All posts by h716a5.icu

By Wolves’ very high standards, they have been particularly abject this term. They haven’t scored enough goals and thus, European football is set to desert them.

Therefore, the transfer window will be incredibly important for the Old Gold.

What’s the word?

Wolves have been linked with a couple of forwards in recent weeks but arguably, none will be more appealing than Dwight McNeil.

The Burnley winger continues to catch the eye at Turf Moor and as a result, he’s someone the Molineux outfit are being urged to sign.

That’s courtesy of Wolves legend Steve Bull, someone who opened up on the winger when talking exclusively to Football FanCast last week.

“It’s very rare that talented players like that go under the radar, Leicester found one in James Maddison. So, yeah all day long I’d take him,” he began.

“Put him in a good side full of talented and skilful players like we’ve got and it might bring him on leaps and bounds,” Bull concluded.

Bye-bye Neto

Wolves were unable to convince Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota from leaving for the jaws of the Premier League’s big six last summer and they could face the same eventuality in a few months time.

Dynamic forward Pedro Neto has been linked with a massive £50m move to Manchester United and if that does happen, Nuno Santo should look no further than McNeil as his replacement.

Like Neto, the Burnley winger possesses a mesmeric left foot and has a wonderful final ball to add to that.

For the Clarets this term, the £47k-per-week earner hasn’t amassed the greatest of numbers but it’s hard to really nail down regular goal involvements when you play for a team that operates in a more defensive manner.

He has two goals and three assists to his name this term, but has 14 assists in the last three seasons, a handy number for a player who is so rampant down the left.

McNeil has averaged 1.2 key passes a match this season, a tally that puts him behind only Neto, Adama Traore and Joao Moutinho at Wolves.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-news-on-wolves-from-molineux” title=” Check out the latest news on Wolves from Molineux!”]

It’s hard to forget just how young he is too. The Burnley forward is still only 21 and has plenty of improvement left in his game. With that in mind, he ticks a pretty large box when Jeff Shi chooses who to sign.

Words from Harry Redknapp only add further appeal to his signature: “Dwight McNeil is such a good player, lovely left foot, doesn’t stop running,”

Redknapp added: “Every time I watch him he gets better and better, he’s got real quality and certainly a player that the top six to eight clubs will be looking at, and that’s no disrespect to Burnley because I don’t like saying that sometimes, but he is that good.”

Bearing those remarks in mind, Wolves must act quickly if they want to secure McNeil’s services.

It surely won’t be too long before he’s outgrown Burnley.

AND in other news, Wolves could find their new Goncalves with swoop for “unpredictable” 20-goal wizard…

David Moyes could look to upgrade Angelo Ogbonna at West Ham United in the summer transfer window with a successful swoop for ACF Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.

What’s the word?

According to Fabrizio Romano, while speaking on the Here We Go podcast via Football-Italia, the Irons have seen a €25m (£21.5m) approach for Milenkovic turned down.

It is not stipulated when the offer was tabled, though co-owner and Chairman David Sullivan revealed to talkSPORT last October that a deal to sign the Serbian had fallen through after talks between West Ham and Fiorentina broke down.

The Hammers targeted Milenkovic with boss Moyes desperate for defensive reinforcements before the arrival of Craig Dawson on loan from Watford, and are expected to again target signings to improve the London Stadium backline this summer.

Moyes and Sullivan would face strong competition in any attempt to revive interest in Milenkovic, with Manchester United now considered the favourites to sign the 23-year-old.

Milenkovic is out of contract at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in the summer of 2022 and is currently unlikely to pen new terms with Cesare Prandelli’s side, though Fiorentina will still hold out for the right fee in the next off-season.

La Viola President Rocco Commisso considers the 26-cap international to be worth €40m (£34.5m), yet it is anticipated that the Serie A side will have to accept a lesser sum given Milenkovic’s contract situation.

The defender, valued by TransferMarkt at £25m, has started all 21 of his Italian top-flight appearances this season while helping toward each of Fiorentina’s six clean sheets.

Should West Ham repursue Milenkovic?

West Ham could face a tall ordeal trying to sign Milenkovic in the next transfer window with Manchester United now considered the favourites for his signature, but Moyes can land a potential Ogbonna upgrade in the €29,000-per-week (£25k-p/w) defender.

Moyes lauds the impact Ogbonna brings to east London, having described the Italian as a “magnificent” and “really important” player following his high ankle sprain sustained in the FA Cup defeat to the Red Devils earlier this month.

Ogbonna had also started all 23 available Premier League fixtures this season and only failed to play the full 90 minutes during November’s 1-0 win over Fulham, having been forced off with half an hour remaining due to a feared groin injury.

Yet the 32-year-old’s efforts in the top-flight lag behind Milenkovic’s Serie A performances to date this term in a number of ways, to suggest that the younger Fiorentina star would be a very useful pick-up if the Irons were to repursue the former FK Partizan Beograd enforcer.

While Ogbonna has offered 0.9 successful tackles per game in the Premier League this season, Milenkovic has produced 1.6 for Fiorentina in the Serie A, per SofaScore.

The Serbian also provides a higher number of interceptions (1.4) than the Italian (1.0) and is more successful in the air, with 3.5 duels won to 2.2. He further retains possession and plays the ball more adequately after winning it back, with 47.2 accurate passes (86%) to the Hammers ace’s 28.8 (80%).

Ogbonna’s only true leading trait over Milenkovic is in clearances (4.4 to 3.2), suggesting Moyes would not only land an upgrade in winning the ball back in the Manchester United target, but one who would see West Ham improve their ability to play out from defence as well.

It remains to be seen how willing Commisso is to lower his valuation and reduce the €15m (£13m) difference between his asking price and West Ham’s rejected offer.

Yet the Irons should at least return to the table to express their interest again.

AND in other news, David Moyes can discover West Ham’s next Dimitri Payet in a 24-y/o whose protected by a £258m release clause…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former England midfielder Carlton Palmer has praised Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, hailing him as the “real deal”.

Grealish has been in stunning form this season, spearheading the Villans’ push for European football. The 25-year-old is the club’s leading man when it comes to Premier League assists, registering an impressive total of 10 so far.

He has also managed to bag six goals along the way while recording some very good numbers when it comes to dribbling, ranking among the best players in English football’s top division in that department.

All in all, it has been a successful campaign for Grealish, who continues to earn plaudits for his exploits at Villa Park.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about the attacking midfielder, Palmer said:

“For me, I like to see people show consistency. And, you know, all this hype about Jack Grealish and whatever… yeah, he’s showing he’s the real deal now because he’s putting consistent performances together.”

Aston Villa will be desperate to keep hold of their captain, who continues to be linked with a move away from the club, with Manchester United legend Paul Scholes recently suggesting that he needs to leave Villa Park for a European heavyweight in order to reach his full potential.

However, having signed a new five-year contract at his boyhood club last September, Villa are in a strong position as they look to keep hold of their star man.

The January transfer window has been a rather quiet affair for Leeds. After all, this is a period of the year that usually has Victor Orta running for cover.

The Spaniard had a brilliant summer transfer window in bringing the likes of Rodrigo and Robin Koch to Elland Road but his work in the winter months has generally been less successful.

Dan James was pictured holding a Leeds shirt before a move for the Welshman broke down in the dying embers of the 2019 market and a year later, they made a mess of a transfer in bringing Jean-Kevin Augustin to England.

Leeds had an obligation to buy the Frenchman but didn’t cough up the money required. Thus, a legal battle followed.

For obvious reasons, Marcelo Bielsa and Orta are playing things cool in this window. However, Leeds cannot afford to rest on their laurels after a poor start to the calendar year.

They’ve lost three successive matches and as a result, they may need to bring in more bodies. One such player could be Andy Delort.

Football Insider reported this week that Leeds have been offered the opportunity to sign the Montpellier forward with French clubs continuing to struggle with finances following the ongoing pandemic.

If they did land the forward, they could secure a big upgrade on current top scorer Patrick Bamford.

The former Middlesbrough man has been nothing short of exceptional this term and has scored ten goals in the Premier League from just 18 outings. With that in mind, you can hardly argue that they need to sign another forward.

Though, Delort could add more to Leeds than Bamford does. Despite scoring nine goals this term in 18 games – one less than the Whites forward – he’s actually been more prolific with his opportunities.

Bamford has scored his goals from a record of 3.6 shots per game, whereas Delort has found the net regularly from only three shots per match in comparison.

The striker is obsessed with beating goalkeepers, commenting in March of last year: “I’m crazy about scoring goals. If I see a ball and a goal, I feel compelled to shoot.”

Furthermore, Delort has six assists in 2020/21 – four more than Bamford – and he’s also been a menace in the air. For context, the £27k-per-week earner has won 4.4 aerial duels per outing. That tally is better than anyone in the Leeds squad this term.

The French striker is the complete package and compared to Leeds’ number nine, he has pace in abundance. He is the fastest player in Ligue 1, clocking speeds higher than a certain Kylian Mbappe.

It’s clear why Delort could be an upgrade here.

AND in other news, Shades of Pablo: Orta can save millions if Leeds unleash rarely-seen “great talent”…

Leeds United have been linked with several new names this month as the January transfer deadline edges closer. One man who remains on the radar is Hibernian full-back Josh Doig. According to Goal, the Whites join Celtic and Manchester City in the running for the 18-year-old who has two-and-a-half years left on his current contract in Scotland.

The recent Championship winners have shipped a hefty amount of goals this season, letting 35 past them so far. Only Crystal Palace (36) and West Brom (48) have conceded more this 2020/21 term.

Marcelo Bielsa’s backline will be the main source of his worries, but signing Doig could create some problems for fellow left-back Leif Davis.

Davis could suffer if Doig signs for Leeds

According to the report, the young Scot would be available for as little as £1million if Leeds are to pursue a move. This will be a very attractive fact for Andrea Radrizzani, who spent almost £100million during the summer on new recruits.

Robin Koch and Diego Llorente are both injured and they are the main reason why the Whites are struggling to defend right now. Bielsa has been forced to deploy Luke Ayling in central defence, rather than in his natural position at right-back.

Whilst recruiting Doig would add to Leeds’ defensive options, he will be directly competing with fellow rising full-back Davis. According to Transfermarkt, the Newcastle-born defender has made just two senior appearances this season, both in the form of cameos.

However, on the flip side, Doig has been a prominent figure for Hibernian, making 17 appearances in the Premiership this campaign and and contributing two assists, as per Transfermarkt. He recently received praise from Hibs manager Jack Ross for being a “confident” and “impressive” player.

Despite being three years Davis’ senior, Doig has more experience at the top level and could really pile the pressure on the elusive Leeds youngster.

In other news, Bielsa made huge mistake rushing Diego Llorente back…

Fresh from their victory over Celtic in the second Old Firm derby of the season, Glasgow Rangers are back in action on Sunday afternoon, when they take the trip to Pittodrie to take on Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership.

Steven Gerrard has ruled out Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack while the Rangers manager will be without Kemar Roofe after he was forced off at half-time against their arch-rivals.

This means that Ianis Hagi is likely to start on the right wing, but the Ibrox boss may be better suited by replacing the Romania international with Cedric Itten, and playing Hagi as a No. 10 instead.

Itten, 24, has been in such fine form so far this season – since his arrival last year, he has bagged four goals and two assists in all competitions, albeit the majority of his appearances have come from the bench, via Transfermarkt.

Despite initially being brought in to provide cover and competition for the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe, the Switzerland international started on the right flank in the 4-0 victory over Falkirk in the Betfred Cup, and picked up his second assist of the season.

Recently described as a “fantastic” beast by Gerrard, the Ibrox boss raved about his performance in the 3-1 win at home to Motherwell, telling Rangers TV: “Ceddy does what he does. He’s a bit of a pest, he’s a bit of a nuisance, he chases lost causes.”

While Hagi has established himself as a first-team regular starter for Gerrard’s Gers this season, he may be better suited to plugging the gap behind the team’s centre-forward against Aberdeen and pulling the strings from the midfield.

Valued at £3m via Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old replaced Roofe at half-time against Celtic and made an impact almost immediately, with Gerrard admitting he was impressed by what he saw from Hagi, but the young Romanian may be forced to take on an even bigger role especially in the absence of the more experienced Arfield.

Meanwhile, despite primarily being a striker Itten has recently shown he is also capable of playing on the right wing, whilst Alfredo Morelos’ return to form in recent weeks has largely starved him of any real opportunities.

However, the fact that the versatile forward can play as a right winger means he should be called into action alongside Morelos on the right flank, whilst there is very little doubt that he would be a better option than the likes of Brandon Barker and Jordan Jones, who have fallen even further down the pecking order after his arrival in the summer.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must swoop for Everton outcast Muhamed Besic…

Crystal Palace will be under no illusion of the scale of the task at hand after the humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

It was a sorry sight as Jurgen Klopp’s side put the Eagles to the sword after Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah both scored twice to leave Roy Hodgson with an awful lot of work to do.

The Eagles have conceded 25 goals in the Premier League this season, the third worst total behind newly-promoted sides Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion, and find themselves 13th in the table, level on points with Newcastle United, although Steve Bruce’s side has a game in-hand.

If that weren’t bad enough, Palace have several players who will be out of contract at the end of the season, including first-team regular starters Christian Benteke and Gary Cahill as well as Scott Dann.

With the January transfer window only a matter of days away, it’s time for Steve Parish to shift some of the deadwood, and you’d have to imagine that Max Meyer will be one of the first names on the list.

However, Hodgson must also urge the Palace chairman to cash in on former West Ham defender James Tomkins, who has made just one appearance during an injury-disrupted campaign despite earning around £50,000-per-week.

Reports in recent times revealed that West Bromwich Albion manager Sam Allardyce is keen to reunite with the 31-year-old after working with the centre-back at Selhurst Park and West Ham, and Parish could kill two birds with one stone by cutting his losses once and for all.

It sounds harsh, but the stats don’t lie, and Tomkins simply isn’t up to scratch anymore. The £3.6m-rated defensive stalwart came off the bench to replace Cheikou Kouyate in the second half to mark his first appearance of the season but he couldn’t prevent Palace from capitulating against Liverpool at Selhurst Park, although most of the damage had already been done.

Per SofaScore, he received a low rating of 6 out of ten for his efforts – despite playing just 27′ minutes of first-team football – as he failed to record a single tackle and he also managed to lose possession of the ball three times.

It’s fair to say that Tomkins has been an ever-loyal servant of the club but he has arguably entered the twilight of his career and as such, seems destined for the Selhurst Park exit.

When push comes to shove, Parish must be ruthless and push him out the door, as he’s certainly bled him dry over the past few months, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Forget Sarr: Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish must secure Michael Olise as a Townsend alternative…

From being deemed surplus to requirements last summer and being sent out on loan to Besiktas, to starring in Arsenal’s win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. What an incredible journey it has been for Mohamed Elneny.

The Egypt international returned in the summer after a year away in Turkey with some food for thought. Mikel Arteta of course was the new man in charge at the Emirates, and it remained to be seen whether he would be given a look-in under the new regime.

But the Spaniard made it clear, that having played with him whilst he himself was an Arsenal player, he knew of his qualities and what he could bring.

And on Sunday night at Old Trafford, Elneny showed everyone exactly what Arteta was talking about. The former Basel man helped run the midfield alongside summer signing Thomas Partey, and whilst the Ghana international may take some of the headlines, Arsenal fans shouldn’t be quick to forget about the shift the 28-year-old put in.

As per Sofascore, his total of 72 touches was only behind that of Partey, whilst he boasted an impressive 89% pass accuracy. But more than his eye-opening calmness on the ball – there were countless times in the game where he kept his composure to find teammates in the half-spaces – it was his work off it that really stood out.

Elneny covered a lot of ground, and with United operating with a midfield diamond, had to do just that more than usual to ensure Arsenal didn’t get overrun in the engine room.

His tally of three interceptions was more than that of Partey, and was only just behind Bukayo Saka (4) in the Gunners’ rankings. Moving forward, Arteta will have a big call to make on the man hailed as being “excellent” by The Times journalist Henry Winter.

He left out both Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos for the contest at Old Trafford, and the duo will be looking to push for a recall. But on this evidence, Elneny deserves his moment in the spotlight.

West Brom have been dealt a cruel blow as a result of them picking up their first win of the Premier League season last week.

According to Slaven Bilic, as per the Express & Star, Baggies’ first-choice left-back Conor Townsend has been ruled out for at least four weeks through injury after he hobbled off with a knee problem in their 1-0 victory against Sheffield United.

He said:

“I knew straight away. When I saw Conor needed to be subbed, he is not that kind of guy.

“I hoped it was nothing major and thank god it isn’t but he is going to be out between four to six weeks.

“Knowing he is a good healer and a great character, he will be desperate to come back.

“It is a blow, of course, especially considering how well he was doing. But we were concerned it would be a lot worse.”

The 27-year-old has been in impressive form for the top-flight strugglers, ranking as their third-best player (6.84) behind both Conor Gallagher (6.98) and Matheus Pereira (6.89), which in itself, is phenomenal. That’s better than Grady Diangana, Jake Livermore and Karlan Grant.

Townsend has averaged 1.9 clearances, 1.5 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 0.9 dribbles per game form his eight starts, via WhoScored.

This blow is compounded further by the fact that veteran defender Kieran Gibbs, who hasn’t been seen since his sending off against Everton in the second game of the season, has only just returned to training and may not be fit enough to feature having tested positive for coronavirus last month.

Bilic added:

“Kieran didn’t train for 20 days because of the injury and corona. We will see tomorrow. He has been training for five days now and we will see.”

The £14k-per-week Albion ace has often had to prove his doubters wrong despite his manager lauding him as a “great worker” and a “great professional.”

A view that has been emphasised by other characters in his career – former Chesterfield teammate Marc Richards claimed: “He’s a nice lad but he’s got a nasty side when he crosses that white line. He doesn’t shirk a tackle” while Graham Alexander believes he’s “really popular in the changing room.”

Without him, there could be trouble brewing.

AND in other news, Bilic must unleash his explosive “total nightmare” on Crystal Palace tomorrow…

Controversial Saints figure Mohamed Elyounoussi could yet win over the Southampton fanbase once he returns from his loan spell in the Scottish Premiership.

The left winger joined the club two years ago from Basel after Southampton paid £16million for his services (via BBC Sport). His goal return during his time with the Swiss outfit was impressive, but he is yet to replicate this form on the south coast of England. Elyounoussi scored a total of 23 goals and assisted a further 30 in 84 appearances for Basel, he also netted 42 times for Norwegian club Molde FK in 92 games (via Transfermarkt).

However, after playing just 19 matches under Mark Hughes and his successor Ralph Hasenhuttl, the 26-year-old has been shipped out on loan. With no goalscoring contributions, he has frustrated a lot of the fanbase.

Elyounoussi stats for Celtic

The Norway international has already found the back of the net four times and provided three assists this season for the Hoops. He is building on his solid display from last season which saw him tally seven goals and six assists in 20 matches across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

In Elyounoussi’s most recent match for Celtic, he scored one goal and finished with a 100% shot accuracy rating in their 3-0 win over Hibernian. The 26-year-old also made three tackles, one clearance and was successful in 100% of his dribbles (via Sofascore).

His displays north of the border have earned rave reviews too, with Neil Lennon describing him as “powerful” after a win against RK Reykjavik earlier this term, whilst Tom English labelled him a “very, very dangerous player” after the same game (BBC Sportsound podcast via This Is Futbol).

According to The Athletic, Southampton are willing to give the forward another chance once he returns from loan next season. After his encouraging performances for Celtic, his attacking abilities are once again shining and the Saints could use support for Danny Ings up front. If he continues to impress, then you would have to suggest that Hasenhuttl has to utilise him next term.

If Elyounoussi returns to Southampton and helps to guide them to a strong finish next campaign, he will rectify his status with the fans and potentially become a crucial part of Hasenhuttl’s squad.

In other news, Southampton target Kristoffer Ajer can be Salisu’s long-term partner…