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Wolves are looking to open talks with centre-back Romain Saiss regarding a new deal at Molineux, according to a recent update.

The Lowdown: Saiss a key man for Wolves

The 31-year-old has been an excellent servant for Wanderers since joining from Angers back in 2016, helping them return to the Premier League in the process.

Saiss has made a total of 194 appearances for Wolves, scoring 15 goals in that time and thriving in a back-three under Bruno Lage this season.

The Moroccan is currently on Africa Cup of Nations duty, but with his current deal at Molineux expiring at the end of the season, swift action is required regarding his future.

The Latest: New contract on the cards?

According to The Athletic [via Talking Wolves on Twitter], Wolves are hopeful of opening talks over a new contract in the near future, acting as a boost.

Saiss had started all 19 of his side’s Premier League games this season before leaving for AFCON, helping them concede just 14 goals in that time.

The Verdict: Makes total sense

Saiss has been a top player for Wolves and extending his stay at the club makes perfect sense, considering he should still have a number of years at the top.

Some may point to the fact that he is 31 but that can still be peak age for centre-backs, so a relatively long-term deal shouldn’t be seen as a risk, looking at the likes of Thiago Silva, who remains an excellent player at 37.

Saiss has been compared to Italian legend Paolo Maldini by Lage, which speaks volumes about his presence and experience in the side, and it would be a huge shame to lose him for free at this point in his career.

In other news, Wolves are reportedly willing to snub a move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Aston Villa are looking to land Rangers defender Leon King in a cut-price deal, Ashley Preece reports.

The Lowdown: King profiled

King is 17 years of age and is primarily a centre-back who can also line out at left-back when required. He has made two senior appearances for Rangers and was promoted to first team training during Steven Gerrard’s time at Ibrox, with the current Villa boss labelling him ‘superb’.

The teenager’s contract in Glasgow expires at the end of the season, and although Rangers are in talks with King over a new deal, it seems as if Villa are looking to take full advantage.

The Latest: Preece’s update

Preece took to Twitter hours before Villa’s game with Manchester City on Wednesday, revealing that Gerrard is looking to take advantage of the defender’s contract situation, with a cut-price deal in the region of £200,000 thought to be on the cards.

The journalist tweeted: “Some transfer news into @birmingham_live prior to kick-off as Gerrard looks to take full advantage of Leon King’s contract situation at Rangers. The 17-year-old was promoted to first-team sessions under SG. Cut-price deal for #avfc.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move

Gerrard is thought to be after a centre-back in the New Year, and although King may not be an immediate first team signing, you’d expect that he could break into his plans over the coming years.

The teenager is clearly a player who the 41-year-old rates after promoting him to first team training at Rangers, and the defender may prove to be a bargain for villa in a six-figure deal.

Manchester United are also thought to be keen on the youngster, which further shows how big a deal it could be in the long run if the Midlanders pull it off.

In other news: ‘Gerrard out’ – Many Villa fans erupt over club’s plans for ‘brilliant’ beast

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted positively to a rumour claiming that Mohamed Salah will sign a new deal at the club.

The 29-year-old is enjoying a sensational season for the Reds, scoring an incredible 22 goals before Christmas, not to mention registering nine assists.

Salah is Liverpool’s most important player at the moment but there is ongoing speculation surrounding his future due to a new deal not yet being signed.

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The Egyptian’s current contract expires in the summer of 2023 and the thought of losing him doesn’t bear contemplating for Reds fans.

However, according to the Sunday World [via Anfield Watch on Twitter], Liverpool are ‘increasingly confident’ that Salah will extend his stay at Anfield, with talks underway regarding a new and improved deal.

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Liverpool fans love Salah update

These Reds supporters took to Twitter to provide their positive thoughts on the news.

“Make it happen!”

Credit: @soccerhaus

“Straight into my veins”

Credit: @ahmeddhishamm

“Whatever it takes! Get. That. Deal. Done!”

Credit: @SNIPERBRO2015

“Finally!”

Credit: @ashantiyounggun

“Give him whatever he wants, he deserves it”

Credit: @thefirstac

“This would be the greatest gift I could receive this holiday season”

Credit: @JustinMacRae1

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to seal a move away from Anfield. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United and exciting young talent go hand in hand, and the next starlet could be about to come off their illustrious production line.

Alvaro Fernandez signed for the Red Devils as a free agent back in September 2020 after deciding to depart boyhood club Real Madrid, adding to an already exciting youth setup.

The left-back made an instant impression after putting pen to paper on a four-year deal, scoring a stunning strike on his debut for the U18s.

His eye-catching display in the 5-1 thrashing against Burnley earned him an immediate promotion to the U23s, and Fernandez went on to score a total of three goals and provide a further six assists in 30 appearances for the academy sides last term.

Following the 18-year-old’s decision to depart his homeland in search of regular football, Fernandez’s former coaches at Madrid were open about how the 6 foot 1 youngster would suit the English game.

One coaching source told Spanish outlet AS (via TribalFootball): “Álvaro is a footballer with a great future who has been hurt by having Miguel Gutiérrez in front of him.

“But the conditions for him to do well in England, he has them, his pace and his centres will be appreciated there.”

With Luke Shaw currently dominating the left-back spot at this moment in time, Ole Gunnar Solsjaer may be keen to acquire some extra competition for the England international over the next couple of years.

Alex Telles looks incapable of shifting the stocky defender, and therefore, Fernandez’s presence in the first-team could be the ideal solution.

An outstanding display from the teenager against Brighton and Hove Albion back in November 2020 led to former United trainee Paul McShane telling MUTV that he was quite taken by Fernandez’s showing.

“He looks very good, tidy with his feet. When he steps into midfield areas he stays there, he can act as the extra midfielder. He was very comfortable and very impressive,” McShane said.

As a result, Solskjaer may be tempted to bring Fernandez into one of his matchday squads as the season progresses, adding pressure for Shaw to improve his performances while giving the youngster a taste of the senior setup.

It’s surely only a matter of time, though, until the ex-Madrid ace gets his big break, and everyone associated with United will be eagerly anticipating that day.

And, in other news…Ole could save his job with £350k-p/w MUFC wizard whose “potential is off the charts” 

Tottenham Hotspur could be gifted a second shot at signing Sasa Kalajdzic this January after a fresh report emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to Fussball Transfers, there is a feeling around Stuttgart that they could be forced to sell their leading talisman, despite him nearing a return from injury.

His contract is set to expire in summer 2023 but there have been no concrete talks over an extension, and it’s thought that the right offer would see the Bundesliga outfit accept.

It means the door has seemingly opened for the north London outfit to strike, though it remains to be seen how much the 24-year-old would command, with CIES Football Observatory valuing him at £18m.

Sign him up?

Antonio Conte only has one senior centre-forward at his disposal in Harry Kane and we’ve already seen his struggles this season, having bagged just one goal in the Premier League from 11 appearances.

The 11-time Austria international would be an intriguing alternative to the England captain, not least because he stands at a whopping 6 foot 7 – the same height as former Spurs striker Peter Crouch, to whom Kalajdzic has been likened in the past.

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“I have heard a lot of phrases and expressions! I’ve heard a comparison with [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, Peter Crouch, anything from ‘tall and lanky’ to ‘tall’ and an ‘Ibrahimovic-Machine’! I’ve heard a lot of things,” he told Bundesliga.com.

“When I used to play holding midfield there was a player called Nemanja Matic at Manchester United who was a bit of an idol, he’s also Serbian and I have Serbian roots. I tried to compare myself to him.”

Interestingly, Matic is a player who Conte has managed before. The midfielder played a crucial role during Chelsea’s title-winning campaign in 2016/17.

Despite being so tall, the Austrian has proven to be a very adept and dynamic forward, as revealed by his manager Pellegrino Matarazzo, who said: “He’s a very good footballer. He links up well with his teammates, and communicates very effectively. He’s invaluable.”

Conte has often utilised big centre-forwards in his systems – think Diego Costa and Romelu Lukaku – so he would surely love Fabio Paratici to make a move for the Stuttgart sensation this winter.

AND in other news, “In discussions”: Journo drops big Spurs transfer claim, fans should be hugely worried…

Emerson Royal, Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura all struggled for Tottenham against West Ham United on Sunday as the Irons prevailed 1-0.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were facing a London rival and early on they showed signs of promise. However, in the second half they failed to even register a single shot and ultimately succumbed to a Michail Antonio strike.

Here, we take a look at Spurs’ three worst players statistically on the day, according to SofaScore rankings.

Emerson Royal

The right-back featured for the full game at the London Stadium but he lost seven of his 15 duels and lost possession of the ball 13 times throughout his time on the pitch. He was also dribbled past four times by opponents on Sunday, a damning indictment of his defensive performance.

Son Heung-min

The South Korea international is usually one of Spurs’ best players but he did not enjoy himself at the London Stadium. He failed to win any of his six duels, lost possession of the ball 13 times and failed to land a single one of his six crosses. When the former Bayer Leverkusen man does not perform, Spurs are a weaker team, and that was the case against the Irons.

Lucas Moura

Moura was also disappointing against David Moyes’ side. He won eight of his 16 duels but lost possession more often (25 times) than any of his teammates, while he completed an underwhelming 71% of his attempted passes. He must do better if he is to convince Nuno that he is worthy of a place in the starting XI.

In other news, this man wants to leave Tottenham

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is out of his side’s important Premier League clash with Norwich City on Sunday, per Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Bamford a big miss as injuries stack up

The 28-year-old was arguably the Whites’ best player in 2020/21, bagging 17 goals in the league, helping his side to a ninth-place finish as the top scorer and third in assists behind Jack Harrison and Raphinha.

Unfortunately, Bamford has failed to get going yet this season, with injury ruling him out of action since the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United in the middle of September.

There have been countless problems in the injury department for the Whites, with the likes of Luke Ayling, Diego Llorente, Kalvin Phillips, Robin Koch and Bamford all missing considerable time, and Hay has now shared some more news on the latter.

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The Latest: Injury absence goes on

Taking to Twitter on Friday from Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference, Hay gave a seven-word verdict confirming Bamford is still not available:

“Bamford missing again for Norwich on Sunday.”

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The Verdict: Need him back

Bamford has been a huge miss since being out and it has played a part in Leeds winning just one of their opening nine league games, sitting just above the relegation zone in the process.

Granted, the Whites weren’t necessarily firing before he got injured but they have still scored just three goals in four league matches without him.

Bamford’s eventual return could spark Leeds’ campaign into life, given his eye for goal, hold-up play and ability to create for others (seven league assists last season).

In other news, Beren Cross has highlighted the Leeds players who are currently out of form. Read more here.

Nuno Santo’s return to UEFA Europa Conference League action on Thursday evening as they welcome Slovenian champions NS Mura to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Things have taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, having lost three straight heavy defeats in the Premier League after Sunday’s north London disappointment.

The Portuguese head coach blamed himself for his team selection at the Emirates Stadium and he will have plenty to ponder ahead of kickoff this evening.

One of Spurs’ biggest issues right now is in the final third – they look lacklustre in attack and have really struggled to score goals, even when they were winning, it was merely by a 1-0 margin.

After six league games, Spurs rank last for average number of shots per game (9.3) and sit second-bottom for expected goals (5.47 xG), which only goes to show just how severe the problem is at the club.

The likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli have consistently failed to step up to be the team’s main creator in attacking midfield. It’s been a massive, and underlying, issue ever since Christian Eriksen departed for Inter Milan in January 2020.

However, the difference is, Nuno could well have a solution right under his nose, thanks to the moves sporting director Fabio Paratici made in the transfer market this summer.

He managed to offload the injury-prone Erik Lamela and in return, secured a promising Spanish gem in Bryan Gil – a flair player capable of pulling the strings and linking the midfield to the attack.

The 20-year-old wizard simply has to start this evening if the Portuguese is to turn things around. He’s now under mounting pressure to deliver results and Gil would aid his chances substantially.

Valued at £27m, the Spain U21 international has already been likened to the Danish playmaker, as well as another former Spurs midfield dynamo, Luka Modric.

“I think they’ve just got to nail down that role for him. As soon as they nail down that role, I think we’re going to see a very talented young player coming to the fore. He’s kind of got a bit of everything: he can pass, he can dribble, he’s very creative, he has clever movement,” said football.london’s Alasdair Gold.

“They’ve just got to decide, is he a guy that can ultimately become the new Eriksen, because the more and more I watch him play, I think the ability’s there to do that. Some have even made a Modric comparison and said, maybe he could end up coming even deeper and becoming that kind of player.”

Gil averaged 1.7 crosses and 1.9 key passes per 90 in La Liga last season, as per WhoScored, which certainly suggests that he’s a player that looks to create chances frequently.

This season, Heung-min Son and Steven Bergwijn top the charts, managing 1.5 key passes per 90 but these are returns still below that of the young prodigy.

As a player that has been described as a “big talent”, “exciting” and one with “unbelievable amounts of technique”, it’s time for Nuno to unleash the rarely-seen gem a lot more often.

There’s only so long he can continue to count on his more senior figures, especially as they continue to let him down.

Gil must start against Mura this evening. It could be a game-changing call from a manager under intense scrutiny right now.

AND in other news, Nuno could finally axe Dele Alli if Spurs secure “explosive” £36m-rated “young Salah”…

While Wolverhampton Wanderers’ transfer business has been largely successful in recent years, with Jeff Shi and Fosun bringing a number of impressive additions to Molineux from overseas, there have nevertheless been a couple of deals that have not worked out for the Premier League side.

Perhaps the most prominent of these failed transfers was the club’s capture of AC Milan centre-forward Patrick Cutrone, whose £16.2m move to Wolves has proven to be a rather considerable waste of money.

Indeed, upon leaving the San Siro for Wolverhampton in the summer of 2019, it initially appeared as if Wolves had secured an extremely promising player at a very reasonable price – with Cutrone previously being dubbed by SI as a “wonderkid” and the 23-year-old boasting a Transfermarkt valuation of £25.2m at the time of his move, £9m more than the fee Wolves paid for his services.

However, in the first half of his debut season at Molineux, the Italy U21 international started just three Premier League games under Nuno Espirito Santo – making a further nine appearances from the bench – scoring two goals, registering no assists and missing two big chances for his side.

These returns saw the striker average a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.63, ranking him as the club’s second-worst player in the top flight back in 2019/20.

Seemingly as a result of this level of performance, Nuno then decided to send the £63k-per-week man to ACF Fiorentina on a one-and-a-half-year loan deal in the January transfer window, just six months after joining the club.

However, in a surprising turn of events, Wolves cancelled this loan deal – and subsequently Fiorentina’s obligation to purchase the 23-year-old at the end of last season – 12 months in, only to once again send the striker out on a temporary basis just 24 days later, this time to Valencia.

And, after arguably a more unsuccessful spell in LaLiga than his half-season at Wolves, scoring no goals and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.55 over his seven appearances for Los Murcielagos, the Spanish side decided not to purchase the centre-forward, sending him back to Wolves this summer.

Although, with seemingly no future ahead of him at Molineux, Bruno Lage once again sanctioned a loan move for the Italian, who will be spending the penultimate year of his Wolves’ contract at Serie A side Empoli.

As such, considering the fact that Cutrone has played a grand total of just 28 games for Wolves, in addition to his Transfermarkt valuation is now sitting at a mere £6.3m – £9.9m less than the £16.2m Wolves paid to sign him – the argument that the player whose agent claimed has “gone into oblivion” at Molineux was something of a nightmare signing for the Premier League club is a rather easy one to make.

In other news: “Intent” Wolves dynamo who made just 5 passes proved Lage wrong in derby thriller

When Tim Cahill hails someone at Everton, Toffees supporters must know they are onto a winner.

The outspoken Australian hasn’t been seen at Goodison Park for a while now but when questioned back in 2011 who the most talented player he’d worked with was, two words were spoken; Ross Barkley.

Cahill then described the attacking midfielder as a “special talent” before Martin Keown predicted further down the line that he’d be one of the best players we’ve seen in England.

You could understand that assumption. After all, just seven years prior, Wayne Rooney was making a splash in the royal blue at Goodison Park.

Yet, while Rooney went on to become England’s record goalscorer, Barkley’s career has sadly petered out.

He joined Chelsea and after not receiving the game time he desired, joined Aston Villa on loan last term.

Frustratingly, he couldn’t find form in the Midlands either, scoring four goals and registering a solitary assist.

The plan, so Barkley says, was to play him as a box to box midfielder at Villa Park. It was Dean Smith’s grand plan to link him up with the dynamic Jack Grealish and the effervescent John McGinn.

Though, while those two thrived, Barkley merely watched on and marvelled at someone like Grealish. Only a few years ago, similar words were being muttered about his career instead.

But why is Barkley’s name relevant to Everton in 2021? Well, he still serves as a benchmark for those making the breakthrough from academy football to the senior team.

One man hoping to do that this season is 17-year-old Isaac Price.

The midfielder hasn’t been seen in the first-team yet but he did train alongside the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and James Rodriguez last term.

That will have served as a valuable experience for a teenager who’s cut from a similar cloth as Barkley.

Sources have told The Athletic that he is “too good” not to make the step up eventually and words from U23 boss David Unsworth supplement that theory.

Speaking to the Echo, he said of Price back in April: “Isaac is a box-to-box midfielder. He is a great passer, he’s got a bit of everything.

“He still has to develop physically, as you can see, he’s not the finished article physically, but that will come.”

Possessing the ability to join the attack late and bring his team forward with the ball, there are plenty of parallels between Barkley and Price.

However, it’s their passing that’s arguably most similar. For instance, the former once produced 16 assists in two seasons for the Toffees as he really started to make impressive strides at Goodison.

At such a young age, Price has plenty of work to do before he is considered for the first team. Though, with such an exciting array of talent in his locker, it surely won’t be long before he’s unleashed by Rafa Benitez.

AND in other news, Signed for £18m, now worth £31.5m: Brands struck gold over “exceptional” Everton gem…