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Wolves could make late Aaron Ramsey move

Wolves could still make a last-gasp move for Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey this month, according to a late transfer rumour which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Ramsey leaving Juve?

The Welshman has struggled to make his mark during his time in Italy, only registering six goals and six assists since arriving from Arsenal in 2019.

Juve are thought to be keen on offloading Ramsey before the January transfer window ends, and Wolves have been linked with a move in the recent past.

Leeds have also been backed to sign him, though, as a return to England for the rest of the season potentially comes to fruition.

The Latest: Wolves tipped to make late move for Ramsey

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Wolves’ move for Ramsey could ‘resolve’ itself at the 11th hour.

It is stated that ‘Jorge Mendes takes care of it’, suggesting that the agent could get a deal over the line for the 31-year-old, who has scored 20 goals in 71 caps for Wales.

The Verdict: Strong last-gasp addition

If Wolves sign Ramsey before deadline day ends, it could prove to be a bonus during an already positive month on the pitch at Molineux, following four wins in a row in all competitions.

While the Welsh midfielder arguably isn’t at his peak anymore, he has proven Premier League pedigree – 40 goals and 51 assists – and could complement the deeper-lying pair of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves.

With Wolves looking to finish in the European places this season, Ramsey could add a sprinkling of stardust to provide more depth and quality in key matches between now and May.

In other news, some Wolves fans are happy with an update on one player. Find out who it is here.

Wolves fans react to Valencia rumour

A number of Wolves supporters have reacted negatively to a rumour linking the club with a move for Fenerbahce winger Enner Valencia.

Bruno Lage’s side may have found some form in the Premier League but that doesn’t mean their squad doesn’t need strengthening.

It could be that new signings are made in the January transfer window to ease the burden off Raul Jimenez given his constant international exploits, and one player who has been linked with a move to Molineux is Valencia.

According to Fotomac [via Talking Wolves on Twitter], Wolves are the front-runners to sign the former West Ham and Everton man.

The 32-year-old has scored an impressive 34 goals in 67 caps for Ecuador, so he could arguably be an experienced head who provides Lage with quality.

Wolves fans react to Valencia rumour

Despite Valencia’s pedigree, these Wolves fans took to Twitter to react negatively to the rumour, saying they don’t want him to sign for Wanderers.

“Please don’t Wolves”

Credit: @parker_bradley

“Sanches this, Botman that, Donny van de Beek the other. No Enner Valencia”

Credit: @charliewwfc_

“We can’t be paying more than £3m for him”

Credit: @_samwhitehouse_

“How about we don’t do that and sign a good player instead”

Credit: @SamJGollings

“This has to be a joke right?”

Credit: @JamesSa36443478

“Please no”

Credit: @thedonck

In other news, a journalist has provided a key update on one Wolves player’s future. Read more here.

Spurs prepare Kim Min-jae transfer bid

According to Turkish news outlet Fotospor, as shared and translated by Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur are taking an interest in Fenerbahce defender Kim Min-jae yet again after their links with the player last year.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyed 2020 move…

Over the summer of 2020 during Jose Mourinho’s tenure at the club, Tottenham were linked with a move for the South Korea international.

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Indeed, as explained by sources from the player’s homeland, he was once heavily courted by some of Europe’s top clubs, including the Lilywhites, before he eventually sealed a move to his current club from Beijing Guoan in August.

Korean Sports reporter Jason Lee, sharing a report from SPOTV News, relayed that Kim himself was particularly keen on a move to Spurs back in September 2020.

Indeed, the 25-year-old was apparently ‘waiting for Spurs to make their final offer to Beijing’ and preferred a move to north London over Serie A giants Lazio, who were also interested at the time.

The Latest: Spurs back in…

As per Fotospor, Tottenham are seemingly back in for the towering defender, with the club, and managing director Fabio Paratici by extension, now ‘preparing to make an offer’.

However, Fenerbache don’t intend on making things simple for Spurs as they outline ‘very difficult demands’ – especially considering they plan on keeping him past January.

The Turkish Super Lig giants apparently want €25m (£21.07m) for Kim, whilst also demanding a lofty 25% sell-on clause.

The Verdict: Right move?

The 6 foot 3 colossus comes as an outside option to strengthen Antonio Conte’s defence over a year after Tottenham first registered interest. While Kim doesn’t exactly come as the most blockbuster defensive target when compared to the likes of Stefan de Vrij or Matthijs de Ligt, he could be a shrewd one.

Nicknamed the ‘Monster’ back in South Korea for his large, imposing frame, £21.07m is arguably a small price to pay considering that he is still fairly young. The 37-cap international’s price tag is also far less than that of De Vrij or De Ligt, with the former valued at around £40m and the latter £63m.

After Tottenham announced pre-tax losses of £80.2m, taking their debts to £706m in total (The Guardian), Kim’s signing could be a cheaper alternative to the bigger names.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist makes exciting Spurs transfer claim with offer on the table, find out more here.

Leeds looking to sign two midfielders

Leeds United are looking to sign two different types of midfielder in the January transfer window, according to a new report which emerged on Saturday morning.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ injury crisis

The Whites have made a disappointing start to the season but they haven’t been helped by injuries, which have got increasingly worse in recent weeks.

Kalvin Phillips is the most high-profile current absentee but the likes of Patrick Bamford, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk and Rodrigo are also sidelined.

The long-term injury to Phillips has only heightened the need for midfield reinforcements in January and that appears to be the plan at Elland Road.

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The Latest: Two midfielders coming in?

According to Football Insider, a Thorp Arch source has informed them that the club will be looking to sign both a defensive midfielder and a No.8 next month.

Whites chiefs are thought to be ‘fearful of a relegation battle’ and they see new signings as a way of avoiding that happening.

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The Verdict: Simply has to happen

Making midfield signings is an absolute no-brainer for Leeds, with Phillips such an influential player that they could struggle to get by with their current options.

Both Koch and Struijk can play in the middle of the park, too, so their respective injuries mean Marcelo Bielsa is even lighter in that area. Frankly, it would be a grave error not to sign a No.6 and a No.8, injecting some life into Leeds’ stuttering campaign.

Someone like Nahitan Nandez would be an ideal defensive midfielder to come in, with the Cagliari man averaging two tackles per game in the Serie A this season, not to mention winning 49 caps for Uruguay.

In terms of No.8, Aaron Ramsey could be a clever choice, with the Welshman linked with a move to Leeds and scoring 40 goals and assisting 51 times during his previous spell in the Premier League.

In other news, an injury expert has made a worrying claim about one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Rangers set for CL boost

Glasgow Rangers may be out of the Europa League, but their performances in Europe this term has done wonders for Scotland’s coefficient.

Rangers’ silver lining

The Gers were knocked out in the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday after they lost 3-1 to Slavia Prague on aggregate.

While they are no longer in the competition, Scotland are now up to 11th in the coefficient standings and are set to stay there (ESPN, Dale Johnson) – that means the winners of the Scottish Premiership next term are all but guaranteed to have an automatic place in the Champions League from the 21/22 season.

Financially beneficial

This will no doubt be beneficial for the Gers. For a start, if they can win the Premiership again next season, they will avoid the numerous rounds of qualification they have had to go through in recent seasons in European competition, and would therefore be able to enjoy a longer pre-season.

Not only that, though, they could receive a financial boost as a result. All teams in the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition this year picked up at least €15.25m (£13.1m, football-coefficient.eu), and that is without even getting into the money they will receive from from television deals – that sum is only likely to increase in the future.

In other news, Rangers are interested in this 18-goal striker.

Rodgers must unleash Praet on Man Utd

Leicester City will be aiming to make history this weekend by booking their place in the last four of the FA Cup for the first time in just under 40 years.

The Foxes head into their quarter-final meeting with Manchester United in positive form and can welcome back a key returnee in the form of Belgian midfielder Dennis Praet.

Praet has been ruled out of action since suffering a hamstring injury against Stoke City in January. With him now back fit, Rodgers must restore him to the starting line-up against the Red Devils.

When analysing the candidates of those who would drop out of the team, the initial answer would be Ayoze Perez.

Despite the Spaniard notching his third goal of the season in the 5-0 thumping of Sheffield United last time, Praet would surely be a better option than the former Newcastle man.

Deployed alongside the regular midfield duo of Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi, the former Sampdoria man could dramatically reduce the amount of available space in midfield.

This, in turn, would negate the space for the Red Devils in the centre, potentially limiting the creativity and goal threat from the likes of Paul Pogba and the inspirational Bruno Fernandes.

After all, the key to beating the Red Devils could be to halt the Portuguese ace, considering that he has contributed to 46% of his team’s Premier League goals this season.

Indeed, in the 19 games that Fernandes has not had a direct goal contribution, the Red Devils have only won six, failing to score in nine of those matches.

Whilst the £18m-rated Praet would be extremely useful in limiting the space that the visitors can operate in, his composure on the ball could also be extremely useful. When compared to Perez, the midfielder is dispossessed on far fewer occasions, whilst racking up a greater pass success rate of 82.4% compared to 75.2% according to WhoScored.

It goes without saying then that limiting United of considerable possession in midfield could potentially be a huge factor in terms of Leicester winning the game.

Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers has already labelled Praet as “wonderful” ahead of the match, so he will be hoping the midfielder has an equally wonderful performance as Leicester pursue history against Manchester United.

AND in more news, take a look at which Leicester star has handed Brendan Rodgers a devastating injury blow ahead of the Manchester United clash…

Martinez-Spurs rumour excites Robinson

Lautaro Martinez ‘would take Spurs to a different level’, former Lilywhites goalkeeper Paul Robinson says. 

The lowdown

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sempre Inter) named Spurs alongside Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona as one of the main candidates to sign Inter Milan striker Martinez this summer.

They claim that the North London outfit have expressed a concrete interest in the 24-year-old in recent weeks. Inter have apparently set an asking price of between €60million (£49.7million) and €70million (£58million) for the Argentine.

Spurs, then, could break their existing transfer record – the £54million they paid to sign Tanguy Ndombele in 2019 – in order to land Martinez.

Antonio Conte worked with the forward at the San Siro between 2019 and 2021.

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The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson, a regular pundit on Sky Sports who played for Tottenham between 2004 and 2008, expressed at his excitement at the prospect of landing the ‘amazing’ Martinez.

He believes it could give Antonio Conte a similar luxury to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

“I think he would take Spurs to a different level,” he said. “He’s an amazing player.”

“Spurs have a great front three but they cannot play every week. Jurgen Klopp has found that out with his front three. He has five players in rotation for those positions.

“As well as Spurs’ front three are doing at the moment they cannot play every game. It is a squad game now more than ever.”

The verdict

Conte will surely have fond memories of Martinez, whose 17 league goals helped propel Inter to the Serie A title last season – the player himself has credited Conte with changing his ‘mentality’ and helping him to ‘grow’.

Off the back of their success, Martinez finished joint-21st in the 2021 Ballon D’Or voting, alongside Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.

There’s no doubt, then, that he’s an elite forward and potentially a blockbuster addition to the Spurs squad.

Conte used a 3-5-2 shape at Inter to accommodate both Martinez and Romelu Lukaku, but doing the same at Spurs could see Heung-min Son left out. It would be a dilemma for the manager, but as Robinson notes, the level of depth would be enviable.

In other news, Dean Jones shares a left-field James Maddison development concerning THFC.

Howey discusses Lennon’s Celtic future

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former defender Steve Howey revealed that he believes Celtic manager Neil Lennon will be shown to the Parkhead exit door, but not until the end of the current season.

Lennon to go at the end of the campaign

Lennon has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent days. Earlier this week, he held a press conference in which he appeared to deny Celtic did anything wrong with their trip to Dubai (Glasgow Live), even though Peter Lawwell had already apologised (BBC) for the incident.

The boss’ time in the Celtic hot-seat does seem to be drawing to a close, but Howey believes he will last until the end of the campaign. He said:

“With a club like Celtic, you’ve got to win games, and you’ve got to win things, it’s as simple as that and it hurts even more when it’s their biggest rivals that actually seem to be coming up as Celtic are coming down a little bit.

Obviously, he’s found it difficult. I have to be honest, I think his press conferences, he could have easily been a little bit more sticky with anybody, he’s been quite upbeat, but still kind of had that little bit of nip in him, which has been good.

I mean, I’d like to see him stay on but at the same time, the people upstairs, they’ll be like, ‘kind of see the season out and we’ll look to get somebody in’, but who will replace him? We’ll have to wait and see “

End is nigh

This had the potential to be a fabulous term for Celtic as they closed in on ten Premiership titles in a row. However, after 22 games, they find themselves 20 points behind league leaders Rangers. Even though they have two games in hand, it would take a huge turnaround for the Parkhead outfit to finish the season on top of the table.

It is not so much that they are not winning this term, but rather the manner of their failures that will likely lead to Lennon’s downfall.

Relieving him of his duties now makes no sense – no manager in the world would fancy his chances of winning the title in the Bhoys’ current position. At the end of the term, though, a managerial change is more than likely, as Howey himself suggests.

In other news, this pundit had named on key Celtic figure for the club’s failings.

Spurs icon tells Levy to hire rival PL boss

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts has told Football FanCast that the club must do everything they can to appoint Brendan Rodgers as their new manager.

Spurs are trying to appoint Jose Mourinho’s replacement ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Ryan Mason is in temporary charge of the club at this point but he will surely be relieved of his duties this summer, perhaps receding into a coaching role at the club.

Rodgers has been heavily linked with a move to Spurs in recent weeks, although The Daily Mail have claimed that he has turned down the opportunity to move to north London.

Of course, the 48-year-old won the FA Cup at the weekend, guiding the Foxes to a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley.

They lost to the Blues, though, in the Premier League in midweek and are facing a fight to remain in the top four ahead of the final round of fixtures this weekend when Leicester, ironically, face Spurs.

And Roberts believes that the Foxes boss should be the only target for the club in the coming weeks.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I would put all my eggs in one basket now and say I want Brendan Rodgers.

“Whatever it takes, I’m going to get Brendan Rodgers as manager of this football club.”

Sheffield United handed huge Jebbison boost

Sheffield United were boosted by the news recently that Daniel Jebbison has signed a professional deal at Bramall Lane, which should hopefully keep him with the Blades for a while longer.

The 17-year-old signed his first professional deal alongside fellow academy talents Femi Seriki, Andre Brooks, Jordan Amissah and Oliver Arblaster, with Sheffield United suggesting that they have all been tied down to long-term deals.

Jebbison has burst onto the scene at Bramall Lane in recent weeks, as he was handed his senior debut as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace before earning a start for the game against Everton at Goodison Park.

The young Englishman scored the only goal of the game as Paul Heckingbottom’s side picked up an impressive win against the Toffees, and the youngster has unsurprisingly started every game since.

It had seemed as if the teenager could well be on the move this summer, with the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund all reportedly interested.

Blades fans would surely be disappointed to lose such a bright young prospect so early, so will be delighted that he has now signed a long-term deal with the Bramall Lane outfit, one which should hopefully increase the chances of him staying with the club this summer, thus allowing him to make a positive impact in the Championship next season.

There seems no reason why, after a promising few appearances in the Premier League, Jebbison can’t have an impact in the second tier next season and potentially help the Blades challenge for promotion back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards was full of praise for the youngster recently, saying:

“I really like the look of him. He just gets in the right areas, and they needed that with all the negativity that’s gone on at the club.

“You want to bounce back straight away, and you want to go to the end of the season with positivity.

“They’re playing for pride, and he’s the shining light.”

Therefore, Blades fans will be buzzing that one of the few positives from a disappointing season has committed his long-term future to the club, as he looks to have a very bright future at Bramall Lane.

And, in other news… Winckel heading for huge mistake with “very good” SUFC academy gem

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