All posts by n8rngtd.top

Wolves are currently lying in the bottom half of the Premier League but things aren’t set to get any easier.

They will be missing Jonny for a considerable period of time after he suffered a second ACL injury of the campaign while their Player of the Season has now been ruled out too.

On the chalkboard

When Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull back in November, every Wolves fan will have thought the worst.

They were right to as well. Fabio Silva has only scored three goals in the Old Gold while their January replacement, Willian Jose, has netted just once.

One player who took on the mantle significantly was Pedro Neto. He has been one of the most outstanding young players in the Premier League this season and as such, has earned links to clubs like Manchester United.

He is their top scorer on five goals and he is also their best source of creativity, providing six assists for his teammates.

No one has made Wolves tick more than the Portuguese so to lose him to a broken knee cap is devastating news.

Neto will now miss the next six months of competition, damaging not his chances of securing an exit but also Wolves’ ambitions.

The solution

The Old Gold have considered a number of transfer targets ahead of the summer, one of which is Lucas Ocampos.

Football Insider revealed last month that the Molineux outfit were considering a move for the Sevilla winger.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-news-and-views-lingard-leao-jimenez-mir” title= “Read the latest Wolves news and views!”]

A proven La Liga talent, he’d be an astute capture from the Wolves hierarchy and could undoubtedly soften the blow of losing Neto for such a long period.

The youngster will miss the opening part of next term and thus, they will need to find a renewed sense of creativity and a goalscoring threat from elsewhere.

Ocampos could provide that in abundance. The Argentine, who can play on either flank, has scored more goals than Neto this term (7) and has registered four assists. That’s taken his tally in a Sevilla shirt to 24 strikes and nine assists throughout 83 games.

He has starred in Europe this term and has amassed a mouth-watering three dribbles per game; a tally that usurps Wolves’ dazzling winger in the Premier League – he has registered 2.1 in comparison.

Speaking about the 26-year-old previously, Fede Prami, a journalist and River Plate fan recalled his days in Argentina, calling him “electric.”

Indeed, if any quote was to sum up Neto’s energy in equal measure, it would be that.

Losing their attacking wizard is a blow, but Fosun could definitely soften it luring Ocampos to the Midlands.

AND in other news, Forget Jose: Wolves gem who won 13 duels stole the show on Saturday, he’s “unplayable”…

Two weeks ago it looked as though Roy Keane was set to be presented to the Celtic supporters as the Bhoys’ new manager.

However, after that move fell through, Eddie Howe has been at the height of Dermot Desmond’s agenda.

What’s the word?

The pendulum is swinging once again when it comes to uncovering the new manager of Celtic.

Howe had been the favourite over the last week but news emerged on Wednesday courtesy of his representatives that he wouldn’t be moving into a new job before the summer at the very earliest.

In a big twist to the tale, it was reported on the same day that the Hoops hierarchy have a new name they’d like to think that about; Lucien Favre.

Football Insider claim that Celtic are assessing the Swiss coach in case Howe rejects their offer.

Favre was reportedly interested in discussing the role with the Glaswegian side a few weeks ago but it wasn’t clear what their stance on the former Borussia Dortmund manager was.

Fresh information reveals they are indeed considering him, however.

Howe vs Favre

Howe’s managerial career has been a fairytale story so far. The 43-year-old took the Cherries from the brink of extinction in League Two to a team now full to the brim with Premier League television revenue.

His journey with the south-coast side is like something you’d see in a film, but it’s hard to ignore Favre’s exploits too.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Indeed, supporters should be drooling over the impact he could potentially have at Parkhead.

He may have been sacked from his role with Borussia Dortmund last December but his win rate is something to marvel at. During his stint in the Rhine, the 63-year-old won 61.82% of his matches.

That’s an eye-catching number for a manager who tasted defeat just 24 times in 110 games as manager.

Defensively well-organised, he also likes his teams to attack. Only Bayern Munich (100) scored more goals than Dortmund (84) in last season’s Bundesliga for instance.

As for Howe, the differences are night and day. He might be pragmatic on the training field but the fact of the matter is that he’s never recorded a win rate over the 50% mark.

He is, of course, still a young coach, but with Celtic going through a transition period the experience of Favre might be preferable.

Favre has also gone deep in continental competition, a further string to his bow that puts him above Howe on the pedestal.

With all that said, the twist that Favre is being assessed by the hierarchy should be music to the ears of supporters.

AND in other news, Left for £0, now worth £63m: Celtic will rue rash call on “unbelievable” £100k-p/w gem…

Swansea earned a hard-fought three points in their push for promotion on Saturday, as they defeated Luton Town 1-0 in the early kick-off in the Championship.

Connor Hourihane’s early goal was enough to see off the Hatters, who had a number of chances to equalise but couldn’t find a way past Freddie Woodman in the Swans goal.

The result briefly put Steve Cooper’s side in the top-two of the Championship, before Watford’s 2-1 win at Cardiff saw them jump back above the Swans into the automatic spots.

Although it was an important result, some of the performances from Swansea players were below par on Saturday, with Andre Ayew, in particular, disappointing.

As per SofaScore, the experienced striker would earn a 6.4 rating for his display, which was the joint-lowest rating, with Korey Smith, of any Swansea player who started the game.

During his 90 minutes on the pitch, the former Marseille man would have 41 touches of the ball and would complete just 18 passes, which suggests that he was rarely involved, as he has averaged 27.3 passes per game in the Championship so far this season.

Perhaps most disappointingly, the Ghana international struggled to hold the ball up for Swansea in his role as a lone striker, with the Luton defenders, particularly Kai Naismith, having the better of him during the game.

Ayew would win just 4/14 ground duels and just 3/11 of his aerial duels during the game, resulting in an overall tally of 7/25 – which saw him register a disappointing success rate of just 28%.

Naismith meanwhile, would win 15/17 of his duels during the game and earned an impressive 8.3 rating for his display, which definitely suggests that he won the battle between himself and Ayew.

Despite being rarely involved, the 31-year-old striker would also lose possession on 16 occasions, suggesting that his link-up play was nowhere near his usual standards at Kenilworth Road.

The £3.6 million-rated forward was also successful with just 2/7 of his dribbles against Nathan Jones’ side, whilst he failed to register a single shot on target, so he is perhaps fortunate that Swansea were able to come away with a win, as it is clear that he was nowhere near his best against the Hatters as he let Cooper down with an anonymous display.

Many England fans were left to slam the display of West Ham United man Jesse Lingard despite their 5-0 home win over San Marino on Thursday night.

It was a very comfortable night as expected for the Three Lions with goals from James Ward-Prowse, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (two), Raheem Sterling and a debut strike for Ollie Watkins that sealed all three points and got Gareth Southgate’s men off to a perfect start in their group.

However, Lingard never managed to get himself on the scoresheet and was guilty of missing a lot of good chances in the game, with no fewer than ten shots taken in total, the most out of any player to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

The attacking midfield player currently on loan from Manchester United also lost possession of the ball on nine separate occasions in the match, the fifth-most out of any of his teammates (Sofascore), although his general attacking play was easy to the eye at times.

Nonetheless, it did not stop several England supporters venting their frustrations with the 28-year-old.

England fan reaction to Lingard display

These Three Lions fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one claiming that he was ‘very poor’ while another even went as far as to say that it was a ‘disasterclass’:

“Yeah Lingard just looked out of his depth tbh, wasn’t on it at all”

Credit: @1874adam

“Eminem could play football better than Lingard”

Credit: @bilsnm

“I thought Lingard was rubbish last night, should have scored at least 3”

Credit: @Mike50873271

“Lingard wasn’t good tonight but you won’t hear about it because his name’s not Kalvin Phillips”

Credit: @VidukaEra

“Lingard disasterclass”

Credit: @cpfcames

“Lingard was very poor”

Credit: @AndrewHornet77

In other news, find out what official club post Hammers have flocked to here!

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Graham Roberts does not expect Danny Rose to have any way back into the first-team even with Jose Mourinho’s sacking, telling Football FanCast that the developments have “gone too far”.

Rose was not included in the Premier League squad at the start of the season and was not given a squad number.

This season, he has made a total of two appearances in the Premier League 2 for the U23s.

Reports claimed that he actually appeared at Spurs’ training ground on the day of Mourinho’s sacking, jumping out the back of a van and asking journalists why they had shown up to the Enfield complex.

Ryan Mason has been placed in charge of the team on an interim basis until the end of the season and it remains to be seen if an olive branch will be extended to the former England left-back.

Roberts, though, believes that such a development is unlikely after the way that he has conducted himself in recent years.

Indeed, he believes that the argument arose from the player’s desire to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires, despite being offered a number of routes out of the club, as laid bare in the Amazon Spurs documentary.

He told FFC: “I’m not sure about Danny Rose, I think that one’s gone too far. That wasn’t Mourinho, that was to do with the club, his contract’s up, he’s said he wants to leave when his contract’s up, on a free.

“I think that one’s gone too far.”

According to a report by Italian outlet Corriere Granata, GSB and West Ham United are eyeing Torino star Andrea Belotti as the striker search brings up a new name – coming as the Serie A side wish to make a new contract offer to keep their captain.

GSB eyeing Belotti

The 27-year-old, who has amassed 32 caps at international level, is attracting interest from a plethora of Premier League sides with West Ham mentioned as one of the teams who are monitoring his situation in Turin.

Belotti has bagged 27 goals and 8 assists over the last two league seasons (WhoScored), with manager David Moyes said to be prioritising a permanent deal for Jesse Lingard alongside a new striker this summer.

The Irons have been most recently linked with the likes of Ivan Toney, Adam Armstrong, Tammy Abraham and Youssef En-Nesyri (ExWHUemployee), but according to Corriere Granta, Belotti has now entered the fray as the striker hunt takes another twist.

Transfer Tavern take

A proficient goal scorer and threat in the final third, averaging more shots per 90 (3.4) than any West Ham player in the league this season (WhoScored), it is understandable why GSB and co are monitoring his situation.

Moreno Longo, who briefly took charge of Torino last season, lauded Belotti as an ‘extraordinary striker’ (via Football Italia), but only time will tell whether West Ham can realistically land him in the summer as his club prepare a new deal offer.

In other news: West Ham are also keeping tabs on this ‘relentless’ 6 ft 2 man, find out more here.

Leeds United are expected to be without three key players for their Premier League clash with reigning champions Liverpool.

The Whites are still basking in the glory of their 2-1 win away to Manchester City last weekend, in what was a famous top-flight victory.

Marcelo Bielsa and his players are now preparing for the visit of Liverpool next Monday, in what promises to be an entertaining contest, given the last meeting saw seven goals.

Leeds aren’t without their injury problems ahead of the game, however, and it looks as though several big players will be absent against the Reds.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Leeds trio absent for Liverpool meeting

According to The Athletic‘s Tom Worville on Twitter, Liam Cooper, Raphinha and Rodrigo could all miss out on Monday night, acting as a blow to Bielsa.

Cooper is suspended after picking up a red card at City, while the two attackers are expected to be out for at least seven days, per The Athletic’s injury chart, which would of course rule them out also.

Transfer Tavern take

Cooper and Raphinha’s absences are particularly key for Leeds, with the former so consistent at the back this season and the latter one of the stars of the campaign at Elland Road.

Raphinha’s quality will be missed because it would have made Andy Robertson less likely to attack, as the Scot is playing alongside two inexperienced centre-backs, not to mention the Brazilian’s six goals and six assists.

Instead, it may give the Reds full-back more encouragement to push on, allowing him to link-up with either Sadio Mane or Diogo Jota down the left flank, and perhaps causing further trouble for a Leeds defence without their captain.

In other news, one Leeds player has been tipped to be a regular starter next season – find out who it is here.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting excitedly to rumours linking the Reds with a move for RB Salzburg striker Patson Daka.

While lots of the talk this season has surrounded Liverpool’s defensive woes, with several key men out injured, they have also struggled in attack. The front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have failed to click as a unit, with only the former coming close to consistently producing his best form.

Diogo Jota made a different in the early months, but a knee injury saw him miss around three months of action, acting as a further blow.

It could be that Jurgen Klopp delves into the transfer market for a new attacking player this summer in order to increase the level of quality and competition for places in the final third.

Someone who has been linked with a move to Anfield is Daka, with Salzburger Nachrichten claiming that Liverpool are eyeing up a move for the 22-year-old. The Zambian youngster has scored 61 goals in just 114 appearances for Salzburg, highlighting his pedigree.

Liverpool fans talk up Daka move

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to give their thoughts on a move for Daka, with many seeing the benefits of signing him.

“Seeing Patson Daka rumours on the timeline. Been wanting him and saying it for ages. I really hope it happens. He’s a Liverpool fan too”
Credit: @Klopptinho

“Hope so, he’s dynamite, pace, power and finishing ability”

Credit: @dcory68

“He’s class”
Credit: @matthickey71
“We could sign him and still sign another attacker, that’s a bargain for someone who is producing good numbers”Credit: @oni_kzz“Could see Klopp and Edwards going for him instead of an already world-class striker. Huge potential and a natural goalscorer, Klopp could turn him into a top player”Credit: @1CraigFisher“Give them Origi”Credit: @Callum_Moran10In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to a surprise transfer story involving the Reds. Read about it here.

Aston Villa showed great character and determination on Saturday to come from 3-0 down to snatch a stoppage time equaliser against Sheffield United, which gave Dean Smith’s men at least a point from the match.

Villa were staring down defeat at Villa Park and with only eight minutes left to play Tyrone Mings gave the home-side a lifeline before Tammy Abraham and Andre Green got in on the act to rescue the result.

But, the draw was again a sign of the inconsistency that Villa have been struggling with this season, while it was also the Birmingham club’s 14th draw of the campaign, the most by any team in the Championship.

Draws have begun to cost Villa points lately, instead of helping them secure valuable results.

The main problem, though, for Smith’s team has been the fact that they have scored quite a lot of goals in these draws.

Defensively, Villa have struggled for a while now due to injuries to some of the club’s main centre-backs, but going forward, the Villans have been lethal and the performances of someone like Abraham this season might have deserved better than a draw at stages.

One five-all draw, two three-all draws and five two-all draws aren’t really results to be proud of and in the long-run it has probably done Villa more harm than good for a club of such stature.

It is also worrying that the majority of those results have been come-from-behind draws where Villa left it late to get a point from the encounter.

Currently tenth in the league, Villa could’ve been higher up the table should they have seen out some of those draws by securing a victory instead and it could’ve helped their fight for a playoff spot.

But, if Smith doesn’t sort out the struggles at the back soon, these results could continue towards the end of the season.

Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on Wataru Endo after dominant show against Chelsea as he questioned the Japan international's real age.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Klopp questioned Endo's true age
• Hailed the midfielder for his performance against Chelsea
• Endo left the stadium on crutches

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Liverpool manager called Endo a "machine" after he displayed a dominant performance in the midfield against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday at Wembley. Klopp also spoke highly of the midfielder's football acumen and work rate on the pitch and questioned whether the Japan international was actually 31 years old.

Advertisement

• WHAT JURGEN KLOPP SAID

  Speaking to reporters after the game, Klopp said, "I'm pretty sure in three [or] four years Wataru will sign another long-term contract at Liverpool just because he might be 30 or 31 on his passport but he's not. He's a machine. He is footballing-wise exceptional. His defensive brain is outstanding. He gives us a lot of freedom for a lot of things. Yeah, top development. Very helpful, very helpful."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After the final was over, the former Stuttgart player was spotted leaving the stadium on crutches as he suffered an ankle injury from a Moises Caicedo challenge. The Chelsea player was also at fault for tackling Ryan Gravenberch which led to the midfielder being stretchered off the pitch in the first half.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  The Reds will be next seen in action on Wednesday as they take on Southampton in an FA Cup fifth-round clash. It could prove to be a difficult encounter for Klopp's men as they have a long list of injured players which includes stars like Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and now Gravenberch and Endo.