All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds winger Raphinha won just his second cap for Brazil on Sunday in a 0-0 draw with Colombia in a 2022 World Cup Qualifying match.

The 24-year-old has finally been recognised at international level for his impressive form for Leeds in the Premier League, since joining from Rennes for £16.74m last summer.

Raphinha produced six goals and nine assists in 30 league appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side last term, proving that he has the quality to regularly contribute to goals in the English top-flight. This has continued into the current campaign, with the winger on three goals in seven games so far.

So, how did he get on during his debut for the Seleção? He watched on from the bench in the first half as £54m-rated Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus lined up in Raphinha’s favoured right-wing role.

Pep Guardiola’s gem failed to showcase his talent as he came off the pitch with a rating of 6.5. Per SofaScore, he lost 100% of his duels and created zero chances, whilst also failing to register a single shot. Jesus also lost possession of the ball 12 times from 32 touches as he completed 73% of his passes.

Raphinha was then given an opportunity to shine off the bench and he eclipsed Jesus with an excellent showing for his country. Per SofaScore, he completed 66.6% of his attempted dribbles (2/3), won 60% of his duels (3/5) and completed 85% of his passes.

Along with that, he created one ‘big chance’ and registered two shots, one being on target, in just 29 minutes on the field, recording a SofaScore rating of 7.2. This shows that he was able to provide a higher quality of end product in comparison to Jesus, whilst he also offered a reliable outlet in possession that the Man City man was unable to do against Colombia.

A glowing review from Chelsea’s Thiago Silva shows just how big of an impression he made for his country: “The boys showed a quality that I have hardly seen in more than ten years with the Brazilian national team [of newcomers]. It’s really cool to see Raphinha and Antony showing personality.”

The Leeds man was able to outshine Jesus and show Tite that he deserves more caps for his country moving forward, potentially from the start instead of from the bench. With the World Cup coming up next year, performances like this could be beneficial to his chances of featuring in a major international tournament for Brazil.

Bielsa will surely be delighted with this impressive cameo from the winger as it could build his confidence ahead of Leeds’ upcoming Premier League fixture.

It was the ideal scenario for the Whites head coach as Raphinha enjoyed a positive performance that will keep up his positive momentum while not being overplayed during the break, something that may have led to fatigue.

AND in other news,  Bielsa masterstroke: Leeds warrior has seen value soar 600% since Argentine’s arrival…

Rangers will be looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday night as they face Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership today.

Steven Gerrard’s side host third-placed Hibernian at Ibrox as they attempt to reclaim their spot at the top of the Premiership table, having fallen behind Hearts on Saturday.

The Gers’ loss to Sparta was their first in four matches, with Rangers now having lost both of their group stage matches in Europe this term.

How many changes will Gerrard make to his side from the defeat? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make four changes to his team, with Connor Goldson, Jon McLaughlin, Ianis Hagi and Alfredo Morelos all coming into the XI.

Starting between the sticks, we believe that McLaughlin will play ahead of Allan McGregor. The pair have been rotating throughout the campaign, with the former of four Premiership appearances and the latter on two. McGregor also started the last match, against Sparta Prague, which indicates that McLaughlin will now come in for him for this match given their rotation so far this season.

Connor Goldson missed the defeat to Sparta with a knock and could make his return at centre-back against Hibernian. He is in contention to feature and his availability would allow Gerrard to axe Calvin Bassey, who played out of position as a central defender, to the bench and start Goldson alongside Balogun in the defence.

In midfield, Juninho Bacuna is an injury doubt and could be forced out of the XI. This means that Joe Aribo could slot back into his favoured central midfield position alongside Steven Davis and Glen Kamara, opening the door for another player to enter the front three.

We are predicting that Ianis Hagi will be recalled to the team to take up a position in the front three. This could be as an advanced midfielder behind Morelos and Roofe, but we have predicted that it will be as part of an attacking trident. Hagi managed seven goals and 11 assists in 33 Premiership appearances last term, showing that he does have the quality required to make a positive impact at this level.

Finally, we published an article explaining why Alfredo Morelos should be unleashed upon Hibs. The striker has the quality to be a match-winner for the club and Sakala could drop out of the team in order for the Colombian to lead the line this afternoon.

AND in other news, Gerrard masterclass: Rangers beast has seen his value soar 33.3% in less than 2 years…

Leeds United defender Diego Llorente looks set to miss the start of the Premier League season, according to LUFCFANZONE.

The Lowdown: Llorente’s injury

The Spaniard, who made the move to Elland Road last year in a deal worth £18m, went off injured for the Whites against Real Betis last weekend.

Llorente made way after just 24 minutes, shortly after Betis took the lead against Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

The 27-year-old hasn’t featured since with Phil Hay stating the centre-back suffered a muscle pull, but it wasn’t serious.

The Latest: Source shares update

LUFCFANZONE were informed by a source close to Llorente to share an update on his condition.

They posted on Twitter on Thursday morning, stating Llorente ‘has a leg muscle injury which will take 2-3 weeks to heal’.

The source added that it is ‘not major but he probably won’t be ready for the start of the Premier League season’.

The Verdict: A worry

Llorente’s first season with Leeds were plagued by injuries, so this latest update comes as a worry.

He missed half of the previous Premier League campaign with groin and hamstring issues, so hopefully, the latest injury isn’t a reoccurring one.

A timeframe of two to three weeks will see him miss Leeds’ Premier League opener against Manchester United and possibly their first league fixture at Elland Road against Everton.

Should it take three weeks, Llorente may also be a doubt for the trip to Burnley, so it’s not exactly ideal news for Bielsa, who made the defender a regular in his side towards the end of last season.

In other news: Leeds offer on the table: Whites now swooping for 6 ft 2 tank who is on £22,000 p/w. 

Tottenham have once again been linked with a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso, Kicker report.

The Lowdown: Summer links…

Tolisso is into the final year of his contract with the German giants and has made just eight appearances during the current campaign.

The 27-year-old, labelled as ‘dangerous’ by Jean-Pierre Papin, can play as a defensive, central or attacking midfielder and was linked with a move to Tottenham over the summer.

Rumours emerged that the World Cup winner could have moved to Spurs before the 2021/22 campaign began, with Tanguy Ndombele moving to Munich, however, as we know, a swap deal never materialised.

The Latest: Kicker’s report

Reports from German outlet Kicker on Thursday morning linked Spurs and Inter Milan with a fresh move for Tolisso.

Tottenham chief Fabio Paratici reportedly spoke to Tolisso and his representatives, with the midfielder a big fan of Paratici.

The Verdict: McKennie alternative?

Another midfielder who has been heavily linked with a move to north London is Juventus’ Weston McKennie, and the two are similar players. [FBref]

Should Spurs explore a cut-price deal for Tolisso in the winter window and secure a pre-contract agreement ahead of the summer, they’d be getting a versatile international midfielder valued at £13.5m for nothing.

He also has plenty of Champions League experience and will have a winning mentality due to his plethora of honours, so he could be an excellent addition to bolster Antonio Conte’s midfield options in his preferred 3-5-2 system.

In other news: ‘World class’, ‘Perfect’, ‘Winning already’…Sky pundit raves over transfer news out of Spurs, find out more here.

Lee Ryder has dropped some promising insight from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium on the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Arbitration adjourned

As per the official website of the St. James’ Park faithful, the arbitration hearing between them and the Premier League has now been adjourned until early 2022 due to issues with the disclosure of evidence.

The case was expected to take place this month, but now further delays have been implemented.

The Latest: Consortium insight

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder, a North East journalist who has been following the whole takeover saga closely, has shared that Mike Ashley is ‘confident’ that the consortium will stay around long enough to see the results of the legal battle with the top flight.

He also shared that the consortium remain ‘undeterred’ by the news of the arbitration delay, and added that there is ‘no immediate rush’ to walk away.

The Verdict: Promising

It is certainly promising to hear that the consortium remain fully committed to the deal, despite yet another setback with the arbitration delay.

The fact that the proceedings are not set to take place until next year now is not ideal at all, given that the Tyneside club will have to go into yet another season with uncertainty, and the inability to really flex their financial muscles in the transfer market.

Nonetheless, with patience could come great reward, and the Magpies seemingly still have confidence that they can win arbitration and thus speed up the whole takeover process.

In other news, find out which Premier League ace dubbed ‘unbelievable’ by Callum Wilson NUFC are trying to sign here!

Michael Ball insists that Everton’s big stars don’t deserve a move away this summer after such a poor season.

Carlo Ancelotti guided the club to a disappointing 10th-placed finish in the Premier League, prior to leaving Goodison Park to join Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane walked out of the Bernabeu.

The Toffees started the season in fine form and won nine of their opening 15 games, losing just four.

Their form tailed off, though, and they ended the campaign with something of a whimper, winning just three of their final 10 fixtures, signing off with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of champions Manchester City.

It remains to be seen who will be appointed to replace Ancelotti but Ball insists that there will be no mass exodus, with players following the Italian out of the exit door, given just how badly they played in the final six months of the campaign.

Various players have already been linked away, notably Richarlison, with Football Insider claiming that Real could actually bid for him as they look to reunite him with Ancelotti.

But Ball does not believe clubs will be queuing around the block to bring in players from Goodison Park.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, the ex-Everton star said: “That was a concern over the last six months or so, if we don’t get Europe, who would want to stay? Who wants to try to play to a better standard and play in the Champions League?

“And to be fair to them, I think with the performances, they probably don’t merit moving on.”

This Wolves team are yet to record a single point in the Premier League under Bruno Lage but importantly, they are playing well.

The football from an offensive point of view has been pleasing on the eye as the Old Gold look to forget about Nuno Santo and move on to a new era.

What’s the word?

Wolves haven’t been able to spend too much money in the ongoing window but there is hope that the cheque book is opened in the remaining days of the market.

They are targeting another central defender in the form of Sven Botman at Lille and Duje Caleta-Car at Marseille.

Yet, there is still hope that they’ll sign one or two forwards. Kieffer Moore of Cardiff City has been mooted with a switch but we think Lage should look at acquiring Lucas Ocampos.

The £36m-rated winger was linked with Wolves several months ago but there is now renewed interest in the Argentine from the Premier League.

According to reports in Spain (via Daily Star), Liverpool are now plotting a move for Ocampos.

Must sign

If Lage can finalise a deal for a central defender and then bring Ocampos to the club on top of that, it would end the summer with a bang and conclude their business perfectly.

Capable of playing on either side of an offensive line, the Argentina international has proven to be one of the most dangerous characters in La Liga over the last few years.

For Sevilla last season, the 27-year-old scored eight goals – more than anybody at Wolves – and also picked up four assists for his troubles.

Furthermore, he was dazzling in possession of the ball. Previously described as “electric” during his time in Argentina by Fede Prami, a journalist and River Plate fan, he completed two successful dribbles per match.

That would have ranked him third in the Wolves squad, only behind Adama Traore and Pedro Neto.

Vitally, Ocampos is also well-disciplined, especially defensively. He is in the 97th percentile among players in the same position across Europe’s top five leagues in the past year for aerial duels won.

The attacker is also in the 95th percentile for successful pressures which proves he has the energy and work rate to suit Lage’s system.

Although he’s worth a fairly sizable sum of money, Wolves need to lure him to Molineux, especially with the idea of Adama Traore leaving still lingering in the atmosphere.

AND in other news, Sky Sports reporter drops exciting Wolves transfer update, fans should be buzzing…

Aston Villa could sign their new Christian Benteke in Sheffield United starlet Daniel Jebbison.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Dean Smith’s side are one of several Premier League teams interested in signing the 18-year-old from the Blades this summer, with Everton already having a bid rejected for him.

Villa’s new Benteke

In the 101 games that he ended up playing for Villa, Benteke more than showed that he was worth every penny that the club spent on him. He scored a very impressive 49 times and even provided another twelve assists too, and was involved in some spectacular individual and team goals – the back-heel to set up Andreas Weimann’s strike in a 3-1 win against Liverpool at Anfield still lives long in the memory.

Former Villa boss, Paul Lambert, said at the time of his signing: “Christian is only 21 but already he’s an established Belgian international and he’s had a terrific time at Genk. He’s something very different to what we have here and that added dimension will enhance the football club. A young lad he may be, but he’s definitely a handful. He’s tall, powerful, he has pace and we’ll be stronger with him in the side.”

And, just like Benteke, the £900k-rated Jebbison is a real “handful” up front and could give Villa another battering ram-like striker.

The 6 foot 3 ace has certainly got the raw physical frame to pose a problem for opposition defences, and given that he’s still only 18, will surely look to fill out a bit more over the coming years.

The coach who had Jebbison at his academy back in Toronto, Bassam Naim, called him “a force to be reckoned with”, adding: “Athletic, strong. Always creative when he was with us. Lots of energy? He loves to go forward. He loves to take on players.”

As per Whoscored, the teenager averaged one shot per game in the Premier League in the brief amount of time he was on the pitch, while he showcased his ability as a real threat for defenders by also making 1.5 tackles per match and winning 1.3 aerial duels per game too.

That’s exactly the kind of physical presence that Benteke really made a name for at Villa Park, and one Smith will be hoping to bring back to Villa Park.

Meanwhile, Villa are plotting a late swoop for this star…

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a move to sign Ross Barkley in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: No guarantees over Willock

While Steve Bruce would love to bring Joe Willock back to St. James’ Park after his successful loan spell in the North East from Arsenal, there is no guarantee that they would be able to sign him on a permanent deal.

Thus, the Tyneside club need to start looking at pursuing other targets in that area of the pitch, with Barkley being named as a potential new arrival.

The Latest: Newcastle eye Barkley

As per The Athletic, the Magpies would be interested in signing Barkley from Chelsea if he were to become available once the market opens.

However, the news outlet has also reported that their budget is very low, and so any potential deal for the central midfield player, currently rated at £18m by Transfermarkt, would have to be a loan.

The Verdict: Newcastle should consider Barkley

Barkley admittedly did not have the best of seasons while on loan at Aston Villa, scoring a mere three goals and making just one assist in 24 games in total in the Premier League, however, it was also a campaign that was disrupted by injury (Transfermarkt).

If he can put his injury problems aside, Barkley still has a lot that he can offer, with his ability to drive with the ball similar to that of Willock’s, which benefitted the Toon so much at the latter end of the 2020/21 term.

Callum Wilson has also hailed the 27-year-old as someone he would like to play with, having dubbed him as an ‘unbelievable’ player on The Super 6 podcast (via HITC) back in February.

Nonetheless, Barkley is certainly someone that NUFC should not be turning their noses up at.

In other news, find out which ‘outstanding’ player Newcastle have stepped up their bid to sign here!

Celtic have reportedly had a bid rejected for Caen striker Alexandre Mendy, according to a reputable French outlet L’Equipe. 

The lowdown: Career so far

The 28-year-old has spent his entire career in France so far, becoming somewhat of an eternal loanee, racking up 54 senior goals in 207 appearances across numerous spells out on loan as well as permanent stints at Bordeaux, Nice and Guingamp.

Mendy arrived at his current club Caen from Bordeaux in 2020 on a free transfer and has since shone for the Normandy based Ligue 2 outfit.

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Now the Guinea-Bissau international could be set to leave for domestic action elsewhere for the first time…

The latest: Bid made

As per reputable French source L’Equipe, Celtic have seen an initial offer of €3million (£1.5million) rejected by Caen.

The report claims that a number of other clubs are vying for the seven-cap ace’s signature but it’s the Hoops who have made the first move ahead of the summer transfer window.

It’s stated that the side currently sitting eighth in the French second tier would negotiate ‘in the event of a higher offer’ for their talismanic frontman, who was hailed as ‘very strong’ by former Bordeaux manager Jocelynn Gourvennec.

The verdict: Ange not messing around

This season, Mendy, who can also operate as an attacking midfielder and out wide, has scored 16 times and provided one assist in 30 Ligue 2 outings, all while earning an impressive 7.04 average rating and winning an outstanding 4.7 aerial duels on average per game (Sofascore). To put that in perspective, that’s more goals and headers won than Giorgos Giakoumakis.

However, unproven outside of the lower reaches of French football and already 28, upping the current offer would enter the realm of taking a risk with a portion of Ange Postecoglou’s summer budget.

Whilst the Bhoys must find suitable recognised centre-forward backup for Giakoumakis and Kyogo Furuhashi, the Greek-Australian boss has already proven to be a shrewd operator in the transfer market, so upping the bid on a player with plenty of unknowns could be a questionable decision.

Either way, to see the boss and club chiefs acting so decisively with summer targets is a positive, giving supporters hope that whatever the result of these talks, plans for the transfer window are already in action.

In other news, Frank McAvennie is in awe of one Celtic player’s development. Find out who it is here.