All posts by n8rngtd.top

Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Sasa Kalajdzic is set to be facing up to at least six months on the sidelines, according to journalist Steve Madeley.

The Lowdown: Road to recovery

The 25-year-old arrived in the Midlands over the summer when he put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the Old Gold, but didn’t have the best luck in his first game at Molineux.

The forward was forced off the pitch during the Wanderers’ Premier League match against Southampton at the start of the month, and it was later confirmed that he had injured his anterior cruciate ligament.

In the days following, he underwent a successful knee operation, though it sounds as though Bruno Lage will be missing his star man for a considerable amount of time…

The Latest: Lage’s injury update

Taking to Twitter, Madeley relayed what the Wolves boss had said about Kalajdzic during his pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester City clash on Saturday, and it’s not good news.

“Lage says Kalajdzic will be missing for at least 6 months. Operation went well but the recovery period is what it is.”

The Verdict: Blow for Wolves

Wolves not having Kalajdzic available for selection for a major chunk of his first season in England will come as a huge blow to Lage.

The boss brought the 6 foot 7 colossus in as a result of his form with his old side Stuttgart, having made eight goal contributions in 15 Bundesliga appearances last term, where he also provided three assists in the same number of games early this season.

The Portuguese tactician will have wanted to integrate his new signings into his squad at the earliest opportunity, but with this now impossible, he’ll have to take the setback in his stride and continue with the players he’s already got at his disposal.

Aston Villa haven’t had the greatest start to their 2022/23 campaign under Steven Gerrard, winning only twice in seven Premier League matches so far, with the international break coming at a perfect time.

Since joining Villa in November 2021, Gerrard has won just 12 league matches and despite some impressive summer transfer business – bringing in the likes of Boubacar Kamara and the injured Diego Carlos – it hasn’t quite clicked for the 42-year-old this season.

Following his move from Glasgow Rangers to the Midlands, there was always going to be speculation regarding how many players would he attempt to sign from the Ibrox side – with Ryan Kent the first player to be linked.

However, one of his poorer decisions was to not pursue a move for Glen Kamara, as he could thrive in the Premier League.

Imagine him & John McGinn

Kamara was the second Rangers star after Kent to be linked with a move to Villa after Gerrard moved down south.

The 42-year-old had bought the Finnish international from Dundee for a mere £50k in January 2019, and he went on to become an integral part of his team that won the Premiership title in 2020/2021.

Last season, Kamara received an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.01, adding three goals and three assists too, proving he can be a goal threat from the heart of the midfield.

His passing was excellent – boasting a 91% pass success rate in the league – while he also made 1.3 key passes per match – displaying his ability to circulate the ball to a very high standard.

Kamara would have formed an effective duo with current Villa captain McGinn in the sides engine room, complementing each other’s skills well.

Kamara could have utilised his passing ability to dictate play from the base of the midfield and allowed McGinn to push further forward and generate goal-scoring opportunities. Kamara had 16 shots on target last season, suggesting that, with a bit of luck and composure he should have had more than just three goals.

Gerrard could have had landed the perfect balance of defence and attack with these two players in his team. However, it looks as if the 42-year-old has now missed his best opportunity to land the £30k-per-week “monster” – as Gerrard himself dubbed Kamara back in 2019.

Wolves’ injury problems continued on Saturday as they lost Pedro Neto to an ankle problem against West Ham.

The Old Gold dropped into the relegation zone after a 2-0 loss against the Hammers, with the Old once again failing to find the back of the net.

Sasa Kalajdzic, Raul Jimenez and Hwang Hee-Chan are all currently sidelined through injury for the Midlands side and they look set to be joined by Neto for the foreseeable future, which is limiting Wolves’ already sparse attacking options.

The now sacked Bruno Lage suggested that it looked to be a “bad injury” and with games set to come thick and fast before the World Cup, it is undoubtedly a blow for Wolves to lose one of their star attackers.

Indeed, whoever is welcomed to Molineux as Lage’s successor will be severely hamstrung and will have to deal with a tricky set of circumstances with a number of the club’s best players on the treatment table.

There were high hopes for Neto this season after the former Lazio man missed much of the 2021/22 campaign through injury but, like many others in this Wolves squad, he has endured a difficult start to the season.

In eight Premier League appearances, the 22-year-old has failed to score a single goal or assist, averaging a shocking 6.58 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The 2020/21 campaign saw Neto contribute five goals and six assists in the top flight, averaging a superb 7.11 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which only makes his less than impressive start to this season even more disappointing.

After scoring a winner against Southampton that season, Alan Shearer labelled the winger a “huge talent”, while Arsenal were said to be interested in signing him during the summer, with a fee of £50m touted.

In retrospect, Wolves might have taken that sort of money considering his form this term but even on poor form, the Portuguese attacker is one of the most exciting players in Wolves’ side and he will be sorely missed as the Old Gold look to turn their form around in the coming weeks under a new head coach.

Considering the lack of goals and creativity in their side, losing another winger to injury will have a lot of Wolves fans fearing a potential relegation, as it is difficult to see how they rectify their goalscoring issues given the lack of attacking options.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth can’t see Aston Villa sacking Steven Gerrard anytime soon.

The Lowdown: Speculation…

Villa haven’t had the best of starts to the campaign, with a number of defensive injuries combined with a lack of quality in the final third leaving them in 14th place with eight points from eight games.

Rumours have already emerged regarding the possibility of Gerrard being sacked, with Unai Emery and Mauricio Pochettino sounded out as potential replacements.

As we know, Gerrard remains in charge at Villa Park heading into Monday’s trip to Nottingham Forest, and Sheth has had his say on the manager’s future.

The Latest: Sheth’s comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Sheth stated that he ‘can’t see a situation’ where NSWE decide to part ways with Gerrard, citing the effort it took to lure him from Rangers along with the investment in the playing squad.

“I can’t see a situation where Villa would sack him simply because they tried so hard in the first place to get him.

“They’ve put a lot of investment, not only in Steven Gerrard, but in the playing squad that Steven Gerrard wanted to bring in as well, so they have backed him in the transfer window.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-updates-copy/” title=”Aston Villa latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Patience required

Villa would have been hoping for a stronger start to the season, however, it makes sense to give Gerrard more time to turn things around.

Sunday’s stalemate against Leeds United was frustrating, especially as Villa played against ten men for almost half of the fixture, but if things can click in the final third relatively soon, results will improve.

Gerrard appears to have tightened things up at the back with two successive clean sheets, even despite being dealt a terrible hand with injuries in that department.

All that said, a disappointing performance against Nottingham Forest on Monday could pile the pressure on the manager.

Everton have made plenty of financial blunders in recent times, which has led to their notoriety across the Premier League for overspending.

However, before that, they were a side that was more than capable of picking up cheaper young talent and developing them into the first team.

This was seen in their acquisition and subsequent explosion of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, however around the same time, they also signed another exciting English talent who would go on to achieve similar feats to him.

Mason Holgate joined from Barnsley just one year earlier than the Sheffield-born striker, for a fee of £2m.

He instantly drew comparisons with another of their purchases from the club, with John Stones having too joined from the Tykes. The 28-year-old would go on to be sold for £47.5m just a year after Holgate’s arrival.

There were high expectations for the 25-year-old, who looked confident and calm, which often blended into arrogance at times whilst on the ball.

Having since gone on to play 144 times for the Toffees, he has announced himself as a decent option for depth amongst the squad.

He might be slightly more reckless than the likes of James Tarkowski or Michael Keane, but his speed and flair often give him the edge over defenders such as the former Burnley men.

The fact that he has also captained the club on a few occasions marks just how much he has grown as a player and a person, despite having faced plenty of hardships whilst at Goodison Park.

His improvement can be captured through his CIES Football Observatory value, which now stands at €15m (£13m).

This marks a 550% increase from his initial fee, showing that Everton still have the capability to nurture their own talent rather than throwing copious amounts of money to acquire it.

The Athletic journalist Greg O’Keeffe noted Holgate as “solid defensively” whilst discussing a lineup back in 2017, a year where he featured 21 times in all competitions.

Only in the 2019/20 season did we start to see the best of this defensive stalwart, after Carlo Ancelotti had come in halfway through the season. Holgate turned his form around to secure an average SofaScore rating of 7.01.

Although he still has a long way to go before he is recognised as a truly impressive defender for the club, his rise in value means they have already hit the jackpot on the versatile gem.

Liverpool correspondent James Pearce has labelled an injury update to midfielder Arthur Melo as ‘devastating news’.

The Lowdown: Surgery required

Arthur made the move to Anfield late in the summer window, joining on a season-long loan from Juventus. However, the 26-year-old has struggled on Merseyside and is yet to make a Premier League appearance for the Reds.

His only first-team minutes came off the bench in a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Napoli in September. The midfielder now looks set to be out of action for three to four months after sustaining an injury in training that requires surgery.

The Latest: Pearce reacts

Pearce took to Twitter on Saturday evening to report the update regarding Arthur.

He shared a story for The Athletic, describing it as ‘devastating news’ for the player.

The Verdict: Not good

Arthur is yet to get going under Jurgen Klopp, and it looks as if he won’t be seen in action again until 2023.

The Reds reportedly have the option to make a move permanent at the end of the season in a deal worth £32m, however, you’d say that a full-time move is unlikely at this moment in time.

Hopefully, Arthur’s surgery goes as planned and he can return in good time, where he can potentially show everyone at the club why Klopp and co decided to bring him to Anfield.

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has come under fire from former Toffees man Martin Keown for his attitude towards his teammates on the pitch.

The Lowdown: Pickford staying at Everton

Pickford made headlines earlier this week after agreeing a new deal at Goodison Park – though some of the reaction to his contract extension saw the 28-year-old’s ambition come into question.

The England No 1’s four-year deal means he will take his stay at Everton to 10 years, though having joined from Sunderland in 2017, his club career has been dominated by relegation battles, with the Toffees at the lower end of the Premier League table in recent years.

And despite vowing to ‘build a legacy’ similar to that of club legend Neville Southall, it is a certain aspect of his performances that has annoyed TalkSport pundit and ex-Everton ace Keown the most.

The Latest: Keown would hate playing with Pickford at Goodison Park

Speaking on TalkSport, while Keown insisted that Pickford’s extension is a positive sign for the club, he decided to use the opportunity to pick on a specific quirk of the goalkeeper’s game.

He said: “This is really good news to get him to sign a new deal, but he looks almost offended when the opposition have a shot.

“I find that quite tricky to deal with. He’d make me particularly angry as a player, as a central defender.”

The Lowdown: Pickford is England No 1 for a reason

Keown had previously been asked whether he felt Pickford was the best goalkeeper in the country, which perhaps makes his comment somewhat more relevant.

However, we don’t see his displays of anger as a problem nor as an indication of Pickford’s ability.

Despite their struggles this term, Everton headed into the weekend with the fourth-best defence outside the so-called ‘big six’ based on goals conceded, having let in five fewer than Tottenham Hotspur. Therefore, Pickford – and his defenders – must be doing a lot of things right.

That said, having just five clean sheets to his name prior to their clash against Aston Villa must be a source of frustration for the World Cup semi-finalist, particularly given the relatively impressive rate at which they have kept the opposition out this season.

We would think that Pickford’s attitude – which is hardly a newfound thing – is simply in his nature, and that if Keown was playing alongside him, he’d get used to it before too long.

Luckily for the two-time Premier League winner, their careers at Goodison Park were some 24 years apart, and we imagine Pickford to be a totally different player from the more mild-mannered David Seaman.

Hopefully, Pickford will allow Everton’s success to do the talking for him in the years to come.

A big update has emerged on Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin and his potential availability against Aston Villa…

What’s the latest?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has revealed that the Frenchman could be in contention to feature in the match if came through training (on Friday) without any setbacks.

The head coach told the Chronicle: “Yeah there’s a chance. We will see how training goes today. He has made really good progress and I am really pleased with how he’s attacked his rehab and the work he’s put in. So there’s an opportunity to get Maxi fit and available.”

He added: “Maxi is in a really good place. I think the setback he had recently with his hamstring was a huge blow to him.

“But it almost reset him mentally. It was like (he thought): ‘Right I have really got to get myself right and get my recovery right’.

“So I think I have this time, a steely determination to get back fit and get back in the best condition possible. He’s been having really intense treatment, three sessions a day, two at the training ground and one at home.”

Huge boost

This could be a huge boost for Howe if Saint-Maximin is fit enough to face Aston Villa as he could make a big impact on the pitch, whether that is from the start or as a substitute.

The French forward is electric in the final third and could provide a spark out wide on the left, where Newcastle have struggled to hurt teams this season since the ex-Nice man’s injury.

Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron have combined for 10 goals and one assist between them in the striker and right-wing positions in the Premier League, but Jacob Murphy and Ryan Fraser have only managed one goal and zero assists in a combined seven starts.

No one has been able to step up in Saint-Maximin’s absence to nail down the left-wing position and that is why his return would be a welcome one.

He has the quality to be a difference-maker on the ball and has proven himself in the Premier League. The gem produced five goals and five assists in the top-flight last term and has mustered up one goal and two assists in just four starts so far this season, whilst completing 3.2 dribbles or more per game in both campaigns.

Only Kieran Trippier (7.72) has averaged a higher SofaScore rating than Saint-Maximin (7.36) within the Newcastle squad in 2022/23 and this suggests that he is one of the club’s top performers.

Therefore, having him available will be a huge boost for Howe because of the level of quality he can provide on the pitch in comparison to the likes of Fraser and Murphy.

West Ham United return to Europa Conference League action on Thursday night, with Group B’s top spot on the line as David Moyes’ side face Silkeborg at the London Stadium.

After winning their opening four games in Group B, the Hammers are already mathematically assured of a place in the knockout stages, and, with the Irons needing just one more point to seal first place in the group, the Scottish manager looks set to rotate his side after the 2-0 win against Bournemouth on Monday night.

Here is how we at Football FanCast expect the Premier League side to line up against Silkeborg on Thursday evening, with nine changes from the team that started against the Cherries.

Alphonse Areola will likely continue as West Ham’s starting goalkeeper in Europe, so he replaces Lukasz Fabianski in between the sticks.

It is all change in defence, as Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri replace Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell at full-back in order to get some much-needed minutes under their belts.

There is big news at centre-back as summer signing Nayef Aguerd could be fit to make his first competitive appearance for the club after missing the opening months of the season through injury, and he should partner academy sensation Jamal Baptiste in the heart of the Hammers’ defence.

In midfield, Declan Rice keeps his place in order to provide some security and experience in an otherwise youthful side, and he partners fellow academy graduate Conor Coventry after his impressive displays on loan at MK Dons last season.

After scoring on Monday night, Said Benrahma keeps his place in the attack in the hope that he can build some confidence, while Manuel Lanzini replaces Flynn Downes in attacking midfield and Pablo Fornals comes in for the “unbelievable” Jarrod Bowen on the right, with the Englishman rested ahead of Manchester United on Sunday.

Finally, Michail Antonio replaces Gianluca Scamacca in attack, with the Jamaican no doubt looking to add to his Hammers goal tally after a disappointing start to the new campaign – which has returned just four goals.

Bill Young believes Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be sacked after Rangers’ 2-1 defeat away to St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Woeful day for Rangers

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were desperate for a win after Celtic’s 4-2 win at home to Dundee United on Saturday, with the pressure on the visitors.

Unfortunately, the Gers produced a horribly below-par showing at McDiarmid Park, conceding once in either half to fall to an insipid defeat.

The loss means that Rangers are now seven points adrift in the Scottish Premiership title race, which even at this stage of the season feels like a mountain to climb.

The Latest: Young calls for GVB sacking

Taking to Twitter, Young claimed that Van Bronckhorst will now be sacked as Gers boss:

“Rangers have eased off this have the belief lacking from the 1st half. If it ends like this the league is over and so is the managers tenure in my view. You must capitalise on what you create St.Johnstone have and Rangers haven’t that simple.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-5/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Time for a change

The nature of both Rangers’ performance and defeat on Sunday suggest that a managerial change is now needed at Ibrox, with things growing stagnant.

Things have been getting increasingly worse over time in recent months, from European disappointment to dropped points in the league, and there is a feeling that things are only going to get worse.

Quite who comes in to replace Van Bronckhorst remains to be seen – could a surprise return for Steven Gerrard even be on the cards? – but it would be a shock if he was in charge of Rangers’ next game.