Wolves fans on Patricio transfer update

Some Wolves fans have been left to fume as a transfer update has emerged involving Rui Patricio.

As per Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Portugal international has been named as a potential target for AS Roma in the summer window, given that Jorge Mendes is the agent of both Patricio and new manager Jose Mourinho.

Even though the Midlands club have had an indifferent season so far, currently sitting in the bottom half of the table in the Premier League, Patricio has been ever-present throughout, not missing a single game yet in the top flight so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

To lose such a key player to Nuno Espirito Santo’s team would be so damaging without an adequate replacement lined up, and so it would seem pretty silly to let the 33-year-old go at this moment in time.

Wolves fans on Patricio transfer update

These members of the Molineux faithful fumed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one WWFC supporter claiming that Patricio is a ‘class’ goalkeeper:

“The comments on here questioning his ability, Rui is an outstanding GK, would be foolish to let him go”

Credit: @PartonAdam

“Don’t see any reason for him to go”

Credit: @geenar34

“Naaaaaaaa”

Credit: @Harley_V12

“Not a chance!”

Credit: @F1Jamie_

“Some errors this season yes, but he’s a class keeper, and has kept us in many games this season. I’d be gutted for him to go.”

Credit: @joninglis

“Oh no”Credit: @eve_elizabethxxIn other news, find out what Tim Spiers update has been bemoaned by Wanderers here!

Liverpool linked with Valverde transfer

With Liverpool only signing Ibrahima Konate during the previous summer transfer window, it seems as though the Merseyside club have their eye on signing another young talent from another of Europe’s big clubs in the near future.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by El Nacional (via Liverpool.com) that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is a fan of Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde and that the Merseyside club could be interested in making a transfer move for the player in the future.

After working his way through the youth ranks at Real Madrid, Valverde eventually made his senior debut for the club back in October 2018 during a 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League.

Since then, the 23-year-old, who is currently valued at £58.5m according to Transfermarkt, making him their second most valuable player, has made a total of 114 appearances for the Spanish club across all competitions, chipping in with five goals and seven assists in the process.

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So far this season, Valverde, who has been described as a “phenomenal” player by teammate Casemiro in the past, has made 12 appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s side across La Liga and the Champions League, predominantly playing as a central-midfielder but also as a right-midfielder and right-back on occasion, highlighting his versatility.

This is why he could prove himself to be a perfect heir for current Reds midfielder James Milner given the Englishman’s advanced age and the fact that he’s played in almost every position across the midfield and defence during his time at Liverpool.

Additionally, with Valverde racking up an average of 1.7 tackles per game in La Liga this season, this could make him a good defensive replacement for Milner who has an average of two tackles per game in the Premier League in his latest campaign with the Reds.

However, with Valverde’s current contract not set to expire until the summer of 2027, and the fact that fellow Real Madrid midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are both over the age of 30, it seems as though the club see Valverde as a long-term player for them and may not be interested in selling the player, which could make it a difficult deal to secure for Liverpool if they are interested in making a move for him.

Although, it still would be worth exploring the possibility of signing Valverde this summer, especially if Milner ends up leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of June.

In other news: FSG could seal perfect Salah heir at Liverpool with “unpredictable” £63m-rated machine – opinion

DCL can unlock Rafa’s Everton revival

Everton have been going through a rough patch with injuries recently, with star striker Dominic Calvert Lewin side-lined since the beginning of the season.

Rafa Benitez’s side currently sit 11th in the Premier League after a bad run of form winning just four games so far this season.

There is no doubt that the large list of injuries has had an adverse effect on the Toffees, but Rafa Benitez will be thrilled that they seem to be on the other side of their crisis, with Richarlison and Yerry Mina already back in training ahead of the return of the Premier League.

Everton have been suffering defensive frustrations, leaking cheap goals, and at the other end of the pitch, not scoring enough to edge the three points needed, both Richarlison and Mina will be the perfect solutions for those issues going forward, but face huge competition in a number of difficult fixtures before Christmas.

The Blues will face Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City in the next few weeks and will be hoping to pick up points to tackle their tight top half of the table challenge.

One highly anticipated, long-awaited return that Rafa will be hoping to revive Everton’s season by unleashing £40.5m rated, Dominic Calvert Lewin.

The Everton frontman is renowned for his passion and performances in big games, of which Everton have plenty to come, there is no doubt the return of the forward would be a massive boost for the side, reigniting the confident attacking threat and dominance that the side are crying out for.

The 24-year-old striker was only tipped to be out of action for 2 or 3 weeks when he sustained an injury in August and has missed ten games so far following a setback in his rehabilitation.

Calvert Lewin spoke on Sky Sport’s Monday Night Football recently and discussed his injury woes.

He said: “It’s been so frustrating to start the season with three goals in three games and be sidelined.

“The hardest part is the mental part, to see the lads play and not have an impact. I love scoring goals and that’s what keeps me going in my rehab. It’s difficult.

“Being a player I want to play every game. To watch it, it’s difficult when results don’t go your way and you can’t help.”

However, the target man who was once dubbed a “nightmare” by teammate Richarlison, is supposed to be back in action over the next few weeks and even made comments over the weekend suggesting he could possibly be back for the upcoming Merseyside derby on the 1st of December, which will be a huge relief to Everton fans.

Rafa Benitez will be looking forward to implementing his best players back into his side and hopefully establishing a good run of form to climb the table with the Toffees before the turn of the year. The player who bagged 21 times last term will undoubtedly help revive their fortunes.

In other news: Everton given a boost with return of Yerry Mina

Wolves transfer news on Sanderson

Lots of Wolves fans have been flocking to transfer news on Dion Sanderson.

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Tim Spiers has revealed that the Midlands club are giving serious consideration to recalling the defender from his loan spell at Birmingham City, at least as cover in January. They would then potentially send him out on loan again if they can get their other centre-backs fit.

Sanderson has done well in the Championship so far this season, ranking highly among his Blues teammates in terms of average interceptions (1.5), clearances (four) and blocks (0.4) per game (WhoScored). Indeed, with Willy Boly’s injury, he could be useful cover at centre-back for Bruno Lage.

However, some Wolves supporters feel as if his good loan spell should not be disrupted, and that they should look to sign central defenders instead.

Wolves fans on Sanderson transfer news

These Wolves fans flocked to the transfer news was it was shared on Twitter:

“I’d be happy to see him given a chance.”

Credit: @dougan_the

“So mess with his development because the board as usual isn’t backing the manager. Shock”

Credit: @ChriWoodward

“Just keep him there and back Lage to bring in some CB’s, because or else we mess with his development. Same happened last season with Morgan Gibbs-White”

Credit: @Wolvoryan04

“Instead of buying a first team CB we are going to stunt the progress of one of our own by making him sit on the bench. Can see the same happening with Gibbs-White and maybe even Giles”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“Buy a defender that we’ve needed for years anyway? No mate, let’s recall a settling defender at a Championship club, a penny saved is a penny earned!”

Credit: @SJwolvs

“I’d love this tbh”

Credit: @wwfcbilly

In other news, find out whose display against Burnley was slammed by numerous Wolves fans

Claim dropped on potential NUFC takeover

A football finance guru has dropped a claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

Speaking to Football Insider, Kieran Maguire has claimed that Mike Ashley would have to peg down his initial asking price to sell the St. James’ Park club if they were to see themselves relegated from the Premier League down to the EFL Championship:

“The price that has been discussed with regards to the PIF takeover was £300m.

“Mike Ashley was originally asking for about £350m but on the back of Covid, he’s had to drop the price. If they are out of the Premier League, there’s no guarantee you’re getting back first season.

“Anybody buying the club this summer if Newcastle were in the Championship is immediately looking at £60m less in broadcast money and no guarantee the club is going to return the following season.

“I think he would have to knock off around a third of his asking price, to about £200m. The reason I say that is because if I was a buyer then why would I buy Newcastle in the Championship when I can buy Derby County who are allegedly going for £60m?

“I think the chances of being taken over in the Championship would be hurt. In the Championship, you’d pay a big premium because it’s Newcastle but you’d be thinking why not buy Derby for a fraction of what I could spend on Newcastle.”

Newcastle in danger of relegation

After their 1-1 home draw against Wolves on Saturday night, in where an opener from Jamaal Lascelles was cancelled out by Ruben Neves, Steve Bruce’s men found themselves dangerously lingering just above the drop zone in 17th spot on 26 points, before Fulham’s away trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday lunchtime.

If the North East club were to find themselves relegated, then a Championship team would surely be less attractive to the prospective buyers than an EPL one.

It may also be a question for Ashley as to whether he would want to sell the Tyneside club for potentially much less than his asking price as well, and whether he would then hold off until the Magpies were back in the top flight again.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what does happen with the potential bid if the Toon were to find themselves relegated.

In other news, find out whose display was slammed by Lee Ryder versus Wolves here!

Celtic ‘make their move’ for Kyle Joseph

Celtic have offered Kyle Joseph a long-term deal ahead of the expiry of his Wigan Athletic contract, according to Football Insider.

The report claimed that the Hoops have submitted a formal offer to the 19-year-old striker in a bid to stave off growing competition from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, who are understood to be waiting on a character assessment before they step-up their interest.

The deal would apparently involve a £300,000 compensation payment to Wigan, who sit second from bottom in League One.

Who is Celtic target Kyle Joseph?

Joseph graduated from the Latics’ under-18s to the under-23s last season and this term he has made his first team breakthrough (via Transfermarkt). He has been handed 14 appearances in League One, 12 of which were starts, and scored five goals. Most notably, he netted a hat-trick in a 4-3 away win at Burton Albion just before the turn of the year.

According to WhoScored, Joseph’s predominant strengths lie in his dribbling and his finishing. However, he is currently out of action after injuring his back.

Transfer Tavern verdict

This could be another shrewd move from Celtic after they captured 19-year-old Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Liam Shaw on a pre-contract agreement in February (via Yorkshire Live) – a move with echoes of the potential deal for Joseph on a similar arrangement and at a similar age.

Deals like this enable the Hoops to build for the future with minimal expense, and it is always a good sign when there are high-profile competitors for a deal – once they can be seen off, of course.

If Spurs to make an offer of their own, it may come down to who can provide Joseph with the clearer and more exciting vision of his future.

In other news, this ex-Celtic player has taken aim at the club’s board.

Newcastle looking to snap up three players

A big update has emerged on Newcastle United and their plans to bring three players to St. James’ Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

90min reporter Graeme Bailey has revealed the three deals that PIF are plotting to complete heading into the upcoming transfer window as they look to bolster their squad for 2022/23.

Bailey Tweeted: “Newcastle United are ready to press ahead with the transfer plans they set in motion in January, and will look to finalise deals for Hugo Ekitike, Matt Targett and Jesse Lingard.”

Eddie Howe will be on cloud nine

The Magpies head coach will be left on cloud nine by this update as all three players would be excellent signings for the club.

Firstly, Targett would be a sensible, excellent, permanent signing for the Toon. He is a reliable, proven, Premier League performer who has been solid for Newcastle since joining on loan in January.

In the top-flight this season, he has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 6.92 across 29 starts, which shows that he can deliver on a regular basis from left-back in the division.

Secondly, Lingard has the potential to be an exciting addition to the team. He has found game time hard to come by at Manchester United this season but caught the eye on loan at West Ham last term as he scored nine goals and provided four assists in 16 league outings.

This shows that he has the quality to be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch. The only question mark would be over whether he can sustain that over the course of an entire campaign as he caught fire in a six-month spell at the London Stadium.

Finally, Ekitike would be a phenomenal signing for now and for the future. He has produced nine goals and two assists in 14 Ligue 1 starts for Stade Reims and this suggests that he would be able to have an immediate impact on the team if he can adjust to English football.

However, he also has the scope to develop and improve over time at the age of 19. He has the majority of his career left ahead of him and that means he is a player the club can nurture over the course of a number of years, making him a good signing and investment at the same time.

Therefore, Howe will be on cloud nine if PIF can get all three of these deals over the line as they would all be fantastic additions in their own right.

AND in other news, Keith Downie drops exciting £50m Newcastle transfer claim that’ll delight supporters…

Steven Gerrard must hand Rangers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin rare start vs St. Mirren

Glasgow Rangers will be well aware of the scale of the task at hand when they travel to Paisley to take on St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday afternoon.

Steven Gerrard will be hoping his side can exorcise their demons after they crashed out of the Betfred Cup when they were humbled by the Saints.

The game gets underway at the Simple Digital Arena at 3pm and despite John Goodwin’s side being below them in the table, there’s no doubt the 54-time Scottish champions could have a fight on their hands.

It’s likely that the Ibrox boss will be without both Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack tomorrow, with the latter ruled out of action due to injury. The Gers have conceded four goals in their past five games across all competitions but with just three centre-backs competing for two places in the starting XI, Gerrard will have to find a different solution to fix his problems at the back.

Allan McGregor has been Gerrard’s trusted man for as long as we can possibly remember but Jon McLaughlin may be pushing for a recall.

If the 33-year-old 6 ft 3 in colossus can put in a solid shift between the sticks, he could be the man to stop the Saints from scoring, having been left as an unused substitute on the bench in the Scottish League Cup.

The Scottish international has been in decent form this season, providing nine clean sheets and conceding just two goals in the Premiership so far, via Transfermarkt. Despite his impressive performances, McLaughlin has made just nine starts in the Premiership this season as he finds himself below McGregor in the pecking order.

Keeping another clean sheet could improve his chances of being named in Scotland’s Euro 2020 squad and help Rangers to extend their sizeable lead at the top of the table.

His former Sunderland manager Jack Ross has previously gone on record to say about McLaughlin: “I’m obviously biased and there might be other managers that say it, but I believe I have the best goalkeeper in the league.

“He was outstanding for me last season, he is such a low-maintenance player in terms of how he goes about his business and he is unflappable.”

There’s 14 points separating Rangers from their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the table – if he can keep a clean sheet or at the very least secure a victory, those three points could prove vital to putting Gerrard’s side on course to regain the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard dealt huge blow as Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack remains sidelined due to injury…

Villa can land a bargain in Inter’s Vecino

According to reports, rumoured Aston Villa transfer target Matias Vecino could be available for around £6m in the summer.

What’s the story?

Reports just before the January transfer window opened suggested that the Uruguay international was a target for Dean Smith’s side as they looked to strengthen their midfield.

Now, Italian publication CalcioMercato claim that Vecino has been made available for a transfer in the summer, and that with his contract coming to an end in 2022, could be allowed to leave for a little as £6m.

The report adds that Inter are keen to offload him now, rather than lose him for free when his contract expires next year.

Perfect for Dean Smith

In the 29-year-old, Villa would be signing a deep-lying playmaker blessed with a “terrific range of passing” should a deal for the Uruguayan go through.

The £75k-a-week earning Vecino looks to be a tailor-made midfielder for Smith given his ability to control the game and also step in and make a tackle – as per Whoscored, the veteran’s career average of two tackles per game is considerably better than any of Villa’s current midfield options from this season in the Premier League, while only Ross Barkley can post better numbers than his 1.5 shots per match.

A profile from ESPN said: “Part of Vecino’s charm is the fact that he tends to bring a little bit of everything to the table — something modern midfielders are increasingly asked to do. He can pass well, he can tackle, and is both physical and graceful: the former Empoli man has, in short, the toolkit needed to shine not just in Italy, but (hopefully) also among Europe’s elite.”

While Villa have been linked with a potential big-money swoop for Sheffield United’s Sander Berge, Vecino’s experience and far cheaper price surely makes him the kind of impressive bargain that Johan Lange should be all over.

Meanwhile, Villa could find a new Gareth Barry in this man…

NUFC want new manager; Gattuso named

A journalist has claimed that Newcastle United are ‘ready’ to change manager, with Gennaro Gattuso named as a potential successor to Steve Bruce.

Writing in his latest piece for Calciomercato, Marco Giordano has claimed that both the St. James’ Park faithful and Wolves are looking to bring a new coach into their respective clubs, with the North East club’s interest in Gattuso only just coming into fruition.

Newcastle should be wary over Gattuso

While Bruce’s time on Tyneside could be up in the eyes of some members of the Toon Army, the Magpies should be wary over appointing Gattuso should the former end up leaving.

There is no doubt that the 43-year-old had a glittering playing career, in which he won the FIFA World Cup with Italy and two UEFA Champions League titles with AC Milan to name just a few major honours (Transfermarkt).

However, his time as a manager has not always been successful, having being sacked at both FC Sion and Palermo as well as underwhelming spells at Milan and his current club Napoli, with the latter currently at risk of failing to qualify for the UCL as they sit outside of the qualification spots at the moment.

Although a change of boss may be the way forward at NUFC, perhaps they should think twice before moving for a maverick like Gattuso.

In other news, find out which Magpie Liam Kennedy has slammed for his displays so far this season here!

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