All posts by z3u9t.icu

A number of West Ham supporters are ecstatic after centre-back Kurt Zouma was pictured training outside on Friday.

The Hammers have enjoyed another excellent season to date, proving that last term was no fluke as they look to finish in the top four in the Premier League.

David Moyes has been tested in the injury department of late, however, with Zouma and Angelo Obgonna both out injured, having been the go-to centre-back pairing.

While Obgonna is expected to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee problem, Zouma’s situation looks far more positive, acting as a big boost for West Ham.

On Friday, the club’s official Twitter account shared images of the Frenchman back on the training pitches, suggesting his return to the fold is not too far away.

West Ham fans love Zouma latest

These Hammers fans reacted in delighted fashion to the news on Twitter.

“ZOUUUUUUUUUUUMA”

Credit: @connorahumpage

“Things you love to see big Zouuuuuu is back let’s go lad”

Credit: @DannyMeates8

“TITLE CHARGE IS BACK ON!”

Credit: @billy_grimmel

“What a sight”

Credit: @samthomas97_

“Never needed a player as much as we need Big Zou rn”

Credit: @yshealthyv2

“Zouuuuu I’m so happy we got our main man back”

Credit: @JackSeaward69

In other news, some West Ham fans are excited over a transfer claim that has emerged. Read more here.

Antonio Conte could form a devastating duo at Tottenham by signing RB Salzburg striker Karim Adeyemi and partnering him with Son Heung-min.

What’s the story?

According to Sport1, both the Lilywhites and fellow Premier League club Newcastle have made contact with Salzburg over potentially signing the Germany international.

The report added that many of European football’s biggest sides are also interested in luring him away from Austria, so Fabio Paratici’s task has gotten that much harder.

Imagine him and Son

The £18m-rated Adeyemi, who has been praised as “brutal” by Salzburg coach Matthias Jaissle, has enjoyed an outstanding start to the current campaign, firing in 14 goals in 21 games in all competitions, including three goals in four Champions League outings.

The 19-year-old’s performances for the Austrian club has already earned senior international honours, and after watching him impress as a substitute during Germany’s victory over Armenia earlier this year, national team boss Hansi Flick said: “He’s already shown at the start of this season that he can be ice cold in front of goal. He did really well today when he came in.”

With Conte seemingly looking to employ a back three at Spurs, having some genuine pace and movement up front will be crucial to the way the north London side attack, and Adeyemi has that in abundance.

As per Sofascore, he completes 2.3 dribbles and takes 2.7 shots on average per match, but rather encouragingly, he has also shown a real creative side to his game, averaging an impressive 1.2 key passes per match in the Austrian Bundesliga.

The combination of pace, finishing and directness could see Adeyemi form a scary partnership alongside Son in Spurs’ attack.

Meanwhile, this Spurs star was disappointing vs Vitesse…

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has delivered a major update on Aston Villa star Emi Martinez ahead of the international break.

What’s the story?

The goalkeeper of course was part of a Villa duo along with Emi Buendia who made the trip with Argentina for their games during the last international break, which saw them having to then head back to Croatia and miss the game against Chelsea in the Premier League.

Now, Preece has revealed what the current plan at Villa Park is, and whether Martinez (Buendia hasn’t been called up) could face something similar this time around.

Writing initially on Twitter, he said: “International call-ups are mind-bending at the minute as Christian Purslow & Johan Lange fight for a solution involving Emi Martinez who, as it stands, will miss fixtures vs Wolves & Arsenal. An #avfc round-up here involving Nakamba, Traore & others.”

Then, in a follow-up article for The Birmingham Mail, Preece added: “As it stands, Martinez will miss Villa’s first two games after the international break due to the current 10-day quarantine rule which is still in place in the UK, although there is hope that a new five-day quarantine rule will be approved as a compromise.

“Chief executive Christian Purslow and sporting director Johan Lange are now awaiting to see if the UK Government relax their quarantine rules for international players, with FIFA, the FA and the Premier League sending a joint letter to the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a bid to find a reasonable solution.

“If Villa are unsuccessful then it’s hoped Martinez will once again pull out of Argentina’s final match with Peru in order for him to return in time to face his former club Arsenal at the Emirates on Friday, October 22, with Martinez again expected to be available just hours before kick-off.”

Villa fans will be worried

Without Martinez for that game at Stamford Bridge back in early September, Villa boss Dean Smith was forced to turn to number two goalkeeper Jed Steer.

And while Steer didn’t exactly put a foot wrong in that clash against the Blues, he couldn’t stop Thomas Tuchel’s side running out as 3-0 winners in a game that was tight for most of it.

Martinez’s return since that game has seen them keep back-to-back clean sheets in the Premier League, including the antics that he pulled to put off Bruno Fernandes in injury-time of Villa’s 1-0 win against Manchester United just last weekend.

The Argentine is a massive presence in between the sticks, and brings a sense of intimidation to opposition strikers that unsurprisingly just can’t be matched or replicated.

Missing him for one game against Wolves would be bad enough, but being without him against his former club Arsenal would be a huge blow. Villa fans will surely be very worried at Preece’s latest update.

Meanwhile, this Villa star is now attracting interest from Man City…

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will be without one of his standout performers since the 41-year-old’s arrival last month on Sunday as they host Midlands rivals Leicester City.

What’s the latest? 

Speaking in his press conference, Gerrard confirmed that left-back Matt Targett will face a late fitness test before the Villa boss makes a decision on whether or not to include the 26-year-old against Leicester.

The 41-year-old said: “Matty Targett will probably struggle for this game, but we’ll make a late decision on him.”

The defender was taken off in the 67th minute during the Midlanders’ clash with Manchester City on Wednesday night due to a head injury and therefore faces a race against time to be available to face the Foxes.

Leon Bailey is a confirmed absentee for the game, with Gerrard also sweating on the fitness of Danny Ings (Birmingham Live) as Villa face the prospect of being without several valuable players this weekend.

Gerrard will be gutted

Villa have been excellent during Gerrard’s short time at the helm, winning twice and losing narrowly to Manchester City. One of the key factors to the former Liverpool captain’s instant success has been the performances of Targett at left-back, who has been a standout performer in the last couple of games.

The 26-year-old was rated 8.1 by SofaScore in Gerrard’s first game, a 2-0 win over Brighton, and then scored the opener in their 2-1 triumph at Crystal Palace last week.

This is a stark contrast to his start to the campaign under former manager Dean Smith, where the defender’s performances were under par, particularly against Watford on the opening day as he was withdrawn at half-time after a tricky test against Ismalia Sarr.

Villa do have a natural replacement in Ashley Young, but the 36-year-old has started just one Premier League game at left-back this term, also being deployed as a winger and central midfielder on occasion.

However, the £900k-rated veteran has also vastly improved under Gerrard, recording his two assists to date this season against Brighton and Crystal Palace.

It appears that Targett won’t beat the race against time to be fit for the Leicester clash, which is a significant blow to Gerrard, who will be gutted if he has to do without the 26-year-old. Villa fans shouldn’t panic though, as in Young they have a vastly experienced replacement to fill in at left-back.

In other news – Forget McGinn: Gerrard must stick with £52k-p/w Villa beast dubbed “better than Pogba”

Leicester City came from behind to secure a point against Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday evening.

Matej Vydra had given the hosts an early lead before Kelechi Iheanacho equalised with a stunning drive to see the spoils shared.

The goal was the tip of the iceberg of an impressive performance from the former Manchester City hitman, again sending justification to Foxes’ boss Brendan Rodgers that he should be included in the starting lineup on a more regular basis.

In his 66 minutes on the pitch before he was withdrawn for the returning Wesley Fofana, Iheanacho only had 29 touches of the ball, according to WhoScored, but he was effective when he received it.

He attempted three shots throughout his appearance, no player on each side had more attempts. The £13.5m-rated Nigerian also managed to combine well with his teammates, providing a key pass and also contributing two crosses.

For context, Leicester talisman Jamie Vardy only had 16 touches in the full 90 minutes, only providing one key pass.

Even Rodgers admitted that the 34-year-old ‘didn’t do much’ but still elected to leave him on the pitch and withdraw his strike partner.

It wasn’t just in the statistics where Iheanacho caught the eye though. His hold-up play against a stubborn Burnley backline was impressive as he acted as a focal point in the Foxes attack.

The most spectacular element of his game though was, of course, the goal that earned the East-Midlanders a point in Lancashire.

Iheanacho showed fantastic awareness to get on the end of Wilfred Ndidi’s lofted ball to then watch it over his shoulder and volley home with a lethal left-footed drive.

The goal now takes his personal record to six in all competitions so far this season, having scored three in his last five domestic appearances.

Considering Vardy is currently in the middle of a barren run of just one Premier League goal since mid-December, Iheanacho will feel like he has sent a stark message to his manager.

In other news, why Cengiz Under’s absence at Turf Moor could have provided clues to Leicester’s summer transfer plans.

In a recent interview, former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson discussed Eric Dier’s future at Spurs, as well as tipping the club to land a new centre-back this summer.

Having been an integral part of Jose Mourinho’s defence for the best part of the season, over recent weeks Dier has found his game-time becoming more limited under the manager, who himself claimed that the centre-back was going through something of a crisis of confidence.

However, the £22.5m-rated 27-year-old hit back at the criticism he has faced, suggesting that he is happy with his level of performance for Spurs so far this season.

In a recent interview with Football Insider, Robinson stated his belief that Mourinho is still a big fan of Dier, but went on to suggest that the 58-year-old will look to add depth to the centre-back position this summer.

He said: “I still think Jose is a big fan of Dier. I think he will be a part of the plans moving forward even though I think they will sign another centre-half in the summer. Yes, he has looked susceptible of late but so has Davinson Sanchez. I think another centre-half would help, and competition for places is always a good thing.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Dier has been in unremarkable form over his 21 Premier League appearances for Tottenham so far this season, averaging 0.8 tackles, 0.9 interceptions 4.8 clearances and 1.1 blocks per game, culminating in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.71 – ranking him as the club’s 12th-best performer in the top flight, and their third-best centre-back.

With Mourinho reportedly informing Daniel Levy of his desire to add a top-class centre-back to the Spurs defence last summer, and subsequently failing to do so, it would not be surprising to see Tottenham target a new addition to the position this summer, be that at the expense of or alongside Dier.

In other news: Tottenham are also monitoring this attacker, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has now given the green-light for yet another player to leave north London this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites exodus?

Spurs, as they aim for a major summer rebuild to appease Conte, could be set to orchestrate just as many outgoings as incomings in the next transfer window.

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Lyon loanee and club record-signing Tanguy Ndombele is likely to be offloaded with Conte not seeing a future for the 25-year-old, as backed by The Evening Standard.

Meanwhile, due to issues with their homegrown quota, transfer chief Fabio Paratici may be forced to sell one of Lucas Moura or Steven Bergwijn if he wishes to sign an overseas forward (The Telegraph).

Villarreal are also allegedly eyeing a permanent deal for Spurs midfielder Giovani Lo Celso who is currently enjoying a fine temporary stint at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

The Latest: Conte green-lights Rodon exit…

Now, according to another report by and Football Insider and a ‘Tottenham source’, the Premier League top-four chasers have also give the green-light for defender Joe Rodon to leave Spurs this summer.

The club, and by extension manager Antonio Conte, are now ‘ready to sell’ the defender and have instructed him to find a new club.

FI, relaying their previous report, add that Rodon himself ‘100%’ wants to quit Tottenham amid his lack of opportunities.

The Verdict: Time to part ways…

It is a real mystery how the 24-year-old hasn’t been utilised more since Conte’s reign going by his real promise last season.

The Wales international, called ‘special’ and ‘flawless’ by members of their national media (Ian Mitchelmore), didn’t even feature more regularly when Eric Dier was sidelined through injury – despite Spurs’ head coach claiming Rodon is his deputy.

He showed real signs of promise against the likes of Chelsea over 2020/2021 and has barely put a foot wrong when given the opportunity, with former boss Jose Mourinho even branding him a ‘perfect’ player.

Over his 12 Premier League appearances for Spurs last season, Rodon even averaged more interceptions per 90 (1.8) than any of his teammates, highlighting his real pedigree as a rising star defender (WhoScored).

It is little wonder the defender wishes to part company with the only mystery being why Conte hasn’t fancied him more.

In other news: ‘Really impressive’ – Journalist excited as Spurs edge closer to signing ‘world class’ player, find out more here.

Many Crystal Palace fans are reacting to the news that reports that the club will reignite their interest in striker Christian Kouamé.

According to La Repubblica and tweeted out by @cpfc_xtra, the South London side are expected to make an opening bid to sign striker Christian Kouamé. Reaction to this news has been very mixed, with one fan saying: ‘Typical Palace, has some quality but seems a risky signing.”

The 24 year-old, who is valued at £15.75 million on Transfermarkt currently plays in the Serie A. He has a decent record across his career so far as he has 33 goals and 29 assists in 192 appearances – albeit hardly prolific.

This season hasn’t been great for him however as he has only managed one goal in 12 league appearances. The player has clearly been inconsistent this campaign as he has only started in five of these games, which is also perhaps why he could be on the move.

With Michy Batshuayi only on loan and players like Conor Wickham injury prone, bringing in another striker to strengthen the attack is a clever idea for the Eagles.

Here is what Palace fans have said following the news around Kouame:

In other Palace news, many fans are reacting over some images of a barely-seen star. Have a read who it is here!

Steve Parish could give Crystal Palace’s next manager a massive boost before he’s even started…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam, Eagles sensation Wilfried Zaha is more likely to sign a new contract at Selhurst Park than leave for a bigger club.

When asked about the 28-year-old winger and his future in south-east London, the ever-reliable journalist responded:

Woosnam also suggested towards the end of a recent column on the Ivory Coast international that “a move [this summer] may therefore not be forthcoming.”

Major attraction

Roy Hodgson’s own future is very much shrouded in mystery itself but as he nears the expiry of his contract, it does seem ever so likely that the 73-year-old veteran will part ways with Palace.

According to Football Insider, Burnley boss Sean Dyche is the top target to succeed him, whilst the likes of former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard and legendary Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, among others, have been linked with the role.

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And Parish can make the job all that more attractive if he does tie down their star performer, Zaha, to a new deal. It’ll hand whoever becomes the next man at Selhurst Park an instant boost.

The 28-year-old forward, who earns a reported £130k-per-week, has once again proved to be integral to their fortunes this season. His 6.88 average rating is only second to one other player, and he ranks top for goals scored (ten) and dribbles per game (1.8), via WhoScored.

In recent windows, Zaha has been heavily mooted with Premier League rivals Arsenal and Everton but ultimately, Palace’s mega-money £80m asking price had put suitors off the £26m-rated talisman.

It’s no wonder that the Gunners were linked with interest as their manager, Mikel Arteta, dubbed Zaha “phenomenal” and “unique,” whilst Hodgson once reaffirmed his importance to the club by once describing him a “game-changer.”

Back in February, Palace had lost 17 of 19 league games in his absence and even failed to score in 15 of those defeats, only highlighting how crucial he is to the side.

Whether it’s Lampard, Dyche or even Hodgson, Parish can give the next man in the dugout a perfect start to life at the Eagles by tying down their leading man.

That’s for sure.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace handed managerial boost amid Roy Hodgson claim

Speaking to BILD (via Sport Witness), journalist Christian Falk has dropped a major claim on a possible new manager for Tottenham Hotspur involving Ralph Rangnick – with the reporter stating that Rangnick has been ‘offered’ the role and talks ‘will come’ given he is on the shortlist.

The 62-year-old, who recently emerged as a candidate for Spurs, is now climbing up the managerial shortlist in north London after blows involving previous targets Julian Nagelsmann and Erik Ten Hag.

The former has agreed to become the new manager of German giants Bayern Munich while the latter has signed a new deal at Ajax, dealing two big hits as Spurs hunt for their Jose Mourinho successor.

Falk drops major Tottenham claim

However, in a positive twist, Falk now believes that Rangnick has been ‘offered’ the role – dropping the latest from what he has heard in regards to the manager chase.

“We have already talked about how Rangnick and Tottenham could become hot, and I have now heard quite specifically that he was offered the job,” he told BILD (via Sport Witness).

“In any case, he is on the shortlist, and that means talks will come.

“From the club, he still hears a bit of scepticism, but he’s already held talks with Manchester United and Everton in the UK in the past that never quite worked out.

“There must have been reasons for that, we don’t know them all, but it’s nice that he’s now being discussed.

“They need a new Tuchel, and in the UK, they believe the German coaches have done a lot of groundwork, which could be a big ace in the hole for Rangnick to Tottenham.”

Transfer Tavern take

After the big announcements involving Nagelsmann and Ten Hag, we believe that Spurs are quite right to offer Rangnick the job as he appears to be the next best option.

Described as a ‘perfectionist’ by RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen, he has also been credited with influencing Premier League bosses Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp and Ralph Hasenhuttl (The Telegraph).

Spurs are also on the hunt for an attack-minded boss who can reinstall that exciting brand of football, and Rangnick’s label as the ‘father of gegenpressing’ certainly throws him into this category of manager.

In other news: This boss is also eyeing the Spurs job, find out more here.