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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Sun, Arsenal have put Wolves centre-back Willy Boly on their radar following his impressive start to the season amidst defensive concerns of their own.

What’s the word?

Wolves have now won three straight games in all competitions, including the stunning scalp of reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday.

That’s a massive turnaround in form considering the west Midlands club were sitting second-bottom going into their fixture with Watford nearly ten days ago.

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Nuno Santo’s side have moved into 11th place with just two defeats on their record, which is better than Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

In midweek they also added life to their Europa League campaign with a 1-0 ‘snatch and grab’ win at Besiktas.

Meanwhile, Arsenal sit 3rd, but defensive issues continue to plague their team – even despite picking up a clean sheet on Sunday.

Unai Emery’s Gunners have conceded 11 goals from their eight matches, and reports suggest the Spaniard doesn’t see summer signing David Luiz or Sokratis as long-term options at the club. As such, they could move for Boly.

He has become somewhat of a fan favourite in his three years at Molineux, where he has amassed 92 appearances and scored eight times after being signed from Porto for £10m.

Indispensable

Wolves operate a system which utilises three central defenders, and if you took the 28-year-old out of the equation, then Nuno would be rather stuffed.

Despite now picking up three straight clean sheets, defending had been a cause for concern after Chelsea stuck five past them at home less than a month ago.

Boly’s featured in all three of those matches this week but didn’t against the Blues so it’s not a coincidence to see the west Midlands club looking more solid with him in the team

Those worries at the back are only emphasised by the fact that the Portuguese boss tried to add another player to his defensive ranks over the summer with Benfica ace Ruben Dias a regularly-linked target.

Aside from club captain Conor Coady, the other options in Ryan Bennett and Jesus Vallejo have been slated while Max Kilman is yet to taste more than a minute of top-flight football. Meanwhile, Romain Saiss has often looked better in midfield.

Wolves must not give in and they should do everything they can to keep hold of the towering 6 foot 5 colossus as he’s likely to be the most irreplaceable member of the currently squad. After all, they’re worst when he’s absent.

The Gunners will get to take a proper look at the £13.5m-rated man in just under a month when Wolves head to the Emirates.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness

West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has been ruled out for at least two months, and Irons fans should find comfort in the rise of former stopper Adrian at Liverpool to see how number two Roberto could develop.

What’s happened then?

Well, the Poland international pulled up in the first half after taking a goal kick against Bournemouth, and it has been confirmed via BBC Sport that he has suffered a torn hip muscle.

It means that his ever-present run for the east London outfit in the Premier League since he joined the club on a free will come to an end this weekend, and he may not be back in action until December at the earliest if the initial diagnosis is correct.

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Roberto Jimenez Gago replaced the 34-year-old against the Cherries and while he did make one good save in particular his kicking wasn’t great, while he came under fire from some fans on Twitter for his display in the humiliating 4-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Oxford United last week.

Roberto could surprise everyone

It’s probably fair to say that West Ham fans won’t be expecting the Spaniard to be at the same level as their 2018/19 Hammer of the Year, having shown some weaknesses when he has been on the pitch.

Liverpool supporters may have had the same concerns when Alisson got injured on the opening day of the campaign and saw Adrian replace him however, but the former Irons man who left on a free earlier in 2019 has gone from strength to strength between the sticks for the Premier League leaders in the Brazilian’s continued absence, conceding five goals in seven top flight outings.

Given how West Ham fans criticised him when he played for them and how he was number two to Fabianski before departing, he is an unexpected source of hope for them in light of the recent development given first-team starts at Anfield would surely have been predicted to be few and far between if Alisson stayed fit.

Roberto could easily make the same impact as Adrian if the circumstances are right, and the London Stadium faithful need to get behind him to give him that confidence, rather than getting on his back as soon as he does something wrong like they may have done with other keepers in the past.

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When Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter were given four options and asked who they want the club’s next signing to be, the following supporters said they would prefer to see Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho arrive over Juventus’ Paulo Dybala.

The January window may not be anywhere near just yet, but that obviously hasn’t stopped the Spurs faithful thinking about who their side could potentially bring to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the New Year.

The options given were Dybala, Sancho, Bruno Fernandes and Yousef Atal.

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The north London outfit of course came close to signing the former on deadline day before a move eventually collapsed, but a recent report in The Daily Star suggests Mauricio Pochettino could be lining up a second move.

Meanwhile, England international Sancho continues to go from strength to strength with Borussia Dortmund, with the 19-year-old having a remarkable 17 goals and 27 assists to his name in just 60 outings for the Bundesliga giants, which means that it is no surprise that he is rated at £100m minimum.

The following fans are under no illusions as to who they would prefer out of the duo.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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West Ham United face Norwich City this weekend.

They will be without Michail Antonio after his shock injury blow against Newport County in midweek, while Winston Reid is also ruled out.

Javier Hernandez could return, however, after shaking off a knee injury.

After the weekend win over Watford, in which summer signing Sebastian Haller scored twice, the Hammers need to keep their momentum going as they take on Daniel Farke’s side, who lost 3-2 to Chelsea on Saturday.

Football FanCast takes a look at how the Hammers could line up this weekend…

This is a rarity for Manuel Pellegrini: he can pick a completely full-strength XI.

With pretty much all of his first-team players fit, the backline is unlikely to change from the selection that helped defeat Watford.

Jack Wilshere, of course, scored against Newport and generally enjoyed an excellent game but it is difficult to foresee the former Manchester City boss dropping either Mark Noble or Declan Rice.

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Further forward, Pablo Fornals is fit to play on the right, while Felipe Anderson, who did play a part in the League Cup victory, is a shoo-in on the left flank.

Wilshere could well play in the No.10 role but it is more likely that it’ll be Manuel Lanzini providing support to Haller.

The Frenchman got off the mark in the Premier League with a brace and will be out to add even more to his tally against the Canaries, who have conceded eight goals in three top-flight games thus far this season.

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Liverpool are so far definitely enjoying their start to the new 2019/20 Premier League season.

After the first two games, the Reds are unbeaten and have two wins under their belts. And not only that but they’ve also clinched the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea in Istanbul.

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It’s safe to say that Jurgen Klopp and his troops have started the campaign exactly the way they wanted to.

And spirits certainly seem high in the camp, at least if the players’ social media activity is any indication at all.

Trent Alexander-Arnold shared a funny snap on

/B1Y7ZnbgAzX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain that seem to depict a race between the two Reds.

But the thing is, Alexander-Arnold proclaimed himself the winner of the race while Oxlade-Chamberlain wouldn’t really agree with that, judging by his quick reply.

He emphasised that Alexander-Arnold shouldn’t really lie to all of his fans but also that they both know who the real winner was.

Of course, this was just harmless banter among friends and it just goes to show that the Reds are having a great time in the new campaign.

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Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has slammed Marcel Bielsa for over-relying on Kalvin Phillips, as told to Football Insider.

Phillips is one of four Whites players yet to miss a minute of Championship actions this season (WhoScored), with the defensive midfielder, along with Adam Forshaw, Ben White and goalkeeper Kiko Casilla currently Bielsa’s most heavily relied on options at Elland Road.

Leeds-born Phillips has even featured throughout both of his side’s Carabao Cup ties this term, with the 23-year-old one of only three players to remain in the starting line-up from the eleven who beat Stoke 3-0 in the league last Saturday.

Whelan now fears Bielsa’s handling of Phillips could risk the midfielder being sidelined or simply burning out, after his former side suffered numerous injuries last season.

“Yes, I think so,” Whelan told Football Insider when asked if Phillips was being overplayed. “The games are coming thick and fast and it’s a long season where you need your best players fit and firing throughout.

“Bielsa needs to show common sense and carefully man-manage the key players like Kalvin. I don’t think he should have played in the cup games, they were good opportunities to rest him and give someone else a chance.

“I hoped he wouldn’t play against Stoke the other night. I wanted us to win the match, but there is enough quality in the squad for Kalvin not to play every minute of every game.

“Given the amount of injuries we got last season, you can’t deny it’s a massive issue keeping everyone on the park.”

If Phillips is starting to burn out already, he is doing a good job of hiding it, as the Leeds product is currently averaging more tackles (5.8 to 4.1) and more successful tackles (3.8 to 2.8) per ninety minutes than he did throughout his 44 second-tier appearances including the Play-Offs last season, according to data collected by WhoScored.

The defensive midfielder is also averaging the same number of interceptions (1.4) and more blocks (1.6 to 1.4), as well as playing more passes (68.8 to 62.9) and is finding teammates more frequently (only mislaying 9.6 passes compared to 11.2) so far this term.

Bielsa not resting Phillips while he had the chance to in the Carabao Cup could come back to haunt the Argentine further down the line, though, as the Whites now only have league games to play until entering the FA Cup in the Third Round come the turn of the year.

Should Bielsa have rested Phillips in the Carabao Cup? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Wolves’ new signing Jesus Vallejo has had plenty to say after his first few days at Molineux.

The Spaniard has praised club captain Conor Coady amongst other things and that has drawn a reaction from some supporters at the club.

Vallejo joined the club on a season-long loan last week from Real Madrid and was Nuno Santo’s first major summer arrival.

The 22-year-old captained Spain to their U21 European Championship triumph this summer but has only featured 19 times for the Spanish giants since joining them from Real Zaragoza in 2015.

A number of supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his latest comments.

One fan said he couldn’t wait to see him play, believing the starlet was keen to make an impact whilst another supporter praised their boss, saying it shows the genius of Nuno after transforming Coady’s position and making him captain.

Others called Vallejo class and there was further praise for the midfielder-turned-defender with him being described as one sweet guy that has never shown a nasty side.

You can read the best of the reaction below:

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It was just not meant to be. After a tough and tiring 90 minutes against the United States of America, England’s women’s team was defeated 2-1 by the current holders in a fiery semi-final clash.

Being just a couple of steps away from glory, this defeat hurts a lot but the Lionesses can be proud of what they have achieved throughout the coveted tournament, and losing to the defending champions is no embarrassment at all.

Many stars took to social media to send their best regards to England after a valiant defeat and David Beckham was one of them. The ex-Manchester United icon posted a snap on

/BzboYXCh7sV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram with a long, heartfelt message comforting the ladies.

Beckham’s long message certainly struck a note with both the fans and some other stars as they quickly complimented the ex-footballer for his effort of comforting their fallen warriors.

The likes of Tom Brady and even England’s official account were there to support Beckham as he himself seemed a bit gloomy after the result.

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According to Calciomercato.com, Everton have submitted a €30m (£26.8m) for Juventus striker Moise Kean.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Toffees seem to be interested in signing the Italian international and have lodged an offer to the Italian champions for the youngster’s services.

Kean enjoyed a breakthrough 2018/19 campaign with the Turin-based giants, netting six goals in just five Serie A starts to showcase his prolific scoring rate – the teenager found the back of the net once more in a Coppa Italia game as well.

The 19-year-old is currently starring for Italy at the Under-21 European Championships, despite already having three senior appearances to his name.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

After his hugely successful 2018/19 season, Kean is amongst some of the hottest youngsters in Europe and his price tag will only soar from now on – Juventus are trying to tie him down to a new contract amid Everton’s interest.

Marcel Brands is wasting his time

We are talking about a young player with scary amounts of potential here.

Kean has already hit 55 goals in 102 career games across the Juventus youth ranks and the first-team, scoring 29 in 36 for the Under-17 side a few years ago.

He is quite simply prolific in front of goal and the sky is the limit for a player with a very lofty ceiling indeed.

In that respect, Marcel Brands and Everton may as well give up on this one immediately and pursue other targets; it is far too ambitious to pursue.

Kean is at a Champions League club, getting a good amount of game time for his age and has everything needed to succeed at the highest level – it would take an astronomical fee for Juventus to even considering letting their prized youngster leave.

Even if a fee was somehow agreed, Kean doesn’t have many reasons to leave the club he has been at since he was 10 years of age – Everton should walk away and stop wasting their own time.

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Leeds United confirmed on Tuesday that Marcelo Bielsa would remain at the Championship club for at least another season.

The Argentine – who has inspired the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino – nearly returned Leeds to the Premier League for the first time since 2004. The Elland Road side, though, fell just short of promotion, losing 4-3 to Derby County in the playoff semi-final.

Loose cannon or vital cog in the Newcastle’s machine? The Magpie Channel think it would be a mistake to sell the player in the video below…

Leeds have not messed around and got the former Marseille boss to commit to trying to get the Lilywhites back into the Premier League again next season. Bielsa has re-energised the city, the club and the fans. The sense of doom has been lifted and if appropriately backed Leeds will be strong favourites for promotion next season.

The Leeds squad this season overachieved. A lot of the players they have are not good enough to challenge at the top of the Championship and Bielsa managed to squeeze every last drop of talent out of them.

Rafael Benitez – like Bielsa – has transformed his club. The feeling of misery has been lifted on Tyneside by the Spaniard’s presence and he has performed miracles to keep Newcastle in mid-table.

In 2017/18 Benitez used almost exactly the same squad that he got promoted with and finished tenth, last season the 59-year-old mainly relied on loan deals, free transfers and budget signings, while teams such as Fulham and West Ham United spent millions on new players.

The rest of the league spent while Newcastle stood still. He still managed to get the Toon to finish 13th, and they were safe from relegation a month before the end of the season.

A takeover appears on the cards at Newcastle and the first thing the new owners must do is follow Leeds’ lead, by tying down Benitez to a new contract.

Working under financially tight conditions he has performed miracles, so Magpies fans can only dream of what Benitez could do if he is given a competitive budget.

He could feasibly turn Newcastle into the team who challenge the top six. They have the stadium and infrastructure and under Benitez’s guidance – backed by owners who want to improve the team – the sleeping giant that is Newcastle United could finally wake up.

Newcastle will not get a better manager than the former Real Madrid boss and if the Toon are to leave mid-table mediocrity behind Benitez must be at the helm.

Leeds acted quickly to ensure they kept their world-class manager while Newcastle have messed around, seemingly waiting to see how the takeover plays out. It’s time for the Magpies to follow the Whites’ lead and get Benitez tied down to new terms as soon as the new owners are through the door.