All posts by z3u9t.icu

When Wolves announced on Friday that Nuno Santo would be resigning from his role at the end of the season, it was a sad day for the club.

It marked the end of a happy and rosy four years at Molineux, a stint in which he took Wolves from a middle of the road Championship team to one able to compete for European football.

A bottom-half finish may be a poor way to go out but, in the words of Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers, he leaves as a “legend”.

On the chalkboard

Nuno’s final game in charge of the Old Gold will be against Manchester United at Molineux on Sunday afternoon. Wolves have typically done rather well against the Premier League’s big six since being promoted, and a victory against one the league’s title contenders this term would be a great way for the 47-year-old to bow out.

The manager has experimented in recent weeks with a view to next term and, despite the fact that he’ll be leaving, he should do so again this weekend.

We’ve seen Morgan Gibbs-White and Vitinha earn more minutes in recent weeks but one player we’re yet to see at senior level is Christian Marques.

The Swiss centre-back is the most expensive signing in the history of Wolves’ academy after the Midlands side beat Bayern Munich to his signature a few years ago.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-rumours-and-news-soumare-dias-dembele-marques-nuno-santo” title=”Read the latest Wolves transfer rumours and news!”]

Thought to be in the mould of Conor Coady, Marques has already captained his country at youth level and skippered the Old Gold’s under-18 and under-23 sides.

The defender is a natural-born leader and Darren Ryan, Wolves’ elite player development coach, thinks he has something in him not often seen. “It’s rare for a youngster coming from another country to show such leadership,” he told The Athletic.

Aged just 18, the central defender is a wonderful talent, someone who Harry Hooman – now Wolves’ head of UK academy recruitment – described as “outstanding” during initial scouting.

It would be a considerable baptism of fire to hand him his first team debut against the might of Manchester United but Wolves should certainly consider it. After all, they have nothing but pride to play for during Nuno’s final game in charge of the club.

The Wolves manager has already handed a debut to Theo Corbeanu in recent weeks, so this time it should be the turn of Marques.

He has appeared on the bench in the Premier League in four games so is clearly on their radar for a senior berth. That needs to happen this weekend; there is no better time with nothing riding on the game.

AND in other news, Reporter shares “bleak” Wolves update after Nuno resigns, fans should be seething…

Eddie Howe enjoyed a fantastic January transfer window with Newcastle United as he brought in a number of quality additions to his side.

Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Chris Wood and Bruno Guimaraes all came through the door and have played a part in the club’s sensational form since the turn of the year.

Since the 1st of January, Liverpool are the only team with more Premier League points than the Magpies and this highlights the phenomenal impact their work in the market has had on the team – along with Howe’s coaching on the training pitch.

With survival almost secured, as they sit 15 points clear of the drop with five games left, focus can start to turn to next season and what the head coach will want to do in the next window.

One player the club have already been linked with a swoop for is Lyon’s central midfielder Lucas Paqueta, as the Toon are reportedly set to battle Arsenal for his signature.

Imagine him & Bruno

PIF and Howe must ensure that they can get this deal over the line as they can seal a terrifying midfield duo by reuniting Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes.

The pair have played together 47 times for Lyon and Brazil in their careers to date and this shows that they would already have a relationship on the pitch. They would not need time to adjust to each other’s style of play and would be able to instantly connect at the start of 2022/23, which will allow them to hit the ground running as a first-choice pairing for Howe.

Paqueta’s form in Ligue 1 this season suggests that he will be able to make a huge impact on the team. Talent scout Jacek Kulig went as far as to describe him as a “pure joy to watch” earlier this year and his statistics back that up as he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.12 in Ligue 1 – scoring eight goals and providing five assists from midfield.

Meanwhile, Magpies fans already know what a joy Guimaraes is to watch as he has been in fantastic form since arriving in England. He has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.16 in the Premier League as he has produced three goals and one assist in six starts for Howe.

Now, imagine both of them consistently turning in exciting, brilliant, displays in the middle of the park together as they score and assist goals! It is a mouth-watering prospect for the Toon faithful and a terrifying one for any opposition team…

AND in other news: Howe can unearth his own Ginola in Newcastle’s rarely-seen 19 y/o “bright talent”

Aston Villa are ready to battle West Ham for the signing of Manchester United Jesse Lingard this summer.

What’s the story?

The England international has been in scintillating form since joining the Hammers on loan back in the January transfer window, netting an incredible nine goals and providing a further four assists in just 10 Premier League games.

Now, Football Insider claim that “Villa will join the race for Jesse Lingard if given encouragement Man United are open to selling him when his sensational West Ham loan ends”.

The report adds that “he is highly regarded by the club’s coaches and seen as a “Villa-type player” who could make a big impact in Dean Smith’s side.”

Dean Smith would love him

Lingard’s form has been so good that Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has even suggested that United may want him back at Old Trafford once the season ends, saying: “He does an incredible amount of running. It’s what he does. He’s good out of possession and good in possession.”

The £75k-a-week earning midfielder is that rare breed of player who arguably does his best work off the ball, and it’s something Michael Carrick picked up on when Lingard was shining at United.

Speaking to Sky Sports, via Football Daily, reporter Dharmesh Sheth has unveiled more West Ham United transfer news involving goalkeeper Paris-Saint Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and another name.

The Lowdown: West Ham in Areola talks…

As per a previous update by Sky, via Football Daily, West Ham are indeed in talks to sign Areola with the terms believed to be a season-long loan including the option to buy.

The Hammers have been targeting new shot stoppers despite tying down Lukasz Fabianski with a one-year extension at the London Stadium (football.london).

Bringing more news on West Ham’s hunt for new keepers, Sheth has now made a live TV claim.

The Latest: West Ham have held ‘a couple’ of talks…

According to the reporter, Areola remains West Ham’s primary goalkeeping target with talks ongoing, but the Irons also made another bid.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-updates/” title=”West Ham updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, GSB allegedly lodged a £6 million bid to sign West Bromwich Albion ace Sam Johnstone, with Moyes and co now turning to Areola.

“A couple of talks regarding potential arrivals,” he explained on Sky (via FD).

“They’ve had a bid rejected, we believe to be around £6m by West Brom for their keeper Sam Johnstone.

“I’ve been told today that West Ham’s primary target remains the PSG keeper Alphonse Areola, talks are continuing with PSG over a loan with an option to buy.

“But it is clear that West Ham United are in the market for a goalkeeper.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

As the new season looms and so to a campaign competing in the Europa League, West Ham need to strengthen in priority areas as soon as possible.

While between the sticks is arguably not as big of an issue as up front, where the depth is minimal, the club will want to wrap up this move and turn their attention to other priorities.

West Ham also want to reinforce their central defensive options after the departure of Fabian Balbuena and it is imperative that the club start getting some business done.

In other news: ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘Unreal’, ‘Come ooon’…ExWHUemployee’s news has many West Ham fans ecstatic, find out more here.

Carlton Palmer reckons that a conversation needs to take place between Rafa Benitez and James Rodriguez over the Colombian’s Everton future.

Rodriguez only made the switch to the Premier League last summer, but his Toffees career has been in major doubt since Carlo Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid last month.

But whilst another reunion with the Italian at Madrid is now looking unlikely, AC Milan have entered the race to sign the former Monaco and Bayern Munich attacker, who’s got just 12 months left on his deal.

Rodriguez made an impressive start to his Everton career, scoring plenty and assisting even more as Ancelotti’s side topped the Premier League during the early weeks, ending the campaign with six goals and nine assists in 26 appearances in all competitions.

However, an ongoing calf problem saw the 29-year-old miss the best part of four months between December and March, with Rodriguez’s lack of minutes seeing him left out of the Colombian squad for the Copa America.

Despite uncertainties over his future, he’s currently in USA with the rest of the Everton squad for their pre-season tour of Orlando.

And Palmer exclusively told Football FanCast that he thinks Rodriguez is someone Benitez needs to keep on board:

“I’m sure Rafa is going to sit down with him and talk. He had a lot of injuries in the second half of the season, and I believe he’s the highest paid player at the football club.

“He’s a talented player, so I’m sure Rafa will sit down and talk to him, maybe he’s got over his injuries.

“The one thing you don’t want to do as a football manager, you don’t want to let good players leave the building if you can help it.”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Paul Stewart, who made 529 appearances during his career, has claimed that James Ward-Prowse will be wanted by several clubs this summer after a great season.

Ward-Prowse has been tipped to replace Georginio Wijnaldum at Liverpool by Garth Crooks with the 30-year old midfielder expected to leave at the end of the season.

Southampton’s captain signed a new contract last year but this season has been his best for the Saints having scored eight goals and earned himself several England call ups ahead of the European Championships this summer.

Speaking on how Ward-Prowse has been one of the best midfielders this season and if he could replace Wijnaldum, Stewart exclusively told FFC:

“I think they are two different types of players, but I like Ward-Prowse and I’ve seen his stats that show he covers the second most amount of ground during games, only behind Soucek.

“If you combine that with the ability to put a ball on a sixpence then it makes him a highly sought-after player. So, yeah, I could definitely see him there.”

With Gareth Southgate now able to take 26 players to the Euros instead of the usual 23, Ward-Prowse appears to have a great chance of making the final squad.

Under Mauricio Pellegrino, the 26-year old found regular starts a lot less guaranteed, however since Ralph Hasenhuttl came in he has been the main man and been handed the captain’s armband.

A major update has emerged on Villa goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo, regarding interest from Bayern Munich and Celtic.

What’s the talk?

According to the Sunday People (20/6; page 56), Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Celtic are all interested in signing Aston Villa goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo. The 19-year-old is heading into the final year of his contract and all three European giants are looking to potentially snap him up for a cut-price deal.

The report claims that Villa want to tie him down to an extended contract in an attempt to keep him at the club in the long term. Sinisalo’s intentions are not clear at this time and it remains to be seen if he wants to commit his future to Dean Smith’s side.

Back in Ocotber 2020, Ayr United boss Mark Kerr hailed the “athletic” shot-stopper for his ability to read the game and make important saves. He told Not The Old Firm:

“Viljami did well. I had contact with an agent who deals with goalkeepers down in England. He gave us a list of five. We thought Viljami looked athletic, he can get across the goal and he reads things.

“He made some great saves today, that’s what you need.”

Fans would be fuming

Villa fans would be fuming if the club allows Sinisalo to leave this summer to join Bayern, Celtic or Leipzig. Allowing a talented young player to depart on a cut-price deal, or free, because the club have failed to pin him down to a contract extension could be a bitter blow.

Losing a promising talent for any reason is frustrating, but to do so whilst potentially not even receiving a transfer blow would be even worse as Villa would not receive worthwhile compensation for their loss.

The teenager enjoyed an impressive season on loan at Ayr in Scotland. He kept nine clean sheets and conceded 39 goals in 29 appearances for the club, suggesting that he already has the quality to compete at that level despite only turning 19 last October.

Therefore, he could have the potential to be an important player for Villa in the future, which is why the club could be facing a disaster if they do not get him to commit himself to the club this summer as they could watch a prospect walk out of the door.

Emi Martinez turns 29 in September and the Argentine shot-stopper will be well into his 30’s by the time Sinisalo turns 24/25 and begins to prepare himself to be a long-term number one option at Premier League level.

This means that the Finnish goalkeeper could be the ideal successor to Martinez at Villa Park if he plays his cards right over the next few years. This is another reason why NSWE need to avoid making a mistake with Sinisalo in the coming months.

AND in other news, NSWE could strike gold with AVFC swoop for “amazing” £30m ace, Dean Smith needs him…

Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins features on Tottenham Hotspur’s list of transfer targets, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.

The lowdown

Villa paid what was a club-record fee of £28million to sign Watkins from Brentford in September 2020 (via BBC Sport).

He’s gone on to score 16 goals in his first 44 appearances for Dean Smith’s side (via Transfermarkt).

Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer, who knows a thing or two about sticking the ball in the back of the net, has described the Englishman as ‘magnificent’.

He still has four years left on the £75,000-per-week contract he signed upon his arrival in the Midlands.

The latest

Spurs are said to be in the process of a devising a ‘template’ to turn the team into title contenders from next season.

They see a need for reinforcements at the top end of the pitch, either as support or a replacement for Harry Kane.

Watkins is on their ‘list of options’ because his profile ‘fits perfectly with the sporting plan that the team has’.

Villa, though, are described as ‘a complicated club to negotiate with’ and will demand a hefty fee.

The verdict

Watkins is a 25-year-old, excellent all-round striker with multiple years to run on his deal. Villa should be slapping a price-tag of more than £50million on his head.

It’s also worth noting that he probably wouldn’t view Spurs as much of an upgrade right now. After a run of three straight defeats, they look in a bad way, while there’s a sense of an upward trajectory at Villa Park.

In other news, this three-word message saw Villa fans erupt. 

Many Crystal Palace supporters have been raving over the performance of summer signing Michael Olise after he came off the bench and scored his first goal for the club on Sunday.

After only appearing for four minutes against Tottenham and eight against Liverpool, the 19-year-old was handed a prolonged chance to impress as the Eagles fought back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw against Leicester.

The French midfielder replaced Jordan Ayew after 53 minutes and made an instant impact as his volley past Kasper Schmeichel halved the deficit on the hour mark, before Jeffrey Schlupp later scored 48 seconds after coming off the bench to rescue a point for Patrick Viera’s side.

In his 37 minutes against the Foxes, the former Reading man completed 14 of his 17 passes and won three of his four duels. Olise’s first goal since the last day of the 2020/21 Championship season for Reading has left many Palace fans raving and they are now calling for him to start the next game as he still awaits his full Eagles debut.

Crystal Palace fans rave over Olise’s performance

These Palace fans took to Twitter to hail Olise’s performance against Brendan Rodgers’ side, with one fan describing him as a “special player”.

“The RW we need every week. Sorry Ayew.”

Credit: @benh199225

“Nailed on starter, looked so much more positive and dangerous when he came on! And the finish”

Credit: @standinthesun

“We’ve got a special player on our hands”

Credit: @LewisJordonCPFC

“This kid is going to be very special”

Credit: @petebrd

“We’re lucky to have this lad on board. Like @EbereEze10 he’s gonna be a star, hopefully we’ll see him play lots of games in the famous red & blue!”

Credit: @Rich789

“And well overdue. Hopefully now we can finally look forward to seeing Michael Olise light up the Premier League this season. What a talent we’ve got on our hands”

Credit: @Paul_Romain

In other news, some Crystal Palace fans slammed this player for his performance on Sunday. Find out more here.

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has dropped an exciting Newcastle United transfer update which will surely excite Magpies fans.

What’s the story?

Luke Edwards had previously claimed that Arsenal starlet Joe Willock is ready to leave his boyhood club to make the switch to Tyneside permanent this summer, with the Magpies “increasingly confident” of his desire to join.

The report added that a deal could then convince Allan Saint-Maximin to stay put at St James’ Park, with Bruce confirming during the Premier League season that he is keen on keeping the 21-year-old Gunners loanee at the club.

Since then, news has dried up over whether Willock will be moving to Newcastle this summer, but Waugh has now dropped an exciting update on the situation.

In response to a comment about how William Saliba’s potential arrival on loan would affect the Magpies’ chances of signing the midfielder for another season at least, the journalist said: “You’re right, two players from one Premier League club can’t be loaned to another. There is still a strange confidence/hope that Willock will return behind the scenes, though, which doesn’t marry with the budget information or everything else we’re hearing. Interesting to see what happens on that one.”

Newcastle fans will be excited

If you needed any proof of just how much Newcastle fans have fallen in love with Willock, and how much they want him to stay, then you only have to look at the St James’ Park faithful serenading him during his post-match interview against Sheffield United.

The 21-year-old has been a breath of fresh air for a Magpies side who desperately needed his fresh injection of pace and energy, and his ability to break into the box and time his runs have resulted in some match-winning contributions – he bagged an incredible seven goals in seven consecutive Premier League games, including dramatic equalisers against the likes of Liverpool and Spurs.

News that the Magpies retain a confidence behind the scenes that they can still sign Willock and bring him back to Tyneside this summer will be music to the ears of Bruce.

It’s exactly why Waugh’s update on Newcastle’s pursuit of Willock will surely delight the club’s fans no end.

In other news: The Magpies could replicate their Callum Wilson masterstroke if they pull off this reported deal – opinion