Tag Futebol

Celtic goalkeeper Conor Hazard ‘will look to go out on loan’ in a bid to find more game time, according to BBC pundit Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: Uncertain future

The Scottish Premiership star will be out of contract at the end of the season, and having not yet been offered or put pen to paper on fresh terms, his future is up in the air.

In January, reports claimed that the 6 foot 6 colossus turned down the opportunity to join Ross County, but it’s since been revealed that he’s now searching for his next destination.

The Hoops are likely to give him the green light to depart on loan but could also be tempted to cash in should a permanent offer arrive, as stated by the same outlet.

The Latest: Hutton’s comments

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton insisted that Hazard would be better securing a temporary exit rather than leaving for good.

“I think if you look at the age of Siegrist, he obviously knows the league with Dundee United and he is a steady goalkeeper who can come in and handle it.

“Hart is your number one. So the likes of Hazard are going to be thinking he is going to be limited with game time.

“I think he will look to go out on loan.

“I think he will still believe in himself that he will have that opportunity to even push for number two. I think a loan option is perfect for him.“

The Verdict: Let him go

Hazard hasn’t made a single appearance under Ange Postecoglou since the manager’s arrival so Celtic would be making completely the right decision by sanctioning an exit.

The Northern Irishman had a successful loan spell with HJK Helsinki in 2022, where he kept 14 clean sheets in 39 appearances, so he could massively benefit from completing the same kind of experience again.

The Bhoys already have Joe Hart, Benjamin Siegrist and Scott Bain in the building so it wouldn’t hurt offloading Hazard, where he could then challenge for a first-team spot upon his return.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has almost promised Allan Saint-Maximin a run in the side amid the recent suspension of Bruno Guimaraes.

What’s the latest?

Howe’s options have been stretched somewhat over the last week following the red card picked up by the Brazilian in their Carabao Cup game against Southampton.

Although Guimaraes and Saint-Maximin do not play in the same position, this has seen Joelinton return to the midfield from his position at left wing.

And after a run out of the team, Saint-Maximin returned to the fold on the weekend against West Ham United after being selected by Howe to start.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Lee Ryder has claimed this is a dilemma to watch ahead of their game on the weekend with Howe almost promising the Frenchman that spot on the left:

(1:30) “But then you’ve got people like Allan Saint-Maximin still coming back to fitness. He has been almost promised a run in the team by Eddie Howe. So that’s certainly one to watch.”

Dilemma for Howe

The 25-year-old has certainly endured a difficult 2022/23 campaign to date with just five starts to his name in the Premier League.

Although he did start in the game against the Hammers on the weekend, he was dragged off after 69 minutes for the new signing Anthony Gordon.

It was apparent the Frenchman was not quite having the impact many would have wished for with only one successful dribble, no successful crosses and no shots to his name (via SofaScore).

And there lies the dilemma for Howe ahead of the trip to Bournemouth on the weekend. Does he stick with Saint-Maximin or does he start Gordon?

The new signing came on with just over 20 minutes to play and made an almost instant impact after providing Callum Wilson with a golden opportunity to retake the lead.

And given he was such a big-money signing who is already adapted to the league, there will likely be a clamour from the fans to see Gordon start.

If this is the decision Howe makes, it will likely be a damning indication of where Saint-Maximin’s future lies at St. James’ Park ahead of the summer.

Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny could be set for an extended spell on the sidelines, with no clear indication on a return date as he struggles with injury, journalist Charles Watts has claimed.

What’s the word?

The midfielder had missed most of the first half of the season with injury before returning shortly after the World Cup break, but could be set for another prolonged absence, with Mikel Arteta confirming he will be unavailable for his side’s FA Cup clash with Manchester City on Friday.

As the primary backup to Thomas Partey, his injury could represent a problem for Arteta, as Arsenal would then lack cover in a crucial area of the pitch.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts reiterated that whilst nothing is confirmed, there seems to be a feeling that he is set to miss the rest of the season with injury.

He said: “There’s been a few whispers doing the rounds about the severity of Elneny’s injury and just how long he’s going to be out for, and there have been suggestions that he might be out for the season.

“Now, none of this has been confirmed yet, so it’s been difficult to report, but they’re certainly the whispers that are doing the rounds – that it’s not good news when it comes to Elneny.

“Arteta didn’t confirm any of that today, but he was asked about it and he admits that there were concerns over him.

“He was then asked directly, is there a potential for him being out for the season? And again, he said he’s still being assessed, we’re still trying to get to the bottom of it, but he added when Elneny says something doesn’t feel right, then that’s a bad sign, because Elneny usually plays through an awful lot.

“So that’s bad news for Arsenal, no doubt about it.”

Arsenal must enter the market

Arsenal simply cannot risk not having cover should Partey pick up an injury, and without Elneny, who had been described as “brilliant” by Ian Wright, they run the risk of their midfield being dismantled as the season goes on.

Albert Sambi Lokonga would be the main contender within the squad to replace him, but given his underwhleming form this season, Arteta perhaps needs a more reliable and experienced option than the 23-year-old.

With less than a week left of the transfer window, the club need to find a solution, otherwise, their impressive title challenge could remain one injury away from jeopardy.

Phil Hay has revealed his concerns over Leeds United allowing Mateusz Klich to depart halfway through the season.

The Lowdown: Midfield not an area to strengthen

Leeds have already been active in the transfer window bringing in Maximilian Wober from RB Salzburg, making him the fourth player from the Red Bull group to join Jesse Marsch at Elland Road.

It’s been reported that Leeds are indeed keen on recruiting a new striker, which could largely be down to the fact they are just one Rodrigo injury away from having to rely on young Joe Gelhardt.

However, it appears as though Leeds are not too eager to bring in a replacement for Klich who was handed an emotional farewell on Wednesday evening as he prepares to join DC United in the MLS.

The Latest: No Klich replacement on the cards

Hay has insisted on The Phil Hay Show that he is concerned by the fact Leeds are seemingly content with their current midfield options and happy for Klich to depart.

He said: (15:10) “So it’s a concern to me that he’s going but I totally understand why he is. As I say, I think there are other players who Marsch would rather have in the team, I think Klich can see that himself and it makes sense that it’s a parting of ways.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-13/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: A new midfielder should be recruited

Leeds are seriously short of options in the midfield department as things stand with Klich having or very close to confirming his arrival at DC United and now Adam Forshaw has picked up another injury which has seen him require small surgery.

Therefore, much like not signing a left-back or striker over the summer, if Leeds and Victor Orta were to not recruit a new midfielder this transfer window it would simply be negligence and leave Marsch hamstrung.

All it takes is for Tyler Adams or Marc Roca to pick up a muscular or another type of serious injury and Marsch could be forced to alter his system and seriously have Leeds up against it when it comes to staying in the division.

West Ham United travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on league leaders Arsenal in tonight’s Premier League clash, with David Moyes’ men hoping to gain a positive result and get their campaign back on track.

The Irons have struggled this season, recording just four top-flight wins and currently languishing near the relegation zone in 16th place.

Moyes is facing an attacking crisis ahead of the match, with Michail Antonio and Gianluca Scamacca both doubtful. This means that the Scot might need to place his trust in Jarrod Bowen to lead the West Ham line against the league leaders.

Bowen usually operates on the right wing for West Ham, but there is no doubt that he can provide an excellent attacking threat if deployed through the middle against Arsenal.

The £60k-per-week machine has been a revelation since arriving at the London Stadium in 2020 from Hull City, going on to score 32 goals and register 23 assists in 125 appearances so far for the Irons.

Last season was his most prolific one under Moyes, with Bowen scoring 12 league goals along with grabbing 12 assists as he played an integral part in helping his team to finish seventh in the table.

Furthermore, the “unreal” winger – as dubbed by football reporter Stephen Killen – managed to create nine big chances while averaging 1.2 key passes per match, showcasing his ability to create plenty of opportunities for his team-mates.

The Englishman hasn’t quite been in the same rich vein of form this term, netting just twice in the league so far in 2022/23, but his goalscoring credentials over the previous couple of years shouldn’t faze Moyes in having to play him slightly out of position against Arsenal.

There is no doubt that Bowen could cause problems for the Gunners’ centre-backs tonight if played through the middle, and if he can replicate his performances of last season, he might just net some hugely valuable goals for West Ham.

Leeds United appear to have dodged a massive bullet with Sergino Dest.

The American right-back crashed out of the World Cup on Saturday as the USMNT were defeated 3-1 by one of the tournament’s favourites in the Netherlands.

Once linked with a move to Elland Road, the 22-year-old struggled to combat the threat of Louis van Gaal’s attacking options out wide, with is opposite number Daley Blind even getting on the scoresheet.

Indeed, reports suggested that the Whites were keen on the FC Barcelona ace during the most recent summer transfer window. Well, director of football Victor Orta can count his lucky stars tonight that he didn’t sign him as he would have been Junior Firpo 2.0 in west Yorkshire.

The left-back was signed from the LaLiga giants and ever since then, has struggled to make much of a positive impact. Mirror journalist David Anderson has even described him as a “liability” who has provided very little in terms of ability. consistency and leadership.

Dest very much struggled to have any influence against the Dutch – highlighted by his disastrous 5.8 rating, which was the worst of anyone on the pitch.

It’s perhaps little surprise to have seen him hooked 15 minutes from time and that won’t have just been because the Stars and Stripes needed a goal. Also per Sofascore, the former Ajax gem managed just one successful dribble from six attempts, meaning he struggled to beat Blind and the Oranje backline whenever he got forward.

Meanwhile, he also lost 80% of his duels and handed possession back to the Netherlands with 14 of his 55 touches. Not only being wasteful but being hugely ineffective for his team overall. As per American filmmaker Barry Jenkins, they had Dest “in handcuffs” and he looked like he was “in the backyard playing against his big brothers.”

Despite once described as a “big talent” by former Ajax teammate Quincy Promes, it’s a rather telling sign that he cannot get game time at AC Milan, where he is currently out on loan, having garnered only 373 minutes from nine outings so far this season.

Only three players to have started in the Serie A for the defending champions this season have a worse average WhoScored rating.

As such, Orta and Leeds dodged a bullet by not signing Dest during the summer. Rasmus Kristensen, who manager Jesse Marsch pined for instead, has been a far greater option in the role.

AND in other news, Orta could seal a “really good signing” as Leeds plot move for £25m “absolute beast”…

It proved a day of mixed fortunes for Celtic at the World Cup on Monday, with two of Ange Postecoglou’s men having gone head-to-head as Japan took on 2018 finalists Croatia in an intriguing round of 16 tie.

As it proved, it was full-back Josip Juranovic who came out on top on the day as the European outfit progressed to the last eight, with the 27-year-old ace – who has been heavily linked with an exit from Glasgow in January – helping his side to secure a narrow victory via the dreaded penalty shootout.

The former Legia Warsaw man was left to console club colleague Daizen Maeda at the final whistle as the latter man saw his nation crash out following what had been an impressive run in Qatar, with Hajime Moriyasu’s side having notably overcome both Germany and Spain in the group stage.

On a night of frustration for the four-time Asian Cup winners, as they were left to rue a string of tame spot-kick attempts, the aforementioned Maeda certainly did his reputation no harm following what was a lively outing on the night.

The 25-year-old had been something of a surprise pick in the squad initially ahead of Parkhead teammate Kyogo Furuhashi – with Reo Hatate also a notable omission – although the former J-League star justified that selection with his display yesterday.

While the Osaka-born speedster has at times been scrutinised for his profligacy at club level after scoring just four goals this season for the Old Firm outfit and notably missing three big chances in the Scottish champions’ Champions League run, the 12-cap menace somewhat quashed the doubters after netting against Luka Modric and co.

The diminutive marksman put his side ahead just before the break with a composed, close-range finish on his weaker foot, with that strike having seemingly been a welcome reward for the £18k-per-week machine’s relentless all-round display through the middle.

That 64-minute outing saw the 5 foot 8 sensation prove particularly clinical as he scored with what was his only shot on target from one of only 15 touches, while also showcasing his breathtaking defensive prowess after winning 100% of his ground duels.

That performance unsurprisingly saw Maeda record an impressive 7.3 match rating, as per Sofascore, with that rating only bettered by midfielder Wataru Endo among his teammates.

The Bhoys’ forward was also the subject of notable praise from pundit Rio Ferdinand, with the former England international stating:

“He’s been an absolute livewire. I think it’s only his second international goal but he’s looked like a man possessed up there.

“You wouldn’t want to play against him, he’s constantly running around and making it difficult for you, with and without the ball he is an absolute nuisance.

“That’s the catalyst for the others in his team to come high and press high. His movement has been fantastic, some top-drawer moves. What I like about him is he is always on the move, especially when he drifts behind centre-halves.”

The pacy ‘workhouse’ – as described by 90min’s Michael Graham in his post-match player ratings – will likely be hoping to maintain this momentum when club action resumes later this month, with it no doubt a real positive as far as Postecoglou is concerned.