All posts by n8rngtd.top

A number of Wolves supporters are delighted after Bruno Lage provided a positive injury update regarding long-term absentee Pedro Neto.

The young Portuguese was a star figure for much of last season, scoring five goals and registering six assists in the Premier League.

Unfortunately, he was struck down with a cruel injury blow towards the end of the campaign, suffering a serious knee issue.

The winger hasn’t featured for Wolves in the seven months since his setback but a positive update has finally arrived regarding his recovery.

Speaking to the press on Friday [via Talking Wolves on Twitter], Lage confirmed that the 21-year-old will be back at Wolves in a few days and could start working outside at the training ground.

Wolves fans delighted with Neto update

It is big news for Wolves considering Neto’s influence last season – he was their joint-highest rated player for 2020/21 according to WhoScored – and these fans took to Twitter to show their happiness over the “unreal” maestro’s looming comeback.

“Going to win the Prem once he gets back”

Credit: @addiraesimp

“Stick this fella in our squad… so many attacking options!”

Credit: @OutofDarkness19

“Couple days?? I smell a title charge”

Credit: @haydenbd_

“Yeah, we are getting Europe”

Credit: @tylerwwfc

“Ahhh, he’s gonna be unreal when he’s back”

Credit: @eve_elizabethxx

“Neto, Raul, Hwang is gonna be absolutely ridiculous”

Credit: @adenwwfc_

In other news, this Premier League star has gushed over one Wolves player. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United have been dealt a blow in their bid to appoint Ramon Planes as their director of football.

What’s the latest?

According to reports from Spain (via Chronicle Live), Newcastle are one of a number of clubs interested in making a move for the former Barcelona technical secretary, who is thought to be interested in taking up a role away from Spain for his next job.

However, in a further twist to the story, 90min has claimed that AS Roma have now initiated talks with the 54-year-old, while Bayer Leverkusen are also believed to be interested in the Spaniard.

Fans will be furious

With the January transfer window edging closer with each passing day, the fact that Newcastle’s new owners appear no closer to appointing a director of football is sure to have left fans of the club furious.

Indeed, the Magpies have been linked with a host of names regarding the position, with Michael Emenalo, Marc Overmars, Michael Edwards, Brian Marwood, Paul Mitchell and Luis Campos all being touted as potential targets for the club.

However, in recent comments cited by Chronicle Live, Mark Douglas suggested that the club are no closer to making an appointment, with the journalist stating: “It may not be the news people want to hear, but I think there’s still a fair bit of work to be done on getting the power lines sorted behind the scenes.

“Some elements of the consortium would go one way and others another way. Michael Emenalo has been mentioned and has several rounds of talks with the hierarchy but it’s getting those things decided.

“I heard a few weeks that they hadn’t decided fully on the structure so that is ponderous in my opinion and they need to get it all sorted before January. It’s something they do need to resolve fairly quickly.”

As such, the news that PIF look set to miss out on yet another target for the role in Ramon Planes, something that it would appear is due to their inability to agree on the club’s overall direction, will undoubtedly be a huge cause for concern amongst fans, who will certainly be hoping the club can make an appointment well ahead of the turn of the year.

After watching talks with Unai Emery fall flat, fans should be concerned over the strength of Amanda Staveley and co’s negotiation skills.

In other news: PIF could “easily” seal NUFC deal to kickstart Howe era in £76m-rated “golden boy”

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Luke Cundle is training with the first team ahead of Wolves’ upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Tim Spiers, with the journalist revealing in a post on The Athletic that the 19-year-old did not feature in the U23’s 5-0 mauling by Norwich City on Monday evening as the central midfielder is training with the Wolves senior squad ahead of the visit of Burnley on Wednesday evening.

In his post, Spiers said: “Poor night for the U23s, diddled 5-0 by Norwich at Aggborough. A mismatch of a team missing quite a few players (like Cundle who’s with the first team) and fielding some academy youngsters was torn apart defensively.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how exciting a prospect Cundle quite clearly is, in addition to the fact that Bruno Lage’s side have been desperately lacking in both creativity and depth in the middle of the park this season, the news that the teenager could be in line for a spot in the matchday squad against Burnley is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, the 19-year-old – who has already been appointed the U23s captain – has highly impressed over his 43 appearances for James Collins’ side, scoring four goals and registering nine assists for the youth team.

The manager himself also clearly feels as if the £180k-rated academy graduate is ready for first-team football, recently stating of Cundle: “He’s ready for that step up. Whether that’s with our first team or whether that’s a loan, because watching him [against Birmingham City U23s], I thought he was magnificent.”

And, while the youngster is predominantly a defensively minded midfielder, his return of 13 direct goal involvements during his time with the U23s would certainly appear to be a marked improvement on the attacking output of Lage’s current options in the middle of the park – with Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho having scored just one goal and registered one assist over their combined 35 Premier League appearances this season.

Furthermore, in a recent poll ran on Football FanCast, the overwhelming majority of Wolves supporters made it clear that they would like to see the 19-year-old given a shot in the first team, something which, following Spiers’ latest update, would appear to be a very real possibility on Wednesday evening.

In other news: Hatfield drops Wolves transfer claim on “unplayable” £17m-rated dynamo, Shi must act

Leeds United’s latest Premier League outing saw them secure a 2-2 draw at home to Brentford thanks to a late equalising goal from striker Patrick Bamford.

One player that did not feature in the match against Thomas Frank’s side after picking up an injury in their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace last week was defender Pascal Struijk.

However, it seems as though there has been a fresh update on the matter that should have a lot of Leeds fans thrilled.

What’s the news?

Leeds journalist Phil Hay shared a post on his official Twitter page sharing news after the Brentford draw that Struijk has a hip problem and is finishing his recovery.

The fact that Struijk is finishing his recovery should leave plenty of Leeds fans buzzing ahead of their next league match against Chelsea at the weekend. After all, if fellow defender Liam Cooper is unable to play after being forced off the pitch with an injury against Brentford, it will be a seismic boost to get the 22-year-old back.

In the 12 Premier League games he’s appeared in so far this season, Struijk has shown just what an important defensive unit he is for Leeds by racking up an average of 2.3 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game as well. For context, that tally of tackles is the highest by an out and out defender in Bielsa’s squad this term.

Labelled as a player that has “got it all” by former Leeds star Dominic Matteo, Struijk has certainly proved himself as an important player for the Whites after making his Premier League debut in their opening game of last season against Liverpool at Anfield.

If the Dutchman can be fit enough to play in the game against Chelsea, this would surely give the Yorkshire club a better chance of securing a positive result against Thomas Tuchel’s side, especially after they conceded three goals in their latest league game against West Ham United.

With Leeds having games against the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the league before the end of the current calendar year, everyone at the Yorkshire club will undoubtedly be hoping that Struijk will be able to stay fit and available for those tough games to give his side the best chance of getting some more points on the board.

He has been vitally important to their cause this term so fans will undoubtedly be elated to see that he’s well on the recovery trail.

In other news: Huge setback: Leeds struck with double injury blow that’ll surely have Bielsa fuming – opinion

Rangers maintained their 100% winning record under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the Premiership on Saturday afternoon, securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Dundee United at Ibrox.

A second half penalty from James Tavernier secured the win for the Gers, extending their lead at the summit to seven points.

Despite Tavernier scoring the decisive goal, there was another hero for Van Bronckhorst’s side – Ianis Hagi.

The Romanian was instrumental on the right wing, enjoying a 77% passing accuracy with two key passes, as well as completing half of his long balls and crosses.

He was heavily involved throughout the contest, having 77 touches across the 90 minutes. Moreover, the 23-year-old also contributed defensively, making two tackles and winning six of his nine duels as the Premiership leaders picked up a fifth consecutive clean sheet in the league.

His overall match rating of 7.4 was the third-highest from SofaScore of anyone on the pitch, a reflection of how he helped to run the show for the home side at Ibrox this afternoon.

Hagi has had a slightly mixed campaign so far for Rangers, starting 13 of their 19 league games amid an ankle injury and testing positive for the global virus, which also saw him miss the club’s opening Europa League group game against Lyon.

The winger often looks dangerous on the flank but must add goals to his game to improve, scoring just three in 23 matches across all competitions this season, with a further four assists.

Moreover, the Romanian hasn’t scored in the Premiership since the opening day 3-0 win over Livingston. The playmaker will need to improve on this return, with reports suggesting that the Gers are looking to sign his fellow countryman Olimpiu Morutan of Galatasaray as an alternative to the 23-year-old.

Regardless of his lack of goals, Hagi is a vital cog in the Rangers setup and could prove a key player in the Scottish champions’ bid to retain their league title this season, particularly with impressive performances like the one against Dundee United today.

In other news: Van Bronckhorst reveals huge Rangers boost which will leave fans thrilled 

We’re less than one month away from the opening of the January signing window. After 2021 saw enormous names, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi move to Manchester United and Chelsea respectively, all eyes will be on the big names. There are a lot of exciting movements taking place at the moment, with Newcastle’s new manager Eddie Howe gearing up for his first opportunity to improve. Further, all eyes will be on Rangnick and how much he is allotted by the Manchester United higher-ups. With all this excitement and much more in mind, let’s break down the large names most likely to be moving in January 2022.

Donny van de Beek

Since moving to Manchester United from Ajax, Donny van de Beek has had a turbulent time. Unfortunately, he has only hit the field four times during the Premier League and is yet to feature in their starting 11. Van de Beek is doing everything he can to get out of his contract with United, with reports suggesting that he has even changed his agent. Currently, talks have happened with Wolves and Everton, with a hopeful January transfer.

Although the Dutchman is looking to move after a negative experience, he may patch things up with United under their new manager Rangnick. Whether he will leave Manchester United is yet to be seen, but it’s definitely worth watching his position. When the time comes, you can claim Sky Bet free bets from Squawka.com and wager your Christmas money in the hopes of increasing your stake. Who knows, you may come out with some serious cash to spend in the January sales.

Jesse Lingard

Jesse Lingard currently plays for Manchester United but has rejected attempts to resign under contract. Lingard has previously seen success while on loan at West Ham and has said that he wants to go out on loan before his contract is up. At the moment, it seems likely that West Ham will try and reclaim Lingard on another loan basis. Unfortunately, due to his existing contract at Manchester United, it seems highly likely that he won’t be put out on loan to West Ham. After all, why would Rangnick give up one of their players to a rival?

Antonio Rudiger

Antonio Rudiger is enjoying great success with Chelsea, who are currently sitting third in the Premier League. You may ask why he would want to leave, considering how well they are doing. However, his contract is due to expire, and he’s only being offered £7 million to stay. This would put him behind the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Thiago Silva, and Timo Werner. According to reports, PSG, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid are eyeing up Rudiger – and their offer is closer to £10 million. When it comes down to it, money will speak volumes regarding Rudiger’s allegiance in January despite whether he wishes to stay at Stamford Bridge.

Harry Kane

It’s no secret that England captain and football superstar Harry Kane wishes to leave Tottenham. Initially, he wanted to transfer to Man City in the summer of 2021, but no deal came to fruition. After coming so close to taking England to the top of the Euro 2020, Harry Kane has suffered severe blows with Tottenham after he only scored once throughout the entire 2021 season. If Kane has his way, he will transfer to Man City in January and rekindle his spark for top-tier football.

Dele Alli

Another Tottenham player looking to make a move is Dele Ali, after being tethered to the bench following a poor display. Alli needs to up his game at Tottenham if he wishes to fit into Conte’s 3-4-3 format. With the January window almost upon us, we may see Alli departing Spurs and having another chance to show what he can do.

The 2021 transfer window saw records being broken and huge players being transferred in the final hours. Therefore, all eyes are on the January 2022 window, with the high expectation of some big moves. Will Harry Kane finally break free of the shackling Spurs, will Van de Beek find appreciation elsewhere, and will Rudiger find a happy deal at Chelsea? Although no one truly knows the answers yet, it will make for an entertaining January.

Image from: unsplash.com

Manchester United enter the New Year with a renewed focus upon their minds.

Gone is Ole Gunnar Solskajer and it will also mark the end of Ed Woodward’s time at Old Trafford but that isn’t the only change afoot in the northwest.

Ralf Rangnick is the interim manager and he now has a hugely important transfer window on the horizon that he needs to get spot on if United are to seal Champions League football again.

On the chalkboard

There are several areas of the Red Devils team that could do with improving but it’s in defence where notable upgrades are required.

Solskjaer brought Raphael Varane to the club in the summer but he’s had an injury-hit spell in English football since penning terms from Real Madrid.

As for Harry Maguire, he continues to be enigmatic and divide opinion. An £80m acquisition, he certainly hasn’t played like the most expensive defender in world football this term.

Attracting vast critics, he cupped his ears to the fans after scoring for England during the last round of international fixtures in 2021.

It’s easy to see why he’s copped stick, too. So far this season, United’s defence has been abysmal and as of October 12th, they had failed to keep a clean sheet in 12 consecutive matches at Old Trafford which happened to be their longest run since February 1964 – a mere 57 years.

A big reason is due to Maguire’s shoddy displays with the skipper averaging a diabolical rating of 6.56 according to WhoScored, ranking him as the 14th best player in the squad. Therefore, he is evidently not captain material.

Rangnick could provide an instant fix to this problem by signing Jules Kounde.

A teammate of Varane at international level, United are in a battle with Chelsea to sign the Frenchman next summer but the club’s interim boss must ensure it’s his side who end up luring him to the Premier League.

Rated at £54m by Transfermarkt, the Red Devils may have to part ways with quite a sizeable sum of money but that shouldn’t deter them. After all, he’d be a superb capture by the United hierarchy.

Maguire and Kounde have won the same number of aerial duels (2.4) per game as each other this term, but the latter beats the Three Lions international for passing accuracy (88.8%) and interceptions a match (0.8). He also gives away fewer fouls an outing than the player he could replace by joining United.

The fact Kounde outperforms Maguire in a number of key defensive attributes, while also improving upon his pass success rate – an area the United defender usually thrives in – is particularly promising.

Described as “sensational” by European football analyst, Marcus Bring, there are plenty of positives to his game.

More praise was offered by Football Espana editor, Alan Feehely, who said of the Sevilla centre-half: “Jules Koundé could have joined Manchester City in 2020 and Chelsea in 2021. He didn’t get either move. Instead of sulking, he put his head down and took his game to new heights. Became a starter for France. Make no mistake; he’s a special person and player. An absolute baller.”

On that evidence, he’d certainly make for a very good signing this winter. Rangnick must bring him to Old Trafford.

AND in other news, Rangnick must seal Man Utd swoop for £81m-rated “weapon” with the “essence of Cruyff”…

Romelu Lukaku is interested in the possibility of linking up with Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport (via the Daily Mail), who claim that, after being left out of Thomas Tuchel’s matchday squad for the 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday as a result of his revealing interview with the Italian media, the centre-forward’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge is very much up in the air.

The report goes on to state that, due to his frustrations in West London, the Belgium international could look to force a move away from Chelsea at the end of the current campaign, with the former Inter Milan striker believed to be keen to link up with Antonio Conte once again via a summer switch to Tottenham.

Imagine him & Kane

While it is true that, since his £97.5m move to Chelsea last summer, Lukaku has not been in the finest form of his career – although his five goals over 13 Premier League outings this season is far from disastrous – the centre-forward has nevertheless proven that, under the management of Conte, he is something of a world-beater in attack.

Indeed, over his 36 Serie A appearances in Inter Milan’s Scudetto-winning campaign last season, the £75m-rated forward was in astonishing form, scoring a whopping 24 goals, providing 11 assists and creating ten big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who himself claimed was “ready to go to war” for Conte earn an exceptional seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.32, ranking him not only as the 52-year-old manager’s best performer in the Italian top flight last time out, but also as the joint 12th-best player in the entirety of the division.

As such, should Lukaku be able to refind this level of form after a potential switch to Spurs at the end of the current campaign, the idea of him playing alongside the 232-goal Kane in a front two at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be an incredibly scary prospect for centre-backs up and down the country, as the duo would undoubtedly make Spurs an immediate title contender next season.

In other news: Major boost: Antonio Conte drops fresh injury update that will have Spurs fans buzzing

Celtic midfielder Ismaila Soro is attracting interest from the MLS and could be allowed to leave, Sky Sports’ News Anthony Joseph reports. 

The lowdown

Soro joined Celtic from Israeli outift Bnei Yahuda ahead of the 2020/21 season and has gone on to make 41 appearances for the club.

His £8,100-per-week contract still has two and a half years left to run, contributing to a Transfermarkt valuation of £810,000.

Celtic have already sanctioned two January exits, with Ewan Henderson and Liam Shaw sealing loan moves to Hibernian and Motherwell respectively.

The latest

New York Red Bulls are ‘one of a number of MLS clubs’ eyeing Soro this month, Joseph says.

The player still has admirers in Israel but ‘it’s believed’ he would prefer a move to the United States.

‘The Hoops are willing to listen to offers’, both loan proposals and permanent bids.

‘It’s understood’ that no ‘official approach’ has arrived from the American outfit ‘at this stage’.

However, ‘they are aiming to sign their transfer targets’ before the 2022 MLS season gets underway in February, Joseph reports.

The verdict

Ange Postecoglou doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan of Soro. He’s only started him once in the Scottish Premiership, and hasn’t used him at all in the competition since September.

The Ivorian wasn’t even afforded starts in Celtic’s run to the Scottish League Cup final.

So, they may be willing to offload him, and equally he may be keen to leave given the circumstances.

In a way, it’s a shame. There were times last season when the youngster looked like a real gem. Indeed, in December 2020, ex-Hoops striker John Hartson dubbed him ‘outstanding’.

In other news, there’s an encouraging update on this Celtic target.

As per Spanish news outlet Fichajes, there has been a development involving Tottenham Hotspur and their fresh links to Juventus striker Paulo Dybala.

The Lowdown: Dybala links re-emerge…

As transfer chief Fabio Paratici eyes ‘quality players at zero cost’ for manager Antonio Conte, Spurs have been eyeing a plethora of potential 2022 free agents.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Man United star Jesse Lingard and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie have been mentioned recently, as well as Dybala in this past week, with Corriere della Sera claiming Tottenham’s manager is ‘in love’ with the player.

Going one step further, Fichajes have more on this as they lift the lid on Conte’s transfer demand for Spurs involving the Argentine.

The Latest: Conte green-lights move…

As explained by the Spanish source, Conte has now personally green-lit a move for Dybala and is set to demand Tottenham chiefs ‘do everything possible to get his contract in the next summer market’.

Fichajes go on to explain that the 28-year-old is a player Conte likes ‘very much’ and that he knows could be a ‘great addition’ in north London – with Juve’s ‘jewel’ now firmly a target.

The Verdict: No brainer?

Signing the 31-cap star on a free deal in the summer should come as a real no brainer for Tottenham, especially in their hunt for a striking alternative to Harry Kane.

The £220,000-per-week forward has racked up a brilliant 109 goals and 46 assists for Juve across all of his appearances to date for the Old Lady, backing that he could be a prolific option for Conte.

Amid their links to Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic, depending on if Dybala signs a new deal, Paratici could land a completely free alternative with the Serbian’s level of quality.

In other news: ‘This will get Tottenham fans excited…’ – Sky Sports drop big N17 transfer update live on air, find out more here.