Raphael Varane has revealed how he earned Cristiano Ronaldo’s respect, with the Frenchman saying there is “no need to be shy” around the Portuguese.
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Wolves conclude their Premier League season with a trip to Liverpool this afternoon. The Reds can still win the league title if they beat Manchester City’s result against Aston Villa today.
What was on the whole an impressive first season under Bruno Lage for the West Midlands side, Wanderers have seen their campaign crash and burn over the final match weeks.
The Black Country outfit are winless in their last six matches, earning just two points, and it will be a tall task for them to leave Anfield with a result.
However, their chances will undoubtedly be bolstered with the inclusion of Daniel Podence in the starting lineup.
The £52k-per-week Portuguese winger has been out of action lately with a foot injury and made his first appearance since early April last weekend from the bench against Norwich City.
Goals have been at a major shortage under Lage this term with the Portuguese manager’s team scoring just 37 times in 37 matches, with only three sides scoring fewer.
This has particularly been the case of late with just four goals scored in Wolves’ last six matches.
By unleashing Podence, the West Midlands club can benefit from the 26-year-old’s attacking threat, with the winger scoring six goals and providing three assists in 30 appearances this term.
Labelled as a “mini Hazard” by teammate Pedro Neto, the Portuguese’s six goals make him the club’s joint-top scorer alongside Raul Jimenez, emphasising how little goal threat there has been from the Molineux outfit this season.
However, Podence’s inclusion will force Lage to make a decision as to who makes way for the 26-year-old with the likes of Jimenez, Neto and Hee-Chan Hwang given the nod last time out.
Although the former is Wolves’ top-scorer in the Premier League this season, he is without a goal in seven appearances whereas Neto is yet to score since returning from injury whilst Hwang has had some underwhelming performances of late.
Liverpool will undoubtedly boast the majority of possession which won’t necessarily be an issue for Wolves who pride themselves on their defending and will be able to remain compact at the back.
That also means that the visitors’ best chance of a goal will most likely come on the counter-attack where Podence can be a secret weapon for Lage and spoil the Reds’ party.
Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Alex Scott.
In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, the football.london journalist revealed that, following widespread reports that Spurs are keeping tabs on the Bristol City midfielder, the 18-year-old is indeed a player who Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte are fond of, before suggesting that Tottenham could make a move for the England U19 international in the coming months.
Regarding Spurs’ interest in the playmaker, Gold said: “There’s a young midfielder from the Championship that I know they really like – Alex Scott, an 18-year-old who plays for Bristol City.
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“He primarily plays as a right midfielder but he can also play through the centre. He’s played 38 times last season, scored four and got two assists. At the moment, Bristol City’s valuation of him is higher than what Spurs want to pay, so there’s no movement right now, but keep an eye on that one because he’s a player they like.”
Considering how exciting a prospect Scott quite clearly is, it is not difficult to understand why Paratici would be interested in a deal to bring the 18-year-old to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.
Indeed, over his 38 Championship appearances this season, the £10m talent enjoyed a spectacular breakthrough campaign for the Robins, scoring four goals, registering two assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.6 shots, making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.
The versatile midfielder also impressed in a defensive capacity, making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 0.9 clearances and winning 5.0 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per fixture.
These returns saw the player who Brian Tinnion dubbed “unbelievable” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as Nigel Pearson’s joint seventh-best performer in the English second tier.
Furthermore, Scott’s performances have also seen him earn comparisons to the £100m Jack Grealish, with the 18-year-old being dubbed the “Guernsey Grealish” due to his ability to progress the ball from midfield into the final third.
As such, should Paratici manage to convince the Bristol City starlet of a switch to north London this summer and the youngster continues his exceptional rate of development in the professional game, the Italian sporting director could well have unearthed Spurs the next Grealish – something that will undoubtedly be an extremely exciting thought for everyone involved with Tottenham.
AND in other news: “Going to try and sign”: Gold drops big Spurs transfer claim that supporters will love
Luis Suarez could be set for a return to the Premier League, with Aston Villa targeting a deal for the striker, who is set to become a free agent after departing Atletico Madrid upon the expiry of his contract over the summer.
That’s according to The Telegraph, who claimed that Villa manager and ex-Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard wants to reunite with his former team-mate at Villa Park next season.
It would be a sensational capture for the West Midlands outfit, who have already shown serious intent with the additions of Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos before the end of May.
Gerrard has already tied down one former Reds team-mate to a permanent contract in Philippe Coutinho, and the Brazilian’s former Liverpool and Barcelona colleague could be the next big name to make the move to Villa Park.
Although he wouldn’t be a long-term option at 35, signing Suarez would be a seriously impressive feat by Aston Villa.
The striker is an incredible goalscorer, having scored 436 times at club level during his stellar career, with 82 of those coming at Liverpool.
Having left Anfield for Camp Nou in 2014, the Uruguayan hasn’t played for an English club since departing Merseyside. He made 282 appearances for Barcelona, where he scored 194 goals and registered 113 assists, before joining Atletico in 2020.
Suarez enjoyed an impressive first season with Diego Simeone’s side, helping them to a first La Liga title in seven years with 21 goals in the Spanish top flight.
However, this season hasn’t been as straightforward for the striker, who had fallen out of favour and was limited to just 20 league starts. Despite a significant decrease in game-time, though, the 132-cap Uruguay international still reached double digits in goals, scoring 13 times.
With Atletico refusing to extend Suarez’s contract, Villa can land the forward on a free transfer, although wages could be tricky to negotiate given that he is on a mammoth £263k-p/w. That is more than twice the pay of every Villa player except Coutinho, who is their highest earner on £150k-p/w.
Signing a striker will be imperative this summer, though, with Ollie Watkins blowing hot and cold this term despite scoring 11 Premier League goals. Meanwhile, Danny Ings has appeared to have struggled to settle in at Villa Park, netting seven goals, a significant decrease on his figures at Southampton.
Labelled “world-class” by his former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and “probably the best player I have played with” by none other than Gerrard, in Suarez Villa would be getting a serial winner with massive experience and a sensational goal-scoring record.
It wouldn’t be a long-term solution, but it would surely leave Villa supporters ecstatic, with Gerrard already a huge admirer of the qualities that the Uruguay striker possesses.
AND in other news: Contact made: NSWE in talks for “unreal” £100m AVFC target, he’s “perfect” for Gerrard
Liverpool are expecting to complete a move for Aberdeen full-back Calvin Ramsay this summer, according to a report from The Athletic.
The Reds have been regularly linked with a move for Ramsay in recent weeks and were recently named as favourites ahead of Leeds United in the pursuit.
Despite his tender years, the 18-year-old marauding right-back has already made 39 senior domestic outings in Scotland and has represented the nation at the Under 21 level.
As Jurgen Klopp attempts to build a squad fit for another tilt at all four trophies available next season, Ramsay is very much on Julian Ward’s radar at Anfield…
As per The Athletic, Liverpool are ‘looking to complete’ a move for the Scottish teenager in the upcoming transfer window.
It’s claimed that the Reds will have to pay just £4million for the talented starlet, who was hailed as a ‘superb young talent’ and the ‘real deal’ by journalist Sean McGinlay.
Unsurprisingly, the report explains that Ramsay is expected to arrive on Merseyside as an ‘understudy’ to Trent Alexander-Arnold, putting the future of Neco Williams in increased doubt.
Should Liverpool complete the swoop for Ramsay, it would be yet another clear indication of the mantra from FSG affecting transfer strategy as the club looks to stockpile some of the finest youngsters beneath the current first-team crop.
Recent captures of Fabio Carvalho, Marcelo Pitaluga and Kaide Gordon have all caught the eye in one way or another and the Reds appear to have the next generation already ready and waiting to step up.
During 2021/22, Ramsay earned an impressive 6.92 Sofascore rating which included making 1.8 key passes, completing 1.3 clearances and successfully finding a teammate with 1.3 accurate long balls on average per game – highlighting a well-rounded game, perfect for the modern-day full-back and to shadow Alexander-Arnold.
Boasting an array of superb attributes both in a defensive and attacking capacity (WhoScored), signing the exciting hot prospect for the mooted fee would be a wholly worthwhile move from the Reds.
In other news: Liverpool want to sign ‘intelligent’ forward as Sadio Mane replacement, read more here
Sky Sports journalist Manuele Baiocchini has now made a promising Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving central defensive target Sven Botman.
Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni was a top target for Spurs manager Antonio Conte but both the Italian and club chief Fabio Paratici were dealt a major blow on Wednesday afternoon.
The player’s agent confirmed that he seems set to stay at the San Siro with it now seeming like the Lilywhites must turn to alternatives if they wish to back Conte ahead of his first full Premier League season.
One of these possible targets is thought to be Lille star Botman who has been attracting serious interest from Newcastle United, Manchester United and AC Milan.
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Sky Italy reporter Baiocchini, sharing news on Twitter, has made a promising claim involving Spurs – going on to state that the north Londoners have emerged as ‘stronger and stronger’ contenders for Botman.
This comes as Milan fall behind in the race to sign Ligue 1’s sensation but Tottenham will still face competition from Newcastle and The Red Devils.
Still just 22-years-old, Botman has been a colossal defensive presence for Lille in the French top flight – making more clearances per 90 than anyone in their squad (WhoScored).
He also finished 2021/2022 as their third-best performer by average match rating, just behind star men Renato Sanches and Benjamin Andre (WhoScored).
The in-form Dutchman could also leave his current club for the very reasonable price of €40 million (£34m), potentially marking Botman out as a real standout alternative to Bastoni.
In other news: ‘Better and better’ – Insider says Tottenham could make announcement ‘in the coming days’…find out more here.
Aston Villa haven’t always been blessed with the greatest of goalscorers but in the last decade, the frontline at Villa Park has somewhat improved as the years have gone by.
Christian Benteke had great success, even earning a big-money move to Liverpool as a result, before failing to suit Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football system. Tammy Abraham is another who starred for Villa – albeit in the Championship – and now Ollie Watkins is leading the line, showing glimpses of bursting into life under Steven Gerrard.
Whether the Midlands club target another forward this summer remains to be seen. With Danny Ings and Watkins to call on, though, Gerrard has plenty of firepower already at his disposal.
Last season, both had spells of promise, but failed to enjoy campaigns of consistency. In Gerrard’s first full season in charge, they’ll both be desperate to establish themselves as the starting strikers.
Watkins, in particular, at 26, will have the pressure on him to perform as he enters his theoretical prime. He may even look to follow in the footsteps of some of the players listed below, as revealed by TransferMarkt.
The big Belgian was unstoppable at his peak, scoring 23 goals and recording a further seven assists in the 2012/13 season as Villa survived the drop. It remains his best goal scoring season in English football.
Even though Benteke’s 2013/14 season didn’t quite live up to the prior campaign’s total of 30 goal contributions, he still managed to rank top out of Villa’s squad, recording 13 contributions. His 11 goals and two assists were enough to help his side avoid relegation once more.
If it wasn’t obvious before, Benteke more than enjoyed his time at Aston Villa. Just one season after topping the contributions rankings again, ‘Big Ben’ made it a hat-trick. And this time he managed to better the previous season.
With 15 goals and three assists, Benteke once again helped Villa survive. It must be said, however, that they cut it close – finishing 17th.
Having narrowly avoided relegation the season before with Benteke at the forefront, Aston Villa were not so lucky a year later, as their former striker jumped ship to Liverpool.
The responsibility to score goals fell on Benteke’s replacement, Rudy Gestede. The forward disappointed, however, with just six goals and three assists all season as Villa finished rock bottom.
With the Gestede experiment failing, Villa turned to Bristol City’s Jonathan Kodja, who became an instant hit. The Ivory Coast forward managed 19 goals and one assist in his debut season, as Villa finished mid-table.
The underwhelming campaign was of no fault of Kodja’s, however, who had an excellent season producing numbers last seen by Benteke.
With each Aston Villa season seemed to come new heroes when it came to goal contributions. And, in the 2017/18 campaign, the mantle was taken by Albert Adomah, whose contributions helped Villa reach the play-off final, where they suffered heartbreak at the hands of Fulham.
Adomah, much like Kodja in the previous season, had played his part, however, with 15 goals and seven assists.
Many have been full of praise for Tammy Abraham recently, having scored 27 goals and assisted five for Roma. But Aston Villa fans would have seen it coming as early as 2018 when the striker propelled the Midlands club back to the promised land of the Premier League.
His 26 goals and three assists were enough to book Villa’s place at Wembley, where they defeated Derby County 2-1 in the play-off final.
Back in the Premier League, Jack Grealish stepped up to provide Villa’s goals. And that he did, with 10 goals and eight assists totalling 18 goal contributions.
Surviving on the final day, Jack Grealish’s goal earned his side a point against West Ham, before the celebrations regarding Villa’s safety got underway.
After surviving the season before, Villa took advantage of their top flight status to welcome Brentford striker Watkins to Villa Park. And he did not disappoint, scoring 16 goals and registering five assists in his debut season.
Watkins’ best moment from the 20/21 campaign will always be his hat-trick against Liverpool, as Aston Villa demolished the then-champions 7-2 at Villa Park.
Much to Watkins’ credit, he didn’t rest on his laurels last season, even with the arrival of Ings to share the goals around. Instead, the England striker continued to kick on, scoring 11 goals and recording two assists.
Meanwhile, in his debut season, Ings managed to match Watkins’ goal contributions tally with seven goals and six assists.
The duo of Ings and Watkins will be looking to give Gerrard a major headache when it comes to choosing a preferred frontline next season. They’ve partnered each other at times, but Gerrard opted for a lone striker towards the end of the campaign.
If they can build a strong partnership, then Villa may unlock the door currently keeping them out of European football. That will be the goal next season, too, with Europa Conference League and Europa League positions highly competitive in the Premier League.
Everton have reportedly now ‘asked for’ versatile Porto midfielder Otavio and are expected to make an official bid soon.
Otavio has been strongly linked with a move to Merseyside rivals Liverpool this summer, but given that they are now set to sign Darwin Nunez from Benfica, they may put any potential move for the FC Porto attacker on the back-burner.
This would open the door for the Goodison Park outfit, as Frank Lampard looks to strengthen his starting eleven ahead of the new season.
As per O Jogo (via Sport Witness), the Toffees have now made an enquiry over the possibility of signing Otavio and have ‘asked for’ the Portugal international.
They are expected to make an official bid, but Otavio is protected by his whopping €60m (£51.2m) release clause.
Given that Porto will be playing in the UEFA Champions League next term after winning their domestic title, and that the Blues have reportedly had financial trouble over the last year, it just seems too unrealistic that they would be able to sign Otavio, especially for his asking price.
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He would be a great signing, having scored five goals and made a further 14 assists in total over all competitions last campaign (whole of the frontline and on both flanks would be a valuable asset to Lampard.
However, the club should not be wasting their time here unless they can seriously whittle that release clause down.
In other news, find out what ‘massive’ boost EFC have now received here!
Tottenham Hotspur have learned how much it would cost to land Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton-Diaz.
Football London’s Alasdair Gold revealed on his YouTube channel this week that Spurs hold ‘a little bit of interest’ in Brereton-Diaz.
He doesn’t believe there has been formal contact up to this point, but says it’s a move the club could explore.
The 23-year-old was originally set to be out of contract this summer, but Blackburn exercised an option to extend his deal by a further 12 months.
Richard Jolly, a senior football correspondent at The Independent, revealed Rovers’ likely price tag for the Chilean, stating they will ‘listen to offers’ in order to avoid losing him for nothing next summer.
‘They might ask’ for £20million for the striker, who is also a target for La Liga outfit Sevilla.
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Brereton-Diaz may well be the perfect candidate to provide cover and competition for Harry Kane.
His goalscoring record – 22 in 37 Championship appearances last season and four in his first 14 caps for Chile – suggests he could be a dependable stand-in.
Journalist Will Lancaster says he did an ‘amazing job’ in the second tier in 2021/22 after previously struggling for goals.
Perhaps most crucially, Gold suspects that he ‘would probably okay’ being a back-up to Kane.
In other news, this journalist shares an exciting THFC development.
Newcastle United have reportedly been dealt a blow in their efforts to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby this summer.
In a recent post on Twitter, journalist Patrick Berger shed some light on the current situation surrounding the Magpies’ attempts to sign the winger.
He said: “Moussa Diaby is the top target for Newcastle United.#NUFCset to pay €35-40m for the Frenchman.Leverkusen demanding way more than €60m. I am told [the] player is open for a move but has no intention to go to Newcastle. The winger is also on the list of Paris Saint-Germain.”
It was reported in May that the Toon were interested in bringing the Frenchman to St James’ Park ahead of their next Premier League campaign.
After working his way through PSG’s youth ranks, the attacker made his move to Germany in the summer of 2019.
Since then, the 22-year-old has gone on to make 124 appearances for the Bundesliga club across all competitions. In that time, Diaby has found the net 35 times and delivered 37 assists along the way.
Across 40 appearances throughout the 2021/22 season with Leverkusen across the Bundesliga and Europa League, the winger scored 17 goals and supplied 14 assists, highlighting his importance to the team.
To further highlight his attacking talent, in his 32 league games last term, the former PSG youngster racked up more successful dribbles (50) and more shot-creating actions (103) than any other Leverkusen player.
Taking all this into account, it would surely be bad news for Eddie Howe to hear that Diaby has no intention of moving to St James’ Park this summer.
Given the 22-year-old’s clear attacking talent, it’s easy to argue that he would be an exciting signing for the Toon and give them an extra dynamic at the top of the pitch.
However, if the player genuinely has no interest in joining the Magpies, there would be very little point in the club putting in a bid for him.
Therefore, if Howe is looking for another attacking player to bring in this summer, they could be better off forgetting about Diaby and looking elsewhere.
In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops big transfer update, it’s great news for Newcastle supporters