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When Wolves announced their side to face Manchester United on Tuesday evening, there were shades of Mick McCarthy. It wasn’t quite a completely different line-up, but there were some surprises.Max Kilman started at the back but there were very rare appearances for both Vitinha and summer signing Ki-Jana Hoever.Considering Nuno Santo’s side were playing at Old Trafford, it was an immense gamble to go with youth over experience. That being said, it very nearly paid off.Wolves held United until the 93rd minute when Marcus Rashford’s deflected effort crept passed a helpless Rui Patricio.It was harsh on the Old Gold, a team who had defended valiantly all game. With Rayan Ait-Nouri also playing alongside the likes of Hoever and Kilman, it was even more impressive that they managed to starve such a world-class attack.Though, we’d like to focus on Hoever here, someone who only joined a matter of months ago from Liverpool. The right-back has unquestionable talent and on Tuesday night, we saw why his ceiling is so high.The 18-year-old was making his first Premier League start and was coached admirably by club captain Conor Coady, the man he was playing beside. The skipper regularly shouted instructions at Hoever and it clearly worked a treat.

Birmingham Live reporter Alex Dicken claimed he “didn’t put a foot wrong†and it’s hard to argue with that claim. Hoever was as good going forward as he was defensively, producing three tackles and supplying one key pass.

Romain Saiss hit the woodwork and was also competent in defence but it was the full-back who should take most of the plaudits. At the age of 18 and playing inside one of the most historic grounds in world football, he didn’t look out of place.

The young Dutchman won six duels throughout the contest and also completed 80% of his passes. It wasn’t a perfect display – losing 60% of his duels – but he was still a monster in most facets of his play. The very fact it look United so long to break Wolves down supplements that theory.

With Nelson Semedo ahead of him in the pecking order, it’s unlikely Hoever will see too much action, but it’ll come as a huge relief to Nuno knowing he can rely on someone else in that position.

Wolves have a huge talent on their hands.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for “magical” £166k-p/w gem with “outstanding timing”…

Sheffield Wednesday were handed further misery on Tuesday evening as they were defeated in a Championship basement battle at the City Ground.

A victory for the Owls would’ve closed the gap to their nearest relegation rivals but now Tony Pulis’ men remain rock-bottom, seven points off Nottingham Forest, who defeated them 2-0 last night.

Reds left-back Yuri Ribeiro handed the home side an early lead, scoring in the fourth minute before talismanic striker Lewis Grabban came off the bench to seal it three minutes from time.

It means the Yorkshiremen are yet to win under the 62-year-old and have now lost four straight matches.

However, despite all the doom and gloom, there was one shining light and that was the performance of Chey Dunkley, who looks every bit like being Garry Monk’s finest signing.

In just his second appearance for the club, the 28-year-old looked like a leader without the armband. He was certainly demanding more and trying to encourage the team, unlike the real skipper, Barry Bannan.

Indeed, Dunkley was the only Owls player to record a rating above 6.7 with SofaScore grading his display a 7.4, which was only bettered by three Forest players.

He also won four of six aerial duels, made four clearances, four interceptions and two blocks, on top of managing 58 touches from central defence.

Following the match, YorkshireLive’s Dom Howson waxed lyrical about his performance, he said:

“Dominated the majority of his duels and constantly barked out orders to his defence. Is understandably still a little rusty as he continues to build up his match sharpness.”

It was the long-serving ex-captain Tom Lees that badly let the team down in defence on their way to leaking another two strikes, so there is certainly some encouragement to be had in the form of Dunkley.

You can thank Monk for nabbing him from Wigan this summer too.

Supporters on Twitter were also impressed with their £10k-per-week colossus – one said the centre-back was “the only leader at the club” whilst another claimed he “looked solid.”

AND in other news, Forget Pulis: £24k-p/w passenger who lost possession 22x let Sheff Weds down abysmally…

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has recently suggested on his Here We Go podcast that the Citizens are considering a move for Borussia Monchengladbach defensive-midfielder Denis Zakaria.

As per City Xtra on Twitter, the City board are focused on bringing in the Swiss international and have made contact with the player’s agent but nothing is advanced at this stage.

Should City agree a deal with the Bundesliga side for the £36 million-rated midfielder, he could prove to be Fernandinho’s long-term replacement at the club.

The 35-year-old Brazilian has made 321 appearances during his time the club, in which time he has contributed 23 goals and 26 assists (per Transfermarkt).

However, he is no longer a regular in Pep Guardiola’s side and is perhaps likely to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of this season.

Spanish midfielder Rodri was seemingly the man to step up as his long-term replacement, but the 24-year-old doesn’t look to be completely accustomed to the physicality of the Premier League thus far, with the Spanish international noticeably outpaced by Harry Kane in the defeat against Spurs recently, suggesting that the Citizens could do with someone more physical such as Zakaria in defensive-midfield.

The 24-year-old has been a big part of Monchengladbach’s success in recent seasons, with the club’s sporting director Max Eberl praising his influence recently, and lamenting the fact that he was injured, saying:

“Denis’ development has been fantastic. Especially in the past season under Marco Rose, he took a very big leap forward.

“With his dynamics, speed, aggressiveness and intense runs in behind, he is enormously important for our game. It’s no secret that we miss him a lot and that he’s not easy to replace.” (per Buli news)

The midfielder recently returned from that long-term knee injury, and City may have to act fast if they want to bring him to the club in the near future, as his superb performances in the Bundesliga last season suggest that he won’t be short of suitors.

It will be interesting to see whether City do actively pursue Zakaria in the upcoming transfer window and whether he could be the true heir to Fernandinho’s throne.

AND, in other news… City may well be regretting selling “very quick” centre-back 

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Chris Kirkland has insisted that Arsenal would never have sold Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had he remained fully fit.

The England international joined the Gunners way back in the summer of 2011 from Southampton, for a reported fee of £15m. The versatile ace ended up playing 198 times for the north Londoners, scoring 20 goals and providing a further 32 assists.

Niggling injury problems always seemed to prove to be a hurdle for Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Arsene Wenger eventually waved goodbye to the 27-year-old for £35m when Liverpool came calling in 2017.

Now, Kirkland has insisted that issues with injuries were the only reason that Arsenal cashed in on him, and that he remains a huge fan of the player even now.

Speaking to FFC’s James Beavis, he said: “We’ve seen him score goals and obviously had some horrendous luck with injuries. I mean, if he was fit, Arsenal would never have sold him for one thing you know. They sold him because he couldn’t stay fit. But for me he’s an exceptional player and I’d love to see him stay fit.”

As was the case at Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain just can’t seem to stay away from injuries. It’s hard to believe that he’s now 27, given that it still feels like he’s a ‘young player’ with so much more time and room to grow.

The English ace of course picked up an awful cruciate ligament injury in a Champions League game for Liverpool against AS Roma that really disrupted his progress at Anfield, and it really is a case of ‘what if’ with him.

Had he been fully fit and firing at Arsenal, and had the Gunners also showed signs of progress on the pitch, then Oxlade-Chamberlain could still be playing for the north Londoners now instead of their Premier League rivals.

Just as it the case for many of the European giants this summer, Juventus are undergoing a huge change, both in terms of personnel and overall style of play. The former Chelsea gaffer Maurizio Sarri has been sacked and in his place came Andrea Pirlo, who will now be looking to give the team his own outlook.

According to the transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio who reported the news for Sky Sports Italy, the Bianconeri are looking for potential partners for Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala in the forward line. One of the new players who popped up on their radar is actually Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette.

Of course, this is not exactly the first time we hear the Frenchman’s name in this context as he was already linked with a potential move away from the Emirates and the Premier League earlier in the window.

Pirlo will need someone new and fresh in attack, especially if he ends up losing one of the two aforementioned stars. The financial situation in Turin is not great, partly because of the recent outbreak of the pandemic and partly because of their astronomical wage bill. For that reason, they are bracing for big changes in the immediate future and Lacazette might have a role to play.

But with not a lot of money to spend and Mikel Arteta still being fond of his forward, it will be interesting to see how the Italians go about completing this transfer.

Verdict

Needless to say, losing Lacazette would indeed be a big blow for the London outfit. Arteta is slowly but surely moulding this Arsenal team into proper contenders and fierce rivals and the Frenchman is surely a big part of that process.

But seeing how Juventus don’t have that much money to spend and the Gunners are not necessarily in a hurry to sell, maybe they end up keeping their striker after all.

Tottenham Hotspur could land one of their mooted transfer targets on the cheap this summer if fresh reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Foot Mercato, Ligue 2 side Toulouse have dropped the asking price for box-to-box midfielder Ibrahim Sangare this summer to just €10m (£9m) with only one year remaining on his current contract.

Spurs have been linked to the impressive powerhouse for quite some time but as per GFFN, the recently-relegated French side were asking for double that at €20m (£18m), so no bid was made.

Mourinho’s new Essien?

Jose Mourinho may have already bolstered his midfield with the addition of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but he simply can’t pass up an opportunity to clinch the Ivorian international.

The 22-year-old has become a regular at Toulouse, managing 78 appearances in the French top-flight already. Last season, Sangare was one of the few shining lights having averaged a whopping 3.4 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 1.2 dribbles and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder that he’s been compared to fellow countryman Yaya Toure throughout his career and his role in north London could echo that of Mourinho’s first spell at local rivals Chelsea where he was blessed with the likes of Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele.

But there was also a certain Michael Essien in those ranks too. A player the ex-Blues boss signed from Lyon at the very same age.

Former Toulouse coach Alain Casanova believes Sangare is the best prospect he’s seen at the club – even above Spurs’ current midfielder Moussa Sissoko – whilst he’s been described as “physical” and “passionate,” which only resonates with Essien even more.

Sangare is calm in small spaces and comes out of pressure in “incredible ways” thus making him a perfect fit for Mourinho’s system.

Having averaged more tackles per game than Hojbjerg, you might as well forget about someone like Harry Winks and sign the 22-year-old instead.

For just £9m, it would be a monumental steal and well within Daniel Levy’s tight budget.

AND in other news, Spurs tipped to sign PL brute, he’d be a dream for Mourinho…

Leeds United are on the hunt for a new central defender and it appears they may have edged closer to landing one if reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, the Yorkshire giants are lining up a £15m swoop for Spurs defender Juan Foyth with Marcelo Bielsa believing his fellow Argentinian compatriot would improve the Premier League newcomers.

It’s also claimed that this won’t affect the club’s pursuit to land fan-favourite loan star Ben White on a permanent basis either, which will come as encouraging news to the Elland Road faithful.

Foyth has fallen out of favour in north London and is ‘set to quit’ the club in search of regular match opportunities.

The idea of playing under the 65-year-old is also of huge appeal after the centre-back claimed “[Bielsa is] one of the best coaches in the world and it would be nice to be coached by him.”

Bielsa headache alleviated?

There’s no denying that the Whites will need to bolster their squad in order to compete in the top-flight but no position will be more of a concern than in central defence.

Currently, Bielsa only has one senior option in the role in skipper Liam Cooper, so finding the right sort of target to fill such a void will undoubtedly provide the Argentine with his biggest headache in two years at the club.

Soon-to-be free-agent Gaetano Berardi has been ruled out of action until April 2021, so that’s put pay to any new contract, you’d imagine.

If they can clinch White from Brighton’s grasp after a stunning breakthrough year, it would be huge to their chances of longevity in the PL, but adding a player like Foyth alongside him would surely be the stuff of dreams.

The 22-year-old has been courted by Barcelona in recent months and despite a lack of regular game time at Spurs, plenty have heaped praise on him.

His former boss Mauricio Pochettino called him a “clever” player with “a lot of potential” whilst Jose Mourinho halted a loan exit in January, labelling Foyth “very solid” and “very calm”.

Leeds having a partnership of White and Foyth would be cetainly be a good way to kickstart their first top-flight campaign in 16 years. Solid.

AND in other news, Orta can land a dream Phillips successor in “exceptional” £27m beast…

Liverpool failed to return to winning ways against Arsenal after throwing away an early 1-0 lead at the Emirates.

The Gunners were able to capitalise on two defensive errors to come from behind and win the match 2-1. The victory sees them stay in their fight for Europa League football but ends Liverpool’s dreams of a 100-point season.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have won just two of their matches since they were crowned champions. Their loss in London means they will not achieve centurion status and following their draw against Burnley at Anfield, they will not finish the season with a perfect home record.

Fans are frustrated with their most recent result and are particularly criticising Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s performance against his former side. According to Sofascore, the midfielder lost possession 14 times and failed to complete any of his attempted crosses. He was substituted off after 61 minutes and earned a disappointing rating of 6.5.

A lot of fans on Twitter aren’t happy – with one telling Chamberlain to ‘leave my club ASAP’. Others have branded him a ‘fraud’ and claimed ‘he’s done’.

Read more replies here:

Do you agree with the comments on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Reds? Join the conversation in the comments below…

A signing made by Andre Villas-Boas, Hugo Lloris has been a permanent fixture in Tottenham’s staring eleven for a number of years now.

France’s World Cup winning captain has played 316 times for the north London side, and has more than proven his value to the team, even earning a runner-up medal for FIFA’s Best Goalkeeper award back in 2018.

But whilst he has been a loyal performer for the Lilywhites, his form has tailed off sharply over the past couple of seasons now. According to the Premier League’s official statisics, the last three campaigns has seen him make a total of eight errors that have directly led to goals – almost half of his entire total in his time at the club (18).

Can you name every one of Spurs’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

That’s not even to mention the kind of mistakes that he has made in other competitions – who can forget the howlers against Barcelona at Wembley or away at PSV.

Injuries have also taken its toll on the veteran Frenchman, with the 33-year-old’s significant elbow injuxry this campaign restricting him to just 18 appearances across all competitions – not the kind of record you want for your supposed number one goalkeeper.

All this is exactly why Spurs are absolutely right to be pursuing a move for Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The Englishman has been in between the sticks for Sheffield United as he continues learning his craft away from Old Trafford, but his performances in the Premier League for the Blades this year points to someone who is now more than ready for first-team action at a big club.

Henderson’s displays have been a big reason why Chris Wilder’s side have conceded just 25 goals in the top-flight – the second best record in the division, only behind Liverpool. His boss even insisted he’s ready to step up for international duty too saying: “He has got a mental strength to play in goal with his a hugely difficult position and a brilliant attitude and ability. I am sure he will be pushing and gaining that England shirt he is desperate to get.”

And the 23-year-old’s teammate at Bramall Lane, Sander Berge, went a step further with his praise, declaring: “He’s insane. I’ve never been with such a good goalkeeper. He saves balls from one yard. Sometimes I am completely speechless by how good he is. It’s like having two goalkeepers in goal with him. He is exceptional.” John Fleck even described him as a “bit mad” and having that vocal personality to truly succeed as a shot-stopper.

Make no mistake about it, Spurs are absolutely right to be targeting the 6 foot 2 Henderson this summer, and he could be the perfect long-term successor to Lloris.

After signing on a season-long loan from Liverpool last summer, Sheyi Ojo has played a prominent role in Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad this season, making 36 appearances across all competitions.

But the 22-year-old struggled to force himself into the starting eleven on a regular basis, playing the full 90 minutes for the Gers just four times in the Scottish Premiership.

Stuck in lockdown? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Ojo still managed five goals and seven assists however, with Steven Gerrard declaring himself delighted after a particularly impressive cameo against St Mirren earlier this year.

However, the attacker has now taken to social media to announce his farewell to the club’s fans, and after seeing his Twitter post, Rangers supporters voiced their reaction to the news.

One Rangers fan felt that the club never got to see the best of him because of Gerrard’s tactics not suiting his style of play.

As loan signings go, Ojo certainly showed the kinds of flashes of brilliance that convinced Gerrard to bring him to Ibrox in the first place.

At 22, time is certainly running out for him to make his mark on the first-team back at Liverpool, so a return to Rangers in the future may not be too far-fetched.