All posts by z3u9t.icu

When Liverpool released goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi on a free transfer in the summer of 2013, few would have predicted how his career would’ve turned out.

The Hungarian joined Austrian side RB Salzburg, where he spent two years, in which he made 100 appearances before making the predictable move to RB Leipzig in 2015 (per Transfermarkt).

This was already impressive for a man who’s time at Liverpool was dominated by loan spells to the likes of Hereford United, Tranmere Rovers and Hull City but in his five years at Leipzig, he has established himself as one of the best in the business.

The 30-year-old, who is valued at £9.9 million, has made 189 appearances for Die Roten Bullen ahead of this weekend’s fixtures, in which he has conceded 221 goals and kept 57 clean sheets (per Transfermarkt).

Gulacsi has also made 36 caps for his country and showed his class in the Bundesliga last season, as Julian Nagelsmann’s side conceded just 34 goals in 32 games while he was in net, with him also keeping 10 clean sheets (per Transfermarkt).

The former Liverpool man, who earns €30,000 (£27,000) a week at Leipzig, also helped the Bundesliga side reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they were eventually defeated 3-0 by PSG, so he now has experience at the very highest level.

Considering Liverpool’s goalkeeping struggles in recent years, with Loris Karius’ Reds career ended in one fell swoop after a disastrous performance in the Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid, whilst Adrian has earned a lot of critics since joining as a back-up to Alisson, it could be argued that the Merseyside club would have been better served by putting their faith in Gulacsi when he was younger.

Back in 2009, Rafael Benitez was full of praise for the shot-stopper, calling him “fantastic” and suggesting that he was very happy with his development (per HITC) but eventually the club decided that he wasn’t worth keeping in 2013, in a decision which they must surely now regret.

Chelsea are eager to get back into action and continue their mission to secure Champions League football next season.

The Blues have won six of their seven matches played since the Premier League restarted and are on track for a top four finish. As it stands, Frank Lampard’s side are third in table after leapfrogging Leicester, but the battle is still a close one. Chelsea must stay ahead of the Foxes and Manchester United, with just two points between third and fifth place.

Sheffield United are hoping to secure a spot in the Europa League and will be fighting tooth and nail for a result on home soil, so Chelsea must be at the top of their game.

Transfer Tavern have predicted how Lampard might set up to face the Blades this evening…

There’s no reason for the manager to change anything about his attack, with Christian Pulisic, Willian and Olivier Giroud scoring a combined nine goals since the Premier League restart (via Sofascore).

Billy Gilmour though will miss out after picking up an injury which will see him out for up to four months (BBC Sport). Ross Barkley could be dropped to the bench after failing to contribute to any of the three goals scored in their last outing. The additions of Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could freshen up the engine room and catch the Blades off guard. Loftus-Cheek bagged himself an assist coming off the bench against Crystal Palace and could be a key component of Lampard’s midfield.

Kurt Zouma lost possession 12 times against the Eagles so the centre-back partnership could be switched up by adding Antonio Rudiger to the back-line alongside Andreas Christensen.

It could be a cagey affair at Bramall Lane so the Blues must stay tight at the back and try to score early in order to maximise their chances of another important three points.

How do you think Chelsea should line up against Sheffield United, Blues? Have your say in the comments below!

Manchester United have entered an ‘advanced stage’ in negotiations to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund this summer, reports say. 

According to Fabrizio Romano, as per @utdreport, both clubs are yet to reach an agreement for Sancho but talks are still ongoing.

Personal terms will reportedly not be a problem and he will be offered a contract which will expire in 2025.

Recent reports revealed the Red Devils are increasingly confident of completing a deal for the 11-cap England international and progress seems to have been made.

Sancho, 20, was the Bundesliga club’s top scorer last season, having scored 20 goals and supplied 18 assists (via WhoScored).

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made it clear that the right winger is the signing he needs to rebuild the Red Devils midfield before the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

As it stands, Man United have not made an official bid for the attacking playmaker, but the Englishman is willing to wait and see if the two sides can sort out a deal.

The Old Trafford club have been chasing Sancho for several years now but they seem to be one step closer to finally bringing him back to his homeland in the summer.

Unsurprisingly, many United fans waxed lyrical over Romano’s “fantastic” update on social media, with one supporter dubbing the club “gargantuan.”

Scroll through some of the glowing reactions so far…

United fans, do you think Woodward will sign Sancho this summer? Let us know down below!

With money set to be tight all across the board, Manchester United, just like most other clubs across Europe, are unlikely to be splashing the cash this summer.

And according to The Manchester Evening News, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have identified two players in particular who they will look to target if their first-choice options don’t get signed.

The report claims Bournemouth duo Josh King and David Brooks are being tracked by the club ahead of the summer transfer window, with the latter being seen an alternative to their priority summer target, Jadon Sancho.

United of course tried to sign King towards the end of the January window, before eventually settling on Odion Ighalo on a loan deal, although it is now expected the striker will head back to parent side Shanghai Shenhua in time for their own campaign.

After hearing about their reported interest in both King and Brooks, United fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on their latest transfer targets.

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Tuesday with a 2-0 defeat of West Ham after a hard-fought draw with Manchester United last week.

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho will be particularly delighted with the fact that Harry Kane seems to have shaken off his rustiness following a hamstring injury in January.

While most of the focus was on Kane’s 18th goal of the season, Tanguy Ndombele was visibly frustrated on the substitutes’ bench. He was left out of the starting lineup against Manchester United and suffered the same fate against the Hammers.

Mourinho addressed a virtual news conference after the game and refuted reports of a rift between the Spurs duo. Speaking to Alasdair Gold, as per football.london, the Portuguese said: “No. On the bench was Tanguy, Sessegnon, Toby, Vertonghen, Gedson and they didn’t play. That’s football. For me there’s nothing.

“I had attacking players on the bench, Lamela and Bergwijn. Two great players to bring on and then Winks to give us more consistency. This situation of the five changes, some people maybe think that you have to use all five changes. You don’t have to do it. You have the chances to do it.”

Ndombele has been an unused substitute for three games in a row now and it remains to be seen if he will get another chance to prove himself in the future. The 23-year-old, who has been compared to Chelsea star N’Golo Kante in the past, has struggled for consistency this season.

Despite his struggles, the Frenchman is still a world-class player, as he has shown flashes of his overall brilliance so far.

Indeed, Ndombele has shown his quality in the Champions League, supplying two assists, making 1.7 tackles per game, averaging one interception and completing 1.3 key passes per game on average (via WhoScored).

He needs to seize the next opportunity and demonstrate he has what it takes to take Mourinho’s side to the next level.

Although Daniel Levy has insisted he is not for sale, as the board are hopeful he will eventually live up to his £55m price tag, Barcelona are reportedly interested in the midfielder.

While Mourinho has dismissed the recent rumours, he may be unable to resist a swap deal with Barca if an offer arrives.

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho should give Tanguy Ndombele another chance? Let us know in the comments below!

Lots of Tottenham Hotspur fans have discussed the potential incoming of Baptise Santamaria after the Angers midfielder was linked with a move to the north London club in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Spurs are reportedly keeping tabs on Santamaria according to the Daily Express (relayed by Ricky Sacks), who is also a target for Leicester City, and Everton have watched him play a few times.

The 25-year old has been dubbed ‘the next N’Golo Kante’ by The Metro, as the French international plays in a similar position, and Brendan Rodgers says that he is looking to improve his squad as per the article.

Comparing the two Frenchman in their respective leagues this season, Santamaria averages more tackles, shots, long and through balls per game than Kante, but the latter averages more interceptions, clearances, key passes and dribbles, according to Whoscored.

One supporter claimed that Santamaria was better than Eduardo Camavinga, and based off certain stats in Ligue 1 this campaign their case is somewhat justified. The former averages more interceptions, shots, key passes, dribbles, long and through balls, as per Whoscored.

These Lilywhites discussed the potential transfer of Santamaria on Twitter:

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Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Michael Brown has said that Steve Bruce will understand if Newcastle United’s prospective owners choose to replace him, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

Bruce was appointed as Newcastle boss over the summer and has guided the club to 13th in the Premier League table, eight points clear of the relegation places.

His side have struggled in front of goal, though, with only Norwich City have scored as few league goals as their 25 this season.

Nonetheless, they appear to have secured Premier League safety, but Brown said Bruce will understand if the new owners want to go in a different direction when they formally complete the takeover.

“Anytime there is a takeover you are always looking at how the owners will take it,” Brown told Football Insider.

“When there is a new takeover or you have a new boss you either have to convince them that you are the right person or it does not matter. They have already made there mind up before they come in.

Newcastle fan? Prove it by naming these obscure Magpies players…

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“Steve Bruce is an experienced manager and he will know the situation.

“I think he has done a great job but he would wish them well. If they do not want Steve Bruce he will know he did a great job for them, he would be sad but he would understand it.”

Safe pair of hands

Bruce has proven himself to be an experienced manager at Premier League level, with his side generally well organised and difficult to beat.

This has certainly been the case at Newcastle too, and he looks to have kept them up, despite a lack of investment in the squad.

However, if the club want to start looking up the division, it would make sense from them to move on from Bruce, although it would be wise to make the decision when this season is completed and not before.

So it looks like Tahith Chong could be one Manchester United youngster to slip through the net. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a huge declaration at the end of last season that he would be giving opportunities to the club’s plethora of young players, saying he could envisage them “getting their chances next year”.

And whilst the likes of Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams amongst others have been given first-team minutes here and there – they have made 13 and seven senior appearances respectively – Chong hasn’t been afforded the same amount of faith.

The Dutchman has featured just four times for Solskjaer’s side, and his agent previously claimed they are keeping a close eye on his situation to see what would be best for his development.

Now, Italian publication Calcio Mercato claim Serie A giants Juventus are seriously moving for the attacker, and that Chong has decided not to renew his contract at Old Trafford.

After hearing the transfer update on the 19-year-old, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the matter.

Many supporters revealed that they would be disappointed if he left, and insisted that given the time and opportunity, he could eventually turn into a quality player.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter after Dejan Lovren’s goal against Napoli in the Champions League, and they are fuming for one reason.

As the Croatia international leapt to head home an equaliser for Liverpool at Anfield, Lovren’s hands were all over Dries Mertens, prompting a reaction from the Belgian who felt that he had been fouled.

Now, you may remember that Palace recently had a goal disallowed against the Reds for a push on Lovren from Jordan Ayew, following a VAR review.

However, in this Champions League group stage tie in Merseyside on Wednesday evening, Lovren’s goal stood despite having vast similarities to Tomkins’ headed effort last Saturday.

Understandably, this lack of consistency has riled some Palace fans on Twitter.

One supporter said that they’re just so “bored” after the inconsistent decision, whereas another said that there is “no difference” between the two situations.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

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In other news, take a look at what these Crystal Palace fans thought of a bizarre swap deal being reported in the Italian media…

Newcastle continued to disappoint in front of goal against Wolves and but for a rare headed goal from Jamaal Lascelles, it is unlikely they would have stained Rui Patricio’s clean sheet.

They had just two shots on target in the entire match and once again one of the best chances fell to Miguel Almiron, whose lack of composure let him down as his shot hit the side netting.

It is a familiar story for the Paraguay international. He uses his pace brilliantly to get in behind the defence but clearly lacks the confidence and know-how to apply a finish.

As a result, he is still to break his duck for Newcastle and is approaching ten months at the club, an underwhelming return for a player signed for a then club record of £20m.

By contrast, one player who left St James’ Park in the summer was in electric form at his new club this weekend – Ayoze Perez.

He finished his stint at Newcastle in fine form and has continued to impress at Leicester, and though he isn’t always first choice he has scored three and assisted two for the Foxes.

On Friday night he scored a hat trick as Brendan Rodgers’ side put nine past a hapless Southampton side – that’s three more goals than the Magpies have scored in the league all season.

Newcastle, therefore, are clearly missing the invention and eye for goal that the Spaniard provided, with Almiron’s failure to step up adequately as his replacement resulting in a toothless attack.

A lack of service for Joelinton has left the new attacker with just one goal in ten league games.

The varying fortunes of Almiron and Perez sum up why Newcastle are hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone, and the Magpies faithful will certainly be missing the Spaniard’s creativity and goal scoring prowess during a spell that has been devoid of attacking inspiration.