All posts by z3u9t.icu

Newcastle United midfielder Elliot Anderson has responded on social media after VAR opted to controversially rule out his goal for offside on Friday night.

What's the latest on Elliot Anderson and NUFC?

In the first Premier League game of the latest round of fixtures, the Magpies travelled away from home to take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

In the end, a brace from Alexander Isak was enough to see Eddie Howe and his side pick up all three points in a 2-1 win despite Emmanuel Dennis' opener.

Seeing as the game was won by a last-minute penalty, it's easy to understand how tight the match was, but things could have been very different had Anderson's goal stood.

Evidently upset by the decision, after the game the player took to Instagram to offer up a disappointed "Cheers, mate" in response to Sean Longstaff's show of support.

Why was Elliot Anderson's goal ruled out for Newcastle?

As per The Athletic, it seems the goal was ruled out because Longstaff was deemed to be offside in the build-up, even though he only touched the ball after it had been played by a Forest defender.

However, with the help of VAR, referee Paul Tierney decided that defender Felipe had not intentionally played the ball and so Longstaff’s subsequent involvement was from an offside position.

On top of his story, Anderson also added in a separate Instagram post that he is "gutted it hasn’t stood" but still delighted to have helped out in the "huge" three points.

After the game, manager Howe seemed baffled by it all as well. He told the press: “I’m not sure what happened there, I’ve got no idea, so I need to sit down and see what happened and what the thought process was.

“I was surprised to see the referee go over to the screen and make that decision and that call. It was what it was, and I think the big thing from that is that the players responded really well.”

When Wolverhampton Wanderers broke their transfer record to sign precocious 18-year-old Fabio Silva for £35.6m in 2020, optimism was rife that the club had clinched the services of a possible prodigy.

Speaking of the deal, chairman Jeff Shi said: "Fabio is a young player who shows not only incredible technical ability, but also his game intelligence for a player of his age is top class."

The Old Gold did not meld with the Portuguese teenager as anticipated, and Silva only managed to clinch four goals from 62 appearances before being shipped out on loan last summer to Belgian outfit Anderlecht, where he was recalled and pushed out to PSV Eindhoven in January.

The Premier League outfit will remain positive that Silva can hit the rich vein of form desired in the midlands, especially after the forward has enjoyed some fruitful fortunes this season.

How has Fabio Silva played this season?

Silva's quality has never been in question, rather, his physical presence and authority in the thick of the robustness of the Premier League, but at such a young age there is still plenty of time to make the increments to his physicality to partner the innate goal-scoring threat.

He is improving quickly, though, and has scored 15 goals and served five assists from 33 starts across his two temporary outfits this term.

What's been said about Fabio Silva?

Prior to his sojourns in Belgium and the Netherlands, The Mail's Ollie Lewis even hailed his "enormous potential" in August and said he "led the line superbly with his energy and physicality."

Former Old Gold captain Conor Coady also waxed lyrical over the rising star last year, praising the now 20-year-old for his impact on the squad, belying his youthful years and inexperience.

He said: "He’s been fantastic since he came in. He works so, so hard to improve and get better, and you see that now. We know when he comes into the team, he’ll do a job, and that’s what he’s doing at the minute."

Who could Silva replace at Wolves?

With Silva's development perhaps leaving him in good stead to forge a second surge for a place as the undisputed talisman at Molineux, Lopetegui must consider axing Diego Costa, with the 34-year-old striker failing to find the back of the net since his summer arrival as a free transfer.

Indeed, Costa has played 16 matches this season and failed to record even one direct contribution, and it is hard to envisage that his one-year deal will be extended.

As per Sofascore, the Spaniard has recorded an average league rating of only 6.56, taking 1.5 shots per match but unable to strike the back of the net; Costa's 0.4 key passes per match are below par too, his verve and efficiency waning after his past feats on English soil, starring for Chelsea and scoring 52 goals from 89 outings en-route to winning two Premier League titles.

With Silva in the maiden phase of his career and already boasting, as per WhoScored, 1.4 shots and 0.4 key passes per match – almost identical numbers to his senior peer – the ace could unleash the "monster" inside – as hailed by Jack Collins – and devastate Premier League defences with a shot at prominence at Molineux once again next term.

Tottenham Hotspur are already planning for life after Antonio Conte by identifying Brentford goalkeeper David Raya as a top target for the summer transfer window, according to a report from Football Insider.

Which goalkeepers are Spurs targeting?

It has recently emerged that Tottenham are planning to sell captain Hugo Lloris at the end of the season, bringing the Frenchman's time at the club to an end after more than ten years, having arrived from Lyon in September 2012.

There has been speculation for the last few months regarding who could replace the 36-year-old, with Tottenham reportedly making contact with Raya's representatives back in January, in order to discuss a potential summer move. Other goalkeepers have been linked with moves to north London, including the likes of Andre Onana and Giorgi Mamardashvili, with the latter likely to be available for way below his £88m release clause, owing to Valencia's present financial situation.

However, Spurs now appear to have set their sights on Brentford's shot-stopper, who is also attracting interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea. As per a report from Football Insider, the Spaniard is now one of the Lilywhites' top targets to replace Lloris, with the club eager to sign a new starting goalkeeper to replace Fraser Forster, who is currently standing in for the captain.

Tottenham's chances of being able to sign the 27-year-old may be increased by the fact Brentford are willing to accept offers of around £30m, given his current contract situation at the Gtech Community Stadium, with Daniel Levy seemingly very keen to have a new number one in place for any arriving permanent manager.

The two-time Spain international is entering the final year of his contract with the Bees, meaning this is their last real opportunity to cash in, rather than losing him on a free transfer next summer.

Would David Raya be a good signing for Tottenham?

The Barcelona-born shot-stopper has been lauded as "sensational" by members of the media this season, which is no real surprise, given the level of his performances for Brentford, which have indicated he is ready to take the next step in his career.

No goalkeeper has made more saves than the former Blackburn Rovers man in the Premier League this term, weighing in with a total of 108, eight more than his nearest rival, highlighting the crucial role he has played in the Bees' shock push for the European places.

Tottenham undoubtedly need a new goalkeeper this summer, given that no player has made more errors leading to goals than Lloris in the top flight this term, and at 35, Forster is not a viable long-term replacement.

As such, Raya would be an excellent addition to the squad, and Spurs should move swiftly to ensure they win the race for his signature, in light of the interest from elsewhere.

Leicester City have been urged to appoint their former boss, Martin O'Neill, as their interim manager until the end of the campaign.

Do Leicester need to appoint an interim boss?

Adam Sadler led the team on Tuesday night following the mutual departure of Brendan Rodgers over the weekend amid their struggles at the bottom end of the table.

However, it was not an appointment which provided an immediate boost after the Foxes tasted another defeat against Aston Villa which now has them slumped second bottom in the table.

There is now a two-point gap to safety for the Foxes and only nine games remain in their 2022/23 campaign as the threat of relegation looms.

Next up for Leicester is a clash against their relegation rivals, Bournemouth, which will provide the owners with a real indicator as to whether Sadler is the man for the job.

Speaking on talkSPORT, pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged the Leicester owners to make a change before it is too late as their results continue to push them further into danger.

And the man which Agbonlahor believes should be given the job is the 71-year-old, O'Neill, who has regularly featured on talkSPORT in recent months:

"I just said to the producer and I said, I'm not sure that they should keep this caretaker in charge. I would. You might laugh at me, people, but I would give it to Martin O'Neill. Martin O'Neill knows that club. Martin O'Neill would love the chance to come back into management."

Could O'Niell keep Leicester up?

It has to be said, the Northern Irishman's experience in the game mammoths that of Sadler whose only experience in men's football has come as an assistant manager.

So in that sense, appointing the 71-year-old could make a lot of sense as O'Neill is likely to know the ins and outs of what could keep Leicester afloat.

O'Neill has previous at Leicester having managed 178 games for the Foxes back in between 1995 and 2000 where he led the Foxes to top-half finishes in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

However, O'Neill has now been out of action for a number of years following his exit from Nottingham Forest back in 2019. And this is where the potential concerns may lie with the Leicester owners and fans.

The 71-year-old has not managed in the Premier League since 2013 during his time with Sunderland and an awful lot has changed since then.

Similar could be said about him having experience as the Leicester boss, his time with the Foxes came to an end 23 years ago now so it is not like he has only been away for a few years.

O'Neill has a lot of experience in the game, but there will have to be serious questions as to whether he could provide this Leicester side with an immediate reaction.

Reporter Pete O’Rourke has described a Leeds United update on former forward Jean-Kevin Augustin as a “blow” and “a real sore one” for the Whites to take.

What’s the latest news on Leeds and Augustin?

Augustin made the move to Elland Road back in 2020 from RB Leipzig on loan with a view to a permanent transfer if the Whites won promotion to the Premier League.

Leeds achieved just that under Marcelo Bielsa, with Augustin only playing 48 minutes of action. The club were then involved in a lengthy legal battle after neither club wanted to acknowledge the forward as their player.

Leedd eventually lost their Court of Arbitration case and were ordered to pay Leipzig £18m, with the two clubs eventually reaching a settlement over the fee.

It has now emerged this month that FIFA have ordered Leeds to pay Augustin £24.5m for a breach of contract, although those in Yorkshire have lodged another appeal.

O’Rourke was talking to GiveMeSport regarding the news on Leeds and Augustin. He said that it won’t impact head coach Javi Gracia, who is looking to keep the club in the top flight in the final eight games, but he did label it as a “blow to Leeds”.

“I don't think it'll really affect Javi Gracia, he will be focusing on the relegation dogfight and the players he's got available to him right now. But yeah, it's a blow to Leeds, having to pay the £24.5m to Augustin over that transfer, a real sore one for Leeds to take.

"I don't think they'll pay it all upfront and they have made an appeal to CAS to see if they can change the verdict."

What could happen now?

As mentioned, Leeds have appealed the decision, so it could prove to be another lengthy process, should both the club and Augustin refuse to back down.

However, reports have suggested since that Elland Road chiefs are confident that they will be able to negotiate a more favourable settlement, similar to what they did with Leipzig when it came to a transfer fee.

It looks as if Leeds will still need to write a fairly large cheque either way for a player that failed to make an impact in Yorkshire, so it’s safe to say that he will go down as one of the club’s worst-ever big-money signings and a gamble that didn’t pay off over three years ago now.

Journalist Filip Joos says Tottenham Hotspur should go for Burnley boss Vincent Kompany, amid claims he's interested in the job.

Who could Spurs now appoint?

After a brief die down post Easter weekend, Spurs manager rumours have started to resurface again through the media and there a few contenders still firmly in the running.

Reports this week have suggested that both Julian Nagelsmann and Arne Slot, for instance, are well in contention to succeed Antonio Conte after the Italian parted company over three weeks ago.

Meanwhile, reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has hinted that Graham Potter could enter the fold with Spurs also looking at Brentford manager Thomas Frank.

This comes after recent claims of Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, Zinedine Zidane and even Brendan Rodgers being considered.

The managerial merry-go-round is set to be a hot topic in north London as interim boss Cristian Stellini and assistant coach Ryan Mason attempt to guide Spurs to a top-four Premier League finish in the meantime.

Now, speaking on the 90 Minutes podcast (via Voetbalnieuws), reporter Joos has urged the Lilywhites to appoint Kompany – coming after a recent claim by The Sun that he 'would be interested' in taking the job.

Joos explained:

"Kompany to Tottenham? Do it! He has to let Kane and Son go and start all over again.

"That team is in so deep at the moment. He must not go to Chelsea, where he will end up in a machine. That's where '98 players' around and that's what you have to deal with.

"Chelsea have also won trophies in recent years. Kompany is now bigger than Tottenham. When I'm Tottenham and you see Arteta's work at Arsenal… He also comes from Guardiola's school, just like Kompany.

"Then he has an edge over the rest. We would also understand if he leaves Burnley for Tottenham."

Should Spurs go for Kompany?

The Belgian's high-flying Burnley side have already sealed promotion to the top flight after a quite simply sensational season.

Kompany's side have dominated the Championship, losing just one game all season – all while scoring more goals and conceding fewer than any other side in the division.

Called an 'incredible' figure by Pep Guardiola, the Spaniard has also backed Kompany to take the Etihad hotseat one day.

You could make a case that the former Anderlecht boss is one of Europe's most exciting young coaches right now, potentially helping to turn Tottenham's head.

However, Kompany should also tread carefully and weigh up his next move with a level head.

Indeed, serial winners like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte had no joy in regards to clinching silverware at Spurs and it could be a huge job for a tactician largely inexperienced by comparison.

Insider Dean Jones has claimed that Todd Boehly wants Julian Nagelsmann at Chelsea as his preferred next manager.

What is the latest Todd Boehly news at Chelsea?

The Blues American co-owner has stolen plenty of headlines since becoming a central figure with the Premier League club.

For instance, Boehly his board members Behdad Eghbali and Hansjorg Wyss visited the Chelsea dressing room after the recent loss to Brighton and supposedly told the squad that their season had been “embarrassing” (via Evening Standard).

Perhaps the team would look a little more stable on the pitch if there was any sense of stability off it. After all, with Frank Lampard now in charge as interim, the Blues have already had three managers this season with Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter sacked earlier in the campaign.

It now seems that Boehly has his heart set on the next man to take charge of his club. While speaking on the latest episode of Chasing Green Arrows, Jones explained as much.

The journalist said (10:40): “I know Chelsea have spoken to him [Luis Enrique] and liked what he had to say.

"I know that… I get the feeling that ideally Todd Boehly would still go for Nagelsmann."

Is Nagelsmann or Luis Enrique better for Chelsea?

As Jones references, the Blues have also been heavily linked with a move for Spanish manager Luis Enrique, with reports suggesting Tottenham Hotspur are also keen on the 52-year-old.

However, if the quotes above are indeed accurate, it seems Boehly would prefer 35-year-old Nagelsmann to take over from Lampard next season instead.

The German is younger and so has less experience than Luis Enrique, but has still won the Bundesliga as well as two German Super Cups with Bayern Munich.

The Spaniard, on the other hand, won it all essentially with Barcelona as his team lifted La Liga, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and much more during his spell with the Catalan giants.

With that in mind, it remains unclear as to why exactly Boehly might prefer Nagelsmann instead. After all, he did just sack Potter who is also relatively young and inexperienced compared to many.

Although, he did also hire the former Brighton boss hoping he could fulfil his potential with the Blues.

Perhaps the American sees Nagelsmann are another Potter-like manager with plenty of talent, except his recent experience with Munich makes him slightly better suited for arriving at Chelsea and handling the immediate weight of expectation.

Chelsea will face title-chasing Arsenal in a hugely tricky encounter at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday Evening.

The Blues arrive in north London in perhaps the club’s most challenging and demoralising circumstances since the turn of the century.

The Blues are winless in their last six top-flight outings and have only scored once in their previous five fixtures.

In recent games, caretaker manager Frank Lampard has opted for heavily defensive setups that have only seen one recognised attacker start the match.

For example, in Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Brentford, the 44-year-old deployed N’Golo Kante and Conor Gallagher as the support to Raheem Sterling, but this frontline lacked any threat or cohesiveness.

This approach was quickly abandoned at half-time when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mykhailo Mudryk were introduced to afford the Blues some more momentum.

Although it didn’t come to fruition in that second half, Lampard should persist with the Ukrainian, who still has much to offer.

Should Mykhailo Mudryk start vs Arsenal?

It has been revealed that several Chelsea players are looking to leave the club in the summer transfer window. Therefore, the reins should be handed over to the club’s newest signings, who have committed their long-term future to the club.

The winger began his career in England with an extremely promising cameo when he came after 55 minutes against Liverpool back in January.

The 22-year-old terrorised veteran James Milner with his electric pace and completed two successful dribbles. Then-manager Graham Potter praised the youngster’s debut and said: “I think you can see his quality. I thought he had a good impact on the game.”

This vibrant display of impudent dribbling contributes to a wider and impressive picture that places the former Shakhtar Donetsk star in the top 1% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries, as well as the top 4% for successful take-ons.

In recent games, Lampard’s decision to start Gallagher, who lacks attacking impetus, pace, and dynamism has been a bizarre decision when such an explosive force is available on the bench.

With the futures of other attackers including Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech, and Christian Pulisic hugely uncertain, it would be logical to give a player intended to be Chelsea’s future a substantial portion of game time.

Although it has been an extremely underwhelming start for the £100k-per-week star in west London, he has still shown glimpses of his world-class talent, with the "frightening" attacker – as per Josh Bunting – potentially set to haunt a side who he so famously wanted to join in January.

Therefore, a big performance in a derby to derail a rival’s title charge would endear the nine-cap international to the Blues faithful.

Manchester United lost 1-0 to West Ham United on Sunday as the race for the Champions League qualification spots heats up once more.

Defeat at the London Stadium is the second successive league defeat for Erik Ten Hag and his men. Much like the display at the Amex Stadium last week, there was a lack of energy, desire and ideas.

What did Mark Goldbridge say about Wout Weghorst?

While United were collectively poor, Weghorst seemed lost and completely devoid of ideas. He did stich play together well on one occasion in the first half but overall, there was no fluidity or creativity from the big Dutchman.

Taking to Twitter to vent during the game, Mark Goldbridge said: "Can't believe he's kept Weghorst on…..We're playing with ten men."

Goldbridge added some extra flavour on TikTok, comparing Weghorst's role in the United side to musical chairs.

He said: "Watching Weghorst play for Man United is like watching somebody play musical chairs and no-one's put the chairs out. It doesn't make sense.

"Lots of effort, lots of running around but the game's never going to go anywhere, is it?"

While Goldbridge may have analysed the situation from a comical point of view, he's not wrong. The Dutchman essentially offered nothing to Manchester United on Sunday.

How bad was Wout Weghorst against West Ham?

It's not really a case of Weghorst playing poorly as much as it's a case of the former Burnley man just not being the right fit for the tactical system being employed by Ten Hag.

Since arriving at United, he has been most commonly deployed as a false nine, where he is asked to float between the lines, stitch play together and follow the ball into the box.

Against West Ham, he played for 57 minutes with no impact on the game. According to Sofascore, he took 28 touches, played 21 passes with an accuracy of 76% and lost the ball seven times – he even took less touches and completed less passes than match-decider David De Gea.

The frustration is that Marcel Sabitzer could deliver far more encouraging performances in the same rolem, so perhaps Ten Hag should consider giving the Austrian more game time in the final four games.

With Liverpool now chasing down United, the pressure is on to deliver. Jurgen Klopp's side appeared to be without a chance of reaching the top four at the start of April but now have a real chance to sneak in through the back door. United are on 63 points with a game in hand while Liverpool are on 62 points – it won't take a whole lot to lose top four from here.

Fortunately, United's next game is at Old Trafford against Wolves on Saturday. Perhaps the home crowd can lift the squad as the end of the season approaches.

Newcastle United are interested in completing the signing of OGC Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram in the summer transfer window, journalist Jonathan Johnson has claimed.

Could Thuram leave Nice this summer?

The Frenchman has already blossomed into a vital player for Nice, producing a string of excellent performances in a deep-lying midfield role this season. He has started 29 of his Nice's Ligue 1 matches, as well as making four appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League, being hailed for his "vision & playmaking skills" alongside his obvious pyhsical attributes – standing at 6 foot 4 – by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

At 22 with a lethal combination of size, strength and talent, Thuram looks set to have a huge future in the game and there is likely to be interest in him in the coming months, including from Premier League clubs. Newcastle it seems will be one of them, as they look to make their squad even more formidable heading into next season.

Are Newcastle interested in Thuram?

Speaking to Caught Offside, Johnson mentioned the Magpies' interest in the Nice star, along with Liverpool, and backed both to have a better chance of signing him than Chelsea:

"We’ve seen Chelsea linked with three French midfield players in the form of Adrien Rabiot, Manu Kone, and Khephren Thuram ahead of this summer.

"With top young talents like Kone and Thuram, who are looking for European football and who are likely to have other clubs in for them, it doesn’t really make sense for them to jump to a club like Chelsea, where playing time isn’t guaranteed and where there won’t be the chance to play in Europe next season.

"When you think that Kone could also have interest from PSG and Thuram’s being looked at by Liverpool and Newcastle, these would probably represent better moves for them to continue their progression."

Thuram is exactly the type of player that could elevate Newcastle to that next level moving forward, considering his reputation as arguably one of Europe's most exciting defensive midfielders. He could excel alongside Bruno Guimaraes in the middle of the park, acting as an upgrade on someone like Sean Longstaff, who can remain a key squad player but can be improved upon moving forward.

As a player, the one-cap France international looks like the full package, possessing both tackling tenacity and quality on the ball – he has averaged 1.1 interceptions per game in the league this season and registered six goal contributions (two goals and four assists) – and he would a long-term acquisition who could potentially become elite eventually.