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Bruno Lage’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side went into Saturday afternoon’s West Midlands derby in much-improved form, as after losing their first three league games of the 2021/22 campaign, the 45-year-old’s Wolves side had picked up nine points from a possible 12 over their last four fixtures.

However, after Danny Ings opened the scoring for Aston Villa shortly after half-time and John McGinn doubled the home side’s lead on the 68-minute mark, it appeared as if Wolves’ fine run of form would be coming to an end at Villa Park.

The latter of these goals led to Lage making a double substitution with around 15 minutes to go, bringing on both Fabio Silva and Daniel Podence for Joao Moutinho and Fernando Marcal respectively – a decision which would change the game completely.

Just five passes made

With Francisco Trincao being ruled out of the game after falling ill while on international duty with Portugal, there was something of a pre-match debate as to who should come in to replace the Barcelona loanee in the Wolves starting XI – Adama Traore or Podence.

While Traore did light up the fixture on occasion due to his remarkable strength on the ball and dizzying dribbles – of which he completed six – it was undoubtedly the Portuguese’s introduction to the game which began to turn the tide for Wolves.

Indeed, despite the £22.5m-rated forward featuring for just 16 minutes, as well as making only five passes and touching the ball just 14 times, the 25-year-old nevertheless ended the game with one assist and one key pass to his name. He played an influential role in his side’s thrilling comeback, with late goals from Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Ruben Neves securing a famous 3-2 win over Wolves’ West Midlands rivals.

As a result of his efforts, Podence earned a SofaScore match rating of 7.3 – with only Saiss and Neves receiving a higher score for Wolves on the day – while The Athletic journalist Tim Spiers claimed that the Portugal international’s introduction to the game finally saw Lage’s side showing signs of “intent” in the match.

While it is impossible to know whether or not Podence would have had the same impact if he had started ahead of Traore, it seems certain that the £60k-per-week winger will ultimately believe that his performance proved his manager wrong – a sentiment that we wouldn’t argue against.

In other news: “Huge” £51k-p/w Wolves target “able to leave” in January, he’d be a major coup for Shi

Dean Windass thinks that a centre-back will be one of David Moyes’ priorities this summer and said that James Tarkowski would be a solid addition.

Moyes marked his first full season back at the London Stadium by guiding the Hammers back into Europe following their best top-flight finish for 22 years.

However, besides Leicester, West Ham boasted the worst defensive record in the top-eight, and even conceded more goals than Brighton, who finished 16th.

Moyes currently has four centre-backs at his disposal, but Angelo Ogbonna is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract, whilst Paraguayan Fabian Balbuena will be released at the end of the month.

That leaves West Ham with just three central defenders, but according to Football Insider, Tarkowski would be keen on returning to London, five years after leaving Brentford for Burnley.

The Hammers were strongly linked with the 28-year-old, who Dyche described as “outstanding” after his debut for the Clarets, last summer but were unable to prise him away from Turf Moor. However, with now just one year remaining on his Clarets deal, Moyes could yet revisit his interest in the defender.

And Windass exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that it’s a deal that would suit both club and player:

“I think now with Moyesy signing his three-year deal, he was a centre-half, so that will be his first port of call. And he would be a good fit, Tarkowski.

“He got in the England squad and then came out of it, but it would be a bigger move for him financially.”

Crystal Palace suffered their third consecutive Premier League loss on Saturday as they were defeated 2-0 by Manchester City.

Two goals in as many second half minutes from Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres secured victory for Pep Guardiola’s troops, with the Eagles’ campaign now looking like it is set to fizzle out under Roy Hodgson.

Whilst it may have been somewhat unrealistic to expect Palace to go toe-to-toe with the champions-elect, the hosts were certainly not helped by an absolutely horrendous performance from the usually inspiring Wilfried Zaha.

The 18-cap Ivorian was anonymous at Selhurst Park on Saturday in an offensive sense, not having a single shot and providing just one key pass throughout the game according to WhoScored. He was not able to display what is arguably his most potent weapon, having not completed a single dribble during the 90 minutes.

The frustrations did not end there, either. He was caught offside on two occasions, which was more than the entire Eagles side put together.

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Zaha continued to be wasteful and ineffective as the game continued and the Eagles lost control of the contest. The forward lost possession on 14 occasion,s whilst of the 12 duels for which he competed, he was only able to win two of those, according to SofaScore.

Having struck his 10th goal of the seasonagainst Leicester City last time out, Roy Hodgson will have hoped that the 28-year-old would continue his positive form against Manchester City, but he did not get anywhere near the performance levels expected of him at all throughout the afternoon.

He will certainly hope that Zaha can produce better in Palace’s next Premier League game against Sheffield United.

AND in more news, find out which boss is now top of Palace’s managerial shortlist ahead of next season…

A big Newcastle United development has emerged over midfield gem Isaac Hayden…

What’s the latest?

The Magpies defensive midfielder has revealed that he is closing in on a return from the knee injury that has kept him out of action since December.

Hayden has not played a single Premier League match for the Toon since he suffered a blow in the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City at St. James’ Park and is now on the verge of overcoming his setback.

Although he will miss tonight’s clash with Crystal Palace and indeed the rest of the term, it’s encouraging that he’s training again.

He Tweeted: “Road to recovery nearly complete, forever smiling.”

Eddie Howe will be delighted

The Magpies head coach will surely be elated with this news as it means that the midfield enforcer will be fit heading into the 2022/23 campaign.

He will not be able to play in the remaining matches of the current season, as he is not on the club’s 25-man Premier League roster, but he will come back as an option next term.

After being left out of Howe’s squad in January, Hayden outlined his commitment to the club as he said:

“I am bitterly disappointed to have not been included in the 25-man squad for the second half of this season due to injury. Now is a time for me to reflect. I’ll be working harder than ever before to come back stronger, like I always do.

“I’ll be a supporter like everyone else and l’ll be supporting the lads and the staff as best I can for the rest of the season.”These comments show that he is desperate to remain involved at St. James’ Park and Howe will surely want to keep hold of such a positive character, as he can have an influence in the dressing room with the younger players.Hayden has buckets full of Premier League experience and can be a useful option to call upon next season, particularly with this update suggesting that he will be fit to get a full pre-season in.The ex-Arsenal man has played 118 times in the top-flight and 171 matches for the Toon in total. He can be a reliable, experienced, player for Howe to lean on when required and that is why the head coach will be buzzing with his return from injury, even if it does not have any bearing on the current campaign as they look to evade relegation to the Championship.

AND in other news, Howe can unearth his own Ginola in Newcastle’s rarely-seen 19 y/o “bright talent”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who made 561 appearances for Wolves, believes Conor Coady would be the best option for England if they were to play with three centre backs.

Gareth Southgate made a number of big cuts to his latest England squad which saw Trent Alexander-Arnold, Michael Keane and Patrick Bamford all omitted from the final squad before the Euros this summer.

Keane, whose agent hit out at the decision to leave him out, had been included in a number of Southgate’s previous squads when he perhaps not playing as good as he has been this season for Everton, which has seen him achieve a 6.90 WhoScored rating, compared to Coady’s 6.51.

Speaking on how Coady is so good in a three at the back formation why he thinks the Wolves captain has been selected, Bull told FFC:

“You get in the England squad because of merit and what you’ve done for your club and Conor Coady has been a stalwart for Wolves.

“If England play with three at the back, then Coady’s the most sensible one to put there, however if we play with four at the back then he might get found out.

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“Why don’t we take both Keane and Coady then it gives you the option to play four or three at the back.”

Coady has been a late bloomer on the international scene, having only made three appearances for the Three Lions, however, he did get his first-ever England goal before his first Premier League goals for Wolves.

Despite being called up to the squad for the last squad and getting a goal against Montenegro, Keane will know he has a fight on his hands to earn a seat on the plane this summer.

Aston Villa are prepared to break their transfer record again this summer for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, should Jack Grealish leave the club, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Grealish, Ward-Prowse links

Both Grealish and Ward-Prowse have been linked with exits from their respective clubs in recent weeks.

Manchester City are thought to be preparing a bid for Grealish following this summer’s European Championships. It is likely to cost City £100m to stand a chance of signing the 25-year-old, who has told friends he would be keen on an Etihad move.

Meanwhile, Villa were linked with Ward-Prowse at the start of the month.

The set-piece specialist is thought to be open to quitting St Mary’s for Villa Park prior to the new season, with Villa owners Wes Edens and Naseef Sawiris hoping to have the 26-year-old through the door before pre-season begins.

The Latest: Source shares update

According to Football Insider, who have been informed by a recruitment source, Villa have been prepared for a possible Grealish exit.

Ward-Prowse isn’t viewed as a direct replacement for the Villa captain, however, the club are willing to place a massive bid for the midfielder, exceeding the club-record deal for Emiliano Buendia, should Grealish depart.

The Saints captain was described as ‘spectacular’ by Alex McLeish earlier this month and is valued at £27m by Transfermarkt.

The Verdict: It could take a huge fee

Going off Ward-Prowse’s Transfermarkt valuation and the fact he still has four years left on his Southampton deal, you’d expect the Saints would be reluctant to sell, to what they may see as a direct Premier League rival.

The fact Ward-Prowse appears keen on a move to the Midlands could twist their arm when it comes to a move, though, however, the Saints still hold the power, as Villa do with Grealish.

It may end up taking a bid well over £30m to bring the midfielder to Villa, but should Grealish leave, Ward-Prowse would certainly be able to replace his quality from dead-ball scenarios, as Villa fans will know after his two free-kicks at Villa Park last season.

In other news: Ashley Preece drops exciting Villa transfer update, find out more here. 

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry insists that Everton have a huge amount of money to spend this summer, regardless of who their manager is going to be.

The Toffees have yet to appoint a permanent replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, who left to join Real Madrid earlier this summer.

They have been linked with a number of managers, but Rafael Benitez appears to be at the head of the queue despite a fan backlash.

Fry, though, insists that the Toffees will spend big in the next transfer window such is the ambition of owner Farhad Moshiri and Bill Kenwright.

Indeed, Everton backed former boss Carlo Ancelotti to the hilt in the summer transfer window, as they brought in the likes of James Rodriguez, Allan, Ben Godfrey and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Fry said: “They have got big money to spend, they’re very, very ambitious, Bill Kenwright and the owner, they want to make Everton a top-four club, let alone a top six club or a top half club, they want to make them challenging for all the honours imaginable.

“So they have got to get it right in the managerial role otherwise come Christmas, if they start off badly, the whole thing will be out of the window and they’ll be disgruntled to say the least, the Everton fans.”

Everton ultimately finished 10th in the Premier League last season, eight points behind the top four.

Former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Jose Mourinho must win the Carabao Cup to avoid Daniel Levy wielding the axe.

This comes after The Telegraph reported that the Portuguese coach is fighting for his future in north London following his side’s shock elimination to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League last month.

Tottenham are also out of the FA Cup and risk missing out on Champions League football next season after taking just one point against Newcastle United and Manchester United, making that League Cup final clash against Manchester City later this month that more important.

And for Roberts, it could be what ends up keeping Mourinho in the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“I think Jose needs to win the cup,” the Spurs legend told FFC. “If he doesn’t, then he’s had a poor season. He needs to get in the top four. If not the top four, he needs to get into Europe [the Europa League]. And then I think that, you know, the club will make a decision there.

“For me, I’m not a fan of the way we play. I love to see us play good football, but if it wins a trophy playing that way, then it’s fair enough.

“But for me I love… when Poch was manager the way we played, we got to Champions League finals and League Cup and FA Cup semi-finals and things like that, but he never won a trophy. So if Jose wins a trophy then, yeah, I’m sure he will be given another year.”

If Mourinho does end up leaving Tottenham in the summer, one manager the north London club could target as a replacement is Julian Nagelsmann.

According to The Telegraph, the RB Leipzig boss is the top target if Mourinho’s work is deemed unsatisfactory come the end of the season.

Former Leicester City striker Brian Deane has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Youri Tielemans, Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison would walk into most clubs.

This comes after reports claimed that the Foxes are closing in on a deal to sign Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ options in the middle of the park even further.

The Northern Irishman’s current crop of midfielders have been excellent this season, with Tielemans impressing in particular.

It was, of course, his wonder strike that led Leicester to their first ever FA Cup triumph, and Deane believes the 24-year-old and a couple of his team-mates would get into most teams in world football.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about Leicester’s midfield options amid the Soumare news, Deane said:

“Those three players walk into most clubs. Tielemans is a Belgian international, Ndidi is a Nigerian international, very good player, you know, plays that defensive midfield role – a lot more people talking about him.

“And Maddison’s a young player, a young English player who has shown a lot of quality at times, so they have a good mix there. They’ve all got legs and all very good on the ball technically.

As well as Soumare, according to the MailOnline, Leicester could also bring in Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard and Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand, so Rodgers is certainly not resting on his laurels after a successful season at the King Power.

Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice next summer, along with a number of their rivals.

The Lowdown: Rice impresses for club and country

The 22-year-old has emerged as an impressive midfielder in recent years, standing out as a key man for both the Hammers and the Three Lions.

Rice helped West Ham qualify for the Europa League last season, while he also reached the final of Euro 2020 with England, starting every game in the tournament.

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The Latest: Liverpool linked with move

According to 90min, Liverpool are keen on the idea of signing the Englishman next summer, at a point when Jurgen Klopp may be looking to freshen up his midfield.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are also reportedly interested, however, so the Reds could face a fight to sign Rice.

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The Verdict: Potentially overpriced?

While the £63million-rated Rice is a good young player – Chris Sutton hailed him as an ‘outstanding talent’ this week – whether or not he would justify a likely huge price tag is up for debate, considering he hasn’t yet shone at the very top level for an extended period.

Not only that, but in Fabinho, Liverpool already have someone who masters the No.6 role, so it is hard to see how the England man would fit into the team unless Klopp opts to use two out-and-out defensive midfielders.

It feels more likely that Rice will end up going to one of the other Premier League high-fliers, given their penchant for spending big sums of money on players compared to the Reds.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have reacted to rumoured Reds interest in another Premier League player. Read more here.