All posts by z3u9t.icu

What forms a recipe for a transfer at Molineux? Well, first of all, you have to be a fine cheese, a player capable of maturing over time and developing as each year passes by.

Secondly, you quite often have to hail from Iberia. Add a light sprinkling of Gestifute, Jorge Mendes’ agency, into the equation and you have a classic culmination.

Of course, Wolves do explore other areas but they have no fewer than eight of their players on the books of the so-called super agent. It’s hard to forget that Nuno Santo is also a client of Mendes.

Close ties to an agent as powerful as him leads to a lot of transfer rumours and one of the freshest to emerge regards Goncalo Guedes.

Football Insider revealed earlier this month that Wolves were trying to beat West Ham to the attacking midfielder’s signature. Again, he is a player with all the ingredients Jeff Shi loves.

He is Portuguese, he is young enough to develop at 24, and he’s a client of Mendes.

With seven goal involvements to his name in 2020/21, he’d be a shrewd addition for Wolves and crucially could give them a bit of added spice in the final third. After all, it’s something they’ve lacked enormously this term.

Fabio Silva has netted just twice while Willian Jose is yet to score for the Old Gold, something Steve Bull attributes to a lack of service.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said last week: “I can relate to where he’s [Jose] coming from because I’d be as frustrated as he is, and I’d want to get the wingers and strangle them and say get that ball in the box.”

Guedes is someone who can bring a bit of extra creativity to this Wolves side, possessing the ability to play on the wing and in behind the striker.

Though, as well as aiding Wolves’ frontline, he could make up for the loss of a certain Pedro Goncalves. The Portuguese sensation played a matter of minutes for the Molineux outfit before being sold to Sporting Lisbon with very little fanfare.

However, his development has been meteoric, now being linked with high-brow moves to clubs like Liverpool after scoring 15 goals and claiming five assists this term.

Guedes might not be as prolific as that, but he certainly knows where the net is and he comes with a glowing recommendation from none other than Luis Figo; “Guedes is a fast, irreverent and unpredictable player, who himself builds actions for his teammates and is also able to finish well,” the former Ballon d’Or winner said.

Building chances for others and finishing adeptly bears great similarity to Goncalves, a player Wolves must now be cursing their luck over.

Guedes has scored 20 times during his time at current club Valencia and due to the positions he occupies on the field, could be their inadvertent replacement.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for £74k-p/w beast this summer, Spiers once dubbed him “superb”…

Sheffield Wednesday are on the verge of making another disastrous error.

The Owls have already lost one of their most promising youngsters, and they could now be about to lose another.

Liam Shaw joined Hillsborough Stadium aged eight and only made his Wednesday debut in July last year, but after establishing himself as a first-team squad member, he’s now set to join Scottish giants Celtic following the expiry of his contract at the end of the season.

The south Yorkshire giants will only receive around £300k in compensation – a fraction of the money that would negate his absence from the squad over the coming seasons, as well as being way off his likely value given his massive potential.

And now a similar trend could continue as one of Darren Moore’s current starters is also out of contract ahead of the summer.

Osaze Urhoghide has thrived in the absence of several key defenders. Indeed, the 20-year-old gem has started nine of their last 13 league matches, playing in all three positions across the backline.

According to YorkshireLive’s Dom Howson, several top-flight teams, including Leeds United and Crystal Palace, are monitoring his situation at Hillsborough.

Wednesday are keen to keep hold of him and have offered fresh terms, but no agreement has been made – it could be a case of being too little, too late.

As things stand, the Owls are going to lose both Shaw and Urhoghide in the summer and that’ll be a devastating blow, irrespective of which division they’ll be competing in next season.

The academy starlet has proven to be a solid option at this level already. He’s still raw, but all the attributes are there. And Moore knows that too.

Speaking after their recent 2-1 win over arch-rivals Barnsley, the Owls boss waxed lyrical about Urhoghide, he said (via The Star): “I don’t like to pick out individuals because I thought they were all excellent, but he was immense today in terms of his performance. In terms of his contacts, in terms of getting in the radar of the opponents and spoiling it – he was absolutely rock solid.”

Unlike Shaw, if Urhoghide does depart south Yorkshire, Wednesday will be entitled to very little as, unfortunately, he’s not a homegrown player.

Given the likely reshuffling of the squad under a new exciting manager this summer, Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri must do all he can to tie the 20-year-old beast down – he’s a player worth building around.

Urhoghide ranks sixth in the squad for average WhoScored rating (6.66), which is ahead of some big names in Adam Reach (6.55), Liam Palmer (6.51), Josh Windass (6.49) and even Shaw himself (6.39).

Chansiri is certainly heading for another disaster at Wednesday. The young defender must be the top priority right now.

AND in other news, £35k-p/w “wonderful talent” holds the keys to Sheffield Wednesday survival bid

Liam Kennedy has dropped an inside claim from sources on James Pallotta and a potential takeover of Newcastle United, revealing that those inside the Toon are ‘surprised’ by the talk from the former Roma chief.

Writing in his latest piece for The Shields Gazette, the football journalist has claimed that Pallotta has ‘yet to contact’ the St. James’ Park faithful following an exclusive interview that he did with The Athletic, in which former chairman and co-owner of AS Roma expressed an interest in buying a club in the Premier League, namechecking Steve Bruce’s side in the midst of it.

However, Kennedy has since squashed down any potential chances of him taking over in the North East, adding that any approach made by the businessman currently would ‘not be welcomed’ by the Tyneside club.

Mike Ashley continues to ‘only have eyes’ for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group, and the news about Pallotta’s potential interest has ‘come as a surprise’ to the Magpies.

Sources believe that the links are nothing more than a ‘publicity stunt’ at this stage, as Ashley remains ‘100% committed’ to selling to the KSA consortium, per Kennedy’s report.

Only one chance for potential Newcastle takeover

With the rumours of Pallotta potentially actively looking to buy the Toon being firmly played down, it seems that there is only one chance of a takeover at NUFC, and that still lies with the KSA group.

However, the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will have to come back to the table to have any hope of the original deal with Ashley to be revived, and Newcastle likely need to ensure that they are playing football in the Premier League come the start of the 2021/22 term for that to happen.

Last week, pundit Danny Mills claimed the Magpies’ hopes of a takeover will ‘without a shadow of a doubt’ disappear if they are relegated.

In other news, find out what claim on the potential takeover has been dropped involving Steve Bruce here!

Crystal Palace have been handed a significant injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur, with Wilfried Zaha back in action.

The Ivorian winger has been missing since early February but Roy Hodgson recently confirmed he is ready for action this weekend.

Following the midweek stalemate with Manchester United, does the winger come straight back in? Here’s the XI we think Hodgson will select for the clash with Spurs.

There’s could be two changes to the Crystal Palace side to travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The back-line should be settled with Vicente Guaita shielded by the likes of Patrick van Aanholt, Gary Cahill and Joel Ward. Cheikhou Kouyate will continue at centre-back in the absences of Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins.

Hodgson has been handed another midfield injury to deal with, James McCarthy suffering a groin strain and joins James McArthur and Nathan Ferguson on the sidelines.

That likely means that Jairo Riedewald will be called into the centre of the park from the start to partner captain Luka Milivojevic.

Despite the blow of McCarthy being out, Palace’s talisman Wilfried Zaha can return. The winger has not featured since early February but is likely to go straight into the starting line-up at the expense of the £55k-per-week earning Andros Townsend.

The attack should have a familiar feel to it with Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke starting in a striking pair.

AND in more news, the Eagles have been rumoured to be making a big-money move for Mostafa Mohamed…

After picking up a morale-boosting 2-0 win against bottom side Hamilton, Celtic entertain St Mirren on Saturday afternoon looking to pick up back-to-back victories in the Scottish Premiership for the first time in 2021.

Neil Lennon’s side are out of the title picture, with Rangers running away with it at the top, but the Hoops boss will be keen to ensure they can get some much-needed momentum going.

A home game against seventh-placed St Mirren offers them the perfect opportunity to do just that, so Lennon is likely to keep faith in many of his first-team stars.

With that in mind, below is a look at how Celtic might line up on Saturday.

In goal, Lennon sprung a surprise last time out against Hamilton by dropping Vasilis Barkas and giving Scott Bain a chance, and the 29-year-old should keep his place in between the sticks.

The back-four could be the area that sees the Celtic boss make some major changes. Jeremie Frimpong’s confirmed move to Bayer Leverkusen in mid-week has robbed the Hoops of their starting right-back, and whilst Kristoffer Ajer filled in there against Hamilton, they might be better off going with a more natural fit in there.

Anthony Ralston will surely be hoping to get his chance, and that could see Ajer move into the centre of defence alongside Stephen Welsh, with under-performing duo Nir Bitton and Shane Duffy finally dropped.

The one change in midfield could see Ryan Christie make his return to the starting line-up in place of the “very dangerous” Mohamed Elyounoussi, whilst Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths will be hoping to find the back of the net again after netting a goal piece last time out.

Predicted XI: Bain; Ralston, Ajer, Welsh, Taylor; Soro, McGregor, Christie, Turnbull; Edouard, Griffiths.

Meanwhile, Lawwell can deliver a final parting gift to Celtic with this 6 ft 1 beast…

Spurs will be looking to build on their impressive performance in the Europa League in midweek with a win against Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Jose Mourinho’s side have been poor form in the Premier League of late and have dropped to 9th into the top-flight as a result, which has led to some speculation about the Portuguese manager’s future with the North London club.

However, he can ease those fears with a win against Sean Dyche’s side on Sunday, and having beaten the same opposition 5-0 at home last season, he will be confident that his players can earn the three points.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Mourinho to line his side up on Sunday, with eight changes from the team that beat Wolfsberger 4-0 on Wednesday…

Hugo Lloris is likely to come back in for Joe Hart in between the sticks, although the Frenchman has been suspect on a few occasions this season.

There are two changes in defence, as Davinson Sanchez replaces Eric Dier to partner Toby Alderweireld at centre-back, whilst Sergio Reguilon provides more of an attacking threat than Ben Davies at left-back.

Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are both likely to return to the side in midfield, meaning Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks drop to the bench.

Dele Alli deserves to keep his place after his excellent performance in midweek, whilst Gareth Bale also earns a start after some promising recent displays.

Unsurprisingly, Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son start against the Clarets, although Carlos Vinicius is perhaps unlucky to be dropped after his brace on Wednesday.

And, in other news… Spurs can sign ideal Ndombele partner in Nicolo Barella

Reports by Gol Digital earlier this week claimed that Sevilla are holding out for Joan Jordan’s full release clause, but David Moyes should urge West Ham United to break the bank to sign a second Tomas Soucek-type this summer.

Jordan is one of the key pillars of Julen Lopetegui’s side in La Liga, with his ability to connect the midfield and offence unparalleled at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

But his efforts have sparked European-wide interest ahead of the summer transfer window, with the Irons one of five clubs understood to be presenting serious curiosity.

Serie A title-hopefuls AC Milan are said to be Jordan’s best option should he leave Andalusia at the end of the season, as the Rossoneri are likely to remain keen despite seeing a €30m (£25.5m) approach snubbed as they strive to build a squad ready for the Champions League.

Sevilla would be expected to reject a similar approach in the future, with the side who were eliminated from the Champions League in the Round of 16 earlier this month now intent on demanding that Jordan’s full €60m (£51.5m) release clause is triggered.

A sum in that region is expected to force only the top clubs to show a formal interest in the next transfer window, yet Inter Milan, AS Roma and the Irons are all listed as potential destinations for the 26-year-old.

Jordan has been a mainstay of Lopetegui’s plans so far this season, starting 20 of his 25 La Liga outings and featuring in a total 40 games across all competitions.

The RCD Espanyol product has offered Sevilla two goals and seven assists over his appearances to date, to register his highest single-season return of goals created in his career and help to take his goal contribution for the club to 14 in the past two seasons combined.

West Ham triggering Jordan’s release clause would see the midfielder become the London Stadium natives’ new record signing, eclipsing the £45m paid to Eintracht Frankfurt for Sebastien Haller in 2019.

But Moyes should urge David Sullivan, Karren Brady and David Gold to fund a lavish outlay to bring Jordan to West Ham, as the Sevilla star would offer him a second Soucek-type after the Czech Republic international’s successful adaptation to the Premier League.

Jordan is recognised for his ability to make late and dangerous runs in the opponent’s box to offer a forward threat, much more akin to the traditional English style of a box-to-box option that the tiki-taka template that has flourished in Spain, after growing up watching and learning from the way Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard operated.

“I remember watching quite a lot of Lampard when I was growing up, he was a top, top, top player,” Jordan told The Athletic in December. “What really sticks is how the way he arrived late into the box, that was spectacular. It is something very difficult, that he made look easy.

“I remember Steven Gerrard, too, talking about the Premier League. He and Lampard were standout players, especially when they got forward, arriving from the second line. I always looked at all the little details I could, from many different players, to become a more complete player myself.”

“I like to have plenty of space and freedom, to help in attack but I always like to defend and help my teammates,” he added. “Football is evolving, and everyone has to run, everyone has to sacrifice themselves and adapt to different functions that a coach asks for.”

Making those intelligent runs into the area and offering a box-to-box presence is just what Moyes gets from Soucek, who is West Ham’s top-scorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals.

The 26-year-old is also lauded by Jamie Carragher for being the best at what he does, as “there’s nobody better in the Premier League right now than Soucek”, but he could face competition for that honour with Jordan also in the squad.

AND in other news, West Ham in four-way Premier League battle for 13-goal striker who is “annoying to the defender”…

For Wolves, signing any player this January for an expensive fee seems far-fetched.After spending so much last summer, it would appear the coffers are empty, but that won’t stop the rumour mill from circulating at Molineux.What’s the word?According to 90min, Wolves have made an enquiry to sign colossal Celtic defender Jack Hendry this month.The centre-back is currently on loan in Belgium at Oostende where he’s caught the eye significantly at the heart of their backline.Celtic have made it known that they don’t see a future for the 25-year-old in Glasgow and thus, could be open to shipping him on at the nearest opportunity.It’s thought that a number of teams are interested in Hendry, from Aston Villa, Brighton and Bournemouth to Bundesliga sides Freiburg and Werder Bremen.No fee is mentioned but Celtic signed him for a price of just £1.5m from Dundee.The next Boly One thing instantly stands out when you look at Hendry – his almighty height of 6 foot 4. Instantly that’s comparable to their current stalwart in defence; Willy Boly.The Frenchman stands at 6 foot 5 and is a colossal presence in defence, especially when it comes to winning aerial duels.The 29-year-old has won 3.2 per game in the Premier League this season, a tally that Hendry comes close to replicating in the Belgian top-flight, winning three per match.That being said, both players are also graceful on the ball, a talent that’s not easy to achieve when you’re so tall. Hendry and Boly can both play out from the back with relative ease, completing a high portion of their passes. The former has amassed a success rate of 86.5% this term, while Boly completes 81.5%.Although it hasn’t worked out for Hendry at Celtic, he possesses an enormous amount of quality and if he comes to Molineux, he could help a number of the younger players out. That’s because his leadership stands tall above everything else.Speaking about Hendry last year, his manager at Oostende Alexander Blessin said: “He’s a great talker in defence. He makes the people he’s playing with better. You can see them listening to him. He’s been a tower of experience for us.”Blessin continued: “Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league. He can defend, he’s fast and he’s also a useful weapon at attacks because of his height.”Although Boly isn’t the quickest, the rest of Hendry’s qualities have huge similarities to the Wolves defender. He’d be an astute acquisition this month.AND in other news, “Could be a good fit” – EXCLUSIVE: Pundit says Wolves should consider swoop for 24-cap warrior…

Fulham face a tough game away at Leicester City on Monday night but they can give themselves a good chance by exploiting a weakness in the Foxes’ defence.

Brendan Rodgers’ side shipped three goals at Anfield in their last league fixture, with all three goals coming from crosses into the box, including two from corners.

They also conceded three times in their midweek Europa League tie against Braga and although they secured a point with a late Jamie Vardy equaliser, it seems clear that their defence is vulnerable at the moment.

In order to best exploit Leicester’s current weakness from crosses, Parker must start Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The 26-year-old was benched for the Cottagers’ 3-2 defeat against Everton in their last Premier League fixture but has shown himself to be a goal threat at times this season, having contributed two goals and two assists in nine top-flight appearances (per WhoScored).

WhoScored describes one of the former Newcastle United man’s strengths as headed attempts, so he could be a threat against Leicester’s depleted defence should his teammates be able to get quality crosses into the box on Monday evening.

The foxes have Ricardo Pereira and Caglar Soyuncu, who were both so impressive last season, currently missing from their backline due to injury and perhaps Mitrovic can be the man to take advantage at the King Power Stadium.

The striker’s best performance of the campaign thus far was arguably in the 2-0 win against West Brom, when he provided two assists and earned an impressive match rating of 7.55. Following that game, Parker was full of praise for his forward, saying:

“I think Mitro would be the first to say he’s very disappointed with his performance (against Sheffield United). It can happen to anyone, but he probably put a lot on himself, which you often find that a lot of players do.

“Since then there’s been a real credit and a real drive in him. I think he’s been at the forefront of everything and I think you see that definitely on Monday night.

“A player who was relentless in his work ethic, his all-round play for the team was very good and he comes away with two assists, which was very pleasing as well.

“He’s been first class and needs to maintain those levels, which I’m sure he will, and keep helping us in this division.” (per Evening Express)

The English manager will therefore be hoping for a similar display from Mitrovic on Monday, where his aerial threat could well prove to be the difference against the Leicester defence.

And, in other news… Fulham can sign “excellent” £3.5m bargain in January

Manchester City travel to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon hoping to pick up all three points against an out-of-sorts Manchester United side in the derby.

Pep Guardiola’s side rounded off their Champions League group stage campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win against Marseille in midweek but will have to be at their best if they are going to pick up a win against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

The Norweigan manager has seen his United side win the past three Premier League meetings against City, so will be confident, despite a disappointing start to the season.

The Red Devils were also dumped out of the Champions League in midweek after suffering a 3-2 defeat against RB Leipzig, so may be low on confidence for Saturday’s game.

Considering a number of first-team players were rested for City’s game against the French side on Wednesday, it seems likely that Guardiola will ring the changes for the trip to Old Trafford.

Here’s how we expect the Spanish manager to line his side up on Saturday, with eight changes from the side that started against Marseille…

Ederson reclaims his place in between the sticks, with Zack Steffen having made his Champions League debut for the Citizens in midweek.

There’s three changes in the defence, as just Kyle Walker keeps his place, whilst John Stones and Ruben Dias will be hoping to continue their strong run of recent form, which has helped Guardiola’s side to eight clean sheets in their last 10 games in all competitions.

Earlier this season, Guardiola claimed that Aymeric Laporte was “the best left central defender in the world” but considering the recent partnership of Stones and Dias, there is no place for the Frenchman in the derby.

Meanwhile, Joao Cancelo returns at left-back, as whilst Benjamin Mendy has impressed in recent games, the Portuguese defender is slightly more reliable defensively, in what will undoubtedly be a tough game against United’s frontline.

Ilkay Gundogan looks as if he might miss out after going off injured against Marseille, so Guardiola will continue with Fernandinho in midfield, alongside Rodri, who should hopefully have recovered from the knock that kept him out in midweek.

Unsurprisingly, Kevin De Bruyne returns to the starting side, whilst Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus replace Bernardo Silva and Ferran Torres in the City attack.

It will be interesting to see how Guardiola lines his side up at Old Trafford, but three points is arguably a must if City want to keep pace with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at the top of the table.

And, in other news… Sold for £1.5m, now a PL winner: City made a huge error with “world class” leader