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This weekend sees the return of Premier League action with Bruno Lage’s Wolves side set to take on Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday.

Their previous league outing saw Wolves pick up all three points in a 2-1 victory against Newcastle United thanks to a brace of goals from Hwang Hee-chan.

On the chalkboard

One player that didn’t start against the Toon that we think should be in the starting XI to face Villa at the weekend is Adama Traore, someone described as a “top player” by Bruno Lage in the past.

Wolves signed Traore back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Championship side Middlesbrough for a fee of £18m.

Since then, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 140 appearances for the Old Gold across all competitions, scoring ten goals and providing 18 assists along the way.

So far this season, Traore, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £43k-per-week according to Spotrac, has made an appearance in every game Wolves have had across all competitions, starting their opening five league games of the season, whilst coming on as a substitute in their previous two league fixtures.

Despite not scoring a goal or providing an assist for the Midlands club so far this season, we feel that Traore should return to the starting XI for the match against Villa. After all, he is currently their highest-rated player according to WhoScored for his performances in the league with an overall rating of 7.47/10.

In addition to this, with Traore having racked up a total of seven dribbles per game so far this season in the league, higher than any other Wolves player by some distance, it demonstrates why he simply has to start.

He is a game-changer, amassing two shots and 1.7 key passes per game as well, something that shows how much of an attacking threat he can be and how much of a nuisance he is to opposition defenders.

If you consider how Trincao struggled in the game against Newcastle while playing on the right wing, it makes Traore starting a no-brainer. The former earned a disappointing overall match rating of 6.4/10, making him the lowest-rated Wolves player on the day according to SofaScore.

During the game, he missed a glorious opportunity to score and failed to provide a single key pass.

Consequently, it should make it an easy decision for Lage to put Traore back in the side this weekend.

In other news: Wolves may launch January move for “world-class” 68-cap maestro, he’d fix a big hole – opinion 

Many Aston Villa fans have slammed the performance of Tyrone Mings in their Premier League game with Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon.

The 28-year-old started in Dean Smith’s defence alongside Kortney Hause and Ezri Konsa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and was culpable of some poor defending for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s opening goal.

The England defender was easily pulled out of position in the build-up and later allowed the Denmark international space and time to slot the ball past Emiliano Martinez and put Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ahead.

As per SofaScore, Mings lost seven of his 16 duels, relinquished possession 17 times, was dribbled past twice and recorded a meagre 67% passing accuracy.

His performance against Spurs comes as a surprise as the Villa captain was instrumental in the recent wins over Everton and Manchester United as they kept clean sheets in both, with the 28-year-old delivering a particularly excellent display against the Toffees.

Aston Villa fans slam Mings’ performance

These Villa fans slammed Mings on Twitter over his performance, with one going as far to claim that the defender had a “stinker” this afternoon.

“If Mings made half of the mistakes for any other club he would have been gone by now”

Credit: @MasonUTFV

“Mings and Ramsey having a shocker.”

Credit: @agentvilla

“Mings is having an absolute stinker so far”

Credit: @jacckkoo1

“Mings out, Botman in”

Credit: @AVFCEnthusiast

“Mings it’s time to go”

Credit: @AstakzR_V2

“If Mings played for any other club he’d be benched immediately”

Credit: @YoungArevalo

In other news, these Villa fans have reacted to red-list update involving their players. Find out more here

Carlton Palmer has warned Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff over joining Everton, worried about the amount of game time he would get over there.

The Toffees and Southampton are interested in signing the midfielder, with Newcastle United slapping a £10million price tag on the 23-year-old.

Longstaff is available for a cut-price fee after entering the final 12 months of his £1,000-per-week contract at St James’ Park.

Benitez, who was appointed as Everton’s new manager in June, is looking to reunite with Longstaff after working with the central midfielder during his stint in charge of the Magpies.

The Spaniard has already linked up with former Newcastle winger Andros Townsend since taking charge at Goodison Park, while Demarai Gray and Asmir Begovic have also sealed switches to Merseyside during the transfer window.

But former Premier League midfielder Palmer believes Longstaff, who has made 71 appearances for Newcastle, may be better off remaining on Tyneside as he would not be a certain starter for Everton.

Palmer exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “He is a talented young player and I do see him going at some point, but I don’t see that happening just yet.

“He would be crazy to leave Newcastle to go to Everton and sit on the bench. He has got to play because, as a young player, that enhances your reputation.”

Harry Winks could be in line for a surprise recall to the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI this weekend as the north Londoners return to Premier League action in Sunday’s late kick-off against Leeds United.

Spurs have got through the international break relatively unscathed with only Cristian Romero a fresh injury problem but there are doubts over Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and that could prove troublesome as Oliver Skipp will miss the encounter through suspension.

Antonio Conte may well have to turn to the forgotten Englishman in a desperate bid to field an engine room that can compete with the high levels of intensity and press that Marcelo Bielsa demands from his team.

Without Skipp or Hojbjerg, it seems plausible that Winks is next in line, with players like Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso more accustomed to an advanced midfield role.

The 25-year-old academy graduate’s time in N17 has gone stale as he now finds himself at a career crossroad – some reports suggest that he’s looking for a temporary exit in January, whilst in the summer, the club were supposedly open to selling him, with a fee of £40m mooted by The Times.

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Winks was once likened to two Spanish legends of the game and described as “perfect” by ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino during an interview with the Evening Standard.

“Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player,” he said  “His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta, he’s like this type of player. He has this capacity but he needs to take my words in a very positive way — he needs a lot of work.”

That was back in September 2018.

Since then, over the last 18 months, Winks has started just ten times in the Premier League and has fallen out of the England reckoning under Gareth Southgate, with his last appearance being one off the bench during the Three Lions’ 4-0 win over Iceland back in November 2020.

Both Nuno Santo and Jose Mourinho froze him out, as evident above, and whilst he’s only played 17 minutes since the Italian’s arrival earlier this month, the £18m-rated dud could be handed one major lifeline – perhaps his last before January – this weekend.

Winks will need to impress to stand a chance at salvaging his Spurs career.

AND in other news, Conte handed Harry Kane boost as future claim emerges… 

According to journalist Ekrem Konur, West Ham United have made a cut-price offer to sign West Bromwich Albion ace Matheus Pereira this summer.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye Lingard alternative…

A permanent deal for Manchester United attacker Jesse Lingard was on the cards at the start of this window but recent reports indicate that is now unlikely.

As such, West Ham have turned their attention to alternatives in the attacking midfield area and a move for Pereira has been touted in recent weeks.

ExWHUemployee lifted the lid on an enquiry last week with Konur now bringing an update.

The Latest: West Ham make Pereira offer…

As explained by the journalist on Twitter, West Ham have now tabled a bid for Pereira with West Brom’s stance also detailed.

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The Baggies have apparently received a €15m (£12.7m) offer from West Ham for the Brazilian but it is thought that they want around €25 million (£21.2m) if they are let to consider letting him go.

West Ham aren’t the only club chasing a deal for the 25-year-old, either, with Leicester City also firmly on Pereira’s track.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Lauded as a ‘devastating’ player and a potentially ‘huge coup’ for anyone by pundit Kevin Campbell (Football Insider), a move for Pereira could certainly tick many boxes for West Ham.

He may even be worth the £21.2m asking price, especially considering he stood out as key player in a poor West Brom side last season.

Pereira, finishing the 2020/2021 Premier League season as the Baggies’ top scorer (11) and top assist-maker (6), also averaged the most shots on goal per 90 (2) and highest amount of key passes (1.8) out of any West Brom player (WhoScored).

We believe he should be a top, top priority for Moyes this summer.

In other news: ‘Beyond a joke’…West Ham fans fume in response to official club post, find out more here.

Regardless of where Harry Kane’s future lies Tottenham must bring in at least one striker this window, and Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has told Transfer Tavern that Dusan Vlahovic is their number-one target.

Kane has been Spurs’ only recognised senior striker for the majority of his time in the first-team, and even when someone like Carlos Vinicius was brought in last season, he wasn’t up to the challenge.

With Tottenham in Europe once again, albeit in the third-tier and the UEFA Conference League, they’re expected to be fighting on four fronts, which means they need someone to support the England captain.

The Telegraph, who recently claimed that Nuno Espirito Santo wants to bring in Danny Ings to play with Kane, believe that the Spurs boss is now looking to sign Serbian and Fiorentina striker Vlahovic, who Serie A expert Conor Clancy told This is Futbol is “incredible”.

He scored 21 goals during his breakthrough season in Serie A last term, which saw him named as the league’s best young player.

Vlahovic is the latest Italian-based player that director of football Fabio Paratici has set his sights on and would cost Tottenham around £50m.

Spurs have already signed goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini and young winger Bryan Gil from Sevilla, and Bridge told The Transfer Tavern that Vlahovic is their priority at present:

“I know that Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic is their number one choice at the moment, and I think it would be to play with Kane.”

Birmingham City have been dealt a huge blow to their hopes of keeping Alen Halilovic at St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by We Are Birmingham, who revealed that Lee Bowyer’s side and the 24-year-old midfielder have failed to reach an agreement regarding a contract extension, meaning that the Croatian international looks set to leave the club upon the expiry of his current deal at the end of the month.

The Blues manager had previously gone on the record revealing his desire to keep Halilovic at the club this summer, stating his belief that the £720k-rated man brings “something different” to his side, as well as tipping the midfielder to become an “even better player” with a full pre-season under his belt.

Bowyer will be gutted

Having openly stated his wish for the club to do all they can to retain the services of Halilovic this summer, the fact that the midfielder now looks likely to be moving on to pastures new is sure to leave Bowyer gutted.

Indeed, despite a distinct lack of direct goal involvements, the former AC Milan man nevertheless impressed for Bowyer’s side following his arrival on a free transfer back in November.

Over his 17 Championship appearances, only nine of which came as starts, the 24-year-old managed just one goal, provided no assists and created no big chances for his teammates, with these metrics seeing the attacking midfielder earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.65 – ranking him as Birmingham’s 19th-best performer in the second tier.

However, the one goal Halilovic did score was a rather remarkable 25-yard curler that saw Birmingham clinch a 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers, while the 10-time capped Croat also often dazzled with his trickery and creativity in the Blues midfield.

As such, the fact that the former Barcelona player once dubbed the next Lionel Messi, as well as a “phenomenal” talent by Miroslav Bicanic, looks set to once again be searching for a new club this summer is undoubtedly a disappointment for Birmingham, as it feels we did not quite see Halilovic reach the limit of his potential during his short time with the Blues.

In other news: Forget San Jose: Bowyer must sanction BCFC summer swoop for “complete” £38k-p/w beast

Speaking to AS, Villarreal defender Pau Torres has made a summer transfer admission involving Tottenham Hotspur – revealing why he swiftly rejected a move to N17.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Torres…

Near the end of the summer window, Tottenham became heavily interested in a move for the Spain international and some sources even suggested a €45 million (£38.5m) offer, plus an extra €5 million (£4.2m) in add-ons, was accepted by his club (Pedro Sepulveda).

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The Lilywhites were in the market for another defender even after putting pen to paper on a deal for Serie A MVP award-winner Cristian Romero, with the likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu also linked at the time. 

Now, Torres has come out with an admission involving Spurs.

The Latest: Torres reveals Spurs rejection…

Speaking candidly to AS, the centre-back has revealed why he swiftly rejected a potential move to north London in the summer window.

The 24-year-old, who was described as ‘one of the stars of Spain’s run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020’, was apparently ‘informed’ of Tottenham’s summer interest but opted to stay at his current club – admitting it was a ‘quick decision’.

“I was informed of Tottenham’s interest, but I have always been clear that I wanted to stay at Villarreal,” he explained to AS, as translated by Sport Witness.

“My idea was to have an exciting season, I was very clear about what I wanted, and that was to stay at home and at Villarreal. That’s why it was a quick decision.

“All decisions are respectable; I wanted to stay. I’m happy with the decision I made, my idea was to stay at home and I’m happy about that.”

The Verdict: Missed out?

Time will tell whether Romero is enough to plug Tottenham’s gaping holes at the back, but the current form of both Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez has certainly helped in that regard.

Torres would have been a brilliant capture for Nuno Espirito Santo going by his age, performances at the Euros and physical presence (6 foot 3).

Called ‘sensational’ by Levante head coach Paco Lopez (The Athletic), we believe Spurs certainly missed out on a transformative defensive signing.

In other news: ‘Finished article’…Sky pundit in awe of Spurs starlet who’s an ‘improved version of Ndombele’, find out more here.

Aston Villa have reportedly jumped ahead of Arsenal in the battle to sign Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia this summer.

The Lowdown: Buendia stars for Norwich

The Argentine enjoyed a superb season in the Championship, scoring 15 goals and registering 16 assists and winning the league’s Player of the Season award.

Despite Norwich’s promotion to the Premier League, he has been linked with a move away from Carrow Road this summer, with Villa in contention to snap him up.

The Latest: Villa jump ahead of Arsenal

According to Football Insider, Villa are now ahead of Arsenal in the race to sign the 24-year-old, with the two clubs reportedly going ‘head to head’ for his services.

It is claimed that Villa have made ‘progress’ in their efforts to bring Buendia to Villa Park, with the midfielder potentially being able to leave Norwich for less than £40m.

The Verdict: Superb potential signing

Buendia has the potential to be a fabulous signing for Dean Smith’s side, with his incredible end product demonstrated last season. He has also shown that he can shine in the Premier League, chipping in with seven assists in 2019/20 despite Norwich’s relegation.

The prospect of the 24-year-old joining up with the likes of Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins (23 goals and 17 assists combined this term) is a mouthwatering one, so he could be a significant addition ahead of the new campaign if Villa manage to fend off Arsenal for his signature.

In other news, some Aston Villa fans have reacted to an update on a midfielder. Find out who it is here.

After securing the signing of Luke Plange in January, Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira is reportedly keen on another Derby County transfer swoop, this time for Rams winger Malcolm Ebiowei.

Vieira sees Ebiowei as a long-term prospect and according to reports from The Sun, has reportedly made a decisive move to land the 18-year-old who will be a free agent in the summer.

The next Zaha

Former Arsenal and Rangers academy product Malcolm Ebiowei has enjoyed a breakout year in Wayne Rooney’s Derby side, with the financial issues at the club paving the way for regular minutes.

His performances in the U18 Premier League saw him score seven goals in seven appearances and clearly attracted the attention of the English coach. Ebiowei has continued in that vein, having seized his opportunity under Rooney this season.

The 18-year-old winger has started in 53% of Derby’s Championship games this season. And whilst he has just one assist to show for his 14 appearances in England’s second division, his underlying numbers are promising.

So promising in fact, that considering his position and versatility in attack, he is reminiscent of Palace’s talisman Wilfried Zaha.

Comparing their numbers, Malcolm Ebiowei completes an average of three dribbles per game and makes around one key pass per game. Zaha, on the other hand, has completed an average of two dribbles per game and around one key pass per game during the Premier League season.

Ebiowei’s average of one shot per game is not too far off Zaha’s average of two, whilst the teenager edges Zaha’s offensive participation as he is dispossessed on an average of just once per game, whilst the Ivorian international is dispossessed around four times per 90.

In fairness to Zaha, his 11 goals and one assist in England’s top-flight demonstrate the current difference in end product, though with Ebiowei’s similar numbers for offensive participation, Vieira would be right to take a chance on a player that Rooney claimed has “enormous ability.”

In other news: Forget Gallagher: £53k-p/w Palace ace who lost 71% duels let Vieira down vs Leeds…