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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who is Wolves’ all-time top scorer, believes his former side are sitting too deep in games and thinks it may be down to the lack of a box-to-box midfielder.

Since winning promotion back to the Premier League, Nuno Espirito Santo has opted for a midfield duo of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves with the pair of them playing a combined total of 149 Premier League games in the 2018-19 and 2019/20 campaigns.

Moutinho will be turning 35-years-old later this year which may see him lose a yard of pace and struggle to dominate the midfield as he has done for the past three years in the Midlands.

Speaking on how Mutinho’s age is forcing him to adapt his game and how this impacts the way Wolves play, Bull told FFC:

“I’m not being disrespectful here but I think Moutinho’s doing that now, sitting back and keeping everything intact, him and Neves are probably sitting too far back.

“They’re two similar players so when we’ve got wingers going forward, there’s only one player in the box when we need two or three to be in there.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“That’s why we need a box-to-box midfielder, but to pick one of them to stay in the side I don’t know. For not giving the ball away, Moutinho, but for passing the ball 40 yards perfectly, Neves. They’re two different players but they’re both sitting too deep.”

Neves was with Wolves in the Championship but Motuinho only joined when they reached the Premier League and they’ve formed a strong partnership over the past three years.

Wolves have been linked with Burnley’s Josh Brownhill recently who could come in and replace the £100,000 per week Moutinho.

Ever since Leeds sold one of the club’s brightest young starlets in Ronaldo Vieira, Marcelo Bielsa has no doubt been keen on trying to unearth another midfield gem at Elland Road.

At the time of Vieira’s move to Sampdoria, Andrea Radrizzani made it clear that it was a deal just too good to turn down considering the financial situation.

He said: “He was one of best players to come from our youth but I cannot put the club in danger in the future. Unfortunately to sustain a club in this league, we need to sell one or two players each year. We’ve invested a lot and it’s not enough to break even, so we had to manage the club and look at the future, not just today.”

While Kalvin Phillips has grown into a bona-fide star and England international, the potential signing of Ainsley Maitland-Niles may be the closest Leeds get to replacing the talented Vieira.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Bielsa’s side are interested in signing the £16.2m-rated Arsenal star, who is currently on loan at fellow Premier League side West Brom.

The Baggies have been utilising him in central midfield this season, while the Gunners opted to field him in both full-back positions and even further forward too.

That ability to play in multiple roles and positions is something Chris Sutton has previously hailed, saying: “The young man’s versatility is a weapon. He is such a versatile talent – a diamond.”

But at Leeds, Maitland-Niles could develop into a real star in the middle of the park just like Vieira promised to be in his break-through season at the club.

Just like the former Whites starlet, the 23-year-old reads the game particularly well, and has averaged an impressive 2.2 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per game in the Premier League since joining West Brom in the January transfer window.

Compare that to Vieira’s break-out campaign at Leeds during the 2016/2017 season, when he averaged 2.1 tackles and one interception per game in the Championship – remarkably similar defensive numbers compared to Maitland-Niles.

The England international also has that comparable ability to cover the ground well, with his former teammate at Arsenal, Sead Kolasinac, hailing his pace, saying: “He’s so quick and he reads the game well, so he knows what to do before the ball arrives. When you’re that quick, it’s difficult to stop someone.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

If Leeds do manage to pull off a deal for Maitland-Niles in the summer, then they could well finally replace Vieira.

Meanwhile, Leeds must make a ruthless call on this “massive flop”…

Bruce had alluded to Wilson nearing a return to fitness before the international break, but he had not improved enough for consideration for Saturday’s shambolic 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Newcastle come out of the pause in domestic fixtures with a tough trip to Tottenham, and they will then face Burnley, West Ham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester and Manchester City before two crucial six-pointers with Sheffield United and Fulham.

Wilson returning to feature in north London would come as a huge boost for Bruce, who has missed the England forward’s creativity in recent weeks, having lost not only his top-scorer but also the Toon’s lead creator with five league assists.

Goals have come few and far between for Newcastle since beating Southampton at the start of last month, with the Tyneside outfit only netting three times in their past six games.

Points have been just as challenging for the Magpies to secure in that period, with three from a possible 18, to extend the side’s torrid form to two wins in 18 Premier League fixtures.

Bruce will hope to see Wilson’s seemingly imminent return inspire a turn of form that will keep the St. James’ Park natives in the top-flight for another year, as Dwight Gayle and Joelinton have failed to carry the burden with Andy Carroll out of favour.

After cutting an invisible figure on the periphery against Aston Villa, Gayle was an unused substitute against Brighton beside Carroll, who has only featured for three minutes in Newcastle’s last five games combined.

That’s despite Joelinton being fielded on the wing at the Amex Stadium, where Gayle and Carroll stormed down the tunnel at the full-time whistle and did not reappear for the post-game workout, per the Daily Mail.

Bruce clearly does not feel the trio of forwards are able to lead the line like Wilson can, making the striker’s return – however soon it will be – vitally important.

AND in other news, Newcastle are ready to bring a “special” talent back to St. James’ for eight-times what they sold him for…

Two Leeds United stars in Pascal Struijk and Raphinha have been attracting interest, but former Whites striker Noel Whelan believes that they won’t be going anywhere in the summer.

Whelan discusses Leeds duo

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said: “Take it from me, Leeds United won’t sell any players. They won’t sell Struijk, they won’t sell Raphinha.

“We’re not a team that’s desperate, we’re not a club that’s desperate. We’re in a really good healthy position with a good chairman and we’re building a side here.”It’s not a side that we’re going to take apart after one year. This is a side that’s going to be together for four to five years, I’m very sure of that. That’s the plan in progress and the long term future for Leeds United. We don’t delve into the market to bring someone in for one season.”The club need to keep hold of their star playersWhelan is right when he says the club don’t need to sell. They are already battling for a top half finish in their first season back in the Premier League (SofaScore). They also have a big history and the signings of players like Rodrigo emphasise that they have the pull to bring European stars to the club.They also have an astute manager in Marcelo Bielsa. The Argentinian was nominated for ‘The Best’ FIFA men’s coach, emphasising the quality of manager Leeds have, and it was quite an achievement to get him at the club in the first place.Hopefully the Whites keep their vital assets like Struijk and Raphinha – if they get their transfers in the summer right, then they could be in a great position to push on even more in the top flight next season.In other news, one pundit has discussed one Leeds player following his latest setback. Have a read here!

Everton travel to West Bromwich Albion on Thursday looking to move inside the top-four of the Premier League standings, for a few hours at least.

The Toffees will move above Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham United and into the Champions League positions with a win at the Hawthorns, before Jurgen Klopp’s Reds and Thomas Tuchel’s Blues face off at Anfield later tonight.

Everton have played one game fewer than their rivals for a UEFA berth and will hope to put the pressure on their competition, but Carlo Ancelotti faces a wealth of fitness concerns ahead of his side’s midweek contest.

With the Goodison Park natives also in action at Stamford Bridge on Monday, Ancelotti will be expected to rest and rotate his squad. So, with that in mind, here’s a potential line-up that the Italian tactician could name against Sam Allardyce’s Baggies…

Ancelotti has shown a willingness to rotate his goalkeeper options this season and may have sought to afford regular number one Jordan Pickford a break against West Brom, but may be forced to stick with the England international due to concerns over Robin Olsen’s fitness.

The AS Roma loanee is one of several Everton players facing late fitness tests to feature at the Hawthorns, where defender Yerry Mina plus midfielders Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin will be unavailable due to respective calf, tendon and Achilles injuries.

“We are going to check these players in training to see if they will be available or not,” Ancelotti said on Wednesday, regarding Seamus Coleman, James Rodriguez, Tom Davies and Olsen.

“For sure, we will not have Mina, Delph and Gbamin. The other players, we will also check.”

Ancelotti added that Allan is also a doubt following his return from a hamstring injury, noting: “After a few months out, he was maybe not 100 per cent fit [against Southampton].

“I think the staff worked hard on him. He was in good condition. He was motivated and wanted to play. Of course, he is a player we have to check today [Wednesday] to see if he can play against West Brom.”

With Davies being ruled unavailable, alongside the absences of Delph and Gbamin and doubts about Allan, that might force Ancelotti into naming Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes as his sole engine room occupants at the Hawthorns.

The pair opened Monday’s win over Southampton beside Allan, while Mina’s injury plus the concerns over Coleman could see that Mason Holgate, Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Lucas Digne feature in an unchanged backline despite the need for rotation.

Ancelotti playing Rodriguez’s return cautiously after resting the Colombian at home to the Saints will likely see Gylfi Sigurdsson remain in the creative midfield role, joined by Richarlison and a return for £50,000-per-week winger Alex Iwobi in place of Allan.

Top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin may be afforded a rest against West Brom, after the “determined” striker, per Joleon Lescott, delivered a tireless display against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s St. Mary’s natives during his first start since returning from a hamstring injury.

The England international sitting out his side’s trip to the Hawthorns will likely offer January arrival Joshua King a chance to earn his first start in royal blue, amid claims the Merseyside outfit will look to retain the Norway international beyond the end of the season.

AND in other news, Everton eye a £22.5m-rated speedster who is “hungry for success”…

Many Everton fans have been left to hail a transfer update on Moise Kean as Calciomercato have reported that PSG are already in talks to sign him.

As per the news outlet, the Goodison Park faithful are demanding a transfer fee of at least €50m (£42.9m) to let him go, with Paris Saint Germain keen to buy the Italy international on a permanent deal.

It would mean that the Merseyside club would be able to make a tidy profit on a player that did not really show his talents while he was there, scoring a mere four goals in 37 games in total over all competitions across the last two terms for the Toffees (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the quite large chunk of money could be used to invest in another striker when the summer window comes along.

Everton fan reaction to Kean transfer update

These Toffees hailed the transfer update on the 21-year-old on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that it was ‘lovely’:

“Lovely, double our money.”

Credit: @jackph21

“Even that though I’d be happy with mate getting anything like that for someone who won’t want to be here is a yes from me”

Credit: @jamie_byrom

“If we can get over £40m for him then we’ve done well! Put a sell in percentage in the deal and it’s a good deal. I’m sure we would get a decent striker for half that”

Credit: @AidyDews

“Can this week get any better?”

Credit: @DaveMcEFC

“€50m snap their hands off”

Credit: @DMass1990

“Take it”

Credit: @blueray1978

In other news, find out what Paul Joyce update has been lauded by EFC fans here!

Alfredo Morelos was the difference for Glasgow Rangers with his seventh league goal of the season sealing a 1-0 win away at Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership in what was a rather turgid affair.Hibernian started the better of the two sides – Jackson Irvine squandered two chances whilst Morelos can perhaps count himself lucky he wasn’t sent off after his stamp on Ryan Porteous’ knee was missed by the referee in the first half.But the Colombian made amends shortly after the break as he shrugged off his marker to open the scoring. Rangers remained relentless and Steven Gerrard will have every right to feel aggrieved after Morelos missed a simple tap-in following a well-worked move from Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo.And whilst Aribo and Kent were instrumental in their Premiership victory over Hibernian, it was Glen Kamara who ran the show, though, just as he did during the first Old Firm derby of the season.The Finland international has been in such fine form since the start of this season, and Gerrard himself has made no attempt to hide his admiration for Kamara’s abilities.He said: “The previous coaches that have worked with Glen at Arsenal and when he’s moved on have done a fantastic job, he’s been schooled right.“I think he fits into our system like a glove. He could’ve started today, without a shadow of a doubt, he’s certainly pushing. I thought he was very good when he [came] on.“Over the course of the season, Glen Kamara’s going to get many appearances.â€

And last night, he showed precisely why Rangers signed him from Dundee in the first place, as he dominated the midfield battle against a stubborn Hibernian side who kept the score down last time out.

Rangers were organised, defended well, and counter-attacked effectively as Kamara oozed class, retaining possession of the ball and dictating the tempo of the play – it led to Gerrard heaping praise on his midfield three.

He received a high match rating of 8/10 by Glasgow Live’s Mark McDougall, who noted he was ‘the best player on the pitch with some tremendous play from the Finland midfielder. Showed his class throughout and is arguably underrated in this Rangers team.’

The £4m-rated 25-year-old completed more passes (62) than Ryan Kent (48) and won the most amount of duels out of any player on the pitch with 14 overall.

He also made more clearances (3) than Steven Davis and Ryan Jack, whilst he wasn’t dribbled past once, such was his level of dominance in the midfield, which allowed Rangers to establish a foothold in the game.

It’s perhaps hardly surprising that out of all of Gerrard’s wealth of options in the midfield, Kamara has made the most appearances this season, playing in 22 of the Gers’ 26 games in the Premiership and all six Europa League games.

With that in mind, it’s fair to say that the midfielder is becoming virtually undroppable for Gerrard, despite the competition for places.

AND in other news, Rangers should act now as Billy Gilmour could leave Chelsea on loan…

When Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg isn’t at the races, Tottenham Hotspur aren’t usually either.

After arriving in a bargain £15m move from top-flight rivals Southampton in the summer, the Dane has quickly established himself as one of Jose Mourinho’s most vital players – a captain without the armband in a crucial defensive midfield role as his ‘general’.

But at Selhurst Park this afternoon, he delivered a sub-par performance as Spurs drew 1-1 to Crystal Palace.

Harry Kane, of course, opened the scoring for the visitors with a sublime 30-yard effort that left Vicente Guaita perplexed, though the Spaniard more than made up for it in the second half denying the league leaders more than once.

Mourinho’s men allowed the Eagles back into it and they finally grabbed an equaliser when Eberechi Eze’s free-kick eventually fell to Jeffrey Sclupp to tap home just nine minutes from time.

And as already mentioned, Hojbjerg was one of many who struggled, though it is he who is most noticeable as he’s often winning every battle and starting every attack.

However, he was lightweight in possession and rather wasteful today.

Per SofaScore, the 24-year-old powerhouse won just six of a whopping 16 duels, both on the ground and aerially, in the middle of the park. He also lost the ball 13 times, committed two fouls and was dribbled past twice.

Hojbjerg did manage to record three tackles and one interception, as is the norm with him, but it wasn’t enough to have much of an impact on the game.

It’s made worse by the fact that no other player had more touches (93) than he did on the pitch – he had nearly 30 more than Palace’s most-involved player, Patrick van Aanholt.

Though clearly, it was all bark with no bite for Hojbjerg – a rare and calamitous showing that would have undoubtedly left Mourinho reeling with anger after the match.

He should know that when his £45m-rated great Dane isn’t on it, neither is his Spurs side and maybe that is something that needs to be fixed, especially if the north London ponies are wanting to be true title contenders.

AND in other news, Spurs could find their own Timo Werner in “stone-cold” EFL sensation…

Premiership giants Rangers reportedly ‘fear losing’ their star right-back James Tavernier amidst growing interest in the player.

It has been claimed that the Gers are aware of the fact that clubs are looking at Tavernier, as well as the likes of centre-back Connor Goldson and left-back Borna Barisic.

Rangers ‘fear losing’ Tavernier

Football Insider have recently reported about potential exits for the Gers and one name that has cropped up is that of Tavernier. The report states that Steven Gerrard’s men ‘fear losing’ at least one of their star defenders and while they haven’t sold any major players so far, that could well change soon.

The report states that the Gers are already looking at potential replacements for Tavernier, ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window. Rangers are currently hoping that they can fend off interest for their captain and others, but they know that it might not be easy when the time comes.

The 29-year-old right-back has been in great form for the Gers this season, scoring 11 goals and picking up nine assists in 22 Premiership appearances. Earlier in the season, Gerrard had been full of praise for the Englishman, saying:

“He’s looking like the powerhouse we know we can be. He returned hungry and his application and return from lockdown has really impressed me.”

Replacing Tavernier could be stiff for Rangers

In all competitions, Tavernier has contributed to 31 goals in 33 appearances for the Gers. 17 of them competitions have been goals, with 14 of them being assists. It shows the impact he’s had at Ibrox this season, even though he’s played at right-back regularly (as per Transfermarkt).

Because of his output from right-back, it could prove to be a tough task for the Gers to replace the 29-year-old and they should look to get a big fee from his potential sale so they have more funds available if they do need to find a new player to replace their captain.

In other news, Rangers have been linked with a League One star – read more about it here.

According to Football Insider, Ahmed Musa is having a medical at West Bromwich Albion ahead of a move to the Hawthorns.

Musa having medical

Musa is a free agent, meaning that a deal does not need to be done before the deadline. However, that hasn’t stopped the Baggies making a move on the final day of the window.

This latest report says he is having a medical with the club and is putting the finish touches to a move to the Midlands.

Another attacking option

Sam Allardyce has already captured one striker this window, with Mbaye Diagne joining on loan from Galatasaray (wba.co.uk). Now, though, it appears another forward will be moving to the club. Musa has scored 88 goals throughout his career (Transfermarkt), and has impressed particularly at World Cups, scoring four goals across two tournaments.

Valued at £5.4m (Transfermarkt), Musa did have a failed spell at Leicester City, but he is clearly a player with plenty of talent. If Allardyce can get the most out of the Nigeria international, he could be hugely important in the battle for Premier League survival.

In other news, West Brom failed in a bid for this Turkey international.