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Saiss signs new Wolves contract, fans react

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Loads of Wolves fans have been reacting to a big update from the club, as Romain Saiss has signed a new contract at Molineux.

Saiss has penned a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2021, the club confirmed on Thursday.

The 28 year-old, who joined from French outfit Angers in 2016, was a crucial part of last season’s promotion campaign, and he has been no slouch this term either.

With Wolves sitting pretty in seventh place in the Premier League – perhaps what some may call “the best of the rest” – the 27-cap Morocco international has featured 13 times in the league, scoring twice, and also made five cup appearances.

Similarly to talisman Conor Coady, Saiss can play in various positions in midfield and defence, and his toughness, professionalism and versatility make him a very useful player to have around the squad.

Fans are delighted with the news, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

West Ham keen on signing Nathan Ake

West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Manchester City centre-back Nathan Ake in order to make up for the loss of Angelo Ogbonna.

The Lowdown: Ake struggling for playing time

The £100,000-a-week Dutchman joined City in 2020 but he has found regular football hard to come by, with the likes of Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and John Stones keeping him out of the team.

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Ake has only managed four starts in the Premier League so far this season, as well as just one in the Champions League, and he may want a fresh challenge soon. The 1.8m-tall (6 foot) defender was limited to just nine top-flight starts at the Etihad Stadium last term, too.

The 26-year-old has 23 caps to his name for the Netherlands and may want to be a key figure at club level ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

The Latest: West Ham keen on move

According to 90min, West Ham have identified Ake as a transfer target in January, seeing him as someone who can fill the void left by Ogbonna, who is out injured for the rest of the season.

It is stated that a loan move is on the offing, with a potential to sign him permanently at the end of the season.

The Verdict: Strong Ogbonna alternative

Ake may not have cut the mustard consistently for City, but he is still a hugely competent centre-back who Premier League-winning manager Pep Guardiola claimed is a ‘joy’ to have in his squad.

At 26, the former Chelsea defender is also approaching his prime years and he could not only make up for the loss of Ogbonna in the short run, he may even represent a long-term replacement for the 32-year-old Italian.

Ake has averaged three interceptions per game in the Champions League this season, showing he can excel at the highest level – Declan Rice (1.9) is West Ham’s top performer in the Premier League in that regard, so the Dutchman may add something new to the Irons’ line-up if he makes the move.

In other news, West Ham have been linked with an audacious swoop for one player. Find out who it is here.

Rangers: GVB decision could save millions

Gio van Bronckhorst has had a near-on perfect start to life at Ibrox with four wins out of four since his arrival at Rangers.

The Gers have beaten Sparta Prague, Livingston, Hibernian and Dundee FC in his four matches, scoring nine goals and conceding once in that time.

One player who has stepped up and quickly asserted himself as a key player for the Dutchman is ex-Leicester defender Calvin Bassey.

Save millions

Towards the end of last month, FFC published an article outlining his impressive start under the former Feyenoord boss as a central defender, having been mainly used at left-back previously.

Since publication, he has started both of Rangers’ Premiership games as a centre-back and helped the side to keep back-to-back clean sheets against Hibernian and Dundee. This impressive form could now end up saving van Bronckhorst millions ahead of the January transfer window.

Connor Goldson is out of contract at the end of the season and it remains to be seen whether or not the club will opt to cash in on him in the winter window to avoid losing him for nothing. If they do decide to sell him then they will need a replacement to come in and Bassey’s recent form suggests that he could be that player.

Van Bronckhorst recently lauded the defender’s performances and claimed that he is ‘full of energy’. He said:

“I’ve been really impressed with Calvin [Bassey] as he does not have a lot of experience in the central positions. He has a lot of physical strength and we will help him to develop and grow. He is very open to learning and is full of energy.

“I think he has the physical ability to play there and we’re helping him a lot in that position when he has to pass when he has to dribble, the position he has to take when the other defenders got the ball.

“He’s a player who’s very open in learning and he gives a lot of energy into the team. The last two games I’m really happy with the way he played.”

At the age of 21, the £6.4k-per-week gem has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop further under van Bronckhorst’s coaching in Glasgow.

He could be tutored into becoming a top-quality centre-back for Rangers, with three clean sheets in the last four games and a SofaScore rating of 7.00 or higher in every match. This shows that he has the potential to be a solid operator at centre-back moving forward for the Gers and could alleviate the need for a new signing.

If he can continue to match the high standards he has set himself in recent weeks heading into January then it could tempt the 43-year-old boss and Ross Wilson to abort any plans they have to sign a Goldson replacement. Instead, they could use the money to strengthen other areas and have Bassey competing alongside the likes of Jack Simpson and Leon Balogun for a starting berth, with Filip Helander in the mix when he returns from injury.

AND in other news, 180 duels won: Wilson sealed masterclass with “important” £14k-p/w Rangers colossus…

Interest intensifying in Sam Johnstone

Interest is intensifying in West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Mirror (via West Brom News), who claim that both West Ham United and Southampton are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Baggies shot-stopper ahead of a potential move this month.

The report reveals a sad twist to the tale, going as far as to state that, following his sending off in the 1-1 draw with Cardiff City on Sunday and subsequent three-match ban, the 28-year-old could well have played his final game for Valerien Ismael’s side, as a move could be on the cards before he completes his suspension.

Fans will be fuming

Considering just how important a part of the West Brom side Johnstone has become in recent seasons, the potential of the England international having already played his last game for the club is sure to have left The Hawthorns faithful fuming.

Indeed, over his 24 Championship appearances in the current campaign, the £7.2m-rated man has kept 11 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 saves and 1.7 successful runs out per game.

These returns have seen the player who Gary Lineker dubbed a “sensational” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 6.82, ranking him as Ismael’s 14th-best performer in the second tier of English football.

However, while these metrics are impressive, it was over the £32.5k-per-week goalkeeper’s 37 Premier League outings last season in which he demonstrated his ability at the highest level of the game, keeping six clean sheets and making an average of 4.5 saves per fixture – with these returns seeing the 28-year-old earn an extremely impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03.

As such, it is clear for all to see that, with West Brom still very much in the hunt for automatic promotion back to the top flight this season, losing a ‘keeper of Johnstone’s quality midway through the campaign would come as a huge blow to Albion’s chances of going on to do so come next May – an outcome that would undoubtedly be gutting for everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Ismael can finally axe woeful £36k-p/w WBA flop by unleashing £9m-rated “rocket”

Celtic on course to seal O’Riley deal

Celtic look on course to secure a deal to bring Matt O’Riley to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a recruitment source has revealed the Milton Keynes Dons midfielder has now passed his medical and agreed personal terms with the Bhoys ahead of his proposed £1.5m switch to Glasgow.

In the report, the media outlet wrote: “A recruitment source has told Football Insider that O’Riley has now completed medical tests and agreed personal terms with Celtic.”

Fans will be buzzing

Taking into account the exceptional form O’Riley has been in for MK Dons so far this season, in addition to the fact that Celtic had to fight off late competition from West Bromwich Albion for the 21-year-old’s signature, the news that the Hoops have agreed personal terms, as well as the midfielder passing his medical with the club, is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful buzzing.

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Indeed, over his 26 League One appearances in the current campaign, the £405k-rated man has scored seven goals, registered five assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 2.1 key passes and taking 1.5 shots per game.

The £900-per-week midfielder – who can play in both a defensive and attacking central midfield role – has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.5 interceptions, two tackles, 48.2 passes, one clearance and winning 4.6 duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the former England U18 international average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.37, ranking him as the joint seventh-best player in the whole of the English third-tier.

As such, considering his abundance of potential, O’Riley looks to be yet another exciting addition to Ange Postecoglou’s current options in the middle of the park – something that would appear to bode extremely well for Celtic’s title hopes come the end of the season.

In other news: Big blow: Celtic struck with crushing injury setback that’ll surely have fans worried

Predicted Spurs XI to face Liverpool

After two weeks without a game, Tottenham are set to return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon as they host a Liverpool side who sit just one point off the top of the table.

A rise in virus cases in the Premier League saw Spurs’ matches against Brighton and Leicester postponed, but the game against Jurgen Klopp’s men appears set to go ahead.

With that being said, here is the line-up that Football FanCast believes will start for the Lilywhites, with two changes from the side which started their last match against Norwich a fortnight ago.

In terms of the back four, there are no changes as Cristian Romero remains sidelined with a serious hamstring injury. Both defender Eric Dier and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris have been ever-present in the Tottenham starting line-up so far this season, a record they should both preserve today.

There’s one change amongst the wing-backs as Emerson Royal appears fit to return to action after a recent positive virus test. The £22.5m-rated Brazilian has slowly settled into life as a Spurs player, admitting that he “has to be aggressive when attacking”.

On the other flank, Sergio Reguilón also appears to be fit, having picked up an injury in the 3-0 win over Norwich which required the Spaniard to be withdrawn.

In the middle, another ever-present in Pierre-Emile Højbjerg keeps his place, whilst there’s a change alongside the Dane as Giovani Lo Celso replaces Oliver Skipp.

The 21-year-old has been impressive this term, featuring in 13 of the Lilywhites’ 14 league games, and was voted man of the match last time out against Norwich. However, with Spurs set to play four games in nine days, it may be wise for Conte to rest the midfielder, particularly after he tested positive for the global virus.

Lo Celso has been cleared to play having missed the last month-and-a-half with a knee injury, and he could offer more offensive quality, ranking in the top five amongst Spurs’ squad for both shots and key passes per game.

The attack remains the same, with Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Harry Kane all set to be available. Son and Moura both scored in the Norwich game, but Kane is suffering a barren run of six league games without a goal or an assist and has just two goal contributions in the top flight all season.

In other news: Conte can find his new Gary Cahill for Tottenham in “sensational” 19.8m-rated colossus

Lingard ‘open’ to West Ham return

Jesse Lingard is reportedly ‘open’ to the idea of returning to West Ham in the January transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Hammers hero last season

At beginning of last season, not many Hammers fans would have expected Lingard to be a club hero come the end of the campaign.

That’s precisely what happened, however, with the 28-year-old excelling on loan after joining in January, scoring nine goals in 16 Premier League appearances.

Unfortunately, Lingard returned to Manchester United in the summer but he has been a fringe player under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once again, starting zero top flight games and playing just an hour in total in the competition, despite the fact he has found the net twice in that time.

The Latest: Return on the cards?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones talked up the idea of Lingard making a popular return to the London Stadium, saying the Englishman is keen on it happening:

“He’s becoming open to the idea again. He was hoping things would work out for him at United but it hasn’t.

“He’s barely seen any football in the Premier League so it’s been a bit frustrating for him because he thought he’d get more of a look-in than he’s got. He probably feels he deserves that as well.”

The Verdict: Perfect potential signing

This is a wonderful time to be a West Ham fan, with David Moyes building a superb squad that looks capable of mounting a genuine top-four challenge – that momentous win over previously undefeated Liverpool speaks volumes.

Lingard could be the icing on the cake in January, though, bringing with him end product and experience that could further aid the Hammers – talkSPORT pundit Darren Gough even went so far as to compare one of the England international’s goals in East London to Diego Maradona.

It would also only improve the feel-good factor at the club currently, given how loved Lingard was during his short stint in east London, and is a win for the player too, granting him more opportunities to secure a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

In other news, a journalist has made another West Ham transfer claim. Read more here.

Rangers man Kelly joins Salford on loan

Loads of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left confused by some exit news that ahs emerged involving Stephen Kelly.

As per the official Twitter page of the Ibrox faithful, the central midfield player has now joined English League Two club Salford City on a loan deal for the rest of the season.

He had only made two senior appearances for the Light Blues all campaign, and so has moved in search of more regular game time.

While a loan move is good for the 21-year-old’s development, a lot of Teddy Bears are confused over his move to Salford, claiming that he can play at a better level.

He has played for Scotland many times at youth level, including nine caps with the U21s, and perhaps a move to another team in the Scottish Premiership would have benefitted him better, if another offer came through.

Rangers fans on Kelly loan

These Gers were confused as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one RFC supporter claiming that they were ‘baffled’, while another even went as far as to say that it was an ‘awful’ move:

“Makes no sense he’s at a miles higher level than that”

Credit: @ggh1992

“Why?”

Credit: @mrmorton_man

“I’m baffled by this”

Credit: @kennyd9

“So much better than the 4th tier of English football.”

Credit: @cccc18721972

“League 2?!!!”

Credit: @WilliamGrimes_

“That’s an absolutely awful loan move for him.”

Credit: @Newcoinvestor

In other news, find out what other club update has Gers buzzing here!

Celtic had a nightmare on Amir Rrahmani

Back in the summer of 2019, when Neil Lennon’s Celtic side had lost the services of Dedryck Boyata, Marvin Compper and Filip Benkovic in the heart of their defence, the Hoops were in rather desperate need of one or two fresh faces at centre-back ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

By the time the transfer window closed in September, Celtic had secured the signings of both Christopher Jullien, for whom they paid £7m to Toulouse, and Hatem Abd Elhamed, paying Hapoel Beer Sheva £1.6m for the 28-year-old.

However, according to agent Adrian Aliaj, there was another player on Celtic’s wish list that year, in the shape of Amir Rrahmani from Dinamo Zagreb.

Indeed, shortly after the 25-year-old’s eventual €2.1m (£1.8m) switch to Hellas Verona that same summer, Aliaj informed Calcio Hellas that Lennon had registered his interest in signing the Kosovo international.

However, with Celtic not being forceful enough in their attempts to lure the player to Parkhead, Rrahmani decided that he would prefer a move to Serie A.

In the time since his low-key move to northeast Italy, the 6 foot 4 centre-back has quickly gone on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the league – impressing so much for Hellas that, just six months after joining the club, Napoli parted with a considerable €14m (£12m) in order to bring the Kosovan to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in January 2020.

The £48k-per-week titan has continued his remarkable rise over his 27 Serie A appearances this season, helping the Azzurri to keep 11 clean sheets and scoring three goals, along with averaging 0.5 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 2.5 clearances and winning 3.9 duels (at a success rate of 62%) per game.

These returns have seen the player who Matteo Bonetti dubbed “imposing” and Josh Bunting labelled “commanding” record a very impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Luciano Spalletti’s fifth-best player in the Italian top flight, with the 28-year-old playing a key role in Napoli’s title charge.

As such, considering the fact that the £25m-rated Rrahmani would have cost Celtic just £200k more than Abd Elhamed back in 2019 – a player who would spend just 18 months in Glasgow before returning to Israel – it is clear to see that the Hoops had a nightmare when missing out on the Kosovan sensation.

AND in other news: Postecoglou now closing in on eight-figure deal, it’s a huge coup for Celtic

Noel Whelan reacts to Bruno Fernandes news

Pundit Noel Whelan has labelled a pending new deal for Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes as ‘incredible’, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Romano’s reveal

The Red Devils appear to be making a head start on their summer business and have already spoken with Erik ten Hag over the possibility of replacing Ralf Rangnick as manager.

A number of United players are also out of contract at the end of June, including club-record signing Paul Pogba.

Fernandes’ contract doesn’t expire until 2025, although Fabrizio Romano has revealed that there has been a ‘breakthrough’ in talks and a new five-year agreement has been ‘accepted’ by the 27-year-old.

The Latest: Whelan reacts to Fernandes latest

Whelan, who previously contributed for BBC Radio Leeds, was asked by Football Insider if a new deal for Fernandes was a coup.

This is what he had to say in reply, describing the attacking midfielder as a ‘huge player’ and labelling a pending new deal as ‘incredible’:

“Yeah, that’s a really important bit of business.

“He’s been a huge player for them since he’s come in, and his goal and assist record has proved that as well.

“He’s such a talented player, and they really need him in that side. Man United need that creativity and that goal threat from midfield.

“No, it hasn’t been the best season for him – but it’s been a very poor season from everyone at Old Trafford.

“To get him tied down, knowing they probably won’t be in the Champions League next season – that’s incredible.”

The Verdict: Smart move by Man United

Fernandes has contributed to 23 goals in 37 games this season, so a new and improved deal appears to be a shrewd decision by the club as they look to build for the future under a new manager.

He has also been the club’s best-rated performer in the Premier League among players who have made two or more appearances and has made more key passes per game than any other United player, as per WhoScored, so keeping your best players happy is obviously ideal.

You’d also expect that Fernandes, who is the Red Devils’ ninth-best paid player at the moment on £180,000 per week, may well be in line for a pay rise, with all eyes now on an official announcement from the club.

In other news: ‘Absolutely shocking’ – Source reveals Man Utd star now wants to quit even if Ten Hag arrives

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