win and draw that kept the Cherries in the survival race until the final seconds.

He further created four big chances that were not converted and spurned three himself, whilst averaging 0.8 shots, 1.2 key balls, 5.9 duels won and 2.0 successful dribbles a game, per SofaScore.

King is also a player with great ambition, having stated desires to become Norway’s all-time leading goalscorer and eclipse the 33 goal tally of Jorgen Juve set between 1928 and 1937, despite only having 17 to his name from 48 appearances heading into Thursday night’s UEFA Euros qualifier against Serbia.

Now that West Ham can only shop in the English Football League for late reinforcements, GSB could do a lot worse than court King for £10m.

AND in other news, GSB’s floundering in the transfer market ensured West Ham failed in a late pursuit of a £30million target.