All posts by n8rngtd.top

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.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-aston-villa-transfer-rumours-and-news-copy-copy” title=”Latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news”]

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…

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!

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.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-boupendza-mcgeady-marsch-mccarthy” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

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…

Liverpool are reportedly set to make Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Adama Traore their first signing ahead of the 2021/22 season.

According to reports in Spain, the Reds have agreed a deal with the Midlands outfit in a switch that would see the winger become the second player to switch Molineux for Anfield in as many years, following the transfer of Diogo Jota.

Whilst the Portuguese has been a success story with the reigning Premier League champions, signing Traore would be a huge mistake by Michael Edwards as Liverpool aim to re-establish themselves at the top.

The £31.5m-rated wideman is of course a talented player but his productivity is simply not enough to justify a big-money swoop.

In five seasons of Premier League action, Traore has only managed to accumulate five goals and 14 assists, with the vast majority of those contributions coming in his fantastic 2019/20 campaign.

The five-time Spanish international’s statistics have nose-dived since then though, having only supplied a solitary assist for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men throughout the current season.

When comparing Traore with his former teammate, Jota, during 2020/21, it is the Liverpool man who continues to come out on top.

According to WhoScored, the Portuguese ace produces more shots and passes, whilst getting dispossessed much less frequently.

Considering he would also have competition from the likes of first choices Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, as well as Jota, Xherdan Shaqiri, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the returning Takumi Minamino for a starting berth out-wide, it is hard to envisage Traore making a significant impact on Merseyside.

Whilst Klopp might be keen to strengthen his options out wide with the “unplayable” Wolves man, Traore does not look like the correct solution.

Should they have agreed to a deal already, as reported, Edwards should do everything he can to back out as quickly as possible.

AND in more news, Liverpool should increase their bid for a Serie A starlet…

Andre Gomes badly let Carlo Ancelotti down as Everton lost 2-0 at Chelsea on Monday night, having produced a passive performance at Stamford Bridge.

The Portuguese maestro retained his role in the Toffees’ engine room for a fourth successive Premier League match, having now failed to start just one of his side’s last eight.

But Ancelotti failed to see that faith repaid with a promising performance in south west London, as Thomas Tuchel’s Blues were easily able to bypass Gomes on route to a comfortable victory.

Chelsea took the lead on the half-hour mark when Kai Havertz’s shot was turned in for an own goal by Ben Godfrey, who could do little about the German’s attempt other than leave goalkeeper Jordan Pickford helpless.

Havertz later won his side a penalty, converted by Jorginho, in the second period after being brought down by Pickford, to seal a 2-0 win and maintain Tuchel’s unbeaten reign as Chelsea boss after eight wins and three draws in all competitions.

Gomes would remain on the field for a further 11 minutes after Jorginho’s strike beat Pickford before Ancelotti would replace the £18m-rated midfielder with Bernard, after he failed to offer much quality on the Stamford Bridge pitch.

The 27-year-old covered a vast area of the ground with his 47 touches taken across the middle third, per SofaScore, but he could not make his presence count despite boasting the Toffees’ only on-target effort of the night.

Gomes tried his luck from 25-yards out in first-half stoppage-time, although his low attempt on goal was easily saved by Edouard Mendy as he achieved his 13th clean sheet in 23 Premier League outings since a £22m move from Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais in September.

The result saw Chelsea stretch their lead over Everton in the race for Champions League qualification to four points, albeit having played a game more. The Goodison Park natives also slipped behind West Ham United, after the Irons beat Leeds later on Monday night.

Despite boasting his side’s only on-target effort with his only shot of the game, Ancelotti will have been disappointed with how poorly Gomes performed his defensive duties at Chelsea having struggled to cope with the man-marking system the Italian tactician initially utilised.

Gomes was a bystander whenever the hosts were in possession and rarely managed to take the ball from a Blues player, with the ex-FC Barcelona midfielder dribbled past six times – Allan (3) was beaten on the ground the second-most times by any player, per WhoScored.

Being dribbled past so frequently further saw that Gomes could only register a 14% tackle success rate, thanks to winning possession once, while also offering one interception but no clearances.

The 29-cap international is not generally a defensive powerhouse but has averaged 1.5 successful tackles a game in the Premier League this season, while being dribbled past just 1.6 times, making 0.4 interceptions and 0.5 clearances.

His struggles on the ground additionally ensured that Gomes lost 11 of his 14 ground duels – Richarlison lost the second-most by an Everton player with success in only five of his 10 contests, per SofaScore. Gomes averages 3.4 challenges won with a 40% success rate.

Altogether, Gomes’ performance meant he earned SofaScore’s worst match rating for a player who featured for either side at 5.9 out of 10 – the sixth time this season that he has scored below a base 6/10.

The Liverpool Echo also graded Gomes at 5/10, the same as Alex Iwobi but noted how the ex-Arsenal winger ‘couldn’t effectively get himself into the game’ while the Portuguese playmaker briefly improved after the break.

Yet Gomes was worse than Iwobi throughout the match and will have left Ancelotti wondering if he should start when Everton host Burnley on Saturday.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti can delight an unsettled Everton ace with a summer swoop for his £13.5m-rated ex-teammate…

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.

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.

Just when you thought Thomas Partey was ready to show the Premier League what he’s all about, the Arsenal midfielder has suffered yet another injury setback.

After the Ghana international joined from Atletico Madrid on deadline day last summer, the £45m-rated star has had very little consistency in actually getting out onto the pitch – he’s made just 11 appearances in the Premier League, and completed the full 90 minutes just three times.

And, after limping off mid-way through the second-half against Aston Villa last week, it looks like Mikel Arteta’s worst fears have come true.

The Gunners’ official club website revealed: “Thomas sustained a strain to his left hamstring during last Saturday’s match at Aston Villa and will miss the match against Leeds United on Sunday. Thomas will continue to be assessed and rehabilitate from this injury.”

Speaking just last month, Arteta admitted his frustrations at seeing Partey’s debut campaign at the Emirates so disrupted by injuries.

He said: “I think he’s got a different presence – he brings something different to the team. It’s not just about his talent, it’s not just about his physicality, it’s who he is as a person. He makes players better around him and that’s a big, big quality.

“It’s incredible that we are in January, we signed him in October and we have only played him (a handful of times). We haven’t really seen the impact he could have on the team. Obviously we have missed him … I think it’s going to be a big bonus if we can keep him fit.”

And just as Partey seemed to finally get going in an Arsenal shirt, the injury curse has struck again, and the Gunners will have to make do without their marquee summer signing once again.

After winning the FA Cup last season, Arteta would have been hoping that the players he signed in the transfer window would be able to take the team to the next level.

Instead, his superstar signing of Partey has barely managed to make himself consistently fit, and that will surely have the Gunners boss fuming and cursing his luck.

Meanwhile, Arsenal could find their next Fabregas in this 18-year-old…

Many Wolves fans were delighted with forward Pedro Neto during their Premier League encounter against Leicester City on Sunday.

The 20-year-old started on the left-hand side of a front three including Adama Traore and new signing Willian Jose – an attractive proposition on paper.

Neto didn’t take long to settle himself into the game and was giving his opposite number Ricardo Pereira all sorts of problems, and had the ability to open doors for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

The Portuguese attacker is not a player that lacks ambition. Neto previously told Sky Sports that he wants to become the best player in the world, and has plenty of time to achieve that

Unsurprisingly, supporters flocked to social media to hail Neto’s performance, with some left open-mouthed by his technical ability and skill.

Fans drool over Neto

“Genuinely how good is Neto! Unbelievable talent”

Credit: @DunnyBets

“Pedro Neto is so good, isn’t he? Like he’s ridiculously good”

Credit: @MrPauloGoodman

“Unreal by Pedro Neto. Tekkers.”

Credit: @WWFCFancast

“Pedro Neto is very, very, very good, isn’t he?”

Credit: @markgeveritt

“Absolutely amazing quality Neto”

Credit: @SpeesrA

“Pedro Neto. That’s it, that’s the tweet.”

Credit: @ellawwfc

In other news, Elite European giants monitoring in-form Wolves loanee for summer move.

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