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Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Wolves legend Steve Bull has laughed off suggestions that Nuno Espirito Santo could leave for Aston Villa.

Despite a difficult season which has been overshadowed by several high-profile injuries, Santo has already secured Wolves’ Premier League status for a third consecutive campaign.

Maximum points from their three remaining matches could even see the Midlands outfit finish in the top-half, although they’ll need both Leeds and Aston Villa to slip up quite dramatically.

And Santo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is reportedly pushing for the Portuguese manager to take over at a club with ‘greater financial resources and ambition’ – with Villa seen as one of those.

Dean Smith has worked wonders to make Villa European contenders this season, and only signed a long-term deal at Villa Park 18 months ago, whilst Santo extended his stay at Molineux prior to the start of the 2020-2021 campaign.

With that in mind, Bull believes that 47-year-old won’t be going anywhere this summer.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“Aston Villa – I can’t stop laughing! Villa have two good coaches there in John Terry and Dean Smith.

“I don’t think they’ll need to change anything because they have come on leaps and bounds, so I don’t think Nuno will go there.”

Kurt Zouma, Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio all struggled in West Ham’s 2-1 defeat away to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

The Hammers lost their second Premier League match in a row, with the champions proving to be too strong in the end. Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho found the net for City, while Manuel Lanzini scored a last-gasp consolation for David Moyes’ men.

We have looked at the figures from statistical experts Sofascore to delve into the performances of the three lowest-rated West Ham players among those who featured for at least 45 minutes.

Kurt Zouma – 6.5

Zouma started at the heart of the Hammers’ defence but he didn’t impress in the absence of injured centre-back partner Angelo Ogbonna.

The Frenchman didn’t make a single tackle against City, allowing the hosts’ attackers to get the better of him too often.

Not only that, he also failed to play any key passes out from the back and lost possession three times, which was arguably a factor in West Ham struggling to build attacks.

Said Benrahma – 6.5

Benrahma was another Irons player who failed to stamp his authority on proceedings, eventually being substituted in the second half.

He lost possession 10 times overall as City dominated the ball, and he won just one of his five duels at the Etihad Stadium.

Like Zouma, the Algerian also didn’t make a key pass, which is far from ideal for a player with his attacking quality.

Michail Antonio – 6.3

The hope was that Antonio would regain his excellent form from earlier in the season and bully City’s defence, but that didn’t prove to be the case.

An ineffective showing saw the 31-year-old fail to have a single shot in the game, also completing just seven of his 12 passes (58%) and no key passes.

Possession was lost 16 times when Antonio had the ball, too, on a poor afternoon for the striker, who has netted just once in his last seven Premier League games.

In other news, a journalist has made a claim regarding a potential West Ham signing. Read more here.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left delighted following an update on Adam Hlozek from reliable club insider ExWHUemployee.

The Czech Republic international has been on David Moyes’ radar since the summer transfer window and reports have suggested in recent weeks that they could make an offer to sign him in January (90min).

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Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s purchase of a 27% stake in the club has only heightened reports that West Ham could make a move, especially considering the magnate’s ties to Hlozek’s current club Sparta Prague.

The striker, who bagged 15 goals and 11 assists in just 19 Fortuna Liga appearances last term, has emerged as one of the most in-form young players in Europe as Ex drops an exciting transfer claim. According to his sources (via The West Ham Way), the Irons are set to make a ‘concrete offer’ for him in January, with interest ramping up significantly in recent weeks.

West Ham fans excited…

Taking into account the player’s prolific goalscoring record and young age, it’s little wonder so many Irons supporters are excited at the prospect of a concrete offer, with one fan calling this news ‘massive’.

Check out some of their best reactions below:

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @morgzwhu

“Finally”

Credit: @adambrown93

“Massive”

Credit: @FPLFella

“Time for me to get excited at strikers we’re linked to again! Please let this one end up differently than all the disappointment my hopes have been met with in the past!”

Credit: @TheWestHamYank

“Definitely the one striker I want us to sign”

Credit: @robson261009

“Get him on board, coyi”

Credit: @Petercrowe12

“this bloke is elite”

Credit: @stephenlott

“Great news!”

Credit: @brdv2137

In other news: Newman also eyeing West Ham bid to sign 129-goal ‘big name’ striker in January, find out more here.

Wolves’ Premier League clash with Watford was likely called off because of new cases later during this week, according to The Athletic’s Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Wolves game postponed

There will be no Boxing Day game for Wanderers fans to look forward to this year, with their Premier League clash with Watford postponed.

That’s due to the Hornets’ squad having too many positive tests for Covid-19, meaning they cannot field a squad of 13 plus a goalkeeper, so the match will have to be rescheduled.

There isn’t a huge amount of transparency being provided by clubs currently, in terms of naming numbers of players affected, leading to plenty of frustration amongst fans, managers and clubs, with the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Sean Dyche calling for more openness from the Premier League.

The Latest: Spiers provides explanation

After one Wolves supporter correctly pointed out that new guidelines reducing the isolation period from ten to seven days means the eight-day gap from Watford’s last match should be sufficient, Spiers gave an 11-word answer regarding why the Boxing Day game still couldn’t go ahead:

“May have had more cases at the start of this week.”

The Verdict: Extra rest for Lage’s men

The Boxing Day game is one of the best fixtures of the season in English football, so it is a huge shame to see Wolves not in action.

That being said, the postponement could potentially keep legs fresh going into the trip to Arsenal next Tuesday lunchtime, giving them more chance of picking up a positive result at the Emirates.

Avoiding fatigue at a busy point in the season is rarely easy but Bruno Lage’s men may have been aided, in that respect – a blessing in disguise for the players, even despite the blow for the supporters.

In other news, some Wolves fans are fuming at a transfer update. Read more here.

Manchester City fans have been reacting to the news that the Citizens are set to make a late move for Bayern Munich defender David Alaba.

Alaba has been one of the best defenders of the 21st century. He has made 419 appearances for Bayern throughout his career to date (Transfermarkt), helping the Bavarians win nine Bundesliga titles as well as two Champions League trophies, while he has also been named the Austrian Footballer of the Year on no less than seven occasions.

However, he will be playing for another club next season after confirming he will leave Bayern (Goal.com). A number of clubs have been linked with a move for the £49.5m-valued 28-year-old (Transfermarkt), including Real Madrid (The Guardian), but The Daily Star is now reporting the Citizens are to make a last effort to sign him. The Austrian is said to be looking for a salary of £400,000 a week.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Chief, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Alaba news below

“Am not sure we need this guy at City he is 28yrs now soon hitting 30 that’s why he wants a club with money so that he can pile up some money for himself, trust me he will not be committed in playing for City, he is just looking for money bcos soon he is hitting 30”

Credit: @Rex05633603

“Almost half a million pounds a week. That’s a crime. Sometimes I want to stop watching football just for this reason.”

Credit: @faitcher82

“that salary is absurd……would wreck the whole teams salary structure…..”

Credit: @CaliBearcat

“We need to be careful with our wage bill , if haaland or messi on the cards too”

Credit: @cst1894

“400k a week..I’d say sign him because his free transfer anyway..his valued at 45M plus.. this will compensate his wages anyway if city were to sign him on a 3 to 4 year contract.”

Credit: @phillip23193875

“Wouldn’t mind having him plus Zinny and Mendy would learn a lot from him”

Credit: @Ortega04187965

In other news, Man City fans have been reacting to this £128m transfer claim.

The Scotland national team have confirmed Glasgow Rangers’ Ryan Jack has had to pull out of the squad due to injury.

Jack injured

It was a surprise to see the midfielder called up by Steve Clarke in the first place considering he has not played for the Gers since February 21st (Transfermarkt).

Now, though, it is clear he is no position to play for his country or his club right now, and he has therefore withdrawn from international duty on this occasion.

Blow for Scotland and Rangers

Clarke will no doubt be disappointed to lose the £2.7m-valued former Aberdeen man (Transfermarkt). In his 10 caps, the Tartan Army have prevailed six times, drawn once and lost on three occasions, and they have been defeated just once with him in the starting line-up in the last seven fixtures.

Steven Gerrard, too, will be far from happy with this news. While the 29-year-old has made 24 appearances in all competitions this campaign for the 55-time Scottish champions, he has already suffered knee and calf issues that have kept him out for sustained periods. With the Premiership title now wrapped up, Gerrard may well have been hoping to give some playing time to a man he called “fantastic” earlier this term (via The Glasgow Times), but that looks like it may no longer be possible.

In other news, this man has been tipped to be Rangers’ Player of the Year.

Sunderland maintained their spot in the play-offs with a 1-1 draw at home to Rotherham in League One on Tuesday night.

The Black Cats are fifth in the table and one point ahead of seventh, as it stands, and know that a win on the final day of the season against Morecambe, who are battling against the drop, will seal their place in the top six.

It was an eventful night for Michael Ihiekwe at the Stadium of Light as he went from hero to zero for The Millers. He opened the scoring in the 17th minute before turning the ball into his own net in the 88th minute to gift Alex Neil’s team a point.

Sunderland did not register a single shot on target in the match as they struggled to break Paul Warne’s well-structured side down.

The home side were, therefore, a tad lucky to come away from the game with a point to show for their efforts as they did not trouble the opposition goalkeeper at all. Neil’s attackers struggled on the night and one player, in particular, who let the head coach down was centre-forward Nathan Broadhead.

Off the ball, he was a lightweight. As per SofaScore, he lost four of his six (66.6%) individual battles and this shows that he was dominated from a physical standpoint. He made one tackle in the match whilst failing to make a single interception, clearance, or block as he failed to help the defence out when Rotherham had the ball.

On the flip side of the game, he offered no attacking quality. As per SofaScore, he did not register a single key pass or shot on goal, whilst also failing to complete a single dribble. He only had 19 touches of the ball, with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson having 32, and completed just nine passes.

Broadhead struggled to get into the game in the final third as he let Neil down on and off the ball throughout the match. The Everton loanee has been sublime this season, with nine goals in 14 starts, but this was a performance to forget from the Welshman.

He must now dust himself down and work hard in training ahead of the crunchtime clash with Morecambe on Saturday. Neil will need the striker at his clinical best to ensure that the Black Cats are competing for a spot in the Championship via the play-offs next month.

AND in other news, Speakman howler: SAFC may now be on the verge of repeating brutal Hugill disasterclass…

According to The Daily Record, Glasgow Rangers outcast Jordan Jones is set for a six-month loan away from Ibrox at the Stadium of Light with Sunderland.

What’s the word?

After falling out of favour with Steven Gerrard for breaching Covid-19 rules with George Edmundson, Jones has found himself playing very little football this season and has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Ibrox boss.

It’s claimed that he had attracted interest from clubs across Scotland but favoured a move south of the border.

And now, he may have already played his last game for Rangers.

End of the road?

Jones, 26, has been nothing short of a flop since he first arrived at Ibrox from Kilmarnock, having been the subject of a failed bid from the Light Blues the year beforehand.

When he arrived on the scene in in 2019, he took to social media to share his delight, writing it was an ‘unbelievably proud day for me and my family’, adding ‘I’ve waited for this moment for a long time and today is a dream come true!’

However, despite being capped nine times by his country, the Northern Irishman has failed to rediscover the form he enjoyed at Kilmarnock.

In 19 appearances across all competitions, Jones has scored just once, as per Transfermarkt, which is a pretty measly return for a player who contributed to 33 goals in 119 games during his time at Rugby Park.

Gerrard praised him for his impact in the Europa League qualifier against Willem II at the start of the season, calling him a “real threat”, but he has been unable to break into the starting XI after his latest indiscretion. In fact, he is yet to feature since the turn of the year.

With Rangers recently confirming they have signed left-winger Scott Wright on a pre-contract agreement from Aberdeen, it might be the end of a chapter for Jones in his faltering Ibrox career.

AND in other news, Why Glasgow Rangers should give Ryan Kent whatever he wants…

Kieran Maguire has reacted to the news that Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley claimed between £100,001 and £250,000 in February as part of the United Kingdom government’s furlough scheme.

The Lowdown: Ashley makes use of scheme

The global pandemic has wreaked havoc across Britian over the past year or so, with many being unable to work as result. As such, the UK government introduced a furlough scheme which allowed business owners to pay their staff via their funds.

However, Ashley decided to use the scheme even though he has the money to pay his employees himself. It has now been revealed he claimed between £100,001 and £250,000 during the month of February (www.gov.uk).

The Athletic reported that Newcastle have continued to receive state funding despite no public acknowledgement of their use of the furlough scheme.

The Latest: Maguire says it is “awkward”

Speaking to Football Insider, football finance expert Maguire has said that the news is “uncomfortable” for Ashley. He said:

“There is a case for saying that if football clubs are legally permitted to use furlough, what’s all the fuss about?

“The furlough scheme’s proper title is the ‘job retention scheme’. If in the long term this helps to retain jobs in Newcastle, you can see the benefit.

“From Mike Ashley’s point of view, he’s desperate to sell Newcastle. If this is a way of getting some more money into the club, why would he not do it?

“If he’s coped with all the criticism that’s come his way historically, this will be water off a duck’s back.

“It’s an awkward one, however. It looks uncomfortable.

“The sums involved are actually quite small. If it’s £100,000-a-month for a year, it works out as around 1.5 per cent of the total wage bill.

“For the clubs that have turned it down, they have probably benefitted in terms of their relationship with the fans.

“Ashley has no relationship with the Newcastle fans that can ever be resurrected. So he’s just said: ‘Sod you lot, I’ll do what’s best for my wallet’.”

The Verdict: Are we surprised?

It is hard to be too surprised by this latest news – it has long been known that Ashley puts profit above all else (The Mag). That is one of the many reasons why so many Newcastle fans are desperate for him to sell the club and leave St James’ Park (The Guardian), and who can blame them?

It must also be made clear that Ashley was not the only owner to take advantage of the scheme – both Daniel Levy at Tottenham (ITV) and John Henry at Liverpool (france24.com) went down the same path. The difference in both of those cases, though, is that they eventually changed their minds, whereas Ashley seemingly has no intention of doing that.

In other news, Newcastle are interested in signing this Premier League forward.

It’s been a truly bizarre, indeed almost nightmarish, season for Matty Longstaff at Newcastle United.

Described as “talented” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, the 21-year-old showed in that stunning goalscoring performance against Manchester United in October 2019 that he has the ability to be a top-drawer player for the Magpies.

Speaking after that game, Arsenal icon Martin Keown declared: “The young lad should be knocking on Steve Bruce’s door and saying ‘Why didn’t you play me sooner?’ It was almost to say to the boss, ‘Hey, look at me, you have overlooked me for too long.’

“It was like a Paul Scholes…I know that’s big praise and they are big boots for him to copy, but him and his brother – Carrick, Scholes…you know, they did very well. And this is an important ingredient now in this Newcastle team, yes they were more disciplined but those two definitely won them the game.”

However, after putting pen to paper on a new deal last summer, things have gone horribly south for the younger Longstaff, playing just five games in the Premier League all season and not featuring at all since mid-January.

It has raised a few eyebrows to put it mildly, not least from the rest of the Newcastle squad apparently. The Athletic’s Chris Waugh revealed: “Steve Bruce, the head coach, has simply opted to exclude the academy graduate, much to the bemusement of team-mates and the player himself.

“There have been some suggestions that his naivety at Premier League level is part of the reason, yet that does not tally with the decision to field Longstaff against three of the very best sides in the division over the Christmas period.

“This season really needed to be one during which Longstaff was given opportunities. The club, Bruce and the player all recognised that. So, if those chances were not going to arrive on Tyneside, then surely a loan deal would have been in the player’s best interests.”

However, with the final day of the Premier League season now here, surely Bruce has no excuse but to give the £4.5m-rated Longstaff the chance to shine.

After being promised genuine first-team opportunities this term, there’s no questioning that the 21-year-old will be frustrated, maybe even livid, at being cast aside for the majority of the season – not least considering how badly the Magpies were struggling prior to the March international break.

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The clash against Fulham later this afternoon should offer him an overdue chance to taste first team football.

Meanwhile, Luke Edwards has dropped an exciting Newcastle United update…