All posts by z3u9t.icu

To say it was a frustrating season for Stoke City would be an understatement, with the Potters struggling for a positive run of results in the 2020/21 campaign, whilst under the management of Michael O’Neill.

Stoke finished 14th in the Championship table after running out 2-0 winners over AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on the final day of the season.

That doesn’t tell the full story to Stoke’s season though, with the club’s supporters having to endure a disappointing run of results prior to that win over the Cherries in May.

A six-game winless run from April to May saw them tumble down the second-tier standings at an alarming rate, and they’ll be eager to turn their attentions to the upcoming league campaign.

It’s likely to be a summer of change at the bet365 Stadium though, with players being linked with departures, whilst others have been linked with moves to the club ahead of the new season.

One of those to be linked with a move to Stoke this summer is former Norwich City midfielder Mario Vrancic, with The Telegraph’s John Percy revealing that the Potters are close to finalising a deal to land the 32-year-old’s signature, with a medical having already taken place.

It’d be a shrewd bit of business by the Potters

Vrancic caught the eye with a number of impressive showings during his time at Carrow Road with the Canaries, which includes playing his part in their two promotion-winning seasons.

The German midfielder signed for Norwich in 2017, and went on to score ten goals and provide seven assists for his teammates in their promotion-winning season in 2018/19.

He then made 20 appearances for the Canaries in the Premier League, before making 34 appearances for Daniel Farke’s side in the 2020/21 season, as they returned to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

But Vrancic left the club upon the expiration of his contract at Carrow Road this summer, and seemingly is set to return to the Championship in the near future.

Stoke would be signing a player with experience at this level, and with his promotion-winning experience, this could turn out to be a shrewd signing by Michael O’Neill’s side.

Daniel Farke has previously claimed that Vrancic can produce ‘magic moments’, which will be pleasing to hear for the Stoke City supporters, who will be hoping that Vrancic can make an instant impact with the club.

“I try to judge him in a balanced way. From the outside, he is always judged strangely. When he is on the bench, and he produces magic moments, then it is the head coach is so stupid, this lad has to start every game.”

It would solve a problem position for Stoke City

It’s previously been reported by Football Insider that Stoke are willing to listen to sell Sam Clucas this summer, providing their £3million valuation is matched, and so it makes sense for the Potters to look at adding another midfielder to their squad.

Additional depth is certainly needed within the Stoke squad, and they couldn’t do much better when it comes to having a somewhat ‘safe signing’, as there won’t be any concerns over whether Vrancic can adjust to the physical demands of the Championship, having featured regularly in the second-tier.

It’d be a real statement of intent by Stoke if they can strike an agreement to land Vrancic’s signature ahead of their season opener against Reading on Saturday 7th August, O’Neill will be delighted to get such a good player in his squad.

Aston Villa will consider signing a new midfielder during the January window following the injury to Marvelous Nakamba.

That’s according to reliable reporter Gregg Evans, which as to be expected, had a number of supporters talking on social media.

Nakamba had been a regular under new manager Steven Gerrard, however, the Zimbabwe international suffered a knee injury against Liverpool on the weekend and missed the win over Norwich City on Tuesday.

His 2021/22 season may well be over as a result, and Villa now look set to act with the 27-year-old sidelined by considering a midfield addition in the winter window.

Evans didn’t name-check any possible targets but did appear to rule out a move for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse, who was wanted at Villa Park over the summer but ended up signing a new contract at St Mary’s.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Evans’ claim on Tuesday evening. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with a few name-checking Rangers’ Glen Kamara and another sharing their ‘love’ regarding the update.

“Glen Kamara incoming”

Credit: @villaparkpod

“No messing around”

Credit: @tomavfcyates

“Love it”

Credit: @ViIlaI_

“Villa just buying all the midfielders now what’s going on”

Credit: @Thedolphin2

“Kamara or Doucoure cheers”

Credit: @_AVFCOlly

“KAMARAAAAAAAAAA COME TO MEEEEEEEE”

Credit: @DG_Villa1

In other news: ‘Unbelievable’ – Lots of Villa fans flock to John Percy’s exit rumour

Leeds United’s Crysencio Summerville is the subject of a transfer battle between Rangers and Hamburg, according to Frankfurter Rundschau (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Right-winger Summerville joined Leeds from Feyenoord’s academy in September 2020. He’s gone on to make eight appearances for the Whites’ senior side, including five in the Premier League this season.

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But the 20-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of next season, hasn’t featured in the top-flight since the 4-1 defeat against Arsenal on 18 December.

Hamburg’s directors apparently tried to sign the Dutchman in January but Leeds refused to let him move.

New Leeds boss Jesse Marsch has spoken to the player about the importance of his ‘professional behaviour, work ethic and his mentality’.

The latest

Rangers hold an interest in Summerville and ‘have more money’ to spend on the deal than fellow suitors Hamburg, per SW.

The Bundesliga 2 side were left feeling ‘bitter’ after their January move failed, but they are willing to ‘make another attempt for him’ in the summer.

The verdict

If Leeds do let Summerville go, it ought to be on loan. He’s shown his promise at Under-23 level for The Whites, scoring 13 goals and providing eight assists in 27 appearances.

Journalist Beren Cross says the ‘runaway train’ has been ‘catching the eye’, while U23 boss Andrew Taylor has even dubbed him ‘sensational’.

They could come to regret letting him go permanently after handing him only limited opportunities.

A loan move would offer him the opportunity to gain valuable experience of playing regular men’s football and, if Leeds do later decide to sell, it could well increase his value.

They may be a little hesitant to send him to Rangers, however, on the back of fellow youngster Amad Diallo’s unsuccessful loan switch from Manchester United.

The Gers reportedly intend to send Diallo back to Manchester at the earliest opportunity after things turned ‘sour’.

In other news, Leeds are ‘very likely’ to make this signing.

After a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Norwich City at the weekend in their latest Premier League outing after the latest international break, Southampton have been dealt a worrying injury issue that could impact their team for the next few weeks.

What’s the news?

Southampton midfielder Stuart Armstrong was not in the squad for the game at Carrow Road after picking up a calf injury before the game according to Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

This will surely be a big blow for the team and a big disappointment for the fans after the Scottish international had only recently recovered from a calf issue and managed to get some Premier League minutes under his belt before his first start of the season in their 1-0 win over Aston Villa earlier in the month.

Since joining the south coast club back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Celtic in a deal worth a reported fee of £7m, the 29-year-old has made a total of 109 appearances for Southampton across all competitions in which he has managed to score 14 goals and provide 11 assists in the process.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-southampton-news” title=”Check out the latest Southampton news!”]

Given how Armstrong was just getting back into the swing of things for Southampton and played in both of Scotland’s recent World Cup qualifying matches against Moldova and Denmark, this latest calf issue will surely be a big setback for the player.

His latest appearance for his country against Denmark saw Armstrong come off the substitutes bench and provide an assist for his club teammate Che Adams in their 2-0 win.

Hasenhuttl and everyone else at Southampton will undoubtedly be hoping that the forward will be able to recover from this latest setback as soon as possible and not miss too many games for the Saints. As they approach their winter run of fixtures the manager will want as many options in the squad available to him to help keep his side away from the relegation zone.

If Armstrong does end up spending another significant period of time out injured, Hasenhuttl will have to rely on the likes of Theo Walcott, Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Tella to step up to the plate and provide a suitable attacking threat while Armstrong is out recovering. Given their inconsistent nature, this injury blow will certainly leave their Austrian head coach gutted.

In other news: Possession lost x17: Southampton lightweight with 0 key passes let Ralph down vs NCFC – opinion

An update has emerged on Chippenham Town striker Oluwasegun Lawal, regarding Steven Gerrard’s interest in bringing him to Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

According to AllNigeriaSoccer, the Gers are tracking the youngster, who is the brother of Celtic player Bosun Lawal, ahead of a potential January switch.

The report claims Premier League sides Liverpool, Newcastle United, Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Watford are also looking at him.

Aribo 2.0

Ross Wilson could land Joe Aribo 2.0 by securing a deal to sign Lawal in January. First of all, he is of Nigerian descent and secondly, he’s a versatile midfielder and forward, much like the current Gers gem.

The report claims that he is capable of playing as a number 10, a winger or a striker, whilst Aribo has played as a central midfielder and right winger for Rangers already this season.

This means that the club could bring in another versatility gem who is capable of featuring in a multitude of roles. Gerrard would surely love to have another option in that mould as it allows him to be flexible with his team selections and his choice of players on the bench, as Lawal could provide cover for several roles.

Aribo has started all 12 Scottish Premiership matches this season, with Gerrard placing his trust in him for every single game so far. This shows how much he values the ex-Charlton man’s ability to play in more than one area of the pitch, which is why Lawal could also be a shrewd addition to the squad.

At the age of 19, he has plenty of time ahead of him to develop and the manager could slowly bed him into the first-team set-up. That may mean he spends a season out on loan to play regular football or instead, trains with the Gers squad and soaks up as much information from the current stars as possible.

There is little available in the way of performance data on Lawal, but the report that a number of Premier League teams and Rangers being interested in him suggests that he has caught the eye with his performances for Chippenham and could have the potential to make the step up.

If he is able to make the leap to playing for Rangers and his brother makes the grade at Celtic, it could provide an intriguing new storyline for Old Firm clashes in the future. The clash already has plenty of spice, but a brother vs brother element being thrown into it could be the perfect seasoning!

AND in other news, Sold for £203k, now worth £900k: Rangers had a transfer howler over “dream” battler…

So far this season, Southampton have only managed to pick up a total of four points from their opening seven Premier League games of the campaign from four draws, having failed to secure their first win of the season.

In addition to this, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have also only managed to score five goals in those seven games, which suggests to us that they have not been particularly strong in an attacking sense yet, which has been a problem for the given how they are currently sat in 17th place in the league table just one place above the relegation zone.

However, it seems as though the club have their eye on signing a new attacking talent to add to their squad.

What’s the latest?

It has recently been reported by TEAMtalk that Southampton are eyeing up a move for Fulham attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho in the upcoming January transfer window.

He’s at a contract impasse with his current club which has allowed a variety of Premier League sides to monitor his services.

The talented teenager has lit up the Championship so far this term and it would not be a surprise if he made a move away from Craven Cottage.

Potential solution

Carvalho, who is a product of Fulham’s youth academy, made his senior debut for the west London club back in September 2020 in a Carabao Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday under former Fulham manager Scott Parker.

The boss once described the 19-year-old as a “massive positive” for the club, hailing him as “really bright,” in a glowing review.

Overall, the teenager has made just 11 senior appearances for Fulham, scoring four goals and providing one assist in the process.

His assist and three of his four senior goals for Fulham have come during the five Championship appearances he’s made for the club this season. That’s impressively earned himself an overall performance rating of 7.59/10, making him Fulham’s second-highest rated player according to WhoScored, which shows why he has apparently caught Southampton’s eye.

In addition to this, the fact that only Adam Armstrong (3) out of everyone in the Southampton squad has made more shots at goal per game so far this season than Carvalho (2.4) at Fulham shows that he could well be a good attacking option for Hasenhuttl should they sign him in January.

The Saints have struggled for goals this season, netting only five times in seven outings. Consequently, a player of the youngster’s stature and qualities could help Hasenhuttl correct that issue.

The Austrian already has a variety of talented young players coming through his ranks and Carvalho would be somebody to get excited about, particularly if he scores on a regular basis.

In terms of a potential move to Southampton in January, we feel that the Saints should definitely explore deal. He could definitely help freshen up Southampton’s rather stale attacking force, which hasn’t really helped the team so far this season.

In other news: Southampton struck with potential injury blow ahead of LUFC, Ralph won’t be happy – opinion

Rangers suffered their second successive defeat of the Europa League group stage as they went down 1-0 to Sparta Prague on Thursday night.

Steven Gerrard’s side went behind to David Hancko’s first half header and Glen Kamara was harshly sent off for a second bookable offence after the break.

While the Finland international’s dismissal certainly didn’t help the Gers in their quest to find a potential equaliser, James Tavernier’s performance at the back was nowhere near the standard that Gerrard needed in a tough European game away from home.

The club captain was his usual adventurous self going forward, but that lack of discipline in knowing when to stay and when to advance saw the Gers full-back get caught out time and time again on his flank.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 36 times over the course of the game, which was by far the highest of any player on the pitch, while his crossing radar was woefully off the mark too – none of his seven attempts found their intended target.

Tavernier was also dribbled past three times, the most out of any of his Rangers teammates, while he made only one tackle as his lack of defensive responsibility came back to haunt him.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Glasgow Times, Ewan Patton gave him a six, saying: “Looked good going forward as per, but, particularly in the second half, was caught out of position defensively. This allowed Sparta’s attackers in behind on too many occasions. But for good goalkeeping and poor finishing – including a sitter from Pesek, Sparta could’ve won by more.”

Those sentiments were echoed by the Daily Record’s Andrew Newport, who also gave him a six, adding: “Got forward plenty in the early stages but found himself pinned down in the second half as his centre-backs wobbled.”

While the big talking point after the game might be Kamara’s controversial sending-off, Tavernier let his manager down with a really poor display.

Meanwhile, Rangers could find another Kamara in this star…

Graham Roberts reckons that Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu could become Tottenham’s right-back.

Tomiyasu, who’s been representing Japan at the Olympic Games, only to be knocked out by Bryan Gil’s Spain at the semi-final stage, had been reported to be on the verge of a move to north London.

Tomiyasu featured twice in Tokyo, both as a central defender, but can play anywhere across the back-four, and started at right-back 14 times in Serie A last season.

Tottenham currently have two right-backs in Matt Doherty and Serge Aurier, but the Ivorian’s future at the club remains in serious doubt following previous comments about wanting to return to PSG.

Aurier is yet to appear in pre-season, whilst Doherty played 64 minutes against MK Dons last week, which should give the Irishman the nod ahead of the start of the season.

If Aurier does depart, Nuno Espirito Santo will need to add another right-back to his squad, and Roberts exclusively told Football FanCast that his departure could open the door for Tomiyasu to competitive to become first-choice:

“I think they might bring in three of four, [defenders] and I think he might be the right-back.”

It’s safe to say Everton are in a bad run of form at the moment having lost five and drawn two of their seven previous league games, scoring just four goals and conceding 13 in the process.

Injuries have played their part in Everton’s poor run of form in recent weeks with the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Andre Gomes and Yerry Mina all out of action.

With a tough test against Liverpool next up for the Toffees in midweek, it seems as though the Everton fans could do with a bit of good news to get some positive vibes around the club again, and it seems that they may have exactly that.

It has recently been reported in The Telegraph that Everton are interested in signing Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard as a free agent in the next summer transfer window when his current contract runs out.

Given Everton’s dismal run of form, perhaps it would be better for the Merseyside club if they managed to sign the England international on a loan deal in the upcoming January window with an obligation to sign him permanently in the summer.

As a product of United’s youth system, Lingard has made 220 appearances for the Manchester club across all competitions, scoring 35 goals and providing 21 assists along the way, proving himself as a useful attacking and creative option from midfield.

This backs up why Lingard was previously labelled as being an “intelligent” player by former United teammate Rio Ferdinand.

During his loan period with West Ham last season, the 28-year-old, who is currently valued at £19.8m according to Transfermarkt, certainly made the most of his time in east London by scoring nine goals and providing five assists in 16 games, helping them secure their place in the Europa League.

This shows just how much of an attacking impact he can have on a team when he’s given the chance to play regularly, which he hasn’t been at Old Trafford this season with no starts in the Premier League.

With that in mind, Marcel Brands should definitely explore the option of signing Lingard in January to see if he can add a bit of extra attacking power to Rafa Benitez’s side for the second half of the season.

As he did at West Ham, there is a possibility that he could bethe catalyst that sparks a revival at Goodison Park and fixes the issue of their turbulent form. Certainly, with the qualities in his locker, he can do that under Benitez and turn their season around.

In other news: Rafa could solve major EFC issue with “sensational” 18y/o gem whose “future is bright”

Rangers begin their Scottish Premiership title defence on Saturday afternoon as they take on Livingston at Ibrox, with Steven Gerrard’s side fresh off the back of an impressive pre-season.

The Gers picked up positive results against tough opposition in the shape of Brighton, Arsenal and Real Madrid, with new signings John Lundstram and Fashion Sakala both featuring for Gerrard’s side.

After finishing last year’s league season unbeaten, conceding just 13 goals in 38 top-flight games, Gerrard’s side go into the new campaign as favourites to win the title, especially with their Old Firm rivals showing little sign of improvement after they crashed out of the Champions League qualification stages in midweek.

Although Gerrard will be missing the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Jack and new signing Nnamdi Ofoborh for the game against David Martindale’s side on Saturday, the Gers will still be strong favourites to pick up three points to kick off the campaign.

Here’s how we think Gerrard will line his team up for the season opener at Ibrox…

After an impressive season which saw him earn a new one-year deal at Ibrox, Allan McGregor unsurprisingly starts in goal for Gerrard’s side.

There will be plenty of competition at right-back this term after Nathan Patterson’s breakthrough in 2020/21, but captain James Tavernier is likely to start the majority. He is joined by the crux of last season’s impressive defence as Connor Goldson partners Filip Helander at centre-back, with Borna Barisic on the left.

In midfield, new signing John Lundstram starts alongside Glen Kamara and Steven Davis, with Joe Aribo’s absence in recent pre-season games suggesting that he may be forced to settle for a place on the bench in this one.

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Finally, Ryan Kent and Ianis Hagi seem likely to start on the wings after their superb performances last season, and they support new signing Fashion Sakala up front, with the Zambian getting his competitive Gers debut ahead of Kemar Roofe after the former Leeds man missed the games against Brighton and Real Madrid.

In other news… The Athletic journalist drops exciting Rangers transfer claim, fans will be buzzing