Wolves eye January move for Ramsey

The previous summer transfer window saw Wolves bring in a number of players to Molineux, but one area of the pitch they didn’t strengthen in was midfield.

With Wolves only having a total of four options for the defensive and central-midfield roles in their squad, it appears as though they are now looking to strengthen in that department in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the news?

It has been reported by Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Birmingham Live) that Wolves are planning to make a move to sign Juventus and former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey in January.

Since making the move from Arsenal to the Serie A side, Ramsey, who is currently valued at £12.6m according to Transfermarkt, has made 69 appearances for Juventus across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing six assists along the way.

Fixing a hole

Prior to joining Juventus, Ramsey, who was once described as being “world-class” by Wales teammate Joe Allen, made a total of 371 appearances for Arsenal, bagging 65 goals and creating 65 assists in the process.

If Wolves are interested in signing Ramsey in January, they should definitely do so if a move would be financially viable to them.

The Welshman has a lot of Premier League experience under his belt with 262 appearances, which could be very beneficial, especially for some of Wolves’ younger players like Rayan Ait-Nouri, Ki-Jana Hoever and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Ramsey moving to Molineux in January would also be very exciting for the fans. After all, he’s a regular winner of trophies, reigning supreme in domestic cups with Arsenal and winning Serie A with Juve.

Most importantly, however, he’d offer the club more depth in midfield. Wolves failed to sign Renato Sanches during the summer but the 68-cap Wales international is an eye-catching alternative.

With Ruben Neves’ future still up in the air and Joao Moutinho aged 35, there are going to be some glaring gaps in the middle of the park to fill.

After all, other options in Leander Dendoncker and Romain Saiss have been preferred in defence while Gibbs-White is out on loan.

Consequently, the addition of Ramsey would be an important one, gifting Bruno Lage an experienced and talented midfield option.

In other news: Wolves may already have their long-term Moutinho heir in “outstanding” gem – opinion

Journalist says Kane doesn’t want to be at Spurs

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Paul Brown of The Daily Star has made a claim involving superstar striker Harry Kane after his summer drama at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Kane attempts to jump ship…

As widely known, England international Kane informed Spurs of his desire to leave in the summer with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola even confirming his side’s interest in signing him.

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After a move failed to materialise, the 28-year-old released a statement and pledged to continue at Tottenham as well as giving his all for the Lilywhites shirt.

Since then, Kane’s form has taken a while to resurge with Brown now making a claim on how it could impact the Spurs dressing room.

The Latest: Brown makes Kane claim…

Speaking to GMS, reporter Brown believes that the forward still doesn’t actually want to be in north London despite his candid summer statement.

He also believes this could have an impact on the dressing room if manager Nuno Espirito Santo isn’t cautious.

“I think it’s a very unbalanced squad, and there are clearly problems in the dressing room because everyone knows the star player tried to quit in the summer,” the journalist explained.

“And while he’s playing and making all the right noises, putting a shift in, it can’t be easy in the dressing room to see the guy that you all look up to, ultimately, doesn’t really want to be there.

“I don’t think anyone can accuse Harry Kane of downing tools. I don’t think he ever will, and he was one of their better players at the weekend. But, it must put some doubt in the mind of your teammates when you’re thinking: ‘this guy tried his best to get out of the club, and how much is he really committed to us?’”

The Verdict: Nuno needs Kane revival…

Nuno’s tenuous position was perhaps on the line before Spurs narrowly edged past Aston Villa 2-1 last weekend and the Portuguese will need all the help he can get to keep his job.

Kane’s form over these next few months will be a major factor and the 47-year-old will want Tottenham’s 2020/2021 Golden Boot winner back and firing on all cylinders.

Lauded as a still very much ‘underrated’ player by reporter Matt Law, even despite his outstanding campaign last year, Spurs will benefit massively from his possible resurgence.

Alas, only time will tell if his failed summer move does indeed have an impact on the dressing room.

In other news: Levy told to hire ‘world class’ boss over Poch if Nuno is axed, Spurs players love him! Find out more here.

United interested in Willy Caballero

Sheffield United are interested in a deal to bring Willy Caballero to Bramall Lane over what remains of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun on Sunday (via Football League World), who claim that the former Manchester City and Chelsea goalkeeper is on Slavisa Jokanovic’s list of potential Aaron Ramsdale replacements, with the Serbian hoping to bring in a new shot-stopper prior to the closure of the transfer window on Tuesday.

The report continues by stating that the Blades have gone as far as to open contract talks with the 39-year-old free agent, however, the length of this deal, or whether or not the Argentina international would be open to a move to the Championship club, is not disclosed.

Big mistake

While Caballero is undoubtedly a player who boasts a vast amount of experience, having made 117 appearances in LaLiga, 34 appearances in the Premier League and 22 appearances in both the Champions League and the Europa League, when taking into account the goalkeeper’s age and recent history, it is not a difficult argument to make that his signing would be a big mistake on the part of Jokanovic.

Indeed, following his move to Chelsea back in 2017, the £225k-rated man went on to make just 38 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, with only 11 of these fixtures coming in the league.

Furthermore, when the former Malaga ‘keeper was selected in the top flight, he very rarely impressed, earning a SofaScore match rating of 5.7 in his one Premier League appearance last season – a 3-3 draw with West Bromwich Albion – and picked up a disappointing average SofaScore match rating of 6.58 over his five league fixtures in 2019/20.

As such, whether or not Caballero is a goalkeeper who can be trusted over the course of what is sure to be a long and arduous Championship season is very much up for debate – with the stats appearing to suggest that the 39-year-old would not be up for the task.

So, while time is running out for Jokanovic to bring in a replacement for Ramsdale, it would nevertheless appear highly advisable for the Serbian manager to turn his attention over what remains of the summer transfer window elsewhere, as his side can do much better than Caballero.

In other news: SUFC given possible boost in move for “unbelievable” £25k-p/w ace, fans would love him

Newcastle: Joe Willock let Howe down badly

Newcastle’s dismal Premier League campaign continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Norwich at St. James’ Park on Tuesday night.

The Magpies got off to the worst possible as Ciaran Clark hauled Teemu Pukki down and was shown a straight red card by the referee.

However, a handball by Billy Gilmour gifted Callum Wilson the opportunity to score from the spot and his effort from 12-yards snuck past Tim Krul to hand the lead.

Eddie Howe’s side failed to pick up their first win, though, as Teemu Pukki scored a stunning volley to level the scores for the Canaries.

Let Howe down

Clark’s early mistake and sending off disrupted Newcastle’s rhythm and there were some resilient performances across the pitch to dig in and pick up a result. However, one player who did let Howe down on the pitch was central midfielder Joe Willock.

He struggled in the midfield and found it difficult to make his mark defensively or in transition. He had one promising break in the first half leading to a chance for Callum Wilson, but did little else on the ball in the match – ending his time on the pitch with just 24 touches.

Magpies goalkeeper Martin Dubravka (45) had more touches than the ex-Arsenal man. Jonjo Shelvey, meanwhile, had 54 touches and completed six long balls and crosses combined, showing that he took charge in the midfield.

Defensively, the £19.8m-rated flop was poor. Per SofaScore, he lost 62.5% of his duels – five of eight – and failed to make a single tackle, interception, clearance or block whilst being dribbled past once. This shows that he was a lightweight defending his own goal and let Howe down with his attempts to win the ball back off Norwich or to close their players down.

It is difficult to blame Willock for his lack of quality on the ball due to the circumstances at play in the match, but his lack of strength off the ball is a major cause for concern.

Howe will surely be livid with his lack of involvement against the play and it could cost him his place in the XI for the clash with Burnley at the weekend. There was an effort from the 22-year-old to help Jamal Lewis out at left-back and plug gaps, but he needs to be more effective with his work rate.

In the position Newcastle are in, they cannot afford to carry passengers in the side and that was what Willock was with his performance in midfield. He needs to buck his ideas up if he wants to live up to his reported £25m transfer fee.

AND in other news, NUFC could kickstart Howe era with £275k-p/w gem who plays football “like a dance”…

Saints fans happy to sell Vestergaard

Southampton fans are eager to sell Jannik Vestergaard after it was reported Tottenham want to sign him this summer, with a transfer value of around £25m.

The Saints will be preparing for a big campaign as they look to improve on their 15th place Premier League finish from last term. Vestergaard has spent the summer away with Denmark at the European Championships, and he was a key member of that side that reached the semi-finals before losing 2-1 to England at Wembley.

Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for the 28-year-old and, according to The Daily Mail, the London outfit have been in talks with Southampton to sign Vestergaard.

They are said to be looking at the former Borussia Monchengladbach central defender as an alternate if they can’t sign their other targets, with the player valued at £25m by Southampton.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Vestergaard news

“I’d take £25M for Vestergaard. He has qualities, but he is desperately slow, both in terms of pace and changing direction”

Credit: @Dixon1970Darren

“25m I think is good business considering he signed for 18m and has been with us for a while now (bearing in mind the first season, season and a half he was pony) On the other hand he had a solid European tournament this year so that figure of 25m could rise if we push hard enough”

Credit: @specsheppard95

“£25 million. Thanks very much!”

Credit: @Bev1975

“If we get 25 mill for him, then snap their hand off.”

Credit: @curlywiggins

“Snap their hand off at £25 million”

Credit: @jamesalexwhite7

“Take the money and run, £25M for a player that slow is great business.”

Credit: @Footbal28149607

In other news, Southampton are interested in signing this Bundesliga ace.

Aston Villa: Fans react to Leon Bailey update

Leon Bailey is said to be on the verge of leaving Bayer Leverkusen, with an official offer believed to have been submitted from Aston Villa [Sky Sports DE].

Enjoying a productive 2020/21 campaign, the Jamaican winger registered an outstanding 26 goal contributions in 40 fixtures; 15 goals and 11 assists [Transfermarkt].

Now, he looks very likely to move to England following recent developments.

It is confirmed that the 23-year-old has an offer on the table from Aston Villa, whilst Bayer Leverkusen would be willing to part ways with the wide-man, whose contract expires in 2023 [Sky Sports DE].

However, the Bundesliga outfit would be looking to receive a considerable fee to initiate the sale of Bailey.

In light of this news, loads of Aston Villa diehards took to Twitter to react to recent developments.

Aston Villa FC fans react:

Replying to popular Aston Villa fan outlet villareport, here is what some fans had to say about the latest on Bailey:

“I’m still not allowing myself to get too excited yet….but, please, God…let this happen!”

Credit: @C_Lioneye”Villa’s back”Credit: @MerseMagic”villareport has anyone ever told you how amazing you are”Credit: @AlexAstonVilla”i have tears in my eyes”Credit: @Josh1874_”villa report i love you”Credit: @tiwari0216″Awesome!”Credit:  @RossMatthewman7In other news, Aston Villa fans enjoy a throwback tweet by the club…

Spurs linked with Domenico Berardi

Tottenham Hotspur are considering a move for Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport. 

The lowdown

Berardi was directly involved in 25 goals (17 goals, eight assists) in 30 appearances for Sassuolo last season.

The 26-year-old averaged 3.8 shots, 1.9 key passes and one dribble per game in Serie A (via WhoScored).

He earned a call-up from Roberto Mancini for the European Championships and created Italy’s opener against Turkey on Friday.

He also created five chances in that game, with The Athletic’s Mark Carey hailing him as a ‘real threat’.

The latest

With three years still to run on his contract, Sassuolo are said to have slipped a €50million (£43million) price tag on Berardi.

But the player himself ‘feels ready for the big leap’ of a high-profile move, and the report claims the most significant interest has come from the Premier League, with Spurs ‘thinking about’ a swoop.

Fabio Paratici, who will take up his post as managing director of football in July, is apparently a long-term admirer of Berardi.

Arsenal and Manchester United could rival Spurs, having ‘knocked on the door’ of Sassuolo.

The verdict

Berardi’s numbers in Serie A are hugely impressive but he would have to adjust to a new league after spending his entire career in Italy.

At just 26 years of age though, he has plenty of time to develop as he enters his prime, and he could well be the final piece of the puzzle in the Spurs attack – he once scored four times in a Serie A match aged just 19, becoming the youngest player to do so and even prompting Mario Balotelli, his opponent on the day, to drool over his display on Twitter (via ESPN).

Maybe Spurs will be reluctant to shell out £43m, but if Paratici is really a big fan of the man who has bagged 105 goals with 67 assists in 291 Sassuolo appearances, then perhaps Daniel Levy would be wise to pull the trigger and let his new transfer guru start off with a bang.

In other news, Spurs are eyeing another Serie A star. 

Dobson was Charlton’s unsung hero in August

Charlton have endured a difficult start to the 2021/22 campaign and currently sit 19th in the League One table during the first international break of the season.

Nigel Adkins’ side have only accrued four points from their five league games, with one win, one draw and three defeats as it stands.

They opened the season with a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday before losing three games on the bounce to Oxford, MK Dons and Wigan, conceding six goals and scoring just two. Their first win of the campaign came in a 2-0 success against Crewe Alexandra in the final league match of the month.

Despite Charlton’s struggles, there were a few shining lights to give fans, and Adkins, some hope heading into the rest of the season. Due to the unflattering results, one player whose performances may have gone under the radar is George Dobson.

The midfielder, who arrived from Sunderland in the summer, was one of only three Charlton players to average a SofaScore rating of 7.00 or higher last month, suggesting that he was one of the club’s best performers. He was an unsung hero in his four starts, as his individual performances were wasted by his team-mates letting him down and ultimately losing, bar the draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

Defensively, Dobson worked his socks off for the team and was very active in the midfield. As per SofaScore, he won an eye-catching 17 tackles in four matches, whilst also making five interceptions and two clearances. He won 63% of his duels on the pitch, six per game and 24 overall in his four appearances.

This shows that he was effective at putting his foot in and winning the ball back for Charlton. He was also secure in possession in his own half, completing 95% of his passes inside his own half of the pitch and not making many silly mistakes to gift the ball back to the opposition.

Dobson had 175 touches of the ball in the four matches combined despite Charlton failing to win any of them, showing that he was actively involved in trying to turn the game around for the Addicks. Along with his impressive passing accuracy and defensive awareness, this shows that he was one of the club’s better performers during this poor run, which is why he was their unsung hero during August – not getting the credit he deserved due to the team’s poor results.

Read more: These figures sum up one of Dobson’s best performances so far this season

Everton fans on Olsen transfer update

Many Everton fans have been reacting to a transfer update on Robin Olsen as Tuttomercatoweb have reported that he could stay at Goodison Park.

As per the news outlet, AS Roma director Tiago Pinto is trying to renew the loan deal of the Sweden international to the Merseyside club, with him currently set to return back to the Serie A team.

Olsen looked assured enough in between the posts for Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the 2020/21 term, keeping three clean sheets in 11 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

However, with both Jordan Pickford and Joao Virginia still with the Toffees, one may question whether they actually need Olsen back.

Nonetheless, the news on the 31-year-old goalkeeper has certainly caused a debate among the Blues faithful over whether they should bring him in on another loan for next season.

Everton fans on Olsen transfer update

These EFC supporters seemed split over loaning in Olsen again as the transfer update was shared on Twitter:

“No brainer though I would like him here permanently tbh”

Credit: @samcooper24896

“Sounds perfect all round”

Credit: @GoodisonAlex

“Can’t believe there are actually people saying no. Was solid for us and clearly boosted Pickford’s play from January on.”

Credit: @QuinWelch

“If we can get Romero then no.”

Credit: @bigbadge2

“Utd away nah lad”

Credit: @GaryRob06780384

“Not for me. Remember when Pickford was out and Olsen came in, 3 games in we couldn’t wait to get Pickford back.”

Credit: @daveyc99

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Toffees buzzing here!

Everton must cash in on Keane

Everton manager Frank Lampard should cash in on “dreadful” defender Michael Keane this summer and re-build the club’s defence.

According to a report in The Daily Star, West Ham United would be keen on buying the 29-year-old if the Toffees are relegated from the Premier League.

We think that they should sell him regardless of what league they’re in next season and use the money to improve the rest of the team. He is rated at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, a far cry from the £30m they paid for his services in 2017.

It would be unfair to say that Everton don’t have any talented players, however, they simply haven’t been performing good enough this season and they find themselves in a real survival battle as a result.

They have conceded the fifth most amount of goals this season and have only kept six clean sheets in the league, and at the heart of that is Keane who has made 28 appearances.

When you analyse his statistics they further highlight Everton’s defensive worries. He is in the bottom 15% compared to other defenders in the league this season when it comes to progressive carries, proving that he isn’t great at playing out from the back. He’s also netted two own goals this campaign.

Last month former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy blasted Lampard for continuing to pick Keane in his team saying that “he’s physically gone” and didn’t understand why he kept being played.

The simple answer is that the Toffees don’t have many better options. Yerry Mina who is arguably the best defender at the club has been out injured for the majority of the season, with his current hamstring injury coming in February.

It won’t be long before Keane is the wrong side of 30, at which point his value will start decreasing and Everton will get even less of the money they paid for him back. It’s not all doom and gloom though; he has had a pretty decent career overall which includes 12 appearances and a goal for England.

But ultimately he can’t cut it at the top level, and with the position they’re in, now is the time for the Toffees to build for the future. They have a perfect manager in Lampard to do this, he even has experience managing in the Championship if they do end up being relegated.

IN other news: More misery: Alan Myers drops four-word Everton claim that’ll leave supporters fuming…

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