All posts by z3u9t.icu

Wolverhampton Wanderers have entered into talks regarding a deal to bring Rafael Leao to Molineux this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), with it being claimed that Bruno Lage’s side have started discussing a deal for the AC Milan centre-forward with Jorge Mendes, the 22-year-old’s agent.

The report goes on to state that the Serie A side could be tempted into the sale of the Portugal U21 international this summer, while it is also believed that Wolves could lodge a concrete bid for the youngster over the weekend.

Finally, it is claimed that the Premier League side’s interest in a move for Leao appears to be becoming more serious, with the report mentioning that, due to the West Midlands club’s relationship with Mendes, Lage and his side look to have an advantage on the competition for the youngster’s signature.

Imagine him & Neto

Considering the raw amount of potential Leao appears to possess, it is easy to see why Lage appears so keen to get a deal over the line for the centre-forward – who can also play on the wing – ahead of next season.

Indeed, over his 30 Serie A appearances for AC Milan last season – 22 of which came as starts – the £22.5m-rated man scored six goals, registered six assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns saw the man Tiago Fernandes dubbed a “champion” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.95, ranking him as Stefano Pioli’s joint 10th-best performer in the top flight of Italian football.

Aside from his impressive displays, the 23-year-old’s versatility would also be a major boost for Lage, with the potential of a front three consisting of the proven Premier League goalscorer Raul Jimenez, the equally exciting Pedro Neto and Leao being something of a tantalising prospect for both the Portuguese coach and fans of the club alike.

As such, it would be difficult to argue that the signing of the £35k-per-week forward would be anything other than a huge coup for Wolves ahead of next season, with Lage undoubtedly hoping to improve on the club’s rather disappointing 13th place finish in the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo last time out in their upcoming campaign.

In other news: Lage must amend Wolves’ £63k-p/w Nuno disaster this summer, he’s “gone into oblivion”

Many Everton fans have been left to slam a manager update involving Rafa Benitez.

Writing in his latest piece for The Times, Paul Joyce has shared that the Spaniard is expected to be formally offered the manager’s job by the Goodison Park faithful following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid.

He has now had three rounds of talks with Farhad Moshiri and members of the Merseyside club hierarchy over the past week, having moved in front of former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo as the frontrunner for the vacancy.

The discussions have also been described as positive, as it looks increasingly like Benitez could be well be the man to lead the Toffees going into the 2021/22 season.

Of course, he used to manage and was so fondly remembered by Liverpool, given that he won the UEFA Champions League with them back in the 2004/05 term (Transfermarkt), and so it is not a surprise at all to see so many Evertonians opposed to the potential appointment.

Everton fans on Benitez manager update

These Blues supporters slammed the manager update as it was shared on Twitter:

“Leg it Paul”

Credit: @james_gavo3

“@Everton don’t appoint this guy – just don’t!!”Credit: @JessiePsDad”I would genuinely rather have Moyes”Credit: @jck1878″Anyone got any recommendations on a new team to support?”Credit: @NiallMcDonald_”Well that’s one way to get rid of the season ticket waiting list.”Credit: @latenightblues”Grim”Credit: @shawryblueIn other news, find out what transfer update has left EFC fans fuming here!

Wolves midfielder Vitinha helped Portugal to reach the semi-finals of the European Under-21 Championship on Monday night. 

He played all 120 minutes as they beat Italy 5-3 in Ljubljana to set up a meeting with Spain in the last four.

Wolves signed Vitinha on a season-long loan deal last September, and their agreement with FC Porto included an option to make the deal permanent.

Hope for Vitinha at Wolves after little gametime

Vitinha was limited to 511 Premier League minutes under Nuno Espirito Santo, making three further appearances in the cup competitions.

However, Nuno left Molineux at the end of the season, and Fabrizio Romano reported in May that the club were working to complete the appointment of former Benfica boss Bruno Lage.

A new manager may be able to offer Vitinha assurances of a far greater role, while Wolves looked like a team in need of being revitalised as they slipped from seventh in the previous two seasons to 13th this time around.

Wolves fans react to Vitinha’s victorious tweet

After Portugal under-21s’ victory, Vitinha tweeted a celebratory message, and here’s how some Wolves fans reacted.

“Please stay here”

Credit: @laurennandoo

“Stay, scary man has gone. Lage will play you.”

Credit: @haydenbd_

“Hope you’re staying at Wolves mate”

Credit: @outofdarkness12

“You are the best player of all time”

Credit: @hxpkins_

“Write how many zeros you want”

Credit: @jshwwfc

“Nuno is gone, Lage will have you thrive”

Credit: @lewis_wwfc7

“Vitor mate, tell Lage to play you in every game”

Credit: @FinsabuWWFC

In other news, read these Wolves fans’ reaction to Chelsea’s reported interest in one of their star players. 

Former Leeds United ace Jon Newsome has revealed his disappointment at Marcelo Bielsa’s decision to recall Kiko Casilla for the final two games of the season.

The Spaniard made just one appearance for Leeds in the Premier League prior to the last pair of fixtures, against Southampton and West Bromwich Albion, when he played 180 minutes.

Casilla was found guilty of racially abusing Charlton Athletic player Jonathan Leko in September 2019 and was subsequently given an eight-match ban, per The Guardian.

Since then, he has routinely been left out by manager Marcelo Bielsa, prior to his surprise recall.

Bielsa did not exactly explain his decision but he did praise his behaviour as a player and a team-mate, per Leeds Live.

Newsome does not believe that the Spaniard’s selection can be justified, and felt that Bielsa’s decision reflected poorly on the club as a whole.

Indeed, Illan Meslier enjoyed a fantastic season in goal, keeping 11 clean sheets in 35 games at the age of just 21.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Newsome said: “What happened and what he was found guilty of, it’s a really important issue in society, not just the game of football. I found it a very difficult decision to understand, really.

“Meslier has had such a great season. Is Casilla leaving? Was it his chance to say goodbye?

“Well, if that was the case, surely you just play him in the last game of the season like he did with (Gaetano) Berardi and Pablo Hernandez.

“So yeah, it was a difficult one for me. And I think I sit with the majority of the players scratching my head and wondering why that decision was made. I don’t think it particularly reflected too well on the club.”

West Bromwich Albion are set to scrap the Director of Football position at The Hawthorns.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a West Brom source has revealed that, following the club’s parting of ways with technical and sporting director Luke Dowling, Guochuan Lai will not look to replace the outgoing man this summer.

Instead, it is reported that the Baggies will look at appoint a more “traditional” manager this summer, with Lai hoping to find a hands-on and well-connected coach who can work closely with the club’s recruitment team, rather than this task being fulfilled by a director of football.

Big mistake

The news that the West Brom owner believes that his club does not require the services of a director of football, or indeed a sporting or technical director, certainly comes as something of a surprise, as the vast majority of top English football clubs now operate with this model, often with relative success.

Indeed, with a director of football in place, a club limits the risk of a manager making signings in the transfer market that suit their own individual style of football, rather than fitting with the club’s philosophies as a whole.

For example, should Sam Allardyce have stayed on at the West Brom this summer, without a director of football in place, the 66-year-old would have more than likely signed a number of strong, physical and defensively-minded players who are suited to playing a more direct brand of football.

While this may prove beneficial in the short term, if the club were to eventually part ways with Allardyce, and subsequently go on to appoint a new coach such as, for example, Scott Parker, a manager who likes his teams to play out from the back and being overall more attack-minded, the 40-year-old would have to almost entirely rebuild the squad in order to establish his style.

However, with a director of football in place – with the idea being the person in the role will likely outstay the incumbent manager – the signings a club makes are almost always ones who fit the individual club’s philosophies, while the DoF will also appoint a manager who tends to play in a way which suits the club’s demands.

As such, it would very much appear as if Lai’s lastest surprising decision could come back to haunt the Chinese businessman and his club, as we believe scrapping the role is yet another mistake on the part of the West Brom owner.

It looks like the chairman is looking for a short-term, quick-fix rather than planning for long-term success at Albion and that feels like a recipe for disaster.

In other news: Relief for WBA fans as Lai won’t be hiring boss who flopped massively at his last club

This season has been one plagued by injuries for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the academy or part of the first-team set-up, the treatment room has been full for the majority of the campaign.

Jonny has suffered two ACL problems, Pedro Neto is out for six months with a broken knee cap and Daniel Podence will now miss a period of time after undergoing surgery on his groin.

They have also missed the services of Raul Jimenez who has been absent since November while he recovers from a fractured skull.

The Mexican is nearing a return but there are still plenty of boxes left for him to tick before he makes a full comeback.

It’s unlikely he’ll be available to face Everton on Wednesday but another player that will be absent is Theo Corbeanu.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Nuno Santo commented: “He’s not going to be involved. Only the senior players will join the group for Everton.”

The reason for that is because he picked up an injury while playing for the club’s U23 side this week.

It’s not a huge blow for Wolves given his status in the first-team but it will irk Nuno considerably that his already small squad is now missing another player.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-rumours-and-news-soumare-dias-dembele-marques-nuno-santo” title=”Read the latest Wolves transfer rumours and news!”]

It’ll represent a big setback to the player, though.

Corbeanu came off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend to make his senior debut for the Wolves first-team. In doing so, he became the youngest Canadian to play in the Premier League.

With the Old Gold having nothing but pride to play for during the rest of the season, the youngster may have been in with a chance of securing more minutes as the campaign drew to a close.

It will have been exciting to see what he could do at senior level. After all, the qualities he has at his disposal are mouth-watering.

Speaking earlier this season, U23 boss James Collins said: “He’s athletic, tall, can head it, can defend, can dribble past people and score, he can shoot, he can pass, he’s both footed, he’s got a bit of everything.”

Collins added: “Theo can be anything he wants to be. He’s an outstanding prospect.”

Corbeanu’s chances this term may have been curtailed but it won’t be a great surprise if we see him in the first team on a more regular basis next season.

AND elsewhere, Wolves set for huge boost after Molineux news emerges, Nuno will be thrilled…

Keith Gillespie has hailed the blossoming relationship of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The two stars have been central for United, with the club currently second in the Premier League table.

They are unlikely to topple Manchester City given that they sit 10 points behind their rivals with five games of the season remaining.

Pogba has played alongside the Portugal international 35 times this season, losing just nine times, and winning 19.

In total, they have been in the team together 48 times, and Fernandes has assisted Pogba twice, while the France international has laid on three goals for the former Sporting Lisbon star.

Gillespie believes the two consistently try to find each other on the pitch given the trust they have in each other, and thinks it can only be a good thing for United in the long run.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, the former United winger said: “I like the relationship that Fernandes and Pogba have at times because they always seem to be looking for each other because they trust each other.

“You always think something’s going to happen.”

The 2020/21 Championship regular season came to an end on Saturday afternoon and a current Leicester City player rounded off his campaign in a promising way.

Starting in midfield for temporary employers Luton Town, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall equalised against Queens Park Rangers despite the Hatters going on to lose 3-1 at Loftus Road.

Following the match, Luton boss Nathan Jones suggested that he would be doing his utmost to bring the “magnificent” midfielder back to the club next season.

However, considering his performances throughout the campaign, Brendan Rodgers should certainly be looking to keep Dewsbury-Hall at the King Power Stadium and hand him first-team opportunities.

In 40 appearances for Luton in all competitions, the 22-year-old has scored three goals and notched six assists.

That form built on another highly impressive loan spell at Blackpool where the midfielder scored four goals in just ten league appearances.

Considering those two campaigns have been his only seasons within senior league football, his adaptation and progression has been highly impressive.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leicester-city-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-more-abraham-demrial-maddison-rodgers-mckennie” title=”Latest Leicester City news, transfer rumours and more…”]

His eye for goal and offensive nature could certainly come in handy in the East-Midlands next season.

The likes of James Maddison, Dennis Praet and Ayoze Perez have all struggled with injuries throughout the current campaign, leaving Rodgers’ midfield attacking midfield options looking depleted at times.

Bringing Dewsbury-Hall into the fold would certainly strengthen the depth within the club’s current squad.

Whilst it might be harsh to expect the midfielder to cope with the demands of Premier League football immediately, he has already displayed his promise with the Foxes.

He has already been afforded a couple of first-team opportunities at the King Power Stadium; an FA Cup appearance against Brentford and an EFL Cup outing versus Arsenal back in September.

Following his excellent season at Kenilworth Road, he will surely be keen though to build upon those promising signs.

Rodgers must keep him around next season though and not let him leave once again if Dewsbury-Hall is to achieve that.

Even if he’s kept around to play in a backup role, he could be unleashed in domestic cup games, or perhaps from the bench in league games. That could be better for his development than spending another year out on loan.

AND in more news, the Foxes have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Boubakary Soumare…

Former Southampton vice-chairman Les Reed believes that Mario Lemina could still become world class, amid links with Newcastle United and West Ham United.

The Gabonese midfielder is still contracted to Southampton, although he hasn’t appeared for the St Mary’s outfit in the previous two seasons having spent time out on loan.

Lemina was in Turkey with Galatasaray 12 months ago, before spending this season at Fulham.

His only Fulham goal came at Anfield back in March, although that 1-0 victory was unable to save the Cottagers from relegation.

Lemina is unlikely to return to west London next season, but the midfielder could yet stay in the Premier League, with both Newcastle and West Ham interested in signing the former Juventus man who could be available for £7m.

That’s because he’s reportedly not part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s plans for next season, which shouldn’t come as a great surprise considering Lemina only played a handful of times under the Austrian two years ago before the Saints boss opted to loan him out.

Despite his testing period with Southampton, Reed, who was involved in the deal which saw Lemina move to the Premier League, has exclusively told Football FanCast that he could still become a top player in the right circumstances:

The former England technical director said: “Mario Lemina could be world class, he’s a superb athlete. When he first got in the team at Southampton, everyone thought we got the best deal out of Lemina and Pogba from that Juventus midfield.”

Turkish giants Fenerbahce have reportedly held positive talks with Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke.

That’s according to Turkish outlet Takvim, which, as to be expected, has had plenty of Eagles fans talking on social media.

Benteke, who is 11 appearances shy of reaching 150 for Palace, is out of contract at the end of the season.

The 30-year-old has featured regularly for Roy Hodgson during the current campaign, though, making 26 appearances in all competitions.

The Belgian is thought to be on a whopping £120,000-a-week in London, and it seems as if he could be making the move to Turkey in the summer on a free transfer.

Benteke has also been linked with Galatasaray, but it seems as if Fenerbahce are looking to pip their rivals to a deal.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared Takvim’s report on Twitter on Tuesday evening, with the post receiving plenty of interaction from supporters.

These Palace fans were all desperate for Benteke to remain at the club…

“No no no”

Credit: @s_cpfc

“No I want him to stay”

Credit: @Jamseyandrew

“Please don’t go”

Credit: @Callum_CPFC_

“Stay away from him”

Credit: @BMCPFC

“NOO”

Credit: @AaronCu36671808

“Stop it”

Credit: @RoccoSeipel

In other news: Many CPFC fans react as managerial news emerges, find out more here.