La Liga expert claims Wolves would be a good level for Trincao

Bruno Lage is currently getting comfortable at Molineux and will begin to make additions to his squad in the near future, and someone who could prove to be a solid piece of business is Francisco Trincao from Barcelona, according to La Liga expert Euan McTear.

Trincao was only signed from Braga last summer for £27 million but after being handed just three La Liga starts, the Catalan club appear to be willing to let him leave, even if it one for one season to reduce their wage bill.

Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that he could be a Wolves target, and he would fit the bill as he is a young Portuguese star and despite his age, is already a full international. If Lage wants to play 4-4-2 next season then he would likely want to have a strong depth of wingers to offer skill and brilliance both from the start and off the bench.

After being signed for big money last summer, especially for a club struggling financially, Barcelona may see this as an opportunity to get rid of Trincao and Wolves could be a good level for the 21-year old, something McTear spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about:

“I think Wolves is probably his level, Barcelona is not his level. He has to leave and go somewhere where he’s going to play.

“Barcelona is not the level for him and Wolves is maybe a bit below his level so, it could be a good move for him and Wolves.”

Some fans and players in England may already be familiar with Trincao as he scored against England’s under 21s earlier this year in the European Championships as he netted a game-winning penalty in the 2-0 victory for Portugal.

Barcelona are set to make their third free-agent signing of the summer in Memphis Depay who is set to link up with fellow countrymen Ronald Koeman but if they want to make any cash signings, they may have to sell some of their big earners before they buy and Trincao could certainly be someone sacrificed.

Forest dealt Joe Worrall transfer blow

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a huge blow to their hopes of keeping Joe Worrall at The City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claim that Burnley are preparing a £10m offer for the 24-year-old centre-back in the upcoming transfer window, as Sean Dyche has been given cash from the sale of Ben Gibson to bring in reinforcements in during the summer window.

The report goes on to state that the defender is keen to move to the Premier League, with Norwich City and West Ham United also thought to be keeping a close eye on the situation of the £3.6m-rated man.

Hughton will be devastated

While Nottingham Forest had something of a season to forget in the Championship this term, finishing in a lowly 17th place, Worrall was one of the brightest aspects of the Garibaldi’s campaign.

Over his 31 league appearances, the centre-back helped his side keep 12 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 4.8 clearances per game, in addition to winning an average of 3.5 duels per game.

Worrall also impressed going forwards, scoring one goal and registering one assist, while his seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.94 ranked him as the club’s fifth-best performer in the second tier.

As such, considering just how impressive Worrall has been for the club this season, if Forest were to lose the services of the £10k-per-week defender this summer it would come as a devastating blow for Hughton, as the player dubbed a “leader” by Steven Gerrard is undoubtedly a crucial part of the 62-year-old’s plans ahead of next season, as he looks to put this disappointing campaign behind him and build a side that is capable of mounting a push for the play-offs.

In other news: NFFC handed transfer boost over 12 G/A “manager’s dream” that’ll have Hughton buzzing

Pundit makes Ancelotti and Allardyce claim

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Sam Allardyce could have got more out of this Everton squad than Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Both Allardyce and Ancelotti have had spells in the Goodison Park dugout, with the former being sacked by Everton back in 2018 and the latter recently leaving to return to Real Madrid.

During his short tenure at the club, Allardyce came under heavy criticism for his style of football, though he was still able to guide the Toffees to an eighth-placed finish.

It is two places higher than where Everton finished last season despite Ancelotti bringing in the likes of James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, the last two for sizeable fees.

With similar resources, Palmer has suggested that Allardyce could have done a better job than the new Real Madrid manager.

“He finished eighth in the league with Everton only a few years ago and still got the sack because the fans weren’t happy with the brand of football,” the ex-Leeds United midfielder said.

“Ancelotti has finished there or thereabouts and look at the amount of money he spent. Now people might say the brand of football is better, but he spent a lot more money. Put Sam Allardyce with that same squad of players he’s got now, where would Sam finish?”

Given that he was able to steer Everton to eighth having found them in 13th after taking over, perhaps the former West Brom boss could have got the Merseyside club into Europe with a nice transfer budget like the one Ancelotti had.

Leeds: Whites table Borna Sosa offer

Leeds United have already made an offer for Stuttgart left-back Borna Sosa, claims Croatian football agent Franjo Vranjkovic.

The Lowdown: Whites on the hunt for a new left-back

Well-known Leeds reporter Phil Hay is adamant (via HITC) the Whites will be in the market for a new left-back in the summer window.

Barry Douglas and Ezgjan Alioski are out of contract in the summer, and should the pair both leave, Marcelo Bielsa would be left with versatile star Stuart Dallas and youngster Leif Davis as options in that department.

Stade Brest’s Romain Perraud has been a left-back linked with an Elland Road switch this summer, but it seems as if the Whites are also looking seriously at Sosa.

The Latest: Leeds bombshell

Croatian outlet sportske Novosti ran a story on Tuesday in which they spoke to Vranjkovic about his compatriot Sosa.

Vranjkovic, who is the owner of the First Eleven agency, boasting Premier League clients like Wilfred Ndidi and Issa Diop, revealed that Sosa actually has an offer from the Whites already, who he feels could cost them around £17.2m.

“The most important thing for him is to make a transfer to England because he has an offer from Leeds United, where the first or second choice is at left back, and some other clubs from the Premier League are also interested. Only the English can pay as much as Stuttgart is asking because I estimate that it will be about €20m (£17.2m).”

The Verdict: Bielsa’s kind of player?

We’ve seen first-hand in the Premier League this season that Bielsa loves his full-backs to get forward, and Sosa has shown his attacking prowess in the German top-flight during the current campaign.

Sosa, who has played mainly as a left-midfielder this season in the Bundesliga has registered an impressive nine assists – the same amount as Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane.

His main position is a left-back, so he’s shown his versatility during the current campaign by thriving further forward, an attribute that could well appeal to Bielsa ahead of the 2021/22 season – we’ve seen how versatile players like Dallas have thrived under the Argentine.

In other news: Gary Neville hails Marcelo Bielsa, find out more here. 

Wolves predicted XI vs Manchester United

The curtain will come down on a wonderful four years in charge for Nuno Santo on Sunday.

He has changed the face of Wolverhampton Wanderers, turning them into an established Premier League outfit.

Unfortunately, their clash with Manchester United this afternoon will represent his final in the Molineux dugout.

He surprisingly announced the decision to resign on Friday, leaving the Old Gold’s future well and truly up in the air.

Wolves will be aiming to send Nuno off with an almighty bang but it won’t be easy against one of the best sides in the top-flight.

Though, with nothing to play for, the Midlands outfit can kick back and relax on the final day of the season.

Thus, how will their final ever team selection under the Portuguese look? Here’s what we’re predicting…

We’re tipping Nuno to make three changes from the team that lost to Everton last time out.

John Ruddy continues in goal but there are changes to the backline in front of him with Max Kilman dropping out.

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The Englishman is replaced by 18-year-old Christian Marques, someone we’ve raved about on Football FanCast this weekend.

The centre-back has never been seen in the first-team but with nothing riding on the match, this feels like as good a time as any to hand him his Premier League debut.

Another change is at right wing-back where Ki-Jana Hoever is given a chance ahead of Nelson Semedo, something that occurred in the 2-1 win over Brighton.

The third and final change is in the middle of the park where Joao Moutinho is axed from the starting XI in favour of the young Vitinha.

If Wolves don’t exercise the option to buy clause in his loan contract then this could be the 21-year-old’s final outing in the Old Gold.

There is no room for Willian Jose while Raul Jimenez won’t be fit to play despite his promising recovery from a fractured skull.

Marcal has returned from injury but Rayan Ait-Nouri gets the nod on the left-hand side.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Silva: Wolves should replace Nuno with “spectacular” 44y/o Mendes client…

Leeds can offload Gjanni Alioski by signing Perraud

With reports linking Leeds with a move for Romain Perraud, Marcelo Bielsa now has the perfect chance to wave goodbye to Gjanni Alioski.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay first revealed a couple of months ago that the Whites are eyeing up a summer move for the Stade Brest left-back, and now, The Daily Mail have confirmed Leeds’ interest, adding that they are set to face competition from the likes of Lyon and Marseille.

By signing the 23-year-old, Leeds could finally offload Alioski and start a new chapter at Elland Road.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Leeds ace is set to depart the club in the summer when his contract expires, with Turkish giants Galatasaray apparently reaching a pre-contract deal with him.

Speaking after the 0-0 draw against Chelsea a few weeks ago, former Leeds ace Noel Whelan took aim at the £3.6m-rated Alioski for his defending and urged Bielsa to go after a new left-back in the summer.

The 46-year-old said: “Leeds need a natural full-back there that you know can cover most bases, definitely defensively because as much as he gives everything, he is a liability. He’s not the best of defenders.

“I think that’s why you could see a lot going down that left-hand side, really targeting Alioski and you saw that frailty there at times.”

In Perraud, not only would they be getting a solid defender, but someone who really comes into his own going forward and providing his team with a vital attacking outlet.

Writing a profile piece for The Athletic, Hay noted: “Perraud, 23, played for France up to under-20s level and his performance data — taken from smarterscout, which gives detailed analytics on players all over the world and gives ratings between zero and 99 across a series of metrics — shows characteristics which would meet Bielsa requirements: a creative edge and a high number of dribbles and shots for a player at his position, combined with a very active role in pressing defensively.”

As per Whoscored, Perraud outshines Alioski in virtually all the key categories both offensively and defensively, averaging more interceptions, key passes, shots, dribbles and crosses, while also being dribbled half the amount of times as the Leeds man.

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The £7.2m-rated Perraud is just a major upgrade on Alioski, and being significantly younger too, would be fancied to develop into a more well-rounded full-back as the years go by.

Meanwhile, Leeds must unleash this starlet if Raphinha is injured…

Liverpool source on Klopp future

A Liverpool source has dropped a big claim on the future of Jurgen Klopp after some more insight was given into the European Super League (ESL) fiasco.

As per Football Insider, the German manager’s future at the Anfield faithful is ‘far from secure’ after his relationship with Fenway Sports Group (FSG) suffered as a result of their disagreements over the Reds’ participation in the ESL.

His bosses now reportedly face a ‘huge task’ to get Klopp back on board in fear that he may walk away, as he was ‘devastated’ at not being consulted about the plan to join the breakaway league and felt that FSG left him ‘hanging out to dry’.

Klopp condemned the project in public before and after his team’s 1-1 away draw at Leeds United in the Premier League on Monday night, which certainly put a strain on his relationship with his employers, who were ‘unhappy’ that he was so negative about it.

Liverpool must keep Klopp

If anything, the Merseyside club should be looking to keep Klopp and for FSG to leave their post if possible, rather than the other way around.

The ESL was purely the latter’s idea and so Klopp should not be punished or feel as if he should need to punish himself for their proposed involvement, especially after John Henry admitted the blame lies on FSG, not the staff or players.

Now, the former Mainz and Borussia Dortmund coach should be fully concentrated on getting LFC back into the UEFA Champions League for the 2021/22 term, which would be an impressive feat given the somewhat disastrous season the Reds have suffered thus far.

In other news, find out what James Pearce update on John Henry Reds have flocked to here!

Lack of goals huge problem for Newcastle

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee expressed his concerns over the lack of natural goalscorers at his old club.

First-choice striker Callum Wilson has scored 10 Premier League goals this season; however, no other Newcastle player has been able to show that level of proficiency during the 29-year-old’s time on the sidelines.

The likes of Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin have really struggled in front of goal overall, with the former managing to score just once in the current English top-flight campaign so far.

Unsurprisingly, it is a huge worry for Lee, who believes this predicament has left manager Steve Bruce and the club in big trouble.

Speaking exclusively with FFC, the ex-Newcastle star said:

“If you haven’t got someone who’s a natural goalscorer scoring goals, you’re in trouble, you’re in trouble. You look at all the teams down there and none of them have a natural goalscorer, none of them. They [the teams that go down] never do. Throughout the years, they never have a natural goalscorer.

“We actually have one, but he’s injured and it seems the whole of our team is based around him and how he plays. And we haven’t got a replacement and then we don’t have any players from midfield [who can score goals].”

Indeed, Newcastle’s lack of goals at the minute is a huge concern. Furthermore, Bruce will be delighted to have Wilson in training again and hoping his return from injury has not come too late.

Predicted Swansea XI vs Sheffield Wednesday

Swansea City will be looking to keep their slim automatic promotion hopes alive when they travel to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday evening, with three points a must for Steve Cooper’s side.

After a run of four straight defeats, the Swans bounced back against Millwall last time out and earned an impressive 3-0 win at The Den, so they should be in a confident mood ahead of their trip to Hillsborough.

The hosts are staring relegation from the Championship in the face this season as they currently sit 23rd in the division with just six games remaining, so they will also be desperate for three points on Tuesday.

Darren Moore’s side pulled off a shock 5-0 win over Cardiff City in their last home game but were brought back down to earth with a 4-1 defeat against QPR at the weekend.

Here’s how we think Cooper will set his side up against Sheffield Wednesday, with three changes from the starting team which beat Millwall…

Freddie Woodman took his clean sheet tally to 19 for the season in the win at Millwall, so unsurprisingly he keeps his place in goal.

There are two changes in defence as Cooper alternates his full-backs again, with Jake Bidwell and Connor Roberts returning to the team in place of Ryan Manning and the £1.08m-rated Kyle Naughton respectively.

In midfield, Conor Hourihane and Matt Grimes keep their places but Korey Smith could be handed a start ahead of Jay Fulton, with the 30-year-old’s greater averages for shots and key passes per game potentially being utilised to good effect against the relegation-threatened Owls.

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Finally, Cooper is likely to stick with the front three which did the damage against Millwall, with both Jamal Lowe and Andre Ayew ending their goal droughts in emphatic fashion in the 3-0 win.

In other news… Swansea could sign their ideal Guehi heir in 24 y/o beast, he won’t cost a penny

Rodgers dubbed "unbelievable" for Iheanacho call

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Dean Windass has praised Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers for picking Kelechi Iheanacho to play alongside Jamie Vardy in recent weeks.

Prior to James Maddison’s injury, the former Manchester City man had started just four Premier League matches this season.

But since Maddison suffered a hip problem during the Foxes victory at Aston Villa last month, Rodgers has replaced the England midfielder with Iheanacho, opting to play with two strikers as appose to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation.

And it’s paid dividends for the Leicester boss – with the Nigerian frontman scoring five goals in four matches, including a wonderful opener Burnley and a hat-trick against Sheffield United last Sunday, his first in the Premier League.

Leicester have claimed seven points with Iheanacho in the side, which has strengthened their top-four hopes, and Windass has credited Rodgers for his tactical switch.

He told Football FanCast:

“Unbelievable by the manager. Unbelievable. Vardy has been up there on his own all the time, and then all of a sudden Brendan has thought ‘I may go two up top’. If you can get two lads that can catch pigeons, then you’ve got a chance.

“And when he’s [Iheanacho] come in, he’s not let Brendan down. Fair play to him, he’s starting now and scored a few goals and come in and done very well. Fair play to the kid, his attitude has been spot on.”

You’d have been forgiven for thinking that Leicester might slip down the Premier League table without Maddison and Harvey Barnes in the side, but Rodgers’ slight alteration and bold decision to go with both Iheanacho and Vardy has seen the Foxes only strengthen their case to be playing Champions League football next season.

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