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Wolves said goodbye to one of their key players during the recent January transfer window after winger Adama Traore joined his former club Barcelona on loan until the end of the season with the option of making the move permanent in the summer.

Looking ahead to the next transfer market when the current season ends, it seems as though the Midlands club could be in danger of seeing another one of their important and prominent squad figures make a move away from Molineux.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Pete O’Rourke had this to say about midfielder Ruben Neves and what the future could hold for him after he was previously linked with a move away from the club.

He said: “Wolves won’t want to hear this because they would love to keep Ruben Neves, but I think this summer, it could be a hard battle to keep hold of Neves.”

Fans will be sweating

Since the Old Gold shelled out a Championship transfer record fee for the Portuguese international back in the 2017 summer window, the 24-year-old has become a seriously impressive midfield player.

He’s gone on to make a total of 203 appearances across all competitions in a Wolves shirt, scoring 23 goals and providing 11 assists along the way, demonstrating how crucial he is for them and well he’s progressed in the Midlands.

Having earned himself an overall performance rating of 6.88/10 from WhoScored, making him the fifth-highest rated outfield player currently in Bruno Lage’s squad as well as the highest-rated midfielder, it shows just how much of a miss he would be if he were to leave Molineux this summer.

That rating is owed largely to the 2.3 tackles he makes per game, a number no other midfielder at the club can top in 2021/22.

With that in mind, O’Rourke’s comments will now surely have lots of fans sweating over Neves’ future and the club’s ability to keep hold of him, especially if another side does indeed come in and try to sign him when the transfer window opens.

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Moving forward, if Lage’s men are able to secure European football by the end of this campaign, it would surely give the club a big boost in their chances of keeping hold of the star for the foreseeable future, especially after he said himself how much he would love to play in Europe with his current team.

In other news: Fosun disaster: Wolves dropped huge clanger over “exceptional” £54m-rated “monster”

Luton Town manager Nathan Jones has claimed that the injury to on-loan Aston Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer is not good, as per Birmingham Live.

The Lowdown: Steer stretchered off

The 29-year-old made the move to Kenilworth Road on loan during the January transfer window and was finally getting a run of starts after serving as backup to Emiliano Martinez at Villa Park.

Unfortunately, he had to be stretchered off against Chelsea in the FA Cup last week after going down off the ball with what appeared to be an Achilles problem.

Micah Richards labelled it as ‘devastating’ and Gregg Evans was gutted reacting to the injury on Twitter, with Villa now set to share details of the setback.

The Latest: Jones’ update on Steer

As per Birmingham Live, Jones was talking to the media on Saturday as the Hatters fell to a 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.

When it came to an update on Steer, the Luton manager said that Villa will ‘come out’ and address the injury, but revealed that it does not look good for the goalkeeper.

Jones stated: “It’s not a good injury. We won’t divulge too much as it’s confidential and it’s Villa’s player, so they will come out and say, but it’s not a good injury.”

The Verdict: Nightmare for Steer

Steer, who former Villa team-mate Tammy Abraham labelled ‘brilliant’, has previous when it comes to Achilles injuries, so this ominous update from Jones isn’t a good one.

The shot-stopper had to remain patient for a first-team chance and was impressing in the Championship, helping Luton to three straight wins and keeping two clean sheets.

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However, it seems as if he now has a long road ahead when it comes to recovering from this injury, but we’re sure that Villa will provide the best possible support over the coming months as he enters the final 12 months of his contract in the summer.

In other news: Reliable journalist reveals Villa and Lange have now struck out-of-window agreement for this signing

Alex Neil has revealed that Sunderland have been hit with a big injury setback over Alex Pritchard…

What’s the latest?

Black Cats reporter Phil Smith has relayed an update on the attacking midfielder from the head coach after his knock on Saturday.

The ex-Huddersfield and Norwich man was taken off in the 75th minute of the 0-0 draw with Charlton at the weekend and now looks set for a spell on the sidelines.

Smith Tweeted: “Alex Neil says Jermain Defoe was injured – not a major problem. Says the Alex Pritchard injury is his biggest concern – and that it doesn’t look good.”

Scrambling

This update will surely leave the Sunderland head coach scrambling as Pritchard being out for any length of time will be a major blow to his side.

He will need to re-jig his XI to account for the dazzling playmaker’s absence, as he has been a huge player for the club and it will be difficult to find a like-for-like replacement who can fill his shoes. The Englishman has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.08 in League One this season and this shows that he has been consistently delivering excellent performances throughout the campaign.

Pritchard has chipped in with four goals and seven assists in the division, whilst averaging an excellent 2.0 key passes per match – creating eight ‘big chances’. He has been a constant threat in the final third and has shown that he has the quality to be a difference-maker for the Black Cats with his direct goal contributions.

Elliot Embleton is also capable of playing in the number 10 role and has averaged a score of 6.84 and 1.3 key passes per game in the third tier so far – creating three ‘big chances’. This is a sizeable drop-off from Pritchard and illustrates exactly why Neil will be scrambling to find a solution to the problem as his absence will cause him a massive selection headache.

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The ex-Blackpool loanee has not been able to match last summer’s signing in terms of the creativity that he is able to provide from midfield and Sunderland look set to sorely miss his ability on the ball in the coming weeks. It remains to be seen exactly how long he will be out for, but the statistics show that it will be a major blow for every game that he misses due to the huge impact he has had throughout the season.

AND in other news, Moyes flop who’s “like Eden Hazard” has seen value rise by £14.4m after leaving SAFC…

West Ham managed to secure a big victory in the Premier League yesterday with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa at the London Stadium thanks to goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Pablo Fornals.

This win will have undoubtedly put the Hammers in a good place, raising the players’ confidence ahead of their crucial second-leg clash against Sevilla in the Europa League round of 16, as the east London club will be aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.

However, despite picking up three points and staying in touching distance of breaking into the top four, West Ham were dealt an unfortunate injury blow with two of their key players being forced off the pitch against Steven Gerrard’s side.

What’s the news?

With 52 minutes on the clock, Hammers striker Michail Antonio left the pitch with a suspected hamstring injury, just a few minutes before Aaron Cresswell came off with another injury issue.

After the match against the Villans, David Moyes remained tight-lipped on the situation concerning the duo as to not influence what their midweek opponents could do in terms of their set up for Thursday’s clash.

On their current condition, he said: “I don’t really know yet but if I did I would not tell you because I am not going to let Sevilla know any idea whether they’re going to be fit or not.”

Moyes will be fuming

Taking into account how Antonio has been a major part of West Ham’s attacking force this season with ten goals in 34 appearances, it’s safe to say that he would be a big miss for his side if he wasn’t able to play in midweek.

He is the only direct centre-forward at the club and if they were to lose him at such a crucial stage of the season, supporters would surely be enraged by their lack of activity in the January transfer market.

Additionally, Cresswell has shown just how much of an important figure he is for the Hammers, particularly in the Europa League.

He has three assists in five games and an overall performance rating of 7.2 from WhoScored, making him the second-highest rated player in that competition for the east London club. As a result, Moyes would definitely have been relying on the full-back to play in their next game.

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With all of this in mind, the West Ham boss will surely be fuming over the possibility of the duo missing the game against Sevilla through injury given how pivotal they have been for the team in this campaign.

Until their midweek showdown arrives, the best thing to hope for now would be that the two can recover in time and be available to play in what could end up being a very special game for the club as a whole if they manage to make it through to the next stage of the competition.

In other news: West Ham are eyeing “sensational” £22.5m-rated star, supporters will be buzzing

Mark Douglas has mapped out what this summer’s transfer window could potentially look like for Newcastle United. 

The lowdown

The Magpies became the biggest January spenders in Premier League history earlier this season, splashing out more than £90m on five new players.

They are now one of the wealthiest clubs in world football following their autumn takeover by a Saudi-led consortium, and the new regime harbours grandiose long-term ambitions of building a squad capable of competing for club football’s top prizes.

The latest

Douglas wrote for i News that Darwin Nunez is a ‘prime target’ for Newcastle, but he added that they may need to fork out £60m to persuade Benfica to part with the Uruguay striker.

Newcastle already have an agreement in place with Aston Villa to make Matt Targett’s loan permanent, while they are also planning to reignite their pursuit of Sven Botman.

In terms of outgoings, the Magpies are apparently willing to let as many as seven players leave St James’ Park. Among those on the transfer list are Dwight Gayle, Ciaran Clark and former captain Isaac Hayden.

The verdict

What sort of outlay are we looking at, then?

As above, Nunez is likely to cost around £60m, and Transfermarkt estimate that Botman has a value of £27m. Meanwhile, a report from The Chronicle has revealed that the fee agreed for Targett is in the region of £15m, making a total of around £102m on prospective incomings.

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In terms of those touted for the exit, Gayle is rated at £1.8m, Clark at £2.25m and Hayden at a more lucrative £9m (via Transfermarkt). That’s an intake of just over £13m, but there could be four other players offloaded too, so Newcastle may reap a substantial amount from player sales to go along with their projected nine-figure summer spend.

In other news, Newcastle are also exploring this ‘cheeky’ transfer

Rangers full-back Borna Barisic has admitted that he is not happy with his current situation at Ibrox under Gio van Bronckhorst.

He has found himself playing a supporting role to Calvin Bassey at left-back and is not content with being a back-up for the Glasgow giants.

The Glasgow Times quotes him as saying: “As far as Rangers goes, I’m still playing plenty of minutes because we are playing every three or four days at the moment.

“I haven’t played in a few games and I’m not happy about that, but it’s not a drama.

“It’s been a fairytale for me at Rangers and some things have changed now. But it’s nothing terrible.”

Axe him

Van Bronckhorst must now end Barisic’s fairytale at Ibrox by brutally axing him from the club in the summer – cashing in on him whilst his stock is still relatively high.

He was hooked off at half-time in the club’s last Old Firm clash at the start of February as he endured a rough 45 minutes against the Hoops in a 3-0 loss.

Former Celtic defender Mark Wilson commented on his performance, saying: “He did look terrified in possession, he looked terrified out of possession. I think we can all agree he probably had one of his poorest nights in a Rangers shirt.”

Since that match, he has only started four games in the Premiership and Europa League. He was, however, handed the left-back spot in both legs of the knock-out win over Borussia Dortmund but registered dismal SofaScore ratings of 6.2 and 6.4.

In the second leg, van Bronckhorst hauled him off at half-time after a poor showing in the first half. As per SofaScore, he only completed 64% of his attempted passes and gave possession away seven times whilst winning just one duel, which led to him being brought off at the interval.

Watford were reportedly interested in a deal for the Croatia international in January before moving on to other targets, with the Gers valuing him at £5m. The Dutch head coach must now allow him to leave if any offers in that price range arrive in the summer as his performances in big games have been nowhere near good enough of late.

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His showings against Celtic and Dortmund, along with Bassey’s emergence as the first-choice at left-back, suggest that it is the right time for him to move on. Barisic’s comments also hint at him not wanting to play second fiddle and there is nothing to suggest that he will usurp the Nigerian any time soon, which is why Rangers must cash in on him now.

AND in other news, Left for £0: Allen had Rangers howler on “outstanding” 6ft4 gem whose value rose 700%…

Celtic B reporter Lewis Laird has shared some exciting reaction to Josh Dede signing a professional Celtic contract.

The Lowdown: Dede profiled

Dede is just 16 years of age and is a right-sided full-back who appears to be making great strides in Glasgow.

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He has already featured for Tommy McIntyre’s Celtic B side and has made significant progress in the club’s academy after joining in 2017.

Dede as now joined fellow youngster Daniel Kelly in penning professional terms with the club, with the Hoops fending off interest in the creative midfielder from Arsenal.

The Latest: Journalist reacts

Dede posted the news of his first professional Celtic Park deal on Instagram. Laird, who covers all things Celtic-related, but with a focus on B team and youth matters, relayed the news on Twitter and gave his thoughts on the announcement.

“Great to see another youngster signing their first professional deal with the club – this time, 16-year old right-back Josh Dede Has recently come into Tommy McIntyre’s Celtic B side and played in the back 4 regularly over the past month Congratulations to him.”

The Verdict: More good news

It seems as if the news of Ben Doak’s move to Liverpool has shot Celtic chiefs into action when it comes to offering other highly-rated youngsters professional terms.

Dede has now become the latest to do put pen to paper on a Parkhead deal after Kelly, and we wouldn’t be surprised if there was more to come before the summer.

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Reports last month claimed that Celtic are rethinking their approach when it came to their academy talents, and we are starting to see signs of that with two new contracts.

In other news: Spotted: ‘Fantastic’ Celtic gem now drops major hint he won’t be available for title run-in. 

According to club insider Claret & Hugh, there has been an intriguing update out of West Ham United as GSB target versatile Manchester City ace Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Lowdown: Moyes set sights on left-back?

While manager David Moyes has mostly been tipped to bolster West Ham’s central defensive and striking options, there have also been links to full-back targets in recent months.

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The likes of Antonee Robinson (Fulham) and Aaron Hickey (Bologna) are allegedly on Moyes’ radar with doubts surrounding Arthur Masuaku’s future in east London.

First choice Aaron Cresswell is also nearing the twilight phase of his career, meaning the Hammers may have to contemplate alternatives to the Englishman sooner rather than later.

Sharing an update, C&H have now shared some interesting news involving Zinchenko.

The Latest: Insider makes Zinchenko claim…

According to their Man City sources, the 25-year-old is ‘set to become the perfect target’ for GSB and West Ham as Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola reportedly sets his sights on a new left-back at Eastlands.

Indeed, as per the insider, this could make Zinchenko contemplate his future at the club and Moyes is personally a ‘huge admirer’ of the makeshift defender.

They also go on to say that City value their man at around £40 million.

The Verdict: Superb option…

Still young, possessing bags of experience and having played semi-regularly in a star-studded squad over the last few seasons, we believe Zinchenko stands out as an incredible option for the Irons.

The Ukraine international’s versatility could also be a great asset for Moyes with Zinchenko adept at full-back and almost anywhere in an advanced midfield role (WhoScored).

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Called a ‘magnificent player’ by Guardiola this season, the utility man also played an underrated role in City’s run to the 2021 Champions League final – putting on an impressive semi-final display against Paris-Saint Germain in particular.

While a move may be difficult, with Zinchenko’s high valuation potentially coming as a stumbling block, there is little denying he would upgrade Moyes’ roster.

In other news: Moyes transfer plan takes twist as West Ham enter pole position for ‘sensational’ player, find out more here.

Everton have now reportedly joined the race to sign a Premier League ace, who is looking to leave his current club when the January transfer window swings open.

Everton join race to land Jack Grealish repeat

Everton finally got things right on the transfer front in the summer window. After years of transfer flops, the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish have ended the curse by thriving ever since joining up with David Moyes’ side.

Grealish has particularly impressed, getting back to his best following a much-needed loan move away from Manchester City. The golden rule is never fall in love with a loan player, but the England international seems to adore those in Merseyside just as much as they adore him.

Related Haaland loves him: Everton join race to sign UCL goalscorer who wants PL move

He’s enjoying an impressive season.

Posts ByTom Cunningham

He recently told reporters: “I always have a connection with fans at every club. I’ve got an unbelievable one with the Everton fans.

“I spoke to the manager a lot on FaceTime over the summer and it felt right. He’s helped me to get back to my level. I’m playing and training with enjoyment. It’s been the perfect fit.”

It’s only right, then, that The Friedkin Group are already looking to repeat their genius by signing more stars who are struggling at the top of the Premier League.

Ahead of the January transfer window, the Toffees have already been linked with Chelsea’s Tyrique George. The young forward has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge this season and Everton could take full advantage.

But he’s not the only young star on their shortlist. According to Il Mattino, as relayed by CN24 and Sport Witness, Everton have now joined the race to sign Kobbie Mainoo on loan from Manchester United next month. The Carrington graduate is keen to secure a loan move away from Old Trafford and the Merseyside club could offer him exactly that.

Everton should go all out to sign Mainoo

It’s been a tumultuous time for the Mainoo since the arrival of Rubem Amorim. A player who was so highly rated by Erik ten Hag and someone who had an FA Cup final goal to his name against rivals Manchester City has become nothing more than a frustrated substitute under the former Sporting CP boss.

Amorim denied Mainoo the chance to leave on loan in the summer, telling the 20-year-old to simply fight for his place, but is yet to hand his academy graduate the chance to land a knockout blow.

Amorim’s trash could quickly become David Moyes’ treasure, however, especially if Mainoo gets back to his best. It was only in 2024 that Paul Scholes compared the Man United man to the great Zinedine Zidane and that Rasmus Hojlund described him as “generational”. Now, Everton could land an incredible January coup for a player once valued at £79m last September.

Richarlison repeat: Everton set sights on signing "impeccable" Brazilian

There are obvious parallels to Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie’s departure from Arsenal. Both left in search of trophies, one way or another. Where Fabregas had the fortune of joining up with his childhood club who were more than likely to offer him that much-craved slice of silverware in the near future (two games, in fact), van Persie had little in the way of options other than to join the “enemy,” though he was unlikely to label Manchester United as such when he made the switch.

Yet there are unlikely to be parallels to both players now. Arsenal fans have tagged van Persie as a traitor for joining United, while Fabregas would still be welcomed back to the Emirates despite his less than savoury departure in 2011. Now that both former Arsenal captains have their trophy – though they’d be more than inspired to make a charge on the Champions League – there would be little reason for Fabregas to join up with United instead of returning to Arsenal.

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At this stage in Fabregas’ career, he can afford to take his time on the matter; the desperation to marry his talents with trophies isn’t as strong as it once was. His age also allows him to take a little care with his next option – that is, of course, if he does actually leave Barcelona this summer.

It would be foolish to take most of what a modern footballer says to heart. Fabregas had mentioned in the past that he would only play for Arsenal if he found his way back to the Premier League – and surrounding circumstances do offer him a little weight in what he says. One of the exceptions to the rule.

What is also being ignored in this whirlwind of panic (because that’s sort of what it is) is that Fabregas has reportedly been in contact with Arsene Wenger for much of the past two years. The new financial strength of Arsenal means the club can indeed afford to buy the player back for £25 million if Fabregas chooses to leave the Camp Nou. Perhaps even more than Barcelona, Arsenal is Fabregas’ football home. Where is the need to join Manchester United? The similarities between him and van Persie have quickly come to an end.

One of the big issues surrounding Fabregas’ departure from Arsenal was the lack of support he had in terms of high-end players. The pressure was very much on him alone, especially with van Persie consistently picking up injuries and Samir Nasri only really coming to the fore on a regular basis in his final season with the club. A lot of that has changed now.

Even the club’s current star in Jack Wilshere can’t find a regular place in the team. Santi Cazorla has taken a lot of Fabregas’ creative responsibility on board and added goals to this Arsenal side too. Mikel Arteta is the mature figure in the midfield that the club have often lacked during Fabregas’ time, while Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker are among a number of other leaders in the squad. The makeup of this Arsenal team is vastly different to the one Fabregas left, and that is yet to count the new arrivals of this summer’s window.

Let’s hold off in labelling Cesc a traitor before anything is set in stone. There has been nothing thus far, whether over the past 24 hours or over the past year that suggests the player would be open to a move to Old Trafford. What it does seem like, however, is that United missed the boat on Thiago and are now going in for the other option in Fabregas. I also wouldn’t completely discount Barcelona in selling Fabregas this summer too, as there is so much on record that supports the notion that the club have been run horribly under Sandro Rosell.

Fabregas has got his league trophy from Spain and a host of smaller cups starting with the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups. Yet he, like most Arsenal fans, understands that there is unfinished business in north London. A move back to England could be on the cards – and the “could” is incredibly stressed – but I’m not entirely convinced Fabregas is weighing up the option of Manchester.

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Would Fabregas be labelled a traitor if he joined Manchester United?

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