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…

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.

Tottenham Hotspur are in line for a game-changing boost if behind-the-scenes claims are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Lilywhites insider John Wenham, who was speaking to Football Insider, the north Londoners are holding out for a mega deal over their stadium naming rights which could earn them in excess of £400m and would certainly be a major financial boost for the club.

Spurs are yet to find a sponsor since opening their new ground in April 2019 and they recently posted a pre-tax loss of £80.2m.

“We are still waiting on the stadium naming rights deal. That’s massive. We are holding out for a super-deal of something like £20million over 20 years,” Wenham revealed.

“There is £400million straight away. Let’s just keep an eye on that one. I know the stadium naming rights thing is going on in the background.

“The club could accept a deal tomorrow, they want this massive deal. When it gets sorted and is announced, it will be significant. We have been waiting on it for years.”

Game-changing boost

This latest development should raise excitement levels around N17 as it could massively help elevate the club to where they need to be if they are to truly contend again.

Their facilities are definitely up there with the best in the world right now, but with no top-four finish in two seasons and on the cusp of being knocked out of UEFA’s third-rate competition, the Europa Conference League, they are streets off reaching this standard on the pitch.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

A major financial injection like this could help sporting director Fabio Paratici to seriously bolster Antonio Conte’s squad, so many will be encouraged by this prospect as it’s evident that the current crop of players just isn’t good enough.

As the club insider states, this would be ‘significant’ for the club and it is something they are working very hard on behind the scenes – as such, it would hand them a game-changing financial boost on and off the pitch.

Back in 2011, league rivals Manchester City sealed a similar deal, raking in £400m from Etihad to rename their stadium, and you only have to look at what they have achieved since to know how big a move like this can be.

The defending champions are the barometer and Spurs must do all in their power to head towards that, starting with finding their own suitable sponsor for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Gollini: Spurs disaster who lost 80% of his duels betrayed Conte v Mura…

Sunderland have been handed a boost to their chances of keeping Elliot Embleton at the Stadium of Light this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Blackpool have not, at present, made a second bid for the Black Cats midfielder.

It was previously reported that Neil Critchley had instructed his transfer team to do all they can to secure the services of the 22-year-old in the summer market, although the Seasiders appear to have seen an initial offer for the former England U20 international rejected.

Meanwhile, Sunderland are thought to be desperate to keep hold of Embleton, with Lee Johnson claiming that he will look to give the youngster plenty of game time in the club’s upcoming campaign.

And, after a fan asked Nixon whether or not Blackpool had returned with an improved offer for the midfielder, the journalist said: “Not yet.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Embleton was while on loan at Blackpool last season, the fact that it appears the 22-year-old could remain at the Stadium of Light beyond the summer is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 30 League One appearances for Critchley’s team last term, the £4.3k-per-week man scored two goals, registered four assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.7 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

The midfielder also turned in impressive numbers more typical of his position, making an average of 1.1 tackles, winning possession 0.5 times and triumphing in 2.3 duels per match.

These returns saw the man Max Power dubbed as “technically one of the best players I’ve seen” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the Seasiders’ 12th-best performer in the third tier of English football – playing a key role in the club securing promotion to the Championship.

As such, with Johnson hoping to mastermind a promotion of his own with Sunderland next season, the return of a player who boasts as much potential as Embleton, as well as one who managed the feat while on loan last term, would certainly appear to give the 40-year-old’s chances of achieving his target a huge boost.

In other news: Get it done: KLD must seal swoop for “important” £1.2k-p/w gem, SAFC have opened talks

Crystal Palace must avoid former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe this summer as they continue to search for Roy Hodgson’s successor.

What’s the story?

Former Hull City striker Dean Windass recently claimed the 43-year-old tactician would be an ideal fit for the Eagles as they embark on a new chapter in their history, but the capital club should think twice before doing so.

Howe left the Cherries at the end of the 2019/20 campaign following their relegation to the Championship and was expected to take charge of Scottish giants Celtic before talks broke down, leaving him available for the Palace vacancy.

Palace must avoid

Hodgson’s decision to step down from his position in charge of the south London outfit has left them in a precarious position.

Although the former England boss brought stability to Selhurst Park throughout his four-year stay, he’s left the first-team playing squad in a far from healthy position.

Over a dozen stars are set to become free agents at the end of the month, and injuries to promising youngsters Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson have made the task facing Hodgson’s replacement an extremely daunting one.

Therefore, opting for an experienced manager on this occasion is the logical route to go down, meaning chairman Steve Parish must avoid Howe on this occassion.

While Howe impressed for large spells of his tenure on the south coast, he ultimately oversaw a relegation despite spending relatively large sums of money during Bournemouth’s time in the Premier League.

Big-money signings such as Jordan Ibe, Dominic Solanke and Jefferson Lerma failed to produce the results required to maintain their top-flight status and raised some questions over Howe’s managerial ability.

Palace need someone who can oversee a major squad overhaul on a shoestring budget, unfortunately for the Englishman, he has failed to show he can do that so far in his career.

At one point it looked as though ex-Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s arrival at Selhurst Park was imminent until some last-minute demands saw that proposed move collapse.

And shifting their focus from Nuno to Howe would represent quite the compromise from the Palace hierarchy.

In his nine years in the dugout, the Portuguese boss has recorded a highly respectable 47.83% win rate, whereas Howe has managed a modest 42.51%.

Although these figures don’t automatically make Nuno a better manager than Howe, they are indicative of the varying levels of success the two men have had throughout their careers and maybe enough for Parish to opt for an older head.

And, in other news…Parish masterstroke: Palace must swoop for £9m-rated prodigy, he’s an “absolute tank” 

Celtic were linked with a late swoop for Linfield teenager Trai Hume on deadline day, Belfast Live report.  

The Lowdown: Three in

Dominic McKay was a busy man on his first deadline day as Celtic CEO.

Leigh Griffiths, Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard all completed moves away from Parkhead, while Georgios Giakoumakis, Filipe Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers all finalised Glasgow moves with hours to spare.

It seems as if McKay may have had his eye on a fourth late addition for the Hoops, though, going off reports late on Tuesday evening.

The Latest: Hume links

According to Belfast Live, Linfield turned down a number of big-money offers for Hume in excess of £100,000, who can play as a right-back, centre-back or centre-midfielder.

Celtic and English League One side Lincoln City were name-checked with the late interest in the 5 foot 9 teenager, who is reportedly under contract until 2023.

The Verdict: Another Scales?

Celtic recently sealed a move for versatile defender Liam Scales from Shamrock Rovers, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Hoops go back in for Hume further down the line, with there clearly being a focus from McKay on up and coming defenders.

He’s been described as one of the Irish League’s hottest properties, similar to Scales earlier in the summer.

Hume’s versatility could attract Celtic in the next transfer window, as it did with Scales, so it could be a name to keep an eye on over the next 12 months.

In other news: Greek journalist drops late Celtic transfer news; ace didn’t want to move.

Liverpool’s summer transfer window passed without too much drama or excitement, much to the disappointment of the supporters, although that could be about to change in January.

What’s the story?

Former RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konate was the only arrival at Anfield despite several senior players departing the Merseyside outfit.

Gini Wijnaldum’s decision to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer left many expecting a new engine room operator to grace Jurgen Klopp’s first-team setup, but a successor was never found.

However, according to Metro Sport reporter Aden-Jay Wood, Liverpool will attempt to replace the Netherlands international in just a few months’ time after eyeing up a move for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma.

He tweeted: “I’m told there remains long-standing interest in Brighton’s Yves Bissouma from several clubs including Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Bissouma, who has 2yrs left on his current deal, is happy on the south coast, but one that could be revisited in January.”

Liverpool fans will be buzzing

After a steady first season in English football, Bissouma has established himself as one of the most impressive central midfielders outside of the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs.

Although he doesn’t grab the headlines through goals and assists, the Mali international provides a solid base for the more attack-minded members of the squad to work from, forming the foundations of an exciting Seagulls side.

In 2020/21, the combative dynamo recorded an average of 2.9 tackles per league game, the highest total amongst his teammates who made over three appearances, as per WhoScored.

The 25-year-old also outperformed his colleagues when it came to interceptions, making 1.8 per Premier League fixture, and it wasn’t just his off-the-ball work where Bissouma excelled.

He achieved a passing accuracy of 87.4%, the third-highest tally in the whole of the Brighton squad, showcasing his adeptness at kickstarting attacks as well as breaking up the opponent’s play.

Therefore, Liverpool supporters will surely be buzzing to learn of the club’s reported interest in the highly-rated midfielder.

Bissouma could be a perfect fit for Klopp’s high-energy pressing game, and ease the transition into life without Wijnaldum, allowing the 19-time English champions to return to their previous lofty perch.

So, while a move may not have materialised on transfer deadline day, Wood’s claim that the Reds remain interested in Bissouma is an exciting one and something that will have fans buzzing.

And, in other news…FSG let Klopp down by failing to sign £30m “conductor”, Liverpool fans will be gutted 

After yet another failed promotion campaign it was heartache for Sunderland as they were beaten 3-2 on aggregate by Lincoln City in the play-offs and the fallout saw several players released, including Max Power. Something that surprised former Ipswich and Portsmouth midfielder, David Norris.

Power signed from Wigan Athletic back in 2018 and despite making 136 appearances for the Black Cats, Lee Johnson took the decision to not renew the 27-year old’s contract – thus he is now a free agent.

The former Wigan midfielder was part of the Sunderland side who broke their Wembley curse by winning for the first time at England’s national stadium when they beat Tranmere Rovers 1-0 in the Papa John’s Trophy.

Power is still able to do a job for most clubs in League One which was why Norris was left very surprised to see that he was not on the retained list. The former Leeds midfielder spoke exclusively to The Transfer Tavern about Power:

“I was a bit surprised at that and I know Max because I’ve done some off-season training with him the last few seasons so I know that he’s a great Pro, is in really good shape and looks after himself.”

There could be a possible reunion with Paul Cook this summer as Ipswich Town look to overhaul their current squad who seriously underperformed in League One this season so bringing in a tried and trusted midfielder could be something that helps Ipswich improve next season.

League One is only getting more difficult each and every season with former Premier League clubs such as Sunderland, Ipswich, Portsmouth, Wigan, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic all set to be battling out for just three promotion places next season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers could miss out on a move for Marseille’s Croatian centre-back Duje Caleta-Car.

What’s the word?

That is according to French reporter Ignazio Genuardi via Get France Football News, who claims that Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has scouted the 6 foot 1 defender ahead of a potential move to Villa Park.

Wolves reportedly offered Marseille £13m, just seven months ago, as per RMC Sport and he was considered a real target for the Molineux side.

Their own Dias?

With their Midlands rivals now in the race to sign the central defender, Bruno Lage must consider reviving the club’s pursuit of the Croat.

Caleta-Car is about to enter the final year of his contract and with no apparent sign of renewing, Marseille may feel pressured into selling him at the end of the season in order to acquire some decent money for the 25-year-old.

The £14.4m-rated Croatian has started just 59% of Marseille’s games in the league this season, though, in that fairly limited time, he has demonstrated exactly what his game is about – with his passing ability shining through.

Caleta-Car, who has been dubbed as a “Daddy Emperor” by The Mirror (which is what his name translates to), has asserted himself as one of Marseille’s most accurate passers of the ball per 90, achieving an average of 72 passes, whilst also demonstrating his ability as a long-ball specialist, topping the charts for accurate long balls per 90 with an average of six accurate long balls per game.

Though, his defensive metrics are not as impressive as his offensive stats this season, with the only shining light in this area being his 66.7% of dribblers tackled metric that places him within the elite category for positionally similar players across the last 365 days in Europe’s top 5 leagues, as per FB Ref.

Wolves will feel hard done if Aston Villa capture their target after their bid fell short just seven months ago.

It has been reported that Lage is in the market for a young striker and a right-footed centre-back this summer, with Caleta-Car fitting the bill for the latter requirement.

Indeed, based on the stats above, he could become the club’s own Ruben Dias too, a player the Old Gold famously missed out on before he joined City. FB Ref notes how the players are incredibly similar and a deeper look at the stats explains why.

They both complete over 92% of their passes, and make a fairly equal number of progressive passes with Caleta-Car averaging 426.1 yards per 90 compared to the Manchester City defender’s 432.1.

Furthermore, they are producing a similar number of defensive actions. Dias completes 2.58 tackles and interceptions per 90 whereas the Marseille brute averages 2.45.

Thus, the Old Gold faithful will hope Lage can tempt the Croatian to the Molineux in what would be a great signing.

In other news: John Percy: Wolves now eye swoop for the “next Mbappe“, he’s better than Jimenez – opinion