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As per Sky Sports, some transfer news has come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving in-demand Wolverhampton Wanderers star Ruben Neves.

The Lowdown: Pochettino eyed 2018 move for Neves…

Journalist Adrian Kajumba, writing for The Daily Mirror at the time, revealed that former Spurs boss and fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino personally had Neves in his sights back in 2018.

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Indeed, the Argentine reportedly added Wolves’ star midfielder to his transfer wish list alongside other Portuguese internationals like Cedric Soares and Gelson Martins.

In the same year, reports suggested that the Molineux outfit would have demanded big money to let Neves leave, with Wolves apparently setting his valuation at ‘over £100 million’.

Now, as per Sky Sports, it appears that Tottenham have been eyeing him again this season as they aim to back manager Antonio Conte with fresh faces.

The Latest: Spurs in mix for Neves?

The big-name broadcaster, as written by their reporter Lyall Thomas, have claimed that Spurs ‘have also been interested in Neves this season’ alongside Manchester United.

This comes as Sky Sports also revealed that the 25-year-old is emerging as a top transfer target for north London rivals Arsenal.

The Verdict: Make a move?

Given the signing of Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus in January, not to mention the presence of other dependable central midfielders like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp in their squad, a move for Neves shouldn’t be too hotly pursued by Spurs in the summer.

Tottenham arguably need a backup to star striker Harry Kane much more urgently, with The Athletic also stating that Conte’s major summer priority is a left-sided central defender.

Despite Neves being lauded as a ‘quality’ Premier League player by ex-Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips, the Lilywhites may have other priorities this summer, and we believe they should leave Pochettino’s one-time target alone.

In other news: Tottenham could strike imminent agreement to sign ‘magical’ £25m striker! Find out more here.

Celtic’s priorities at the moment must be to bed in the 12 first-team players they signed during the summer.

After all, the Hoops have witnessed their worst start to a campaign for 23 years, so Ange Postecoglou clearly has a lot of work still to do behind the scenes.

That being said, the Australian coach already has one eye on what he might do in the January window.

He has already revealed that he’ll be keeping a close eye on the J-League for new talent after Kyogo Furuhashi’s arrival was a roaring success. The Japanese striker is currently injured but has scored seven times in nine appearances for Celtic already.

However, Postecoglou might also look closer to home and bring another player with Irish connections to Parkhead.

Celtic explored the idea of signing Robbie Brady this summer but ultimately decided against landing the out-of-contract winger.

He was reportedly in line to join Olivier Ntcham at Swansea before a move collapsed, which has opened the door for the Bhoys to swoop in.

We’ve explored the pros of signing Brady on FFC, focusing on his versatility and ability to feature at left-back, an area where the club are stretched for options.

However, if Celtic want to add genuine quality to the squad, there are better alternatives elsewhere.

Kristijan Lovric’s name springs to mind when making this argument. The Hoops have held an interest in the Gorica attacker for a while now and even had a bid rejected in the winter of 2019/20.

They returned to the negotiating table this summer and held talks with intermediaries over a move but nothing materialised, but with Lovric in devastating form for Gorica again this term, Celtic simply must revive their interest in January.

He has found the net on five occasions in ten outings this term, adding to the 18 strikes he racked up last season.

Crucially, he’s similar to Ryan Christie as well. Celtic have undeniably missed the 26-year-old since he left for Bournemouth, with the Hoops winning just 50% of their matches after his departure. They have also lacked a cutting edge in goal, something which was exemplified by a 1-0 loss to Livingston.

One of Christie’s best and worst habits was creating goalscoring opportunities for himself, but fortunately that’s an area where Lovric thrives. For instance, the 25-year-old takes more shots at goal than all but one of the 1,133 wingers in the Celtic Analysis database.

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His pace and dynamism is also something which sets him apart from their other target Brady. This stunning review from HNTV commentator Damir Petravic paints a vivid picture of his playing style: “He dribbles and scores in the style of Robben, shoots free throws like Pirlo or Pjanic, and knows how to sprint like Mbappe.”

With that in mind, Celtic would be foolish to ignore him in January.

Rated at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, he would cost more than Brady, who is available on a free transfer, but Postecoglou has funds available after selling Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer.

AND in other news, Celtic have just been rocked by another big blow, Hoops fans are surely gutted…

Many Everton fans have had plenty to say on social media following a transfer update on Joao Virginia.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, the goalkeeper has signed for Sporting Clube de Portugal on a loan deal for the rest of the 2021/22 season.

With the Toffees bringing in both Asmir Begovic and Andy Lonergan in the summer window, and Jordan Pickford already at the Merseyside club, one would question how much game time Virginia would get if he stayed.

However, he did play in a total of ‘unbelievable’ back in January of last year.

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Everton fans on Virginia transfer update

These Toffees supporters gave fairly mixed reactions as the news was confirmed on Twitter, as some did not want to see him go, while others think a loan move will suit him so that he can come back a better player:

“Great keeper, sad to see him go”

Credit: @dannymonnox

“Nooooooo”

Credit: @jayefc_

“Don’t get this, Tyler gets injured so we sign on loan another keeper 4 cover 2 Picks, & then we loan out Virginia. Does anyone at our club know what they’re doing? OK he’s young, so give him his chance. Why did we sign Bego then? Wasted money again @Everton. We’ll never learn”

Credit: @77fenrir

“He’s going to be a top keeper. Hope it doesn’t end up permanent”

Credit: @Tay196

“Good luck Joao, hopefully you’ll get some minutes in Portugal! Come back stronger.”

Credit: @Andy_Forsyth

“Good luck, your time will come mate, top keeper”

Credit: @NeilCla37309856

In other news, find out which ‘quality’ ace EFC are backed to sign here!

In what was an enthralling contest, Leeds United shared the spoils with Newcastle in their Premier League clash on Friday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side got off to the best possible start when Raphinha put them ahead before Allan Saint-Maximin levelled things up before the break.

And, despite both sides having several chances to win the game, neither were able to convert, and a point apiece seemed to be a fair reflection of the night.

While Raphinha’s long-range shot come cross was the one real moment of magic from the Whites, it was Rodrigo’s performance that arguably stole the show for Bielsa.

The Spaniard has had a disappointing start to the new Premier League season with some Leeds fans in particular slamming him after his performance against Manchester United on the opening day.

In fact, here on FFC, we even called on Bielsa to drop him from the starting line-up for the game against the Magpies last night – a poll done on that article even saw 58% of a selection of Leeds fans agree that Rodrigo should be dropped too (122 votes to 89).

But in an impressive all-round performance that displayed both energy and creativity, Rodrigo proved why the Leeds boss continues to keep the faith with his club record signing.

As per Sofascore, he had three attempts on goal, completed two out of his three dribbles (the joint-most of any Leeds player), and provided three key passes (again, the most of any his teammates).

It was no surprise then that while on co-commentary duty for Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher was quick to praise the former Valencia man, saying he was “outstanding” after providing a superb cross-field ball to Raphinha, and saying he had “been the best player for Leeds” after setting up Patrick Bamford in the second-half.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross gave him a seven, saying: “Much better from the Spain international who, as we have seen in the past, does fare better against lesser opposition.

“Shots were not always accurate enough or powerful enough to test Darlow, but popped up in good areas and played his part when Leeds were dangerous.”

Rodrigo’s performance sent a message that he can still play a big part for Leeds, even in potentially in that more attacking role just behind Bamford.

It was a display that silenced some of the doubters, but it’s one that he needs to build on more consistently over the coming weeks and months.

Bielsa will no doubt be thrilled with how the Spaniard performed last night.

Meanwhile, Leeds are plotting another swoop for this star…

Celtic enjoyed a 2-0 win at Motherwell in the Premiership on Saturday afternoon thanks to goals from Jota and David Turnbull.

However, not every player put in the kind of performance that they would have liked, and The Transfer Tavern have picked out the three worst Hoops players based purely on Sofascore statistics (players must feature for at least 45 minutes in order to be considered).

Joe Hart

Statistically, Hart was Celtic’s third worst player on the pitch.

This seems very harsh considering that he managed to keep a clean sheet in between the sticks. However, as a ‘keeper who likes to come out of his goal at times, emphasised by his one successful dribble and one ground duel won (Sofascore), he may have been disappointed to not play any key passes and only have 43 touches of the ball in total.

Sofascore decided to give him an overall rating of seven out of ten.

Liel Abada

Abada was the Celts’ second worst player with a 6.8 rating on Sofascore.

The Israel international lost out on two of his duels and also failed to record a single dribble, key pass or accurate cross, the latter from seven attempts (Sofascore).

Abada was also guilty of losing possession on 12 separate occasions throughout the match, and recorded just 40 touches of the ball in total, the second fewest out of any Bhoys player to have started the match (Sofascore).

Kyogo Furuhashi

Despite his heroics so far this season, Kyogo was statistically the worst player in Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI at Fir Park, with a 6.6 overall rating.

The 26-year-old lost three duels and failed to record a shot on target, dribble or key pass during his 82 minutes on the pitch (Sofascore).

He also had a mere 16 touches of the ball, nine fewer than substitute Nir Bitton, who only featured for 17 minutes (Sofascore). That highlights how isolated the Japan international was up top at times.

In other news, find out who could be back for Celtic in the ‘next couple of weeks’

Queens Park Rangers have been handed a big injury boost ahead of their Championship fixture on Wednesday night.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by West London Sport, Mark Warburton revealed that he is “very optimistic” that Charlie Austin will be fit enough to play a part in QPR’s trip to Middlesbrough on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old has not featured for the Rs since his withdrawal midway through the second half of the club’s 1-1 draw with Millwall on the opening day of the Championship season, having taken a heavy knock to his knee.

However, it very much appears as if the centre-forward could well be back in action at the Riverside Stadium, with Warburton stating: “Charlie will be training [on Monday] and we’ll see how he goes.

“It was a whack on the knee, some bruising and it had to calm down. We’ll see how he is, but I’m very optimistic.”

Fans will be buzzing

While QPR demonstrated in their 3-0 win over Hull City last weekend that they do not have much of a problem finding the back of the net in the absence of Austin, the striker’s prospective return to first team action this week will nevertheless have the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, the £1.8m-rated man was in fantastic form over his 21 Championship appearances while on loan in west London last season, bagging eight goals, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 2.3 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £52k-per-week forward earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Warburton’s eighth-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, the return of the former Southampton hitman will undoubtedly provide the QPR manager’s chances of continuing his side’s impressive early-season form with a rather substantial boost, with the Rs boss – along with the club’s fans – undoubtedly hoping that Austin can bag a goal or two upon his potential return to action on Wednesday.

In other news: Warburton drops claim on “outstanding” £4k-p/w beast that will have QPR fans buzzing

Celtic and West Ham United have both been linked with a move for Northern Ireland defender Paddy McNair, The Northern Echo report.  

The Lowdown: McNair profiled

McNair is 26 years of age and is primarily a centre-back who can also turn out as a holding midfielder. A 49-cap international, McNair has been with Championship side Middlesbrough since 2018, making 133 appearances for the club.

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He appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high Transfermarkt valuation of £5.4m and has contributed to five Championship goals this season.

Celtic are after three Japanese January signings in Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda, while they are also expected to make Jota’s loan permeant. Football Scotland believes that could be all of their January business, but it seems as if the Hoops may have room to swoop for McNair as well.

The Latest: Hoops keen

The Northern Echo shared a story on Wednesday regarding McNair and his future ahead of the January window.

They claimed that both the Hoops and the Hammers are monitoring his situation at The Riverside, with Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder keen to keep hold of McNair in the New Year.

The Verdict: Avoid?

Ange Postecoglou already has plenty of centre-backs on the books at this moment in time, so a move for McNair doesn’t appear to be desperately needed.

Christopher Jullien will be Postecoglou’s sixth option at the back when he returns from injury, and the Hoops boss also has a number of defensive and central midfield options, especially with Hatate and Ideguchi on the radar.

McNair was also pictured wearing a Rangers scarf outside Ibrox back in 2019, so his name may not exactly be a popular one with Celtic supporters, so it could be wise to allow West Ham to win the race for his services.

In other news: ‘Could be a long time’ – Devlin shares worrying injury update on Celtic ace after bone ‘break’. 

Nottingham Forest have a potential plan in mind if they cannot stop Joe Worrall from departing this summer.

What’s the news?

According to Claret and Hugh, Forest boss Steve Cooper has scouted West Ham’s Emmanuel Longelo on “several occasions” and he could be used as a “makeweight” in a deal that would see centre-back Worrall head the other way.

The report also claimed that the East Midlands club had a “ridiculously low” bid for the 21-year-old rejected back in January, but the Championship outfit remain keen on bringing him to the City Ground.

Time to replace Colback

Jack Colback has been filling in for Nottingham Forest at left-back, with Max Lowe currently out with a groin injury, and unlikely to return until late April.

The 32-year-old Sunderland youth academy graduate has earned praise for stepping in for the ex-Derby prospect, living up to the “bulldog” comparison made by teammate Phillip Zinckernagel earlier on in the season, averaging a 6.89 match rating according to SofaScore, in the second tier – playing in an unfamiliar position.

However, he may not have to fill in on the left side of defence for much longer, as the club eye up a transfer for Longelo.

Valued at £135k by Transfermarkt, the youngster could potentially prove to be excellent value for money – particularly if he is included as a sweetener in the Worrall deal.

A rapid full-back who loves to attack, in many ways he is similar to fan-favourite loaned-in Djed Spence – just operating on the opposite flank.

Described as “very impressive” by London Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser, Longelo has made 14 Premier League 2 appearances this season, grabbing three assists and earning a start in the Hammers’ 1-0 home loss in the Europa League to Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb.

Having also been named as one of three players set for breakthrough years at West Ham by the Evening Standard in late December, alongside Sonny Perkins and Ben Johnson, it’s clear that the East London club rate him highly.

But, the promise of first-team football, even if Forest earn promotion to the top flight, could prove enough to persuade him to become a part of the Cooper project and East Midlands revolution.

In other news: Nottingham Forest plot bid for 23 y/o “real leader”, he’s an ideal Worrall replacement

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Lille midfielder Renato Sanches as new manager Bruno Lage looks to bolster his engine room options.

What’s the story?

According to reports from Portugal (via BBC Sport), the Midlands outfit are the ‘most interested’ party in the highly-rated 24-year-old and are also reportedly in the best position to sign him.

Sanches was heavily linked with a summer move before an injury ended plans he had to depart the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, but with the winter window fast approaching, an imminent exit could be on the cards.

He’d transform Wolves

The Portugal international has already experienced several highs and lows in his short career after bursting onto the scene with boyhood club Benfica after making his first-team debut back in 2015.

His impressive performances at club level saw Sanches make six appearances throughout his nation’s victorious run on their way to claim the trophy, resulting in him being named Young Player of the Tournament and winning the Golden Boy award.

A big-money move to Bayern Munich followed, but the youngster struggled to find his best form under the immense pressure that playing for the Bavarian giants brings.

Sanches then joined up with Swansea City for the 2017/18 campaign in an attempt to get his career back on track, yet things just went from bad to worse for the £47,000-per-week beast in south Wales.

He made just 12 Premier League appearances for the Swans before heading back to Munich, and many pundits, journalists and fans alike understandably questioned whether the box-to-box dynamo would ever fulfil his potential.

However, his second stint at the Allianz Arena was slightly more fruitful. Although he only scored two goals and provided three assists in 24 appearances, Sanches impressed several onlookers with his performances both in training and on the pitch.

Former Bayern boss Niko Kovac heaped praise on the midfielder by comparing him to German legend Lothar Matthaus, saying to ​Sky Sports: “Renato has an exceptionally good technique, very good speed and a great body

“It’s true that people fly off him left and right – just like they used to do with Lothar Matthaus. I’m delighted for Renato – I said yesterday that he was excellent in pre-season, and it wouldn’t be long before he plays.”

But he struggled to nail down a regular starting spot at Bayern, leading to his permanent exit in the summer of 2019. And it’s in Lille where Sanches has truly begun to resurrect his career.

As per WhoScored, the Portugal international completed 1.7 dribbles per league game last term and 0.8 key passes while recording a passing accuracy of 85.8%, highlighting his effective use of the ball as he played a pivotal part in Les Dogues first title victory in 10 years.

His exceptional passing range, dribbling ability and work rate would have the potential to transform Wolves’ options in the centre of the pitch, especially with Joao Moutinho now 35 years old.

It remains to be seen whether Fosun follow up their interest with a concrete offer, but Sanches certainly has the ability to take Lage’s charges to new heights.

And, in other news…Bruno Lage drops promising Wolves update which is sure to have fans buzzing

Eddie Howe must axe Allan Saint-Maximin after a poor showing against Wolves to free up space for several new recruits in the summer.

The Newcastle United star performed disappointingly against Bruno Lage’s side and it has led to discussions around whether now is the time to cash in and let him leave the club.

During that contest, he failed with all three of his dribbles, lost the ball a whopping 23 times and lost a mighty 15 duels. He can be “breathtaking” on his day in the words of Gary Neville but this was fine evidence of why he has the tendency to drive club legend, Alan Shearer, absolutely “mad.”

Also described as the “jewel in Newcastle’s crown” by their former player David Ginola, the Magpies would be looking to get at least £50m for the player who prior to the takeover was a key part in the club’s future.

However, the new owners have shown in January that they have money to spend and want to be in the market for Europe’s best players.

Selling Saint-Maximin would present them with an opportunity to reinvest the profit and put it towards signing a better player, and it would also free up space in the squad.

Even though he’s been involved in more Newcastle goals than any other players this season, if the Toon are serious about competing with the top teams then you have to compare him to the other Premier League players in his position.

The Frenchman ranks in the bottom 50% in Europe this season when it comes to goal creating actions compared to others in his position. It does beg the question, is he really the man to take Newcastle to where they want to be?

He’s proved he isn’t an awful player, and he may still be able to play a part if Newcastle becomes more successful, but if it’s as a squad player then his value will lessen which is why Newcastle should sell now.

One player they have been linked with is Jarrod Bowen. The West Ham United star has shone this season and as a result, has attracted interest from big clubs.

Comparing the two shows that the Englishman could be a perfect replacement for Saint-Maximin. He has better goals and assists average per 90 minutes at 0.35 compared to 0.18.

Newcastle could use the money generated from selling the £93k-per-week Saint-Maximin to buy Bowen and improve their side.

IN other news: Downie drops NUFC transfer claim involving “four or five players”, it’s great news – opinion