All posts by n8rngtd.top

Alex Iwobi may reportedly now not sign a new contract at Everton, leaving his future in doubt.

The Lowdown: Contract offered

Iwobi has reportedly been offered a new deal by Everton, but he has not put pen to paper on it as of yet.

As such, a number of clubs in the Premier League are thought to be keeping an eye on the situation, as they weigh up a potential move this summer.

The Latest: May not sign…

As per Football Insider, the Goodison Park outfit are ‘confident’ that Iwobi will sign a new contract, but he is not expected to put pen to paper on it until at least the summer, as he has ‘doubts’ over whether they can avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Discussions are ‘advanced’, but it is thought that Iwobi’s head could be turned by a concrete offer in the summer.

The Verdict: Worrying

It will be certainly be worrying for Toffees supporters to hear that Iwobi is having doubts over his future, which could depend on relegation as a distinct possibility with them only two points above the drop zone.

The Nigeria international has really turned into a key player for the team, with former manager Frank Lampard lauding his development as ‘brilliant‘.

Indeed, Iwobi has not missed a game in the league so far this season, and his fine form has continued under Sean Dyche, as he is currently the highest assister in the squad and has averaged more key passes per game than any of his team-mates (WhoScored).

The £120,000-per-week maestro will not want to be playing in the Championship though, and so the Blues must make sure that they stay up come the end of the campaign, where talks over a new deal should become a lot easier.

When Chelsea signed Ethan Ampadu from Exeter City in 2017, it was impossible to tell if the teenage defender would make it at Stamford Bridge.

The young defender had established himself as a regular with the League One side at the age of just 15, making 13 appearances for his hometown club before his move to Chelsea the following summer.

The Blues would only pay compensation to the Grecians as Ampadu was under the age of 24, which made him a low-risk signing, but his lack of game time nearly six years on suggests that he isn't going to make it at Chelsea, and Graham Potter should look to get rid of the defender for good in the summer transfer window.

What's happened to Ethan Ampadu?

Ampadu would make his Chelsea debut in the EFL Cup in the 2017/18 season and has gone on to make 12 appearances for the senior side in total, all of which came when he was still just a teenager, with his outings spread across various domestic and European cup competitions.

Ahead of the 2019/20 season, the Welshman would join RB Leipzig, but he was limited to just seven appearances for the Bundesliga outfit, most of which came from the bench, which will have stunted his development further.

The following season saw him join Sheffield United in the Premier League but he was unable to help them avoid relegation to the Championship, as his 25 top-flight appearances returned a disappointing 6.70 average rating from WhoScored.

Interestingly, Ampadu's 41 caps for Wales means he has played more for his country than he has for any other side, with his 30 outings at Venezia last season the most of his club career. That's certainly worrying for a player that will turn 23 later this year.

He has been a regular at Spezia so far this season in Serie A, averaging a 6.72 rating from WhoScored across his 22 appearances in Italy's top flight but once again the standard at the Genoa-based club cannot be compared to being a first-team player at Chelsea.

It was always going to be difficult for the versatile defender to develop properly at Chelsea given his lack of first-team opportunities, but it seems clear now, 298 weeks after he initially made the move to Stamford Bridge, that Potter should cash in on Ampadu this summer to ensure that his talent doesn't go to waste.

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has said that there has been a "positive assessment" of the injury to Max Wober during the international break.

What’s the latest injury news on Wober?

Javi Gracia was dealt an injury blow to his Whites squad prior to the international break, with Tyler Adams missing the Premier League win over Wolves with a hamstring issue. The American midfielder was unable to represent his country and needed to see a specialist, and it wasn’t long until the club had more injury concerns.

Wober picked up an issue in the first 45 minutes of Austria’s first European Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan and returned to Yorkshire early for an assessment of the problem. Wilfried Gnonto also suffered an ankle injury while turning out for Italy over the weekend, and Hay has shared what he’s heard about the pair.

Taking to Twitter in the last 48 hours, Hay said that both Wober and Gnonto are doubts for this weekend’s trip to league leaders Arsenal, however, there have been "positive assessments" on their injuries after returning from their respective countries.

Who could replace Wober against Arsenal?

Wober has been a regular under Gracia, playing every minute of the four Premier League games under the new head coach. The January signing, hailed by former manager Jesse Marsch as ‘very intelligent’, ‘gifted’ and a ‘real leader’, has formed a solid partnership with Robin Koch, which resulted in early praise from Gracia following his first game in charge against Southampton.

“In my opinion, both centre-backs played really well today. They had a tough challenge. As you say with a very tall player and all the defensive line was very concentrated and the good work of the team meant we got a clean sheet.”

Should Wober miss out at the Emirates, then Gracia will seemingly have two different options to come in and partner Koch. Both Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk have had their own injury issues this season but were on the bench against Wolves last time out, with the latter of the two making an appearance in the closing stages.

Both Cooper and Struijk are also predominantly left-footed whereas Koch will more than likely continue to turn out on the right-hand side, so it’ll be interesting to see who Gracia goes with if Wober doesn’t make the trip.

A number of fans online have slammed Cristiano Ronaldo after footage emerged of him throwing a bit of a tantrum following Al-Nassr’s recent draw.

What’s the latest Cristiano Ronaldo news at Al-Nassr?

The 38-year-old is now very much in the twilight of his career and subsequently left the Premier League and Manchester United in the winter for a new challenge outside of Europe for the first time in his career.

Indeed, he went off to play in the Saudi Pro League but things haven’t necessarily quite gone to plan for the Portuguese international.

Undoubtedly, his goalscoring quality still remains – having netted 11 times and picked up two assists in his first ten league outings – but that doesn’t mean Al-Nassr have flourished.

Indeed, while his new side moved top of the table as he made his debut they now sit second in the Saudi top flight, three points behind Al-Ittihad.

Their rivals managed to pick up a 2-1 win on the weekend, but the same could not be said of Ronaldo and co.

Indeed, much to the striker’s frustration, Al-Nassr were held to a 0-0 draw away from home against 11th-placed (of 16 teams) Al Feiha.

After the game, Ronaldo couldn’t hide his anger as footage shared by Sky Sports captured his anger as he stormed off the pitch.

The former Real Madrid star apparently earns an astonishing £3.6m-p/w at his current club but money can’t buy happiness as this recent clip proves.

Fans online saw the footage and they didn’t exactly hold back on their criticism. Here are some of the reactions…

Some seemed to think it was perhaps time to hang up his boots.

While others simply noted that it was perhaps best he is no longer at Manchester United.

Tottenham Hotspur manager target Arne Slot has a 'good chance' of becoming Spurs' next manager after Antonio Conte, according to reports.

What's the latest Spurs manager update?

There have been little in the way of official developments on Spurs' next permanent boss with chairman Daniel Levy seemingly taking his time on what will be a crucial next step.

Indeed, the Premier League top four hopefuls have appointed Cristian Stellini as interim in the meantime, assisted by Ryan Mason, and the duo are tasked with securing Champions League football for next season.

In terms of who could come in afterwards, there has been no shortage of managers linked to the post, with Mauricio Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique, Zinedine Zidane and Brendan Rodgers among those being monitored by Levy.

The aforementioned five stand out as enticing options given their current status as free agents, yet reports have also suggested that Spurs could turn to in-work coaches as well. Slot, who is currently chasing an Eredivisie title with Feyenoord, is said to be a target.

The 44-year-old has been mentioned by various sections of the press as a tactician on both Spurs and Levy's shortlist, with an update coming courtesy of Voetbal International.

The Dutch news outlet, relaying news from journalists Simon Zwartkruis, Stef de Bont and Kalum van Oudheusden, share that Slot has a 'good chance to become a trainer at Spurs'.

This comes after reports that Spurs have explored the possibility of Slot through back channels and it appears his name could be more regularly-mentioned as the weeks go on in Tottenham's manager search.

What would Slot bring to Spurs?

The former AZ Alkmaar boss is a slightly more left-field option than the likes of Pochettino, Nagelsmann and Enrique – yet he is not without his credentials.

Sharing the same agent as Martin Jol, Slot has been praised for his work in the Netherlands and could be about to add a league title to his CV.

Indeed, Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan has even described Slot as the 'most exciting head coach' he's seen in the last 10 years with the manager also being unlucky not to boast more silverware.

His Feyenoord side reached the UEFA Europa Conference League last year and were unlucky not to clinch the trophy, eventually losing out to former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, who won the competition with Roma.

While he arguably wouldn't bring as much as excitement as Pochettino, you can see why Levy has taken an interest.

Aston Villa may find it difficult to keep star goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez this summer following his sensational displays at the World Cup with Argentina – but Johan Lange could find a dream replacement in Liverpool's Caoimhin Kelleher.

Could Villa lose Emiliano Martinez this summer?

Former Arsenal man Martinez has been the subject of interest from a number of top clubs in England as well as on the continent, which suggests that an exit could be on the cards for the 30-year-old if he is offered Champions League football elsewhere.

Unai Emery will no doubt be keen to keep the shot-stopper as Villa look set to earn a European spot of their own, as the Argentinian has been in impressive form in recent weeks, earning clean sheets in wins against Chelsea and Newcastle United recently.

Martinez has made 29 appearances in the top flight so far this campaign and conceded just 33 times, keeping 11 clean sheets, so it is easy to see why he is attracting interest from some of the biggest names across Europe.

He also won the Golden Glove in Qatar after helping inspire Lionel Scaloni's side to glory at the World Cup, with his penalty shootout saves in wins against the Netherlands and in the final against France proving vital.

The former Reading loanee has suggested that he loves being at the club and wants to stay, but Villa fans have seen the same responses from the likes of Jack Grealish and Fabian Delph in the past, so should be prepared if he does depart.

If reports are to be believed, Johan Lange could look to bring in Liverpool 'keeper Kelleher as the long-term replacement for Martinez at Villa Park.

Could Villa sign Kelleher?

According to The Transfer Room, Kelleher is keen to leave Anfield this summer as he continues to play second fiddle to Alisson – and is an option for Villa, Leicester City and Celtic.

The report claims that Jurgen Klopp wants to keep him at the club but will also not stand in the way of him leaving, with the Reds thought to value him at around £30m.

The 24-year-old has also been a regular in Stephen Kenny's Republic of Ireland side, with the national manager describing him as an "exceptional" goalkeeper back in 2021.

Kelleher has made 20 appearances for Liverpool and kept an impressive 10 clean sheets, so is clearly a reliable man in between the sticks, while he also played a huge part in the Reds' Carabao Cup win last season.

Therefore, if the worst happens and Martinez does leave this summer, Lange could find Emery a solid replacement in the shape of the 24-year-old.

Glasgow Rangers return to Premiership duty this afternoon as they look to build upon last weekend’s victory.

St Mirren were put to the sword 5-2 at Ibrox and a trip up north to Aberdeen will prove to be a different task altogether, especially with their current form in recent weeks. The Dons have won their previous six league matches and seem transformed under Barry Robson.

Michael Beale may stick largely with the same line-up that took to the pitch last weekend, and he detailed some injury news during his pre-match press conference, saying: "[Scott] Wright is back in the squad. [Alex] Lowry returns to training tomorrow.

"[Connor] Goldson and [Ryan] Kent will make it next weekend. [Antonio] Colak will be touch and go. Ryan Jack will be out for three/four weeks."

The good news is Goldson and Kent will make the Old Firm Scottish Cup semi-final, however, losing Jack for another four weeks is a disappointment, especially as he looked as though he was getting into a solid rhythm under Beale.

The Englishman could look to unleash Glen Kamara instead of John Lundstram against Aberdeen and the Finnish midfielder will be raring to go.

Could Glen Kamara start for Rangers against Aberdeen?

Kamara has played 16 times since Beale arrived last November, having previously been frozen out domestically under Giovanni van Bronckhorst during the first half of the season, and although he has faced competition from new signing Nicolas Raskin, Jack’s injury could see the player deployed from the start.

John Lundstram has been the one to benefit of late next to either Jack or Raskin. However, he hasn’t been outstanding recently, failing to average over a 7/10 rating on Sofascore for his previous five matches.

The £21k-per-week star could give Beale a headache by impressing against Aberdeen. He has shone glimpses of his quality since the turn of the year, none more so than a tie against Hearts in February as he received a rating of 7.5/10 via Sofascore while controlling the ball from the middle of the pitch, taking 71 touches and completing 92% of his passes.

The 27-year-old also made four tackles and won 80% of his duels during that encounter, and performances like this show that when he is on form, there is arguably nobody better at stifling the opposition and controlling the match.

Former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard once dubbed the midfielder as a “monster”, and if given a chance today, he could repay Beale’s faith.

West Ham United were on the wrong end of a 4-3 scoreline in a thrilling clash away at Crystal Palace this afternoon, as they were drawn back into a relegation dogfight with just a few matches of the Premier League season remaining.

The game at Selhurst Park was delayed by 15 minutes due to a technical decision, however, when it finally did start, West Ham took just minutes to score through Tomas Soucek. David Moyes’ side were then hit with three goals in quick succession and despite a Michail Antonio goal just before the break, they were losing 3-2.

Eberechi Eze scored a penalty to extend their lead before Nayef Aguerd set up a tense finish, however West Ham couldn’t score an equaliser, and they had a lot of poor performers throughout.

Pablo Fornals was given a start yet clearly didn’t take his opportunity, playing just 45 minutes while taking only 22 touches, completing 12 passes, winning one duel and losing possession seven times and not having the desired effect that Moyes was expecting, especially following his Scorpion kick heroics last weekend.

His replacement, Said Benrahma, wasn’t exactly much better, in fact, his performance was probably the most disappointing out of the whole squad during their defeat.

How did Said Benrahma perform for West Ham United against Crystal Palace?

Guardian reporter Jacob Steinberg wasn’t enthralled by the Algerian’s performance, tweeting: “A special mention for Benrahma. That miscontrol on the edge of the Palace area in the 93rd sums him up. It’s just a constant lack of discipline and focus. Such an underwhelming player, not worthy of the hype he gets.”

Scathing criticism indeed, although his performance was woeful against Palace as he received a Sofascore rating of 6.2/10 while he completed only four passes during his 45 minutes on the pitch, a shocking statistic.

His attacking contribution didn’t exactly mount to much either, succeeding with zero of his three dribble attempts, having no shots on target and failing to deliver either of his two crosses, proving that he was a passenger throughout the match.

Winning just two duels from nine suggests he was far from in the mood to make an impression on the game, with Palace easily able to nullify anything that he did, and his terrible display will ensure he likely won't be starting a match for the foreseeable future.

With a European semi-final tie coming up shortly, Moyes will need to manage his squad if he looks at achieving both success on the continent and retaining West Ham’s place in the Premier League.

Sky Sports News reporter Peter Stevenson has noted that opponent fans were already chanting "you're getting sacked in the morning" at new Leeds United manager Sam Allardyce.

What's the latest on Sam Allardyce and Leeds?

The 68-year-old has made his return to Premier League football with a rather big job on his hands as he looks to keep the Whites from relegation.

Indeed, after Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia have failed to deliver any sort of consistency over the course of the season, Leeds now look to 'Big Sam' as their third managerial appointment of the campaign.

Unfortunately for the Englishman, he arrived at the club with just four games left in the season and his first outing was a trip to the Etihad to play Manchester City.

Unsurprisingly, the league leaders didn't take long to find their stride against Leeds and were 2-0 up inside the first half an hour thanks to a brace from Ilkay Gundogan.

As noted by Stevenson on Sky Sports, with the game already looking out of reach for Allardyce and co before half time, the home fans aimed a brutal dig at the 68-year-old.

The journalist said: "Gundogan had far too much time. It's far too easy for Man City.

"The Leeds defence is starting to look so vulnerable.

"The home fans taunt Sam Allardyce with chants of 'you're getting sacked in the morning'."

What did Allardyce say about Guardiola?

Speaking ahead of the game, Allardyce suggested that his footballing brain was on par with Pep Guardiola, telling the press (via BBC Sport): "I'm 68 but there's nobody ahead of me in football terms. Not Pep, not Klopp, not [Mikel] Arteta," he said.

Well, he certainly has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt – having coached the likes of Bolton, Newcastle United, West Ham and many others over the years – but it didn't help much as City raced to that early lead.

Of course, having only just arrived at Elland Road, Allardyce hadn't had much time to work on his tactics ahead of the trip to the Etihad and he has admitted there is much work to do in not very much time, explaining in that the aforementioned press conference: "It's probably my biggest challenge because of the shortness of games that are left and the difficulty of those fixtures."

Of course, City fans may have been jumping the gun with their comments about him getting the sack so soon, but it's unlikely Allardyce will be at Leeds next season if he can't pick up some vital points in the club's final three games.

Aston Villa have reportedly made Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte their top transfer target and are in talks to secure his signature.

What’s the latest Aston Villa transfer news involving Ugarte?

Villa look set to be in for a busy summer, with Mateu Alemany set to arrive to work alongside Unai Emery in the transfer market.

The incoming director of football looks set to have a “huge” summer budget, with The Sun saying as much as £200m could be spent on new signings ahead of Emery’s first full season in charge.

It appears as if Ugarte, who is also wanted by Liverpool and Chelsea, is now a firm target for those in the Midlands following a recent update.

As per The Sun, ‘Alemany is keen to hit the ground running for Emery with the club already in talks to snap up highly-rated Ugarte’. The Uruguay international is the club’s top target and has a £52m release clause in his Sporting contract, something which looks like it will need to be activated for a transfer to go through.

Who is Ugarte and what would he bring to Villa?

Ugarte is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also turn out in a central midfield role, with the 22-year-old seemingly at the top of his game with a career-high €25m Transfermarkt valuation.

Hailed as a "midfield machine" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Ugarte has been a key member of Sporting’s side this season, averaging more tackles and interceptions than any other player.

His average WhoScored match rating this season stands at 7.10/10, considerably better than any Aston Villa player in 2022/23, showing how he could be a possible midfield upgrade.

You’d also expect that he still has time to improve on his already impressive game, but with plenty of interest in his services, Villa and incoming director of football Alemany may have to act fast in what would be a club-record transfer in the Midlands.