All posts by hc12369.com

Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly identified a potential successor to Bruno Lage in the form of ex-Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins, with the Midlands side seemingly contemplating a move for the 52-year-old at present.

What’s the word?

According to the Express and Star, the Portuguese coach is under consideration by the club’s ownership group, Fosun, having relieved Lage of his duties at Molineux following the recent defeat to West Ham United.

The report suggests that Martins could provide the added benefit of having worked with a number of the Old Gold stars in the past – including both Daniel Podence and Jose Sa at his former club – while a move should prove ‘relatively straightforward’ as he has links to Jorge Mendes’ agency Gestifute, who have a strong affiliation with the Premier League side.

The piece goes on to add that the highly-rated coach – who is currently out of work after being turfed out of his recent post earlier this season – is ‘interested’ in the switch, having rejected the advances of Championship outfit, Hull City.

Immense success

While there may be concern in appointing a coach who has only recently faced the sack – after suffering a shambolic 4-0 defeat to Maccabi Haifa in Champions League qualifying in the summer – that was a rare blip in what was an otherwise stunning spell in Greece.

The former Vitoria Guimaraes coach had enjoyed “immense success” – in the words of journalist Kostas Lianos – after arriving at his former club back in 2018, going on to win three league titles in his final three full seasons at the club, while also enjoying notable high points in Europe.

Martins had seen his side only narrowly defeated on aggregate following a tight Europa League clash with his potential future employers back in August 2020, having seen off Arsenal with a dramatic late victory at the Emirates Stadium in the previous round.

The one-time Maritimo boss – who is a friend and former teammate of Nuno Espirito Santo – again got the better of Mikel Arteta the following season as his side clinched another victory in north London, albeit with the Gunners ultimately progressing on aggregate.

Martins has also previously earned glowing praise from former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino, with the Argentine saying of his counterpart ahead of a Champions League meeting back in September 2019: “Pedro Martins, likes to play football, to play from the back, moving the ball quickly. We know each other well.”

While likely an unfamiliar name to most Wolves supporters, the evidence suggests that he could well be the man to reverse their current slump – having slipped into the relegation zone at present – having already proven himself against elite, English opposition in recent years.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Should he be given the right tools and the time to make his mark, there’s no reason why he could not bring success to Molineux in the years to come.

Sunderland made it back-to-back home stalemates on Tuesday night as they were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw against Blackpool.

The Black Cats couldn’t find a way past the Tangerines despite a dominant first half, with the result leaving Tony Mowbray’s side in seventh position in the Championship.

One man who disappointed in the draw at the Stadium of Light was Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo, who started alongside Alex Pritchard in attack in the absence of Ellis Simms and Ross Stewart.

As per SofaScore, the Ivory Coast international would earn a shocking 6.4/10 rating for his performance, which was the joint-worst of any player to feature in the game.

Sunderland seriously missed the physicality and aerial presence offered by both Stewart and Simms, as Diallo would win just one of his five duels during the game, meaning that 80% of the time, he was bettered by a Blackpool player.

Diallo usually excels with the ball at his feet but he simply failed to get involved on Tuesday night, as his one dribble attempt was unsuccessful, while he failed to register a single shot on target during his time on the pitch.

By comparison, even with all of his previous appearances in the Championship coming from the bench this season, Diallo has averaged 0.4 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.2 dribbles per game, which emphasises just how poor he was when given the opportunity to start on Tuesday.

He would also have just 30 touches of the ball, which was the lowest of any Sunderland player to start the game, including goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, who would have 36.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see him replaced by Jewison Bennette on 58 minutes, with the Costa Rican managing more key passes, successful dribbles and successful duels than his teammate despite being on the pitch for nearly half an hour less.

[freshpress-quiz id=“659394″]

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

This again goes to show just how poor the Manchester United loanee was against Blackpool, and when Mowbray needed him to step up with some goals due to Simms and Stewart being injured, he sadly failed to perform.

Indeed, he even ignored his manager’s instructions by refusing to shoot, something that will do little to help his cause in the future.

This was the attacker’s first start for the club and on this evidence, another one shouldn’t be forthcoming anytime soon.

Allan has left Everton and signed for Abu Dhabi-based Al Wahda on a permanent deal, with Fabrizio Romano taking to Twitter to relay the news late on Sunday night.

The Lowdown: Allan’s Toffees career

With former Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti wanting to reunite with the defensive midfielder, with whom he worked at Napoli, the Brazilian joined the Merseyside club in 2020 in a deal worth £21.7m.

During his two-year tenure at Goodison Park, the 31-year-old made 57 appearances for the Toffees, 52 of which came in the Premier League.

However, under Frank Lampard’s reign, Allan featured just 13 times for the club, failing to make a single appearance in the 2022/23 season as he was continually snubbed by the manager.

The Latest: Allan’s move

Romano has shared news of Allan’s departure from Merseyside.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday night, the reliable journalist stated: “Brazilian midfielder Allan has signed with Al Wahda on permanent deal from Everton. #transfers

“Medical completed and contracts signed in the last few hours, Allan leaves the Premier League. #EFC”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-8/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Replaced by younger talent

After a decent first season with Everton as a regular under Ancelotti’s guidance, Allan seemed to be a strong signing for the Blues, who came in as one of the club’s highest-paid players on £120,000 per week.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

However, his propensity for injuries and decreasing levels of athleticism meant that he fell further down Lampard’s pecking order at the club, leading to some journalists issuing unforgiving labels such as ‘imposter’ towards the Brazilian.

With the likes of Amadou Onana and James Garner, accompanied by the highly experienced Idrissa Gueye, joining the club this summer, the Toffees clearly turned their attention to the long-term future of the squad.

Therefore, Allan’s departure will not come as a big surprise for Everton fans, as the club now seem to be on a different trajectory this season.

Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne has suffered a ‘possible stress fracture’ to his right ankle, according to L’Equipe.

The Lowdown: Injury issues

Steven Gerrard has had a number of injury problems to deal with this season, with many coming at the back.

Marquee summer signing Diego Carlos ruptured his achilles tendon in August while Matty Cash missed the win over Southampton with a hamstring issue.

Defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara suffered an injury of his own against the Saints that has ‘worried’ Gerrard, and fellow countryman Digne is also now set for a spell on the sidelines.

The Latest: Digne update

L’Equipe provided an update on the extent of Digne’s injury after it emerged he was ruled out of France’s UEFA Nations League clashes with Austria and Denmark.

They claimed that ‘initial examinations revealed a possible stress fracture’ of the right ankle, which would rule him out for several weeks.

The Verdict: Never ending

Villa can’t catch a break when it comes to injuries, and it looks as if Digne will spend a somewhat lengthy spell out, should this claim prove accurate.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Many ankle stress fractures heal in a four to six-week time period, so Digne could miss all of October should it push towards a six-week absence.

That would rule the left-back out of a busy month with Villa set for six Premier League fixtures and may damage his chances of a spot in France’s World Cup squad.

Everton’s signing of Jean-Philippe Gbamin has proven to be a disaster and following the summer additions of Amadou Onana, James Garner and Idrissa Gana Gueye, Frank Lampard must ensure that the Ivorian leaves Goodison Park for good now.

The Toffees paid £25m to sign Gbamin from FSV Mainz back in 2019, however his time at the club has been absolutely ravaged by injuries.

In the three years he has been in Merseyside, he has managed just eight appearances in all competitions for Everton.

This works out at around £3.1m per appearance, which represents abhorrent business by chairman Farhad Moshiri, especially given that last season he managed to play 13 times for CSKA Moscow during his loan spell.

Not only this but across his spell on Merseyside he has picked up a wage of £75k-per-week. During his three-year spell, where he has earned £3.9m per year, he has cost the club in total £36.1m, taking that spend-per-appearance to an eye-watering £4.5m – and counting.

Fortunately for Lampard, with the 26-year-old now out on loan once more in Turkey, he will see out the final year of his contract away from the club.

It was a calculated risk to spend that much money on Gbamin, however for Marco Silva, he was seen as a direct replacement for the outgoing Idrissa Gana Gueye.

He joined Paris Saint-Germain for £29m, which does lighten the blow of the deal for his replacement.

However, three years on Gueye has returned in a move that has all but cemented his replacement’s exit from the club.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By comparison, the Senegalese powerhouse has featured 111 times for PSG across the same period. He makes his Goodison Park comeback with a wealth of added experience, and after three years of searching, it appears the only player they could find to fill his boots was the man himself.

These new summer additions, plus his dwindling contract all suggest that Gbamin’s time at Everton is over. This signing must ultimately go down as a monumental failure, and Lampard and Moshiri will both be happy to see the back of him.

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez has a potential groin injury, which is why he didn’t feature against Southampton, according to reliable journalist Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: Jimenez misses Wolves win

Bruno Lage’s men secured a 1-0 win at home to Saints in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with Daniel Podence’s first-half strike proving to be the difference between the two sides.

However, Jimenez didn’t feature in the squad at Molineux due to fitness concerns, but new big-money striker Sasa Kalajdzic led the line for the hosts.

In a cruel twist, the towering striker picked up an injury which has since been confirmed as ACL damage, meaning that he could be out for the rest of the season.

The Latest: Jimenez injury blow

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Keen confirmed that a groin problem kept Jimenez out of proceedings, in what is an added blow after Kalajdzic’s setback.

The journalist relayed:

“Wolves have confirmed that new signing Sasa Kalajdzic has suffered an ACL injury to his knee on his debut. He will now see a specialist. Also said Raul Jimenez felt some pain his groin and they didn’t want to risk him.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“398117″]

The Verdict: Must sign a striker

This is a horribly unfortunate situation for Lage, spending lots of money on Kalajdzic only to lose him to long-term injury immediately. The hope is that the Austrian will be able to return to his best form once he recovers, given the severity of the issue.

[freshpress-poll id=“399044″]

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Jimenez has had fitness worries of his own in recent weeks and months, too, so it is absolutely imperative that Wolves sign a new striker who can bring some much-needed firepower.

The transfer window is closed, of course, meaning that only free agents can come in. However, a move for Diego Costa has been mooted, and while it might not seem the most ideal scenario, it could be a clever stop-gap swoop.

Tottenham Hotspur will be without an ‘important’ player in winger Lucas Moura tonight, as confirmed by manager Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Spurs gearing up…

The Lilywhites are gearing up for an historic occasion this evening as Conte prepares for Spurs’ first appearance in the Champions League for over two years.

Their last cameo, a two-leg Last 16 defeat at the hands of RB Leipzig, feels like a distant memory with Tottenham making an unbeaten start to this Premier League campaign whilst showcasing real confidence.

Ahead of a blockbuster league clash with champions Man City at the weekend, Spurs couldn’t ask for a tastier warm up than an opening group stage match in Europe’s most prestigious competition.

The Latest: Lucas missing…

However, it appears the north Londoners will be without forward Lucas again despite the Brazilian returning to training on the pitch.

Indeed, he’s making progress in his recovery, but the 30-year-old won’t quite be back in time to make an appearance this evening.

Conte explained to the press:

“Moura is not available, not still available. I think tomorrow he starts to have a training session on the pitch. He has this inflammation in his tendon and I hope to recover him very soon because especially up front we need him.”

The Verdict: Setback…

According to Lucas himself, Conte has explained that the winger is an ‘important’ player for Spurs and we believe he could offer something different from the bench when available.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

This is backed by the numbers with no Spurs player managing to complete as many successful take-ons per 90 as the former Paris-Saint Germain star last season (WhoScored).

Ahead of a long and congested campaign, it’s little surprise Conte wants him back as soon as possible, but he’ll have to keep waiting.

Aston Villa are reportedly interested in securing a deadline day deal for Wolves midfielder Leander Dendoncker.

What’s the news?

In a recent Twitter post, journalist Mike McGrath revealed that the Villa Park outfit have “held talks” over a deal for the Belgian.

A move has since developed further with Sky Sports confirming the Midlands club have submitted a £13m bid for the player.

Wolves originally signed the 27-year-old on loan from Anderlecht in the summer of 2018 before securing him on a permanent deal a year later.

During his time at Molineux, the midfielder has made 159 appearances across all competitions, scoring 12 goals and supplying four assists along the way.

Gerrard would love it

To highlight how useful he was for Bruno Lage’s side in the Premier League last season, just two other Wolves players ended the campaign with a higher percentage for shots on target than him (43.5%), while only three of his team-mates racked up a higher pass completion percentage than him (87.3%).

This shows how capable the £90k-per-week midfielder is in possession and how deadly he can be when given the chance to have an attempt at goal.

Hailed by the Wolves manager as a “top player and a top man with the right mentality”, Dendoncker would certainly offer Steven Gerrard a very capable extra midfield option in his squad, which the 42-year-old would surely love to have.

With seven clubs in the top flight having a higher pass completion percentage in the midfield third of the pitch than Villa (87.9%), there is certainly room to improve in this area for the Villans, something with which the Belgium international will surely be able to help.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Taking into account how the midfielder has only started Wolves’ first two league games of the season and was an unused substitute for their 0-0 draw against Bournemouth last night, potentially making the short move to Villa – where he may have a better chance of playing regularly and playing under a manager like Gerrard – could be a tempting prospect for the player.

Also, with Douglas Luiz’s current contract at Villa Park set to expire next summer, this could make the Wolves colossus a suitable replacement for the Brazilian should he leave the club at that time.

If the Villans have the opportunity to take Dendoncker away from their Midlands rivals before tonight’s transfer deadline, this could be a very smart move from Johan Lange and NSWE.

Manchester United director John Murtough is eyeing a late swoop for Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries as Erik ten Hag looks to improve his defensive options at Old Trafford.

What’s the news?

That’s according to The Times, who claim that the Netherlands defender is being considered by Ten Hag as he continues his overhaul of the Man United squad.

The 52-year-old is looking for added competition for Diogo Dalot at right-back as he attempts to offload Aaron Wan-Bissaka after three years at the club.

Inter Milan want €40m (£34m) for the 26-year-old if any potential sale is to take place, a fee that United are more than able to afford.

He’s a Wan-Bissaka upgrade

Ten Hag got off to a dreadful start at Old Trafford, losing his first two Premier League matches, conceding six goals and only scoring once. A crucial victory over Liverpool on Monday could well be the catalyst for better things to come, but a few more signings may well be required.

With the manager favouring Dalot over Wan-Bissaka, a move for Dumfries makes perfect sense, and he would be an upgrade on the former Crystal Palace player.

Last season in Serie A, Dumfries won 58% of his aerial duels and lost possession 9.4 times per match, while Wan-Bissaka won only 37% of his aerial duels and lost possession a staggering 14 times per Premier League game. This added aerial prowess is surely something that Ten Hag would want.

One of Dumfries’ strengths is his versatility. He can also operate in a right midfield position if necessary, where he can chip in with some goals throughout the season. He scored five times last term while also supplying four assists and creating six big chances, whereas Wan-Bissaka provided no goal contributions at all during the entire campaign.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Man United’s full-backs only registered 11 goal contributions in all competitions last season (one goal and ten assists), and this is clearly an area where Ten Hag will be demanding more this term.

BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce called Dumfries a “freight train” following his goal for the Netherlands against Austria at Euro 2020, and his alliance of attacking intent and defensive strengths might make him United’s most important signing of the transfer window, if they can bring him in.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a big blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend…

What’s the latest?

As revealed by ever-reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, Spurs are set to be without starting centre-back and fan-favourite Cristian Romero, who could be set to miss the next four weeks with a muscular injury.

“Understand Cristian Romero is set to be out for a few weeks with a muscle injury,” he tweeted alongside an article.

In that piece, the reporter goes on to explain that the Argentina international picked up an issue during their 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend and that could now rule him out of games in the Champions League and potentially their top-flight clash with champions Manchester City.

Big blow for Conte

Romero has played in every minute of competitive action for the Lilywhites this campaign and has emerged as one of Conte’s best defensive options ever since his arrival in the dugout last November.

Only Rodrigo Bentancur (four per game) has won more tackles than the former Atalanta centre-back (3.5 per game), whilst he tops the charts for passing accuracy (85.5%) when it comes to the Italian’s central defensive options, as per WhoScored.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-paratici-conte-levy-gossip-more” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and so much more!”]

The 23-year-old’s form last campaign saw Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher deem him to be the “signing of the season,” which only goes to show how much of an impact he has made in England already, especially when there were other appealing transfers such as Luis Diaz to Liverpool and Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United.

“There’s something special about him,” the ex-Liverpool centre-back told Monday Night Football at the time. “He reminds me of [Ricardo] Carvalho,” he added.

Elsewhere, the aggressive 6 foot 1 titan has been dubbed an “animal” who is “perfect for the Premier League” by former teammate Pierluigi Gollini, who told Standard Sport:

“I think he’s really impressive “on the man”, When he’s man-marking one-v-one, he’s a beast, an animal. The guy is very very strong,” the goalkeeper claimed. “I like him because he’s a very tough guy on the pitch, he’s a guy who never backs down, he always puts his foot, his face, where he needs to.”

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Therefore, on the above evidence, Romero’s absence will come as a hugely gutting blow to the manager, who has trusted him to play 21 times since he took the helm.

Conte is likely to have to turn to Davinson Sanchez, who has previously been dubbed a “liability” by pundit Kenny Cunningham, and that’s a worrying sign heading into the weekend.

AND in other news, Levy could sign another £15m “Rolls-Royce” at Spurs as journalist drops transfer claim…