All posts by n8rngtd.top

West Bromwich Albion saw one of their main attacking talents wave goodbye to the Midlands club during the previous summer transfer window.

After scoring 20 goals and delivering 26 assists in 77 appearances for the Baggies across all competitions, Matheus Pereira joined Saudi club Al-Hilal back in August.

In his absence, West Brom struggled to make themselves a feared attacking side throughout the recent Championship campaign.

With 46 games played, the Baggies found the net just 52 times, which is fewer goals than a significant number of clubs that finished below them in the league table.

In addition to this, the Midlands club ended the campaign with the lowest percentage of shots on target (29.1%) in the entire league.

This certainly suggests that the team suffered from not having Pereira in their ranks as a capable attacking option.

Now that this uninspiring season has come to a close, the upcoming summer transfer window can provide Steve Bruce with the chance to strengthen his side and give them a better chance of winning promotion back to the Premier League.

One attacking figure that the Baggies have been linked with recently that could be a suitable and much-needed replacement for the departed Brazilian is Derby County winger Tom Lawrence.

Having played in 264 Championship games throughout his career, the 28-year-old has scored 50 goals and delivered 50 assists along the way.

With 38 appearances under his belt for Derby in this latest season, the Welshman found the net 11 times and provided five assists whilst playing in numerous attacking positions.

To further highlight his attacking talent, no other player in Wayne Rooney’s squad managed to equal the number of shots (101) or shots on target (38) that Lawrence made.

To put that into perspective, only Karlan Grant (108) had more shots at goal than the £27k-per-week Rams star in West Brom’s ranks.

Praised for his “inspirational” form this season by journalist Jake Barker, Lawrence ultimately couldn’t help his side achieve their goal of staying in the Championship at the end of what had been a difficult campaign for the Rams.

With the winger out of contract at the end of the month, securing a deal for him should be near the top of West Brom’s priority list as he could be the exact sort of attacking spark they need in their side to forget about Pereira and become a deadlier team.

In other news: Imagine him & Mowatt: Bruce can form scary WBA duo by signing “magnificent” 46 G/A ace

Celtic’s recent dealings in the transfer market proved a key factor in the club’s return to Scottish Premiership glory, with manager Ange Postecoglou proving himself something of a master when it comes to recruiting new talent.

While Hoops’ supporters can likely have little complaint with the title-winning manager at present, one decision that both he – and the club – may be regretting is the sale of midfielder Ryan Christie, with the Scotsman having shone since his move to Bournemouth last summer.

Although the decision was largely taken out of Postecoglou’s hands – with just a year (or less) remaining on the 28-cap international’s contract – the former Yokohama boss may well have been regretting not pushing harder to keep his former asset at the club.

The 5 foot 10 playmaker had been plucked from Inverness Caledonian Thistle for just £500k in the summer of 2015, going on to win a plethora of silverware over the next few years and establishing himself as a regular at international level.

Despite starting the 2021/22 campaign as part of the Old Firm outfit’s squad – notably registering a hat-trick of assists in a 6-0 thrashing of Dundee – speculation was rife over his future due to his contract situation, before he eventually signed for the Cherries on a £2.5m deal on deadline day.

While the club were able to earn a tidy profit on his initial fee, losing such a key player late in the window was no doubt a significant blow, while the small nature of the fee seemingly did not reflect the quality of the player.

That has been made evidently clear with the 27-year-old recently enjoying a rise in valuation, as per Transfermarkt, with the player now worth £8.1m, having been valued at just £6.3m back in May 2021.

That ascent has been sparked by his impressive form in the recent campaign, as he scored three goals and registered eight assists in 38 games for Scott Parker’s side, playing a pivotal role in the club’s return to the Premier League.

Should the £23k-per-week gem – who has previously been dubbed “ferocious” by pundit Chris Sutton – continue to dazzle in the top-flight next term that valuation will no doubt soar again, with the player seemingly having been proven right on his bold decision to jump ship to a second-tier outfit.

In other news, Celtic can unearth a new Giakoumakis after submitting bid for “very strong” £2.5m gem

Liverpool have their final trophy challenge this weekend with the Champions League final coming up against Real Madrid, and now a reliable source has revealed a major injury update ahead of the clash.

What’s the latest?

According to Northern correspondent for The Times Paul Joyce, Thiago Alcantara has a good chance of being fit for the Champions League final on Saturday night.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

Joyce tweeted: “Jurgen Klopp said Thiago Alcantara has a good chance of making the Champions League final. He will train this afternoon [Wednesday].”

The midfielder was sidelined with an Achilles injury late into the first half of the final Premier League game of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.

Supporters will be excited

There is no doubt that supporters will be excited that the Spaniard could be fit for the game in Paris this weekend, especially with the news following a promising update on Fabinho who has returned to full training today.

Impressively, Liverpool have lost just one game with Thiago and Fabinho starting in the midfield since the former Bayern Munich star joined the team, so if the pair could be fit for the game against Real Madrid it would be a massive advantage for The Reds.

Thiago is an undeniable and powerful influence in Liverpool’s midfield with 70.2 touches, 1.2 key passes and 1.9 tackles on average per game, scoring once and contributing four assists, creating three big chances and proving successful in 63% of his dribbles over 25 appearances in the Premier League this season.

The Spaniard is no stranger to Champions League finals either, winning the prestigious European trophy twice once with Bayern Munich the summer before he moved to Merseyside and the other with Barcelona, so his experience in the competition will definitely be a huge advantage for Liverpool.

With that being said, Jurgen Klopp will be absolutely delighted with the progress his injured players have made over the last few weeks to ensure they can put themselves in contention for the final game of an incredible season for the Kopites and will be hoping that his team can pick up their third and final trophy on Saturday.

AND in other news: Forget Tchouameni: FSG can get Anfield rocking with LFC deal for “dangerous” £21m tank

Crystal Palace’s game against Manchester United was special. Not just because it was the Eagles’ first victory at Old Trafford in the Premier League era, but because of a highly-rated youngster’s much anticipated debut.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has been running riot in Premier League 2, racking up an impressive 18 goals and five assists to make 23 goal contributions in 25 appearances.

His form has been consistently excellent all season and did not go unnoticed. The 19-year-old was recently named Crystal Palace’s U23 player of the season and consequently, was presented with a well-earned opportunity to make his full Premier League debut against an out of shape Manchester United side.

On the chalkboard

Rak-Sakyi made sure to carry out the basics in his debut, and whilst it did not go exactly how he would have wanted it to, there were promising signs.

It was his desire to win-back possession that stood out most, with his five recoveries demonstrative of his work rate in the out-of-possession phase a key strength.

Although Ayew, who has been dubbed “rubbish” by David Law, has reportedly triggered a contract extension, his original contract was set to run out this summer.

At the age of 30, with limited attacking participations, Vieira’s hesitancy in signing the player indicates that the Palace boss would be open to a more direct option on the right wing.

That’s why the future bodes well for Rak-Sakyi, who offers a more direct and inverted approach in the half-space and chips in defensively just like Ayew.

The future is bright for Rak-Sakyi and the Palace faithful will surely be anticipating big things from a player who has forced his way into the team at the age of 19 and is “holding his own” in the words of BBC reporter Alex Howell.

In other news: Forget Zaha: Crystal Palace talent who won 83% duels stole the show vs Man Utd 

There’s plenty of cream in the batting line-up and spin attack, but New Zealand’s seam attack looks a bit squishy

Deivarayan Muthu16-Feb-2025 • Updated on 18-Feb-2025

How do they look?

The previous ICC tournament, the 2024 T20 World Cup, was a nightmare for New Zealand in the Caribbean, but the versatility in their ODI squad and familiarity with the conditions, especially in Pakistan, has had them dreaming big once again.Since 2019, no visiting team has played more ODIs in Pakistan than New Zealand (11). New Zealand also have batting depth down to No.8, where their captain Mitchell Santner is likely to slot in, and eight bowling options in their potential XI, if you include Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell. With the bat, Ravindra and Mitchell could disrupt spin like they demonstrated during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Though New Zealand don’t have a wristspinner in their squad, their fingerspin-bowling allrounders – Santner, Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips in particular – provide them with immense balance. Among them, Bracewell and Santner himself can bowl in the powerplay.Related

• Sears out of Champions Trophy with hamstring tear

• Lockie Ferguson in doubt for Champions Trophy and Pakistan tri-series

• Champions Trophy winners to get US$2.24 million as prize money

While there’s plenty of cream in the batting line-up and spin attack, the seam attack looks squishy. Both Lockie Ferguson, New Zealand’s most experienced fast bowler, and Ben Sears have been sidelined from the tournament with injuries. In their absence, Will O’Rourke offers pace and bounce, but he is yet to get a taste of an ICC tournament. This might leave Matt Henry with plenty on his plate.

Who are their opponents

New Zealand will kick off the tournament against hosts Pakistan in Karachi on February 19 before they will face Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 24. They will then travel to Dubai to meet India in the last group game on March 2.

Likely best XI

1 Devon Conway, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Tom Latham (wk), 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Matt Henry, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Will O’RourkeReserves: Will Young, Mark Chapman, Nathan Smith, Kyle JamiesonDaryl Mitchell’s sweeps and reverse sweeps could disrupt spin•AFP/Getty Images

Player(s) to watch

Nobody typifies the more than Daryl Mitchell in this current New Zealand side. In his first ICC tournament in the 2021 T20 World Cup, in the UAE, he fronted up to open the batting and has since established himself as a middle-order mainstay. He is adept at sweeping and reverse-sweeping and pumping the ball down the ground – shots that mess with the lengths and lines of spinners. Mitchell also tends to rise to the big occasions. Cases in point: the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-finals against England and 2023 ODI World Cup semi-finals against India.Mitchell’s childhood buddy Mitchell Santner could also play a vital role with his subtle variations and leadership skills.

Key stats

• Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, New Zealand have the best run-rate among 20 teams between overs 10 and 40. In fact, they are the only team with a run-rate of over six (6.26) during this phase.
• Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, Santner has picked up 26 wickets in 18 innings at an excellent economy rate of 4.57.

Recent ODI form

New Zealand have won two of the three bilateral series they’ve played since making the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup. A number of the seniors missed all three series – two at home and one away in Sri Lanka – before a near full-strength New Zealand side enjoyed an unbeaten run to the tri-series title in Pakistan. They decimated Pakistan in the final in Karachi, where they will meet Pakistan once again in the Champions Trophy opener on February 19.

Champions Trophy history

In 2000, New Zealand secured their first-ever world title when they won the ICC knockout in Nairobi. The Black Caps haven’t clinched a world title since. They came close to winning the Champions Trophy once again in 2009, when they eventually lost to Australia in a Trans-Tasman final in Centurion.

With the 2025 MLB trade deadline upon us, there are some teams expected to take bigger swings than others as they look to gear up for a postseason push.

Different front offices face different amounts of pressure to improve their rosters in the pursuit of success. Some teams are stuck in a lengthy World Series drought that fans are eager to see end, while others have the make-up of contenders and are simply missing a piece or two.

Regardless of why, there will be a few front offices in the market for a seismic move, and we'll take a look at what organizations may be feeling the most pressure to make a big splash before Thursday's deadline.

New York Yankees

The hit by pitch has become so common—and dangerous—that twice last week benches cleared on hits by pitches that were . Even accidental plunkings are putting hitters in a fighting mood.

The Padres and Dodgers confronted each other Thursday after Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a 27-year-old pitcher making his major league debut in a 5–0 game. San Diego manager Mike Shildt touched off the bench-clearing episode when he stormed out of the dugout toward Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts.

“Intentional, unintentional, the fact of the matter is I took exception to it,” said Shildt after watching Tatis get hit for a fourth time in seven games by the Dodgers. He’s been hit once in all other games.

The next night, the Angels and Astros went at it after Angels shortstop Zach Neto took exception to getting hit by a Hunter Brown sinker for the second time .

“I know he’s not trying to hit me,” Neto said, “but it’s definitely frustrating.”

Since spring training, Chris Taylor (hand), Sean Murphy (rib), Thairo Estrada (wrist), Andrew Benintendi (hand), Jake Cronenworth (ribs), Paul DeJong (nose), Joc Pederson (hand) and Luke Keaschall (forearm) all suffered broken bones on pitches. Stars such as Corbin Carroll, Bryce Harper and Christian Yelich were fortunate to avoid major injuries on scary hits by pitches.

What’s going on with hits by pitches? Are hitters getting too sensitive? Is this the price for pitchers getting rushed to the big leagues? Are injuries forcing pitchers into the big leagues when they don’t belong there?

It’s time to set aside the myths and sloppy narratives. Let’s examine the facts of the hit by pitch epidemic to find out what’s going on.

1. Hitting has never been more dangerous than these past eight seasons.

The eight seasons with the highest rates of hit by pitches since 1901 are, in order, 2020, 2023, 2021, 2024, 2022, 2019, 2025, 2018. Notice a trend? In 117 seasons from 1901 to 2017, the hit by pitch rate never reached 0.8 per game (both teams combined). Now it has done so eight straight years. (That’s also before and after the sticky stuff crackdown.)

Hits by pitches have become so common and dangerous, it is rare to see a player go to the plate without some kind of armor on their hands, wrists, arm or elbow.

2. The biggest factor in the rise of hits by pitches is the rise of pitch-shaping.

The trend toward lab-grown pitches (tweak their shape and spin) has overtaken pure velocity as the guiding force of pitching. Most pitchers now want to move the ball to both glove side and arm side. That has given rise to more same-side sinkers (i.e., right-on-right two-seamers running in) and off-side cutters (i.e., right-on-left cutters).

Of the 914 hits by pitches this year through Saturday, more have been caused by sinkers and cutters than any other type of pitch. More telling, the rate of HBP from sinkers and cutters is much higher compared to their overall use. Nothing else is close. Sinkers and cutters account for only 23.4% of pitches but 34.2% of HBPs.

2025 HBP by pitch type

“I don’t think [pitchers] pitch in as much as they used to,” says Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, the dean of active managers who is in his 28th season. “So, they don’t quite have that command for that pitch. And a lot of it is elevated in, too. You pitch on that top rail, in with the sinker that gets away from you a little bit, you’re gonna hit somebody. Those are the scary ones.”

3. The youngest pitchers are not the worst culprits.

Pitchers 25 and under hit batters at a 7% lower rate than pitchers 26 to 30 years old.

Hit by Pitch rate by age of pitcher, 2025

4. That said, there is a general correlation between age and control.

Pitching control metrics by age, 2025

5. Hitters share the blame.

Brown yelled back at Neto that standing close to the plate and “diving” into a pitch puts a hitter in harm’s way. He is not wrong.

Here are the two right-on-right sinkers from Brown that hit Neto:

Mohamed Salah’s name has dominated the headlines at Liverpool for so many years, but never as intensely, and as negatively, as in recent days.

The Egypt international’s incendiary interview after Arne Slot’s side blew their advantage and drew at Leeds United has torn at fraying fabric and left Liverpool in dangerous and unknown territory.

The iconic forward, an all-time great on Merseyside and in the Premier League, is facing the very real possibility of leaving Liverpool in January. There is a good chance he has played his last game for the club.

This is a painful situation, to be sure, but Salah is ageing and ostensibly past his prime.

Slot does, however, need to get a tune out of the club’s expensive summer signings, with Florian Wirtz’s struggles a stark representation of the dysfunctional tactical set-up.

Why Wirtz has struggled under Slot

It’s fair to say Wirtz has not been good enough this season, far below the standard expected when Liverpool signed the German midfielder for a £116m fee. It’s also fair to say he’s walked into a burning building, making it difficult to shine against the backdrop of the flames.

It is clear that when Liverpool signed Wirtz this summer, they had landed one of the most talented playmakers in the world. It was also clear that Slot planned to reorient Liverpool’s creative supply line after Trent Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid.

So many variables have been at play this season, but there is no excuse for the toothless, spineless performances that Liverpool have laboured through this season. Slot has to take responsibility, and he has to get more out of Wirtz, who won the Bundesliga Player of the Year in 2023/24 after steering Bayer Leverkusen to an invincible title.

Wirtz has what it takes to succeed. Claims that he lacks physicality are simply untrue. Moreover, he ranks among the top 6% of positional peers in the Premier League for progressive passes and shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref, so he needs just a little nudge in the right direction, with an uptick from Liverpool’s wider system too.

Liverpool need results, and they need them quickly.

Liverpool lining up Slot replacement

According to Anfield Index, FSG chiefs Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes have held talks with Como manager Cesc Fabregas as they continue to weigh up Slot’s future.

Fabregas, 38, is one of the brightest young coaches in the world, and he’s enjoyed a stunning start to life in Serie A, his Como side sixth in the standings.

The Spaniard’s expansive, free-flowing brand of football is not too dissimilar from Slot’s own vision, and this suggests he could dovetail into Liverpool’s first team, taking the reins at the season’s midpoint and restoring balance and confidence.

He may also be the perfect coach to give rise to Wirtz’s latent quality.

Why Liverpool should appoint Fabregas

Fabregas is a young and talented coach, but some would understandably have reservations over his youth and inexperience. However, were FSG to make the appointment, they would no doubt reference Arsenal’s meteoric rise under Mikel Arteta’s wing as a yardstick which they could follow.

Fabregas knows the Premier League, having featured 350 times in the division as a player, having scored 50 goals and supplied 117 assists across stints with Arsenal and Chelsea.

Moreover, Fabregas knows a thing or two about playmaking in the Premier League, lauded as a world-class “maestro” by former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho during his trophy-laden spell at Stamford Bridge.

Truly, he was a “genius” of a footballer, as claimed by former boss Antonio Conte, and he has translated that wealth of footballing knowledge to the coaching scene, with Como playing some slick attacking football this season while maintaining a steely defensive line, for the most part. In the words of one notable analyst on X, he’s “football’s next elite manager.”

This foundation could be perfect for Wirtz, who shares certain tactical tendencies with the rising managerial star. Look at Nico Paz, for example, who has been immense this season ahead of his much-anticipated return to Real Madrid.

Paz, 21, is one of the hottest creative talents in the business, and he has been in fine fettle for Como this season, posting five goals and five assists apiece across 15 matches in all competitions this term.

Like Wirtz, he’s as naturally gifted as they come, but he has also been tasked with defensive responsibilities that have given him a coating of completeness that Fabregas’ tactics would play into Wirtz’s own game.

One thing’s for certain, Liverpool have crumbled under Slot’s wing. After that blistering start at the beginning of last season, the Reds have slowly tapered off, shipping so many goals and losing so many games.

Liverpool have a whole host of problems that have shown little sign of abating this season, but among the most egregious issues are the woes of Wirtz and Alexander Isak, who look shells of their former selves.

This cannot continue. Changes are needed. While FSG will continue to persist with Slot for the time being, given that Hughes has held preliminary talks with Fabregas (and who knows who else?), we can be sure that the plug will be pulled if improvements are not seen quickly.

Fabregas, with fresh and innovative ideas, could be the shrewd solution.

Sell him before Salah & Konate: FSG must bin Liverpool's "major issue"

Liverpool have collapsed this season, and some tough decisions need to be made.

1

By
Angus Sinclair

6 days ago

Alan Gardner is joined on the pod by Vithushan Ehantharajah in Wellington, and Andrew Miller and Matt Roller in the studio, to pick through England’s victory over New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2024England hit the ground running in the first Test, in large part thanks to several catches hitting the ground during a shoddy New Zealand fielding display at Hagley Oval. On this week’s pod, Alan Gardner heard from Vithushan Ehantharajah on arrival in Wellington, and was then joined in the studio by Andrew Miller and Matt Roller. Topics for discussion included Bryson Carse outdoing Anderson and Broad, Jacob Bethell’s composed debut, and Ollie Pope’s best spot – as well as a row brewing between English T20 freelancers and the ECB.