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Aston Villa have been urged to make a summer transfer move for Wolves star Adama Traore.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are willing to let the Spain international go in the summer for around the £30m mark, and former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has called on Villa to go after him.

He told Football Insider: “It could be a possibility at that price. If I was Aston Villa, I’d be looking at someone like him. He set the goal up at the weekend against Sheffield United. He’s got pace and power.

“He might not be as effective this season as he was last year but maybe he can freshen up, go to a new club and be a top signing. He’s an absolute handful. You wouldn’t want to be coming up against him every week, especially if you get in a foot race against him.”

Bargain deal for Lange

Considering there were suggestions that Wolves were demanding a whopping fee of around £70m to let Traore go last summer, for his price to be slashed by more than half, surely gives Villa the perfect chance to nab an absolute bargain.

Johan Lange will be keen to ensure that he makes the kind of signings that genuinely strengthens Dean Smith’s side, and given the injury troubles of Trezeguet, and the inconsistency of Bertrand Traore – he’s scored just one goal in his last 13 Premier League games – a move for a Premier League-proven winger like Traore would do just that.

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Wolves’ own Traore has been terrifying Premier League defences for a few seasons now, with his “pace and power” as Kenny says being a real weapon for Nuno’s side.

The £100k-a-week earning powerhouse may just need a change in scenery to help him get back on track, and while Villa wouldn’t exactly be a fresh start given his previous time at the club, it could be the kind of move that revitalises him.

Meanwhile, Villa have been handed a major boost over this forgotten man…

Mason Holgate delivered an error-strewn performance as he badly let Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti down by gifting Tottenham Hotspur a draw on Friday night.

Ancelotti opted to field Holgate as part of a three-man defence beside Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey for the visit of Jose Mourinho’s Spurs to Goodison Park, as the Italian sought to manage an adductor injury for Yerry Mina.

The Toffees were badly in need of a positive result against the north Londoners after a run of two defeats and two draws, but were forced to settle for a third straight stalemate after goals from Harry Kane either side of a brace from Gylfi Sigurdsson.

The result meant that Everton remained eighth in the Premier League table and a point behind Tottenham, who have played a game more, and they now trail the top four by six points ahead of West Ham visiting Newcastle on Saturday.

Everton will have felt that the win was there for taking having controlled every department of the pitch after Sigurdsson converted a penalty to equalise in the 31st minute, and they firmly deserved the lead when the Iceland international clinically volleyed home just after the hour mark.

However, defensive mistakes proved costly for the Toffees as a mix-up between Holgate and Keane gifted Kane an opening for his second of the night, which the England captain refused to waste by rifling an unstoppable effort past Jordan Pickford.

Kane had fortuitously opened the scoring midway through the first half after Keane failed to make purposeful contact with Tanguy Ndombele’s cross before Holgate’s slip left the 27-year-old unchallenged to lash home.

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Neither Keane nor Holgate will have been pleased with their efforts to prevent Kane from moving two clear at the top of the Premier League’s Golden Boot race with his 20th and 21st goals of the season.

Everton’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are now in relative tatters and must rely on results going away from West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs if they are to claim a spot for UEFA’s premier club competition.

Ancelotti will have been particularly disappointed by Holgate’s display, having seen the £16m-rated centre-back – who the Liverpool Echo’s Sam Carroll has previously dubbed as “Mr Dependable” – struggle more than Keane throughout.

Holgate could have done better to prevent both of Kane’s goals, having been in the perfect position to intercept Ndombele’s delivery despite Keane’s attempted clearance, only to slip at the crucial moment.

A communication breakdown later led to Kane bagging his brace despite Keane appearing to call for Holgate to leave Erik Lamela’s cross as he stooped to head clear the danger, only for the ball to ricochet into the forward’s path.

Kane’s double meant that Everton had to settle for a point, but the result could have slipped through the Toffees’ fingers were it not for Keane, who blocked two shots and made three clearances while Holgate ended the night with two clearances to his name, per SofaScore.

With Mina set to miss the next few weeks through injury, Ancelotti faces tough decisions over sticking with an unchanged backline or dropping one of his three centre-backs when Everton visit Arsenal next Friday.

AND in other news, a rarely-seen Everton outcast is wanted in a £10.5m summer transfer…

Kevin Campbell has claimed that he does not think that Jesse Lingard will be at West Ham United next season.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Arsenal, Everton and West Brom striker believes that the East London club will struggle to sign him on a permanent deal from Manchester United in the summer transfer window:

“I think West Ham will struggle to sign him in the summer.

“At the end of the day, he is a United player. It is not as if he has never performed for Manchester United before.

“There is nothing worse than sending someone out to go and get some game time and the next thing you know he is ripping it to pieces. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be thinking, ‘He could be doing that for us.’ 

“West Ham are benefitting now but I cannot see him being there next season.”

West Ham must sign Lingard

David Moyes’ team need to do all that they can to try and sign Lingard permanently at the end of his loan spell from the Red Devils.

The England international has been nothing short of a revelation at the London Stadium, scoring no fewer than six goals and making a further four assists in just eight games in total in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), which also earned him a recall into the Three Lions squad by Gareth Southgate for their 20222 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Former Irons striker and pundit Ian Wright described (Premier League Productions via HITC) him as both ‘devastating’ and a ‘danger’ after he helped them win 2-0 against Leeds United in the top flight in March, and it is clear that the 28-year-old still has a lot left to offer in a Claret and Blue shirt.

In other news, find out who WHUFC fans want to sign as a potential ‘Noble replacement’ here!

Southampton look to have been robbed blind in their negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer, with the Danish international continuing to impress in Jose Mourinho’s side this season.

The former Saints captain was sold to the North London club for a reported fee of just £15 million, despite Southampton reportedly setting an asking price of £35 million earlier in the summer.

Of course, they were able to negotiate a deal with Spurs that saw Kyle Walker-Peters move the other way for just £12 million, which has proved to be an excellent deal for the club, but you could definitely argue that the South Coast club could have negotiated a much better deal for the defensive midfielder.

In his time at Spurs, Hojbjerg has seen his market value rise to a career-high of £31.5 million, despite being valued at just £18 million during the summer.

He has been a mainstay in Mourinho’s Spurs side this season, making 29 appearances in the Premier League and averaging a very solid 6.96 rating for his performances.

After impressing in Spurs’ 2-0 North London derby win earlier in the season, Mourinho was full of praise for the former Bayern Munich man, saying:

“Simplicity is genius. And the guy is so simple in everything he does with the ball. And I think he’s a phenomenal player. Congratulations, Mr Levy.”

The fact that Mourinho was saluting Spurs’ chairman Daniel Levy, who is renowned for his ability to negotiate transfer deals, suggests that even the Portuguese manager believes that they got a bargain when signing Hojbjerg.

Although Southampton were almost forced into a decision with Hojbjerg due to his old contract being set to expire at the end of this season, the fact that the Danish international’s value has gone through the roof during his time at Spurs definitely suggests that they could’ve demanded a bit more.

If he continues to impress with the Lilywhites, then you could definitely argue that Southampton were robbed blind by Levy in the negotiations for Hojbjerg.

And, in other news… Saints can forget about relegation after news on £75k-p/w star; Ralph surely buzzing

Celtic’s hunt for a new manager at Parkhead has really gathered pace over the last week or so. After suffering setbacks in their quest to appoint Chris Wilder and Jesse Marsch, they have identified a new man to lead the Bhoys forward.

That happens to be one of their former employers; Roy Keane.

The Manchester United legend finished his playing career in Glasgow and is now being viewed by Dermot Desmond as the man to lead Celtic’s new era.

According to reports, discussions have taken place over the role with an interview even occurring.

If he does indeed come to Scotland, how could his starting XI look next season?

This could be a significant summer of change for Celtic, both among the football hierarchy and with the playing squad.

Part of that could see Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard leave. The former has been linked with a move to AC Milan while the latter continues to be touted with a switch to the English Premier League.

Liverpool have recently been linked with his services in a deal that could see Divock Origi go in the opposite direction. As a result, he is the first notable inclusion in Keane’s starting XI.

As many as seven new signings come into the team with another difference in the Celtic attack. Ryan Christie is axed from the starting XI after his disappointing campaign, scoring just five goals. Thus, Siriki Dembele starts on the wing. He has recently been touted with a move from Peterborough on a free transfer.

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Liam Shaw, who has agreed a pre-contract, replaces Scott Brown in the middle of the park alongside Callum McGregor.

The majority of changes come in defence, an area where Celtic have often been found wanting this term. They’ve shipped 14 more goals than Rangers in the league while there’s the threat Ajer could leave.

With that in mind, Declan Gallagher comes in at centre-back. He’s regularly been tipped to make a switch to Parkhead from Motherwell.

There is no permanent move for Jonjoe Kenny at right-back so Dutch target Milan van Ewijk starts at right-back. There is a further change on the opposite side too.

Diego Laxalt is due to head back to Milan following the conclusion of his loan spell, so Romain Perraud could be signed from Brest. He nearly joined Celtic in 2019 and is now being eyed up by the Hoops hierarchy once again.

The final change is in goal where David Marshall returns to Glasgow. He is another to be tipped with a move in recent weeks.

AND in other news, Celtic could finally axe Christie by signing “outstanding” beast with 28 assists…

Lots of Wolves supporters have been talking about a potential return for Matt Doherty in the summer transfer window.

Football Insider have recently reported about Doherty, saying that Wolves are open to bringing the Irishman back to the club in the summer but only if Spurs are looking to lower their asking price for the defender in the summer.

The report states that while Nelson Semedo has shown signs of improvement after a slow start, he doesn’t offer the same sort of goal threat as Doherty did during his time at Molineux.

Doherty has made only 15 appearances in the Premier League, getting a couple of assists. He has played seven times in the Europa League too.

The former Molineux favourite is currently valued at £16.20 million, but it was at around £18 million when he arrived at the north London side.

The news about Doherty was relayed on Twitter by Talking Wolves. Lots of Wolves supporters made their views clear about a potential return for the Irishman.

What did Wolves fans make of the news about Doherty?

“Never go back….sends a negative message to the squad.”

Credit: @WV1Wolf

“If the point was to sell him to get someone else, then why are we re-signing him?? Makes no sense. If this is true, it is absolutely ridiculous.”

Credit: @iamrockymstar

“Given the reports of us having limited transfer funds, I don’t see this happening, not a priority.”

Credit: @GavinderPawar

“No thanks. Semedo is better and hoever has a higher ceiling. Never go backwards.”
Credit: @k3ym4n6
“I think this is bad business I would only play him as a midfielder.”
Credit: @SamCl0ver
“The buying him basically means a mistake was made selling him. Nuno is too stubborn and obstinate to admit that.”
Credit: @Gregvegas67
In other news, Wolves are looking to sign a Real Madrid youth graduate – read more here.

Many Liverpool fans fumed at forward Roberto Firmino as the Reds crashed to a dismal 1-0 defeat at home to Chelsea on Thursday night.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were inflicted with their fifth-straight Anfield loss – something that has never happened in the club’s history. Mason Mount scored the only goal of the game before half-time as the hosts struggled to piece together any attacking prowess.

Firmino started his 25th game of the 2020/21 campaign and found himself second best for the majority of the encounter.

Per Sofascore, Firmino lost possession 15 times, only had one shot on goal, played no key passes and lost five duels.

In what seems to be a case of ‘same old story,’ supporters once again pointed the finger at Firmino with many suggesting that he should be dropped from the team. He wasn’t the only one who looked like a shadow of his former self, but you can find some of the best fan verdicts down below.

Firmino feels wrath of Kop faithful

“Could we please give Bobby Firmino some time on the bench now? He seems completely lost atm…”

Credit: @JHLillevik

“Firmino should not have stayed on the pitch. So tired of him”

Credit: @IamIvan_91

“Firmino is finished. Heads gone.”

Credit: @mcdon_al

“Why on earth was Salah been taken off instead of Firmino, Firmino has been invisible tonight!”

Credit: @Kristiannc991

“Also I’m officially done with Firmino as an LFC player. Offers absolutely nothing anymore”

Credit: @SteLaverty94

“Get rid of Ox, Gini, Milner, Origi, Firmino all useless”

Credit: @lfcnoah1

In other news, Liverpool fans flock in agreement to Sky Sports pundit’s claim on star man.

Despite there still being plenty of games left to play in the current Scottish Premiership season, Celtic undoubtedly will already have one eye on the next campaign.

Neil Lennon’s side are in the midst of their worst period in recent history, seeing their ten-in-a-row hopes go up in smoke and having to watch Rangers run away with the title.

But ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash against Kilmarnock tonight, the Hoops could take an important step to realising a brighter future by giving one of their stand-out young talents a chance to shine: Stephen Welsh.

The 21-year-old has played just 218 minutes of league football this season, and has hardly put a foot wrong, including a fine display in the Old Firm clash against Rangers – speaking on A Celtic State of Mind podcast, Paul John Dykes thought he had an “excellent game” against Steven Gerrard’s men.

Writing in a post-match Q&A for The Athletic last year, Kieran Devlin described him as a “very intelligent and modern defender, not just a bruiser”.

The Hoops have had to bear witness to Shane Duffy taking to the old-fashioned approach a bit too much this season, showing little poise on the ball and invariably hoofing it into row Z or trying to play it long – his total of 3.8 long balls per game ranks him fourth in the entire Celtic squad, whilst his pass accuracy is the worst of any centre-back.

It’s no surprise that many Celtic fans have been frustrated with Lennon’s refusal to give Welsh a genuine chance in the first-team, instead sticking with Duffy through his woeful performances, and shoehorning Bitton – a natural midfielder – into the centre of defence.

The 6 foot 3 Welsh is the man Lennon should be building Celtic’s future around, whether he remains the club’s manager for the long-term or not.

The rebuild needs to start here, and it needs to be centred around players who could form the spine of this Hoops team for the next several years.

Welsh falls into that category, just like the 22-year-old Ismaila Soro. The latter’s already made his mark on this side and ousted Scott Brown.

Now it’s surely time for Welsh to be given the same opportunity, starting with a game against Kilmarnock tonight.

Jurgen Klopp looks to have been handed another injury blow ahead of his side’s trip to Old Trafford in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, with Jordan Henderson reportedly unlikely to feature through injury.

The Liverpool captain was ruled out of the game in midweek against Burnley with a muscle strain and was certainly missed, as the Reds saw their long unbeaten home run come to an end at the hands of Sean Dyche’s side.

Goal have now reported that the 30-year-old is unlikely to feature against Manchester United this weekend, which is undoubtedly a huge blow for Klopp’s side.

The Reds lacked any sort of real fight or leadership against Burnley on Thursday, something you surely feel that Henderson would have provided himself, and would have demanded from his teammates if he were on the pitch.

In the absence of Virgil van Dijk, it could certainly be argued that the Reds are lacking any leaders on the pitch when the former Sunderland man doesn’t play, so not having either at Old Trafford could be a recipe for disaster.

The England international played as a centre-back for the visit of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side earlier this month and impressed against the dangerous front three, but it appears the Reds will be without his experience in midfield for the FA Cup tie.

Fortunately for Klopp, he does now have Joel Matip back fit, so he can partner Fabinho in defence, but the Reds will certainly miss Henderson’s experience in midfield if he cannot feature on Sunday.

The German manager has emphasised the importance of his captain in the past, saying:

If anybody who is with us still doesn’t see the quality of Jordan Henderson, then I cannot help them.

“Is Hendo the perfect football player? No. Do I know anybody who is? No. But is he unbelievably important to us? Yes.”

Therefore, it comes as a huge blow for Liverpool that he is unlikely to feature at Old Trafford on Sunday, as he could have been the catalyst for the Reds turning their disappointing form around with a morale-boosting FA Cup win against their old rivals.

And, in other news… “Of course he would” – Exclusive: Pundit claims PL beast would love to join LFC

Spurs are back in league action this evening as they welcome relegation-threatened Fulham to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for their re-arranged festive clash.

Jose Mourinho’s side were scheduled to face Aston Villa until 48 hours ago when the Premier League’s officials postponed that match due to the number of coronavirus cases in the Villa camp.

The north Londoners were originally supposed to face their local rivals on December 30th but that game was called off at short-notice for similar reasons.

Spurs head into this fixture on the back of a 5-0 whitewash against non-league minnows Marine in the FA Cup third-round, whilst Scott Parker’s men dispatched their old foes, QPR, though they still remain in the bottom three in the top-flight.

On the Chalkboard

Mourinho is left with several interesting calls to make as he rung the changes up against Marine only three days ago – does he stick or twist with the impressive Dele Alli? Will all of the rested players make an instant return to the starting XI?

One decision he must make is axing struggling winger Lucas Moura. He might have scored a sublime free-kick in the 5-0 demolition, but aside from that, he was underwhelming once again.

Per SofaScore, the £36m-rated dynamo lost possession 18 times from just 57 touches in 64 minutes of action, meaning he handed the ball back to Marine once every three-and-a-half minutes.

He also won just four of 11 duels (36%) as he failed to combat their physicality – an all too frequent occurrence.

Indeed, the Brazilian winger has scored just once in the Premier League since December 2019, which is an abysmal return for someone that has played 60 times since Mourinho’s appointment just a month earlier.

Moura’s overall numbers have also substantially regressed from last season. He has gone from averaging 1.6 shots and 2.1 dribbles per game to managing only 0.4 shots and 0.4 dribbles in the top-flight this term, via WhoScored, proving he’s actually been playing below standard for a few months.

Of course, thanks to Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, Spurs haven’t exactly struggled for goals, but they would still like to have the third player in their front line firing on all cylinders.

Perhaps these numbers may come as a surprise to some, given the sort of praise he’s received from those around him in N17 – former centre-back Jan Vertonghen dubbed him a “nightmare to play against” and an “unbelievable player” while Eric Dier has lauded him for being “fast” and “intelligent.”

We’ve not seen any of those qualities in a very long time, so it would be wise for Mourinho to ruthlessly wield his axe on the £110k-per-week flop especially as Steven Bergwijn has been well-rested over the past two weeks.

The Dutchman hasn’t featured since the 3-0 victory over Leeds United on New Year’s Day, where he delivered his fourth assist of the season. As we explained in detail here, he does so much more for Mourinho.

Even though Moura might feel hard done by given that he scored in the FA Cup game at the weekend, Mourinho must see the bigger picture. He must be be ruthless and drop the Brazilian. Simply put, Bergwijn must start over Moura at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening.

AND in other news, Spurs can upgrade faltering star with £36m swoop for “very rare” gem…