All posts by n8rngtd.top

Arsenal have been dealt a devastating injury blow concerning Gabriel Jesus.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the club website, Arsenal confirmed that, despite earlier reports suggesting that the injury the centre-forward picked up in action for Brazil on Friday would only keep the 25-year-old sidelined for three weeks, the striker has now undergone surgery on his knee – meaning he will now be ruled out of action for around three months.

In their statement, the club wrote: “Gabriel Jesus has successfully undergone surgery to his right knee after suffering an injury during the Brazil vs Cameroon World Cup group stage match on Friday. Gabby will now begin his rehabilitation programme. Everyone at the club is supporting Gabby and will be working hard to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible.”

Arteta will be devastated

Considering just how crucial Jesus has been in Arsenal’s title charge so far this season, the confirmation that the Brazilian is now set for an extended spell on the treatment table will have undoubtedly come as a devastating blow to Mikel Arteta and his side.

Indeed, over his 14 Premier League fixtures in the current campaign, the £103m-rated hitman has been in breathtaking form, having bagged five goals, provided five assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.6 shots – 1.1 of which have been on target – making 1.6 key passes and completing 1.9 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the £265k-per-week talent average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.11, not only ranking him as Arteta’s seventh-best performer in the league but also as the joint 49th-best player in the top flight as a whole.

Furthermore, with the Gunners’ third-choice centre-forward, Khayon Edwards, also revealing that he too has undergone surgery as a result of injury in the last week, Arteta has now been left with only Eddie Nketiah as an out-and-out option at centre-forward in his first-team squad.

And, with Nketiah having scored no goals over his 12 Premier League appearances so far this season, in addition to the 23-year-old averaging a disappointing Sofascore match rating of just 6.57 – ranking him as Arsenal’s second-worst performer in the league – it is evident that step down from Jesus to the former England U21 international is a very steep one indeed.

As such, the confirmation that Jesus is set to spend three months on the sidelines is undeniably a colossal blow to the Gunners’ title chances this season, with it now appearing an absolute must for Arteta to strengthen his centre-forward options in the January transfer window if Arsenal are to have any chance of beating Manchester City to the top flight crown come next May.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor returning from injury is a ‘huge boost’, according to former Scottish Premiership professional Tam McManus.

The Lowdown: Back in action

The Hoops midfielder was forced off the pitch in the 3-1 defeat to RB Leipzig back in October after sustaining a knee problem, and hasn’t featured in any competitive games since.

However, the 29-year-old made his long-awaited return to action last weekend for the mid-season friendly against Rennes, and supporters aren’t the only ones buzzing to see the skipper stage his comeback before Saturday’s visit to Aberdeen.

The Latest: McManus reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, McManus was delighted to see McGregor pull on the Celtic shirt once again and says Ange Postecoglou will be thrilled.

“Yeah, I saw he started. It’s a huge boost, he is the heartbeat of Celtic.

“He is a different kind of captain to Scott Brown in that he leads by example, his performances have shown that he is a very good player.

“I think Celtic have missed him, especially in those big European games that he was injured for. Carter-Vickers was missing as well and we [saw] the side struggle.

“As I say, it’s a huge boost to have him seemingly fully fit for the season returning in a few days. It adds to the competition in there.

“Going forward, I think McGregor can expect to return to that starting XI alongside Hatate, that seems to be the pair Ange likes.”

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The Verdict: Boost for Postecoglou

Celtic having McGregor available for selection upon the return of domestic action will be a huge boost for Postecoglou who will know the impact his leader has.

The Scottish international has posted 126 goal contributions during his time north of the border and currently averages an excellent 91.6% pass success rate.

The Bhoys orchestrator is a key cog in midfield, and he will no doubt go on to play a huge role in his side’s push for a second consecutive league title.

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Arsenal may have one major “advantage” when it comes to trying to sign Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix during the January transfer window.

According to Spanish publication AS (via Sport Witness), Mikel Arteta’s men are interested in signing the Portuguese forward as they aim to strengthen before a crucial second half of the season.

The report states that the La Liga outfit are demanding a transfer fee north of €100m (£86m) in order to let Felix leave the Wanda Metropolitano.

O’Rourke spoke to Football FanCast regarding Arsenal’s interest in the 23-year-old.

He stated: “There’s a lot of interest in Joao Felix, who does seem like he will be leaving Atletico Madrid in this window and I’m sure the chance to move to Arsenal and the chance to possibly win the Premier League title and also an opportunity to move to London is very attractive to a lot of foreign players as well.

So yes, if Arsenal do follow up on their interest in Felix, they probably have an advantage over some of their other rivals.”

This is great news for Arteta and Arsenal, and signing someone with the quality of Felix would be a massive statement of intent by the north London club.

Indeed, compared to positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Felix ranks in the top 20% for non-penalty goals, assists, shot-creating actions, progressive passes, and dribbles completed, showing just how effective he can be in the attacking third, and he could give Arsenal an added spark.

The 23-year-old isn’t just limited to one position either, possessing an excellent versatility which enables him to feature across the front three where required. He could even fill the centre-forward void left by Gabriel Jesus, who suffered an injury at the World Cup which will rule him out for a number of weeks.

Renato Paiva, Felix’s former youth coach at Benfica, lavished praise on the player, saying: “He has enormous football intelligence. He reads situations really quickly. Obviously, a player has to have quality to be at Benfica in the first place but he had something extra – creativity, a little bit of magic.

“He read the game with great lucidity and matched that with the speed and quality of his execution. His understanding of the game was miles ahead of that of his team-mates.”

Arteta shouldn’t miss an opportunity to sign a player with this much talent, especially when Arsenal may hold a significant advantage over other suitors, and luring him to London might just be the catalyst which is required to end their 19-year wait for a Premier League title.

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Nicolas Raskin to Elland Road in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Belgian publication Voetbal Nieuws (via Sport Witness), who claim that Victor Orta has ‘showed interest’ in a move for the Standard Liège central midfielder this winter, while the Jupiler Pro League side are said to be open to the sale of the 21-year-old should an ‘interesting offer’ arrive in January.

However, the report goes on to suggest that the Whites are not alone in the race for the Belgium U21 international, with Club Brugge, SC Braga, Genoa, ACF Fiorentina, Marseille, LOSC Lille and Glasgow Rangers all named as ‘potential buyers’, however, it is claimed that Raskin himself ‘prefers’ the idea of a move to the Premier League.

The next Kroos

Considering how exciting a prospect Raskin very much appears to be, it is not difficult to understand why Leeds would be interested in a deal to bring the deep-lying midfielder to Elland Road in the January transfer window.

Indeed, over his 16 Jupiler Pro League appearances so far this season, the £6.1m-rated talent has been in astonishing creative form, having already registered four assists and created four big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.1 key passes, playing 2.8 long balls and completing 39.7 total passes – at a success rate of 84% – per game.

The 21-year-old has also caught the eye in more workmanlike metrics, making an average of 3.3 tackles – the most of any player in the division – 0.4 interceptions, 0.2 clearances and winning 5.8 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per match.

These returns have seen the youngster – who Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig compared to Real Madrid and Germany legend Toni Kroos – average an extremely impressive Sofascore match rating of 7.01, currently ranking him as Standard’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of Belgian football.

Furthermore, speaking about the €5.5m (£4.8m) valued Raskin back in 2019, Het Belang van Limburg journalist Bob Faesen heaped a considerable amount of praise on the midfielder in an interview with The Herald, stating:

“He is still only 19, but he has really shone. He is a box-to-box midfielder. He can play in every position in the middle of the park. He is technically gifted, but he is also a bit of a pitbull.

“He can run a lot, is powerful and has a good shot. He has been one of the big surprises in Belgium football this season and will be a key player for Liege who Rangers will need to be wary of.”

As such, with Raskin looking to be a midfielder who is strong in the tackle, boasts an eye for a killer pass and is deadly going forwards, it is not hard to see why Kulig compared the Liège starlet to Kroos, nor is it difficult to understand why Orta would be keen on a move for the 21-year-old, as “the future of Belgian football” would undoubtedly be a brilliant signing for the Whites.

Leeds United have been handed a boost in their pursuit of a teenage sensation…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Gianluca di Marzio (via Sport Witness), who claims that Jesus Vazquez may have now come available for a permanent transfer rather than the loan deal Valencia earlier touted.

With Torino still in the race, it will not be a comfortable deal, but Whites chief Victor Orta has retained an interest since mid-November.

The Spanish club are reportedly willing to part ways with their 19-year-old defender for a fee of just €5m (£4.3m).

The next Gareth Bale

Boasting one of the most notorious elevations through the game, the start of Gareth Bale’s career is one now well-documented.

Having started out as a left back, Harry Redknapp was struggling to accommodate him alongside the first choice Benoit Assou-Ekotto. As such, he decided that his pace and power could be better suited to a more offensive position, and in doing so created a monster.

In the 2011/12 campaign he would begin his ascent to the top with a ten-goal and 14-assist campaign, a tally he would obliterate the season following as he scored 21 and assisted nine.

More than earning his move to Real Madrid, despite a long-standing feud with fans and some of the hierarchy, he would score 106 goals for Los Blancos on his way to winning five Champions League titles.

Whilst to follow such a career path is a lofty ambition for Vazquez, he has been likened to the Welsh wizard in a report made by Breaking the Lines.

They would write: “In fact, watching him is like watching Gareth Bale from his left-back days at Tottenham. He is over 6 feet tall like Centelles, and carries the ball into advanced positions like Bale used to. He even looks like that early 2010s Bale with the hairstyle. “

Whilst a glowing recommendation, the Spaniard only boasts 22 senior appearances for his club.

Despite this, he has impressed on every occasion, and last season he recorded a 74% dribble success rate alongside his 1.6 tackles per game.

Whilst unlikely to dominate the game in the way Bale did, Vazquez remains the “exciting prospect” that talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him.

And for the cut price he has now become available for, surely this move marks a no-brainer for Orta in January.

Manchester City are set to trigger the release clause of Velez Sarsfield midfielder Maximo Perrone, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Perrone profiled

Perrone is 19 years of age and can play as a holding or central midfielder. He has made 33 senior appearances for his current employers and is an Argentina U20 international.

The youngster saw his Transfermarkt valuation increase to a career-high €8.5m in recent months and has been linked with both Newcastle and Wolves, but it looks as if the Etihad may well be his next destination.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Reliable reporter Romano took to Twitter on Thursday evening to share some transfer news he’s heard out of the Etihad.

He revealed that City are ‘set’ to trigger Perrone’s $8m release clause and said that a deal could gather pace quickly if all goes to plan.

The Verdict: Smart move

Romano added that Perrone is considered a ‘huge talent’ and the player has also been described as a ‘spectacular’ prospect by Argentina legend Gabriel Heinze, so an $8m move could be a shrewd one.

Pep Guardiola struck gold with a move for Argentine attacker Julian Alvarez over the summer, with the forward recently helping his country win the World Cup in Qatar.

You’d expect that there is more to come from Alvarez in Manchester, and he could now be joined by Perrone in a City shirt for years to come.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte would now be open to allowing Matt Doherty to leave the club in the January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

This has been suggested by the Sky Sports editor Lyall Thomas who now believes Spurs would be open to offers for the Irishman, who has now spent the last two and a half years in north London.

The Ireland international has had a turbulent time since joining Spurs with game time uncertain among the list of managers he has had since making the move to the capital from Wolves.

Under Conte, Doherty – who was hailed “sensational” just a number of months ago – has made just five starts in the Premier League this season with two of those coming in the two games since the Premier League return following the World Cup break.

But despite making a promising return to the starting XI – in terms of back-to-back starts – Thomas believes Conte would still green light his sale if a sufficient bid was to arrive this month:

“I think they’d be open to offers for Matt. I think they were open to offers for him in the summer.

“He’s not quite done it at Tottenham in general. I don’t think he’s quite hit the promise that they would have hoped that he would. And there’s various reasons for that,” said Thomas.

Conte conundrum

It does feel as if Spurs have a real conundrum on their hands as to what they do at right wing-back as Conte continues to chop and change his starter.

Emerson Royal has taken on the majority of the minutes so far this season with 11 starts to his name in the Premier League alone as well as a further four in the Champions League (via Transfermarkt).

However, there has been reports suggesting the Brazilian has been involved in a training ground bust-up with a member of Conte’s staff which has now seen him fall out of favour.

The same report suggests Spurs would now be willing to sell Emerson in January, there have been reports that Djed Spence could also be sent out on loan and now Thomas believes Spurs would listen to offers for Doherty.

Obviously, all three will not leave the club in one window and leave Conte without an option at right wing-back, but it is apparent the club are also not willing to go out and spend on their main reported target in Pedro Porro.

Sky Sports claimed on Monday night that the Lilywhites’ interest in the Sporting CP wing-back has now cooled having learnt the price tag put on the Spaniard.

So with this in mind, it does feel as if Spurs find themselves at a real crossroads with Conte seemingly unwilling to offer Spence an opportunity from the starting XI despite impressing when he has featured off the bench.

Crystal Palace have been linked with Lorient winger Dango Ouattara recently and the 20-year-old could be the ideal man to replace Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park.

According to 90min, a number of Premier League clubs including Palace, Everton, Bournemouth, Leicester City and Southampton have all held talks with Lorient over a potential deal for the young winger, who is catching the eye with his performance in Ligue 1 this season.

Indeed, reports have suggested that the Foxes have already submitted an £18m bid for his services, so Palace may have to act quickly if they want to bring him in.

Lorient have enjoyed a fine start to the campaign and currently occupy sixth place in the French top flight but they could be about to suffer from their own success, as a number of their top talents are being linked with moves away this month.

Ouattara has been one of the star performers in Regis Le Bris’ side so far this season, notching six goals and five assists in 17 Ligue 1 appearances, with WhoScored awarding him a superb 7.48 average rating.

Of those to start at least five games, this ranks him as the top performer at the Stade du Moustoir, which is extremely impressive given that he only really broke into the first team last season.

The youngster’s goal involvements so far this campaign puts him in the same conversation as “elite” talents such as Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Robert Lewandowski, so it is easy to see why he is attracting so much interest.

Considering Eberechi Eze is ranked as the top performer at Selhurst Park so far this term with a 6.94 average rating, it is also clear the quality that Ouattara could add to Patrick Vieira’s squad should he join the Eagles this month.

As a winger, the Burkina Faso international could arrive as a natural replacement for Zaha, who looks almost guaranteed to end his stay at Selhurst Park when his contract expires in the summer.

The former Manchester United man’s record of 89 goals and 76 assists in a Palace shirt will almost certainly see him recognised as a legend at the south London club but Vieira must ensure that he is replaced adequately and Ouattara’s performances this season certainly suggest that he could add goals at Selhurst Park.

WhoScored also suggests that Ouattara excels at long shots, while he loves to dribble and cut inside, all of which suggest he could be the ideal man to fill Zaha’s boots at Palace.

Leeds United look set to ‘complete a move’ for Hoffenheim forward Georginio Rutter, according to Transfermarkt reporter Stefan Bienkowski.

The Lowdown: Rutter linked with Leeds

The Whites appear to have turned their attention to the 20-year-old after completing the signing of Max Wober earlier this week.

Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg shared news ofthe club’s interest in Rutter, with the French forward seemingly open to a move to Elland Road. It looks as if a potential transfer is gathering pace nicely, with a big-money deal now firmly on the cards.

The Latest: Move set to be completed

Bienkowski took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to share what he’s heard about Rutter and Leeds, citing an update from colleague Daniel Busch.

The reporter said that ‘Rutter is set to complete a move to Leeds’, with a ‘deal worth between €30-€40m’, which amounts to somewhere in the region of £26.4m-£35.2m.

The Verdict: Record signing?

Brenden Aaronson is Leeds’ most expensive signing of all time, arriving last summer from Red Bull Salzburg for €32.84m (£29m), as per Transfermarkt.

Therefore, it appears as if there is a real possibility that an agreement for Rutter surpasses that figure, which would be a real statement of intent from Victor Orta and the Elland Road hierarchy.

Providing that a move goes through, you’d expect that Jesse Marsch will be looking at the 20-year-old to make an immediate impact, providing some much-needed centre-forward competition to Rodrigo, with Patrick Bamford’s injury troubles failing to show any signs of improvement.

Liverpool have progressed to the next round of the FA Cup after a comfortable 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux this evening and manager Jurgen Klopp will surely be delighted that his rotation of the team paid off.

The reigning champions of the competition will have been given a confidence boost over their performance after a humiliating defeat last weekend to Brighton and Hove Albion and deservedly won the tie in which they will ironically face Brighton in the fourth round.

Despite having only 42% possession, fewer shots on goal (7 v 11), fewer passes completed (447 v 607) and fewer big chances created (0 v1), the Merseysiders turned their pressing machine back on and it worked a charm on the hosts.

In the first half, Liverpool looked sharp from the very start which quickly earned them the first and only goal of the game when Harvey Elliott carried the ball through the Wolves defence to hit the back of the net in the 13th minute with an incredible strike from outside of the box.

In the second half, it was relatively uneventful for the Reds but they managed the game well and stepped up their defensive resilience to deny the home team any hope of equalising or creating anything worthwhile in the clash right down to the last second, something Klopp will be massively pleased with due to the poor defensive displays Liverpool have shown of late.

Despite Elliott’s superb strike, there was one player who grabbed the golden opportunity to impress Klopp with both hands – academy graduate Stefan Bajcetic.

The 18-year-old gem made his FA Cup debut featuring alongside Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara in the centre of the pitch.

Over his 75-minute performance, the Spanish gem – who was once dubbed an “incredible prospect” by journalist Tom Barnes – won five of his eight duels combined, completed 100% of his dribble attempts, won three tackles, two interceptions and completed 24 accurate passes.

The talented youngster’s display will surely leave the Anfield faithful feeling excited about his impact in the team – after only being promoted to the senior squad at the start of the current campaign – quickly proved to Klopp and FSG the huge difference that an injection of youth into the midfield can make.

With that being said, the future is looking incredibly bright for Bajcetic and there would surely be no disputes if Bajcetic gets rewarded with another opportunity on Saturday against Chelsea in their Premier League clash at Anfield.