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Many Wolves fans have been reacting on social media as a transfer update emerged on Adama Traore.

As per Football Insider, West Ham United have reportedly made an enquiry about the possibility of signing the Spain international in the summer window.

David Moyes allegedly sees Traore as a somebody who can play as a striker and thus give cover for Michail Antonio, and the London Stadium faithful have registered their interest amid doubts over his future in the Midlands.

Traore is a player who is naturally very fit and would bring a lot of speed to West Ham’s starting eleven, but you can click here for more info about football fitness to try and emulate the Spaniard’s physique.

The Hammers did very well to finish in sixth spot in the Premier League table in the 2020/21 season, but the Molineux faithful finished above them in both 19/20 and 18/19, and so some WWFC supporters feel as if there would not be too much of a jump, if any, from moving to East London.

Thus, it seems as if they would rather keep the winger over selling him to the Irons.

Wolves fans on Traore transfer update

These Wanderers could not believe what they were reading as the exit rumour was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘joke’:

“Loool”

Credit: @YasWWFC

“Haha jog on they can’t afford him”

Credit: @WWFCFrevans

“What”

Credit: @fowls21wwfc

“Next joke please”

Credit: @MitchPhillips28

“This is funny”

Credit: @cal_wolvesfc

“Haha”

Credit: @jack04_

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

Everton have been long suffering an injury crisis which has nearly forced Rafael Benitez to field makeshift teams over the last few weeks, facing the prospect of adding academy talents into the squad just to have enough players to see out fixture commitments.

The injury issues have piled up, with key players missing for large chunks of the Premier League season so far, and these issues have contributed to the poor form and performances we have seen from the Toffees over the course of the first half of the season, with Benitez’s side currently 15th in the table.

One man who has been out with a long-term injury is star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who was sidelined in September with an injury sustained to his quadriceps, with a setback in October rendering him unavailable ever since – until now.

The £72k-p/w striker was spotted in training on Friday when Everton posted images of the 24-year-old on their official Twitter channel, and many fans were ecstatic with the long awaited return, as was his manager when he spoke about his return to action in the pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the weekend’s fixture against Brighton.

Likening the forward’s return to a new signing, Benitez gushed: “He’s a massive signing for us in the second part of the league.

“We are considering all of these things but he is training really well and he is really happy because he is with the team and is ready to play and score goals.”

The striker’s return will be a welcome one as Richarlison remains injured, and fellow long-term injury victim Jean-Philippe Gbamin just can’t cut it as a prolific scorer for the Merseyside club, with no goals or assists from his four appearances so far this term.

Calvert-Lewin’s presence on the pitch will surely offer far superior attacking prowess, more creativity, intimidation of opponents thanks to his 6 ft 4 stature, and of course, most importantly, goals.

The match against Brighton is the first the Toffees have played in over a fortnight, and although the postponements are annoying for keeping up consistency and match fitness, it has given the 24-year-old some extra time to work on his fitness in training without risking another setback.

It is unsure as to whether he will actually start for Everton this weekend, but he will likely be in the squad on the bench at the very least, as Benitez will be desperate to get three points on the board in the Toffees’ first game of the new year.

Considering the continued absence of Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin’s return could be just what the Blues need in terms of offering a threat in the final third, with the team netting just four goals over their last seven matches.

In other news: Benitez teases Everton’s transfer window plans

A big summer transfer claim has emerged that will impact Rangers’ plans for the upcoming window at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett has confirmed that Gers’ transfer target Sam Johnstone is set to leave his current club at the end of the season.

Gio van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson are reportedly interested in bringing the shot-stopper to Glasgow and they will now be able to snap him up for nothing if they can win the race for his signature, amid stiff competition from other teams.

Dorsett Tweeted: “#mufc and #thfc to battle it out for the signature of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in the summer. Johnstone won’t sign a new #wba contract, when it expires at the end of the season, as he seeks a return to the Premier League. Bruce said on Saturday he expects him to leave.”

Good news for Rangers

This is good news for the club for multiple reasons.

Firstly, this claim means that the Gers will not have to pay a penny in transfer fees for Johnstone. His deal with West Brom runs out later this year and he will become a free agent, which means that no club will have to deal with the Baggies to agree a fee.

The only concern will be his wages, but the lack of a transfer fee will, hopefully, offset any issues with budgeting for his salary. This, therefore, is why the club will be buzzing with this update as it lowers the potential cost of a deal for the England international.

It is also great news for Rangers as they are in need of a new goalkeeper to replace Allan McGregor next season. The 40-year-old has made four errors, three directly leading to goals, in the Premiership this season – costing van Bronckhorst’s side vital points against the likes of Ross County and Motherwell, making two direct errors in the former and being beaten at his near post for the equaliser in the latter.

Meanwhile, in the Premier League last time out, Johnstone made zero errors directly leading to goals as he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.03. He is also 11 years younger than the current Gers number one and this means that he could be the first choice between the sticks at Ibrox for many, many, years to come – if they are able to bring him through the door.

It is now down to Wilson to make sure he can capitalise on the Englishman’s availability to snap him up ahead of the other interested parties this summer…

AND in other news, From £4.5m to £25m: Wilson had huge Rangers howler over “remarkable” 12-goal gem…

An update has emerged on Frank Lampard, regarding Rangers’ thoughts on potentially appointing him as their new manager.

What’s the talk?

According to Gers media partner Hearts & Hand Podcast, the club are not interested in a deal to bring the ex-Chelsea coach to Glasgow to replace his former England teammate Steven Gerrard in the dugout.

They Tweeted: “Just spoke to club: Lampard and Knutsen not on radar. Gio stuff already broken by Sky. Rangers engage with certain media outlets and not others. Don’t pay attention to the ones on the outside – they haven’t a clue.”

Delight

This update from a Rangers insider will surely leave fans delighted as it means that Ross Wilson has avoided a disaster. We published an article urging the Gers chief to avoid Lampard after it was reported that the club were set to hold talks with the 43-year-old over the role, however, this twist now suggests that was not the case.

His managerial C.V does not suit Rangers’ needs at this moment in time and he would represent a gamble Wilson does not need to take. The Scottish giants are currently top of the Scottish Premiership and need an experienced coach with a history of winning to ensure that they get over the line and are able to build on what Gerrard created at Ibrox.

Gerrard ended Celtic’s dominance of Scottish football by winning the league last season and has left the club four points clear of the Hoops after 13 games in the current campaign. This shows that he has built the foundations of a winning team and bringing in a coach who has not proven that he can win trophies in the dugout could derail their attempts to be the dominant force in Glasgow long-term.

Lampard has only managed two full seasons in his career, one of which came in the second-tier of English football with Derby, and is yet to win a single honour. He lost in the play-off final with the Championship outfit and in the FA Cup final with Chelsea, whilst finishing sixth and fourth in their respective divisions.

This means that he does not have the requisite experience required to suggest that he is the right man to come in and see out the job for Rangers this season. Therefore, fans will be delighted that Wilson is not even considering him as an option.

AND in other news, Davis 2.0: Rangers could sign new metronome in gem who “quietly impressed” ex-EPL boss…

Brennan Johnson features on Newcastle United’s list of potential replacements for Allan Saint-Maximin, The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reports. 

The lowdown

Saint-Maximin, Jones writes, is expected to leave St James’ Park when the summer transfer window opens. The Magpies will then reinvest the funds from his exit into their planned ‘rebuild’.

Johnson is only under contract for another 14 months with Championship promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest.

Aged just 20, the Wales international has scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 39 league appearances this season.

The latest

Newcastle officials, led by Steve Nickson, have already ‘compiled reports’ on Johnson as they run the rule over potential additions on the flanks.

However, Jones does caution that the club will face ‘fierce’ competition for his signature.

Another player on their radar is Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby, but he too is highly coveted.

The verdict

It’s no surprise that a multitude of clubs are interested in Johnson. He’s Forest’s top scorer and he ranks joint-eighth overall in the Championship goal charts, despite being a winger rather than an out and out forward.

As for assists, he’s second for Steve Cooper’s side (behind Philip Zinckernagel) and again in the top ten for the division as a whole.

To put those figures into perspective, as of April 9, he boasts at least eight more goal involvements than any other player aged 21 or under in England’s top four tiers.

He’s already earned nine senior caps for his country and will hope to feature at the Qatar World Cup at the end of the year if Wales secure qualification.

Johnson, who’s been mentored by David Beckham, has inevitably earned some reviews. For instance, the ‘old-fashioned winger’ was dubbed a ‘beautiful footballer’ and a ‘super, super talent’ by sports journalist Josh Bunting. Newcastle should be delighted if they win the race.

In other news, Keith Downie has an update on Eddie Howe.

Manchester United suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in their history over the weekend after fierce rivals Liverpool handed out a 5-0 thrashing at Old Trafford.

A clinical Mohamed Salah hat-trick, plus goals from Naby Keita and Diogo Jota piled even more pressure on under-fire manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as the gulf in class between the two sides was ruthlessly exposed.

It was a humiliating afternoon for everyone associated with United, but one that had been coming since the second game of the season.

Performances have been hugely underwhelming following the opening-day victory over Leeds United and now Solskjaer must find the answers to the Red Devils’ struggles or face an unbearable onslaught for his departure from all angles.

However, the Norwegian manager wasn’t solely to blame for one of the darkest days in the 20-time Engling champions’ history.

No United player left the Theatre of Dreams with any pride on Sunday afternoon after they were all left hopelessly chasing shadows for the entire 90 minutes, yet left-back Luke Shaw arguably endured the biggest nightmare of them all.

The England international was left exposed for Liverpool’s first goal, clumsily collided with Harry Maguire in the build-up to their second, was far too slow to react to a rebounded ball for the third, got dragged across the pitch for the fourth, and was nowhere near Salah for the fifth and final nail in the coffin.

Shaw has looked a shadow of the player that lit up 2020/21 in recent weeks, but his performance against the Reds was shocking, to say the least.

As per SofaScore, the left-back was awarded a match rating of just 6.1 out of 10 after he made just one tackle, two clearances and no interceptions throughout the 90 minutes.

Although goalkeeper David de Gea conceded five goals, it’s clear he got no protection from his porous backline, and it’s the men in front of the Spanish shot-stopper who are really to blame for the chastising defeat.

Shaw was not only underwhelming in his defensive duties, though. The 26-year-old lost possession a whopping 13 times, was unable to find a teammate with four of his six crosses and achieved a passing accuracy of just 78%.

It was a day to forget for the stocky defender, and with fixtures against Atalanta, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City to come, there could be some desperate weeks ahead for Shaw and his United colleagues.

And, in other news…0 duels won: Man Utd lightweight who always gets “bullied” let Ole down v Atalanta

Kieran Devlin has confirmed Celtic’s interest in Hibernian striker Kevin Nisbet.

The Lowdown: Player-plus-cash reports

Celtic signed Josip Juranovic from Legia Warsaw on Saturday, however, that wasn’t the only transfer development regarding the Hoops.

Reporter Peter Martin revealed that Celtic are keen on Nisbet and are prepared to offer Hibs Leigh Griffiths plus cash for the £52,000-a-year forward.

Georgios Giakoumakis is another forward seemingly on Dominic McKay’s radar and Devlin addresses links to both on Wednesday.

The Latest: Devlin claim

Devlin, Celtic’s correspondent for The Athletic, shared an in-depth piece on where the Hoops need to strengthen Ange Postecoglou’s squad.

When it came to forwards, he said that the club’s interest in Giakoumakis could be due to a possible Odsonne Edouard departure or a lack of faith in Albian Ajeti and Griffiths.

Devlin then went on to add that the Hoops have a longstanding interest in Nisbet, who was described as ‘excellent’ by Ally McCoist.

The Verdict: Room for two?

Should Celtic agree personal terms to sign Giakoumakis and then part ways with Edouard, it would be interesting to see if the club would consider another attacking addition.

Postecoglou could end up having Giakoumakis, Ajeti and Griffiths as centre-forward options, and with Nisbet a long-term target and Griffiths not featuring, they may well look to get the Hibs man through the door.

If they decide to do so, McKay will need to act fast, as there are just six days remaining in the window.

In other news: Celtic now looking at late swoop for ‘fantastic’ defender alongside Liam Scales move. 

Even though they managed to break their poor run of form in their latest Premier League clash by beating Arsenal 2-1 at Goodison Park, the overall fan mood around Everton has not been not particularly positive in recent weeks after failing to win a league game throughout October and November, as well as the departure of the club’s director of football Marcel Brands.

The much-needed win against Mikel Arteta’s side finally gave the fans at Goodison something to celebrate, but it seems as though the fury towards Everton owner Farhad Moshiri could well be stoked up again after recent reports emerged claiming that Toffees attacker Richarlison, who scored against the Gunners last Monday, is of interest to the north London club for a future transfer according to Fichajes.

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Watford in a deal worth a reported fee of around £40m, the Brazilian has scored 45 goals and provide 11 assists in 129 appearances across all competitions, firmly cementing himself as one of Everton’s top attacking talents.

Labelled as a “complete” player by former Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti, the 24-year-old has scored three goals and provided two assists in 10 Premier League games so far this season.

His performance in the 2-1 win against Arsenal earned Richarlison an overall match rating of 8/10 according to SofaScore, making him the highest-rated player on the night, highlighting his importance to the club when it matters.

Given how Alexandre Lacazette (30) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (32) are Arsenal’s two oldest players, it’s easy to see why they see Richarlison, who is currently earning £110k-per-week at Everton according to Salary Sport, as a potential long-term replacement for one of their current strikers.

With Richarlison’s contract at Goodison Park not set to expire until the summer of 2024, it would be nothing short of a disaster if Moshiri were to sell him any time soon, especially to another Premier League club.

If this were to happen, it would surely not go down well with Everton fans given how much of an attacking threat the Brazilian has provided for the Toffees since his arrival on Merseyside.

In other news: Benitez must seal Everton swoop for “complete” £51k-p/w beast who plays like Platini & Zidane

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for wantaway Paris Saint-Germain defender Layvin Kurzawa, with the January transfer window fast approaching.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux (as relayed by The Hard Tackle), the Eagles have been offered the opportunity to sign the 29-year-old over the coming months as he searches for regular game-time.

The report doesn’t mention an expected asking price for Kurzawa, but the left-back only signed a new four-year deal in June 2020, so he’s unlikely to come cheaply.

Patrick Vieira must swoop

Palace manager Patrick Vieira embarked on a successful spending spree over the summer, replacing several ageing campaigners with multiple exciting, young acquisitions.

However, he failed to replace Dutch international Patrick van Aanholt on the left-hand side of defence, leaving academy graduate Tyrick Mitchell as the only natural option in that position.

Therefore, Kurzawa may be the ideal addition, providing an experienced alternative to the 22-year-old after proving his capability at the highest level following six-and-a-half successful years at the Parc des Princes.

Since arriving in Paris from Monaco in 2015, the £10.8m-rated full-back has made 153 appearances for the capital club, scoring 14 goals and providing 23 assists, winning 13 major trophies along the way.

After putting pen to paper on fresh terms last year, Kurzawa labelled his younger self as “a little more crazy” before claiming his improved form was down to his new level of maturity, while also revealing he admires basketball star “Lebron James” after copying his celebration.

However, things have not gone to plan for the attack-minded defender in recent months.

The arrival of wonderkid Nuno Mendes and Juan Bernat’s return from a long-term injury has forced Kurzawa down Pochettino’s pecking order significantly, limiting him to just nine minutes of first-team action throughout 2021/22.

As a result, Vieira must pounce for the 5 foot 10 gem during the winter window, continuing his Palace revolution by adding some much-needed cover and competition for Mitchell.

In other news… Vieira can continue his Selhurst Park revolution with move for £25m “warrior” with “outstanding quality”

Eberechi Eze’s Achilles injury absolutely “rocked” Crystal Palace, says Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge.

Eze sustained the injury in training at the end of last season and could now be out of action until 2022.

The 23-year-old attacker joined from Queens Park Rangers last year and really impressed during his debut campaign at Selhurst Park.

He came up with 10 goal contributions in total in the Premier League and managed to record an average of 1.9 dribbles per game – more than any other Palace player, including Wilfried Zaha (via WhoScored).

On Eze’s injury, Bridge told FFC:

“It really rocked Palace, it really rocked them. Just before the season finished, Eze was playing some sublime stuff.

“Palace finally found a player… no offence to them, they would agree to this I’m sure, they were a one-man team under Wilf Zaha. But no longer did they have to rely on one man. Eze was really, really impressive.

“Andros Townsend said it on the radio the other day. There was tears at the training ground when he had that injury because he’s such a popular boy.”

Patrick Vieira will be desperate to have Eze up and running again, but Palace’s attack still looks in decent shape heading into the new season.

Star man Zaha is still at the club and could soon be joined by Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong.

According to Sky Sports, Armstrong, who bagged an impressive 28 goals in the Championship last season, is a player Palace are currently trying to bring in.