Wolves’ relationship with super-agent Jorge Mendes could bear fruit once again this January if latest reports are to be believed…
What’s the word?
According to Polish outlet Sportowe Fakty, the Midlands outfit are interested in striking a deal over Wisla Krakow wonderkid Aleksander Buksa.
It’s claimed that Molineux is his most likely destination amid uncertainty over his immediate future with his agent Pini Zahavi and Mendes looking to secure a move to Wolves.
The 17-year-old’s contract is due to expire in the summer but he could sign a professional deal in January when he turns 18, but it would mean he is available for just €5m (£4.5m) thanks to a release clause.
Generational star?
You could be forgiven for not knowing who the young striker is but after scoring four goals in 21 appearances for Wisla last season, he made the Guardian’s ‘Next Generation’ list.
They have ranked him amongst the 60 best young talents in world football – Maciej Slominski wrote: “Both Buksa brothers are tall, technically proficient, left-footed, blonde strikers. Barcelona are said to have scouted him.”
Whilst FootballTalentScout likened his playing style to that of Arkadiusz Milik, claiming that Buksa is a “determined forward with killer-instinct, interesting technique on the ball, decent dribbling skills and cleverness at his off-the-ball movements,” so perhaps it is no surprise to see him dubbed the ‘new Lewandowski.’
The Old Gold have a track record of paying up for relatively unknown youngsters – Pedro Neto, Rayan Ait-Nouri (if he signs permanently) and Leonardo Campana spring to mind.
So if they believe that the Polish sensation has a genuine chance of transforming into a generational star, then they should be trusted with the decision – even if Mendes is involved.
It is his relationship with Fosun that could see him come to the Midlands instead of the La Liga giants.
AND in other news, Nuno could land a true Traore replacement in £45m-rated destroyer…
After starting the new Scottish Premiership campaign with a flawless start, Rangers were brought back to Earth somewhat with a hugely disappointing 0-0 draw to Livingston.
Steven Gerrard’s side racked up an incredible 23 shots in total, but only three of them hit the target. The Gers dominated the ball too, registering a whopping 79% possession, but just didn’t have the cutting edge to find that killer goal.
One man who didn’t enjoy the greatest of games in the middle of the park, was Ryan Jack.
Are you a massive Rangers fan? Know everything about the club? Well do you know your Gary Stevens from your Michael Ball? This quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…
As per Sofascore, the midfielder finished with 128 passes completed, by far the most of anyone on the pitch. But many of those passes were either side-ways or backwards, and there was no real penetration.
Despite having 150 touches of the ball, he only made two key passes in the entire game, whilst he also lost possession 14 times. And after seeing his performance, Rangers fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.
A couple of fans were particularly strong in their criticism of Jack’s performance, claiming that he is a “waste of a jersey”.
Another couple of supporters took issue with Jack’s decision to play square passes, rather than upping the tempo of a game by moving the ball forward.
When you see much of the ball as Jack did against Livingston on Sunday afternoon, then you simply have to do more with it.
Rangers were crying out for someone to show a bit of ingenuity and class to try and unlock the door, but instead, Jack just slowed the momentum of the game and made everything far too easy for the opposition.
With the transfer window open, it’s an area where Gerrard may look to strengthen this summer.
Manchester United have only made one transfer so far this transfer window, and it was a very good one as highly rated Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek joined the club from Ajax.
However there seems to be a growing frustration from a lot of supporters of the club that there have not been more signings, especially when it seems like the news on their pursuit on the possible signing of Jadon Sancho varies from positive to negative on a daily basis.
According to Rob Dawson, who works at ESPN, and tweeted out by utdreport, Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seems to now be in the same boat as supporters of the club. He has been largely accepting of the financial implications that recent events have caused but now he is starting to become annoyed and impatient that deals he thought would happen have not materialised.
With their Premier League season getting underway as they play Crystal Palace at the weekend, all associated with the club will not want any rifts because it could affect the campaign, and hopefully Ed Woodward starts to bring in some more signings to please the manager and the fan base shortly.
Here is what fans said following the news:
Man United fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!
Parties interested in Kalidou Koulibaly (including Chelsea) have been handed a boost after Napoli have slashed his price tag significantly.
According to The Mirror, the centre-back’s asking price has fallen from £80m to £65m, which could be crucial for those chasing his signature.
Premier League clubs Manchester City and Liverpool have both been linked with Koulibaly as they look to bolster their defensive options ahead of next season. Even the likes of Everton have earmarked the Senegal international as a potential summer target (via Liverpool ECHO).
The Mirror’s report claimed that Pep Guardiola is on the market for a central defender and Koulibaly fits the bill. City are reportedly looking to find the perfect partner for Aymeric Laporte as they look to snatch back their Premier League crown next season.
However, with Chelsea already spending big this summer, they could resurrect their interest in the 29-year-old. According to Dean Jones of Bleacher Report back in February, the Blues were considering a move for Napoli’s star defender but his price tag poured cold water on their interest.
Lampard has consistently rotated his two central defenders as he tries to find out the perfect combination. He has already added Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner to the squad, with Kai Havertz another big name linked to a potential move. Signing Koulibaly would be another huge step towards a strong finish next season.
Bayer Leverkusen have valued Havertz at £90m and it looks as though Chelsea are willing to pay that sum. With the news of Koulibaly’s price tag slashed, it could be too tempting a deal to not revisit their interest.
Strengthening their attack and adding a highly-rated defender to their ranks could see the Blues strongly challenge for the Premier League title next season.
Do you think Chelsea should reignite their interest in Koulibaly, Blues fans? Join the conversation in the comments below…
Manchester City had a frustrating end to their 2019/20 season – they finished second in the Premier League despite being tipped for the title, lost their FA Cup semi-final tie against Arsenal, and crashed out of the Champions League quarter-finals to French club Olympique Lyonnais – finishing the season with just the Carabao Cup to their name.
With another big season ahead, the next Premier League campaign could prove pivotal in Pep Guardiola’s career, with the possibility of him moving on growing greater by the day with the club still failing to win the Champions League – a trophy that has eluded Guardiola ever since his time at Barcelona.
At a club such as Manchester City, however, money is no issue, and they will have no problems in trying to strengthen their squad even further to try and secure every trophy in all competitions they take part in. This is something that has helped to keep Guardiola in Manchester for as long as he has – due to the financial backing and trust from the Manchester City board virtually handing him a blank check year in year out.
So with all this money, who would be the most realistic signings for City this summer?
Ismaël Bennacer
The 22-year-old midfielder has been in fine form this season for AC Milan – the Algerian international joined Milan at the beginning of August last year from Empoli, and has had a fantastic first season with the club.
Bennacer made 31 league appearances, scoring just the one goal, but averaging 2.2 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game – as well as this, the defensive midfielder is a great passer of the ball, with an 88.3% pass success rate and averaging 56.8 passes per game.
His style of play would suit City very well and would be welcome assistance in defensive midfield for Rodri, especially with the need to soon find a replacement for the aging Fernandinho.
Diego Carlos
The Brazilian defender has been a rock at the back for Spanish outfit Sevilla during the 2019/20 campaign and has even helped the club to the Europa League final. Carlos joined the club from French club Nantes at the beginning of the season, and his defensive numbers from this season have impressed.
The 27-year-old kept 17 clean sheets in 35 games in La Liga, as well as winning 2.8 aerial duels and averaging 5 clearances per game.
His physical prowess would be something that Manchester City would gain from, and would make an ample replacement of Vincent Kompany due to the similarities of the two – and would make a great partnership on the right-hand side of City’s defence alongside Aymeric Laporte.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Soccer Football – Serie A – Napoli v Hellas Verona – Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy – October 19, 2019 Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly applauds REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
Despite his age, Kalidou Koulibaly would make a good choice in defence for Manchester City and is rated as one of the best defenders in the world.
According to Sky Italy – the club are keen on signing Koulibaly even though he is 29 years old, and along with the fact that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has valued him at £72 million, it seems like an odd transfer at first glance.
However, after deliberation, it could prove to be a great addition – the player’s ability is a given and there is no doubting that, but the blend of youth and experience with himself and Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Aké could create one of the best defences in the world given the chance to work.
Douglas Luiz
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The Citizens sold Douglas Luiz to Aston Villa last year for just over £15 million – but recent reports have suggested that the club are looking to activate a £25 million buy-back clause in Luiz’s contract this summer.
Guardiola was said to have highly rated the player, but he never made an appearance for City due to issues with trying to gain a work permit.
The 22-year-old had a great breakthrough season with Aston Villa in the Premier League – scoring 3 goals with 2 assists and playing 36/38 games for Dean Smith’s side – with Douglas Luiz an almost like for like replacement for club veteran Fernandinho.
Lionel Messi
If you’d have asked me at the start of the season I’d of simply replied with “yeah, okay mate” – but this seems like a move that could genuinely and realistically happen this summer given recent circumstances.
After Barcelona’s shocking defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Messi has reportedly told the club he wants to leave immediately, and Manchester City have been named the frontrunners for the six-time Ballon d’Or winners signature – which is understanding given the relationship between himself and City manager Guardiola, as well as the fact that City would have no problems covering his wages.
All-in-all, it’s become a realistic signing that would change the landscape for Manchester City.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ unbeaten run came to a heartbreaking end on Sunday afternoon as they sunk to eighth in the Premier League standings.
The west Midlanders looked to be on for a 12th straight game without tasting defeat until Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Jan Vertonghen popped up at the back post with an injury-time header to send his side back to north London with all three points.
Earlier this week, Football Insider revealed that senior members of the Spurs squad were so impressed by winger Adama Traore that they told their manager Jose Mourinho to sign him after the game.
This has led to several members of the Molineux faithful reacting on social media with some naming their price tag for the 23-year-old.
Watch Wolves vs Man City Live and Free with Amazon Prime on December 27th
Transfermarkt currently value Traore at £25.2m, which is an increase on the £18m they paid for him but fans’ evaluations seem to have far exceeded that with £100m being regularly mentioned.
Others brought up the fact that Spurs had tried to injure him consistently throughout the match, making the idea of them wanting to sign him quite baffling.
Three visiting players were all booked for trying to take down the pacy winger, including captain Harry Kane and England teammate Eric Dier.
It means in 26 appearances this season, 24 players have seen a booking for fouling the Spaniard.
And then there were some who issued a hands-off warning with a couple believing that he wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon…
It remains to be seen how accurate these reports are, but for the time being, we’ll have to wait and see what emerges in January. Wolves are indeed expected to be active according to their boss, so stay tuned.
Calling all Premier League experts: Who do these unique statistics belong to? Find out below….
Meanwhile, Nuno should call upon this highly sought-after prospect to bolster his defensive problems before it’s too late…
Tim Spiers has revealed that Wolverhampton Wanderers are the club to have used the fewest players so far this season, with 20 in total, according to his article for The Athletic.
As per the report, whilst some clubs have perhaps been reluctant to embrace English football’s impending return, Wolves’ motivation levels for the next two months arguably could not be much higher.Currently sat in sixth place in the Premier League table on 43 points and potentially just two points off of a Champions League place, pending the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal against a European ban, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team have so much to play for, and that is without even discussing this season’s UEFA Europa League, which could be set to resume in August.The English top flight will look very different when it makes its comeback on June 17. WWFC players have experience of how things may play out from their behind-closed-doors encounter in Greece almost three months ago, as per the journalist.In that respect, they may be a step ahead of others in knowing how to deal with a silent stadium. All clubs in England’s highest division will also have carefully monitored the nuances in Germany and will likely be looking to see if they can replicate the social distancing rules whilst also seeing a football game of quality on the pitch.Clubs will also be able to name nine substitutes on the bench, as they can now use five across the game, meaning that 20 players can be named in a match day squad.With Wolves only using 20 players all campaign so far, perhaps this is something to look out for as it may mean that more of those in the squad get the opportunity to rack up a few appearances in the final few fixtures.Wanderers, are you looking forward to the term restarting? Comment below!
Oumar Niasse has not played a single minute of first-team football for Everton this season.The striker has been involved for the club’s Under-23 and Under-21 sides, though, and that was again the case on Tuesday night as he turned out against Fleetwood Town.The 29-year-old could not prevent David Unsworth’s side from suffering a 4-0 defeat in the EFL Trophy, although the fact that he is playing at all has been questioned by the supporters.[ad_pod ]Indeed, a fan account on Twitter claimed that they could not understand why Niasse – who is not in Marco Silva’s plans – was playing for the club’s reserves considering that he is taking a spot that a young player could potentially fill.Some of the supporters have blamed Unsworth for the call whilst others have taken the chance to have another go at their club.Watch Everton Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Earlier this month, a number of Everton fans insisted that they were not interested in seeing Niasse back in the first team.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.
Sheffield Wednesday made it four games unbeaten with a draw at Derby County, but it could have been so much better.
Snapshot
The Owls were pegged back late on by the Rams having opened the scoring early in the first half when Barry Bannan pounced on a defensive mistake to tee up striker Steven Fletcher.
He hit it first time around the home goalkeeper to hand Wednesday the lead.
Eight minutes from time, a moment of madness from Moses Odubajo handed Derby a chance to tie things up as he brought down Jack Marriott inside the penalty box.
Chris Martin duly stepped up to convert the spot-kick with the Owls right-back being sent off for another challenge several minutes later.
Off the Bench
Garry Monk made an array of changes between the 60th and 80th minute which could have been the cause of their downfall, but it has been a recurring theme during his tenure as Wednesday boss.
The 40-year-old seemingly parked the bus despite only holding a one-goal lead by withdrawing dangerman Kadeem Harris, throwing on Atdhe Nuhiu and removing their top scorer Fletcher for a central midfielder.
His continued persistence to sit back only invited pressure on the visitors as Derby racked up six shots compared to the Owls’ two during the above timeframe.
It’s a huge throw of the dice to trust your team enough with just a one-goal advantage.
The same happened at West Brom. The same happened against Leeds.
‘A 2-0 lead is the worst kind of lead‘ is an old adage phrase in football, but at least there’s the comfort of having two chances to hold out for some form of points.
Instead, if he went for it, there would have been a good chance of actually grabbing that second goal which would have all but guaranteed three points at Pride Park.
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In other news, Sheffield Wednesday fans hail ‘warrior’ after Derby draw
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Charlie Nicholas believes that the visit of Bournemouth is a game Newcastle could win quite easily, particularly given their current form.
What did he say?
Newcastle have performed well in spurts this season but one thing they lack is consistency, having failed to register back-to-back wins in the Premier League.
The Cherries have recorded two away wins so far, more than the Magpies have managed at St James’ Park, so they will be no pushovers, and should be feeling buoyant after ending a goal drought of nearly six hours against Manchester United last week.
Nicholas suggested that Bruce is an attack-minded manager who is doing the best he can with the players at his disposal, but he did point to three players who could provide the key going forward.
Writing in his Premier League predictions for Sky Sports, he said:
“I know Steve Bruce likes to play attacking football, but he cannot do so with this team. Miguel Almiron is like a little whippet who cannot slow down to finish.
“The fans love him as he is energetic, which I do like about him, but the other phases of his play need to come sharpish. Allan Saint-Maximin is skilful and unpredictable, while Jonjo Shelvey is back in the team. If Newcastle win, they are heading towards the top end of the table.”
The former striker also noted the Cherries’ prowess in attack, stating they “can cause any team problems”, which is a worry for the Magpies given Martin Dubravka has had to make 36 saves this year – the joint-third highest amount in the division.
Will counter-attack style work?
Newcastle have struggled at home in the main this term. From their five league games at St James’ Park they have scored just three goals and a lack of ambition and ideas going forward has let them down.
The front-three showed signs of potential in the win over West Ham last week, but they had space to run into and the counter-attack worked in Newcastle’s favour.
At home to Bournemouth it is likely that they won’t get such joy in behind the defence, and that could limit the influence of the wingers, particularly Almiron.
That being said, it is difficult to envisage Bruce moving away from his settled system of five-at-the-back, but with the Cherries’ front-three often prolific, scoring 35 goals between them last season, and Joshua King finding his scoring boots last week, that may be the best option to nullify the visitors’ attack.
If Newcastle manage that, they may only need one goal to win it in order to record their first back-to-back victories this term.