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Wolves transfer update on Mota

Many Wolves fans have been left to fume as a transfer update emerged on Dany Mota.

As per Fonza Morza, Jorge Mendes would like to bring the Portugal youth international to the Midlands club, and Monza would be tempted to sell him for the right price.

Mota does not play at a very high level compared to the Premier League, and only scored a mere seven goals in 36 games in total over all competitions in the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt).

With other strikers already at Molineux in Raul Jimenez, Fabio Silva, Rafa Mir and Patrick Cutrone, it would not really be smart business to invest in a player who would be a big gamble in bringing him to the English top flight, with other options likely to be available further down the summer transfer window.

Wolves fans on Mota transfer update

These WWFC supporters fumed as the transfer update on Mota was shared on Twitter:

“NO”

Credit: @bestwolvesfan

“Not good enough. If he was, he wouldn’t be playing in Serie B in Italy at the age of 23. I saw him in the under 21s for Portugal. Again if he was that good wouldn’t he at his age be pushing the national side? Not an upgrade on Mir and Cutrone.”

Credit: @GabyCaizzo

“Pray he is only being linked because he is Portuguese and a Mendes client, if this is really the type of player we are looking to sign, we are going back to the Championship, which I’m worried could be a real possibility, I have no faith in the owners or this new manager”

Credit: @WolvesFan20

“Serie B player!! We’re going back to Poundland shopping.”

Credit: @SteveWiles20

“Rather we keep Cutrone”

Credit: @AdanTroare

“6 goals in Serie B last season; no thanks.”

Credit: @amarsmusicshow

In other news, find out what big transfer update has Wanderers talking here!

Everton fans on Celik transfer update

Many Everton fans have been left to plead for the Goodison Park faithful to sign Zeki Celik after a transfer update emerged.

As per L’Equipe (via The Toffee Blues), the Merseyside club as well as Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a move to sign the Lille right-back once the summer transfer window opens, with the player keen himself on a move to the Premier League.

Celik played a key part in his team snatching the 2020/21 Ligue 1 title off of the hands of PSG, scoring three goals and making a further three assists in 29 games in total (Transfermarkt).

At just 24 years of age, the Turkey international would be an ideal replacement in the longer term for 32-year-old Seamus Coleman, and so it is no surprise to see so many Toffees calling for his signature.

Everton fans on Celik transfer update

These Blues supporters buzzed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter:

“Yes please. Although not seen him play that much, heard good things about him”

Credit: @cazzawarrington

“This would be an outstanding transfer, likely great value for money and a really top player (at least by the numbers)”

Credit: @AndrewHelberg

“Please”

Credit: @Michael89770191

“Very solid RB who I’ve said previously I would look to get. With Lille’s financial mess I can imagine Celik will be very cheap for an established RB”Credit: @taylor_davies77″God please get this done before the Euros start”Credit: @MadaElyod”Get it DONE, very good player”Credit: @efc_alex18In other news, find out what transfer update has left EFC fans buzzing here!

Gerrard dealt Mendes Gomes transfer blow

Rangers’ hopes of signing Carlos Mendes Gomes this summer have taken a blow after Morecambe earned promotion to League One on Bank Holiday Monday, which will surely decrease the chances of him joining up with Steven Gerrard at Ibrox ahead of next season.

The Light Blues have been linked with a move for the Spanish winger ahead of the summer after his impressive performances in League Two for the Lancashire side, although a number of English Championship clubs were also said to be interested.

It had initially seemed as if he would be able to join Rangers on a free transfer as his contract is set to expire in the summer, but Morecambe boss Derek Adams confirmed that the club holds an option to extend his contract by another year, which they will surely exercise.

Mendes Gomes was the hero for the Shrimps once again on Monday as his penalty in extra time earned them a 1-0 win against Newport County and ensured that they would be promoted to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.

This took his tally for the season to 16, whilst he also managed five assists, so he was clearly a key factor in Morecambe’s promotion and one of the standout performers in League Two this season.

Now that they have been promoted, and his contract will likely be extended by another year, it seems unlikely that Mendes Gomes will leave the Mazuma Stadium this summer unless an interested club makes an offer that Morecambe simply cannot refuse.

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It is a shame for Rangers that he seemingly won’t be making the move to Ibrox, as his performances this season have been superb, and he could’ve been an excellent addition to Gerrard’s squad ahead of their return to Champions League football next season.

Given that the “fantastic” Mendes Gomes predominantly features from the left as a right-footed winger who contributes effectively in the final third, he could’ve been the man to step up at Ibrox should Ryan Kent depart this summer.

The former Liverpool winger has unsurprisingly once again been linked with a move to Leeds United after his superb performances in the Premiership, and the prospect of Premier League football might be enough to tempt him away from Ibrox.

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Unfortunately, if the 24-year-old does move on, then it seems that Gerrard and Ross Wilson will have to turn their attentions away from Mendes Gomes as his potential replacement.

And, in other news… Rangers handed huge boost with “outstanding” 23 G/A dynamo, Wilson must deliver

Man City fans slam Sterling v Newcastle

Some Manchester City fans were livid with the performance of Raheem Sterling during their 4-3 win over Newcastle United on Friday night.

With the Premier League title already wrapped up, the Citizens are now preparing for the Champions League final in Porto against Chelsea on May 29. As such, there was plenty of rotation at St James’ Park as Pep Guardiola gave chances to some of his fringe players. It produced a thrilling encounter, with Ferran Torres scoring a hat-trick.

Sterling was also included from the start, but it was far from a good performance from the England international. He won just four of his 14 duels, while he also lost possession on 20 occasions throughout the game (SofaScore). The forward has managed 14 goals in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt), but this is not the first time he has come in for criticism from some City supporters.

These City fans were far from happy with what they saw from the “shockingly poor” 26-year-old last night, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Sterling’s performance

“Love how everyone is slandering Ake but not Sterling after yet another atrocious half of football”

Credit: @samxmcfc

“Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling have both been beyond shockingly poor tonight. Hard to even notice they’re present on the pitch”

Credit: @RealTalkMCFC

“Sterling is proper worrying though.”

Credit: @AJMcfc

“Sell Sterling”

Credit: @Mo_87mcfc

“Sterling is our worst player this season, but no one wants to talk about it.”

Credit: @Fodinho_

“When Lord Sterling starts, City are already a man down”

Credit: @PepCity3

In other news, some Man City fans are worried by these Guardiola comments.

Insight on Newcastle takeover arbitration

Lee Ryder has shared some insight from sources close to the potential takeover of Newcastle United on a possible timescale for arbitration.

The Lowdown: Arbitration date set

A date has now been set for the pending arbitration case between the St. James’ Park faithful and the Premier League over the failed deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

The hearing has been set for July on an expedited basis, with the top flight being granted an extension to respond to the North East club’s separate anti-competition lawsuit that has been launched against them.

The Latest: Possible arbitration timescale

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder has shared that if there are no delays or roadblocks thrown down by PL chiefs, some close sources to the potential takeover feel that the arbitration case could take about three weeks.

It means that the Tyneside club will likely go into the new season with Ashley still as the owner, and the chief executive of Sports Direct will also be in charge of incomings and outgoings in the summer transfer window.

The Verdict: Timescale not ideal

If the arbitration hearing is likely to take as long as three weeks, then it is certainly not ideal going into the next campaign.

It means that the Magpies will have to be much more clever and careful with how much money that they spend in the window and how they spend it, whereas a completed takeover before the window would surely bring more freedom for Steve Bruce or any other manager.

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With fans proposed to come back into stadiums as well, there will be growing uncertainty and discontent that may translate onto the players on the pitch.

However, the Toon Army may not care how or when it happens so long as the takeover is completed.

In other news, find out what insight Mark Douglas has dropped on potential takeover investors here!

Claim dropped on potential NUFC takeover

Ben Jacobs has dropped a behind-the-scenes claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United involving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

Writing as part of a Twitter thread in reaction to the emails between the Premier League and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that showed how close the deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA group was, the journalist and regular takeover commenter tweeted:

“Can also reveal prior to withdrawing, & in mid-June, club & consortium considered releasing a statement putting pressure on EPL to conclude Test. They spoke openly about this tactic, only to instead withdraw in July. Very possible DCMS were aware of this potential statement, too.”

Newcastle takeover talk looming again

As was very much the case in the summer, when the emails were said to be exchanged before the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) eventually decided to withdraw their bid, the talk of a potential takeover of the St. James’ Park faithful has come roaring right back in recent days.

Jacobs’ claim from within the club seems to supply more evidence of just how desperate both the Magpies and the consortium were to get this done, given that they were willing to try anything to heap pressure on those making the final call.

Considering how close it was to being pushed through, it is very possible that the takeover will be revisited come the end of the 2020/21 term, when the fate of the North East club is sealed in terms of whether they manage to avoid being relegated from the top flight down to the EFL Championship.

Nonetheless, a path would have to be cleared for PIF to come back to the table, and the Premier League would surely have to hurry their Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT) given the growing impatience, with the results holding the key over whether the deal can be revived or not.

In other news, find out what revelation Craig Hope has dropped on the potential new owners here!

Lo Celso nearly cost Mason first Spurs win

Giovani Lo Celso can count his lucky stars that Tottenham Hotspur ran out victorious on Wednesday evening as his appalling display almost cost them dearly.

Goals from Gareth Bale and Heung-min Son not only sealed a valuable win in their pursuit for a top-four finish but they also signalled the first three points of the Ryan Mason era in N17.

The 29-year-old was appointed as Spurs’ caretaker boss until the end of the season following Jose Mourinho’s shock sacking on Monday and he may well want to think again before trusting the Argentine playmaker, with the Carabao Cup soon on the horizon.

Mason opted for a 4-3-3, with Lo Celso playing alongside Tanguy Ndombele at the top of the engine room and if you were to read post-match reaction from the Spurs bubble, then you’d think it was the latter that had the poorer game.

For example, the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick claimed the French midfielder was still looking ‘sluggish’ having gone ‘off the boil’ under Mourinho in recent matches.

However, he played a crucial part in their opener, playing in a deft ball to Lucas Moura before it fell into the path of Bale, and that simply can not be understated.

By contrast, the list of words used to describe Lo Celso’s display could range from lightweight to wasteful, so it was really no surprise to see him hooked by Mason in the 79th minute, with the livewire Erik Lamela taking his place.

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The £27m-rated dynamo was heavily involved in most attacks, often showing for the ball and that was backed up by the fact that he had 59 touches, seeing the ball once every 1.3 minutes, as per SofaScore.

But in possession, he offered next to nothing, failing to register more than one key pass from his 38 successful passing attempts, whilst he fired one shot wide and another was blocked when an easier pass was open.

Furthermore, he failed to complete a successful dribble from two attempts, proving to be the weaker man when up against James Ward-Prowse and Stuart Armstrong in the middle.

It was also telling that he won just two of 11 duels (18%), both on the ground and in the air, only further suggesting that he struggled big time.

His nightmare display was emphasised even more by his inability to keep possession, as he lost the ball 14 times – five other starters managed better, including Ndombele.

All in all, Lo Celso can count himself a little fortunate that he was firstly, playing a poor side that couldn’t capitalise on his mistakes, and secondly that they won the game because he quite rightly deserves criticism after that showing.

The 25-year-old, on the above evidence, was certainly worse than Ndombele, and given it was only his eighth league start of the season, he may well be lucky to be given another crack from the off.

AND in other news, Levy could find Spurs’ next Pochettino in 45 y/o gem who WOWED Guardiola this season…

Milenkovic could form perfect Spurs unit

Nikola Milenkovic is on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer radar ahead of the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, Spurs are making the arrival of a central defensive leader their top priority when the window reopens, and the 23-year-old Fiorentina star is among their targets.

His contract is set to expire 12 months after the current season ends, meaning the Serie A outfit would have to cash in if they are to make any money on his signature.

The Serbia international is currently valued at €30m (£26m) by CIES Football Observatory, whilst reports emerged last month suggesting La Viola’s asking price was around €35m (£30m).

Solid Spurs unit

Gold also claims that, despite Tottenham having the third-best defensive record in the Premier League, there has been a clear lack of cohesion and leadership at the back.

Spurs have dropped 13 points from a winning position, with individual defensive mistakes clearly a major problem, and this is where Milenkovic could be the solution.

Much of Tottenham’s defensive record may well be attributed to the arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who has been a rock-solid presence in front of Mourinho’s ever-changing backline.

Of all of Mourinho’s regular starters (20 or more starts), he leads the squad for tackles (2.8) and interceptions (1.3) per game, proving to be an industrious workhorse and contributing far more to stopping the opposition compared to the likes of Eric Dier, who has started the most matches of any centre-back in the league. He has managed only 0.8 tackles and 0.9 interceptions, via WhoScored.

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At 6 foot 5, Milenkovic has drawn comparisons to arguably one of the greatest defenders to grace the English top flight in Nemanja Vidic.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” said Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic to ESPN. “He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

If Spurs want a colossal presence to lead them out from the back, then they shouldn’t look much further than the Fiorentina titan.

Only Franck Ribery has performed better in Serie A for them this season, with the Serbian recording an average WhoScored rating of 6.83. In terms of key defensive attributes, he is performing exceedingly well too, managing 1.4 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.5 clearances per game.

This shows that, despite his towering height, he’s an equally hard man to defeat on the ground – just as much as in the air – and he clearly has a great ability to read the game and then snuff out any danger.

That is something his former Partizan boss Ivan Tomic has pointed out before, as he said: “Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him.”

Daniel Levy ought to swoop this summer if he is to vastly improve Spurs’ defence, and in doing so, he could begin to create a dream spine for several years.

Milenkovic would be a fine addition to Spurs.

AND in other news, 19x possession lost: Spurs gem drops int’l disaster, Mourinho claim proving to be true…

Celtic: Eddie Howe’s Palace links continue

Celtic managerial target Eddie Howe is now on a three-man Crystal Palace shortlist to replace Roy Hodgson in the summer following talks with the Eagles’ board.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who claimed that Howe and Burnley’s Sean Dyche are the frontrunners for the Selhurst Park job, with Frank Lampard third choice, as revealed by a source from the south London club.

Celtic’s feelings revealed

The report added that the Hoops, who had verbally agreed a move with Howe before he had second thoughts, are still hopeful of landing the former Bournemouth boss. However, their chances of doing so have taken a major hit in recent days.

Transfer Tavern take

Celtic are looking to bring in a new manager and director of football, but the two roles could be causing the club some problems. The Hoops were thought to be closing in on Manchester City’s Fergal Harkin as director of football prior to the developments with Howe.

However, the 43-year-old wanted to reunite with Bournemouth director Richard Hughes in Glasgow, and we feel that such a complication may have been one of the reasons that talks with the Hoops have stalled.

Celtic, who appointed Neil Lennon in the shower back in 2019, are going about things correctly this time around, but it seems as if they now face serious competition for Howe’s services from Palace.

In other news: Hoops keen on record-breaking teenager related to Tottenham legend, find out more here. 

Aston Villa should sign Ibrox star Morelos

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith should urge the club to make a move for Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos amid Gabriel Agbonlahor’s claim.

What’s the story?

The Colombia international has recently suggested it would be his dream to move to the Premier League, and Agbonlahor has thrown Villa’s name into the equation about a possible landing spot for the forward.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “He could go to a number of clubs. I would love to see him at Aston Villa. I think he’s a great striker. Apart from the top four, five all the other clubs would have him.

“He’s quite quick, he’s a finisher, he’s aggressive, he works hard and he’d add a lot to all of those clubs.”

Gerrard called him “unplayable”

For Villa fans who perhaps may not have their eye on Scottish football as much, Morelos’ disciplinary issues may be the thing for which he’s best remembered – the 24-year-old has already picked up 43 yellow cards and seven red cards in 175 games for the Ibrox club.

While that may turn some off, the Colombian’s style of living on the edge but being a real livewire could be the kind of game-changer who really lights a fire under Villa up top.

Morelos has earned rave reviews for the way he goes about things, and there’s a discernible theme about how he can be a real “nightmare” for opposition defenders.

Former Celtic striker John Hartson said: “He divides opinion, he’s a little bit unpredictable, but he’s a nuisance and he gets you goals. He’s the type of player who backs in, he’s strong. He’d be a nightmare to play against.”

Steven Gerrard, his manager at Ibrox, has waxed lyrical about the kind of player the Colombian can be when his mind is right, saying: “When Alfredo is on his A-game, he can be unplayable and help this club to be successful. That’s what he needs to realise from a personal point of view. His A-game, on a regular basis, brings this club success.”

It’s exactly why Villa should be all over a move for the £10.8m-rated Morelos, especially when you consider that, aside from Ollie Watkins, there’s no real strength or quality in depth at centre-forward for Smith.

Meanwhile, Villa should unleash this 17 y/o who “everybody’s talking about”…

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