All posts by n8rngtd.top

When Jordan Jones signed for Sunderland on loan in January it was met with excitement and anticipation.

The Mackems had just bolstered their promotion bid by signing a man with European experience to his name. Indeed, when he first penned terms, there were glowing appraisals.

Glasgow Live reporter Mark McDougall told Chronicle Live that the 26-year-old had the abilities to light up the English third tier, saying: “In all honesty, he should stroll League One if his attitude is right when he goes down there.”

McDougall’s assessment couldn’t be truer. Since moving south of the border, Jones has been a revelation for Sunderland, scoring two goals and registering four assists in just five starts.

The Northern Ireland winger has been exceptional and, in his last three games, he’s proven why he was such a shrewd piece of business in January, registering an assist in each game and a solitary goal for his troubles.

The 26-year-old was missed during his recent time on the sidelines. He picked up a muscle injury which first caused him to miss the EFL Trophy final before he sat out a further three matches.

However, on his return to the starting XI against Oxford United, he was a dynamo. It may have been Lynden Gooch, Aiden McGeady and Max Power who popped up with the goals on Friday afternoon but it was Jones who proved to be the standout figure.

The winger was withdrawn on 77 minutes but this was one of his most eye-catching displays yet.

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He picked up another assist with a frightening piece of skill in the first half. He performed two stepovers and then nudged the ball past Jamie Hanson, beating him all ends up.

It was a dazzling moment, a genius piece of play which was arguably one of his finest flashes in the red and white of Sunderland so far.

Jones had the Oxford United left-back on strings throughout the entire contest, completing four dribbles and amassing three shots on goal. The forward also proved adept in the challenge, winning a considerable 13 ground duels from 16 attempted.

With Sunderland’s promotion hopes now well and truly in their own hands, they have unearthed a gem who could well fire them to the Championship.

The arrival of the Rangers attacker has been nothing short of game-changing for Lee Johnson’s team. He will be salivating over the prospect of unleashing him against Peterborough on Monday.

AND in other news, 18x possession lost: Johnson must be fuming with SAFC gem who was “led a merry dance”…

Brighton star Ben White is reportedly a summer transfer target for Liverpool, as the Reds weigh up potential centre-back options to bring in.

Jurgen Klopp has suffered a disastrous season in defence, with the Premier League champions left depleted in that area of the pitch.

Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all out for the remainder of the campaign, leaving Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak as the first-choice pairing.

It looks almost certain that at least one new centre-back will arrive in the summer transfer window, with Ibrahima Konate heavily linked with a move earlier this week.

Liverpool keen on White move

According to the Daily Mail‘s Dominic King, White is also ‘being considered’ as a target by Liverpool, having started 28 of Brighton’s 29 league games this season.

The 23-year-old has been described as “brilliant” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp in the past and has been tipped to join the Reds before.

Transfer Tavern take

White is certainly an exciting defender who is also capable of playing in midfield, although he lacks the top-level experience of someone like Konate.

While the RB Leipzig man has already made 89 appearances for a team fighting for the Bundesliga title and going far in the Champions League, despite being just 21, White is still in his first season in the top flight.

That suggests Konate could be the better option, especially as his average of two aerial duels won per game in the league this season is superior to the Englishman’s (1.4).

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to a significant piece of news affecting the club. Read about it here.

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Inter striker Lautaro Martinez recently and the 23-year-old could be the perfect man to replace Sergio Aguero in Pep Guardiola’s side this summer.

According to the Daily Mail, the Citizens are considering Martinez as an alternative option to Erling Haaland this summer as they look to bring in a replacement for the outgoing Argentine.

Although Pep Guardiola suggested in midweek that City, like other Premier League clubs, have very little money at the moment as a result of plating much of the season behind closed doors, it is difficult to see the Citizens not bringing in a forward this summer.

The Spanish manager did suggest that 18-year-old Liam Delap, who is enjoying an extraordinary season in the Premier League 2 – having scored 20 goals in 15 games – would be training with the first-team next season, though it would be remarkable if he were able to step up immediately as Aguero’s replacement.

Therefore, they should definitely consider Martinez as an alternative to Haaland this summer if the Norwegian sensation proves to be too expensive, as the Inter man also looks to have the potential to become a world-class striker.

Since joining Inter from Argentine side Racing Club in 2018, the forward has gone on to make 122 appearances for I Nerazzurri in which he has contributed an impressive 46 goals and 18 assists.

This season, in particular, has seen the 23-year-old impress, as he has managed 14 goals and five assists in 28 Serie A appearances, resulting in a superb 7.21 average rating.

He has undoubtedly helped steer Inter clear at the top of the standings.

Like Aguero, Martinez isn’t particularly tall for a striker, standing at 5 foot 9, but he is excellent at using his body to protect the ball and bringing teammates into play with intelligent touches.

When he was linked with a move to Barcelona last summer, Lionel Messi was full of praise for Martinez having played with him for Argentina, saying:

“I think I’ve already mentioned that Lautaro is an impressive forward, especially because I think he’s very complete. He’s strong, dribbles well, can score, knows how to protect the ball.”

Considering Delap has made just three appearances for the City senior side so far in his career, it would be unfair to expect him to start scoring goals on a regular basis in the Premier League as soon as next season.

Therefore, City should turn their attention towards Martinez instead, as his similarities with Aguero are clear to see, and he could be a great addition to Guardiola’s side if Txiki Begiristain can negotiate a deal with Inter this summer.

There cannot be a better like-for-like successor out there right now. He’d be a dream fit at the Etihad.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Laporte: City should swoop for “top-class” £67.5m-rated beast

Former Celtic player Charlie Nicholas has recently tipped the Hoops to move for Xabi Alonso in an attempt to replace Neil Lennon.

While Celtic have an agreement in principle with Eddie Howe, the Englishman has made certain demands to the club. While talks are still ongoing with the former Bournemouth boss, Nicholas has urged the club to look elsewhere if they have doubts about Howe, as he believes that the Hoops should look to approach Alonso for the role.

Celtic will get an understanding of their stature with Alonso approach

Nicholas recently wrote a column for the Daily Express (via Daily Record) saying that there is nothing wrong in Celtic looking at other potential managerial targets since the appointment of Howe is taking some time.

He believes that the Hoops should be looking at Alonso and even his former Spain teammate Xavi, as that will give them an indication of their stature in the global game. He made it clear that the Hoops’ international stature is bang average now and they are scared of walking away from Howe.

The former Celtic striker wrote: “If there is any doubt from the former Bournemouth manager then Celtic have to be strong enough to look elsewhere.

“There is nothing wrong with that. I said before that they should have looked at the likes of Xavi and Xabi Alonso, who appears likely to go to Borussia Monchengladbach.

“If they speak to these people, it would give Celtic more of an understanding of where they are as a club.

“They have a fabulous European history but their current standing in that arena is bang average now. Rangers have surpassed them.

“It is pretty obvious that Howe is their top target and it seems that the Celtic power brokers are scared of walking away from the talks.”

Alonso might be an experiment for Celtic

While Alonso was initially inching closer to a Borussia Monchengladbach move, the Foals are now close to having Adi Hutter as their next manager, as he could arrive from Eintracht Frankfurt. This suggests that Alonso’s proposed move to Gladbach could fall through.

The 39-year-old is currently in-charge of Real Sociedad B and he has a points-per-match tally of 1.8 so far. He took over in the summer of 2019 (as per Transfermarkt).

He has been known to use innovative tactics during his stint at Sociedad B. Considering that he played regularly in European football during his playing career, even winning the Champions League in 2005, he would add some European pedigree to the Celtic side. Therefore, Nicholas is right to suggest him as a viable alternative if things don’t work out with Howe.

In other news,’It’s as simple as that’ – Pundit suggests why Howe may have had second thoughts on Celtic job

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned his old club that they will lose Matheus Pereira if they go down at the end of the season.

West Brom’s survival hopes are hanging by a thread in what has been a disappointing Premier League campaign for the Baggies.

However, one positive has undoubtedly been 24-year-old attacker Matheus Pereira, who starred in the stunning 5-2 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

Pereira managed to grab himself two goals and two assists on the day, and Palmer is certain the Brazilian is one player that West Brom will struggle to keep hold of should they get relegated.

When asked about Pereira’s future at the Hawthorns, the retired England international told FFC:

“I’m sure there’s clauses put in because they brought players, a lot of players, in in a short space of time. So I’m sure there’s clauses, release clauses, for players that they can leave or clauses that they would have to take a drop in salary if they went down.”

Palmer finished off by saying:

“Top players who are international players, they’re going to want to play in the Premier League or in a top league somewhere. They’re not going to want to play in the Championship, so the better players, I’m sure West Brom will lose.”

On top of Pereira, West Brom could be at risk of losing goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. According to ESPN, Tottenham have identified the 28-year-old as a target amid concerns surrounding their current No.1 Hugo Lloris.

It’s been a long, old journey for Adam Forshaw, but the midfielder finally looks set to make his comeback from injury at Leeds United.

The 5 foot 9 ace has been out of action for Marcelo Bielsa’s side since September 2019 with a hip injury, but has recently made steady progress in his bid to return before the end of the Premier League season.

He played 84 minutes of the U23s title-clinching Premier League 2 clash against Aston Villa last Friday, and will surely be given a few more run outs with the youth side before his eventual return to the first-team squad.

And in a Q&A for The Athletic’s Leeds coverage of the clash against Liverpool in the Premier League, Phil Hay delivered a couple of key updates on Forshaw and where things stand.

When asked whether he would be included on the bench, he said: “That’s something to look out for. If he doesn’t, he won’t be far away because he’s been making very good progress in the past four or five weeks – the sort of progress which makes Leeds think he’s finally over the worst.

And then, in a response to a question about what his return could mean for the club’s summer transfer plans, he revealed: “They would have to think carefully about that because Forshaw is competition for Phillips and Bielsa has always rated him extremely highly.”

Bielsa himself meanwhile has opened the door to the 29-year-old coming back into his first-team plans recently, saying: “He has basically been not playing for two seasons and to be able to play 90 minutes at a high competition after being healthy – there is still a while to go before you’re ready for that.

“He’s healthy, and has two months left of the season to prove that he is finally over his issues. We all hope it will be like this, because he is a very important player and he has made a massive effort to overcome the situation that he’s been through.”

Given the long road that the £20k-a-week earning ace has walked to getting to this point here, Bielsa will be intent not to rush him back anytime soon.

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But, given that he is well on his way to making his return, the time to unleash Forshaw in the Premier League is surely near.

Meanwhile, Leeds must land this Championship star…

As Tottenham Hotspur confirm that the club has formally commenced procedures to withdraw from the European Super League alongside the rest of the Premier League ‘big six’ who signed up (official), chairman Daniel Levy has sent a message to Lilywhites supporters. 

Spurs, alongside Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United and Man City, joined the ESL as founding members in an announcement on late Sunday evening which sent shockwaves through football.

Levy sends message to Tottenham fans

What followed was intense backlash from supporters and the media alike, with pressure falling on the ‘big six’ of England’s top flight after their controversial decision.

One by one, each club began enacting their withdrawal on Tuesday evening and confirmed they would no longer be part of the ESL in what was a whirlwind 48 hours.

After Tottenham confirmed they had began the process to the leave the ESL, Levy sent a message to Lilywhites supporters – simply stating:

“We regret the anxiety and upset caused by the ESL proposal. We felt it was important that our club participated in the development of a possible new structure that sought to better ensure financial fair play and financial sustainability whilst delivering significantly increased support for the wider football pyramid.

“We believe that we should never stand still and that the sport should constantly review competitions and governance to ensure the game we all love continues to evolve and excite fans around the world.

“We should like to thank all those supporters who presented their considered opinions.”

Transfer Tavern take

Despite the message of apology, boards of the clubs involved should still be held accountable for their actions in a breakaway which could have shook the foundations of English football.

UEFA threatened to ban all clubs involved from playing in any other domestic competition and even said players could be denied the chance to represent their national teams (inews).

In what would have been a seismic calamity for the footballing world, in our view, supporters everywhere can breathe a huge sigh of relief as the ‘big six’ abandon the ESL.

However, given their involvement and lack of fan communication, boards of these clubs responsible should still be addressed, something which Fabrizio Romano believes could be yet to come.

In other news: Tottenham could target this ‘excellent’ boss, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to face serious competition for one of their mooted targets this summer…

What’s the word?

According to the Independent, Premier League rivals West Ham have entered the race to sign Norwich City gem Max Aarons, whilst Everton and Bayern Munich are also said to be interested.

It’s not the first time that Spurs have been linked to the 21-year-old as Eurosport suggested two months ago that he is on the list of potential replacements for Serge Aurier.

Aarons is thought to be available for around £30m, double what Daniel Levy paid for Matt Doherty last summer.

Bye-bye Aurier?

The right-back position had been a troublesome problem throughout the season for Jose Mourinho, and that isn’t likely to change under new management.

Doherty’s time in north London has gone abysmally, as he was at risk of being sold at the end of the season if the Portuguese kept hold of his job, according to ESPN.

It’s hard to believe that he would be let go by Levy after just a year, although he’s certainly not good enough to be the starter, having averaged a 6.71 rating on WhoScored, their tenth best and still sits behind Aurier.

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As Football Insider reported in March, the Ivorian’s future could be in doubt as the club looks to cash in on him. Even though he’s been the main starter on the right, he’s still caused the side plenty of issues.

Following a league defeat to Manchester United, Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane deemed the £23m signing  a “huge problem” for Spurs and a “car crash.”

And after they crashed out of the Carabao Cup, Jamie Carragher told Monday Night Football (via talkSPORT) that Aurier was “one of the biggest liabilities in Premier League football and is a player who would possibly put you off management,” echoing the thoughts of ex-Spurs striker Darren Bent, who labelled him a “liability” back in December 2019.

Aarons, who Mourinho believed was too small to sign, could be the solution as he’s continued to impress at the Canaries.

The £18m-rated dynamo has started more games than any other player at Carrow Road, and that has still seen him rank amongst Daniel Farke’s best performers, with an average WhoScored rating of 6.92.

From that right-back spot, the attack-minded defender has even contributed two goals and one assist, on top of 1.3 dribbles and 1.3 key passes.

“In my eyes he is not the young Max Aarons, he is just a special player and he has an unbelievable future,” lauded Farke back in December. “I know he has been labelled as one of the best young players in this league. Well I told him we can reject this label now because he is no longer one of the best young players, he is one of the best players.”

If Levy wants to lessen the monumental task on Spurs’ next boss, whoever that may be, then a swoop for Aarons would be a good place to start. In doing so, he can finally axe the problematic Aurier and instead have a player who can be part of the next era for a very long time.

AND in other news, Levy suffers huge managerial blow over “phenomenal” coach…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were disappointed with the performance of Joe Aribo during their Old Firm victory on Sunday.

The Gers won at Ibrox to extend their unbeaten run in the Premiership (BBC). Kemar Roofe gave the 55-time Scottish champions the lead before Odsonne Edouard equalised, but Alfredo Morelos restored his side’s lead and then Roofe grabbed his second after the interval. Although the league title is long since wrapped up, the Gers will be delighted to have beaten their rivals once again this season.

However, the display of £3.15m-valued Aribo (Transfermarkt) disappointed some of the Gers supporters. He failed to have a real impact on the game in the middle of the park and he shirked his defensive duties on the few occasions that 10-man Celtic did try to attack. He was sloppy in possession and came out second best in many of his duels. That, in particular, will not have pleased Steven Gerrard on the touchline.

These Gers fans were far from happy with what they saw from the 24-year-old, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Aribo

“Scared to foul him Aribo”

Credit: @RampantRyanJack

“Aribo and Kamara watching people run through our midfield”

Credit: @ShankillBear

“How lazy is Aribo”

Credit: @KennyConway9

“Aribo is a man short in midfield”

Credit: @bluediamond62

“Aribo’s defensive qualities are non existent.”

Credit: @cozy1872

“Aribo walking around doing nothing. Just got turned why isn’t he getting goal side of him. Useless”

Credit: @glenman82

In other news, Ally McCoist slams this man’s comments.

Shane Duffy isn’t expected to play for Celtic again this season, it has been revealed.

The Lowdown: Duffy’s nightmare loan and future plans

The centre-back arrived at Parkhead back in September in a season-long loan deal from Brighton, however, despite a strong start, he’s fallen out of favour under both Neil Lennon and John Kennedy.

The Irishman has started just one of the club’s last nine Scottish Premiership fixtures and hasn’t featured in the last five.

Reports from Football Insider have now suggested that Wayne Rooney will look to sign the 29-year-old this summer, should his Derby County side stay in the Championship.

He’s been deemed surplus to requirements under Graham Potter and it doesn’t look like the Hoops have any interest in making Duffy’s loan permanent.

The Latest: Kennedy won’t use Duffy unless a crisis

A separate report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a Celtic source, claim that Kennedy won’t use Duffy in his side for the club’s two remaining fixtures.

It’s believed the only way he could feature would be due to an injury crisis, and it seems as if the interim boss has had enough of the towering defender, labelled as a ‘walking disaster’ by finance expert Kieran Maguire.

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The Verdict: A deal to forget

Celtic paid a seven-figure loan fee for Duffy’s services, as well as paying a significant portion of his £45,000-a-week wage, and it’s safe to say it has been a deal to forget.

We’d have expected Duffy to have played every minute on the basis of the finances involved, however, he’s been kept out of the side by youngster Stephen Welsh.

It’s been reported that Celtic recruitment chief Gary Penrice is in line to leave after being the driving force behind the Duffy deal, so that tells you all you need to know.

In other news: Club ready to sell Celtic target who could replace Jonjoe Kenny, find out more here.