All posts by z3u9t.icu

Leeds United had Stuart Dallas to thank for the 1-1 draw with Luton Town on Tuesday evening as they remained top of the Championship table. We’ve taken a closer look at the Northern Irishman’s display in our latest edition of Unsung Heroes.

With Marcelo Bielsa’s side sitting top of the table heading in Tuesday evening’s game, the tie against Luton provided the Yorkshire club with a perfect chance to further enhance their title and automatic promotion credentials.

However, they came up against a side in Luton who are doing all they can to avoid a drop to League One, stretching their run of six games without defeat with the draw.

With the game fairly even, the visitors took the lead through Harry Cornick just after half-time with a goal that would have stunned the Elland Road faithful had the game not been played behind closed doors.

Responding by bringing on Spaniard Pablo Hernandez, Leeds looked better going forward and it was a goal from the £2.16m-valued Dallas just after the hour mark that ensured a share of the points.

The left-sided defender, who is in his fifth season with Leeds, having joined them from Brentford back in 2015, played a superb game throughout the 94 minutes he played.

In what was his 40th Championship game this term, the Northern Ireland international not only got himself on the score sheet and earned a point for his side, but he also produced some defensive statistics that will delight Bielsa moving forward.

Attempting a total of 6 duels with opponents during the game, Dallas won 5 of those, handing Luton’s right sided players in Ryan Tunnicliffe, Danny Hylton and James Bree a tough time.

Dallas also won his one and only header of the night, whilst also making four important clearances for his side. He was also excellent going forward and as well as scoring had a total of four shots including two on target, which ultimately helped him gain a match rating of 7.9 out of ten.

The 29-year-old was simply outstanding and will seemingly have a long-term future in Bielsa’s starting eleven, having played for the most part this season and he will undoubtedly be relishing the chance to test his ability in England’s top flight next term, if they get there.

His performance against Luton may go under the radar when the season comes to an end, but it could be a point like this that ensure Leeds are champions and go up via the automatic promotion route.

How did you rate Dallas’ performance, Leeds fans? Let us know below…

Leeds United’s promotion party is ready to begin.

The Whites are a Premier League side once again, and they’re going to cap off their season by lifting the Championship trophy.

Unfortunately, they will be without their star man for the conclusion of the season as it has been confirmed that Kalvin Phillips’ knee injury will keep him out of the remaining games.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

As heart-breaking as it is for the Leeds-born midfielder to potentially miss out on playing in the game prior to United lifting the title, it will allow another man to enjoy that moment, and he is more than deserving of it.

Indeed, playing without Phillips is nothing new for Marcelo Bielsa with the Yorkshire Pirlo missing a handful of games through suspension this term, and when he has been without the 24-year-old his go-to move has been to put Ben White into midfield and bring Gaetano Berardi into the fold.

The sun seems to be setting on Berardi’s Leeds career, his contract is up at the end of the season, and numerous reports throughout the campaign have suggested United aren’t going to be extending his deal.

Aside from academy graduates, nobody in this squad has been at the club for as long as the centre-back, and after sticking with the club for six years, it seems fitting that he’ll get to play out the final few games of United’s title-winning campaign.

The 31-year-old has been loyal to United, and while he hasn’t always been the most reliable player, setting the record for most red cards in the club’s history this season, he’s always played with his heart on his sleeve, and that has earnt him cult hero status amongst supporters.

Unfortunately, his final bow won’t be in front of a packed-out stadium with games going on behind closed doors, but it seems as though Phillips’ injury may open the door to him being able to end his Leeds career on the pitch celebrating the club’s greatest achievement in almost 20 years with his teammates.

Liverpool could be about to offload another two players this summer following a recent status update.

According to The Mirror (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom), Reds players Harry Wilson and Marko Grujic could be leaving the Merseyside outfit this window.

According to the report, both players – who have been out on loan this season – are valued at about £20million, which could provide Liverpool with a nice return on the duo. If the club find buyers, it’s likely they will be heading off for pastures new and the Reds can pocket the profit to bolster their Premier League winning squad.

A lot of fans aren’t happy with this update, however. Many are slamming the idea of having to sell squad players before they can consider signing somebody new, especially as newly crowned winners of the English top flight. It isn’t the first time Kopites have hit out at Fenway Sports Group for their transfer window tactics either.

One supporter has tweeted ‘this is seriously infuriating’ whilst another has slammed Liverpool for being a ‘poor club’.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

How do you feel about the update on Wilson and Grujic, Reds? Join the conversation in the comments below…

Many Aston Villa fans have reacted to former defender James Chester’s move to Stoke City on a free transfer.

The 33-year-old fell out of favour with Dean Smith following the club’s promotion to the Premier League and made just two appearances before agreeing a loan move to Stoke in January. Having impressed upon his arrival at the bet365 stadium, Chester instantly became a starter,Âfeaturing in all but one of Stoke’s league games before the global pandemic halted the season.

After leaving Villa earlier this summer when his contract expired, it has now been confirmed that Chester has moved to Stoke on a permanent deal. He becomes Stoke’s second signing of the close season following the arrival on Friday of former Sheffield Wednesday left-back Morgan Fox.

Upon Chester’s confirmed arrival at the bet365 Stadium, Potters manager Michael O’Neill said: “James brings vast experience to our squad and he has already shown himself to be a massive influence, both in and around the training ground and in matches.”

Reacting to the news which was shared by Twitter account @villareport, these fans gave their opinion on Chester’s time at Villa and his permanent move to Stoke:

Do you think Villa should have kept hold of Chester and handed him a chance in the Premier League? Let us know in the comments section below…

Leeds United are about to embark on their first Premier League campaign in over 16 years soon but as Fulham and more recently, Norwich City have shown, it’s by no means an easy task to remain.

There’s no real method to success – Sheffield United have shown a measured but shrewd approach, but you’d imagine a lot of it comes down to Chris Wilder whilst Aston Villa’s free-spending summer almost cost them, though ultimately they’re still in the top-flight.

Whether the Yorkshire giants spend huge or merely pick up a few signings remains to be seen. However, it can’t hurt to look from within, especially given the young talents Marcelo Bielsa has at his disposal.

In January, the title winners made an exciting move for Manchester City starlet Ian Poveda, a player who Pep Guardiola lauded for having “incredible power” to develop before doffing his cap to his old mentor.

The two-time Premier League champion believes Bielsa’s system is even a perfect fit for the 20-year-old, so it is perhaps a surprise to have barely seen him feature since January.

It took until June for him to make his debut from the bench against Cardiff City before making his full maiden bow two games from the season’s climax at Derby County.

Poveda has shown encouraging signs during his four appearances and he must be unleashed on the top-flight next season.

In the final two matches of the campaign, the Englishman recorded one assist, two shots, three key passes and three successful dribbles, via WhoScored.

The 5 foot 5 winger has been described by Goal as “a very good dribbler, capable of playing on both flanks” and despite having a small frame can shield the ball cleverly by using his body.

Whilst former Whites forward Noel Whelan believes Poveda “looked sharp, [has] quick feet, [is] confident on the ball, [has] great technique and a lot of pace.”

The young sensation is also able to play through the middle, which poses an interesting question – do Leeds really need to target QPR’s Eberechi Eze?

Valued at £20m, United could spend these funds elsewhere such as in central defence where there is only skipper Liam Cooper currently.

Forget that, Bielsa has a player ready to tear the Premier League apart already at his disposal.

AND in other news, Marcelo Bielsa must buck his trend to sign Champions League star…

Portsmouth have completed the signing of right-back Callum Johnson from Accrington Stanley, as confirmed via the club’s official website.

After suffering a second consecutive failure to gain promotion from League One to the Championship, Kenny Jackett’s side were seemingly expected to bring in some new faces this summer.

Despite a whole host of first team regulars leaving, new arrivals have been relatively thin on the ground. Sean Raggett and Cameron Pring have both arrived to add strength in depth for Jackett’s defence and they have now been followed by a third defensive option.

Right-back Johnson has penned a two-year deal with Pompey which includes the option for a third campaign.

The 23-year-old progressed through Middlesbrough’s academy before joining Accrington in the summer of 2017, initially on a loan deal before making the move permanently (as per Transfermarkt).

Having made a total of 119 appearances for Stanley, the versatile defender will bring in some knowledge of League One to shore up Jackett’s back-line, with 74 appearances in the division to his name.

Jackett has done well to bring in a new right-back, left-back and centre-back this summer but fans may want to see other positions being addressed in the transfer market.

Promotion is very much the aim this season, but the relative dearth of transfer business so far leaves question marks over how far Jackett’s side can go.

Do you think Callum Johnson will become a good signing for Pompey? Let us know your views in the comments section below…

Everton continue their Carabao Cup campaign later this evening as they welcome a West Ham United side buoyed by their first win of the season at the weekend.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are unbeaten in all competitions and have thrashed lower-league opposition to be here whilst David Moyes’ men had only found success in the cup before Sunday night’s 4-0 whitewash of Wolves.

The Italian has semi-rotated his starting lineup for these midweek matches, so will we see the same now that they are ever so much closer to the quarter-finals.

Here’s the Toffees XI we could see at Goodison Park tonight…

Ancelotti could make as many as six changes to the side that defeated Crystal Palace only a few days ago.

One player that is sure to keep his spot is Jordan Pickford, the Toffees’ number one between the sticks. He played last time out against Fleetwood and is likely to feature once again.

He’ll have his usual centre-back pairing of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina to keep him safe just in front but at left-back, impressive young talent Niels Nkounkou replaces Lucas Digne with Jonjoe Kenny also coming back in for skipper Seamus Coleman.

It’s all change in midfield too as Tom Davies, Fabian Delph and Gylfi Sigurdsson return. At times last season, this was Everton’s first-choice engine room – it’s funny what one transfer window can do.

£22m man Andre Gomes, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan are all rested as is the game-changing James Rodriguez, who hasn’t featured in the Carabao Cup this term.

Instead, Alex Iwobi gets a rare start on the wing as he gets the nod over both Anthony Gordon and Theo Walcott whilst the Toffees’ red-hot duo continue to lead the line in attack.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has five goals from four games and Richarlison has three goals and two assists from four outings.

It means there are also no places for either of Bernard or Moise Kean, who are surely likely to feature from the bench at some stage.

AND in other news, Everton must prioritise Ferdinand-like colossus over Chelsea duo…

All in all, it has been a rather fantastic transfer window for Everton and the deprture of Sandro Ramirez put the icing on the cake for some fans.

The Toffees made three major signings earlier on in the window, with Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and James Rodriguez coming in – all three have made a huge difference, with Carlo Ancelotti’s men currently sitting at the top of the table having won all four of their opening Premier League fixtures.

They also dipped into the market on deadline day too, bringing in Ben Godfrey and Robin Olsen. Not only that, they were also able to shift Theo Walcott on loan, whilst Sandro Ramirez left the club permanently.

Since signing in 2017, Ramirez made just 16 appearances, scoring one goal – such was the lack of impact he made, the club did not even announce on their Twitter page that he had departed.

The Toffees fans, though, were absolutely delighted that he has left the club, and commended sporting director Marcel Brands for the deal. They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Many Everton fans would like to sign Josh King as they reacted to a tweet from Simon Johnson regarding the Bournemouth ace.

According to The Athletic journalist, King is highly in-demand, with Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Torino as well as Europa League holders Sevilla reportedly holding talks and making enquiries about the availability of the Norway international.

However, King has apparently opted in favour of a move back to the Premier League following the relegation of the Cherries from the top flight at the end of 2019/20.

The transfer window for domestic deals for EPL players such as the 28-year old runs until October 16th, so there is still time for the Merseyside club to negotiate a possible transfer.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have reportedly been interested in a potential move for King before and so they may revisit their interest given that the striker allegedly wants a move back to England’s top flight.

Over the course of his career, King has been a consistent scorer in the EPL, with two seasons in which he got into double figures and 48 goals in 161 games at that level, as per Transfermarkt.

These members of the Goodison Park faithful would like to sign the Bournemouth forward if given the opportunity before the domestic window officially shuts, with one fan describing him as “miles better than Tosun” in reference to the Turkish striker with just 10 goals in 51 games for the club:

Evertonians, would King be a good signing? Comment below with your views!

Glasgow Rangers could well be four points clear of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table by the time they face Livingston FC next Sunday. Steven Gerrard will have had almost two weeks to think about his options when the whistle blows at the weekend.

As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So, the Rangers boss probably won’t tinker too much with the back four before the Old Firm derby, providing everybody is fit. James Tavernier and Borna Barisic are safe bets to start, whilst Connor Goldson and Filip Helander will most likely resume their partnership in the heart of the defence. However, Gerrard has other areas he urgently needs to address.

It seems Gerrard still hasn’t settled for a regular starter on the right wing. Ianis Hagi and Jordan Jones have started in recent weeks, whilst Brandon Barker came off the bench to score a goal against Ross County before the international break.

Competition for places has arguably never been higher which means that the Gers boss has some big calls to make. But both Barker and Jones have struggled at times in the Scottish Premiership with neither player managing more than 0.5 key passes per game, via SofaScore.

In fact, the pair haven’t provided a single assist between them at the moment, meaning even Scott Arfield is contributing more in attack, and he’s not someone you should really expect to see pinging in passes into the box. By comparison, Hagi has played 10 games in the Scottish top flight this season, and scored one goal and supplied five assists, whilst he has averaged 1.5 shots and 1.6 key passes per game, as per SofaScore.

He is also comfortable playing with either foot, meaning he can spray passes left and right, whereas Barker and Jones prefer to play with their right feet. Therefore, it’s time for Gerrard to give the 13-cap Romanian international the chance to shine, as the attacking midfielder could be the man to make the magic happen. He has been on the bench in their last two Premiership matches and still managed two assists, so he needs to be brought back into the 11 for the next game.

Gerrard once hailed the 21-year-old as an “outstanding” player after he inspired Rangers to a sensational 3-2 comeback victory against Braga in the Europa League last term.

What better way for Hagi to finally earn his stripes than by starting at Parkhead? His passing ability could cause Celtic all sorts of problems.

AND in other news, Ex-Rangers whizkid Billy Gilmour has thrived since his Ibrox exit…