Sky Sports drop Digne to West Ham news

Taking to Twitter, Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett has shared some West Ham United transfer news involving Everton defender Lucas Digne.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye new left-back…

Taking into account West Ham’s current injury list, it appears manager David Moyes and head of recruitment Rob Newman have now earmarked the potential signing of a new left-back as well as a centre-half and striker in January (The Daily Mail).

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Aaron Cresswell’s back problem is much worse than originally feared according to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee with the Englishman apparently chipping a bone.

This has prompted links to the likes of Antonee Robinson and Digne as the Hammers now weigh moves to bolster another problem position.

Sharing the latest, Dorsett has backed West Ham’s interest in the latter man with a Twitter claim.

The Latest: Sky Sports reporter shares Digne news…

Taking to social media, he name-dropped the Hammers as contenders for his signature alongside the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United and a fourth unnamed club.

“#cfc, #whufc, #nufc and a 4th as yet unnamed Prem club all interested in #efc left back Lucas Digne,” he explained.

“#napoli wanted him too, but only on loan which Everton won’t go for. #efc want £30m for him, and will sell after fall out with Benitez over tactics.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

Compared to West Ham’s current crop, the France international could certainly come in and do a job for Moyes based off his numbers.

Only Arthur Masuaku (3.1) has averaged more tackles per 90 than Digne (2.5) this season in the Premier League with the 28-year-old also proving a threat going forward (WhoScored).

Indeed, he is level with striker Michail Antonio in terms of key passes made in the final third (1.7) – highlighting his real attacking threat and potential suitability for Moyes.

Pundit Frank McAvennie has also raved over Digne whilst urging Newcastle to complete a move, branding him a ‘big name’ player who ‘the fans will love’ (Football Insider).

Having amassed nearly half a century of caps in a competitive France squad, it’s clear he could also be a brilliant addition at the London Stadium.

In other news: ‘Yes, yes, yes’, ‘Our best ever window’ – Many West Ham fans flock to ‘sensational’ transfer update, find out more here.

Wolves fans love Duje Caleta-Car rumour

Wolves are interested in signing Marseille and Croatia centre-back Duje Caleta-Car in the January transfer window, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

Wanderers have dipped into the transfer market once so far this month, bringing Japanese midfielder Hayao Kawabe to the club.

However, Bruno Lage might also look to sign a new centre-back, with Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss currently relied upon heavily at Molineux.

With Willy Boly suffering from health issues, Wolves look light in that area of the pitch, and a move for Lille youngster Sven Botman appears to be off the table.

According to Sky Sports News on Monday [via Molineux News], Wanderers are keen on signing Caleta-Car, with Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile also seen as an option.

The former is a Croatia international who featured against England and Spain at Euro 2020 and has stood out in Ligue 1 with his passing ability – his 91.4% accuracy rate this season is discernibly better than anyone in Lage’s current squad.

Wolves fans excited by Caleta-Car rumour

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to provide their positive thoughts on the links to the 25-year-old in particular.

“Would be a brilliant signing”

 Credit: @ad401ad

“Pls”

 Credit: @wwfcglover

“The gift of having a coach like Bruno is he will help choose the right player and he can turn any signing into a player”

 Credit: @Wolfus1492

“LET’S GO!”

 Credit: @jackthenewee

“In the words of Tony Roberts… DEEEEECENT”

 Credit: @NickAllen224

“Just get one of them in all gossip atm until it happens can’t see anything happening”

 Credit: @leighwolf007

In other news, one Wolves player is reportedly unhappy at the club. Find out who it is here.

Steve Madeley drops Sam Johnstone update

Steve Madeley has dropped an update on the current situation of West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

What’s the talk?

In a recent article for The Athletic, Madeley revealed that the 28-year-old’s contract talks with the Baggies have made little to no progress over the past few months, meaning it looks almost certain that the England international will leave The Hawthorns on a free transfer when his current deal with the club expires at the end of the season.

However, the journalist does go on to state that the goalkeeper is not expected to leave the club in the January transfer window – despite the shot-stopper being linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Rangers – as there is unlikely to be a Premier League side desperate enough to pay a sizeable fee for a player they could sign for nothing in a matter of months – something which Valerien Ismael recently discussed.

Speaking about Johnstone’s future, the Albion manager said: “You never know what can happen in football if a ‘keeper gets a big injury and a club needs to replace him, you never know what the situation could be. But at the moment it’s not the plan for Sam to leave us.”

Fans will be outraged

Considering how integral a part of the West Brom side Johnstone has become since his £6.62m move from Manchester United back in 2018, the very real prospect of the 28-year-old leaving the club for nothing at the end of the current campaign is sure to have left The Hawthorns faithful outraged.

Indeed, over his 24 Championship outings so far this season, the £7.2m-rated goalkeeper has kept 11 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 saves and 1.7 successful runs out per game, with these returns seeing him average a SofaScore match rating of 6.82 – ranking the shot-stopper as Ismael’s 14th-best player in the second tier.

However, it was over £32.5k-per-week man’s 37 Premier League appearances last time out that the ‘keeper proved that he is very much good enough for the top flight, keeping six clean sheets and making an average of 4.5 saves per match, with these metrics seeing the shot-stopper earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03 – ranking him as Albion’s second-best performer in the division.

As such, while Johnstone remaining at The Hawthorns beyond the end of the January transfer window will undoubtedly provide the club’s automatic promotion hopes with a significant boost, the subsequent loss of the goalkeeper on a free transfer this summer will certainly be an extremely hard pill to swallow for everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Valerien Ismael drops “important” West Brom January update that will have fans buzzing

Aston Villa: Fans react to Luis Suarez links

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa fans have gone wild at the latest rumour on social media.

Steven Gerrard has already reunited with a former Liverpool teammate in Philippe Coutinho, and it seems as if Suarez is a player of interest for the summer.

According to Gerard Romero, Suarez has turned down offers from Palmeiras, Corinthians, Atletico Mineiro and one from Saudi Arabia to focus on a move to the Midlands.

Villa have reportedly made an offer for the 34-year-old, who is out for contract in the summer, with a view to joining ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. Suarez has been with Atletico since 2020 and has scored 30 goals in 65 appearances.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the claim regarding Suarez on Twitter. This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with many in disbelief.

“This is dreamland stuff for me can’t believe it”

Credit: @STAUNT0N

“I’M SO CONFUSED WHAT IS HAPPENING???”

Credit: @44XNDA

“Well… Well… Well if it isn’t Villareport spicing up my night”

Credit: @Will__AVFC

“Gerrard really is getting the band back together and I’m here for it”

Credit: @danielhavfc

“This is a bit wild, be a good signing but surely that means someone would be out the door?”

Credit: @bennyavfc

“WHAT!”

Credit: @Warksbirdobs

In other news: ‘£25m’ – Many Villa fans react as EPL rivals eye move for pacey 26 y/o. 

Lage reveals Adama latest

Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traoré is expected to travel with the squad for their upcoming Premier League fixture at Brentford, despite heavy interest from top-flight rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

What’s the latest?

Wolves manager Bruno Lage has revealed the latest information on Traoré’s future amid speculation of a move to north London, confirming: “My attention and focus is every time on the next game and I don’t think about if Adama stays with us or not. For now, he’s with us so I’m preparing the game with him.”

The Portuguese added: “We have a top player with us, a lovely guy. Sometimes it’s about business. I remember how much Tottenham protected Harry Kane at the beginning of the season.

“And we will protect our player because we believe a lot in Adama. That is business. It’s not my concern. But I will protect my players. The way they work, the value for me is very high.

“I don’t see any difference in his behaviour, his mentality, the way he works. So I’m happy with him. He continues to be the same player.

“He just has one more year left. The club talk with him and he talks with them and they will decide the future. I’m happy with him, it’s the only thing I can say. He’s focused, he’s ready.”

Wolves fans will be buzzing

Adama Traoré can be a Jekyll and Hyde at times but, ultimately, is a player Wolves should aim to keep this window. Granted, the Spaniard has previously been subject to criticism, notably being labelled “the worst five-a-side player you’ve ever seen” by former manager Tim Sherwood, but there is a reason a club as big as Tottenham are interested in the 25-year-old.

Traoré’s unique combination of significant pace and physicality makes him a nightmare to defend against, a major weapon in Wolves’ arsenal, particularly to introduce late in a game that is hanging in the balance.

Moreover, quality from out wide has been lacking at times for the West Midlands outfit this season. Lage’s side are the Premier League’s third-lowest scorers, despite sitting comfortably in eighth, with 17 goals in 20 games; the strength of their defence has proven to be a major contribution.

However, the balance of getting results through rarely scoring but keeping plenty of clean sheets surely can’t be sustainable and the Portuguese manager will have to find a solution for their goal-scoring woes, meaning that keeping all of his offensive players for the remainder of the season is a must.

Although the Spaniard has just one league goal so far this season, it is one more than fellow right-wingers Daniel Podence and Francisco Trincāo.

Furthermore, that league goal came last time out against Southampton, which could potentially act as a catalyst for a run of good form which would certainly make the Black Country club reluctant to sell Traoré this window.

It’s exactly why Lage’s update on Traore is sure to have Wolves fans buzzing.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist drops Wolves transfer update live on air, Lage will be delighted

Wolves may have made an error over Vitinha

Wolves have seen numerous players make the move to Molineux on loan deals over the past few years such as Francisco Trincao, Willian Jose and Jesus Vallejo among others.

While some players that originally joined the Midlands club on loan have gone on to become permanent figures at Molineux such as Raul Jimenez, Hwang Hee-chan and Rayan Ait-Nouri, some end up returning to their parent clubs after a temporary spell with the Premier League club.

One example of a player that spent some time with Wolves and has since gone on to shine with their original side is 22-year-old midfielder Vitinha.

The Old Gold signed the midfielder, who has been described as “complete” by Sergio Conceicao and “special” by Jeff Shi, on a temporary basis from Porto back in September 2020 until the end of the previous season.

During his time at Molineux, the 22-year-old only made 19 appearances in the Premier League, starting five of them and failing to find the back of the net on even one occasion, providing just one assist along the way.

As well as his lack of regular goal contributions, the Portuguese international’s overall performances didn’t do much to impress anyone at the Midlands club, with WhoScored giving him a season rating of 6.23 making him the lowest-rated Wolves player to start more than one league game throughout the entire campaign.

While his spell in England didn’t go too well, things have been much better for the midfielder back at Porto this season where he is currently picking up a weekly wage of £4.5k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

With 23 league appearances under his belt, Vitinha has managed to score two goals and provide one assist as well as earn himself a much-improved overall performance rating of 7.4, making him the third-highest rated player currently in Porto’s squad according to WhoScored.

Back in October 2020, shortly after he made the move to Molineux, Transfermarkt rated the former Wolves loan man’s market value at £4.5m, whereas it now stands at £21.6m, showing a massive increase of 380% since he left England.

Recent reports have now linked fellow Premier League side Liverpool with a summer move for the midfield man, meaning that should he make a return to England, he could well end up haunting his old side after failing to do the business for them during his loan spell and give them some serious nightmares.

In other news: Lage can find Wolves’ next Traore in rarely-seen teen who does “things out of nothing”

West Brom: Grant let Bruce down v Blues

West Bromwich Albion’s star striker this season, Karlan Grant, registered fewer touches than goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in an extremely poor display against Birmingham City.

Grant, who is the top scorer for the Baggies this season was nowhere to be seen as his side lost 1-0 to their local rivals who pick up their first win in four.

The 24-year-old made the move to The Hawthorns for £15m from Huddersfield when West Brom were in the Premier League, but it appears his celling is at this level.

He was substituted in the 68th minute of the game at St Andrew’s and was replaced by Andy Carroll who offered something different but still couldn’t find the back of the net.

To make matters worse for Grant, as well as the rest of his team, he failed to register a shot on target throughout the game.

When it comes to passing he made only three, with only Carroll who came on for him, the one West Brom player to make fewer or less.

Grant’s accuracy rate was also one of the worst on the whole pitch at a dismal 43%.

These stats come as more of a shock for the £7.2m rated forward who has registered at least one shot on target in each of his last four starts -registering 3+ in two of those games.

Throughout the season his ‘unlikely’ partnership with Callum Robinson has been working for the Baggies who have been making a late push for the play offs.

However, defeat now leaves them five points off sixth place, and with tough fixtures still to come it’s looking unlikely they’ll make it.

Manager Steve Bruce will be disappointed with the team’s performance at St Andrew’s against his former side, and the question is will he try something different in their next game or will he stick with Grant?

Carroll had the best chance of the game and is now back from injury, so if he can stay fit perhaps Bruce will look to him further.

This may only be a one-off, but West Brom will be hoping that Grant can get his form back on track if they are to see their slim play-off chances come true.

IN other news: Sold at £13m, now worth £49.5m: WBA will have nightmares over 6ft4 “beast of a man”…

Agresti: Tottenham make Dybala contact

Speaking to Max Statman, Italian journalist and Juventus correspondent Romeo Agresti of Goal.com has shared a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update involving striker Paulo Dybala.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Nunez move?

In recent weeks, there has been plenty of noise surrounding Tottenham and their hunt for a new forward, with links to some pretty big names having come out of the woodwork.

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Perhaps most notably, in-demand Benfica striker Darwin Nunez has been repeatedly and heavily tipped with Spurs interest.

90min claimed recently that Tottenham made contact with the 22-year-old’s representatives to find out the conditions of a potential transfer.

The Daily Express, meanwhile, revealed earlier this week that Lilywhites officials were sent on a scouting mission over Nunez – with club staff running the rule during Benfica’s loss to Liverpool in the Champions League.

Now, amid these claims, it appears Spurs have also made contact for another forward.

The Latest: Agresti shares Dybala update…

Speaking to Max Statman, Juve correspondent Agresti claims Tottenham are one of the clubs who have had ‘some contacts’ over signing soon-to-be free agent Dybala – though he claims nothing is advanced.

As well as the Lilywhites, it is believed both Inter and Atletico Madrid have also been in touch with the Serie A giants.

He explained: “Regarding Paulo Dybalaʼs next destination, to be fair I don’t know. But I think he hasn’t find a club yet. There were some contacts with Inter, something with Atletico Madrid and Tottenham, but I think he’s taking his time to decide his next club. There are nothing advanced yet.”

The Verdict: Take it further?

Valued at an estimated £36 million by Transfermarkt, Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici could bypass that fee entirely and sign him on a free deal given his dwindling contract situation.

Set to leave on a Bosman transfer as things stand, Tottenham could back manager Antonio Conte with a proven attacking threat at zero cost.

Scoring 13 goals and assisting six others in all competitions this season, Dybala has also been lavished by members of the English press, with ex-Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell calling the Argentine ‘clinical’ and ‘quick-thinking’ between the lines (Football Insider).

Dybala may well be one to watch more and more as we approach the summer.

In other news: In recent weeks: Tottenham step up chase to sign ‘incredible’ player as club brace for their bid! Find out more here.

Newcastle transfer news on Ekitike

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now dropped a ‘big’ Newcastle United claim involving the summer window.

The Lowdown: Striker wanted

The St. James’ Park faithful have been linked with a number of big-name strikers ahead of the summer, including the likes of Paulo Dybala and Darwin Nunez.

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It was reported that their move for Reims striker Hugo Ekitike in the January transfer window was called off after a £33m bid was accepted, so he is another one that the North East club could look to revisit.

The Latest: ‘Big’ signing?

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, when asked if the Tyneside outfit will sign Ekitike in the summer, Jones shared that the Toon Army should be ‘optimistic’ that they will sign a ‘big’ striker as well as him:

“But I think they should also be optimistic that this won’t be the only signing they make. I think they’ll really look at that frontline. I think somebody will be moved on. And I think another gap will open up for a big man to come in.”

The Verdict: Exciting

The fact that the Magpies could sign two new strikers, and one of them being the highly-rated Ekitike, is surely exciting.

Callum Wilson has been suffering from constant injury problems throughout the season, while Chris Wood has only managed to score two goals since arriving from Burnley in January.

Thus, they could do with some more firepower up top to help really kickstart the long-term project.

Nonetheless, they should have the budget to do it, given that they are backed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

In other news, find out what worrying Allan Saint-Maximin update has now emerged here!

Sunderland U15s beat Man Utd in Cup

Renowned Sunderland podcasters Roker Report have been left buzzing over some news that has now emerged involving one of the club’s youth teams.

The Lowdown: U15s triumph

As shared on Twitter, the Stadium of Light faithful’s U15 team won the Northern Floodlight Cup on Thursday.

They beat Premier League outfit Manchester United in the final, in what was a big triumph for the young Black Cats.

The Latest: Podcaster reacts

Taking to Twitter, Roker Report buzzed over the news of the youngsters celebrating their trophy win:

“Sunderland celebrating a trophy win whilst Man Utd look on. Things you love to see! Haway the young Lads!”

The Verdict: Exciting

The fact that the Wearsiders have won the Cup ahead of a club like Man Utd, with the difference in level of resources that they have available that runs through to youth level, is certainly exciting for SAFC and their supporters.

First-team manager Alex Neil will be hoping to see some of these youngsters develop over the next few years to a level that would make him consider them for the senior squad, and the fans will be eager to see more from their homegrown talents.

Nonetheless, this is a victory that the whole club can get behind, and it certainly bodes well for the future, as it seemingly looks like a promising next generation of talent is starting to come through.

In other news, find out what fresh Sunderland blow has now emerged before Cambridge United here!

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