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MailSport journalist Tom Collomosse has issued a worrying verdict on Willy Boly’s situation at Wolves, saying the player has never really returned to full form since his health issues last year.

The Lowdown: Boly profiled

Boly appeared to be an absolute superstar when he arrived at Molineux, starting 36 games in both their promotion campaign and first season back in the Premier League.

Indeed, he recorded an incredible eight Man of the Match awards in his first year in the Black Country, and even bagged four goals in that return year to the top flight.

His influence waned after that though, starting only 43 top flight matches combined across 2019/20 and 2020/21. This season, the 6 foot 5 colossus has not played a single league match, missing the last nine games with a leg injury.

The Latest: Never truly recovered

Collomosse, speaking to Give Me Sport, has offered a rather worrying update, claiming the Ivory Coast international has never been the same player since recovering from a battle with Covid-19 in April 2021.

“I think the problem you have is he has had injuries. Last year, he had Covid and struggled after he came back from it,” he told GMS.

“I remember Nuno saying in a press conference that he’d had an elevated heart rate at one point. I’m sure he’s absolutely medically clear at the moment, but he’s not quite been the same player, I wouldn’t say, since about halfway through last season.”

The Verdict: Devastating

It is gutting to hear of Boly’s struggles – this is a player who was in the Championship Team of the Year in his debut campaign, and one who Joleon Lescott called ‘outstanding’ for his combination of physical prowess and agility.

Bruno Lage has had to stick with pretty much the same back three week in week out as a result, and while Conor Coady, Romain Saiss and Max Kilman have served the boss well, he will need more depth if they have a European competition to worry about next season.

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Boly’s contract expires in the summer of 2023, meaning the club will likely need to decide this summer if he is fit enough to have a future with Wolves or if he should be moved on before he enters his last 12 months.

What a shame it would be if never gets another chance at Molineux.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, reporter Dean Jones of Eurosport has made an exciting Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.

The Lowdown: Spurs in defender chase?

There have been no shortage of links to high-profile defensive stars since Antonio Conte took the Spurs helm.

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Indeed, both Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt have been mentioned as possible new recruits for Tottenham as their new manager seeks to oversee a north London overhaul.

These links could even be exacerbated by a ‘serious’ injury to summer signing Cristian Romero, with the big blow potentially threatening to hamper Conte’s rebuild.

The Latest: Jones drops Rudiger claim…

Amid Tottenham’s search for a centre-back, it appears they’ve now made an offer to sign yet another one on a pre-contract.

According to Jones, speaking to GMS, Spurs have actually made the ‘biggest offer’ for Rudiger in terms of salary – according to what he’s heard from people close to the Chelsea defender.

He explained:

“Rudiger’s people, the biggest offer they’re hearing about is coming from Tottenham, in terms of wages.”

The Verdict: Great option?

A Champions League-winning centre-back and proven in the Premier League, signing the 28-year-old as a free agent for next summer could come as a no-brainer.

While that doesn’t solve the lack of cover for Romero, the Blues centre-back would almost certainly strengthen Conte’s options over his first full season in charge next year.

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Lauded as an ‘animal’ and ‘unbelievable’ by pundit Rio Ferdinand, as well as for reaching the level of Man City star Ruben Dias at a point last campaign (FIVE via The Metro), his quality is obvious.

Currently in the prime of his career, managing director Fabio Paratici could secure one of the bargains of 2022 with a swoop for the Germany international.

In other news: Spurs agreement to sign £200,000-per-week star possible as Paratici makes exciting plea, find out more here.

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on Amad Diallo’s prospective loan from Manchester United to Feyenoord.

What’s the talk?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United midfielder Diallo’s scheduled move to the Eredivisie has collapsed following an injury in training for the Red Devils.

The reporter claims that a deal had been agreed to send Diallo to the Eredivisie club on a season-long loan, but a muscle injury has now laid waste to those plans with the player now set to stay at Old Trafford.

Frustration

This update from Romano will surely leave United fans feeling frustrated as it has rid the teenager of the chance to go and play regular first-team football at senior level for the first time in his career.

The 19-year-old started two Premier League games for United last season, the only two starts of his league and European career to date. He made seven appearances for the club across the Premier League and Europa League, scoring once and assisting one goal as he averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.78 in the former.

His involvement in the senior squad for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, albeit limited, suggests that the Norweigan head coach sees potential in him. He has been willing to offer him minutes to show what he is capable of, but he may not get the 20-30 games that his development may need at Old Trafford this season.

After all, they have the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Dan James, Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, Edinson Cavani and a certain Cristiano Ronaldo also in the mix for the attacking spots.

The loan to Feyenoord could have allowed him to experience first-team football every week, competing at the top end of the Eredivisie and honing his skills. This could have helped him to continue his development before returning to England next summer prepared to push himself into Solskjaer’s starting XI for the 2022/23 campaign.

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Instead, he will now need to, firstly, get over his muscle injury and then train hard to make sure that Ole gives him opportunities in all competitions between now and January. If he can get to January with his fitness in-tact then he could look at another loan move for the second half of the season.

However, for now, United fans will be frustrated that one of their young talents has been deprived of a potentially beneficial loan due to an injury in training. If this ends up halting his progress as a player then it could be a big blow for him on a personal note, and one that fans will not be happy about due to his aforementioned potential.

Some Everton fans have been left to fume as a transfer update emerged on James Rodriguez.

Speaking to Sports Blog (via Marca), football journalist Javier Hernandez Bonnet has claimed that the Colombia international has the option of returning back to Real Madrid and reuniting with Carlo Ancelotti on a free transfer.

Rodriguez was such a key player for the Goodison Park faithful in the 2020/21 season, scoring six goals and making a further nine assists in 26 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt), and so it would be such a shame to see him leave after just one campaign, especially given that he largely played without supporters in the stadiums.

Nonetheless, to lose the 29-year-old for free would be a devastating blow, as he would not be easy to replace without spending a bit of cash.

Everton fans on Rodriguez transfer update

These Toffees fumed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘joke’:

“Smashing my head against the wall”

Credit: @tomefc14

“Joke”

Credit: @danevans_tm

“What did I do in my past life to be forced to support Everton”

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Credit: @FylesAj

“Honestly believe we are the worst run club in world football”

Credit: @patto1878

“Not sure I can take much more this week”Credit: @smmoore4″It never rains….”Credit: @RaRaRiggaIn other news, find out what Paul Joyce update has been slammed by EFC fans here!

West Ham United have been given a big boost in their pursuit of Eddie Nketiah, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser claims the Irons have been given hope of securing a deal for the 21-year-old Arsenal youngster this summer after the north London outfit secured Folarin Balogun to a new long-term contract extension.

It’s thought that West Ham have been tracking Nketiah since January, where they had a loan approach knocked back but he’s now expected to drop down the pecking order, especially given mooted interest in Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard, who the Hammers have also been linked to recently.

At the end of the season, the England U21 international will be in the final year of his contract, so it leaves the Gunners with a decision to make.

It remains to be seen how much Nketiah would command with CIES Football Observatory currently valuing him at €30m (£26m).

Shades of Defoe

The report goes onto suggest that David Moyes is a huge admirer of the Arsenal gem as he sees him as someone that could fit his energetic style of play and would be hungry to prove himself – very much in a similar nature to that of Michail Antonio.

But it’s another one-time Hammers goalscorer that he draws further comparisons to, and it should have many at the London Stadium brimming with excitement.

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Moyes and GSB could well find West Ham’s next Jermain Defoe in Nketiah.

“He reminds me of another Jermaine Defoe and look at how well he did at West Ham,” explained Noel Whelan to Football Insider. “He’s very much that similar sort of player. He plays off the shoulder, very dangerous in the box. He’s a player you can’t take your eye off because his movement’s so good.”

The 38-year-old is still plying his trade for Scottish champions Rangers and his career was truly kickstarted in east London, where he proved to be a prolific sensation, top-scoring with ten goals in his debut season in the Premier League aged just 19. He then went onto bag eight in the next season, and 11 goals in 19 appearances in the old First Division, as per Transfermarkt.

Nketiah may be a little further along at 21 but he has found game time hard to come by at the Emirates Stadium, though his record for the Three Lions is impeccable with 16 goals from 17 caps, and that’s caught the eye of Michael Owen, who knows a thing or two about scoring himself.

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The former Liverpool striker lauded the young forward a “goal machine,” something that the Irons have felt this term themselves as he bagged the winner back in September from the bench – his only league strike so far this campaign.

Signing a new striker should absolutely be Moyes’ top priority this summer and making a splash for Nketiah could prove to be a shrewd decision as not only will he fill a glaring void but he’ll also get a 5 foot 11 nuisance that’s perfect for his system.

GSB must stump up the cash for Nketiah at the end of the season.

AND in other news, One man shines: Our West Ham player ratings in poor Newcastle defeat…

According to Corriere Adriatico, via Sport Witness, Crystal Palace are one of several sides interested in signing former Brighton & Hove Albion right-back Ezequiel Schelotto in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

It is believed that Schelotto, who has been without a club since being released by Brighton in the summer, is wanted by Serie C side US Sambenedettese, but ‘there might be some obstacle’ in the form of the Eagles.

The 31-year-old free agent fell out of favour at the AMEX Stadium but has also attracted interest from the likes of Championship club Watford and Italian side SPAL

However, Sambenedettese president Domenico Serafino has been in constant communication with his agent to try and engineer a move for Schelotto, which has given Steve Parish the golden opportunity to pull the plug on any potential transfer.

Must avoid Edgar Davids 2.0

Not that he’d like to admit it, but Roy Hodgson has a bit of a problem at right-back. Nathaniel Clyne hasn’t quite cut the mustard, which has led Football FanCast to call for the club to cut ties with Clyne, and new summer recruit Nathan Ferguson is sidelined due to injury, whilst Joel Ward isn’t getting any younger. Yet it’s fair to say that Schelotto isn’t the answer to all their problems – we can’t understand their reported interest at all.

Back in the summer of 2010, former Netherlands international midfielder Edgar Davids arrived at Selhurst Park on a pay-as-you-play deal, despite the fact the 37-year-old had been without a club for almost two years. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as it turns out, just about everything, as he struggled to get to grips with Championship football and made just seven appearances in all competitions before leaving the club by mutual consent.

While Schelotto may be a good fit for Watford – he has a decent amount of experience in the European leagues – it’s fair to say that he simply wouldn’t be the right man for Palace.

Would the one-time Italy international be any better than Clyne? Not at all if you take a closer look at the statistics.

Clyne 29, is two years his junior, and the differences don’t stop there, either. Last season, the Italian produced low numbers for tackles (0.4) and interceptions (0.8) per game, of which Clyne tops with 1.3 and 1.7 respectively, and he failed to offer much in the final third, attempting just 0.6 dribbles per game in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

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With that in mind, coupled with the fact he earned around £32,000-per-week in wages at the AMEX Stadium, Parish must simply avoid signing Schelotto at all costs, as he could turn out to be yet another expensive mistake.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke was Roy Hodgson’s unsung hero against Arsenal…

Manchester United are willing to sell Jesse Lingard this summer even though he is not pushing to leave Old Trafford, according to reports. 

According to The Times, Lingard is hoping he can persuade potential suitors to give him a chance by putting in a string of impressive performances in the Europa League. Although the England international is not angling for a move, his playing time at Manchester United has steadily dropped over the past couple of seasons.

The 27-year-old is likely to leave Old Trafford in the summer, as he has attracted attention from clubs from all over Europe.

As reported by Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils are ready to sell him if they receive a suitable bid. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has indicated that he wants to get rid of the deadwood to create space in the squad for Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho and Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish.

Lingard, who is Marcus Rashford’s best friend at the club, scored his first Premier League goal this season as United beat Leicester City at the King Power Stadium last Sunday to clinch qualification to the Champions League. He came off the bench to replace Mason Greenwood and took advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to add his team’s second goal against the Foxes in the closing stages of the game.

Shockingly, this was the academy graduate’s first league goal since he scored twice during Solskjaer’s first game in charge of the club against Cardiff back in December 2018.

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His output has simply not been good enough so United may want to sell him as quickly as possible as they prepare to challenge for trophies next season. The club legend has given Lingard plenty of opportunities to prove himself but he has largely failed to deliver, as he has only scored three goals in all competitons so far this term.

United fans, should Ed Woodward sell Lingard this summer? Let us know your views by commenting below!

Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to reveal their delight over the fact that Mikel Arteta had dropped Alexandre Lacazette from the starting XI for Sunday’s game against Newcastle.

The 16-cap France international has started 15 Premier League games for the Gunners this season, but had not found the back of the net in league action since a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at the start of December before scoring the fourth goal against Newcastle.

In total, the former Lyon forward has only netted six league goals this term, while his most recent start against Burnley was met with criticism from the Arsenal supporters on Twitter.

An hour before kick-off against Newcastle, it was revealed that Arteta had dropped the 28-year-old in favour of Eddie Nketiah, who spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Leeds.

Let’s see what the Arsenal fans on Twitter have been saying about the Frenchman’s exclusion…

To kick off the reaction, these two supporters both mentioned that Lacazette’s exclusion has been long overdue.

Adam said it’s “about time” the striker was dropped as he has “been awful for so long” whereas Shaheen also said that it’s “about time really” – these two fans both seem happy with the decision.

Elsewhere, Michael Mangan said that Lacazette is “finished” and has also “been found out”.

@AFCAmit then simply said that it was a “positive” to see no sign of the Arsenal No.9 in the lineup.

Lastly, Sanket said that they “like” the fact that Arteta has “finally” moved Lacazette onto the bench.

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Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Arsenal’s history in the January transfer window?

Then, @blend_afc simply stated that no sign of the goal-shy striker in the starting XI equals a “guaranteed” three points – ouch.

In other news, these Serie A giants could hand Arsenal a huge opportunity this summer…

Gabriel Martinelli has been something of a sensation since the relatively unknown attacker landed at Arsenal in the summer transfer window.

The Brazilian teenager was plucked from South America and has made an immediate impact in north London, scoring seven goals in all competitions and catching the eye with his tantalising technique.

A Premier League start, however, continues to elude him, much to the annoyance of a handful of Arsenal fans on Twitter.

Watch Arsenal v Brighton Live and Free with Amazon Prime

With the clash against Brighton looming on Thursday evening, supporters have expressed their desire to see him out wide in Freddie Ljungberg’s starting XI.

Whether Martinelli’s involvement would indeed enable Arsenal to play “sexy football” is up for debate, but the agenda is clear nonetheless.

It’s only natural that cries of this nature are beginning to infiltrate social media just after Ljungberg has taken charge.

After all, it’s during periods of managerial upheaval in which fringe players are given a chance to prove themselves to a fresh set of eyes, and the 18-year-old talent is certainly no exception to the rule.

Meanwhile, a handful of fans want to see Martinelli in the side in any shape or form, whether it be at centre-forward or otherwise.

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One fan in particular cited his cameo against Norwich City last weekend as justification for his take.

The consensus is clear: Arsenal fans want to see Martinelli make his first start for the club this week.

In other news, Ljungberg has name-checked a wonderkid who represents the future at Arsenal. 

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

While Bernd Leno is currently Arsenal’s number one, it is fair to say he has not been too convincing so far this season.

The Germany international has conceded 10 goals in his first six Premier League matches of the campaign, and he has been at fault for one of them already this term.

It follows on from a disappointing season last time out, where he made the joint-most errors that led to goals.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Perhaps with this in mind, it has been said that Arsenal are continuing to target Newcastle United’s Freddie Woodman, who is currently on loan at Swansea City in the Championship – Arsenal fans should keep their eye on the Swans’ match against Reading this weekend to see him action.

The 22-year-old has had a fantastic season so far. He has started all eight of Steve Cooper’s side’s matches, and has conceded just five goals. With the Welsh side second in the table, only Leeds have shipped in less in the second tier.

In terms of clean sheets, he tops the Championship list with four alongside Kiko Casilla and Christian Walton. And Woodman can certainly claim to have had a big role in that. His 77.3% save accuracy has been beaten by just two shot-stoppers, Casilla and Brice Samba, in the Championship.

Leno, meanwhile, has an accuracy of 74.4%, meaning he is slightly edged out by the former England U21 international – albeit playing at a higher level.

With his feet, too, Woodman is slightly better than the former Bayer Leverkusen man. He has a passing accuracy of 76.1% compared to Leno’s 75.9%. There is not much in it, true, but it is still a difference all the same.

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So far this season, Reading have averaged 14.5 shots per game, with only three teams managing more.

Therefore, it is likely that Swansea’s number one will be busy between the sticks. It will be the perfect opportunity for Arsenal fans to see him action.

He is young, homegrown and is performing well. If he can continue like this, then the north London outfit may well formalise their interest.