All posts by h716a5.icu

Nigel Martyn has praised Allan and even compared the Everton star to Goodison Park legend Lee Carsley.

In an exclusive interview with HITC, the former Toffees goalkeeper was full of praise for the Brazil international, saying:

“I like Allan. Goes under the radar but breaks up a lot of play, doing a bit of the Lee Carsley role from my time there!

“They’re the players other players appreciate a heck of a lot, they do a lot of the running, tackling, the nastier side of the game, the selfless running.

“He’s been really good; his passing is decent as well. He’s impressed me quite a lot. Midfield-wise, they look a stronger outfit than they were last year.”

Allan plays a similar role to Carsley

Indeed, Allan is playing in a similar role to what Carsley used to play for the Toffees, racking up 197 games in all competitions over seven years, mainly operating in the defensive midfield position (Transfermarkt).

To be compared to the Irishman is already a big compliment to the 29-year old, given that he only joined Carlo Ancelotti’s team from Napoli in the summer transfer window.

Allan has been great in the Premier League

Indeed, Allan has been nothing short of great so far in the Premier League this season.

The midfielder has won a rather impressive 6.2 of his duels per game in the top flight so far, as well as averaging four tackles, 1.2 interception and 1.2 clearances per match (Sofascore).

Can Allan help Everton reach European football?

Indeed, the question will now be whether Allan can help Everton qualify for European football in 2021.

The Toffees are currently sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League, and while there are still more than 30 games left to play in the division, it is certainly a great start to what may well turn out to be a fruitful term for the club, providing that they can keep their good form going for the rest of the season.

In other news, find out which Everton transfer target has been tipped to leave by his teammate here!

Southampton Chief Executive Martin Semmens must prioritise giving Oriol Romeu a new contract this season, with the Spanish midfielder’s current deal set to expire at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

The 29-year-old has been an important part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season, having made eight appearances in the Premier League, in which he has averaged a superb 7.15 rating, which ranks him as the Saints’ fourth-best performer in the league so far this campaign (per WhoScored).

The defensive midfielder has been a regular with the South Coast club since joining from Chelsea in 2015, as he has gone on to make 198 appearances for the Saints, contributing six goals and two assists (per Transfermarkt).

Therefore, it is clear that he is a key part of Hasenhuttl’s squad and after his superb start to this season, Semmens must now ensure that the midfielder is given a well-earned new contract with the club. Otherwise, they risk losing him on a free transfer, especially as foreign clubs would be allowed to begin negotiations with him in January on a pre-contract deal.

The Spaniard is also currently one of just two defensive midfielders in the Southampton squad, following Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s departure to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, which again highlights the importance of keeping him.

Ibrahima Diallo is the Saints’ only other defensive midfielder, and with just 18 minutes of Premier League action under his belt thus far, the 21-year-old is perhaps not ready to step up as a first-team regular in the event that Romeu leaves at the end of this season.

Hasenhuttl is clearly a big fan of Romeu too, as he suggested after his goal in the 2-0 win over West Brom earlier this year that:

“I have never seen a professional like him before in my entire managing career. He’s one of the most professional guys I’ve ever seen.

“When you see him as a professional, how he reacts when he’s not first choice, it’s unbelievable. He’s always the first on the pitch, always hard-working. I think for this, they love him here.” (per Daily Echo)

Therefore, it seems clear that Semmens and the rest of the Southampton board must work hard to ensure that Romeu is rewarded with a new contract in the near future, as Hasenhuttl clearly wouldn’t be happy if he was allowed to leave on a free transfer.

Writing on Twitter, football.london journalist Sam Inkersole has revealed a ‘problem’ surrounding new West Ham signing Said Benrahma – going on to claim David Moyes could be without the Algerian due to the latest update on his international future. 

Benrahma, who is yet to start a match for West Ham since putting pen to paper on a loan-to-buy deal from Brentford, with the attacker slowly getting up to full fitness, could now miss a significant portion of the 2021/2022 season if he indeed signs on a permanent deal.

Benrahma could be absent

As per football.london journalist Inkersole, Benrahma is likely to be a mainstay for his native Algeria as they qualified for the postponed 2021 African Cup of Nations, which looms mid-way through next season.

The 25-year-old, largely tipped as a great signing for the Hammers, could sign for the east London club on a permanent deal if he manages to thoroughly impress on loan from Brentford – but his potential first full season as an official West Ham star could include two months of absence.

Lauded as a ‘magician’, this comes as a future blow to Moyes down the line – with Benrahma’s pedigree marking him out as a potentially crucial star for the Hammers.

Transfer Tavern take

The £19.8 million-valued attacker, still yet to start a full encounter, could soon be thrust into action – with Irons supporters heavily anticipating seeing their marquee summer acquisition play a full 90 minutes.

If he does impress enough to lock up that permanent deal, Inkersole’s latest news could spell trouble – especially considering the often congested fixture calendar around the start of the year.

In other news: David Gold shared some ‘excellent news’ which could excite Hammers, find out more here. 

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…

David Moyes will throw Said Benrahma under the bus if the West Ham United boss plans to use the Brentford loanee as a striker against Leeds on Friday night.

Benrahma is yet to start a Premier League fixture since moving to the London Stadium on a season-long deal, with Moyes firm in his stance that the Algerian must wait for his opportunity as Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen continue to excel on the wings.

Fornals offered a tame showing in West Ham’s last top-flight outing as he struggled to make his chances count before Manchester United came from behind to win, yet it is not the £67,308-per-week playmaker who could miss out on facing Leeds but rather Sebastien Haller.

According to Claret & Hugh, Moyes will be without Michail Antonio at Elland Road as the striker is continuing to train alone before featuring for the Under 23s as he bids to make his comeback from a second hamstring injury.

The blow allowed Haller to move back into the starting line-up against Manchester United, but a goalless display from the Ivory Coast international has raised the potential for Benrahma to lead the line against Marcelo Bielsa’s Championship title-holders.

Moyes would be throwing Benrahma under the bus if he were to award the Brentford loanee his maiden West Ham start at striker, as the “outstanding” forward Lee Hendrie is confident has top-flight ability has only played in a centre-forward role seven times throughout his senior career.

Only four times has Benrahma opened the action as a striker, too, which returned his only two goals in the position – each coming in a Ligue 2 fixture against Stade Brest back in May 2018 whilst with LB Chateauroux.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank only saw fit to hand his star forward central duties twice, as well, with one of which coming against Leeds for the final 11 minutes as he chased a late goal to avoid defeat at Elland Road.

The strike did not come and Benrahma returned to the left-wing, where he would pen each of his 17 goals and 10 assists during the 2019/20 season on route to defeat in the Play-Off Final with Fulham.

Speculation of Moyes considering Benrahma as a central option is not too far-fetched with the Scot initially favouring AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King this summer, a player who was keen to play as a No. 9 as opposed to on the flank.

But using Benrahma in the manner King would have occupied would be an absurd plan to make use of the 25-year-old his side brought in on a £5million loan deal that features a £20m obligation to buy and a further £5m possible in add-ons, meaning it could rise to £30m.

AND in other news, David Sullivan can redefine David Moyes’ West Ham with a winter swoop for a £4.95m-rated maestro.

After Sergio Reguilon’s arrival from Real Madrid in the summer, Ben Davies would have been forgiven for being concerned over how his future at Tottenham would look like.

The Lilywhites’ summer signing had impressed for Europa League winners Sevilla before joining the north Londoners on a permanent deal, and at just 24, seems primed to enter his peak years at the club.

But on Sunday night against Wolves in the Premier League, Davies showed that he can still play a huge role for Spurs both this season and in the future.

Playing on the left-hand side of a back-three – a job he has done for Wales – the 27-year-old looked assured in his defending and dealt admirably with the unenviable task of having to deal with Adama Traore.

Aside from perhaps being at fault for Roman Saiss’ equaliser, Davies was undoubtedly one of Spurs’ better performers of the evening. As per Sofascore, he won eight of his 13 total duels, made two tackles and two interceptions apiece, and also provided two key passes too – not to mention setting up Tanguy Ndombele for his 1st minute strike.

His ability to play as both a full-back and as part of a back-three is something the Spurs boss has previously talked up, saying: “Ben and Reguilon is a little bit the same. Can they play together or for one to play and the other one has to be on the bench? Yes, they can play together and that’s a very good thing for us.

“Ben is very intelligent. So that’s why it’s quite easy to understand the difference between playing left-back, centre-back with five or centre-back with four. Of course left-footed there are not many centre-backs with a left-foot. Some clubs have them but the majority don’t. To have him as an option is also good because to attack, the build-up is also important.”

That versatility is crucial to the way Mourinho can set his team up, not only in his pre-match briefings, but also how he can adapt on the fly during a game too.

They may not have come away with all three points, but Davies’ impressive performance at Molineux has given Mourinho some serious food for thought going forward about how best to use him.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Sheffield Wednesday legend Carlton Palmer has fired a stark warning to the next Owls boss.

Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri sacked Tony Pulis less than two weeks ago after just ten matches in charge and now he’s looking for his fifth manager in three years at Hillsborough Stadium.

The Owls have gone four matches unbeaten, three of which under caretaker coach Neil Thompson, who Palmer has backed to receive the job permanently.

Whilst the likes of Paul Cook, Joey Barton, Thorsten Fink and Jose Morais have all been linked to the vacant role in south Yorkshire.

Though, Palmer isn’t sure that anyone would want to work under the current structure at Wednesday as he dropped a huge claim on how Chansiri operates in the transfer market…

He told FFC:

“My understanding is, in the past, from what I’ve heard is that Chansiri will come to the manager and say ‘right, here’s four or five players – choose which one.’

“That’s still not right because it is maybe not the players that the manager wants.

“The manager should [be the one to] draw up a shortlist of players he wants.”

Chansiri claims that he sacked the 62-year-old Welshman over his negative brand of football, claiming it was a “mistake” to appoint him in the first place, though it could not have come at a worse time now we’re a week into the January transfer window.

Indeed, if the Owls make any moves before that crucial appointment, then it will only add further weight to Palmer’s damning remarks.

The job at Hillsborough is certainly less attractive if the new manager isn’t going to have full autonomy over incomings and outgoings.

Wednesday face League Two outfit Exeter City in the FA Cup this weekend and it doesn’t seem like an appointment is going to happen before then.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Sheffield Wednesday tipped to appoint 57 y/o as next boss…

Former Celtic striker Andy Walker has let rip at the Celtic board, led by majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, over their handling of the Dubai controversy.

Desmond lambasted

Neil Lennon’s side organised the trip back in November to the Middle East and put in a request that their match against Hibernian was moved to January 11th to accommodate it.

After criticism from Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish FA won’t be investigating the Bhoys’ decision to attend their training camp, despite lockdown restrictions being in place across the country, according to Sky Sports.

Desmond is, of course, crucial in the board’s decision-making process – the majority shareholder has made the call for the club to back Lennon even after the Old Firm defeat.

Walker is clearly not impressed with the Hoops chief’s latest move though, via Glasgow Times: “If only the Celtic of today had someone like Billy McNeill who could grasp the feelings of the supporters in an instant and understand what they are all going through in these extraordinary times. Sadly, there’s no one.

“Those in the boardroom stand accused of a complete lack of understanding as to what it means to be a Celtic supporter and I doubt you could find one who spends any time with ordinary fans.

“The next time Celtic fans get a message from the privileged boardroom, it will no doubt be a call to dig deep into their pockets and renew their season tickets. No wonder some fans are in despair.”

He continued: “The problem with Celtic just now is that they come across as being totally inflexible. ‘We’ve booked a trip and we don’t care that things have changed. We know the whole of the UK is in a lockdown, but we can’t do anything about it’. I’d argue that a bit of compassion and understanding wouldn’t go amiss.

“As a captain and manager, Billy McNeill continually set a wonderful example and could easily grasp the mood of the Celtic support. No one at the club these days comes anywhere near his stature.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

These are strong words from Walker, and ones that are difficult to disagree with.

After what has been a poor season from Lennon’s point of views and with calls for him to be sacked made by the Parkhead faithful, this is the last thing that he would have wanted.

Sitting 19 points behind arch-rivals Rangers, one of two things could happen from now until the end of the season on the back of this.

Either the criticism will spark Celtic into life and inspire a sensational comeback – or it could be the sickening blow to their already dismal campaign.

In other news, Ex-Scotland international fears for Neil Lennon about a situation that ‘doesn’t look right.’

Alfredo Morelos’ future at Glasgow Rangers remains in doubt.

Having made no attempts to disguise his desire to leave Ibrox at the end of last season, the Colombian centre-forward will be well aware of what comes next in the January transfer window.

Not a week goes by without Morelos facing the same old questions about his commitment to the club he first joined at the age of 20 and where he has established himself as an integral part of Steven Gerrard’s side.

However, he may not have to wait too long before he catches his next big break.

Reports emerged earlier this week that Bayern Munich are interested in the 24-year-old as a potential replacement for Robert Lewandowski.

After a sluggish start to the season, the £33,000-a-week Colombia international has been in prolific form over the past few weeks, having fired in three goals in his last four games in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Naturally, other sides have been keeping a watchful eye on his situation, including French Ligue 1 outfit Lille, but Rangers are under no pressure to sell and should be reluctant to do so given the fact that they are currently in hot pursuit of their first piece of silverware since the 2010-11 season.

As we mentioned earlier today, while Ryan Kent has been linked to Leeds United once more – with former Rangers player Derek Ferguson casting doubts about his future – the potential loss of Morelos would arguably be an even greater blow for Gerrard.

With Rangers well in the race for the Scottish league, it would be a catastrophic error from Ross Wilson to let him leave at such a crucial stage in the campaign.

Morelos has been at the club for the best part of four years now and he perhaps represents their best chance to deny Celtic their bid for ‘ten in a row’ – last season, he smashed home 12 goals in 26 games in the Scottish Premiership and is the club’s third-highest scorer this season despite his initial struggles.

In his first season alone, he scored 14 goals in 31 top-flight appearances, and now, he continues to be one of Gerrard’s best players. He isn’t just a second-stringer. He’s become a part of the fabric of the club, especially when you consider the fact that he quite literally wrote his name into the history books after breaking Ally McCoist’s European goal-scoring record.

It will be interested to see if Bayern launch a bid for Morelos, that’s for sure, but Rangers shouldn’t even begin to entertain an offer. There’s simply too much at stake.

AND in other news, Rangers should secure Gustavo Hamer as a Steven Davis alternative…

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma this month by Duncan Castles on The Transfer Window Podcast, and the Mali international’s stats suggest that he would be a great addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

Since joining the Seagulls from LOSC Lille in 2018, the 24-year-old has gone on to make 76 appearances, in which he has contributed four goals and one assist.

This season has seen the midfielder average a solid 6.83 rating for his performances in the Premier League, whilst he has demonstrated his long-range shooting quality with superb goals against Everton and Blackpool so far this campaign.

With Fabinho having played centre-back for much of the season, Liverpool have arguably lacked some bite in midfield at times this campaign, which Bissouma could add if he were to make the move to Anfield.

The Brazilian has averaged 2.1 tackles per game, which is the most of any Reds player. Bissouma, meanwhile, has averaged 2.9 tackles per game in the top-flight, which suggests he would fit well into Klopp’s midfield.

The 24-year-old also scores highly with his pass accuracy rate (86.2%) and dribbles per game (1.6), which again suggests that he could adapt to Liverpool’s style of play, as we have often seen the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum and Thiago use their dribbling qualities in order to make space for the front three.

Bissouma may well be likely to depart Brighton in the near future given he is attracting interest from sides across the Premier League, with manager Graham Potter also full of praise for him earlier this season, saying:

“He’s got that quality (to play in the Champions League), he’s got those attributes that you need at that level.”

With Wijnaldum looking likely to join Barcelona at the end of the season, Bissouma could prove to be the ideal replacement if Michael Edwards is able to bring the £11.7 million-rated midfielder to Anfield during the summer.

And, in other news… “I think they’ll try and get it done this window” – Exclusive: Pundit tips LFC to target “perfect” 28 y/o