All posts by z3u9t.icu

Football is a sport based around constant progression and that means that squads are constantly changing and evolving, and Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has overseen plenty of development on the pitch in his time at Ibrox.

He has brought in the likes of Ryan Kent, Ianis Hagi and Connor Goldson to Ibrox from other teams in the transfer market, but buying ready-made stars is not the only way to go about improving your team. Utilising the academy set-up can be a profitable and worthwhile method of acquiring talented players and Gerrard has been able to bring through young defender Nathan Patterson.

The 20-year-old has emerged as a first-team player over the past 18 months and is currently competing for the first-choice right-back spot with captain James Tavernier.

At the start of the year, Transfermarkt valued him at a measly £225k. This was after he made a couple of cameo appearances in the first-half of the 2020/21 campaign, with Gerrard easing him into the first-team picture slowly.

The Gers coach has been able to pull off a masterclass with the full-back by integrating him into the team bit by bit in 2021. Patterson has now made 20 first-team appearances in the Premiership, cup and Europa League to date and recently started and picked up an assist in a crucial 2-1 win over Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership. This has also led to him being capped five times by Scotland at international level.

Head of academy Craig Mulholland once heaped praise on the young full-back, saying: “Nathan has been fantastic for us this year.

“Again, we started the project five, six, years ago to get a level of player that we felt could go and compete in the Europa League, could go and compete in Old Firm games.

“And if you go and look at Nathan in the last 16 of the Europa League, if you look at him in the Old Firm game, it’s a great example for all the young players in here of what we’re trying to achieve.”

At the time of writing (18/10/2021), Transfermarkt value Patterson at £1.17m. This is a 420% increase from his initial £225k valuation back in January, perfectly illustrating his meteoric rise over the course of the year whilst working with Gerrard at Ibrox.

Therefore, the ex-Liverpool player and coach has pulled off a masterclass with Patterson. He has turned a talented young player into a serious first-team option and someone who could either earn the club a healthy payday, with Manchester United one of the clubs reportedly interested in the 20-year-old.

It is down to the Scottish international to keep working hard and ensure that he is constantly putting pressure on Tavernier. If he can earn a regular starting position in the team then his development could accelerate with the experience gained from minutes week-in-week-out.

AND in other news, Major update emerges on key Rangers figure that’ll leave fans worried…

Sky Sports have reportedly been told that Newcastle United are now eyeing a move for Boubacar Kamara in the summer.

The Lowdown: Contract expiring

Kamara’s current deal at Marseille expires this summer, meaning that he can leave as a free agent.

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There are no signs of him signing a new one yet, and so it looks as if he will be free for clubs to pick up at the end of the season.

This has led to intense interest from the Premier League, with the likes of Newcastle, Tottenham and Crystal Palace reported as suitors in recent months.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

Sky Sports have been ‘told’ that the St. James’ Park faithful are indeed now ‘interested’ in signing Kamara on a Bosman deal, along with Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma.

However, he is also being ‘monitored’ by Manchester United, as they look to bolster their own options in midfield.

The Verdict: Sign

Given that Kamara is currently rated at £22.5m, to sign him on a free transfer would be a bargain.

Once dubbed a ‘phenomenon‘ by former teammate Rolando, the Frenchman is equally as comfortable at playing as a centre-back or in the middle of the park, the kind of versatility that would surely please Eddie Howe.

He has also proven to be a leader in the spine of the team at such a young age, captaining his side in a number of games in Ligue 1 this season, helping them rise to second spot in France’s top flight, only behind PSG.

On top of all that, Kamara is only 22 years of age, and so if things did not work out in the North East, he could be sold for a tidy profit.

In other news, find out what big NUFC update Craig Hope has now been ‘told’ here!

Southampton picked up a promising point against Manchester United on Sunday, and they could’ve easily taken all three against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Fred’s own goal gave the Saints the lead in their first home fixture of the new Premier League season before Mason Greenwood’s low shot squirmed under Alex McCarthy for the equaliser.

Adam Armstrong had two great chances to score as Southampton weathered a United storm in the second half but ultimately, both sides had to settle for a point.

Despite having their own chances to win the game, Hasenhuttl’s men may well have found themselves on the losing side on Sunday afternoon if it were not for Mohammed Salisu’s impressive performance at centre-back.

The Ghanaian defender made two goal-saving blocks during the game and generally defended very well against the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.

As per SofaScore, the 22-year-old would earn an impressive 7.7/10 rating for his performance, which was the highest of any Southampton player to feature in the game, and the joint-highest along with Greenwood from either side.

Although Man of the Match Tino Livramento was hugely impressive once again at right-back and then further forward in the second half, Salisu’s influence on the game should not go unnoticed, as he made three clearances, blocked three shots and made three interceptions.

For comparison, last season Salisu averaged 2.4 clearances, 0.4 blocks and 1.4 interceptions in the Premier League, which emphasises that he was excellent on Sunday afternoon.

Although Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach only rated him a 6/10 for his performance, he did acknowledge his influence, writing:

“Salisu saved the day multiple times during the first half, clearing inevitable goals off the line with last-ditch attempts to get it away.”

The £9m-rated Salisu also looked good with his passing, completing 27/34 of his passes at St Mary’s, whilst he would win 3/4 of the duels he was involved in, which emphasises just how dominant his performance was at the back.

And, in other news… Southampton dealt decisive blow with “exceptional” winger

Leicester City slumped to their second Premier League loss of the season after reigning champions Manchester City left the King Power Stadium with a 1-0 victory on Saturday.

The Foxes had already defeated the Cityzens this season, securing the Community Shield in the opening fixture of 2021/22, but they couldn’t repeat the trick this time around.

It was an exciting, evenly contested game, though, and Brendan Rodgers will have come away thinking about what could have been had his side taken one of their big chances.

Winger Harvey Barnes came closest to finding the back on the net, having one effort well saved by Ederson before clipping the top of the bar with a late effort.

However, it was arguably another one of Leicester’s first-team regulars who really let Rodgers down against Manchester City.

As per SofaScore, Youri Tielemans received a match rating of just 6.2 out of 10, the lowest tally for any player on the pitch, and when taking a closer inspection at his underlying numbers, it’s clear to see why.

The Belgium international midfielder was suffocated in the centre of the pitch and was unable to get on the ball regularly or find his teammates with penetrative passes on the rare occasions that he was in possession.

As a result, the technically gifted maestro achieved a passing accuracy of just 79%, failed to make any key passes and had only 55 touches of the ball, 10 fewer than goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel managed.

Tielemans also lost possession 15 times during the 90 minutes and struggled physically, winning just four of his 11 duels in Leicester’s engine room.

The 24-year-old’s inability to win the midfield battle significantly hampered his side’s chances of securing a positive result over the champions, and Rodgers has every right to feel let down by one of his side’s star men.

And, in other news…Get it done: Leicester make contact over £30m wizard, he’s a “great talent”

Sunderland return to competitive action on Wednesday night as they host Manchester United’s under-23 side at the Stadium of Light in the EFL Trophy.

The Black Cats won their opening match in the group last time out, beating fellow League One outfit Lincoln 2-1 away from home last week. Meanwhile, United have won one and lost one of their two matches in the competition, with Sunderland able to move above the Red Devils in their group with a win on Wednesday.

One player who Lee Johnson must unleash against the under-23 Premier League side is young forward Stephen Wearne.

The 20-year-old whizz kid made his senior bow against Lincoln as he came off the bench and scored the crucial second goal for the Black Cats. He came on for Ellis Taylor and played out wide on the right, marking his debut with a special goal which will surely live in his memory for a long time.

Speaking after the game, Wearne explained how much the goal meant to him. He said: “I was delighted to make my debut, it was a good team performance and obviously I’m happy to get the goal and with my family being here as well – my mum, my dad, my sister, and girlfriend – it was a special moment. I was delighted to score in front of the fans and it was a great feeling.

“I found out I was going to be in the squad the other day. The U23s had a game on Monday and I was told I was only going to play 45 minutes and then be on the bench on Tuesday. There was a possibility I might come on so I was just raring to go and excited to play and even more happy to get the goal.”

Taylor, who Wearne replaced, endured a difficult night against Lincoln as he lost half of his duels and gave away possession of the ball 11 times from just 28 touches. He also failed with both of his attempted crosses and did not attempt a single dribble, which is why Johnson must now unleash Wearne from the start against Manchester United’s under-23s.

In just 28 minutes, Wearne completed 10 of his 12 attempted passes and scored a goal to showcase his quality in the final third. This shows that he has the quality to be a game-changer for Sunderland, as he was able to find the back of the net at senior level, which means that he could score important goals to help Johnson’s side secure valuable points in the league and the EFL Trophy.

Therefore, the Black Cats boss should select him from the start on Wednesday night to see if he can replicate his Lincoln performance over the course of 90 minutes.

According to Eurosport, West Ham are now ‘considering turning their attention’ to Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic amid their desperate hunt for a new forward – with the Galacticos prepared to let him leave this summer.

The Lowdown: West Ham in long, arduous striker hunt…

Manager David Moyes has been looking to add a new striker to his ranks since the start of the January transfer window.

The Scotsman himself even confirmed that bids had been lodged in an attempt to sign a new forward – revealing that an offer had been made for Youssef En-Nesyri of Sevilla.

They have had little luck in signing a striker this window, either, with Eurosport now bringing the latest as West Ham attempt to cast their net wide and finally put an end to the search.

The Latest: West Ham now weighing Jovic swoop…

As per the outlet, Madrid are prepared to let out-of-favour forward Jovic leave this summer and West Ham are now considering a swoop for him.

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The 23-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at former club Eintracht Frankfurt, where he managed four goals in eight starts.

However, the young striker will not be in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans this season and West Ham may now revisit his situation as a result.

As explained, though, West Ham will face stiff competition for Jovic with three clubs in Germany also eager to sign him.

The Verdict: Last gamble?

Jovic was once tipped to become ‘the best striker in Europe’ (The Guardian), and even though things haven’t gone to plan for him at the Bernabeu, he could feasibly turn his career back around at West Ham.

Still young, the Serbian has already amassed an impressive 59 career goals whilst being described as ‘world class’ by former Frankfurt boss Adi Hutter as recently as January (realmadridlatestnews.com).

Depending on the potential transfer fee, with no mention of a valuation in Eurosport’s update, Jovic could be the ideal striker signing for Moyes.

In other news: ‘Yesssss’, ‘Incredible’, ‘We are blessed’…West Ham fans erupt over official club announcement, find out more here.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Arthur Cabral to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent report by Goal Brazil, who claim that David Moyes and his West Ham transfer team are set to make an offer for the FC Basel centre-forward this Thursday, with the Swiss Super League side believed to be commanding a figure in the region of €15m (£12.5m) in order to part with the 23-year-old this month.

The report goes on to state that the Brazil international is demanding a salary of €2.5m-per-year (£2m-per-year) in wages – roughly £40k-per-week – following a potential switch to East London, while it is also claimed that Barcelona and Newcastle United are two further clubs pursuing a deal for the forward in the current transfer window.

Cabral can finally replace Haller

Considering just how impressive Cabral has been in Switzerland so far this season, it would appear an extremely wise move for Moyes to do all he can to secure a deal for the FC Basel centre-forward this month.

Indeed, over his 18 Super League appearances in the current campaign, the £13.5m-rated striker has already scored a whopping 14 goals, registered four assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 4.2 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Jacek Kulig dubbed a “machine” average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.49, ranking the 23-year-old as the second-best player in the entirety of the Swiss top flight.

However, it is not only domestically that Cabral has been impressing, as the former Palmeiras hitman has bagged a further five goals over his six appearances in the Europa Conference League, in addition to averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.35 in the competition.

Further still, the Brazilian also scored eight goals and registered four assists over Basel’s six Europa Conference League qualifying fixtures – taking his total haul for the season to an astonishing 27 strikes and eight assists in just 31 appearances in all competitions.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Cabral is undoubtedly the man to finally replace Sebastien Haller as Michail Antonio’s primary competition for the centre-forward spot at the London Stadium, with the 23-year-old looking to be a contender for the bargain of the season if he is indeed available for just £12.5m this month, as has been reported.

In other news: “I doubt…”: ExWHUemployee reveals big transfer twist that will have WHU fans buzzing

Manchester United are attempting to hire their next manager to take control at Old Trafford this summer with Erik ten Hag the clear favourite for the challenging role, however a new update has emerged in another set-back for the club.

What’s the word?

According to Mail on Sunday’s Chief Writer, Rob Draper, Manchester United have now got some competition to secure the appointment of the Ajax boss.

In a report for the Daily Mail, Draper wrote that a leading Bundesliga club are also interested in hiring ten Hag this summer, and there are many issues that need to be resolved before he considers a move to Manchester at the end of the season.

Supporters will be fuming

Ten Hag has been the clear front runner and favourite to take over from Ralf Rangnick for weeks now, and losing the manager to another club this late in the process would be a devastating blow that would surely leave Man United supporters fuming and disappointed.

The Ajax boss was originally linked with the job leading up to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being sacked, but the manager committed himself to see out the season with his Dutch side, so after a long wait for the appointment it will be a widely unpopular outcome if the United board and the Glazers don’t seal the deal.

The Red Devils have had an abysmal season by their standards considering they finished second in the Premier League last season. They have crashed out of all competitions and will enter their longest trophy drought in 40 years, so the addition of a manager like ten Hag with a winning mentality is essential for bringing back trophies to the club.

He has won two Eredivisie titles and impressively took Ajax to a Champions League semi-final in 2019 to name just a few of ten Hag’s achievements at his current club, and the supporters of Man United will surely be desperate for him to emulate his success with their side too.

The powers at Old Trafford must do everything they can to keep the deal on the table with the 52-year-old manager as it would be a disaster to lose him to another club and go back to square one in their manager search.

In other news: Journo reveals what he’s heard from senior figures at MUFC on Ronaldo, it’s bad news

With the return of the Premier League this weekend, Southampton make the trip to face Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday to see if they can continue their solid run of form from before the international break.

During the break, there were some concerns over the fitness of certain Saints players and whether or not they would be able to take part against the Canaries, who are currently sitting at the bottom of the league table with just five points on the board from 11 games.

Fortunately for Southampton, it seems as though one of their key players will be available for the clash.

What’s the news?

After being forced to drop out of the England squad at the start of the international break through illness, it has been revealed by Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl that club captain James Ward-Prowse will be available to play against Norwich after recovering from a bug rather than anything serious.

Given how Ward-Prowse has started nine out of Southampton’s 11 league games so far this season and scored two goals in the process, this shows how important he is to Hasenhuttl and the team.

As well as the number of appearances he’s made this season, the midfielder has also shown just how useful he is with his performances in an attacking and defensive sense.

In the Premier League, Ward-Prowse has racked up an average of 1.2 shots and 1.7 key passes per game, showing that he is a big part of Southampton’s attacking force. Indeed, only Nathan Redmond can better the captain’s average for the latter metric among Hasenhuttl’s squad.

The 27-year-old skipper, who is currently valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, has also shown that he isn’t one to ignore his defensive duties, with an average of 1.2 tackles and 1.1 clearances per game this season.

With this in mind, it’s safe to say that Southampton fans will be buzzing to hear that Ward-Prowse will be available to play against Norwich this weekend.

Taking into account that Norwich have only won one game all season, scoring fewer goals (five) and conceding more (26) than any other side in the Premier League, this could be a great opportunity for Southampton to pick up another victory after winning three of their four previous matches prior to the November international break.

In other news: Hasenhuttl must unleash “confident” £53k-p/w Saints gem v Norwich, he’d give Smith nightmares

It would be ‘huge’ if Leeds United’s Ian Poveda returns to the fold at Blackburn Rovers during the run-in, former Whites attacker Noel Whelan says. 

The lowdown

Back in August, Leeds winger Poveda sealed a season-long loan move to Championship side Blackburn Rovers.

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But only eight games into his spell at Ewood Park, he suffered an ankle injury and had to undergo surgery.

Having returned to his parent club, he’s only been able to get back on the grass and step up his rehabilitation in the past few weeks.

But Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post reports that he’s now ready to return to Blackburn ahead of their final three matches.

Manager Tony Mowbray will run the rule over Poveda and decide whether he can be of assistance in the short time that remains.

The latest

Whelan says it would be a ‘massive boost’ for the player, in terms of his mood and his physical condition, if he’s able to re-enter the fray at Blackburn.

“The fact that he could come back and finish the season – it’s such a huge thing,” he told Football Insider.

“Both for his confidence and his fitness, to finish the season strongly will be a massive boost.”

The verdict

Come the summer, Jesse Marsch and Leeds will decide if Poveda has what it takes to be a member of the first-team squad next season.

He’d scored one goal and provided two assists in four Championship starts pre-injury, and all parties would have been frustrated to see his progress curtailed.

Indeed, Mowbray had raved about the ‘wonderful talent’ before his long-term lay-off.

It could wind up being a shoot-out at Elland Road between Poveda and fellow youngster Crysencio Summerville, who’s also a right winger.

Should Marsch favour the former, then Summerville could seal a move to Rangers or Hamburg, both credited with interest.

In other news, read this journalist’s Sergino Dest claim.