Many West Ham United fans were left slamming the display of Vladimir Coufal in their side’s 1-0 away loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup on Tuesday night.
The Czech Republic international did not have his best game for the London Stadium faithful as a Scott McTominay goal in the first half of extra time made sure that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team went through to the next stage of the competition at Old Trafford, at the expense of the Hammers.
Coufal never really managed to get going in the match and he had a poor game by his usually high standards. The 28-year-old lost out on no fewer than five of his duels and only managed to achieve a 71% pass accuracy, the second-lowest out of any of his teammates to have started the game (Sofascore).
Coufal also failed to make a single key pass or accurate cross, and lost possession of the ball no fewer than 26 times in the match, the most out of any outfield player to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).
West Ham fan reaction to Coufal display
These Irons slammed his performance on Twitter, with one WHU supporter even going as far as to claim that the right-back was ‘very poor’:
“Let’s be real, Coufal has been very poor”
Credit: @WesthamMitchell
“What’s Coufal doing?!”
Credit: @lukejessop16
“Worst game I’ve seen Coufal have”
Credit: @Dom_A_King
“Coufal needs to learn to pass a bit better”
Credit: @AnthonyMelman
“Mate you just said Coufal had a better game than Benrahma, he was the worst player on the pitch, take your agenda somewhere else”
Credit: @WestHam_Way
“Noble looked like he had more left in him than Rice. Rice was visibly knackered Noble still was pressing well the game. Coufal, yeah, you could tell he was gone, shows the thin squad we have”
Credit: @LingardinhoSzn
In other news, find out what David Moyes revelation has got fans talking here!
Steve Bruce has pulled off a masterstroke getting Newcastle United to offer Ciaran Clark a new two-year contract.
What’s the word?
The Magpies have announced that Clark has signed a new deal at St. James’ Park, keeping the Republic of Ireland international under contract on Tyneside through to the summer of 2023.
Clark was due to become a free agent at the end of the current season after entering into the final six-months of the £35,000-per-week terms agreed under Rafa Benitez in 2016.
Clark moved to the north-east from Aston Villa in a £5m deal following the Toon’s relegation to the Championship, and was named as United’s Player of the Year after helping to secure their return to the Premier League with 14 clean sheets over his 34 second-tier outings.
Since returning from a nine-month lay-off with an ankle injury in November, Clark has become a key aspect of Bruce’s backline as the first-choice left-sided option, starting Newcastle’s last 10-straight top-flight games.
Clark had begun attracting interest from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace due to his impending free-agent status, with the Eagles considering the 31-year-old as a potential replacement for Mamadou Sakho at Selhurst Park.
Bruce masterstroke
Newcastle tieing Clark down to a two-year contract comes as a clear sign of the Toon giving their backing to Bruce and his vision for the club, after the Magpies boss had called for the £4.5m-rated brute to be given a new deal.
“He’s not an unsung hero to me, Ciaran is a really good player who gives you a nice balance with his left foot,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live. “We’d like to keep him at the club. I think he deserves that, and he has played very well for me.”
It should only be seen as a masterstroke by Bruce to get Newcastle to commit to Clark, who former teammate Daryl Murphy lauds as a “no-nonsense” ball player, even though he was initially signed for a season in the Championship.
Clark has come on leaps and bounds from being someone needed to take the second-tier by storm, to become arguably the most important centre-back at St. James’ Park over the past few months.
One of his best traits is in taking control of the air and protecting Karl Darlow in goal with few Premier League defenders more successful in the duel than Clark, who wins four a game on average – only Leeds United’s Liam Cooper (4.33) and Southampton’s Jannik Vestergaard (4.15) fare better, among those who have featured more than five times this season, per SofaScore.
Clark’s four aerial duels won a game is also the same as Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, the £80m man signed for a world-record fee for a defender. The 31-year-old is not afraid to carry the ball out from the back, either, with 0.3 successful dribbles – more than that achieved by full-backs DeAndre Yedlin (0.17) and Javier Manquillo (0).
Bruce also sees Clark dictate how the Magpies play out from the back with 35.9 passes a game, more than any other Toon defender, while Fabian Schar is the only member to break up opposition play more often with 1.73 interceptions to the Republic of Ireland ace’s 1.5.
Newcastle would have had to find a mine to unearth as much gold in the transfer market than they have hit by retaining Clark.
AND in other news, Newcastle face heightened competition for a £2.7m target…
Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy with an incident from their match against Kilmarnock in the Premiership on Saturday.
The Gers edged the game 1-0 to go 21 points clear at the top of the table with just nine games left to play (BBC). Steven Gerrard will be delighted that his team were able to pick up the three points – right now, he knows the results are far more important than the performances.
It could have been a more comfortable win for the Gers as well. There was an incident in the penalty area, when right-back and captain James Tavernier was clearly taken out by a Killie player – it looked like a stonewall spot-kick, but referee Don Robertson decided not to give it.
A GIF of the incident was shared by Twitter account @_R_W_B_, and it angered the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.
Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say about the incident below
“100% a penalty. If the ref thinks the Killie player gets the ball, he can argue it’s a corner (Still a penalty, as he’s went through the back of Tav). He gave a goal kick. Bonkers.”
Credit: @RustyBaw72
“These just get ignored. It’s ridiculous.”
Credit: @BMCRangersRants
“That’s actually hilarious “
Credit: @AATG57
“Absolute joke and Tavs goal was onside”
Credit: @thefragglerocks
“Decisions are getting worse #wontstop55”
Credit: @richardbarber73
“Stonewall penalty. Don doing what he does best today.”
Credit: @onlyoneamoruso
In other news, Rangers fans love this injury update.
With Rangers’ managing director Stewart Robinson recently stating that the club may be forced to sell some of its prized assets in the summer to boost their financial position, Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, James Tavernier and Kai Kennedy are a handful of names that immediately spring to mind.
The latter of whom happens to be a highly talented teenager and with his contract set to expire in 2023, it’s understandable why the club might be tempted to cash in on the promising starlet.
Rangers youngster Kennedy, who was once dubbed a “fabulous little player” by Steven Gerrard, recently signed a new two-year contract that will keep him at his boyhood club for the foreseeable future. However, the 18-year-old has previously attracted interest from the likes of European giants Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Roma, as well as Premier League strugglers Sheffield United.
But all that talk will have to wait for now, however, as he is continuing to make waves in the Championship with Raith Rovers after a short stint with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The scorer of two goals and supplier of four assists this season, Kennedy has caught the eye with his flair for the theatrics, while he is proving to be a force to be reckoned with his combination of pace, physicality, athleticism and technique.
Don’t let his small stature deceive you – a return of three assists sees him rank sixth in the Championship this season, which shows that he is a real menace for the opposition.
Following the arrival of Scott Wright from Aberdeen, Kennedy could’ve been forgiven for feeling a little anxious about his long-term prospects.
But Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson’s recent comments show just how highly he is rated within the club.
“Kai consistently stated during all of our conversations that his ultimate ambition is to be a successful Rangers player and we are pleased we have a clear plan that allows him to move towards achieving the ambition he has held since joining our Academy as a young lad.
“He has progressed beyond our B Team and he needs to develop and influence strongly at first-team level now. We were pleased with his performances at Inverness and thank John Robertson for his work with Kai.
“For personal reasons, Kai wanted to be closer to his family during Covid times and we look forward to monitoring his contribution to Raith Rovers in their pursuit of promotion.”
Intuitive, quick and capable of bringing the ball out to put his side on the front foot, it looks like Kennedy has a bright future ahead of him. Whether he will be plying his trade at Ibrox next season remains to be seen, as he may end up leaving on loan, but whoever acquires his services will be delighted to get their hands on one of Scottish football’s hottest prospects.
AND in other news, Ianis Hagi stars in Rangers’ 1-0 win over St Johnstone…
Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that Hummel are set to replace Under Armour as their kit manufacturer.
Under Armour have been making the south-coast outfit’s kits since 2017, while that contract was set to run for another two years (The Athletic). However, the powers that be at St. Mary’ Stadium have decided to end their previous deal early to move to sign off on a deal with Danish company Hummel. The new agreement is set to run for five years.
Hummel previously made the club’s kits between 1987 and 1991. There is no indication as to how much the deal will bring in for Southampton, but that doesn’t seem to have worried these supporters – they are absolutely delighted by the news, which was shared by the club’s official Twitter account, and they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.
Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Hummel news below
“Take my money now.”
Credit: @jackosfc89
“This is ace. Great decision. Might actually get the kit delivered on time for a change”
Credit: @samdewar06
“Excellent news! Bye bye under armour!!”
Credit: @paulbowring85
“Great news! Excited to see what they do for us. Welcome back @hummel1923”
Credit: @adamthesaint9
“OH YES. YES. THANK YOU FOOTBALL LORD. YESNOW.”
Credit: @iHarlandos
“Fantastic news”
Credit: @rogersanders
In other news, Southampton fans are worried by this financial news.
Leeds United have been linked to a move for Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara as the January transfer window fast approaches. Steven Gerrard has been urging the club to tie the 25-year-old down, amid fears that he could be tempted to leave Glasgow next month (via TEAMtalk).
The Whites join the likes of Everton, Southampton and even Dortmund eyeing up a swoop for Kamara. However, Carlton Palmer can’t see any winter transfer coming to fruition. Speaking to Football FanCast’s Tom Ward, the pundit debunked the idea of Rangers losing the Finland international any time soon.
Palmer said: “Rangers are having a fantastic season, so why would they let him go? And why would he want to leave? Obviously, you want to play in the Premier League but Rangers are going great guns at the moment.”
Indeed, the blue side of Glasgow is on the home stretch in the Scottish Premiership this season. Gerrard and his men are yet to register a single league loss and have now stretched their lead at the top of the table to a massive 13 points.
Thanks to their Old Firm win back in October plus some big scoring results, the Gers have been unstoppable. If they can hold onto their impressive lead, they will snub Celtic of their tenth consecutive Premiership title.
For a player like Kamara, now is the perfect time to be at the club. They are turning lots of heads with their fiery performances and have a good chance of going far in the Europa League. But Leeds and others will still be circling the defensive midfielder as they continue to be hammered by injuries in their returning Premier League campaign.
They will definitely be looking to recruit in January, but may have more of a task on their hands than they originally thought when it comes to prising Kamara out of Scotland.
In other news, Signing Mark McKenzie would be huge move from Lawwell…
West Ham manager David Moyes has been heaping praise on midfielder Pablo Fornals, much to the approval of many Irons fans.
Speaking via @whufc_news, Moyes said: “Pablo has done really well. He’s a really likeable boy and works really hard for the team. We’re always demanding more from him because we want assists and goals for him and he’s been doing that. His energy and enthusiasm is incredible.”
The Spaniard definitely deserves the plaudits from his manager. This season he has one goal and two assists, and he has averaged 1.5 shots and one key pass a game (WhoScored) His eye for goal has certainly helped the Irons as they have eight points after six games in the division.
The £16.2m-valued ace struggled to be consistent in his first season in the Premier League last term, with only two goals and five assists. If he keeps up his good form from recent weeks, then there is no doubt he can improve on his record from 2019/20.
Here is what West Ham fans had to say about Moyes’ comments on Fornals:
In other West Ham news, Irons legend Frank McAvennie has praised one defender at the club. Have a read who is it here!
This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.
Back in July 2015, Sheffield Wednesday secured the signature of relatively unknown Portuguese youngster Lucas Joao, paying Nacional a pretty hefty £2.5m to take him to Hillsborough.
Aged just 21, the striker had just enjoyed a very decent season in Liga NOS, bagging six goals and providing seven assists which was obviously enough to convince his compatriot Carlos Carvalhal to snap him up.
In his first campaign in South Yorkshire, Joao was solid if unspectacular. Whilst he wasn’t a regular starter, he did manage to make 48 appearances across all competitions, scoring eight times whilst setting up another four as the Owls went on to lose in the play-off final.
He continued to struggle to make the starting 11 in the 2016/17 season and after just seven starts and three assists in the Championship, Wednesday opted to send him on loan to fellow second tier club Blackburn Rovers where he scored three in 13.
Returning to Hillsborough after his spell at Ewood Park, Joao continued to play a bit part role and he scored just one against bitter rivals Sheffield United.
During that season however, Carvalhal was sacked by the Owls’ hierarchy and Jos Luhukay was named as his replacement on 6th January 2018. This proved to be a bit of a gamechanger for Joao, who hit a purple patch of form under the Dutchman, netting seven goals and providing four assists in the remaining 19 games of that term under his tutelage.
His improved form under Luhukay led to Sheffield Wednesday rewarding the striker with a new contract, keeping him at Hillsborough until the summer of 2021.
He then went on to enjoy his most prolific campaign in a blue and white shirt as he scored 10 goals in 31 Championship appearances during 18/19, with eight of those strikes coming under Luhukay before he was sacked in December 2018.
His strong run of form had alerted other clubs and after coming on and sign for the Royals just three days later for a fee of £4.86m, meaning the Owls pocketed a tidy £2.36m profit.
There were flashes of brilliance during the Portuguese’s spell at Hillsborough, but ultimately he was largely inconsistent during his four year stay. Indeed, in a total of 127 appearances he scored just 29 goals, meaning he averaged roughly a goal every four-and-a-half games.
In truth, that is a pretty mediocre record and you have to say that when taking his numbers into account, Sheffield Wednesday worked wonders in the transfer market to sell him on for a significant profit and much more than his market value at the time (£2.25m).
Owls fans, how did you rate Lucas Joao’s spell at Hillsborough? Let us know in the comments below…
Manchester United have suffered a huge blow as Borussia Dortmund have agreed to buy Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City this summer.
Bellingham, 17, will follow in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho when he moves to the Signal Iduna Park.
The teenager broke the record previously held by Trevor Francis as Birmingham’s youngest player, and had been linked to Man United and Chelsea, but he opted to move to Germany instead.
According to Fabrizio Romano, via The Guardian, Dortmund have agreed a £22.75m deal to sign the midfielder.
He established himself as a first-team regular with the Blues and even enjoyed a tour of Carrington led by none other than Sir Alex Ferguson earlier this year.
Romano reports Bellingham has passed all his medicals and the contract has been signed on the dotted line, meaning a move is all but complete.
Despite the red carpet treatment, he has rejected the Red Devils in favour of Dortmund, which will be a big blow for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as he had been chasing him for several months.
This isn’t the first time that the Bundesliga challengers have usurped Solskjaer in the transfer market, as he missed out on signing Erling Braut Haaland last year.
Naturally, many United fans slammed the transfer update on social media, with one calling Dortmund “criminals” as they have got Bellingham for a relatively low fee but are reportedly asking the Red Devils to pay £117m for Sancho. Meanwhile, several supporters bizarrely branded Bellingham “average at best” and “overrated,” despite his impressive track record this season.
Scroll through some of the scathing reactions so far…
United fans, do you think Ed Woodward will regret missing out on Jude Bellingham? Let us know down below!