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Many Everton fans want Lewis Dobbin to start in their next game at home to Watford after he scored for the U23’s against Leeds United on Monday night.

As per the official Twitter page of the Goodison Park faithful, the winger bagged an equaliser to make the score against the Whites level at 2-2 with a ‘superb first-time finish’.

That was the first goal that he has scored for the U23’s, as he is certainly making an impression despite being just 18 years of age.

Dobbin had previously scored 14 goals for the U18’s before being promoted, and has already played in two games in the Premier League for the senior side so far this season (Transfermarkt).

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison out injured, and Salomon Rondon not firing, it is no surprise at all to see so many supporters of the Merseyside club calling for the Englishman to be given a start by Rafa Benitez.

Everton fans on Dobbin goal

These Toffees called for Dobbin to start the next match on Twitter after he scored his goal:

“Just play the lad in the first team”

Credit: @cashako

“Start him and/or Simms when we need please”

Credit: @alfieartist11

“Start him Saturday”

Credit: @peter_j_oreilly

“Get him in the first team”

Credit: @Yerman58839952

“@rafabenitezweb you getting this?”Credit: @RhysDavies1878″Start him over Rondon”Credit: @BrandrickGeorgeIn other news, find out what contract news has Blues talking here!

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Valencia’s Uruguayan forward Maxi Gomez.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report from Spain (via Sport Witness), which claims that the West Midlands side have “set their sites” on Gomez.

Wolves were linked with the Uruguayan around the time of Raul Jimenez’s serious head injury, with the Old Gold reportedly still keen on the 25-year-old and are wiling to make a bid for his services this summer.

According to reports, Valencia are looking to raise funds through player sales this summer, and with Gomez one of the greater valued assets in the squad, he is expected to be placed on the market.

A huge risk

In truth, Bruno Lage would be taking a risk with the £13.5m-rated Valencia forward, who has misfired this season for Los Che.

The Uruguayan has just three goals and 24 appearances in LaLiga this campaign.

Although this is his first Fabio Silva.

He’s a physical forward who relies more on his positioning than his pace.

Though his record at previous club Celta Vigo allows you to enter the thought process of Bruno Lage.

The £47k-per-week Uruguayan had two successful goal-scoring seasons for Celta, scoring 13 goals in his second.

This gives Gomez a lifeline and insinuates that his playing style does not suit Valencia boss Pep Bordalas’ counter-attacking system.

Valencia have the fourth-worst possession statistics this season, with Los Che relying solely on transitional play to get them goals.

At Celta Vigo, Gomez mainly functioned as a centre-forward in a 4-3-3 side that looked to contest possession, which allows us to understand the reasoning behind his lack of goals this season.

Bruno Lage has clearly done his research with reports claiming that the Molineux side would be willing to make a proposal to sign the Uruguayan who Phil Vickery dubbed a “throwback” and “fearsomely strong” this summer.

The Portuguese manager must feel as though he can get Maxi Gomez back to his goalscoring ways at Wolves, in a move that would be a huge risk with the potential to pay dividends for the Old Gold.

AND in other news: Lage can now axe £75k-p/w “top talent” by unleashing Wolves’ “Foden-esque” sensation

Aston Villa’s recent upturn in form continued as they cruised to a 2-0 victory over Norwich City in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.

Steven Gerrard’s side came into the game off the back of a narrow defeat at the hands of Liverpool, but got back to winning ways thanks to goals from Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins.

And while the former took his goal well, it was Emi Buendia’s performance that really caught the eye for Villa.

The Argentine star of course was back on his old stomping ground at Carrow Road following his summer move from the Canaries, and it certainly felt like he was keen on reminding his former club just what they are now missing out on.

The little play-maker relished being a key part of the Villa attack, playing some superb one-touch passes and being a constant menace for the Norwich City defence.

As per Sofascore, only Douglas Luiz boasted a better passing accuracy than him among those players who started, while he provided the second-most key passes and crosses on the night too.

He was always looking to drive forward with the ball and that was unsurprisingly reflected by the fact he attempted seven dribbles – more than four of the man in second, Watkins.

During the game, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans simply tweeted: “Buendia is in the mood tonight. Rolls it through Cantwell’s legs, draws a huge cheer from the away end and helps win a corner. #AVFC looking good…”

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him an eight, saying: “Started well and really entertained, popping first-time passes into his teammates and flicking little ones around the corner. Buendia strutted his stuff out there and even nut-megged his pal Cantwell which he enjoyed.

“The only gripe is that Buendia doesn’t carry much of a goal threat with his best work coming outside of the 18-yard box. Enjoyed himself out there. The Argentinian had a couple of efforts blocked in the second half as Norwich made sure he didn’t score. A majestic performance nonetheless.”

While Ramsey will no doubt steal the headlines for his excellent finish and his continued improvement this season, Buendia put in the kind of statement-making performance that surely had Gerrard purring about what’s to come.

Meanwhile, Villa have been offered this European star…

Manchester United have had a quiet transfer window so far in terms of incoming players, but when it comes to speculation surrounding outgoings, the club has been caught in the middle of a media circus.

There have been reports that up to 17 players were rumoured to want out of the club, and Ralf Rangnick could be on his way to offloading one of them.

What’s the word?

According to reports from Manchester Evening News, United midfielder Donny Van De Beek has been offered to Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund on a loan deal for the rest of the season.

The 24-year-old has started just four Premier League games since he joined the club from Ajax in 2020, he and doesn’t seem to be getting more favourability since the arrival of Rangnick in late November.

Fabrizio Romano also weighed in on the Van De Beek situation at the club late on Thursday night tweeting:”Donny van de Beek situation. No decision made yet by Manchester United on his potential loan elsewhere, nothing communicated to player/agent. Ralf Rangnick still wants Donny to stay until the end of the season. #MUFC”

“No direct contacts with Borussia Dortmund as of now.”

Rangnick could make a huge mistake

Despite Romano’s comments about Rangnick wanting the midfielder to stay until the end of the season, if there is truth in the club offering out the player on loan to Newcastle and Dortmund, this could be a step in the wrong direction for the German coach.

Indeed, a number of United fans were raging earlier this week over the lack of game-time that Van de Beek has been afforded by the interim manager.

Before the Dutchman joined Man United in 2020, Erik ten Hag was getting the very best out of him at Ajax, with the player netting moved to the Premier League. However, he has been unable to emulate that success and get a good run of form going at Old Trafford because of the inconsistent game-time he has been given at his current club, with only two goals and two assists in 1,835 minutes of football over the last 16 months.

Going on loan to play more regularly would obviously benefit Van De Beek massively, but with the Champions League knockout rounds, FA Cup games and Premier League fixtures on United’s agenda, you would expect that Rangnick would want to keep as many midfield options as possible, as his 4-2-2-2 formation is heavily reliant in how they play. Therefore, it could be a big mistake for the German coach to let Van de Beek go this month, and it would likely not go down well with many of the Old Trafford faithful.

In other news: Rangnick could sign this gem as an upgrade on Wan-Bissaka

Lots of Sunderland fans have been left blasting the performance of Lynden Gooch in their 6-0 defeat away at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

It was a dismal day for the Stadium of Light faithful in their race to get promoted from League One, and while the defenders were truly awful in trying to keep the ball out of the net, the attackers were equally as poor going forward.

None more so than Gooch, who failed to record a single shot on goal or key pass, and was inaccurate in three of his attempted crosses and long balls (SofaScore).

The winger also gave the ball away on no fewer than on 21 separate occasions in total, the most out of any player on the pitch, in what was a disappointing game for him and the whole team.

Sunderland fans blast Gooch

These SAFC supporters were left blasting his display on Twitter, with one Black Cat even going as far as to claim that he is an ‘imposter’:

“100% convinced Gooch is a imposter”

Credit: @freddiesafc27

“Lynden Gooch plays every week, surely the “management team” can see he’s simply not good enough, it doesn’t matter who we face or any other excuses he’s simply not a good footballer.”

Credit: @jfoster3_

“Gooch has to be dropped now”

Credit: @woodylad83

“They were all atrocious. Gooch just stood out. LJ’s tactics aren’t working either.”

Credit: @Lauren_McLeish

“Leave Lynden Gooch in Bolton”

Credit: @mackemroy66

“Never want to see Gooch in a Sunderland kit again”

Credit: @omiddsafc

In other news, find out what transfer update has Black Cats buzzing here!

[ad_pod ]Leeds United took a step closer to promotion on Saturday afternoon with a narrow 2-1 victory over Championship strugglers Bolton Wanderers.The weekend result enabled them to keep pace with league leaders Norwich City, who sit two points ahead, albeit having played a game more than the Whites.Promotion fever has gripped Elland Road this season under Marcelo Bielsa, and it appears that it hasn’t taken long for January signing Kiko Casilla to embrace the optimism which has gripped the club in recent months.According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds’ number one has made a bold claim about the prospect of winning promotion this season:”It would mean more than winning the Champions League,” Casilla said. “It’s the objective we have and this is why I am here.”Clearly, it hasn’t taken Casilla long to appreciate the significance of the narrative which is unfolding in Yorkshire.The fact the 32-year-old stopper was on the periphery at Madrid and played little part in their Champions League triumphs has presumably influenced his stance, but that has not prevented the supporters from gushing over his bold claim.

Indeed, the fans on Twitter were clearly delighted by Casilla’s desire to help Leeds end their top-flight exile, and it seems his popularity has soared in light of his verdict.

Here’s what some of the Leeds fans had to say about Casilla’s comments on Twitter:

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans can’t believe their bad luck as more injury news is confirmed, this time for striker Roberto Firmino.

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has had to cope with mounting injury problems in his squad recently, akin to the issues he was having last term, as he now sweats on six players in total.

Before Firmino’s setback, Liverpool already had five players sidelined for the trip to West Ham today with James Milner, Naby Keita, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez all unavailable (This is Anfield).

Confirming yet more injury news, Klopp has said that Firmino, who already has six goals to his name this season, has been added to the list after he sustained a ‘serious hamstring injury’ (Liverpool FC on Twitter).

“Bobby is not good news with a serious hamstring injury, really unfortunate,” Klopp said.

“Losing Bobby Firmino is a blow. It’s weeks and I don’t know exactly but more than four which I would consider a serious injury. We have to see, Bobby is a quick healer.”

Flocking to this news, it’s little wonder so many Reds supporters are livid given that they are slowly running out of options with the Africa Cup of Nations also on the horizon, when they will lose the in-form Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Check out some of the reactions from Liverpool fans below as news of Firmino’s injury was revealed by Klopp.

Liverpool fans erupt over Firmino blow…

“Horrible news. Feel for Bobby – he was in great goalscoring form this season. Next man up is Minamino!”

Credit: @jon_s1989

“Absolutely awful news the form he has been in. Injuries racking up now. Still can’t believe we never brought more quality in”

Credit: @BennyBlanco22

“Our season is over when AFCON starts”

Credit: @MehdiAHG

“They just don’t stop do they”

Credit: @ibrahimkhvn

“Bad news on Bobby”

Credit: @derekcollinsmsl

“Absolutely devastated”

Credit: @NabySzn_

“It never ends”

Credit: @xAVKOx

In other news: Plenty of Liverpool fans erupt as club confirms ‘bad news’

Ibrahima Konate will be left out of Liverpool’s starting lineup to face Manchester City this weekend, according to reliable journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Konate impresses despite error

The Frenchman started alongside Virgil van Dijk at Benfica in midweek, as the Reds won 3-1 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg clash.

Konate may have made an error for Darwin Nunez’s goal, air-kicking an attempted clearance, but he produced a superb overall performance in Portugal, drawing praise from Alisson for his display.

The 22-year-old made two tackles and one interception on the night, as well as the small matter of opening the scoring with a well-taken header – his first-ever goal for Liverpool.

The Latest: Pearce makes key claim

Despite this, Pearce believes Joel Matip will come in for Konate for Sunday’s huge trip to City, taking to Twitter to provide his thoughts:

“Some big decisions for Klopp v City. Matip back in for Konate pretty clear.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-27/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Correct decision

While Konate undoubtedly impressed against Benfica, bringing Matip back in for him is still the right call, should Jurgen Klopp do that.

He possesses more experience in such big games and he has been the superior player this season, performing magnificently next to Van Dijk and averaging 3.9 aerial duel wins per game in the league.

It would be a big shock if Konate was now picked, given his rawness, and his pace isn’t needed as much against a City side who are more intricate than fast.

In other news, Pearce has also made an exciting Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt a fresh setback in their bid to bring John Souttar to Ibrox in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, which relayed a claim made by Hearts manager Robbie Neilson stating that it would take a “crazy bid” for his club to part ways with the centre-back this month.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side recently won the race to sign the 25-year-old on a pre-contract deal, beating the likes of Sheffield United and Blackburn to the defender’s signature for a free transfer at the end of the season, although it is reported that Ross Wilson is now weighing up an offer to bring the Scotland international to Glasgow in the current window.

However, in a recent statement, Hearts backed up their manager’s claim that they are firmly against letting Souttar leave Tynecastle in January, with the club announcing: “The club reiterates that John is an important member of the squad and will remain so until the end of the season unless a significant and satisfactory offer is made during the January transfer window.”

Van Bronckhorst will be fuming

Considering just how impressive Souttar has been for Hearts so far this season, in addition to the fact that Van Bronckhorst is currently experiencing issues in the heart of his defence – with Leon Balogun and Filip Helander out injured and Connor Goldson being free to discuss a move away from the club – the news that the Jam Tarts look set to play hardball over sanctioning the 25-year-old’s departure this month with have left the Dutchman fuming.

Indeed, over his 18 Premiership appearances in the current campaign, the £900k-rated defender has been in remarkable form, helping his side to keep five clean sheets, scoring three goals and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.1 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

The £3.1k-per-week centre-back has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 1.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 4.4 clearances and 44.9 passes and winning 71% of his duels per match.

These returns have seen the Scotland defender average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.43, not only ranking him as Neilson’s best performer in the league, but also as the fifth-best player in the entire division.

As such, it is clear to see that bringing Souttar to Ibrox this month would undoubtedly provide Rangers’ chances of going on to secure a second Premiership title in two years with a considerable boost.

However, following the latest update from Tynecastle, it would appear as if Wilson has a lot of work to do if he is to get a deal over the line for the 25-year-old in the current window, while missing out on the centre-back in January would certainly come as a blow to Van Bronckhorst and his side.

In other news – Negotiations ongoing: Report delivers huge update on Rangers dud which will delight fans

Leeds United return to Premier League action later this evening and Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping for a change in fortunes on the pitch, having picked up just two wins from their opening 12 matches.

The Yorkshiremen head to the south coast for the late kick-off against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium off the back of a 2-1 defeat in north London last time out.

Bielsa’s men dominated spells of the first half against Tottenham Hotspur, even going into the break with a one-goal lead, but were undone in the second half.

The Argentine was clearly unimpressed by the performance from Mateusz Klich, who earned a recall to the engine room, as he was the first player hooked and that was just 14 minutes after half-time, right after Spurs’ equaliser.

‘Another difficult afternoon for Klich to shine. Looked despondent as he came off, but his pressing was non-existent in the second half. Summed up why he had not been in the team in recent weeks,’ wrote LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross in his post-match ratings column.

Indeed, the Poland international has been way off his usual standard for the bulk of the 2021/22 campaign.

His last three starts in the Premier League have drawn shocking WhoScored ratings of 6.34 against Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and his second-lowest of the season, a 6.17 against Spurs.

As per SofaScore, Klich lost every single one of his duels last Sunday, failed to record a successful dribble and was dribbled past twice by the opposition’s midfield. Passenger-like.

Only four players to have started eight or more games have managed a worse average rating for the entire season, and unsurprisingly they are mainly attack-minded players.

Valued at £8.5m and earning around £34k-per-week at Elland Road, Klich has surely lost his place in the starting XI heading into this weekend’s encounter. At the time of writing, Brighton are sat inside the top ten, so they will be a tough test and the struggling Whites can no longer afford to carry underperforming players like the Polish midfielder.

Bielsa must be ruthless and axe his long-serving favourite from his starting XI tonight.

AND in other news, Beren Cross drops Leeds United managerial update…