All posts by z3u9t.icu

Since Bruno Lage was appointed as Wolves manager back in June and the Midlands club have brought in players such as Jose Sa, Francisco Trincao, Yerson Mosquera and Hwang Hee-chan as well as January signings Hayao Kawabe and Chiquinho, showing that club are not shy in backing their manager and giving him players to build his squad with.

One player that has been linked with a move to Molineux in recent times is Lille midfielder Renato Sanches, who it seems could still eventually join Wolves at some point soon.

What’s the latest?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Alex Crook had this to say on Wolves’ reported interest in Sanches and the possibility of the club making a future attempt to sign him again.

He said: “He’s definitely someone who’s on their radar. But I think this is where, if they can sell someone like Adama Traore, then it gives them some funds for Bruno Lage to be able to bring in his own players because he hasn’t really done that.”

Lage’s biggest swoop?

Since joining Lille back in 2019 from German club Bayern Munich, the 24-year-old has made 77 appearances for the French side across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing seven assists along the way, showing the attacking and creative skills he has on the pitch.

Looking at the players that Wolves have signed under Lage so far and taking into account Crook’s claim that the Old Gold boss hasn’t been able to bring his own targets to the club yet, a permanent move for Sanches could not only arguably be seen to be a massive coup for Wolves as a whole but as Lage’s biggest transfer deal yet.

After all, the midfielder has tremendous pedigree of playing for a trio of big clubs in three of Europe’s top leagues as well as being a fully-fledged Portugal international with 32 senior caps under his belt.

When you consider his tender age too, there is not only a high degree of potential in his bones but also a significant amount of re-sale value in him, particularly if he thrives in the Premier League.

As a result, this move makes sense for plenty of reasons and should be wrapped up swiftly if Jeff Shi has any sense.

With Crook also mentioning a potential sale of current Wolves winger Adama Traore, if the Midlands club sold the winger either this month or most likely in the next summer transfer window, they should definitely use the money to launch a move for the £27m-rated Sanches if Lille would be willing to shift the midfielder on a permanent basis.

They may not play in the same position but signing somebody as good as the Portugal international in return would be an impressive piece of business.

In other news: Forget Trincao: Wolves plotting swoop for “the new Iniesta,” he’d be a big upgrade – opinion

Everton have been dropping in and out of form this season, and finding that creative midfielder to score goals and create chances has surely become a top priority for Rafa Benitez.

James Rodriguez’s exit has seen the side lack attacking presence in midfield, and Rafa will be keen to rectify that issue in the upcoming winter transfer window, with a signing that can make an instant positive impact on both Everton’s Premier League campaign and tight challenge for a European spot.

What’s the word?

A number of sources, including Calciomercato, have linked ex-Arsenal and current Juventus player, Aaron Ramsey, to an Everton move in January, stating the club has an “excellent relationship” with the Serie A winner.

Ramsey has failed to be part of the bigger picture at Juventus for Allegri, with Fabrizio Romano taking to Twitter to confirm that the club were keen to move the Welsh international on.

The Italian journalist wrote: “Juventus are still planning to find a solution to sell Aaron Ramsey in January. He’s out of the plans and looking for a potential new challenge.”

There doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer as to why Allegri doesn’t utilise the experienced midfielder in his successful Italian side, but if the reports are anything to go by, both Juventus and Ramsey would be keen to seal a deal in January to benefit both parties.

It remains to be seen how much Ramsey might command in terms of transfer fees, though Transfermarkt currently value the 69-cap midfielder at just £9m.

Sign him up!

Ramsey would be a fantastic addition to the blue side of Merseyside if his experience is anything to go by, with three FA Cups and a Serie A title, to name a few of his accomplishments.

He also offers huge amounts of European experience, in both the Champions League and Europa League for his previous Premier League club, Arsenal, featured which will surely be advantageous for Rafa Benitez, whose obvious goal will be to secure European football for the Toffees this season.

The Welshman provided 65 goals and 65 assists in over a total of 371 matches in north London, in which he recorded a career-best of 13 goals and ten assists during the 2013/14 campaign, as per Transfermarkt. That suggests that, on his day, he is a goal threat from midfield and one that could help fill the void left behind by Rodriguez.

Of those 370 matches, 63 were in a European competition.

He has regularly been compared to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, two players renowned for their influence in the heart of the pitch and in the final third.

BT Sport pundit Martin Keown, who was once a colossus for the Gunners, also once described him as a “great leader” and an “outstanding technician” – a glowing endorsement that only bolsters reasoning to sign him this January.

As a proven winner and a proven Premier League player, the 30-year-old could help to inject a winning mentality into the current side to push them on in both domestic competition and when challenging for European spots in the Premier League over the second half of the season.

Therefore, director of football Marcel Brands must push ahead with plans to seal the Wales international this winter.

AND in other news, Brands joins race for £15.3m-rated “match-winner”, he’s just what Everton are missing…

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael suggested that, despite having played a bit-part role at The Hawthorns so far this season, Kenneth Zohore could well still have a role to play for the Baggies.

Speaking about the centre-forward’s standing in his squad ahead of the January transfer window, Ismael said: “At the minute it’s early – you never know what can happen. You see with Kean [Bryan], that situation. In the next game, there could be another situation and the player is involved in the game.

“Just patience, work, he wants to play every time with the U23s which is a good sign. He wants to stay in the rhythm. He trains well. He is our player so everyone needs to be involved, stay focused and involved and you never know.”

Zohore must go

While Ismael’s suggestion that Zohore could still prove to be a useful part of his Albion squad if one of his favoured forwards becomes unavailable due to injury or suspension is perhaps sensible, it is nevertheless an unavoidable fact that, so far in his West Brom career, the 27-year-old has simply not been good enough.

Indeed, after making an £8.01m move to the Baggies back in 2019, the £1.8m-rated man failed to impress over his 17 Championship appearances in his debut campaign, scoring three goals, providing no assists and missing four big chances, as well as hitting the target with an average of just 0.6 shots per game.

These returns saw the player who Neil Warnock once dubbed an “outstanding” talent average a SofaScore match rating of just 6.67, ranking him as Albion’s fourth-worst performer in the league that season.

The £16.5k-per-week striker then endured an equally disappointing loan spell at Millwall last year, scoring two goals over 17 Championship appearances for the Lions, before returning to The Hawthorns this summer.

Furthermore, so far this season, Zohore has found himself left out of each of Ismael’s matchday squads since the second fixture of the campaign against Luton Town, a fixture in which the 46-year-old Albion boss was furious with the 27-year-old’s efforts upon his introduction to the game.

As such, considering the 6 foot 3 striker’s below-par performances and rather hefty weekly wage, Ismael simply must axe the centre-forward this winter, as he is undoubtedly becoming something of a burden for the club.

In other news: West Brom confirm exciting development which is sure to leave Baggies fans buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact with Ousmane Dembele regarding a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to reports from Spain (via Sport Witness), who claim that Fabio Paratici has made progress in his discussions with the Barcelona forward about a summer switch to Spurs, with the 24-year-old able to agree to a pre-contract in January as a result of his contract expiring at Camp Nou next summer.

The report goes on to state that the likes of Chelsea, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are all monitoring the situation of the France international, while Barcelona are also reported to be keen for the World Cup winner to extend stay in LaLiga.

However, it is then said that Dembele’s agent is well aware that his client is viewed as one of the “big bargains” of next summer, something which gives the winger the upper hand in his contract talks with Xavi’s side – which, at present, do not look likely to come to a resolution.

Paratici must seal Dembele deal

While it is true that, since Dembele’s £135.5m move to Barcelona back in 2017, the winger has failed to hit the heights of his time at Borussia Dortmund, it is undeniable that the 24-year-old would be a magnificent deal for Paratici to get over the line this winter, particularly on a free transfer.

Indeed, while a series of serious injuries have severely limited the £45m-rated man’s game time at Barcelona, he has still scored an impressive 30 goals and registered 21 assists over his 122 appearances for the Spanish giants.

However, should Spurs go on to sign the £287k-per-week forward, Antonio Conte will undoubtedly be hoping the Frenchman can refind the form he displayed over his 32 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund back in 2016/17, a season in which the versatile winger bagged six goals, provided 12 assists and created a whopping 17 big chances for his teammates.

The player who Lionel Messi dubbed a “phenomenon” also took an average of 1.7 shots and made 2.2 key passes per game that season, metrics which saw the 24-year-old earn an astonishing seasonal SofaScore rating of 7.34 – ranking him as the joint 10th-best performer in the German top flight.

This level of form would appear to lend some weight to Joan Laporta’s recent claim that Dembele is “better than Mbappe,” and also proves exactly why Paratici simply must simply do all he can to seal a deal for the forward in the coming months.

In other news: Antonio Conte set for huge Spurs boost “in a few days”, fans surely buzzing

Leeds United made a big statement last summer when they made Rodrigo their club-record signing at £26m, but it hasn’t been easy for him. Despite this, Danny Mills believes the forward will still come good for the Whites.

Mills discusses Rodrigo

Speaking to Football Insider about the Spaniard, Mills said: “I think he’s played well. I’d be surprised if they were to let him go this soon. That’s not how Bielsa works, he’s about bringing players in and improving them over the course of time.

“We’ve seen him have some good performances. We have to remember this has all happened through Covid which isn’t particularly easy for anybody or any football club and he’s had some injuries.”

Leeds have picked up a good forward

Rodrigo has been a regular for Marcelo Bielsa’s team before his injury, as he had played in no fewer than 20 matches in total over all competitions in the 2020/21 campaign, scoring three goals and making one assist (Transfermarkt). To be a club record signing and only score three goals this season will worry not only the manager, but also many supporters of the club. Phil Hay has raved over the player this season as he said: ‘He looks like a class act’. This shows that he has the quality, so he just needs the consistency.

However, recent links to Juventus emphasise that he certainly has the quality, and it is not strange for a player to struggle in their first campaign in the Premier League. Some players do take a little bit of time to settle into a new division, especially one that is physically demanding like the Premier League, so we feel that Mills is right not to write off Rodrigo so soon.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided a positive transfer update on this Leeds defender!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Dean Windass said he believes Steve Bruce will keep Newcastle in the Premier League this season.

Following a run of just two wins in their previous 16 Premier League matches, the Magpies have slipped to within one point of the bottom-three and are in serious danger of being relegated.

And Newcastle’s chances of avoiding the drop have seemingly decreased in recent weeks with a number of their key players currently out injured.

Top goalscorer Callum Wilson suffered a hamstring problem against Southampton last month and is facing another two to four weeks on the sidelines, whilst wingers Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin have both been ruled out until April following knee and groin injuries sustained against Wolves on Saturday night.

But despite their injury worries and current league position, Windass believes that Bruce will do enough to get Newcastle over the line.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I feared for them when them three were fit. Callum Wilson has come in as a big money signing as a number nine and big boots to fill in the sense of, I know it’s a few years now, but anybody that stands upfront is going to get compared to Alan Shearer.

“Almiron has been in and out. I know Steve Bruce really well, and his standards are so high, but he just doesn’t have the players for the size of that football club are good enough. It’s a blessing sometimes that the supporters aren’t there this season because they’d get absolutely hammered, and there would be even more pressure on the players.

“I think he will keep them up, I know he’s got three injuries, Saint-Maximin is a massive loss to them, he’s a good player, he’s the one whose got the crack. I think the club needs a revamp, from Mike Ashley right through.”

It promises to be an anxious few months at St James’ Park.

With Fulham now breathing down their neck, Newcastle’s upcoming games against, Aston Villa and Brighton could do some way to deciding whether the Geordies are still a Premier League club next season.

Tottenham Hotspur colossus Cristian Romero was the only shining light as the north London outfit were held by Brentford on Saturday evening.

Antonio Conte’s side were struck an almighty blow in the race for a top-four finish in the Premier League as they couldn’t find a way past Christian Eriksen and co, failing to even register a shot on target all game.

It now puts the Lilywhites two points behind their arch-rivals, Arsenal, with only five matches left to play – including the derby on May 12th – meaning it is now out of Spurs’ hands completely.

Despite dominating possession (56%), Tottenham failed to create anything of note, whilst their former playmaking Dane effectively ran the show for the Bees.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-levy-conte-paratici-thfc” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

Harry Kane and Heung-min Son were starved of service from the Italian’s wing-backs, the former even putting in a last-ditch goal-line clearance to save the clean sheet, at the very least.

Although it was the Argentine defender, who has been lauded as an “animal” in the past by his teammate Pierluigi Gollini, who ensured that Spurs walked away with a point rather than nothing whatsoever.

The £36m-rated warrior was an absolute rock defensively, often mopping up behind the error-prone Emerson on the right side of the defence.

As per SofaScore, the 23-year-old centre-back earned a ‘Man of the Match’ 8.1 rating, having made a game-high five interceptions, on top of three blocks, two clearances and one tackle.

Not only was he solid at the back, having won 75% of his ground and aerial battles but he was also influential with the ball at his feet, registering 74 touches, which included one key chance created – as many as Kane and Dejan Kulusevski combined – from 51 successful passes (93% total accuracy).

Romero’s performance earned quite the praise indeed, justifiably so.

Alasdair Gold of football.london graded him an 8/10 in his post-match ratings column and claimed that he ‘was by far Spurs’ best player on the day.’

There weren’t many players that could come away from such a display with their head held high but on the above evidence, the Argentina international was a cut above his teammates and without him, they may well have returned to N17 with an even worse result.

Romero was certainly Conte’s one and only positive from such a drab display.

AND in other news, Forget Emerson: “Really poor” Spurs lightweight who lost possession 19x failed Conte…

Manchester United kickstarted 2021 in style after a customary penalty from Bruno Fernandes condemned Aston Villa to a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford on Friday night.

The gruelling encounter was United’s first game to mark the new year and looked like it would end all square with the two sides coming close to scoring on multiple occasions.

But the Red Devils grit their teeth, dug deep and eked out a victory over Villa behind closed doors at the empty stadium, with Fernandes picking up where he left off last year with his 15th goal in 24 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

However, this doesn’t mean that some of the defensive displays should go unnoticed, none more so than Aaron Wan-Bissaka. We must reserve a special mention for Anthony Martial, who was equally impressive, but Wan-Bissaka was in imperious form after a somewhat shaky start to the season.

The 23-year-old, who earns around £90,000-per-week at Old Trafford, has often been criticised for his perceived lack of creativity in the final third. Against Villa, the defender defied the critics, as the full-back was a real threat bombing up and down the right flank. He picked up the assist for Anthony Martial’s opener but his attacking output didn’t stop there, either, as this was just one of two key passes he produced last night.

As per SofaScore, his performance was graded at 7.9 out of ten for his efforts – the highest rating out of any other player on the pitch including Fernandes and Jack Grealish – he made four tackles, also a game-high metric, two interceptions, two clearances and blocked one shot.

On one occasion halfway through the second half, Grealish sent a sublime pass towards Anwar El Ghazi waiting at the back post, only to be denied by the outstretched foot of Wan-Bissaka.The Manchester Evening News awarded him with a 7/10 rating, claiming he ‘overcame an iffy start to get his first assist of the season with a spirited surge and cross for Anthony Martial’, while The Sun were equally effusive in their praise by giving him a notch below, insisting he ‘showed a willingness to get forward early on and took advantage of Rashford’s infield runs by bombing up the right.’There’s no denying the fact the full-back was the standout performer, as it’s the type of performance fans have been expecting to see from the defender, who arrived at Old Trafford from Crystal Palace for £50m on a five-year contract in 2019.With United heavily linked to Norwich City star Max Aarons, the timing couldn’t be better for Wan-Bissaka, whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are now joint-top of the Premier League with defending champions Liverpool ahead of their game against Southampton on Monday night.AND in other news, Ed Woodward must sell Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah in January…

With reports linking Aston Villa with a summer swoop for Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, Dean Smith might be more advised to unleash a player who he already has at his disposal: Louie Barry.

The 17-year-old was the talk of the town earlier this season when he scored in Villa’s FA Cup defeat to Liverpool, but that break-out moment has yet to result in any more action for first-team, with the striker yet to make the match-day squad in the Premier League.

The lack of senior action has seen Lee Hendrie raise his concerns about the way Smith has failed to use him, and urged the Villa boss to reconsider.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I’m really disappointed that he hasn’t featured, not even really on the bench since that Liverpool game with the fabulous goal that he scored. He reminds me of a young Michael Owen in the fact that he’s very slight, small, but he’s very quick, and I’m surprised that he hasn’t been given a bit more of a chance since that game.

“I just feel that he should now be getting into the first-team squad, being on the bench and getting thrown on for the last 20 minutes, relieving a bit of pressure, just because he’s got that pace that he can burn off.”

Barry appears to have all the ability to become a real star for Villa for now and the future, with club’s academy manager, Mark Harrison, saying: “He is still a very young man but as he’s developed, he’s always been one player that you always recognise as having outstanding attributes. He’s got a fantastic mentality, he’s desperate to do well for this football club.

“As a player, his real strength is his work rate, he’s constantly pressurising the opposition when they are on the ball, looking to create opportunities for himself to nick the ball high up the pitch. He is quick, and looks to play off the shoulders of the defenders, always looking for space behind them to be able to run into.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/villa-dean-smith-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-premier-league-buendia-berge-mcneil-trezeguet-villa-park” title=”Read the latest Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

Rather than spending a massive amount of money on someone like Abraham, surely Smith could give that opportunity to Barry and see if he rises to the occasion.

Young players just need that one chance to impress, and Barry has already shown in that FA Cup match against Liverpool that he’s got an enormous amount of potential.

It’s time Smith recognises that.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith is making a major mistake over this talent…

Speaking to Radio Punto Nuovo (via Tutto Napoli), Italian journalist Carlo Laudisa has dropped a teasing Tottenham claim involving Maurizio Sarri as the reporter explained that the former Juventus boss ‘could go’ to England, with Spurs the ‘most plausible’ destination.

The Lowdown: Sarri eyed by Spurs and Arsenal

The 62-year-old has been targeted by Spurs over the last month according to various reports, with Football Italia most recently saying that talks have been held for the former Chelsea coach.

Indeed, last month the same outlet also stated that contact has been made with Sarri, but north London rivals Arsenal have since joined the race for his appointment amid speculation surrounding Mikel Arteta.

The Latest: Tottenham ‘most plausible’ destination

Dropping an exciting claim, La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Laudisa has told Radio Punto Nuovo that Spurs is a likely destination for the 62-year-old, who he said could come back to the Premier League, with Tottenham appearing to be the ‘most plausible’ job.

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“Sarri could go to England,” the reporter explained (via Tutto Napoli).

“The Tottenham solution is the most plausible one, but the Arsenal bench could also free himself, given that Arteta has missed all the Gunners’ seasonal objectives.”

The Verdict: Sarri should be on the wishlist

Lauded as a ‘magnificent’ manager by Chelsea player Jorginho, who played under Sarri at Stamford Bridge, (via Football Italia), the coach is famed for his own brand of attacking football.

Conventionally nicknamed ‘Sarri-ball’, it is a combination of intense, high-pressing play, and Spurs are said to want an attack-minded manager to succeed Jose Mourinho in N17 (The Guardian).

Having won the Europa League with Chelsea and Serie A at Juventus, the 62-year-old also has a track record of winning silverware, so there are plenty of boxes already ticked for Tottenham.

Therefore, we urge Spurs not to write him off as a candidate.

In other news: Tottenham fans flock to this ‘best news’, find out more here.