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Wolves are still looking at the possibility of signing Renato Sanches in the January transfer window, according to journalist Alex Crook.

The Lowdown: Wolves linked with Sanches

Wanderers have been linked with a move for the Lille midfielder since last summer, and their interest does not appear to have waned.

The 24-year-old has not always been a regular for the Ligue 1 champions this season, starting just nine league matches despite helping them to league glory last term, leading to speculation over his future.

There is still time for Wolves to make new signings in January, and it appears as though bringing in Sanches is not yet out of the question.

The Latest: Journalist claims Wolves retain Sanches interest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Crook claimed that Wolves still want to bring in Sanches, although he added the caveat that the club may need to offload current assets in order to fund a deal for the Portugal midfielder.

The journalist said of the 24-year-old Lille maestro: “He’s definitely someone who’s on their radar. But I think this is where, if they can sell someone like Adama Traore, then it gives them some funds for Bruno Lage to be able to bring in his own players because he hasn’t really done that.”

The Verdict: Positives and negatives

There are clear positives and negatives when it comes to Wolves’ interest in Sanches, making it a tricky move to assess overall.

On the plus side, he is a hugely gifted footballer who won the 2016 European Golden Boy award and was described as ‘incredible’ by Kevin Campbell, not to mention winning 32 caps for his country as well as the European Championship.

However, Sanches has long been an injury-prone player – he has never started more than 16 league games in a season – so there would be a big element of risk in signing him.

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Given the wages he could demand – he is currently on £47,000 per week – along with his injury problems, perhaps Wolves would be better off turning their attention elsewhere despite the Portuguese midfielder’s undoubted ability.

In other news, a key Wolves update has emerged regarding Adama Traore’s future. Read more here.

With the latest international break coming to a close and the return of Premier League action on the horizon and a chance to read this complete review about bet365 ahead of the next domestic fixtures, Liverpool will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the league with a trip to Watford on Saturday.

Their previous league match saw Jurgen Klopp’s side draw 2-2 against Manchester City in which they had right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold out with an injury.

Looking ahead to the clash against Watford, it seems as though the Merseyside club have had some good news come their way.

What’s the latest?

It has recently been reported that Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota, who had some injury issues during his time away with Portugal recently, are both now expected to be available for the match against the Hornets.

This will surely be exactly what Klopp and the Liverpool fans will be wanting to hear ahead of a return to Premier League action.

Double trouble

Alexander-Arnold missed the Reds’ matches against FC Porto and Manchester City before the international break due to a muscle issue. He has managed to provide two assists in five league appearances, racked up more key passes per game (4.2) and more crosses per game (3.4) than any other Reds player in the league this season. That shows just how much of an attacking threat he has been for the team from the right-back position and demonstrates why his return is such a boost.

Additionally, with only Mohamed Salah (8.07/10) having a higher overall season rating than Alexander-Arnold (7.81/10) in the league according to WhoScored, it explains how impressive his overall performances have been so far in this campaign and why fans will be delighted to see him back against Watford.

Regarding Jota, the fact that he has appeared in all of Liverpool’s seven league games so far this season and has managed to score three goals in the process proves how much of a useful attacking outlet he has been for Klopp, who will undoubtedly be thrilled to have both him and Alexander-Arnold in the squad again.

Looking ahead to their clash with the Hornets in what will be Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge of the Hertfordshire side, we feel that if the duo are 100% fit to play, then they should both be included in the manager’s starting XI to give the team the best chance of picking up all three points.

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Both figureheads are influential members of the team and Liverpool will no doubt be stronger as a result of their place in the starting XI.

In other news: Lost possession every 3.5 touches: “Unbelievable” LFC gem enduring horror loan spell – opinion

Dean Windass is confident that Tammy Abraham has played for final game for Chelsea.

The 23-year-old, a product of the Blues academy, was first-choice striker under Frank Lampard, but quickly fell out of favour under Thomas Tuchel – starting just twice in the Premier League following the German’s January appointment.

Abraham played just 1,533 minutes across all competitions, but still scored 12 times and chipped in with six assists.

However, when Chelsea reached the latter stages of both the FA Cup and Champions League, Abraham was made to watch from the bench and even the stands on several occasions.

The former Swansea and Aston Villa loanee was made cruelly left out of both final squads for the defeat to Leicester and historic victory over Manchester City in late-May.

Despite his frustrations, Abraham remains a Chelsea player and is currently preparing for the new campaign with the rest of Tuchel’s first-team squad.

However, Abraham, who’s valued at £40m by the Blues, is attracting attention from many Premier League outfits, and looks on course to end his 17-year affiliation with the Stamford Bridge side this summer.

Windass exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I think it’s the end for Tammy Abraham, his days were numbered when the new manager came in.

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“Tammy will be doing pre-season now, thinking, what club I am going to be at next year? You know as a footballer if a manager fancies you.

“You’re not daft. His days are numbered, and if he stays there he’s just going to be a squad player, and he won’t want that as a young kid.”

Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar is reportedly available for £25m this summer, and Liverpool must swoop for the talented technician as they seek a replacement for Gini Wijnaldum.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet L’Equipe, the 22-year-old’s value has plummeted after an underwhelming campaign with the Ligue 1 giants, meaning a potential bargain is there to be had.

The report claims that Aouar would be open to offers coming his way, but with Arsenal also thought to be interested in acquiring his services, Jurgen Klopp may have to move quickly to secure his signature.

Liverpool must swoop

Liverpool will be glad to see the back of a testing 2020/21 campaign, where serious injuries to several key players destroyed their hopes of retaining their Premier League crown. The Reds recovered admirably in the latter stages of the season, winning their final five games to secure a Champions League qualification spot.

However, there are still expected to be several changes made by the Merseyside club over the coming months as Klopp looks to freshen up his first team squad, and a successor to Wijnaldum should be  top of the wish list.

The Dutch international is expected to join Barcelona on a free transfer once his current contract expires, leaving a substantial hole in the Liverpool engine room.

Wijnaldum offered a unique combination of skills which will be hard for any player to replicate, with the 30-year-old often impressing through his work rate, technical ability and eye for goal.

Nevertheless, when comparing the two midfielders’ numbers, there are some surprising similarities.

Despite Aouar regularly playing a slightly more advanced role at the Groupama Stadium than the one Wijnaldum often played in Klopp’s system, the France international still matched the Liverpool man’s 0.6 tackles per league game this season, and his total of 0.6 interceptions per league game was only just under Wijnaldum’s 0.7.

In an attacking sense, Aouar completely outperformed his counterpart. Admittedly this is partly down to the tactical responsibilities placed upon Wijnaldum, but it’s still telling all the same.

Aouar recorded 2.3 shots per league game compared to Wijnaldum’s 0.8, made 1.3 key passes where the Dutchman made just 0.6, and also pulled off 1.5 dribbles in contrast to Wijnaldum’s 0.9.

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After Manchester City found life tough against an impressive Lyon side back in 2018, Pep Guardiola was quick to lavish praise on Les Gones’ midfield maestro.

“Houssem Aouar is a very good player. He is incredible. We talk a lot about (Tanguy) Ndombele, but Aouar is also excellent. He’s always very calm with the ball at his feet, with an excellent technical quality,” marvelled the City boss.

With Aouar having a market value of £45m (Transfermarkt), Liverpool could solve their midfield problem with a clever cut-price deal this summer. Their director of football Michael Edwards must swoop for the Frenchman and provide Klopp with the tools he needs to mount another title tilt next year.

In other news… Liverpool heading for massive transfer mistake over £30m liability, Klopp must avoid 

Glasgow Rangers crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday night, and many of the Gers supporters were shocked that Ianis Hagi was not given the chance to change the course of the match.

The Gers managed to pick up a 1-1 draw in Czechia against Slavia Prague in their round of 16 first-leg clash last week. As such, they would have been hopeful of getting the job done at Ibrox in the return fixture, but they were unable to do so in the end as they were defeated 2-0. Red cards for Leon Balogun and Kemar Roofe only added to the disappointment on the night.

In the game last week, Hagi provided the assist for Filip Helander to equalise and net a vital away goal. However, Steven Gerrard chose not to start the £5.4m-valued Romania international (Transfermarkt) this time around, while he didn’t even introduce him as one of his five substitutes during the 90 minutes.

The Gers fans were far from happy with Gerrard’s decision, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Gerrard’s Hagi decision below

“Think Gerrard will need to take some blame for tonight. No need to drop Helander and Aribo was poor in the first game so don’t know why Hagi was dropped.”

Credit: @Alan_Paton2020

“It’s been a rare occurrence this season, but a Gerrard clanger tonight. Arfield shouldn’t have started and Roofe was never the right sub when Hagi is sitting there. Balogun always walking a tightrope, should have been subbed. Everything that could go wrong did.”

Credit: @StaunchusPilate

“Poor performance, deserved to lose. Substitions incredibly questionable. Wouldn’t surprise me if Hagi leaves in the summer as Gerrard seems to have something against him. Oh well. Into next season when we hear the champions league music back at Ibrox.”

Credit: @Gerole9

“Gerrard got it wrong tonite. Why was Helander dropped? Why was Hagi no on at HT for Arfield? Balogun should’ve been hooked after tackle before he got his red. But hey ho a good run and 55s accomplished!”

Credit: @29McBride

“Just found out a bit at that level. Gerrard still learning. Not playing Helander & Hagi was criminal”

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Credit: @Smith_LoveWins

“Not sure but it 100% cost us IMO when you take into account Roofe come on, got sent off, left us exposed and Balogun got sent off too. Two big mistakes from Gerrard playing Balogun over Helander and putting on Roofe ahead of Hagi.”

Credit: @Right_Winger84

In other news, Rangers are interested in this Championship forward.

It remains to be seen just how long Slaven Bilic will get as West Bromwich boss amid reports that his future is under intense scrutiny whilst one name has emerged as a potential successor during the past week…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mirror, the Baggies hierarchy will eye Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer as their next man if the Croatian is axed at the Hawthorns.

It’s claimed that the relationship between Bilic and the Albion board has been rocky in recent months and that the Addicks’ chief would be among their top choices to succeed him.

The 43-year-old, who used to play in midfield for Newcastle and Leeds United, has spoken about the speculation too, he said: “It’s nice to be recognised. It happened a few times last season and the season before. If you do well then people recognise you do well.”

Baggies boost?

There is only one downside to Bowyer and that is his lack of experience managing in the Premier League, especially with a side battling relegation but you only have to look at Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United side last season – or Nuno Santo at Wolves the last two years – to see that it is not the be-all and end-all.

He’s worked under tough conditions before, though, having had the pleasure of dealing with controversial Charlton owner Ronald Duchatelet.

Bowyer guided Charlton to the Championship, via the play-offs in 2019, and were only relegated last term on the final day without their wantaway striker Lyle Taylor, who refused to play after the restart.

The Addicks are now at the top of the League One standings once more, sitting in third place, three points behind the league leaders with a game in hand too.

What is most interesting about his potential candidacy is the fact that he’s worked with both Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher and summer arrival Karlan Grant before.

Bowyer once claimed that the £15m signing “causes problems and scores goals,” and you’d have to believe him considering the 23-year-old bagged 14 goals in just 29 appearances under him at The Valley.

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Whilst Gallagher was lauded as an impossible-to-replace “jewel” who also has “unreal” work rate.

Sacking Bilic would be a mistake in itself, as outlined here, but if that were to happen, then the Baggies must consider Bowyer a genuine and serious candidate for the short-term.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Chris Kirkland tips Lai to make an imminent call…

Many Manchester United supporters have been discussing Laurie Whitwell’s nomination for The Athletic’s Premier League Young Player of the Year award. 

The Red Devils correspondent revealed he has chosen young midfielder Daniel James as his pick for the annual honour list.

Admittedly, the Welshman has struggled to replicate the consistency he displayed at the beginning of the season, scoring only 3 goals in 27 appearances in the Premier League for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side so far, although he has created the highest amount of assists out of all the senior squad. James has taken 1.3 shots per game, averaged 1.3 dribbles, and completed 0.5 key passes on average via WhoScored.

In comparison, his teammate Marcus Rashford, who is the same age as the Welsh international, has bagged 14 goals in just 22 games in the English top flight under the club legend, as well as providing 4 assists, registering a whopping 3.4 shots on average, notching at least 2 dribbles, and making 1.1 key passes per game (WhoScored).

Naturally, the journalist’s choice has split the fan base down the middle, with several calling the decision “awful” and a “bloody joke,” while on the other hand, another fan noted James has had a “decent” season so far.

Take a look at some of the mixed reactions on social media…

United fans, do you agree with Laurie Whitwell’s selection? Join the discussion in the comments section below!

So with Ashley Young seeing his move to Serie A giants Inter confirmed on Friday evening, Manchester United are entering yet another era under a different captain.

This time last year it was Antonio Valencia who was the club’s captain, but following the Ecuadorian’s departure last summer, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed Young would be taking over those duties.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

And speaking before the veteran full-back’s switch to Inter was made official, Solskjaer revealed that Harry Maguire “will keep wearing the armband now”.

How well do you really know the Premier League’s greatest ever manager? Find out below…

After hearing the news, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation, with a couple revealing the decision shows the “state of this club”.

A few fans of the Manchester side put forward David de Gea’s name as someone who should have taken over from Young.

A couple of supporters expressed their frustrations with how Maguire has been named captain of the club despite only arriving from fellow Premier League side Leicester last summer.

The one area Maguire will almost immediately have an edge on his predecessor, Young, is that he is likely to be a main-stay of the first-team. The former United captain had to compete with the likes of Brandon Williams and Luke Shaw, whilst the Red Devils’ summer signing has been a cornerstone of the side since his arrival, making 28 total appearances so far.

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Captains don’t necessarily have to be the best or most technically gifted players on the pitch. But surely a pre-requisite of it, is that you’re actually in the team to start with. And with Maguire taking up the armband, the Manchester side now have someone who will take to the pitch week-in and week-out as captain.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans discuss potentially signing this star striker from European giants.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The games continue to come thick and fast for Sunderland, but for manager Phil Parkinson the match against Leicester U21s provides him with the ideal chance to run the rule over the fringe players in his squad.

Laurens De Bock and Brandon Taylor could be involved again after being selected in the matchday squad in the last Leasing.com trophy fixture against Grimsby, with the latter starting at centre-back.

Another who looks set to get his chance is Benji Kimpioka, according to Phil Parkinson’s comments, and his inclusion is a great chance for him to stake his claim for long-term first-team involvement.

Watch League 1 Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Some fans have called for the 19-year-old to be given an opportunity following a return of two goals in six games for the struggling under 23s, and a fixture against a team mainly made up of youngsters should prove suitable.

What’s more, game time has been limited for the winger in the senior side, and so far he has accumulated just nine minutes of playing time this term – none of which came under Jack Ross.

As a result, he should be determined to make the most of his opportunity, and with Lynden Gooch currently sidelined there is a vacant position at right-wing – Luke O’Nien had to play out of position in that role against Southend at the weekend.

Kimpioka seems to have that battling spirit, too, previously stating he will fight to earn a first-team place. He has showed signs of potential, enough for the club to try and pin him down to a long-term deal, and if he begins to show his ability against Grimsby he’ll likely get more chances.

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Josh Maja and Denver Hume are recent examples of successful academy graduates, while Parkinson has a track-record of trusting youngsters, as evidenced by his time at Bolton when he introduced Luca Connell, who subsequently thrived and earned a move to Celtic, into the first team.

If Kimpioka can showcase his pace and direct style he will offer Sunderland an alternative option on the wing, and could begin to push for more substitute appearances and further starts in cup competitions – with Gillingham visiting in the FA Cup at the weekend.

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Ah, Jesse Lingard.

A dancer, a social media enthusiast, and a fashionista, but not a very productive footballer.

Indeed, for every goal and assist Lingard contributes, Manchester United fans are the unfortunate recipients of at least 100 “Milly Rock” dance routines and 250 Instagram updates. The 26-year-old (although you wouldn’t know it at times) currently boasts a record of 29 goals and 18 assists in 169 appearances. Make of that what you will.

A Japanese “wizard” better at free-kicks than Ronaldo and Beckham? Find out who in the video below…

United’s bout against Wolves on Monday night summarised everything we have come to expect from the England star – tireless running with very little substance. Case in point: he registered an eye-watering zero shots and zero dribbles during his 80 minutes on the Molineux pitch, despite starting in an attacking midfield role.

Irrespective of what was an objectively average performance, verging on poor, however, a pair of talkSPORT hosts rushed to support the England star, claiming he’d be “hard done by.”

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Needless to say, this wasn’t received particularly well by football fans…

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