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Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has been dealt a huge blow over the fitness of his superstar centre-back Raphael Varane.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-game press conference on Monday, interim manager Ralf Rangnick revealed news that the United fanbase will be gutted to hear ahead of such an esteemed clash against Liverpool tonight.

The German confirmed that Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw, Fred and Raphael Varane will all miss the trip to Anfield.

On Raphael Varane’s injury status, Rangnick said: “Rapha [Varane] didn’t train with the team. He was on the pitch with one of our rehab coaches.”

Rangnick will be gutted

Whilst Varane has failed to live up to the standards we grew so used to seeing at Real Madrid defensively speaking, he has maintained his composure in possession – which would have been of great benefit to Manchester United against a high-pressing Klopp side tonight.

Maguire and Varane are difficult to split in their defensive metrics this season and are also the most composed duo on the ball within United’s central defensive line.

The 28-year-old has managed to transfer his passing prowess powers from his time at Real Madrid, with his passing completion percentages of both short and long pass types ranking him in and around the 90th percentile for positionally similar players across Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days, according to FB Ref.

His pass completion percentage for short passes is around 95%, whilst his pass completion percentage for long passes is lower at 81%.

It’s this particular range of passing that United will miss most tonight, with his efficiency in possession serving as a kickstarter for United’s counterattacks. For a defensive player, his ability to create is impressive, as can be evidenced through his assist against Wolves earlier this season.

Varane also brings experience at the back, with the Frenchman having a full understanding of the term ‘pressure’ with his experience on the big stage with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

With Ronaldo ruled out and Maguire not seen as an out-and-out leader in most people’s eyes, Varane’s presence, just for experience alone, will be sorely missed.

Rangnick and the United faithful will be gutted, but can hopefully look forward to the Frenchman’s return soon.

In other news: Imagine him & Bruno: Ralf can terrify LFC by unleashing Man Utd’s “elite” £180k-p/w gem…

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have erupted over big news on Vladimir Coufal.

As well as benefitting from the arrival of recruitment chief Rob Newman in a new Hammers transfer era, manager David Moyes is also eyeing a number of new contracts for his first team stars.

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Indeed, as explained by Claret & Hugh, West Ham have fresh deals for some key players in the pipeline, with Coufal, Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice linked to being offered fresh terms.

According to sources in Italy, Angelo Ogbonna could also sign a contract extension, but now some big news has emerged on Coufal’s situation specifically.

According to reporter Roshane Thomas of The Athletic, the Czech Republic star has put pen to paper on a new three-year deal with the option to extend it by a further year.

The 29-year-old was crucial to Moyes last season, averaging the joint-most tackles per game for West Ham in the Premier League and marking himself out as a real fan favourite.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder that numerous Irons supporters have absolutely erupted on social media upon hearing of his contract extension – one even called it the “best news ever”.

Check out some of their best verdicts below.

West Ham fans erupt over big Coufal news…

“Best news of the week!”

Credit: @_samhowell

“SIUUUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @alex_cvb

“Absolutely MASSIVE news!!”

Credit: @dave_lapointe

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @morgzwhu

“This is absolutely superb news, well done Moyes and the board 👏🏻🔥⚒ Another step in the right direction”

Credit: @MartynHobbs12

“That’s big”

Credit: @conwhufc03

“Best news you’ll see today #GSBOUT irons irons irons”

Credit: @joehalford1990

“This is the best news ever”

Credit: @StefGoodridge

In other news: Reliable reporter says West Ham fans ‘should be excited’ by another development, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts insists that the club may be stuck with Serge Aurier, as no club is likely to buy him this summer.

The right-back has not made a single appearance for the club this season and was largely absent from pre-season, until the friendly against Chelsea.

Aurier has yet to be included in a competitive squad by Nuno Espirito Santo, with Japhet Tanganga seemingly the first-choice right-back in the squad after his impressive performances against Manchester City and Wolves.

Matt Doherty is his back-up in the squad, and Aurier had confirmed earlier this summer that he had reached an agreement to leave Spurs, with PSG seemingly interested in taking him back to France.

However, they have since signed Achraf Hakimi from Inter Milan, seemingly ending any chance of Aurier returning to the French capital.

And Roberts believes he may just run down his contract at the club, which runs until 2022.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “But who’s going to buy him? The problem you’ve got is Paris Saint-Germain were going to buy Aurier, so they kept saying.

“Well, they’re nowhere near him. What football club is going to buy him? I think we’re going to be stuck with him and we’re just going to have to see his contract out.”

Tim Sherwood has named the Premier League club that could benefit from poaching Ralph Hasenhuttl from Southampton.

What’s the talk?

Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood has suggested that Spurs should try to poach Hasenhuttl from Southampton to replace Nuno Santo.

The ex-Blackburn man has said that the Saints boss has proven that he can thrive under pressure and deploy a front-foot style of play.

Sherwood said on Sky Sports News (1:33pm, September 25, 2021):

“I think there’s Potter at Brighton, and the guy you mentioned earlier, Hasenhuttl.

“I think he deals with the pressure, he has been beaten 9-0 twice, he comes back from that, he still has the identity of how his team wants to play, on the front foot, give the fans what they want to see.”

There’d be fury

Southampton chief Martin Semmens must avoid a Southampton nightmare following these comments from Sherwood on Hasenhuttl. Supporters would be furious if the club allowed the manager to be poached midway, or even a quarter of the way, through the campaign as it would leave them in a precarious situation looking for a replacement whilst still playing important Premier League games.

Hasenhuttl now has a proven track record of keeping Southampton in the top-flight, after managing it in the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns.

Therefore, supporters would be devastated to see him depart to join Tottenham at any point during the current campaign. It would leave Semmens in a nightmare scenario and could cause fans to panic about where the club is headed, depending on where they are in the Premier League table at the time.

However, this is pure speculation for now as Nuno Santo is still the manager at Tottenham and these comments from Sherwood are merely a suggestion. It is not time to hit the panic button yet, but it could be a situation that arises in the coming months and Semmens will need to avoid making a major blunder if it does.

AND in other news, Ralph masterstroke: Southampton flop has seen value plummet 64% since St. Mary’s exit…

Even though Liverpool currently have a hefty number of central-midfielders in their senior squad at the moment, some of them, such as Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson and James Milner have all hit or gone past the age of 30.

One player that the club currently have in their youth system that we feel could well go on to be a suitable replacement for one of those previously mentioned senior midfielders is 18-year-old Tyler Morton.

As a product of Liverpool’s youth academy, Morton, who is currently valued at £270k according to Transfermarkt, has made 23 appearances for Liverpool’s U18 side in which he has managed to score six goals and provide seven assists in the process.

Morton has also made 24 appearances for Liverpool’s U23 side, scoring five times and supplying four assists along the way, proving himself as a rather useful attacking option from midfield.

The midfielder made his senior debut for Liverpool during their 3-0 win over Norwich City in the Carabao Cup last month in which Reds manager Jurgen Klopp said Morton put in a “confident” performance in his first senior outing for the Merseyside club.

Opening up on the midfield general, the German boss explained: “Tyler, really, he gave us the opportunity to connect again, because he just played simple, passed the ball in the right spaces, defended the right spaces.”

In addition to this, Morton was given an overall match rating of 7/10 for his performance against Norwich from the Liverpool Echo who said that he “slotted into the defensive midfield role impressively” after replacing Naby Keita.

The teenager has managed to rack up an average of three key passes per game based on the two performances he’s put in for Liverpool’s U23 side in the Football League Trophy this season, which is considerably more than Henderson (1.1 key passes per game) has done in the Premier League so far this season.

We feel that if Morton continues to play well for the youth team and take any opportunity that comes his way to play in Klopp’s side, such as their upcoming Carabao Cup clash against Preston North End later this month, then he could well see himself as a possible regular first-team player in the next few years, in the same way Curtis Jones has done.

Looking ahead to the future further down the line, even though he signed a new deal over the summer, we could see Morton potentially being a long-term replacement for Henderson if he ends up leaving when his current deal expires given his age.

Like the skipper, he is defensively astute and capable of carrying the ball forward. He’s certainly one to watch.

In other news: Imagine him & Thiago: Klopp must secure LFC move for “incredible” £36m-rated machine – opinion

Crystal Palace shared a picture of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise on Thursday afternoon, which led to a number of Palace fans going wild on social media.

Eze suffered a serious Achilles injury at the end of last season, whereas summer signing Olise has missed the beginning of the campaign with a back problem.

Olise, Patrick Vieira’s first addition as Palace boss, is hopeful of making his Selhurst Park debut next month, while Eze is way ahead of schedule in his recovery, with reports first suggesting he could be sidelined until 2022.

The Eagles shared a picture of Eze and Olise in the gym. The pair were all smiles, and you’d expect the two to be key for Vieira during the current campaign when they return.

Palace fans react

Palace posted the picture of the two attacking midfielders on their official Twitter page.

This is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply, with one describing the post as ‘beautiful’.

“Oh my”Credit: @SWPalace”This is just wow”Credit: @robertmeilak”Oh yesssss”Credit: @BenM_CPFC”This is beautiful”Credit: @CpfcDan_”Omg it’s happening”Credit: @KB_EAGLES”Omggggg”Credit: @w_cpfc

In other news: ‘Things you just love to see’, ‘Get in’ – Many CPFC fans buzz as ‘baller’ signs a new deal. 

Tottenham Hotspur should seal the signature of Adama Traore before this month’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the reliable Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Athletic after he delivered a fresh and exciting claim on this week’s episode of the ‘View from the Lane’ podcast.

“I think it’s more likely than not that they will end up signing Adama Traore,” he said.

“Traore I gather is still the likeliest target to come in. Tottenham are working on trying to get a deal done. Wolves do want to sell him. Tottenham are trying to find a way to do it.

“Some people talk about the possibility of a loan with an obligation, and I do think that if Matt Doherty were to go back to Wolves that would be slightly easier as that would be part of the deal but so far, I haven’t got any indication that is actually going to happen, even if Tottenham would like that to happen.

“I do think they will get it over the line.”

Just get it done

It’s thought that the Wolves star is available for just £20m this month but it seems as if the Lilywhites are dithering over a loan with an obligation to buy in the summer – really they ought to just stump up the cash now as manager Antonio Conte is in desperate need of additions.

As per the Telegraph, the tricky Spain international has been identified as a priority for the Italian, who sees him as a perfect fit for the right wing-back role over summer signing Emerson Royal.

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You’d imagine that Traore, who doesn’t have the best end product, would thrive in such a role and under a head coach like Conte.

Indeed, the 25-year-old powerhouse scored his first goal of the season at the weekend in the Old Gold’s win over Southampton, where he came off the bench in a 12-minute cameo – a sign he’s set to leave, perhaps?

But the 5 foot 10 dynamo, who has played for Aston Villa and Middlesbrough, has a nice mix of dribbling ability and brute physicality that would not only make him a lethal threat down the right flank but one that would have Spurs fans on the edge of their seats.

He’s built like a brick wall, as once alluded to by BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand, who dubbed him “a machine” who could be “a powerlifter or a cruiser-weight boxer” and Southampton forward Che Adams, who described him as a “monster” to the Premier League’s YouTube channel back in May.

Traore currently leads the top-flight for dribbles per game (4.3), which is more than the likes of Mo Salah (1.9), Wilfried Zaha (1.9) and Tottenham’s very own Lucas Moura (2.5), via WhoScored.

That combined with his average of 1.5 key passes per game last season suggests he’s a nuisance in the final third. He has previously played the wing-back role under Nuno Santo at Molineux, so he wouldn’t need much time in adapting and there’s no one better to learn from than Conte. Just look at Victor Moses’ time under him at Chelsea.

If Pitt-Brooke, who is one of the most reliable when it comes to Spurs news, believes the deal is likely to happen despite the situation dragging on and on, then many around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium must be absolutely buzzing.

It’s surely a matter of time before a deal is struck, especially as the Spaniard is entering the final 18 months of his current contract.

AND in other news, Spurs could land big Alli upgrade in “special” £18m-rated gem, he gave Dier nightmares…

Adam Jones has claimed that Everton must now make Burnley ‘regret’ their 2-0 loss at Norwich City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Great results for Everton

After the Merseyside club beat Manchester United 1-0 at Goodison Park in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off, other results at the bottom of the table also went their way over the weekend.

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Watford lost 3-0 at home to Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, while Burnley then went and lost to Norwich. It means that Frank Lampard’s team are now four points clear of the relegation zone with just eight matches left to play.

The Latest: Jones reacts to Premier League results

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool Echo journalist Jones has now given his reaction to the results, claiming that the Clarets dropping off after beating Everton 3-2 in midweek was a ‘real let off’ for Frank Lampard’s side.

He chimed: “Well that is quite the weekend of results for Everton. In some ways, it’s a real let off.

“Burnley really dropped the ball after what seemed like a defining victory in midweek. Everton need to make them absolutely regret that over their next few games, whatever it takes.”

The Verdict: Not over yet

The race to secure Premier League safety is certainly not over yet, but of course the weekend’s results provide a huge step in the right direction for the Toffees.

Some of their next few fixtures look particularly daunting, with a trip to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby followed by a home match against Chelsea to come.

There could be plenty of twists and turns along the way, but Lampard will be hoping that Everton’s win against the Red Devils can install some much-needed confidence in his team, ready for the rollercoaster ahead.

In other news, one Everton ace has been branded ‘disappointing’

Lots of Wolves fans have been left fuming as some news emerged involving their Under-21 team.

As shared by the official Twitter page of the Wolves Academy, the Under-21 side lost 3-0 away at Crewe Alexandra in the Papa John’s Trophy, meaning that they have now exited out of the competition.

The result left them in third place in their group, having picked up two losses in total and one draw, only managing to score one goal whilst conceding six in their three games (Sky Sports).

Considering that other Premier League side’s Under-21 teams have flourished in the group stages, such as West Ham United, Aston Villa and Chelsea (Sky Sports), the frustrations of the Molineux faithful are understandable, and questions may now have to be asked of coach James Collins as a result.

Finishing their Papa John’s Trophy campaign winless and bowing out with a lacklustre 3-0 defeat certainly won’t shed much favourable light on the Wolves academy boss with supporters already voicing their displeasure on social media.

Wolves fans on Under-21 result

Indeed, these WWFC supporters fumed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘abysmal’.

Find all of their verdicts on the news down below.

“Abysmal!”

Credit: @MrR1g4t

“#CollinsOut”

Credit: @Wolves_Ay_We_

“We need to look at the team”

Credit: @AndreNixon19

“Unfortunately until we become a top 6 side we’ll never be able to attract the top youngsters. Many of this side will have careers in the game but, it’ll be in the lower leagues not the Premier or Championship levels.”

Credit: @WWFC09

“It’s not just tonight’s result and performance, for some time the U23s have lacked any identity of purpose. Questions need to asked about the quality of coaching, especially as we are supposed to have signed some promising talent. #CollinsOut”

Credit: @HwlinWlf

“Complete rubbish, a disgrace. No tackling, go slow all game. Ruddy must have had the ball more than any of the other players because of the stupid back passing, truly a gutless performance. Collins needs to wise up this is not anywhere near good enough”

Credit: @kevinwwfc666

In other news, find out what Hwang Hee-chan news has Wanderers buzzing here!

West Bromwich Albion have only been able to score more than 50 league goals in just two of the nine Premier League campaigns they’ve been involved in since the start of the 2010/11 season.

Looking back down the years, one player the Baggies were linked with but didn’t end up signing that could have been a massive goalscoring threat for the team is Robert Lewandowski.

According to the Express & Star, former West Brom manager Tony Mowbray wanted to bring the then 20-year-old striker to the club in January 2009 when he was at Lech Poznan.

Having ended his time in Poznan with 41 goals in 82 appearances, it’s easy to see why the centre-forward was on West Brom’s radar.

The Polish side apparently wanted a fee of £2.6m for the striker, but Albion reportedly had no money to spend on him.Since then, the Poland international has shown with every season why the Baggies should have exhausted every financial possibility to be able to bring him to the Hawthorns when they had the chance.In the 2010 summer transfer window, the striker joined Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £3.7m where he then went on to score 103 goals and provide 42 assists in 187 appearances.The attacker then joined fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014 on a free transfer.During his time with the German giants, the 33-year-old has unbelievably found the back of the net 340 times in 369 appearances across all competitions.To highlight what an elite player he has become since moving to Germany, the veteran has won a combined total of 25 team titles and individual awards including nine Bundesliga trophies and one Champions League trophy.Labelled as a “breathtaking” player by Owen Hargreaves, Lewandowski has racked up a phenomenal total of 637 goals and assists throughout his illustrious club career.On the international stage, the former Poznan starlet has scored 75 goals in 129 appearances for Poland, showing just how much of an icon he is for his country.Taking all of this into account, it’s evident that had the Baggies been able to somehow finance a transfer deal for the striker, then they would have had a player in their side that could have been a vital figure for them.In other news: West Brom: Grady Diangana struggled in defeat to Stoke City…