All posts by z3u9t.icu

Glasgow Rangers fans are livid after it was revealed Premier Sports will be the title sponsor of the Scottish League Cup until the end of the 2026/27 season, and will also be the exclusive broadcaster of the competition.

The Gers cantered to the Premiership title this term – they remain unbeaten in that competition (BBC) – but they were still unable to get their hands on one of the two domestic cup competitions as well. In the League Cup, they were beaten 3-2 by St. Mirren, which was their first defeat of the season (Sky Sports).

Some of their matches have been on Premier Sports this season, and the fans have been quick to direct their criticism towards the broadcaster, whether it be in regards to their commentators or kick-off times. Therefore, this news has not gone down well with the fans at all.

The update was shared on Premier Sports’ official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“Couldn’t think of anything worse”

Credit: @samsneddon72

“Shambles”

Credit: @alimiller1992

“I’m begging you to reconsider”

Credit: @LY1872

“GARBAGE!!”

Credit: @madnutter0102

“Absolute embarrassment no wonder people laugh at our game.”

Credit: @dacraig3549

“Looking forward to more 6.30pm kick offs on a Sunday Shambolic decision making from those in the SPFL!”

Credit: @RangersRadioRFC

In other news, Rangers are favourites to sign this striker.

An update has emerged on Jens Cajuste, regarding Wolves’ plans to sign him this summer…

What’s the talk?

According to SportExpressen, as relayed by Sport Witness, Wolves are one of the clubs eyeing up a swoop for FC Midtjylland central midfielder Jens Cajuste this summer, alongside Premier League rivals Leeds and Crystal Palace.

The report claims that all three teams are preparing bids for the midfield enforcer and interest in his services ARE expected to intensify in the coming weeks.

The Northern Echo have also reported that Newcastle have dropped out of the race, due to his £13m valuation.

Neves replacement

Ruben Neves is being touted with both Manchester United and Arsenal this week, which could mean that Bruno Lage will need to replace the Portuguese international ahead of next season. This could tie in with the club’s pursuit of Cajuste as the Midtjylland man may be viewed as his replacement.

The Swedish international is three years younger than Neves and plays a similar role in the midfield.

Their statistics match up well against each other to back up this point. Last season, their pass success, long pass accuracy, tackles made, duels won, take-on success rate and clearances were all similar according to Opta (viaSquwka’s comparison matrix).

Following the reports of interest from Elland Road, Leeds Live journalist Ed Mackey said of him: “Cajuste is an all-action midfielder whose attributes look ready-made for Premier League football. Tough tackling, close control and accurate passing are seen as his main strengths but he offers everything you would want in a player of his position.

“Standing at 6 foot 2, he is dominant both in the air and on the surface which would provide vital stability in the middle of the park for Leeds. The 21-year-old also enjoys exhibiting his flair with a number of fancy but effective touches and passes being a particular stand-out feature of his overall game.”

This suggests that, if Neves is sold, Cajuste could be an excellent replacement for the former Porto captain. Hopefully, Wolves’ bid is enough to convince the Danish side to part ways with the midfielder and that they can ensure Palace and Leeds do not sneak in ahead of them to beat them to his signature.

At the age of 21, he also has plenty of room to develop and improve. Lage could work with him on the training pitch to fulfil his potential and possibly replicate or even exceed the heights Neves has managed to reach at The Molineux in recent years.

AND in other news, Lage must brutally axe £50k-p/w Wolves dud this summer, Coady said he’s “outstanding”…

West Bromwich Albion are standing firm on their position regarding Matheus Pereira’s potential exit from The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that, despite Pereira’s recent statement published on Twitter – in which the winger publicly stated his desire to leave the club – as well as a feeling amongst interested parties that a deal could be done for around £25m this summer, Albion will not be budging from their £30m valuation of the Brazilian.

The report goes on to state that Valerien Ismael’s side are more than happy to sanction the sale of the 25-year-old before the closure of the transfer window, and will not stand in the way of his departure whatsoever – as long as their asking price is met.

Ismael will be buzzing

While losing the club’s best player from the previous two seasons may well come as a blow for many of The Hawthorns faithful, there are actually a number of reasons why this sale would leave Ismael himself buzzing.

Indeed, with the 45-year-old often deploying a 3-4-3 in his time at Barnsley – with this also being a formation in which Albion have been set up in their pre-season fixtures – there does not appear to be an obvious role for the winger in this setup, nor does the Brazilian particularly suit the Frenchman’s style of play.

As such, should the club indeed go on to sell the player – who, in the eyes of Ismael, is essentially useless – for a figure anywhere near £30m, the manager should be given a quite considerable chunk of money in order to make a number of his own additions who suit his brand of football much more adequately prior to the transfer deadline at the end of August.

Furthermore, West Brom’s stubborn stance on Pereira’s asking price also bodes well for Ismael further down the line, as, with the 45-year-old known for placing his trust in and developing younger prospects, the likelihood of a bigger club being interested in one of Albion’s homegrown players in the not too distant future is a very likely scenario.

And, with the Baggies hierarchy standing firm on the valuation of their players before sanctioning a sale, Ismael will be confident that his club will not simply cash in on a highly-rated youngster with the aim of making a quick buck – but rather, will only do so if they believe the price is fair, which would, in turn, allow the Frenchman to reinvest the funds raised on improving his squad.

So, while it may be disappointing for fans to wave goodbye to the man Colin Millar dubbed a “special” player, it could well be a very different story for the manager who has already spoken out against Pereira’s dedication to the West Brom cause.

In other news: Key club figure drops three-word transfer hint which will leave West Brom fans fuming

Leeds United attacker Tyler Roberts has been linked with a summer move to Newcastle United, with his future at Elland Road up in the air.

The Lowdown: Handy squad player

The Whites have enjoyed an excellent season back in the Premier League, with Marcelo Bielsa easily ensuring that they remain in the top flight for 2021/22.

Roberts has proven to be a handy squad player, making 14 starts in the league and 25 appearances overall in the competition, registering two assists.

The Latest: Newcastle keen on Roberts

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are ‘monitoring’ Roberts’ current situation, with his current deal expiring at the end of next season.

It is claimed that Leeds have offered the 22-year-old a new contract, but that hasn’t stopped the Magpies from potentially lining up a move for the Wales international.

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The Verdict: Keep hold of attacker

While Roberts may not necessarily be an indispensable figure at Elland Road, he is an exciting young player with 13 international caps, hence Leeds’ offer of a new deal.

Bielsa needs to plan for the future and the Welshman can be a big part of that, maturing over time and becoming a more complete footballer.

Allowing him to leave this summer would be a risk, given his possible ceiling – his former manager Tony Pulis believes he has ‘got everything’ as a player – so Leeds should ignore any interest coming his way.

In other news, Leeds are believed to be eyeing up another left-back his summer – find out who it is here.

Manchester City fans are unhappy at the news that Gabriel Jesus is a major transfer target for Juventus this summer.

This promises to be a busy summer at the Etihad Stadium after the previous term. It was a successful one on the whole as the Citizens won the Premier League and the League Cup, but the loss to Chelsea in the Champions League final in Porto could lead to the squad being refreshed.

That will also mean outgoings. Both Sergio Aguero (fcbarcelona.com) and Eric Garcia have departed City to join Barcelona and now, as per Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Jesus could be joining them through the exit door. They say that the £54m-valued Brazil international (Transfermarkt) is Juve boss Max Allegri’s first-choice target, and Jesus would be open to making the switch.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Jesus below

“No Gabby don’t go”

Credit: @GdpMcfc

“He’s too good to leave”

Credit: @paddymill

“We can’t lose Jesus I’m telling you we need to keep him at all costs”

Credit: @Furqan_ibrahim1

“Hope this doesn’t come back to bite us.”

Credit: @ChrisTomz123

“I hate this summer. Gabriel Jesus is very important to us. He always gives his all on the field. His pressing and defending is top notch. Very versatile too. Why is pep trying to sell our best players”

Credit: @RockyRhymes3

“Sad to see him go, and if he joins a side that sets up more to suit him I’m sure he’ll do well. Makes sense for him to leave at this stage, though. I’d think 40m and reinvest that straight in to one of the three striker options. Delap as the understudy for next season?”

Credit: @jparkes1991

In other news, Man City fans are delighted with this Grealish update.

Pundit Paul Robinson has been reacting to Celtic’s January transfer plans, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Ange’s comments

The Hoops were extremely busy in the summer, bringing in 12 new additions while cashing in on five players.

However, attention has already turned to the January market, with Ange Postecoglou revealing earlier this month he ‘will definitely be adding’ to his squad over the coming months.

Postecoglou went on to add that the J1 League in Japan will be a market the club will explore following Kyogo Furuhashi’s £4.86m move in the summer.

The Latest: Robinson reacts

Robinson, who has featured regularly on Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider if the Hoops should expect another signing like Furuhashi in the New Year.

This is what he had to say in reply, labelling Postecoglou’s knowledge of the Japanese market as ‘incredible’ and describing winter window plans as ‘exciting’.

“Furuhashi has done outstandingly well since he has come in. If they dip into the Japanese market they will be looking for a player of similar ability.

“When you bring a manager like Postecoglou in you have to exploit the world market. Why would you not when he has an incredible knowledge of it.

“It will be the end of the J-League season there so the players will be fit. There will be no issues with them coming in and hitting the ground running.

“It is going to be an exciting window for Celtic because Postecoglou didn’t have much time in the last window to bring in the targets that he wanted. January will give him a real opportunity to add to what he has got.

“Why not tap into a market [Japan] that your manager knows well?”

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The Verdict: Exciting times…

Furuhashi has been Celtic’s standout performer this season, netting eight times in 11 appearances.

The 26-year-old has hit the ground running straight away in Glasgow, so hopefully, Postecoglou will have another few gems lined up to join Furuhashi.

Postecoglou described January as a ‘good time’ to look at the J1 League due to their end season.

If the Hoops can replicate Furuhashi’s transfer again, that could help them in their push to regain the Scottish Premiership.

In other news: BBC pundit thinks Celtic may have Kyogo ‘problem’ after what he’s seen. 

Despite having an average squad age of 26, Southampton do have a number of players in their side in and around the age of 30.

One player that fits this criteria is 30-year-old Oriol Romeu, who has managed to rack up a total of 221 appearances for the Saints across all competitions since joining the club back in the 2015 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League club Chelsea.

With the Spaniard’s current contract set to run out in the summer of 2023, we feel that the Saints could possibly already have their ideal replacement for Romeu if he were to leave the club when his deal expires.

18-year-old central-midfielder Kgagelo Chauke made his senior debut for the Saints back in January during the club’s 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup.

As well as this, Chauke, who Hasenhuttl apparently “really likes” according to journalist Joe Crann, has nine appearances for Southampton’s U18 side and 29 appearances for their B team under his belt as well.

In two appearances for Southampton B in the Football League Trophy so far this season against Leyton Orient and Charlton Athletic, Chauke managed to earn himself a match rating of 7/10 for both performances according to SofaScore, which just goes to show he can play well against senior opposition when given the chance.

In addition to this, the midfielder has managed to make two interceptions per game in those two cup matches and 3.5 tackles per game as well, showing how much of a defensive unit he can be in the team from midfield.

Taking this into account, and the fact that Romeu has made more tackles per game (3) than any other Saints player in the Premier League this season and the joint-second highest number of interceptions per game (1.6), this shows how Chauke could potentially be a good future replacement for the Spaniard if he leaves the club in the near future based on his defensive capabilities.

Moving forward, if Chauke keeps playing well for Southampton’s youth team and makes the most out of any other chance he may get to play in the senior side, we feel he could well go on to be a regular first team player for the club in the next few years.

In other news: Lost possession 19x: Southampton’s £60k-p/w “passenger” failed Ralph’s trust vs Leeds – opinion

Any potential Jack Grealish deal this summer will be on Aston Villa’s terms, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

According to Football Insider, the Villa captain’s “head has been turned” by Manchester City as they prepare to launch a £90m bid.

It could see Grealish really push for a move, though it is hard to imagine the 25-year-old attacking midfielder going as far as to hand in a transfer request at his boyhood club.

Hatfield, however, has warned that Villa will not be rolled over and will only do a deal on their terms.

“I think the club are accepting that if he wants to go and the money is right, then they’ll consider it,” the Aston Villa journalist told FFC. “But it will be on their terms, because he’s still got four years of a deal to run.”

Indeed, Villa are certainly in a strong position here after Grealish signed a new five-year contract last September.

So while the England international may want to move on to pastures new this summer, there is certainly no guarantee of that happening.

As for incomings, Villa look set to miss out on Arsenal attacker Emile Smith Rowe, with Mikel Arteta recently confirming that the youngster will be staying at the Emirates.