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Adama Traore could be a huge success for Liverpool if he leaves Wolves to join the Reds, according to BBC pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Traore linked with Wolves exit

The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to Anfield in the January transfer window, which would provide Jurgen Klopp with extra attacking depth.

Traore’s current Wolves deal expires in the summer of 2023 and there is little sign of him extending his stay at Molineux as things stand.

The Latest: Tipped to shine to Liverpool

Whelan believes that the Spain winger could excel in a Reds shirt, telling Football Insider that the 25-year-old could be similarly influential to superstar Liverpool pair Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

The BBC pundit said:

“He’s a player who can be crucial to winning football matches.

“His pace, his aggression, his direct running – and now his end product, which he’s brushed up after his early days in the Premier League.

“He’s a more complete player now, he can get a cross into the box or a shot off on goal. If you think about it, would he fit into Liverpool’s style of play? Absolutely.

“He can be just as destructive as Salah and Mane in that side.”

The Verdict: Keep hold of him

Losing Traore would be a big blow for Wolves at a time when he is still maturing as a player and should have his best years ahead of him.

As Whelan suggested, the winger is becoming a more polished footballer, winning four Man of the Match awards from WhoScored in just seven Premier League appearances this season. He also has more dribbles per game than any other player in Europe’s major leagues, with a remarkable match average of seven (WhoScored).

That highlights how important he is to Bruno Lage, with his pace arguably the most frightening in the league, giving him a potentially match-winning attribute which Wolves cannot afford to sacrifice too readily.

In other news, Wolves have received a potential boost in their efforts to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Midlands journalist Luke Hatfield believes that Aston Villa have signed the trio of Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey, and Danny Ings to replace the output of Jack Grealish.

Grealish has become the most expensive English player of all time by moving to Manchester City for a fee of £100m.

Villa have subsequently been aggressive in the transfer market and have brought in a number of new additions.

Per Transfermarkt, Buendia has arrived from Norwich City for just over £34.5m, while Bailey has signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £28.8m, and Ings has come in from Southampton for £31.6m.

In addition to those three, Villa have also signed Axel Tuanzebe on loan from Manchester United and brought in Ashley Young on a free transfer from Inter Milan.

Hatfield believes that the attacking trio have come in as the direct replacements for Grealish, as the club did not expect to be able to replace the England international with just one player.

Last season, Grealish scored seven goals in all competitions and also laid on 12 assists.

Hatfield said: “It’s interesting. When a lot of people saw that Villa were in for Bailey, I think a lot of people outside the club put two and two together and just figured it was going to be a Jack Grealish replacement.

“Christian Purslow has come out and said that you couldn’t replace Grealish with just one player, and he’s been quite vocal in that.

“It’s very much that Buendia, Bailey and Danny Ings have all come in as a joint replacement for Grealish because you can’t replace such a quality player with one player on his own.”

Manchester United are could finally end their striker hunt after being linked with a move for Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Super Deporte (as relayed by the Manchester Evening News), the Red Devils have the highly-rated 24-year-old on their ‘agenda’, with new manager Ralf Rangnick looking to make his mark on the first-team squad.

The report states that: “Manchester United has the Sevilla player Youssef En-Nesyri on the agenda…The English team are looking for a forward with good scoring figures, and En-Nesyri fits the profile they are managing.”

En-Nesyri was close to joining fellow Premier League outfit West Ham United in the summer after they had a €30 million (£25.5m) bid rejected, and Sevilla are said to be happy to let him leave ‘if a good offer arrives.’

Ralf Rangnick could end Man Utd’s striker hunt

With Edinson Cavani set to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign and Cristiano Ronaldo turning 37 in February, reinforcements at the top end of the pitch should be high up on Rangnick’s wishlist.

United have long been linked with an additional striker, and although Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland is believed to be their No.1 target, the competition for his signature is set to be fierce.

Therefore, viable alternatives will need to be assessed by the club’s hierarchy, and a potential move for the £36m-rated En-Nesyri could well be on the cards.

The Morocco international only arrived from La Liga minnows Leganes in January 2020, but he’s quickly established himself as one of the division’s elite forwards, bagging 24 goals in 52 appearances for Julen Lopetegui’s charges last term.

And his underlying number were equally as impressive. As per WhoScored, En-Nesyri averaged 2.1 shots per league game throughout 2020/21, 2.5 aerial duels won and 1.6 touches in the penalty area, placing him in the top two for each metric when compared to his teammates.

These returns saw pundit Terry Gibson dub the African forward a “world-beater” and highlight his truly top-class potential.

Whether Rangnick would deem En-Nesyri an ideal fit for his high-intensity pressing system remains to be seen, but it appears as though the United hierarchy are keeping close tabs of the 6 foot 2 target man.

And, in other news…Huge boost: David Ornstein delivers big Man Utd update, Rangnick will be elated

Many Everton fans have been left erupting as some transfer news emerged on Jordan Pickford.

As per The Daily Telegraph, Antonio Conte now wants to sign the goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur, and sees him as the ideal successor to Hugo Lloris.

Of course, Pickford would be a difficult player to replace, given that he is very much Rafa Benitez’s number one and has not missed a minute of Premier League football so far this season when he has been available (Transfermarkt).

It would not be ideal either to sell him to a rival in the top flight, and moving to Spurs would not exactly be a big step up for Pickford, given that there are only two places between them in the league at the moment.

Nonetheless, as a full England international as well, the Goodison Park faithful should be demanding a huge transfer fee for him, otherwise opting not to sell him at all.

Everton fans on Pickford transfer news

These Merseyside club supporters erupted as the transfer news was shared on Twitter:

“Not a chance literally our only world-class player……. Huge money £80+ mill”

Credit: @11thommo

“I wouldn’t even sell for £80 mill. The only person who will see a benefit to this is the accountant and his spreadsheet.”

Credit: @gareth_90210

“Why are we even asking this question?”

Credit: @CalMcKay3

“No way would I sell him”

Credit: @amandahufton

“I would not sell him at all, I know you will have the usual few that don’t like him and say sell and get the likes of Dean Henderson etc, but it’s a no for me, I don’t think Pickford even when some moaned about him was not anywhere near as bad as some made out”

Credit: @EFC_Mike79

“Not a chance easily been top 4 keepers in the league the last season and a half, only if they pay us £80 million”

Credit: @EFCMichael7

In other news, find out what transfer news has Toffees talking here!

Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that the Saints are interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey this summer.

The St Mary’s outfit are preparing for the 2021/22 campaign, one in which they will be aiming to improve on their 15th-place Premier League finish last term. So far, they have added two new players to their squad in Romain Perraud (southamptonfc.com) and Dynel Simeu (chelseafc.com), but they must look to add more before the transfer window comes to a close.

Surprisingly, they have been linked with a big move for 23-year-old Bailey by 90min.com.

The Jamaica international was in top form last term, scoring 15 goals and providing 11 assists (Transfermarkt), and Saints are joined by the likes of Aston Villa and Leicester in their pursuit.

At £25m, he would not come cheap – that seems to be the main reason why Southampton fans are not too confident of signing him.

The update was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one fan calling the news a ‘dream’.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Bailey link below

“This is not fifa career mode @martin_semmens pls tell Gao to empty his wallet and sign him xx”

Credit: @Cal_SFC

“Southampton can’t afford a Championship striker so looking at £25m players is a waste of time.”

Credit: @SouthernMan7

“imagine”

Credit: @Trist_Brooks97

“have a day off!”

Credit: @scotteds156

“Just a dream for us sadly.”

Credit: @bfgfox

“With that fee, someone is having a laugh with our overdraft”

Credit: @SpencerHoughts

In other news, Southampton fans rage at an update on this 27-year-old.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Everton defender Michael Ball believes Farhad Moshiri needs to take responsibility for where the Toffees are right now.

Despite bringing in some big signings last summer, most notably James Rodriguez, Everton once again failed to make that next step and qualify for Europe.

Since then, they have lost Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid and looked at various managers during their search for a successor.

Ultimately, it has all got a bit too messy for Ball, who has pointed the finger at the club owner.

“Moshiri, yes, he’s ploughed a lot of money into the football club,” the ex-Everton full-back said. “But I think he’s only got himself to blame, the money he has squandered on players that he wanted and managers he’s actually appointed.

“It hasn’t worked, so why not trust your technical director, your sporting director who you brought to the football club to improve us.”

Indeed, there has been a bit of disarray at Everton at times during Moshiri’s reign, especially now.

With that being said, the madness of late is largely due to Ancelotti’s shock exit, which Moshiri and most people probably did not see coming.

It sets the club up for an interesting season, a season where Ancelotti’s successor will be hoping to overtake the likes of Tottenham, Leicester City and West Ham, who all grabbed European spots ahead of Everton.

Express and Star Journalist Luke Hatfield believes that if Jayson Molumby impresses at West Brom then he will stick around permanently.

Molumby signed an initial season-long loan deal with West Brom from Brighton and Hove Albion, with a view to a permanent move in the future.

The 22-year-old spent last season on loan with Preston North End making 40 outings in all competitions.

Hatfield believes that Molumby is exactly the type of player that Baggies manager Valerien Ismael goes for and will buy into his philosophy, telling Transfer Tavern: “It’s on loan with a view to a permanent deal, so if he impresses well enough it could well be a permanent one. He doesn’t seem to be too much in the thinking at Brighton so that’s one I think could happen come the end of the season. 

“Obviously if he doesn’t put in performances then Albion will probably say goodbye to him but if he shows what he’s all about then it’s one that will probably stick around on a permanent basis.”

The Baggies currently sit second in the Championship table after an unbeaten start to the season, winning four of their first five matches.

After such a good start to the campaign, West Brom will be hoping to continue of their good run of form and hopefully make a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Celtic have enjoyed a positive transfer deadline day so far with the Hoops concluding a deal for Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis.

However, they are struggling to sign a much-needed central defender.

What’s the word?

Celtic came into transfer deadline day this morning hoping to conclude three new signings.

They have completed one of them in Giakoumakis but they are still planning to wrap up a deal for Benfica winger Jota.

On top of that, Celtic were looking at signing a central defender on loan. It emerged just after lunchtime that they had lodged interest in Tottenham’s Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Sadly, it’s quickly become apparent that a deal will be incredibly difficult to do.

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph who posted the following update on Twitter:

“Celtic made an enquiry with Spurs today about a potential loan deal for defender Cameron Carter-Vickers. It’s understood that any deal would be difficult to do at this stage and is looking very unlikely. Spurs are also believed to prefer a permanent transfer.”

Fans upset

Despite possibly two offensive additions on the final day of the window, it is clearly a defender that Celtic need to recruit the most.

They have already signed two senior figures in Carl Starfelt and Josip Juranovic but you get the sense from supporters that they need more.

Those pleas are understandable too, especially when you consider their defensive record last term and their showings in the early week of the ongoing season.

In 2020/21, the Bhoys shipped 16 more goals than Rangers and also conceded an eye-watering 19 times in the Europa League group stages.

Celtic haven’t quite been as disastrous as that this term, but there have been some abject mistakes. Nir Bitton was sent off against Midtjylland in the Champions League and then Starfelt scored a terrible own goal in the away tie against AZ Alkmaar.

In the same game, Joe Hart was also distinctly average. He failed to clear a ball over the top which allowed their Dutch opposition to equalise.

With that in mind, the Hoops desperately needed to sign at least one more defender before the deadline. The fact they won’t sign Carter-Vickers, therefore, will come as a big disappointment for supporters.

AND in other news, Journo reveals who Celtic may sign after Jota & Giakoumakis, it’s shrewd work by Ange…

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has rejected the notion that Patrick Bamford is being snubbed by England manager Gareth Southgate because he does not play for a bigger club.

Southgate announced a 33-man provisional squad for Euro 2020 on Tuesday, which needs to be cut down to 26 by the beginning of June.

However, even with the squad limit currently at 33, Bamford was still unable to make the cut.

Prior to the announcement of this current squad, another English striker in Charlie Austin claimed on talkSPORT (via MOT Leeds News) that the 27-year-old was being snubbed because he did not play for a bigger side. It is a sentiment, however, that Palmer does not agree with.

“I don’t think he’s been overlooked because he doesn’t play for a big club because Leeds United are a big club,” the ex-Whites player exclusively told FFC.

“He’s knocking on the door. I don’t believe that Gareth Southgate’s not picked him because he’s not at a big club or he’s at Leeds United. I think there’s great competition for places.”

Whatever Southgate’s reasoning is, no one could blame Bamford for feeling hard done by.

With 17 goals to his name in the Premier League this season, Tottenham talisman Harry Kane (23) was the only Englishman to register more strikes.

Celtic still have some important games left to play in the SPFL before the season draws to an end and the next summer transfer window opens for business.

However, it seems as though one potential deal has emerged as something the Bhoys could look to complete before their next campaign gets underway.

What’s the news?

According to the Daily Mail (via Daily Record), Bodo/Glimt star Ola Solbakken is a potential summer transfer target for the Hoops if they are unable to strike a permanent deal for current loan star Jota.

Since joining the Norwegian club back in the 2020 January transfer window, the 23-year-old has gone on to make 71 appearances for his side across all competitions.

In those appearances, the winger has managed to score 17 goals and provide 18 assists along the way.

This highlights just how much of an attacking threat he can be.

Postecoglou would love him

Throughout his career, the attacker has been deployed on the left and right wings, delivering goal contributions from both sides, showing just how versatile he is on the pitch.

In comparison to Solbakken, the Portuguese attacker has scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists in 35 appearances for the Bhoys across all competitions since his arrival from Benfica on loan last summer.

The Hoops will be very familiar with what sort of player Solbakken is, as he scored a goal and provided an assist during the two meetings between the clubs in the UEFA Europa Conference League earlier this season.

Currently valued at £1.8m according to Transfermarkt, the Norway international has been likened to former Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid winger Arjen Robben in terms of his attacking moves on the pitch. Moreover, he’s been likened to a certain Norwegian forward too with BT Sport describing one of his goals in Europe as having “serious Haaland vibes.”

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to suggest that Postecoglou would be delighted to have a player like the Norwegian in his squad that is capable of scoring and creating goals as well as playing in numerous positions.

Moving forward, while securing a permanent deal for Jota should undeniably be their first port of call for the summer, having Solbakken as a potential backup option is not a bad one to have given his attacking talents.

In other news: Sold for £2.5m, now worth £8.1m: 27 y/o could’ve been Celtic’s “player of the season”