Kevin Campbell believes Luke Ayling’s lengthy injury absence is a huge blow for Leeds United, after news emerged that the defender required surgery.
The Lowdown: Ayling missing for Leeds
The 30-year-old hasn’t featured for the Whites since the 1-1 draw away to Newcastle United last month, having picked a knee issue.
Ayling is to be missing for a considerable period after the news broke last week that he needed surgery, with an absence of around six weeks expected, meaning it will be well into the hectic winter fixture schedule before he returns.
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The Latest: Pundit bemoans absence
Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell, a regular on Sky Sports, highlighted Ayling’s importance to Leeds, outlining why he will be such a big loss in the coming period:
“He’ll be a big miss if he’s out for that long. Leeds have some crucial fixtures coming up after the internationals.
“Ayling is Mr. Reliable and you will only ever see him out of the side if he’s got a bad injury. He’s been brilliant for them over the past couple of seasons and has been virtually ever-present.
“Injuries happen to everybody though. It is so important to have a player who can plug the gap until he is back.
“Shackleton has been very good but I still think they will really miss Ayling. He is a fantastic player who can chip in with a goal or two as well. He’s so consistent at right-back and consistency is the key. He gives you a seven or eight out of 10 every week.”
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The Verdict: Huge loss for Whites
Ayling has been a fantastic servant for Leeds and there is no denying that they lose a lot when he isn’t in the team.
The 30-year-old possesses a big character and leadership from right-back, but he also brings so much energy and quality, both in an attacking and defensive sense.
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Ayling’s screamer at Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season showed what he is capable of ability-wise, but he has averaged 2.2 tackles and 1.2 clearances per game in the Premier League this season, too, which is really where he shines.
In other news, a pundit has been critical of one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.
Rangers have been linked with a move for Caleb Chukwuemeka recently and the 19-year-old could be the man to replace Jermain Defoe in Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox.
What’s the word?
According to the Daily Mail, Rangers are interested in signing the Northampton Town striker, although it is Aston Villa who have made the first official move to sign him, as they saw an offer rebuffed by the League Two side recently.
The Villans arguably hold an advantage over Rangers in the race to sign him, as his younger brother Carney plays for their academy, but Gerrard will be hoping that he can be tempted into a move to Ibrox.
Despite featuring 28 times for the Cobblers’ senior side, Chukwuemeka is yet to sign a professional deal with the club and will reportedly become a free agent in January, which suggests that he could be a very cheap option for the Gers this summer.
Jermain Defoe’s heir?
Defoe recently signed a new one-year contract at Rangers but will take on some coaching work as his influence in the first-team dwindles, and Chukwuemeka could be the man to step up as his replacement when he does eventually retire from professional football.
The 38-year-old has scored 32 goals in his 72 appearances for Rangers thus far and is always likely to pop up with a goal when he does play due to the incredible goalscoring instincts that he possesses.
It bodes well for the future that he will be coaching some of Rangers’ brightest prospects and if Chukwuemeka were to arrive at Ibrox, Defoe would no doubt be in regular conversation with him on how he can improve his game.
The teenage forward has scored twice in his senior career thus far but is highly regarded at the League Two club, with former manager Keith Curle singing his praises last season, saying:
“Caleb has got an unpredictability about him and he can be unorthodox at times. What we’re trying to do is get the fundamentals in place in his play without taking away that excitement and that freedom in his play.”
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If Chukwuemeka does arrive at Ibrox and starts to score consistently, there’s no reason why he can’t be the long-term replacement for Defoe at Rangers, so Ross Wilson should definitely be looking to bring him in.
And, in other news… Jordan Campbell drops big update on Ibrox “mountain”, Rangers fans will be buzzing
Leeds United beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Saturday lunchtime to move up to ninth in the Premier League.
Stuart Dallas, Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo were all on target as they returned to winning ways following their disappointing defeat at Brighton last weekend.
And it was only Dallas (7.6) and Bamford (7.5) who earned higher SofaScore ratings than Robin Koch (7.4).
The numbers behind Koch’s Tottenham display
Koch was deployed in front of Leeds’ centre-backs Diego Llorente and Pascal Strujik, and the German won five of his seven ground duels and two of his four aerial battles, via Sofascore.
He also contributed two clearances, two blocks and three tackles and wasn’t dribbled past during the game.
Overall, Koch touched the ball 50 times and completed 29 of 35 attempted passes, an accuracy of 83%.
He had Leeds analyst Josh Hobbs backtracking – Hobbs tweeted that, in light of Koch’s ‘glorious’ performance, he may have to retract his argument that centre-backs shouldn’t play in the defensive midfield role.
Koch himself tweeted a celebratory message after the game, and here’s how supporters reacted to his six-word post which read: “Who you gonna call? Leeds United!”.
Leeds fans buzzing with Koch’s performance against Spurs
“Absolutely unbelievable performance from you today big man. Love having you back in this team. What a win”
Credit: @TonyLUFC28
“Can’t wait for that chant ringing out around Elland Road next season.”
Credit: @Anguini
“Love you big fella, class today”
Credit: @callumlufc
“You were Man of the match for me, had a great game in that role, long may it continue”
Credit: @CasperEngland
“You were absolutely immense today big man”
Credit: @Guysley
“Unbelievable in CDM mate”
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Credit: @Olijhulme
“Top game Robin, looked a natural there”
Credit: @petewoodhead99
“Never leave”
Credit: @lufcliam_
In other news, fans were less than pleased with this player’s efforts.
According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers star Alfredo Morelos is likely to be sold this summer, with Steven Gerrard’s side banking at least £15m from the striker’s potential sale.
What’s the word?
Morelos has been nothing short of a revelation for Rangers since joining the club from HJK Helsinki on a three-year deal in 2017.
Since his debut, he has scored 90 goals, recording a further 42 assists, in 171 appearances across all competitions during his time in Scotland and has already broken Ally McCoist’s European goalscoring record this season.
The 24-year-old had apparently made up his mind to leave Rangers last year and his desire to leave the Light Blues was no secret in the summer.
However, Rangers refused to sell their prized asset, and the centre-forward has continued his fine form in the Europa League, racking up three goals and six assists in eight appearances in the competition this season.
Football Insider claims this would in turn significantly increase his market value if he can continue to repeat his Europa League exploits for the remainder of the campaign.
His stats suggest he should be able to do this, given his excellent goal record for Rangers, having made 33 appearances this season with 13 goals and 12 assists to show for his 27 starts.
Good news for Ross Wilson?
Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has developed a reputation as one of the most successful negotiators in the transfer market, and his handling of this ongoing transfer saga should only reinforce that view.
It seems Morelos is now worth at least £15m, showing Rangers have benefited from refusing to sell him in the summer, as this figure could rise between now and the end of this season.
Reports at the time revealed French Ligue 1 leaders Lille were apparently only willing to offer €15m (£13m) plus €2m (£1.8m) in add-ons for the Colombia international, which was swiftly rebuffed by the 54-time Scottish champions.
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With Rangers posting an annual loss of £15.9m in their most recent financial report, selling a top-class centre-forward for such a huge amount of money would make perfect business sense.
Wilson, therefore, should be praised for making the most of the situation and maximising the value of an unsettled player potentially set to depart Ibrox this summer.
AND in other news, Nathan Patterson earns shot at redemption amid James Tavernier injury blow…
Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands can land Carlo Ancelotti an offensive gem in AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King, should the Toffees submit an appropriate offer ahead of next Friday’s domestic Deadline Day.
What’s the word?
According to The Athletic, via Inside Futbol, Everton are one of several Premier League clubs considering a late swoop into the Championship to acquire King following Bournemouth’s relegation last season.
Top-flight clubs can still do business with EFL sides until 17:00 on October 16th, despite the international market closing last Monday.
King struck six goals and penned four assists in 26 Premier League appearances under Eddie Howe as the south coast side were relegated last season, making the Norway international one of the most desired forwards still available for a late summer transfer.
Everton could face competition from Aston Villa, West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion plus newly-promoted Fulham in any attempt to land King, who is said to be chasing a £90,000-per-week contract – similar to his terms at the Vitality Stadium – which has led the Baggies to hold back on lodging a formal bid.
West Ham have already held talks with King and his representatives over a potential move to the London Stadium, with Bournemouth open to cashing in for around £10million.
King is not said to be in a rush to secure a move away from Bournemouth and is willing to hold out until January, at which point he will have just six-months remaining on his contract, so he’ll be able sign a pre-agreement with an international side ahead of a free transfer.
The 28-year-old missed the start of the new Championship season through an injury sustained on international duty last month, but returned to make his campaign debut under new manager Jason Tindall as a second half substitute against Norwich City.
Everton’s interest in a late move for King has been downplayed however, by the Liverpool Echo.
A potential gem
While King is expected to request a lucrative contract should he leave Bournemouth this week, Brands could land Ancelotti a real offensive gem in the former Manchester United trainee.
Along with his involvement in ten goals in the league last season, King created a further four big chances and spurned three of his own, all whilst recording an average of 1.2 key balls and 0.8 shots a game, per SofaScore.
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The Oslo-born forward also made an average of 2.0 successful dribbles a game, while winning 5.9 duels from 3.7 ground battles and 2.3 aerial contests. He was fouled 1.0 times and won possession 0.8 times – something Ancelotti could tap into and set Everton up to defend from the front to prevent sides from breaking quickly.
Of Everton’s forwards and midfielders who featured in the Premier League last season, only Richarlison (5.58) and Jean-Phillipe Gbamin (4.0) won a higher number of average ground duels a game than King, while only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (5.0) won a higher number of aerial contests.
AND in other news, an outcast of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans is unlikely to win the Everton boss over despite his Deadline Day decision.
According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal are targeting Matty Longstaff in what would be the next step of Mikel Arteta’s plan.
The reports claim that the north London club lead the way to sign the central midfield player but face competition from the likes of Everton, West Ham United, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Club Brugge, Inter Milan and Atalanta.
Longstaff is out of contract in June and would rather leave the Magpies than sign a new one, according to the article. As a result, the Gunners are the reported front-runners and signing the 20-year old could be a positive step in Arteta’s plan of building a more youthful team to hopefully dominate in the future.
The Spanish coach has turned to youth in his short spell not just as Arsenal manager but in his managerial career overall. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Matteo Guendouzi, Joe Willock, Gabriel Martinelli, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah have all enjoyed a fair number of appearances under the Spaniard, with the latter having his loan spell at Leeds United cut short to help the senior team out and the 20-year old has kept £54-million rated Alexandre Lacazette out of the starting eleven in recent games (via Transfermarkt).
The youngsters mentioned above have made 57 appearances between them in all competitions for the north London club under Arteta, scoring seven goals and providing a further six assists according to Transfermarkt.
Longstaff may be a decent addition to the Gunners midfield having been capped twice at England U-20 level and playing seven times in the Premier League this season, scoring two goals (via Transfermarkt).
Indeed, the central midfield department has arguably been a problem area for the Gunners given that Granit Xhaka was stripped of the captaincy in November (via BBC) and Lucas Torreira has not always started in this campaign, coming off the bench twelve times in all competitions (via Transfermarkt).
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With that in mind, Longstaff could prove to be another handy youngster to have in Arteta’s armoury as he looks to build for the future, with the likes of Graeme Souness praising his ability to strike the ball, as well as Jamie Redknapp purring over how ‘tenacious’ he can be.
Arsenal fans, would Longstaff get into your starting eleven? Comment below!
In the never-ending, constantly refreshing soap opera that is football we can reasonably expect an entire decade to have thrown up all manner of controversies and memorable moments and sure enough these past ten years haven’t disappointed. In fact, when reminiscing through approximately 3800 Premier League matches – not to mention an untold number of off-the-pitch incidents – it’s difficult to know what to leave out.
In recent times we’ve been treated to our very own Cantona-esque rumpus when Luis Suarez got peckish and mistook Branislav Ivanovic for a shoulder of lamb. We’ve cringed at a manager meltdown not nearly as iconic as Kevin Keegan’s ‘love it’ rant but just as hilarious, such as when Nigel Pearson claimed he could impersonate an ostrich.
Elsewhere there has been a cornucopia of sensational giant-killings and extravagant goals and Mario Balotelli.
The five incidents below however have been chosen because they fit a key criteria. There we were just plodding through life when, from out of nowhere, we are transported to a land of unifying, stupefied wonder. Or Twitter. Usually it was Twitter.
A Bridge over troubled water
You just know we’re in for a tremendous decade when it begins with what The Guardian called a ‘sex caper’ that involves two England internationals and recent club team-mates.
In January 2010 Chelsea’s John Terry’s submission for a gagging order was refused in court and suddenly the word was publicly out that he had allegedly enjoyed an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the long-term girlfriend of Wayne Bridge, a player who regarded his captain at the Bridge to be his ‘best friend’.
Understandably this startling development led to the British media having a field day while a nation recoiled in shock that the previously upstanding and angelic Terry could do such a thing, but if the bare facts were salacious enough football then intervened to spice the situation up further.
Having departed Chelsea a year earlier, Bridge’s Manchester City travelled to the capital soon after the scandal broke leaving everyone on tenterhooks as to whether the two would shake hands prior to the game. Terry for his part gingerly extended out an arm only to be brilliantly rebuffed. A nation – no longer shocked – cheered to the rafters.
Leicester and Aguero shake up the world
It is impossible to split these two truly seismic events because despite their considerable differences both entailed winning the league in exceptional circumstances. Both still catch the breath even now.
The Foxes were famously 5000-1 to win the Premier League at the beginning of 2015/16, the same return for Elvis being found alive or Barack Obama playing cricket for England on leaving the White House.
The season earlier Leicester had pulled off a ‘great escape’ from relegation’s clutches before appointing Claudio Ranieri, the ‘wrong man’ according to many.
What came next still doesn’t make sense. It defies all logic. It scoffs at reason and a lifetime of empirical knowledge. Yup, Gary Lineker presented Match of the Day in just his pants.
As for Manchester City’s late, late miracle, it was a title-deciding goal that wobbled the planet briefly off its axis. We will never see anything like this ever again. We drank it in.
Slippy G
“This does not slip,” Liverpool’s captain, leader and all-round legend Stevie Gerrard urged to a huddle of team-mates following a victory at Norwich that put Liverpool in pole position to win their first ever Premier League crown.
One week later Chelsea came to town with arch party pooper Jose Mourinho in tow and in first half stoppage time the ball is played across to Gerrard sitting deep as the last man. We all know what happened next. The mis-touch. The panicked clamour to re-address balance. We all know because it has subsequently been memed to kingdom come. We all know too what it ultimately meant.
Whose Line Is It Anyway: Roy Keane, Graeme Souness or Adrian Durham?
If a Hollywood script-writer had penned the fate and fortune of Stevie G throughout the spring of 2014 they would have been laughed out of every studio. It was all too apt; too perfectly cruel for even a screen villain to endure, never mind a legend.
Marriner all at sea
We’ve all had bad days at the office but only the very rare few can admit to dropping a clanger so mind-boggling it leads to a social media meltdown and accusations of racism.
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When Marriner mistakenly sent off Kieren Gibbs for the offence of being in the same team as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as Arsenal meekly surrendered to Chelsea, he surpassed Graham Poll’s three bookings dished out to Josip Simunic in 2006 and claimed the unwanted prize for the worst reffing blunder in recent times.
At least we think it was Marriner. It may have been Clattenburg. All officials look the same to us.
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Jose hands out rough treatment
Former Chelsea Football Club doctor Eva Carneiro arrives with her husband Jason De Carteret to attend a hearing for her constructive dismissal case against the club, at London South Employment Tribunal in Croydon, London, Britain March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth Picture Supplied by Action Images
Jose Mourinho prowled the touchline during the two previous bombshells, no doubt smirking in that smirky manner that passes for a smile. Here though – on the opening day of 2015/16 – he very much took centre stage as Chelsea medic Eva Carneiro raced onto the pitch to treat an injured Eden Hazard.
With the Blues already a man down and protecting a draw against an up-for-it Swansea the sight of an eager club employee keeping a further player out of action for a short spell visibly incensed the Portuguese boss, so much so that he unleashed an unsavoury tirade in Carneiro’s direction on her return to the dug-out.
It was a public rebuking that drew widespread criticism at the time especially as Carnerio was simply doing her job and it only got worse during a consequent tribunal hearing. There it was revealed that Mourinho had called the medic a ‘daughter of a w****’. And they say the age of chivalry is dead.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Aston Villa silenced any doubts that their dominant 5-1 victory over an injury-stricken Norwich City was merely luck by defeating Brighton & Hove Albion at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.
Dean Smith’s side were made to work for it though as they went behind early doors to an Adam Webster header.
Skipper Jack Grealish was instrumental in the game as he bagged the equaliser right on half-time, meeting Frederic Guilbert’s cross.
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He then turned provider in the dying stages of the match, feeding an onrushing Matt Targett through on goal, who duly slammed home in the 94th minute to move Villa into 11th in the Premier League.
The 24-year-old’s contribution was so sublime that he has been tipped for the Champions League by their former striker Tony Cascarino, and he did so in front of England manager Gareth Southgate too.
Talk about seizing your opportunity.
On Saturday afternoon, no player created more chances than he did – not even Callum Hudson-Odoi, not even Dele Alli and not even James Maddison.
Those behind him in the list all have their own international exploits to shout about – Hudson-Odoi became the youngest-ever player to make a debut in a competitive fixture, Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo has last summer’s UEFA Nations League title to his name while Lucas Digne was a runner-up for France at Euro 2016.
Yet Grealish is yet to even make his first bow for the Three Lions, even since pledging his allegiance to the country back in 2015.
There have long been calls for the Villa captain to be called up to the national team, (supporters in B6 being his primary advocates) but this will surely bolster his claims across the country.
England may have smashed Bulgaria 6-0 a week ago, but it only masked a more deep-rooted problem which was displayed in the defeat over the Czech Republic just a few days earlier.
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Southgate has lacked two clear things in the past year – a clear yet youthful number ten, and a natural leader.
Ross Barkley’s chances will start to wear thin over the next year or so, as Mason Mount fully tightens his grip on that role for Chelsea, though, he far from inspired fans in that aforementioned loss.
Then there’s Maddison, who is yet to feature despite earning a call-up.
On the other hand, Grealish captains his club at 24, and his transition into Premier League life has been as smooth as he could have liked, making him fully deserving of an opportunity next month when England face their final two qualifiers.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
According to Portuguese outlet Record, Liverpool are interested in signing Sporting midfielder Idrissa Doumbia after being impressed with the midfielder in a pre-season friendly against the Liga NOS side.
The Independent also report that a deal is unlikely to be concluded this summer, although the Reds are now tracking Doumbia’s progress with a view to making a move in the next window.
At just 21 years of age, the Ivory Coast star could well have a bright future ahead of him if he continues in this vein, seeing as he did enough in what was just a friendly to impress the Champions League winners.
Additionally, he would also be a wise player to recruit given the current ages of some of Liverpool’s midfield options.
As you can see, the youngster looks to be a fairly tidy passer of the ball and a decent reader of the play despite his young age with 1.1 interceptions per game.
As aforesaid, he would be a good option to target given the current midfield situation.
As things stand, Jurgen Klopp’s midfield options are bloated and no new faces should be added anytime soon.
The German has Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Fabinho all at his disposal right now – a whopping seven players.
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However, Henderson will be 30 next summer. Wijnaldum is 28 and it won’t be long until he’s also 30. Milner turns 34 in January, and Lallana’s next birthday will be his 32nd – it is fine for now, but Liverpool should definitely have one eye on freshening up some of these options.
At just 21, Doumbia would struggle to get much game time ahead of the established players above, but he should definitely be considered as a potential signing for next summer or the following windows after that given the advancing years of some of Liverpool’s stars.
December 5th 2018 was a landmark moment in the career of Morgan Gibbs-White as the promising teenager made his first Premier League start.
The opposition? Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea. The result? A 2-1 win for Wolves. Unsurprisingly it wasn’t the first time Nuno Santo’s team had taken points from a top-six club in 2018/19.
In that clash, Gibbs-White was phenomenal, claiming an assist playing in the advanced role he’d flourished in for England U17’s during their World Cup triumph 14 months prior.
But, that game against the Blues is about as good as it got for the young talent this season. A victim of Wolves’ settled side, he’s had to make do with regular substitute cameos, appearing just five times from the start in the league.
And when he has played, it’s usually been deeper in Wolves’ midfield.
However, there is hope beyond his limited game time this term. Gibbs-White has an extremely bright future and, if the club qualify for the Europa League, he is someone who can benefit greatly from the extra matches.
Wolves haven’t needed much rotation in midfield this season. Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho have all been hugely impressive. But with the latter turning 33 before the new season gets underway, there will be questions over whether he can play in as many matches as he has for a second year in a row.
With that in mind, Gibbs-White will surely find himself starting to become a regular in the Wolves side next term.
Given Neves and Dendoncker are more defensive minded players, then Moutinho would be the most likely to drop out should the 19-year-old start to prosper further. That’s unless Wolves change their system to accommodate the young star.
Moutinho was their leading creative light after arriving, claiming eight assists, but if you look at Gibbs-White’s performances at international youth level then there is a key argument to suggest he can take over the mantle from Moutinho.
He’s an exceptional player when coming from deep, having a canny knack of arriving in the penalty area late, either to pop up with a goal or move the ball quickly onto his teammates.
This was evident during the game against Chelsea. Incisive passes were the order of the day as he looked to feed Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez into the channels.
But what should scare opposing teams the most is his ability on the ball. Flashback to a time when Jack Wilshere was actually rather good and there are a few similarities.
Gibbs-White can pick up the ball, get past a man and inject a turn of pace into a match from nowhere. It’s players like that who get you out of your seat.
In an age where England have so many promising young players coming through, he is yet another individual capable of starring for his country in the years to come.
For starters, he may get to do that at the European U21 Championships this summer should he be picked. That’ll present an ideal platform for the Wolves man to show his true capabilities on a continental stage.
Good performances there and there’s no reason why he can’t kick on domestically once he returns.
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England have lacked players with the ability to carry the ball forward, and in Gibbs-White they have a perfect candidate to erase the thought of boring sideways passing.
Wolves have shown interest in Benfica superstar Joao Felix in recent times. If they pull it off it’ll be a remarkable transfer coup. But they may be better off relying on their own young talent. It’s definitely a far better option financially.
His debut season in the top-tier of English football was a promising one but next year could be a real breakthrough campaign.
Much has been made about the club’s lack of depth but he is a phenomenal example of why Wolves can ignore the advances Jorge Mendes makes this summer and opt for internal solutions.
After all, Nuno is aiming to keep his squad small again next season. As a result, the opportunity will surely be there for their exciting prospect to eclipse his elder colleagues.