All posts by z3u9t.icu

Cardiff City have now been without a manager for almost three weeks, having parted ways with Erol Bulut on September 22. The Bluebirds sacked the Turkish boss after a dismal start to the season that saw them earn just one point from their opening six games and rooted to the bottom of the Championship.

Omer Riza is currently in charge on an interim basis, and while Cardiff’s form has improved under his guidance – they’ve beaten Millwall and drawn with Bristol City already this month – the board is still on the hunt for a permanent successor to Bulut.

Cardiff City manager latest

According to Wales Online, Cardiff’s board have spent the past two weeks “poring over a longlist of candidates” and have discussed a number of names, including Ruben Selles.

Selles, the current manager of League One side Reading, has drawn plaudits for keeping the Royals in the third division despite a number of issues behind the scenes, which include the club failing to pay its players and being issued a winding-up petition by HMRC over unpaid taxes.

Despite continuing with the club, the Spanish manager recently hinted that he could soon be on his way out of the Madejski Stadium.

“I have had enough of this situation now,” Selles told BBC Radio Berkshire a fortnight ago after a proposed club takeover by American lawyer and businessman Rob Couhig fell through.

“All the bad situations that can happen in football have happened to me in the last 16 months,” he said. “I have a fantastic group of players that have been fighting against those situations but it gets to a point where you cannot anymore, you are repeating the things in the cycle.”

Selles said that while he’s not somebody who “likes to quit,” he needs “to reflect on where could be the ending point.” According to Wales Online, Selles will be a “central part of the hierarchy’s discussions” at Cardiff, but it appears they have another target in mind too.

Slaven Bilic talks held

Selles isn’t the only man the Cardiff board have been considering for the vacant manager’s position at the Principality Stadium. According to Wales Online’s report, they also recently held talks with Slaven Bilic.

The Croatian, who often plays a 4-2-3-1 formation and has actually beaten Cardiff twice in his career, gained promotion to the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion back in July 2020 and has also managed West Ham United and Watford, but has been without a job since leaving Saudi Pro League side Al-Fateh back in August.

Bilic left the Saudi club, which is the current home of former Manchester City and Lyon defender Jason Denayer, by mutual consent due to “disagreements in strategy,” the club said in an official statement.

Cardiff City eyeing move for "highly regarded" 39 y/o to replace Erol Bulut

They sit bottom of the Championship…

1 ByTom Cunningham Sep 22, 2024

Wales Online report that talks between Cardiff and Bilic were held this week, however it is “increasingly unlikely that the 56-year-old, who is back home in his native Croatia, will take the job”.

Among the other names being touted to succeed Bulut as Cardiff manager are Sam Allardyce, Mark Hughes, Tony Pulis, and Neil Warnock, as well as former Plymouth Argyle duo Steven Schumacher and Ryan Lowe.

A “dangerous” £15 million player has been floated in the direction of West Ham United, and it is believed technical director Tim Steidten could strike a deal for him in January.

The players West Ham could reportedly sign in January

Over the past fortnight and beforehand, reports have circulated linking Julen Lopetegui’s side with a few attacking players.

Journalist shares how people at West Ham are really feeling about Lopetegui

He’s a man under some pressure.

2 ByEmilio Galantini Oct 10, 2024

The east Londoners spent nearly £120 million on nine new arrivals in a statement of intent over the summer window, but West Ham’s mixed start to the 2024/2025 Premier League campaign highlights that they may need to bolster other areas of the squad too.

West Ham summer signings

From

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Maximilian Kilman

Wolves

€47.5m

Crysencio Summerville

Leeds United

€29.3m

Niclas Fullkrug

Borussia Dortmund

€27m

Luis Guilherme

Palmeiras

€23m

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Undisclosed

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

€18m

Wes Foderingham

Sheffield United

Free transfer

Guido Rodriguez

Real Betis

Free transfer

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

Loan transfer

Carlos Soler

PSG

Loan transfer

West Ham summer departures

To

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Flynn Downes

Southampton

€17.85m

James Ward-Prowse

Nottingham Forest

Loan

Maxwel Cornet

Southampton

Loan

Kurt Zouma

Al-Shabab

Loan

Nayef Aguerd

Real Sociedad

Loan

Said Benrahma

Lyon

€14.4m

Angelo Ogbonna

Watford

Free transfer

Thilo Kehrer

Monaco

€11m

Nathan Trott

FC Copenhagen

€1.5m

Ben Johnson

Ipswich Town

Free transfer

Joseph Anang

St Patrick’s Athletic

Free transfer

Lopetegui boasts just two wins out of seven top-flight matches so far, drawing two and losing three, with Steidten and West Ham on the lookout for new attackers who could give them an extra bit of dynamism going forward.

Steidten has drawn up fresh plans to sign Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt, according to some reports, and it is believed another striker in Atletico Madrid centre-forward Alexander Sorloth is considering a move to West Ham too.

While a number nine is thought to be high on their agenda, the club could strengthen in other areas, like in midfield, where ex-Chelsea midfielder and current AC Milan ace Ruben Loftus-Cheek is now being linked.

Loftus-Cheek floated to West Ham and could sign in January

According to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, writing via his transfer notebook, Loftus-Cheek has been floated to West Ham as the £15 million midfielder potentially eyes a move back to England.

The Three Lions international’s role at Milan has been reduced this season – relegated to mainly substitute appearances – and Lopetegui could now offer him a route back to his homeland.

“He was born as an attacking winger, right or left,” said Gianfranco Zola on Loftus-Cheek.

“He adapted to the inside and then was one of the two central defenders in the middle. With this availability, he was able to add defensive phase qualities to his characteristics. However, he remains more effective if deployed in the opponent’s half of the field, more as a midfielder than as an attacking midfielder.

“He’s a great player and if he can find continuity, also protecting himself from injuries, he will be a true top player. One of those who allow you to make a huge leap in quality: he breaks the balance, he gets past his man, physically very strong.

“He’s always dangerous, effective on the counter-attack, decisive in his movement. In the area, he makes his physicality count.”

Chelsea have made some big money moves since the arrival of their new owners, the two biggest being midfield duo, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández.

Third on the list is Romelu Lukaku, who was signed in 2021 by Thomas Tuchel, coming back to Chelsea for his second stint at the club. It didn’t end well, with lots of controversy from an interview he did just months after joining the club, and the Belgian has recently been sold back to Italy, joining Napoli for £30m.

Enzo Fernández

£101.1m

Moises Caicedo

£96.9m

Romelu Lukaku

£94.4m

Wesley Fofana

£67.1m

Kai Havertz

£66.8m

Kepa Arrizabalaga

£66.8m

Mykhailo Mudryk

£58.5m

Álvaro Morata

£55.1m

Marc Cucurella

£54.5m

Christian Pulisic

£53.4m

Seventh on the list is Ukrainian winger, Mykhailo Mudryk, who was signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023. Now, Chelsea are now being linked with a move for one of Mudryk’s international teammates.

Chelsea eyeing up another Ukraine international

According to reports from inews earlier this week, Chelsea are among the clubs interested in the Ukrainian superstar talent, Georgiy Sudakov. Other Premier League clubs interested include Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City.

The 22-year-old has made 111 appearances for Shakhtar, scoring 27 goals, providing 20 assists, and totalling 7,883 minutes played. He also already has 23 international caps under his belt, scoring three goals for his country.

So far this season, Sudakov – who possesses a release clause of £128m – has made ten appearances in all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing two assists.

His ability to facilitate others in that attacking midfield position, crash the box, and provide output, could be the perfect recipe for success at Chelsea, and could even bring the best out of his international teammate.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

How Sudakov would benefit Mudryk at Chelsea

Since joining Chelsea, Mudryk has underwhelmed, making 66 appearances, scoring just seven times and providing an equal number of assists across 3,188 total minutes.

The frustration for many Chelsea fans has been the clear talent the Ukrainian possesses, often met with inconsistency and a lack of efficiency on the pitch.

One thing we know about Mudryk is he has blistering pace, and this was apparent from day one. In his debut year, the Ukrainian became the quickest player in the Premier League that season (2022/23), clocking a speed of 36.63km/h. However, the challenge now is for him to develop consistency in his actions, and improve his output on the pitch. That’s where the supremely talented Sudakov comes into the equation.

Goals

0.17

0.63

Assists

0.34

0.16

xG

0.00

0.42

xAG

0.58

0.00

Progressive Carries

6.32

2.63

Progressive Passes

3.16

5.79

Shots Total

1.86

1.80

Key Passes

2.11

0.53

Shot-Creating Actions

4.21

1.58

Successful Take-Ons

1.58

0.53

An addition like Sudakov, who has been highly praised as a “sensation” by scout Jacek Kulig, could help to unlock Mudryk, who is already posting some very nice creative numbers. His progressive carries in order to get into dangerous areas are high, whilst he is offering 2.11 key passes per 90, and 4.21 shot-creating actions per 90.

One of the biggest issues, is Chelsea are currently full of other playmakers, with Cole Palmer often taking the responsibility of making things happen in the final third, Nicolas Jackson often drops in to link play, and Fernandez, who is a pass-heavy midfielder also helping the supply line.

This often means Mudryk’s creative numbers are going to waste, with a lack of box crashers, and little to aim at.

Adding Sudakov, you already have an established relationship from international football, and you are adding an attacking midfielder who wants to attack the box, scoring 0.63 goals per 90, generating 0.42 xG per 90, and taking 1.80 shots per 90.

This dynamic would give Mudryk an extra “box crasher” to find, and with the form Sudakov is in, him finding the net on a few of these occasions could be the difference between Mudryk finding his confidence, and starting to gain momentum with his output for the Blues.

Chelsea targeting "special" England star who could be their new Kante

Chelsea interested in move for “special” ace who could be their long awaited Kante replacement

ByConnor Holden Oct 16, 2024

Leeds United moved into the top two in the Championship, albeit before some of their rivals have played, with a 2-1 win over Watford at Elland Road on Tuesday night.

The Whites made an unbelievable start to the game as goals from Largie Ramazani and Brenden Aaronson had them two goals to the good inside seven minutes.

Watford pulled a goal back shortly after the break, as Kwadwo Baah reacted quickly to a deflected ball in the box to fire past Illan Meslier, but they were unable to find an equaliser in West Yorkshire.

There were a number of impressive performers across the pitch for Daniel Farke’s side at Elland Road and one of them was attacking midfielder Aaronson.

Brenden Aaronson's performance in numbers

The USA international ended a run of four games without a direct goal contribution in the Championship when he found the back of the net in the seventh minute.

A few minutes after Dan Bachmann had fumbled Ramazani’s strike from distance into his own net, the Hornets goalkeeper parried a shot straight back into the danger area and the former RB Salzburg man was on hand to produce a composed finish to make it 2-0.

The American ace also showcased his creativity throughout the game, with five chances created, but also had some poor moments on the ball, failing with four of his six attempted dribbles.

Aaronson did struggle slightly out of possession, losing seven of his 12 duels, but the goal he scored, and his quality creativity made up for that.

He was not the real star of the show for Leeds on the night, though, as central midfielder Ao Tanaka was even better than him against the Hornets.

Ao Tanaka's performance in numbers

The Japan international has been handed a chance to play a run of games in midfield after injuries to Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu, and is grasping his opportunity with both hands.

Tanaka provided a metronomic presence in the middle of the park to run the game for the hosts, helping his side to progress play quickly and end the game with 24 shots to Watford’s nine.

The midfielder completed 93% of his attempted passes, taking 77 touches in total, and this shows that he was reliable on the ball throughout the match, rarely giving the ball away.

Touches

77

Pass accuracy

93%

Long passes completed

6/8

Duels won

9/11

Tackles + interceptions

7

As you can see in the table above, Tanaka was also incredibly combative and strong out of possession to win the ball back for his side by cutting out opposition attacks regularly.

He ended the match with seven tackles and interceptions and nine out of 11 duels won, which shows that Watford’s midfielders and attackers struggled to get the better of him throughout the match.

Therefore, the summer signing from Fortuna Dusseldorf was the real star of the show and even better than Aaronson, because he combined quality in possession with strength off the ball to put on a masterclass for Leeds.

Leeds thought they had a "frightening" Raphinha heir but he's already left

The Leeds forward only lasted one season at Elland Road before moving on.

ByDan Emery Oct 17, 2024

Over the last two seasons Arsenal have been nothing short of exceptional in pursuit of the Premier League title.

They have gone toe to toe with Manchester City and thrived. In 2022/23, it was five points separating the two, last term it was just two points separating them. However, in 2024/25, it’s looking like the margin could be even bigger.

The Gunners have certainly not had things all their own way this season. Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and William Saliba have seen red while Martin Odegaard has missed a lengthy period through injury. The same magic, the same sparkle that has been there over the last 24 months is not apparent now.

That has never been more apparent than during their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday. St James’ Park is never an easy place to go but Arsenal have ridden out tough circumstances in 2024. This was a worrying performance, therefore.

It lacked character, it lacked fight, it lacked passion, it lacked creativity. In all, it was an insipid display from a team allegedly challenging for the title. Sadly for those in the away end on Sunday, their title dream may be as good as done already. That certainly wasn’t in the script, was it?

What went wrong at Newcastle for Arsenal

Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and admit when a team has scored a good goal against you. That’s what happened on Saturday lunchtime. Anthony Gordon raced down the right and swung in an inch-perfect cross that Arsenal-linked Alexandre Isak headed home.

That was arguably the finest chance either side had in the match and it was one that decided things.

The biggest frustration for supporters will no doubt be the tactics, or lack thereof, that Mikel Arteta employed in the north east this weekend.

On paper, it was a team that was good enough to win the game but tactically it was a horrible performance. Trossard and Kai Havertz crisscrossed between playing as the central striker and the attacking midfielder but that didn’t work.

Havertz needed to be on the shoulder of the Toon defence but had one of his worst games in an Arsenal shirt, winning just two of his ten duels and giving away three fouls.

There was also a lack of impetus on the left-hand side. Gabriel Martinelli got very little change from Newcastle right-back Tino Livramento who won all four of his ground duels and two of his three aerial duels.

In truth, the game was crying out for Ethan Nwaneri but even when he was introduced, it was too little too late. Without Odegaard, Arsenal lack so much creativity and that was evidenced in Trossard’s shoddy display at St James’.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Trossard's performance in numbers

Last season the little Belgian was excellent in Arsenal colours. Only Bukayo Saka scored more goals than the former Brighton man but he has struggled to replicate a similar level of performance this time around.

Some degree of context must be applied. He’s not been playing on his favoured left-hand side and has been trying to make up for Odegaard’s absence. Sadly, it just hasn’t happened for him.

Trossard has only scored twice in 12 outings this term and it did not get much better for him on Saturday afternoon.

Minutes played

71

Touches

37

Accurate passes

17/22 (77%)

Shots

2

Dribble success

0/2

Crosses

0

Key passes

0

Ground duels won

2/9

Aerial duels won

0/1

Fouls

1

Possession lost

12x

Clearances

1

Interceptions

0

Tackles

0

Dribbled past

3x

Hauled off with 20 minutes to go, the 29-year-old left the pitch having done very little to get his side back into the encounter, registering fewer passes (17) than even goalkeeper David Raya (18), managed.

He was notably poor in the first half, squandering possession with ease on all too many occasions. One moment came towards the end of the opening 45 minutes where he attempted to play a ball into Saka who had acres of space on the edge of the area but it was awfully overhit.

That was one of 12 times that Trossard gave away the ball in what was a desperately poor performance. To make matters worse, he failed to produce a single key pass and had two shots, one of which was dragged wide in the opening minutes of the match.

As GOAL reporter Gill Clark put it, he ‘gave the ball away far too many times in a sloppy showing’, thus warranting a 4/10 match rating for his efforts.

So, when Arsenal face Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek, the Belgium international must be reduced to a place on the bench. Now is the time to give Nwaneri a go instead.

Arsenal could brutally axe Martinelli by signing "clinical" £70m star

Arteta might want to ditch Martinelli and sign £70m forward at Arsenal.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 21, 2024

It would be fair to say that this season has not been a particularly enjoyable one for Crystal Palace fans so far.

In stark contrast to how they finished last year, Oliver Glasner’s side have picked up just a single win in their opening 11 Premier League games and currently sit in 18th place, one point from safety.

However, with the Austrian manager at the helm and several incredibly talented players such as Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi and Jean-Philippe Mateta in the squad, the South Londoners should be able to pull themselves out of the relegation zone soon enough.

Moreover, while the board bought a number of new recruits over the summer, such as Eddie Nketiah and Maxence Lacroix, they also made sure to balance the books by making several significant sales, including one which saw them net a massive profit on their original investment.

Crystal Palace's summer sales

So, before we get to the player in question, let’s look at a couple of other sales Palace made over the summer, starting with one player who came back to haunt them over the weekend: Joachim Andersen.

The Danish international joined the South Londoners back in July 2021 from French giants Lyon for a fee of £22m, including add-ons, and while he never really grabbed the headlines, he was a capable player for the Eagles.

During his three years at Selhurst Park, the 28-year-old made 113 appearances, in which he found himself on the scoresheet three times, provided three assists, and never picked up a red card or second yellow.

The Frederiksberg-born ace was eventually sold to Fulham this summer, where he spent a season on loan before moving to South London for a fee of around £30m.

While that is a nice profit, he did, unfortunately, put in a brilliant performance for the Cottagers in their 2-0 win on Saturday.

Another summer sale that netted the club a significant profit was that of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who joined Palace on a free transfer in July 2022 after spending four years with West Bromwich Albion.

Even though the Englishman made just 34 appearances in the capital over the last two years, he was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers for £10m in August.

However, while both of these sales netted Palace a nice chunk of change between them, they pale in comparison to the club’s biggest sale of the summer, which also happened to be their second-biggest sale ever.

Palace's second-largest sale

So, the player in question is, of course, Michael Olise, who joined the club for just £8m in July 2021 and then left for Bayern Munich this summer for around £50.8m, which equates to a massive profit of £42.8m, or 535% more than they paid Reading three years prior.

Now, such a massive increase in valuation might seem excessive to some, but based on the Frenchman’s form for Palace when fit, it really wasn’t.

For example, despite being just 19 at the start of his first season with the Eagles, the Frenchman scored four goals and provided eight assists in 31 appearances, equating to a goal involvement every 2.58 games.

Appearances

73

90

15

Goals

7

16

7

Assists

14

25

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.28

0.45

0.73

The following season saw his creativity skyrocket, but his goalscoring slightly decreased, as he ended up providing 11 assists and scoring two goals in 40 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 3.07 games.

His final season in red and blue saw the mercurial “wizard”, as dubbed by writer Muhammad Butt, go to the next level, and in just 19 appearances, he found the back of the net on ten occasions and provided six assists for good measure, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.18 games.

With such an outrageous level of output last year, it’s hard to argue that Bayern overpaid for the youngster, especially as in just 15 matches for the German behemoths, the 22-year-old has already racked up seven goals and four assists, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.36 games.

Ultimately, while it’s never ideal to lose a player as unbelievably talented as Olise so young, Palace did at least net themselves a hefty payday in the process and an enormous profit thanks to the bargain price they initially paid for him in 2021.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 11, 2024

There have been some standout performers in the Premier League for Aston Villa this season. Unai Emery’s side have been slightly underwhelming, slipping to ninth in the top flight. With that being said, they have still had some players in fine form.

One of those has been Youri Tielemans, who has been a creative force. He has created seven big chances, the second most in the squad, and played 2.3 key passes per game, more than any other teammates, as per Sofascore. Ollie Watkins leads the way for goal involvements in the top flight for Villa, with seven.

However, there have been some poor performances too, with Leon Bailey someone who has disappointed.

Bailey’s stats this season

The Jamaican winger joined Villa from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2021 for £25m. He has had a mixed time of things in a Claret and Blue shirt so far, with 20 goals and 23 assists coming in 121 appearances for the club.

Last term, the winger was fantastic. He was a crucial part of Emery’s squad and played a big role in their fourth-place finish in the Premier League, which saw them qualify for the Champions League. Bailey scored and assisted 28 times in 52 games in all competitions.

However, he has been disappointing so far this season. In 15 appearances across the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup, Bailey has just two assists to his name and is yet to find the back of the net.

There is also a clear drop-off in his underlying stats. As per Squawka, he is creating fewer chances, with 1.5 per game this term compared to 2.3 in 2023/24.

Stat (per 90)

2023/24

2024/25

Shots on target

0.8

0.2

Goals

0.5

0

Assists

0.4

0.4

Chances created

2.3

1.5

Take-ons completed

2.5

1.3

Take-on success

53.27%

50%

It has perhaps been a surprise to see the Jamaica international put in such limp performances. His direct nature is normally tough to handle for opposing defenders, and he loves to take players on in one-vs-one situations.

After seven top-flight starts this term, it remains to be seen how long Emery persists with the Villans number 31 in the starting 11. His patience may well wear thin if Bailey does not improve his performances.

In fact, there is arguably the perfect replacement waiting in the wings at Villa Park, and the Spaniard could turn to him as early as this weekend against Crystal Palace.

The Villa star who could replace Bailey

The player in question here is young winger Jaden Philogene. After leaving the club in 2023 for Hull City, the Villans activated Philogene’s buyback clause and resigned him for a reported £18m in the 2024 window.

The England under-21 international was superb for the Tigers last term. He played 32 times for the Yorkshire club, scoring 12 goals and grabbing six assists. That included a stunning rabona against Rotherham United. He also showed his versatility, playing on both the left and right wing.

Since returning to Villa Park, it has not necessarily been a smooth ride for the young winger. The Villans academy graduate has yet to score or assist this term, and has played 401 minutes over ten games so far.

Although it has been a tough start to his second stint at Villa Park, time is on his side. At just 22 years of age, and with little experience in the top flight, it seems like he needs time to develop. Given he has started in both the Champions League and Premier League against Manchester United, he is clearly trusted by Emery.

A start against Palace could be the perfect game for Philogene to build up his confidence. The Eagles are struggling this season, currently sitting in the relegation zone, one point from safety.

It seems to be the ideal game where he can perhaps get himself a goal or assist and gain a real boost of confidence. The “electrifying” star, as football scout Antonio Mango described him, could bully a Palace defence who have conceded 15 goals this term.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

It might well be a bold choice from Emery, but the young winger might be the perfect candidate to start against a team in poor form, as the Villans look to climb back up the table.

Duran 2.0: Aston Villa have a wonderkid who Rice thinks is "incredible"

Aston Villa could have their next Jhon Duran in this potent star.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 17, 2024

Aston Villa fans will hope their side’s eight-match winless run can be quickly forgotten about now, after Unai Emery’s men returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion by overcoming Brentford 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Thomas Frank’s Bees are no pushovers, but Villa managed to race into a convincing three-goal lead in the first 45 minutes to never look back, with the much-needed victory meaning the Villans are now only three points off the top four spots in the Premier League.

Emery would have been delighted with the performances of many star individuals on the night, as the likes of Ollie Watkins returned back to their best in the confidence-boosting win.

Aston Villa's standout performers vs Brentford

Watkins wouldn’t just fire home a penalty during the duration of his sparkling 65 minutes on the Villa Park turf, with the former Bees man also assisting the opener on the night that set the stuttering side on their way to the three points.

The England international would also miss a big chance amongst his six shots on the busy Brentford net, as the Villa number 11 operated as a hard-to-contain menace again, after struggling for large patches during his team’s poor run of form.

Matty Cash would also get in on the goalscoring act late into the first 45 minutes, managing to sneak in an effort past Mark Flekken to secure the win.

He would also register eight successful duels to keep the likes of Bryan Mbeumo at arm’s length, with Tyrone Mings also playing like a colossus defensively himself with six duels won of his own accord.

The star that stole the show from Villa’s perspective was Morgan Rogers though, who opened the scoring in the 3-1 win with a stunning curled effort, as Emery’s decision to play him down the left more than paid off.

With the 22-year-old capable of stunning down the left wing – or playing more centrally – he could be slowly transforming into the club’s next Jack Grealish off the back of this top display.

Aston Villa's new Jack Grealish

Donning a brand-new bleach blonde look for the Wednesday night affair, Rogers would let his football do the talking over any discussion about his fresh hair-do, with plenty to shout about away from his sumptuous opener.

With John McGinn picked in the number ten role, Rogers had more freedom to maraud forward with intent down the left channel, amassing two successful dribbles subsequently.

Stat

Rogers

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

1

Assists

0

Touches

55

Shots

3

Accurate passes

33/38 (87%)

Key passes

3

Successful dribbles

2/3

Away from attempting to make things happen himself with dribbles and shots galore, the table above also shows off the tricky attacker’s unselfish side, with three key passes accumulated from his 55 touches of the ball to try and play others into the entertaining contest.

Birmingham Live journalist John Townley would wax lyrical about the former Manchester City youngster at full-time in his post-match ratings, dishing out a deserved 8/10 rating to the electric number 27, with his strike on the night labelled as a ‘pearler’.

Grealish was also more than capable of firing home a memorable strike when he was donning a Villa strip, with the now Man City man an icon to this day at Villa Park with a total of 32 goals and 41 assists notched up from 213 outings for his boyhood employers.

Rogers is some way off that amount, with ten goal contributions managed from 32 games, but he could go on to be a similar maverick like Grealish if he keeps up these stunning performances this campaign and beyond.

He could well become another modern day great, but Emery will just want the Villa star to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground with games coming thick and fast in December, knowing he will be crucial to his team’s attempts to surge back up the table.

Aston Villa must finally sell £13m flop who Gerrard was "delighted" to sign

Aston Villa will look to sell on this dud for good at the next possible opening.

ByKelan Sarson Dec 3, 2024

Rangers have now enquired about signing a new defender for Philippe Clement as they look to refresh a squad that has struggled this season, according to a new report.

Rangers season so far

Penalty heartbreak in the Scottish League Cup final at the hands of bitter rivals Celtic over the weekend was the latest problematic result for Clement’s side in a season that has not gone to plan.

After battling back gamely to level at 3-3 and take the tie to extra time and penalties, the Ibrox side lost out as Kasper Schmeichel saved Ridvan Yilmaz’s penalty in what was the only miss of the shootout, to help ensure Celtic claimed the trophy.

Rangers have undoubtedly improved since their slow start to the season, but remain a mammoth 11 points off the pace in the Scottish Premiership after losing three times in the opening weeks of the season.

With that title dream likely over, and the League Cup also no longer on the table, the Scottish Cup and Europa League are arguably all that the Gers have left to play for this season, and it is in Europe that they have impressed.

Games

6

Wins

3

Goals scored

13

Goals conceded

7

Points

11

Currently sitting eighth with two games left to play, they have lost just once and held Tottenham to a credible 1-1 draw in their most recent outing, leaving them in a strong spot to qualify for the knockout rounds. Now though, attention is seemingly turning towards future transfers in 2025.

Rangers enquire about signing new defender

That is according to a report coming out of Morocco, which claims that Rangers have lodged an enquiry to sign 24-year-old defender Hatim Essaouabi ahead of next summer’s transfer window.

A 6ft 1 centre-back, Essaouabi currently plies his trade for Moroccan champions FAR Rabat, the same side that Rangers plucked Hamza Igamane from in the most recent summer transfer window.

Now, their scouts have been “impressed” by his former teammate and compatriot Essaouabi, and the report claims that the Scottish giants are now “seriously considering recruiting him during the next summer transfer window”.

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Though the club signed Robin Propper over the summer, Rangers are still light at centre-back, with Leon King and Clinton Nsiala both young and inexperienced, while Leon Balogun will turn 37 years old at the end of the season and is due to see his contract at Ibrox expire, meaning that Rangers may need to add another option in the heart of defence.

Essaouabi could prove a logical replacement, with the defender unlikely to be an expensive signing and, given that he is just 24 years old, approaching the peak of his career but with over a decade likely still ahead of him.

No mention of price tag or Essaouabi’s own desires are made in the report, but Rangers already have a link through Igamane and could return next summer to use the same formula once more to upgrade their defence.

Birmingham City will head into their Boxing Day clash with Burton Albion sitting pretty at the top of the League One table, as Blues fans already begin to dream about a title triumph.

It has been a flawless December for those with allegiances to the table-toppers, with six wins picked up from six in all competitions, which included a hard-fought victory against Crawley Town being picked up last time out.

Nobody watching the game would have been shocked to see Jay Stansfield pop up with another strike, but the scoreline would only read 1-0 come full-time surprisingly, as the Blues’ defence had to stand firm throughout to avoid an unwanted slip-up.

Standout Birmingham defenders this season

Birmingham will know they cannot underestimate any team in the tricky division, even with Crawley loitering near the foot of the League One table.

In the end, the narrow three points were secured, but the likes of Krystian Bielik and Christoph Klarer had to remain alert across the 90 minutes to ensure no goals were given up, with the pair winning a stunning 21 duels combined.

With Ben Davies also having to complete seven clearances, it certainly wasn’t a vintage Birmingham performance all across the pitch, but the defence at least did their job at the Broadfield Stadium.

Only leaking 16 goals from their 19 league clashes to date, Chris Davies will hope his back four continues to valiantly battle, especially as more tense games loom on the horizon in 2025.

Unfortunately, whilst the Blues defence remaining staunch will please Davies, this could signal the departure of a forgotten figure at St. Andrew’s this January, who has barely featured this season despite once being an integral part of the first team.

Dion Sanderson's future at Birmingham

Reports have now surfaced that Dion Sanderson could be off to Coventry City this coming transfer window, with the reserve defender finding game-time hard to come by recently.

Yet, these links with a move up to the Championship showcase how talented a centre-back Sanderson can be on his day, with the Blues number 5 donning the club’s armband last season in the second tier.

He would shine for Birmingham on an initial loan deal during the 2022/23 season, before leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers behind permanently for St. Andrew’s the following campaign, having been branded as a “fantastic” pick-up to make by then Blues boss John Eustace.

Eustace would have felt vindicated by his words – even as he was eventually dismissed – with Sanderson going on to amass ten clean sheets for the club in the league last season, all whilst Birmingham disastrously slipped down to the third tier.

The towering 6 foot 2 defender must have been hoping that a dire change in division would see him become an even more crucial part of the jigsaw, but plenty of new recruits at the back after Davies’ arrival onto the scene have seen him slide down the pecking order.

Not helped by injuries or suspensions, the ex-Wolves man has only started one paltry game in League One so far, which came all the way back on the opening day of the season versus Reading as Davies went about still constructing his new-look team.

Games played

15

18

37

Touches*

108.8

99.4

46.3

Accurate passes*

79.5 (89%)

74.8 (87%)

30.7 (85%)

Interceptions*

2.2

1.0

1.4

Ball recoveries*

5.7

3.5

3.4

Tackles*

1.9

1.4

1.0

Total duels won*

8.3

6.5

3.4

Looking at the table above, it’s also clear that Davies prefers using both Bielik and Klarer over Sanderson owing to their standout traits, with far more touches and accurate passes averaged this season by the pair than the reserve defender managed last campaign, alongside also winning a heftier amount of duels.

Birmingham fans would be sad to see Sanderson depart, but with the defence the Blues can now boast, it feels inevitable that the 25-year-old will have to leave to gain more minutes elsewhere.

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