Wolves must beat Sevilla to signing of Andre Silva to add to attacking options

According to Football Espana, Sevilla have entered the race for AC Milan striker Andre Silva, who has been heavily linked with Wolves during this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

Silva is a client of super-agent Jorge Mendes, who has been helping Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo in the transfer market since last summer.

The 22-year-old only joined Milan in the summer of last year in a £33.6m deal from Porto. However, after scoring just 10 goals last season and following the arrival of Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain, the young Portuguese forward man could be on the move again.

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At a young age, Silva does boast a hugely impressive scoring record for his national side, with 12 goals in 26 appearances, although he failed to find the back of the net at this summer’s World Cup.

Adding firepower

Despite his slight struggles in Italy last season though, Wolves should not let Sevilla beat them to Silva’s signature. Although Santo’s side have re-signed former loanee Leo Bonatini and completed a temporary deal for Benfica front man Raul Jimenez, the quality that Silva would bring could potentially fire them into contention for a Europa League spot if you look at the talent in that squad.

With service from midfielders and compatriots Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, Silva could no doubt hit enough goals to make a potential loan or even permanent deal a success.

Valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, he could prove to be the pick of the signings made so far by Santo.

Rangers simply have to retain Alfredo Morelos to call the summer a success

According to a recent report from BBC Scotland, Rangers have turned down an offer from Bordeaux for striker Alfredo Morelos. The 22-year-old made the move to Ibrox back in 2017 and has since been an absolute revelation north of the border, netting 21 goals in just 50 appearances for the Light Blues to become one of the club’s most important assets.

And reports suggest that Steven Gerrard’s men have rejected a £3.75 million bid from the Colombian star, and given just how influential he has been in the last 18 months or so, it’s imperative that they retain the £2.03 million-rated hotshot (as per Transfermarkt) if they are to call the summer a success.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, new manager Gerrard has been extremely busy in the transfer window since taking over the Scottish giants earlier in the summer, with no fewer than 11 players through the door at Ibrox.

And with many shrewd additions, most notably the likes of Allan McGregor, Jon Flanagan, and Ryan Kent, there is no doubting that Gerrard deserves credit for the business he has so far carried out – yet it is just as important to the Liverpool legend that he retains the club’s best players to build a foundation for a Scottish Premiership title assault.

And having sanctioned the departure of Josh Windass to Wigan Athletic last week, they have already lost one of their most prized assets – they can now ill-afford to lose another in Morelos.

The 22-year-old has been in excellent form pretty much ever since he made the move to Rangers back in June 2017, with the forward netting 18 times and laying on eight assists last season to help the Gers finish third in the league, and indeed reach the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

And with three goals and two assists already this time round, thus helping Gerrard’s men to an unbeaten start in the Scottish Premiership and to the cusps of a Europa League play-off, it’s pretty evident that Morelos is a vital part of the squad at Ibrox – he and Windass were the only two players to reach double figures last season.

And while losing the latter is sure to come as a blow to the Light Blues as the season progresses, Morelos has already proven that he can compensate for his departure by scoring and indeed creating chances this season – take Morelos out of the side though, and it’s difficult to see where the goals are coming from.

As such, while Gerrard deserves great credit for his efforts in overhauling the Gers squad this summer, he simply has to retain the services of the 22-year-old if Rangers are to call the summer a success.

Rangers fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Southampton fans discuss Les Reed after official club fans’ forum

Southampton held their first official fans’ forum in three years at St Mary’s on Thursday night, and Saints fans were quick to have their say on what vice-chairman Les Reed said throughout on Twitter.

Reed was one member of the quartet – Ralph Krueger, Mark Hughes and new boy Danny Ings were the others – on the four-man panel, and both he and Krueger were targeted by those present following a disappointing couple of years that has seen two managers sacked, a 17th-placed finish last term and some below-par transfer buys.

The 65-year-old spoke on a number of subjects, but the unhappiness with him was clear to see as he was heckled by some throughout the hour show.

Southampton supporters, some of whom have tipped a previously-critcised 24-year-old to bounce back under Hughes this season, took to social media to give their thoughts on what Reed had to say, and while one said “we’d soon be sorry if he did leave”, another said “Les is just the definition of clueless”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Sheffield Wednesday fans love that Lucas Joao has signed a long-term contract

Sheffield Wednesday striker Lucas Joao signed a new contract with the club on Wednesday and fans on Twitter were ecstatic that the 24-year-old had committed his future to the Owls.

Wednesday were subject to a transfer embargo this summer, meaning they couldn’t add to the squad, having broken Financial Fair Play regulations. However the embargo was lifted last week and even though the deadline to sign players permanently has passed, manager Jos Luhukay could add to his squad using loan deals.

But in reality it was more of a worry for Wednesday that they would lose some of the talent that is already at the club because of the financial problems suffered. This meant that renewing the contract of Joao was a big step forward for the Owls as they look to improve on last season’s 15th place finish in the Championship.

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Joao is a former Portugal international who has two caps for the current European champions and signed for Wednesday in 2015 from CD Nacional. In his three years with Wednesday, the 6ft 3in striker has 18 goals in 95 appearances in all competitions, although he is currently out with a groin injury.

Check out some of the best tweets in reaction to his new contract, that will keep him at the club until 2021.

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Giovani dos Santos was the player that promised so much but produced so little

When Tottenham signed 19-year-old forward Giovani dos Santos from Barcelona in 2008, fans must have thought that they had struck gold. They were soon to be very disappointed. 

After all, this was a player that had made 28 La Liga appearances the previous season for a side that lifted the Champions League trophy. In a deal that was originally worth £4.7m, that, by today’s standards, was a bargain.

However, it was not so much what dos Santos provided on the pitch that let him down, but off it. He failed to impress manager Harry Redknapp, as the candid boss thought that he lacked the commitment for the team. Redknapp questioned the Mexican’s social life particularly, once saying: “If he could pass a nightclub as well as he can pass a ball, he would be all right.”

As talented as he was, he could never get into Redknapp’s good books. After arriving at White Hart Lane, he was carted off to Ipswich to play in the Championship. The following season was spent playing for Galatasaray, and the season after that was spent in La Liga for Racing Santander. He spent the 2011/12 season in north London, but failed to make an impression, with very few appearances.

After four uneventful years, where he made just 17 appearances in the Premier League, dos Santos was sold to Mallorca in 2012, where he featured much more in La Liga. This earned a transfer to Villarreal, where he had two successful seasons.

In 2015, dos Santos secured a transfer to MLS outfit LA Galaxy, where he would eventually team up and play with brother Jonathan. Despite being a fairly successful player in the MLS, this is a far cry from the potential that he had ten years ago. To make matters worse, he was even voted the most overrated player in the MLS earlier this year; an accolade that he would not have expected to receive as a teenager at Barcelona.

While his club career has never really kicked off, dos Santos has earned over 100 caps for Mexico and won the CONCACAF Gold Cup three times. This is the only saving grace in his career and the only factor that doesn’t categorise him as a complete failure.

No one knows how a player’s career will turn out, but when fans saw a pacey 19-year-old dribbling down the wing of the Camp Nou, no one saw this happening.

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Ruined Rating: 9/10

QPR fans want Angel Rangel to sign new contract

Angel Rangel joined Queens Park Rangers last month, with the experienced defender signing a contract with the R’s until January 13.

The 35-year-old had been available on a free transfer following his release from Swansea City, and was snapped up amid QPR’s early-season struggles.

Rangel made his debut in the club’s 3-0 defeat to Bristol City last month, and has since played against Wigan Athletic and Birmingham City in the Championship.

The R’s are unbeaten in their last three matches following a very difficult start, and will be looking to build on that when they return to action after the international break with a trip to Bolton Wanderers.

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As it stands, Rangel will be a free agent once again in January, but a number of the QPR fans have called on their club to hand the 5ft 10in Spaniard a new deal.

QPR are certainly in need of experience and indeed numbers this season, and extending Rangel’s contract seems a likely occurrence.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s fans can be seen below:

Concerning for Aston Villa as John Terry opts against return

Aston Villa have missed out on re-signing John Terry after The Guardian reported that the Chelsea legend is on the verge of joining Spartak Moscow.

What’s the word?

On Friday, Terry hinted in an interview with the Daily Mail that he was open to moving back to Villa Park as he claimed that he had “unfinished business” there.

However, The Guardian – as well as a range of other media publications – reported over the weekend that Terry is on the verge of signing a two-year contract at Russian outfit Spartak.

The centre-back spent last season on loan at Villa after joining from Chelsea on a free transfer in the summer of 2017.

When his one-year deal expired Terry was released from the Midlands club, but with Steve Bruce on the hunt for a defender, reuniting with the experienced star made sense.

How much of a blow is this?

At the age of 37, Terry is in the latter stages of his career so it is no major surprise that he has opted for a lucrative move.

It is likely that this will be the defender’s final contract before he calls time on a successful career, that has included five Premier League title wins.

From Villa’s perspective, it is disappointing that Terry is no longer available to scoop up, but they should have done more to convince him to stay on at the end of last season.

Granted, the club have gone through some financial turmoil, but the former England captain’s performances at the back last season warranted him another contract.

Villa are stretched thin at the back, so it is important now for Bruce not to dwell on missed opportunities but focus on what he can do to strengthen the defensive line.

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Easy to see why Klopp admires Zielinski, but deal for Liverpool would be tough

According to Calciomercato, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been impressed by Piotr Zielinski’s performances for Napoli, which has led to suggestions that a future move could be made.

What’s the word?

The midfielder was linked to Anfield in the summer, but a transfer never materialised.

The Reds had a successful window bringing in Fabinho, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri and goalkeeper Alisson.

It seems, though, that Klopp still has his sights set on Zielinski, with Calciomercato reporting that the German coach is an admirer of the 24-year-old.

In total, the midfielder has scored 15 goals in 97 appearances for Napoli, and in this campaign he has already netted twice in three outings.

Should Liverpool make a move in January?

Given how well Zielinski has performed in the early stages of this season, it is very unlikely that Napoli will entertain a winter move.

In addition, Calciomercato report that the Italian giants want to have an £89m release clause inserted into his contract.

If that were to happen, it would make it that much more difficult for the Reds to secure a deal.

Also, Klopp is not exactly lacking in the midfield department, so his time would be better spent focusing on strengthening other areas of the pitch.

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Per Mertesacker’s revelations should be a worry for Arsenal fans

After over two decades at the club, Arsene Wenger’s reign at Arsenal came to an end last season in somewhat of a fairly disappointing fashion. 

In arguably the club’s worst season under the Frenchman, Arsenal reached the final of the EFL Cup but lost to City and to compound that even more, also reached the semi-final of the Europa League against Atletico Madrid but again were beaten.

In the league, Arsenal seemingly couldn’t pull themselves together as the Gunners recorded one of the worst away records in English football last year and disappointingly for the Arsenal faithful, finished sixth – 12 points off Liverpool in fourth.

After years of the fans calling for the Frenchman to be sacked, the cries finally got too loud for Wenger to survive and the club announced that he would be leaving at the end of the season.

However, now head of Arsenal’s academy and former club captain, Per Mertesacker has revealed that the players let down the long-serving manager and that they should take the blame for Wenger leaving, as reported by Spox via the Metro.

The Breakdown

Although Wenger can be blamed for a lot during his time at the club, the recent comments from Mertesacker although not surprising, are slightly worrying. Tactically Wenger seemed to be outdated, while also slightly naive in his dealings with the players, namely the Alexis Sanchez contract situation. Having said that, if a figure like Mertesacker reveals that the players didn’t play to their full capacity, Arsenal’s poor fortunes may continue under Unai Emery too.

Arsenal fans, what do you think?  

Andrea Belotti would be Everton’s best striker in recent memory

Everton were unable convert a number of chances during their 2-0 defeat against Arsenal.

The Toffees were able to carve the Gunners open on a number of occasions but were unable to find the back of the net. Second half goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were enough to secure all three points for Unai Emery. The result leaves Everton with just one win from their opening six fixtures in the Premier League.

The style of play under Marco Silva is a vast difference from the tactics employed by former boss Sam Allardyce. However, the Toffees lack a true goal scorer to make the Portuguese’s system work. With Cenk Tosun and Dominic Calvert-Lewin proving unreliable in front of goal, signing a striker should be made a priority in the January transfer window.

One man Everton could target is Torino hitman – Andrea Belotti. Valued at £34.2m by Transfermarkt, the Italian forward has been a regular goal scorer in the Serie A for a number of years. Belotti found the back of the net ten times last season – he netted an incredible 26 league goals in the season previous. The 24-year-old already has two goals in the current campaign.

Belotti is a true number nine, an intelligent forward with deadly finishing instinct. The Torino forward uses his physical presence to create opportunities for himself and his team-mates. The forward is also a huge aerial threat which would give Everton another option from set-pieces.

Torino would demand a huge fee for their star forward but the price might just be worth it for the Blues.

Everton fans, thoughts?

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