All posts by z3u9t.icu

The signing of Sandro Ramirez was pretty much an unmitigated disaster for Everton and will go down in history as one of the worst ever sanctioned by Steve Walsh, the Blues’ former Director of Football.

The Spaniard arrived on Merseyside in 2017 for what then seemed like a bargain £5.25million fee as the Toffees triggered a release clause in his contract with Malaga, after he had scored 16 goals in 31 games the season prior.

But former Everton boss Ronald Koeman would not see the same output from the promising striker he’d signed, as Sandro offered next to zero impact with just one goal in 15 appearances before ditching royal blue for his first spell away on loan.

“There was a lot of interest in Sandro because, of course, he’s a goalscorer, he’s young and he has a big future in the game,” Koeman said upon his unveiling, via quotes by Sky Sports.

“We have been trying to bring in good players so we can have greater productivity in the team and he will bring that. He will bring a lot of good qualities and he’s a really good goalscorer, too.”

Goals would continue to be scarce over the coming years as Sandro endured a drought in front of the net lasting 710 days, with the former Spain U21 international failing to strike home a second Everton goal and firing blanks for loan sides Sevilla and Real Sociedad.

He ultimately ended his barren run in November 2019 whilst with Real Valladolid and saw out that term with four goals in all competitions, but it proved to be too little too late as Everton agreed to mutually terminate his contract earlier this month so that he could join SD Huesca on a free.

It capped a miserable and expensive three years for Everton, who flushed more than £12.4m down the drain through the signing of Sandro having awarded him a £65,000-per-week deal on top of the fee paid to Malaga.

Everton managed to avoid handing over even greater sums through the loan spells they orchestrated, with Sevilla understood to have covered the striker’s contract in full during his half-season in Andalusia, while Sociedad paid two-thirds of his wages during his time at the Anoeta Stadium.

Valladolid also paid an unspecified portion of Sandro’s lucrative terms, meaning Everton may have paid out less over the 25-year-old’s time under contract, but it also remains to be seen how much the Blues agreed to pay in order to avoid the final year of his deal.

The potential Koeman felt he saw in Sandro is something the striker never managed to live up to in three years as an Everton player, but he could now find himself in a position to prove the Dutch coach was right, abbeit far, far too late from a Toffees’ point of view.

Sandro was given his Huesca debut at home Valladolid on Sunday and opened his account for Michel’s side early in the second half to complete a two-goal comeback, just five minutes after Waldo Rubio had converted from the spot to double the visitors’ advantage.

The Toffees flop could not further contribute any efforts on goal or key passes during his 34 minutes on the field, per SofaScore, yet he impressed his new boss having entered the action just seconds before finding the net.

“He is not responsible for scoring the goals [but] he has a lot of talent” Michel said, via quotes by Marca.

Sandro has a long road left ahead of him in order to restore a reputation that has been left in tatters after years of struggling to score, but he is on the right path to putting his torrid time as Toffees player behind him and prove that Everton did more than waste in excess of £12m.

AND in other news, Everton will be in heaven over a 29-year-old whose causing his former side to regret accepting a summer transfer.

TalkSPORT’s Jim White has said there is no chance of Steven Gerrard leaving his job as Glasgow Rangers manager despite interest from Bristol City.

The Championship club were said to be interested in the Ibrox outfit’s boss as they look to fill their own vacancy. Gerrard has been north of the border for the past two years, and is yet to win a trophy – at some point, he is likely to return to England anyway.

White, though, believes that he has no interest in leaving his current job. He said (via Bristol Live):

“It is our understanding that Steven Gerrard will be staying with Rangers as he has absolutely no interest in being anywhere else other than at Rangers.

“So Rangers fans will be breathing a sigh of relief because they want Gerrard at the helm as they go all-out next season to stop Celtic winning 10-in-a-row.”

This does not come as too much of a surprise – Gerrard has unfinished business to contend with at Ibrox. It would be a real shame if he were to depart the club at this point after failing what he initially set out to achieve, which was to win something in Scotland.

As said previously, he is likely to return to his homeland in the future, but it is far too soon for that, and he would likely want a more prestigious job than the one reportedly on offer here.

Let us know what you think below!

Burnley have begun transfer talks with a French midfielder who has drawn comparisons with two-time Premier League winner N’Golo Kante.

The Daily Mail reported that the Clarets have held talks with Ligue 1 side Angers over a move for Baptiste Santamaria, who is valued in the region of £12m and has drawn comparisons with his fellow countryman at Chelsea.

As per Daily Mail, Aston Villa had targeted the 25-year-old earlier this year, with Leicester and Everton also having their attention piqued by the midfielder.

Santamaria has been a mainstay of Angers’ first XI for the last four years, racking up 146 appearances for the club, with 134 of those coming in the French top flight. He started all 28 of their Ligue 1 games last season before the league was curtailed amid the global pandemic, scoring once and providing one assist (as per TransferMarkt).

Kante’s ball-winning abilities as a midfield anchor have been lauded by the likes of Eden Hazard and Sir Alex Ferguson, and Santamaria also stands out for his knack of breaking up opposition attacks. He won 3.3 tackles per game in Ligue 1 last season and even that was only a slight improvement from 3.1 the previous campaign, along with averaging 1.6 interceptions per game in 2019/20 (as per WhoScored).

To put that in context, nobody at Burnley last term had a higher tackling average than 2.4 per game, while only two men (both defenders) had a better interceptions average than the Angers midfielder (as per WhoScored). The 25-year-old is no slouch when he gets the ball, either, with his passing success rate of 81.5% bettered only by Josh Brownhill (82.5%) among Sean Dyche’s squad.

The Clarets were linked with another tough-tackling midfielder in recent days in Huddersfield’s Lewis O’Brien, whose match averages of 3.2 successful tackles and 1.2 interceptions are impressive yet slightly below Santamaria’s level. However, the Terriers man often plays in an advanced midfield role, in contrast to the Frenchman’s position at the base of midfield.

Santamaria’s statistics certainly suggest that he would make Burnley’s midfield a sturdier unit and one which will not be bypassed easily by opposing teams. Also, at 25, the Frenchman boasts plenty of top division experience and yet is only set to come into the peak years of his career now.

Just as Kante was plucked from Caen by Leicester five years ago, Burnley could yet pull off their own left-field raid on Ligue 1 if they can complete a deal for Angers’ no-nonsense midfielder.

Burnley fans, do you think Santamaria would be a good addition at Turf Moor for £12m? Comment below with your views!

Charlton Athletic are currently in a grey area as a potential takeover continues to spark questions from fans.

Current owners East Street Investments (ESI) could be about to lose control of the club as takeover rumours swirl. A recent statement posted by Charlton revealed that the board had been made aware of a ‘change of ownership’.

ESI bought the club in January from Roland Duchatelet but a turbulent relationship could now see Tahnoon Nimer and co usurped from their position at the hilt. Interest from former Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins and a Portuguese business consortium are among the parties taken into consideration for sale.

Charlton director Marian Mihail has answered questions from fans and has stated that, despite the interest shown in the purchase of the club, the identity of the buyer has not been revealed.

A lot of Addicks fans are becoming impatient with the up-and-down news, with many taking to Twitter to express their frustration. One supporter has responded to the Q&A post saying it’s ‘absolutely pointless’ as talks remain vague.

Another fan has said ‘all roads point to Jenkins’, who recently said he wanted a chance to prove he can ‘prosper’ again in charge of a club (via Wales Online).

Read more replies from the Charlton faithful here:

How do you feel about Mihail’s recent comments, Addicks fans? Join the conversation in the comments below…

Frank Lampard insists Manchester United are Chelsea’s biggest rivals in the race to reach the Champions League. 

Man United have been in sensational form ever since the Premier League restarted last month, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have won four games in a row.

The Red Devils are now enjoying an unbeaten run stemming all the way back to the 2-0 defeat at home to Burnley in January.

Everyone seems to be playing their part, as Mason Greenwood has stepped up to the plate over the past week or so, while Bruno Fernandes continues to impress in the middle of the park.

Solskjaer’s side are currently fifth in the table, just five points behind the Blues with a game in hand, with five games remaining in their season.

The competition to finish in the top four is arguably hotter than ever before, as four teams are closely vying for two spots to qualify for the European tournament.

Lampard, who is Chelsea’s leading goalscorer of all time, has admitted Man United are the biggest threat he has faced as a manager so far, pointing to their recent track record as an example.

He told a virtual press conference, as per The Manchester Evening News, that “Manchester United are the closest threat, they are a very strong team, they’ve been in great form for a long period of time.

“They’ve got really got players and you see the momentum they have gained at this part of the season.

“Individuals across their front three are all scoring a lot of goals. They are the biggest threat from behind.”

In some respect, Lampard’s assessment actually works both ways.

Both clubs were in the middle of planning for a long-term rebuild before the nationwide lockdown was imposed in response to the pandemic in March.

More often than not, they have found themselves battling each other in the transfer market, as the two teams are in contention to sign Jadon Sancho and Kai Havertz this summer.

United have beaten the Blues in three out of the past four fixtures, including a 4-0 thumping at Old Trafford at the beginning of the season.

Nevertheless, Lampard’s side have bounced back from that defeat and have jumped ahead of the Red Devils.

As it stands, Solskjaer’s men trail their rivals by two points, with everything left to play for as the Premier League heads into the crunch stage of the competition.

United fans, do you think Chelsea are your biggest threat for a top four finish? Let us know down below!

Rangers are interested in signing Dundee United’s Louis Appere, that is according to a report from Football Insider.

The report says that the Gers’ scouts have been keeping an eye on the winger during what has been a breakthrough campaign for the 21-year-old.

They are not the only side interested, though, with the Championship’s Stoke City also keen.

This has quite clearly been Appere’s first season in the spotlight. He has been a regular for Dundee United in the Scottish Championship, scoring four goals and providing five assists in 26 matches in the second tier – there is little surprise that one of the biggest clubs in the country are interested.

Sheyi Ojo has been the man to occupy the right-wing so far this campaign for Steven Gerrard, but he has failed to settle despite his Liverpool pedigree – he does have five assists in the top flight, but just one goal, and he failed to feature in any of the last six matches before the league was suspended.

Ojo is only on loan from Anfield, but he doesn’t look to be the answer to Gerrard’s problems – Appere, though, could very well be that man. With a Transfermarkt value of just £225,000, he could very well constitute an incredible bargain – Ross Wilson should be looking to secure his services.

Should Rangers move for Appere? Let us know in the comments!

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been drooling over their forward Heung-min Son after a question was posed to supporters on social media this week.

One Twitter account asked the Spurs faithful to describe the 27-year-old using one word, which left many waxing lyrical about him.

Son has played 32 times this campaign, scoring 16 goals as well as providing nine assists, via Transfermarkt, who also currently value him at £57.6m.

The South Korean has been back in his home nation in recent weeks, completing mandatory three-week military service, where he also claimed top honours by winning the award for best performance.

Son fractured his arm and had surgery back in February with his boss Jose Mourinho claiming his season was done for, but the above suggests he could be available for selection should football resume sometime soon.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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The winger joined Spurs back in 2015 in a £22m switch from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen and has racked up well over 200 appearances since.

Here’s the choice of words from a select few of the Hotspur fanbase…

AND in other news, Tottenham fans discuss long-term future of this summer FLOP… 

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Back in the summer, Crystal Palace were dealt a huge problem on the eve of the transfer deadline.

Star man Wilfried Zaha handed in a transfer request with just over 24 hours left of the window, leaving the Eagles with a significant predicament and a situation in which they were forced to look for alternatives in case the worst case scenario materialised.

One of those alternatives was Rennes forward Ismaila Sarr.

The 22-cap Senegal international seemed like he was on his way to Watford with the French side agreeing a €30m (£25.6m) + €5m (£4.3m) (L’Equipe via GFFN) deal with the Hornets, although following the Zaha bombshell, Palace entered the bidding with a €30m offer.

However, a deal was too far along the line between Watford and Rennes, and Sarr ended up at Vicarage Road.

While that may have felt like a kick in the teeth for the south Londoners at the time, the Eagles could easily be viewing the 21-year-old forward as a bullet dodged given his start to life in the Premier League.

Sarr has made just five appearances in the top-flight so far, and is yet to score a goal or record an assist while also seeing the man who signed him – Javi Gracia – receive his P45.

Additionally, Sarr hasn’t impressed too much in his five appearances in terms of his ball retention.

In those five league outings, the 6 foot 1 attacker – who scored 13 goals and registered 11 assists last term – has 1.2 unsuccessful touches per game, while he is also dispossessed twice per 90 minutes on average in the Premier League.

Of course, he is still a young player settling into a new league. Although, if Palace’s lofty offer was accepted, one would assume that Steve Parish and Roy Hodgson would’ve been expecting more from such an expensive acquisition had he been wearing red and blue instead of yellow and black.

Sarr has time on his side, but as of now, he can easily be viewed as a bullet dodged for the south Londoners on the basis of what he has produced so far.

Sky Sports transfer expert Kaveh Solhekol has made a strong claim about Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho ahead of the summer transfer window, in a Transfer Talk Q&A.

What did he say?

Well, Solhekol was asked by a fan whether the Portuguese boss was genuinely happy with his squad ahead of the next window, and his answer was pretty clear.

He told Sky Sports: “There’s no chance that Jose Mourinho is happy with his Tottenham squad. Spurs were all over the place before the season stopped. They lost four and drew two of their last six games. They had no strikers. They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Norwich at home. They were knocked out of the Champions League without laying a glove on RB Leipzig.

“When Mourinho got the Spurs job, he said he was happy with his squad. He didn’t mean it. He was just saying the right thing. There are problems all over the Spurs squad and it’s going to take more than just one window to fix them. And somehow he has to convince Daniel Levy to spend big again.”

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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Solhekol went on to say that as well as needing to keep hold of Harry Kane, they probably also need at least six new faces.

Is he right?

It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if he was right about Mourinho’s thoughts.

Spurs look to have a decent enough squad on paper, but far too many of their players have underwhelmed during the 2019/20 campaign to date.

Their form before the current halt to proceedings tells you all you need to know as Solhekol has pointed out, with no striker available and a leaky defence costing them over and over again as they were knocked out of the FA Cup and the Champions League.

It is clear that the backline needs to be a priority for Tottenham in the summer, with the likes of Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen – if he signs a new contract – not the players they once were, while there are questions marks over whether the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Ben Davies and Serge Aurier are good enough to be regular starters.

Solkehol says that Tottenham need to spend – presumably also to keep Mourinho happy.

Over to you, Daniel Levy.

In other Tottenham news, talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham has launched a brutal attack on Jose Mourinho & Harry Kane…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Alan Hutton has slammed Tottenham Hotspur full-back Serge Aurier after his performance against Liverpool on Sunday, per Football Insider.

What’s he said?

The 51-cap Ivory Coast international conceded a penalty after kicking Sadio Mane in the box as the Reds came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 at Anfield.

He has been in erratic form all season, being shown a red card against Southampton, and has contributed to just one clean sheet thus far this term.

And Hutton, who played at right-back for Spurs between 2008 and 2011, has savaged the full-back:

He said: “It’s difficult to watch at times. One minute he does something brilliant and then the next minute it’s as if he just switches off.

“It’s his third or fourth penalty he’s given away – it’s just clumsy. It’s clumsy not knowing where the attacking player is and it’s a big swing. He did well initially, I thought, to get the ball but just keep concentrating.

“He’s taken a big lash at it and ended up kicking him in the back of the leg. It’s happening too much for my liking and I think when you’re in a difficult situation as Tottenham have been, you need people out there who you can trust to give you consistent performances.

“Playing him, you don’t know what you’re going to get. I can’t see him just sticking with it.”

Walker-Peters’ time

The time is right to promote Kyle Walker-Peters permanently.

The 22-year-old has made a total of 21 appearances for the first-team, scoring one goal and providing six assists.

And yet he has not even been included in the squad for the last seven Premier League outings.

Per WhoScored, he averages 2.7 tackles per game in the league, one interception and just 0.3 fouls, along with 1.7 dribbles and a pass completion rate of 87.6%.

Aurier, by comparison, averages two tackles, two interceptions, 1.4 fouls, 0.6 dribbles and a passing accuracy of 78.6%.

It is baffling to suggest that the Ivorian is any better than Walker-Peters, who could well be something of a saviour at right-back.

He is nowhere near as rash as the former PSG man and is also an all-round better player, both defensively and going forward.

He should be restored to the team as soon as possible.