All posts by n8rngtd.top

After yet another supreme performance for England, it’s been no surprise to see Jack Grealish’s name once again hit the headlines.

But whilst the Aston Villa star produced a fine display in the Three Lions’ victory over Iceland on Wednesday night, one of his teammates at club level also delivered a timely performance: Conor Hourihane.

With John McGinn and Douglas Luiz holding down the two central midfield positions for Dean Smith’s side this season in the Premier League, Hourihane hasn’t had much of a look-in thus far, making just three appearances and 151 minutes of football.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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When on international duty with Ireland however, it’s been a different story, featuring in all of their UEFA Nations League and friendly games over the past couple of months.

And against Bulgaria on Wednesday, Hourihane sent a message to Dean Smith that he’s ready to be called upon whenever he’s needed. Whilst the game ended in a 0-0 draw, the midfielder showed off his typically silky passing, and a more defensive edge too.

As per Sofascore, his 7.4 match rating was the highest of any midfield player on the pitch, and it was easy to see why. He boasted an impressive 92% pass accuracy and 73 touches, whilst he also sent in five crosses and completed seven of his ten attempted long balls.

That’s not to mention that he made a team-high four tackles – including one last ditch one – and one interception too. If Smith was keeping an eye out on how his players were getting on over the international break, then he would have been left impressed by Hourihane’s display in mid-week.

Wolverhampton Wanderers moved into the top six with a fine victory over Arsenal on Sunday evening.

Nuno Santo’s side secured their first win in the red half of north London for the first time in over four decades thanks to first half goals from Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence.

The match was somewhat marred by the shocking head injury sustained to Raul Jimenez, but his Old Gold teammates did him justice by securing all three points.

And despite the impact of the Portuguese duo in his absence, it was actually another countryman that arguably ran the show for Nuno.

Veteran playmaker Joao Moutinho certainly appears to be getting back to his best as he dominated the engine room, often winning his battles (seven of 11 duels won) against the likes of Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka.

Per SofaScore, the £65k-per-week maestro recorded a team-high six tackles, five clearances and two interceptions whilst also making 83% of his 54 passing attempts.

His influence as the key orchestrator is only emphasised when you see that he notched the most amount of touches of any Wolves player with 74.

BirminghamLive’s Alex Dicken graded his performance a 9/10, and claimed: “The man many call ‘The GOAT’ is back. Moutinho was impressive against Southampton last time out – but he was even better against Arsenal. Moutinho barely put a foot wrong in 90 minutes, in both defence and attack, to help Wolves to a famous win.”

Indeed that was certainly the case.

The 34-year-old is ageing like a fine wine, combining an industrious work ethic with a touch of pure class. He was one main reason to why the Midlands outfit picked up an elusive victory against Arsenal.

It is no wonder that Match of the Day commentator Guy Mowbray once lauded him as a “Rolls-Royce of a player.”

That’s now two straight games playing the full 90, Nuno must ensure it stays that way going into a tough-looking festive period.

AND in other news, Wolves should never have let “unplayable” PL sensation slip their grasp…

Tottenham Hotspur still have their unbeaten run intact as they picked up a point on the road earlier this afternoon.

Jose Mourinho’s men were surprisingly below par as they went to south-east London in pursuit of continuing their run atop the Premier League table, but they returned to N17 with a 1-1 draw to Crystal Palace.

Talismanic striker Harry Kane put Spurs on course for yet another win with a 30-yard scorcher in the 23rd minute, but the Eagles rallied in the second half before finally scoring through Jeffrey Schlupp, who pounced on a spilled ball from Hugo Lloris just nine minutes from time.

The rampant north Londoners could’ve had a few more themselves but for a masterclass between the sticks from Lloris’ opposite number, Vicente Guaita.

Some of the blame can indeed be attributed to the Frenchman for flapping at Eberechi Eze’s free-kick, but there were far worse performers on the day, like Serge Aurier who seemed to revert back to his old self.

The right-back, who is on £120k-per-week at Spurs, has enjoyed some transformation under Mourinho, so much so that he usurped Matt Doherty into becoming the first-choice man in the role.

A far cry from last season when supporters labelled him a “liability,” something which was also backed up by ex-striker Darren Bent on Sky Sports in 2019.

Indeed, the Ivorian international lost possession 24 times, squandering plenty of chances to arguably the Man of the Match, Eze and also committed two fouls, via SofaScore – again showing his old calamitous ways.

It was his second foul that led to the dangerous free-kick and Palace’s subsequent equaliser, so perhaps he should be blamed more than Lloris.

Aurier was even wasteful with the ball, making just 68% of his passing 37 attempts and was particularly weak and lightweight, winning just one of seven duels (14%).

Alasdair Gold at football.london wasn’t too impressed with the 27-year-old either, grading his performance a six out of ten and claiming: “This wasn’t quite up there with recent excellent performances. Not much end product when he got forward either.”

Reports emerged earlier in the week that Aurier was in line for a lucrative contract extension, though the Spurs hierarchy may want to hold back on that to see whether his early-season form was merely a purple patch or not.

If he continues to perform as he did at Selhurst Park, then it would certainly imply that.

AND in other news, Spurs must offload “pathetic” £80k-p/w disaster who’s been robbing Levy blind…

David Sullivan potentially wasted a whopping £31m by signing Sebastien Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt amid reports West Ham United could look to sell the striker next summer.

What’s the word?

According to Claret and Hugh, Haller is playing on borrowed time at the London Stadium after it was decided that the Ivory Coast international will be placed on the Irons’ transfer list at the end of the season.

Neither the forward nor the club are presently interested in a potential mid-season loan exit for the 26-year-old, who continues to have his admirers in Germany despite failing to make any real impact in England following his £45m capture in 2019.

At least three Bundesliga outfits are believed to have approached West Ham looking to discuss a temporary deal for Haller, only to be informed he is not available until the summer when he will cost any interested side at least £25m.

Further conversations between Hammers chiefs and the unnamed interested clubs have only increased the likelihood of a permanent transfer in the next off-season, when Haller will have earned close to £11m through his £115,000-per-week West Ham contract.

Haller has featured in 13 of David Moyes’ 14 Premier League squads thus far this season but only started seven of his appearances after the Irons lost leading striker Michail Antonio in October through the first of two hamstring injuries.

A major flop

While the claims of interest in Germany suggest Bundesliga clubs forgive Haller for struggling in the Premier League due to Moyes’ tactics, his spell in east London would forever be regarded as a major disaster should he leave the Irons next summer.

Former Director of Football Mario Husillos and manager Manuel Pellegrini spent big on making Haller the Irons’ record signing and awarding him the most-lucrative contract among current West Ham players.

For that, the Hammers have only been rewarded with 14 goals in 50 games across all competitions, including a hit-rate of one every 297 minutes in the Premier League.

Moyes continually asks Haller for more, with the former Manchester United coach urging the France-born forward to show in his performances why he developed a big reputation in Germany, where he netted 24 times in 60 Bundesliga appearances.

“I’ve got to say, he’s got a great reputation throughout Europe. His goals in Germany were excellent at Frankfurt, so let’s hope he can bring them to West Ham,” Moyes said.

“I would hope that I don’t need to categorise him that he can only play in a certain type of game. I want to see a big whole-hearted, committed centre-forward who we know can contribute to the team. We’ve got the makings of a good team and I want Seb to be part of it.”

It remains to be seen, however, for how much longer Haller is a part of Moyes’ team.

AND in other news, David Moyes can discover his ideal West Ham titan in a 12-goal star “everyone loves”.

Marcel Brands risks following Steve Walsh in signing unneeded players for Everton with a summer move for Granada goalkeeper Rui Silva currently being touted.

What’s the word?

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Toffees are showing a determination to acquire Silva at the end of the season when his £2,700-per-week contract is due to expire.

Sevilla, Valencia and Real Betis have been considering moves for the Portuguese shot-stopper, who Granada are yet to rule out offering a new contract to, despite him having one foot out the door since last summer and him rejecting new terms already.

Betis had sought to sign Silva in January after failing to complete a deal in the off-season, with Granada rejecting the Benito Villamarin Stadium natives’ offer of just over €4m (£3.5m) as Director of Football Fran Sanchez pushed for the 26-year-old’s €15m (£13.5m) release clause to be met in full.

Silva, who his Granada teammate Aaron Escandell lauds for playing at a “top level”, is now able to agree pre-contract arrangements with any side of his choosing ahead of becoming a free agent in the summer.

Caution advised

Mundo Deportivo describes Silva as one of the best goalkeepers in Spanish football over the past year and a half, but caution must be advised as there are a smattering of key flaws to the former U21 international’s game.

No ‘keeper has allowed a higher number goals to be scored in La Liga fixtures from shots taken inside the penalty area than Silva has over the opening 17 games of the season, with the Portuguese titan allowing 18 in 14 appearances despite keeping five clean sheets, per SofaScore.

He allows a goal to be scored inside the box with almost every other shot faced, in fact, with Silva recording 22 saves to date, while also rarely leaving his line to collect the ball with just one punch, four high claims and four successful runs out to his name.

Silva’s pass accuracy is additionally the 11th-worst by a goalkeeper in Spain’s top-flight at 55.76%, which drops to 39.18% for long balls, areas where Jordan Pickford’s current understudy, Robin Olsen, excels with a 64.58% pass accuracy rating and 45.16% for long balls.

With Carlo Ancelotti also keen to retain Olsen beyond his season-long loan deal, it would be very questionable for Brands to acquire Silva at the end of the campaign, unless he expects to offload either Pickford or 21-year-old prospect Joao Virginia.

But retaining both and signing Silva alongside Olsen would only serve to see the Dutchman repeat the Walsh blunder of acquiring Maarten Stekelenburg, who went three seasons without playing a single minute in the Premier League before his departure last year.

AND in other news: Marcel Brands must axe a total dud costing Everton £600k-a-game.

There were perhaps concerns amongst the Southampton faithful when Oriol Romeu was not named in the matchday squad to face Liverpool on Monday evening but Ibrahima Diallo stepped up to the plate superbly.

The 21-year-old, who joined from Brest late in the summer transfer window, was making just his second start for the club in the game against the champions.

However, he was superb throughout the game, helping the Saints record a superb 1-0 victory against Jurgen Klopp’s table-toppers.

As per SofaScore, the French midfielder earned a 6.6 rating for his display but looked assured on the ball throughout the 90 minutes, as he completed 30/38 of his attempted passes.

Diallo would lose possession on just 12 occasions, despite Liverpool’s high intensity pressing in the second half, whilst he was able to win six of the 11 duels he was involved in.

Liverpool opted to start Spanish midfielder Thiago for just the second time in the Premier League but he was far from his best against the Saints, with Diallo getting the better of him on a number of occasions, which led one Saints fan to suggest that the Frenchman made the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona man look “bang average”.

It could certainly be argued that Hasenhuttl is low on central-midfield options, with Diallo and young Will Smallbone the only senior back-ups to his usual midfield duo, so it was essential that the Frenchman put in a good performance in Romeu’s absence, and he did exactly that.

Therefore, the performance of Diallo, who earns £55k per week at Southampton, will certainly give Hasenhuttl a selection headache when Romeu returns to fitness, as the Spanish midfielder’s partnership with James Ward-Prowse in midfield has been a big part of the Saints’ success so far this season.

The Austrian confirmed in his post-match interview that the former Chelsea man missed out with a calf injury, with him hoping to have the defensive-midfielder back for the game against Leicester later this month, so it certainly seems a possibility that Diallo could start the Saints’ next fixture, which sees them take on League One Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup this weekend.

And, in other news… Southampton star who won 11 duels was Hasenhuttl’s best performer against LFC

Steve Bruce may live to rue Mike Ashley failing to forge a successful swoop for Newcastle United to sign Fikayo Tomori on loan as the Chelsea defender nears a move to AC Milan.

What’s the word?

According to Nicolo Schira, Tomori is expected to be unveiled as a Rossoneri recruit on Wednesday after the Serie A side reached an agreement with Chelsea over a half-season deal.

Tomori has given his backing to the move, which will see Milan pay a €1m (£890k) loan fee and take hold of an option to buy the England defender in the summer for €29m (£26m).

Newcastle had been linked with interest in a potential deal to sign Tomori this month, with Bruce said to have requested further information on the Canadian-born centre-half’s situation as he sought to improve the ranks at St. James’ Park.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has now confirmed Tomori has likely played his final game in the Premier League this season, having overlooked the £15.5m-rated titan for Saturday’s 1-0 win over Fulham due to his imminent departure.

Tomori has been an outcast of Lampard’s plans this term and has featured in only one of the Stamford Bridge natives’ top-flight matchday squads since October, while his omission from the starting line-up of their FA Cup third round tie with League Two Morecombe showed just how far the 23-year-old has fallen out of favour.

He had emerged as a first-choice option in south west London last term, making 22 appearances across all competitions, but featured only once in the Premier League following the turn of the year.

Milan’s gain is Bruce’s loss

Tomori nearing a deal to join Serie A leaders Milan will likely have frustrated Bruce, who would have stood to benefit greatly from welcoming the £75,000-per-week enforcer Lampard believes is a “fantastic” talent to Newcastle this month.

Despite falling out of favour under Lampard last season, Tomori still ranked second only to Cesar Azpilicueta (2.39) for successful tackles per Premier League game (1.93) among the defenders to have featured in 10 or more matches for Chelsea, per SofaScore.

He also ranked first at the Bridge for total passes per game (76.73), second for clearances (2.8), third for interceptions (1.47), accurate long balls (2.8) and least times dribbled past (0.33), while winning 2.93 ground duels and 2.27 aerial contests.

Those aspects would have certainly come in handy against Arsenal on Monday as the Magpies lost 3-0 to suffer their ninth defeat of the league season – only basement boys Sheffield United (16) and West Bromwich Albion (11) have lost more.

Jamaal Lascelles was far too quick to stand off the Gunners frontline and appeared to lose his mind once the game was gone, as he made his first Premier League appearance since November after recovering from coronavirus.

No player for either side committed more fouls than Lascelles (2), who – like partner Ciaran Clark – also failed to make a single successful tackle or interception and won just one of his two aerial duels at the Emirates, per WhoScored.

Newcastle also do not have a ball-playing centre-back at present, with Clark averaging the most per top-flight game to date at 35.9, making it even more of a blunder by Ashley to not do all he could to wrap up a deal for Tomori this month.

AND in other news, Newcastle United are being targeted to solve another PL side’s transfer crisis.

Crystal Palace’s James McCarthy should try and secure a move to Premier League rivals West Ham as the midfielder has struggled for regular game time under Roy Hodgson this season.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Mail, McCarthy has caught the attention of a number of Premier League clubs, with Brighton, Burnley, West Brom and West Ham among those watching his situation unfold with the midfielder out of contract in the summer.

It appears Palace are open to parting ways with the 30-year-old Republic of Ireland international, who has struggled so far this season, and indeed over recent seasons, since he moved to Selhurst Park from Everton for an undisclosed fee in August 2019.

McCarthy, who earns wages worth £50,000-per-week, scored ten goals in 133 games for the Toffees but has so far failed to find the back of the net in 43 appearances across all competitions for the Eagles, with Hodgson’s side battling to stay above the relegation battle in the Premier League this season.

Take the opportunity

The midfielder has made just five starts in seven top-flight appearances this season so far equalling 423 minutes, due to both injury and not being preferred in the starting XI, which should act as a signal for McCarthy that his time is up at Selhurst Park. Therefore he must convince Steve Parish to sanction a move to West Ham before the January transfer window closes in ten days’ time.

If West Ham have a legitimate interest in McCarthy, and no other offers arrive before the window closes, then Parish should seize the chance to offload the midfield outcast once and for all.

McCarthy’s dramatic fall from grace started well before Jairo Riedewald’s recent emergence, given the fact Hodgson was left frustrated by his disappointing performance in the Carabao Cup defeat against Colchester United in 2019.

Despite his best efforts, his chances have becoming increasingly scarce since the start of this season, and McCarthy will be well aware that a move elsewhere could lead to better opportunities otherwise he risks his career stagnating having fallen behind the likes of Riedewald, James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic in the pecking order under Hodgson this season.

In terms of statistics, both McArthur and Milivojevic currently average more clearances than McCarthy whilst the 33-year-old also makes more tackles (3.1) per match.

It’s fair to say that the player who Hodgson once admitted he has “admired for a very long time” is a shadow of his former self – he endured a night to forget at the Etihad against Manchester City last time out as SofaScore graded him as one of the worst players on the pitch with a low 6.4 rating.

Given West Ham’s shortage of options in midfield, he may find better opportunities elsewhere.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace should keep Christian Benteke or face consequences…

David Moyes can hand Ryan Fredericks a fresh lease of life at West Ham United after the defender produced an impressive performance in midfield against Aston Villa.

The ex-Fulham right-back was drafted in to help provide Vladimir Coufal with additional cover against Jack Grealish, with Aston Villa’s £100m talisman once again thriving in the Premier League this season.

No player in the division has created as many goalscoring opportunities than Grealish (72), while only Manchester United’s much-admired Bruno Fernandes (15) has carved out a greater volume of clear-cut chances than the England international (14), per SofaScore.

Villa’s performance was ultimately a one-man show through Grealish on Wednesday, who saw a lot of the ball to take his tally for key passes to 72 for the season with four on the night – no player for either side created as many, per WhoScored.

Yet Fredericks and Coufal doubled up to force Grealish in off the left-flank frequently and into the congested engine room, to see that the Villa skipper was far from at his usual high standards.

The pair were never likely to silence the 25-year-old for the full 90 minutes, with Harry Kane the only player across the Premier League with more assists than Grealish and Manchester City £108m-rated maestro Kevin de Bruyne (10).

Yet Moyes ought to be more than happy with Fredericks’ efforts, having done exactly what the Irons boss will have asked of him by putting pressure on Grealish and providing Coufal with cover.

But Fredericks could see his time in midfield deliver the £3.5m-rated outcast a new lease of life at West Ham, as he coupled his defensive efforts with a real threat going forward thanks to his pace.

Moyes had only started Fredericks in one Premier League fixture since September before unleashing the 28-year-old on Aston Villa, having seen Coufal come in after a £5.5m summer transfer from Slavia Prague and dominate the right-back position in east London.

Despite it not being his natural position, Fredericks looked at home in the advanced role on the right-flank, completing 18 of his passes and providing two key balls – only Moyes’ unsung hero Said Benrahma (3) recorded more for the Hammers, per WhoScored.

Jarrod Bowen, who usually starts at right-midfield for the Irons, averages 0.9 key passes a game in the top-flight, and delivers fewer accurate crosses (1.1 from 4.2) than Fredericks provided at Villa Park (3 from 4). The rarely-seen defender further offered as many successful dribbles (1) as his £96,000-per-week teammate averages a game (1.1).

So, given Moyes’ preference to play Coufal at full-back over the Manuel Pellegrini signing, Fredericks could find life in midfield after his fresh West Ham start, having remained at the London Stadium following an uncertain January transfer window.

AND in other news, West Ham eye future swoop for prolific £30m striker with “absolutely superb” movement…

Reports by 90min earlier this week claimed West Ham United are weighing up a move to sign free-agent Ahmed Musa, but David Moyes should ignore a potential deal for the former Leicester City striker.

It is thought the Hammers, as well as Newcastle United and Southampton, are considering the Nigeria international as a late post-window addition to add a bit of extra firepower to their attacks after West Bromwich Albion passed on the 28-year-old.

Musa had been training with Sam Allardyce’s side in a bid to prove his fitness to the relegation-threatened Baggies, as he strives to secure another shot at playing in the Premier League, per the Express and Star.

The Hawthorns’ outfit chose against tabling a contract offer as they felt Allardyce was already well equipped with stronger options in Musa’s preferred wide position, while Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson can slot in at striker if needed.

Musa has not played in the English top-flight since Leicester struck a deal to sell the £5.5m-rated dud to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in 2018, two years after he became the Foxes then club-record signing for £16m.

Much was expected of the ex-CSKA Moscow forward who scored 61 times and provided 33 assists in all competitions for the Russian Side when he joined the Foxes and left Claudio Ranieri amazed after a dazzling run to score a great solo goal against FC Barcelona in the International Champions Cup.

“This is why we paid the money for him,” the Premier League winning coach said.

Yet Leicestershire Live slammed Musa when assessing why his time at the King Power Stadium eventually fell apart, noting how the Nigeran could ‘run the ball straight into touch as though he had been playing Fifa and forgot to let go of the sprint button’.

The publication also noted how his performances never resembled a player whose preferred position was out wide, while his goal-scoring record in the Premier League was appalling as he found the net twice in 21 games.

All from a player who Ranieri dubbed “excellent” and suggested was finally finding his path in the English game after scoring twice from the bench against Everton in an FA Cup tie in 2017.

If Moyes were to sign Musa, West Ham fans would be allowed to expect a similar flop rocking up at the London Stadium to the one Leicester supporters were forced to endure, as being out of the side more than in the starting line-up guaranteed he never found any consistency or the confidence to build on.

That was hardly a surprise when he was going toe-to-toe with Jamie Vardy for the starting gig or Riyad Mahrez on the wing, two players who ran the show at the King Power Stadium.

And would he be expected to displace Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen or Said Benrahma in east London if he were to join the Irons? That would be unlikely, especially after months out in the cold and being passed on when allegedly offered to Moyes back in November.

It would be one massive blunder to sign him for the sake of having that additional option.

AND in other news, David Moyes has been sent an instant reminder by a £9m West Ham target…