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The previous summer transfer window saw Wolves bring in a number of players to Molineux, but one area of the pitch they didn’t strengthen in was midfield.

With Wolves only having a total of four options for the defensive and central-midfield roles in their squad, it appears as though they are now looking to strengthen in that department in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the news?

It has been reported by Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Birmingham Live) that Wolves are planning to make a move to sign Juventus and former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey in January.

Since making the move from Arsenal to the Serie A side, Ramsey, who is currently valued at £12.6m according to Transfermarkt, has made 69 appearances for Juventus across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing six assists along the way.

Fixing a hole

Prior to joining Juventus, Ramsey, who was once described as being “world-class” by Wales teammate Joe Allen, made a total of 371 appearances for Arsenal, bagging 65 goals and creating 65 assists in the process.

If Wolves are interested in signing Ramsey in January, they should definitely do so if a move would be financially viable to them.

The Welshman has a lot of Premier League experience under his belt with 262 appearances, which could be very beneficial, especially for some of Wolves’ younger players like Rayan Ait-Nouri, Ki-Jana Hoever and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Ramsey moving to Molineux in January would also be very exciting for the fans. After all, he’s a regular winner of trophies, reigning supreme in domestic cups with Arsenal and winning Serie A with Juve.

Most importantly, however, he’d offer the club more depth in midfield. Wolves failed to sign Renato Sanches during the summer but the 68-cap Wales international is an eye-catching alternative.

With Ruben Neves’ future still up in the air and Joao Moutinho aged 35, there are going to be some glaring gaps in the middle of the park to fill.

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After all, other options in Leander Dendoncker and Romain Saiss have been preferred in defence while Gibbs-White is out on loan.

Consequently, the addition of Ramsey would be an important one, gifting Bruno Lage an experienced and talented midfield option.

In other news: Wolves may already have their long-term Moutinho heir in “outstanding” gem – opinion

Italian football expert Conor Clancy believes it’s unlikely that Domenico Berardi will leave Sassuolo for Liverpool this summer. 

Liverpool have been credited with interest in the Italian international along with Leicester City this summer, with journalist Fabrizio Romano reporting that Sassuolo CEO Carnevali wants to keep Berardi at the club after the Leicester City rumours.

Conor Clancy also can’t see Berardi swapping Italy for England this summer, saying: “This summer I would say it’s probably unlikely that Berardi leaves but maybe in January if Sassuolo aren’t playing as well as they were last year or next summer, that’s something that’s a real possibility and that transfer could become a little more likely. 

“I’d say that if Sassuolo do decline this year, Berardi will leave next year but I can’t see him leaving this summer.”

The £31.5m-rated right-winger was in fine form for Sassuolo last season, scoring eight goals and providing four assists, taking his total for the club to 105 goals and 67 assists. After the club season was completed, Berardi was then part of the Italy squad that won Euro 2020.

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Jurgen Klopp is is looking to strengthen his side this summer to boost his side’s chances of challenging on all fronts this season, and recently completed a deal to sign Ibrahima Konate, who joined from RB Leipzig for £36m.

If football was played on the tea-stained piece of paper sitting on your desk, then last night’s game between Everton and Sheffield United will have been a foregone conclusion.

It will have resulted in the home side coming away with all three points, presumably from a couple of clinically taken Dominic Calvert-Lewin goals.

However, this is the Premier League, a division that so often captivates and lures us in even when there’s nothing to play for.

The Blades may be sitting rock bottom of the top-flight and already relegated but that didn’t stop Paul Heckingbottom’s men from putting up a spirited fight.

Courtesy of 17-year-old Daniel Jebbison, Sheffield United managed to beat the Toffees 1-0.

It was a disastrous and embarrassing result for Carlo Ancelotti, one that’s seen his team lose vital ground in the race for European football next season.

Mason Holgate was again at fault during the game and left his manager raging as he dragged him off at half time. Though, another player who will have the manager cursing his team is Richarlison.

On his day, the Brazilian is an effervescent character, someone who can change the game in an instant with a piece of trickery. However, those moments have been few and far between for the spritely attacker of late.

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Richarlison now hasn’t scored since 4th March, nor has he assisted a goal since 5th December.

His creativity and instinct inside the area has completely deserted him and he’s now running down blind alleys.

His performance at Goodison on Sunday was a concern. Even against the third-worst defence in the league he looked toothless, spurning a glorious opportunity to score late inside the opening period.

James Rodriguez played the ball in but the forward’s header was straight at Aaron Ramsdale, a goalkeeper who made six saves during one of his best days of the season.

Richarlison was fortunate to last the 90 minutes given his performance. He made just 15 passes and lost the ball every 3.5 touches.

He lost 60% of his defensive duels, played just one key pass and didn’t complete a single dribble either.

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For a player with so much flair in his locker, this was a particularly disappointing night.

So often one of the most vibrant players in this Everton squad, Ancelotti can only carry him so far. At the moment Richarlison is fortunate they have a lack of depth in attack.

Ahead of the summer window he needs to improve or be wary of finally being replaced in the starting XI.

AND in other news, Everton could find their very own TAA by signing £3.5k-p/w gem with “enormous ability”…

Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has expressed his disbelief over Liam Shaw’s impending move to Celtic, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

In controversial circumstances, the 20-year-old recently agreed a pre-contract with the former SPFL champions to join them in the summer, with his current Wednesday deal set to expire then.

Shaw is not the only player at Hillsborough whose contract is up at the end of the season but, being one of the younger members of the squad with potential, Palmer is frustrated with his situation in particular.

Speaking on the situation, the ex-England international exclusively told FFC:

“I don’t understand how Sheffield Wednesday are losing another young player who’s come through the ranks.

“Another young player that they’ve nurtured, paid for, developed and they’re losing him to Celtic. I just don’t understand what’s going on, really.”

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The fallout from Shaw’s transfer to Celtic arguably could not have come at a worse time for manager Darren Moore and Wednesday. The Owls are currently on an awful run of form, losing their seventh consecutive game last weekend following their 2-1 defeat to Norwich City, and have a real relegation fight on their hands.

Without a doubt, this Shaw debacle is the last thing Moore and Wednesday need right now. The former West Brom and Doncaster Rovers boss, however, must now move on as the Yorkshire club look to avoid the drop, next taking on Huddersfield Town at home.

West Ham United endured a calamity in the transfer market this summer by failing to sign Duje Caleta-Car after being offered the defender in an easy deal by Olympique de Marseille.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, via Sport Witness, Marseille’s Director of Football Pablo Longoria had sought to offload Caleta-Car late in the market after being ordered to sell a string of the Ligue 1 side’s players.

West Ham are believed to have been contacted to sound out interest in the 24-year-old centre-half but were unable to put together a convincing offer in time, as Caleta-Car favoured continuing at the Stade Velodrome to live out his dream of competing in the Champions League.

That dream has quickly turned into a nightmare with Andre Villas-Boas’ Marseille side winless after three Group Stage ties, featuring a 1-0 loss at Olympiacos, a 3-0 drubbing at home to Manchester City and a 3-0 thrashing away to FC Porto.

Marseille have only begun to turn around their league form in recent weeks, too, with OM sitting fifth in the Ligue 1 table having allowed the fourth-most shots a game in the French top-flight at 14.6.

Caleta-Car could have signed a vastly lucrative deal had he agreed to join West Ham this summer, with The Sun reporting in October that the Irons were willing to pay Marseille £25million and award the Croatia international a £150,000-per-week contract.

The 8-cap enforcer later confirmed he had received a well-paid offer this summer, noting via quotes by TransferMarkt: “Yes, I had offers from Premier League clubs. It was a good offer for the club and me.

“I decided to stay in the Champions League because it was always the biggest dream of my life.”

Worth a second attempt?

With Marseille’s Champions League campaign quickly crumbling into pieces, and a Europa League berth reliant on Villas-Boas bettering Olympiacos’ points haul over their next three fixtures, Caleta-Car could reconsider his future at the Stade Velodrome in the New Year.

Reports by Buzz Sport have suggested the OM hierarchy remain open to cashing-in on the Croatian, too, with Longoria already considering Nikola Maksimovic as a potential replacement with his SSC Napoli contract expiring in the summer.

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But Caleta-Car could take some convincing of a move to east London with David Moyes’ Hammers far from challenging for the Champions League places this season, so may need to rely on a lucrative contract once more after presenting a deal that would have made the 23-year-old the best-paid player in claret and blue by some margin.

Caleta-Car’s performances in Ligue 1 this term as Marseille’s left-sided centre-half offer enough promise for West Ham that he can make a success of himself in the Premier League, having averaged 2.5 aerial duels won a game with a 74% success rate, per SofaScore, plus 4.4 clearances, 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 34.3 accurate passes (82%).

AND in other news, David Moyes has been backed to bring the “perfect” £10m bonus to West Ham in January.

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford revealed that players have had to send in pictures of their weight every day they are in lockdown, in an interview with iNews.

What did he say?

Marcelo Bielsa has a reputation for his strict and intense training methods and it seems that there has been no respite for his squad during lockdown.

According to Bamford, the players have had plenty of help keeping fit at home, with equipment delivered to them before the United Kingdom even went into lockdown.

“The uncertainty makes it difficult but then came the news last week with the EFL saying we are not going to be back training until 16 May at the earliest,” he said in an interview with iNews.“At least we now actually have that date to look forward to.”According to The Guardian, there are plans to restart the EFL season in June, with the aim of completing 341 outstanding fixtures in jut 56 days.Bamford added: “Even before the UK’s official lockdown, the fitness staff dropped off exercise bikes and gym equipment at our homes, so we are well prepared. There is method to everything Marcelo does and we have to send in pictures of our weight every day. I’m actually coping fine.”Match fitIt is no surprise that Bielsa has installed a strict training programme for his squad while they are in isolation.With just seven matches to play, the club will be desperate not to miss out on promotion for a second consecutive season, and staying fit during these unprecedented circumstances is a vital part of ensuring that the players are fully fit and ready to finish the job when the season does eventually restart.

Just weeks after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer delivered a glowing verdict on Fred’s performances, the Brazil international produced one of his most ineffective displays of the season on Saturday afternoon.

The Manchester United manager exclaimed back in December that the midfielder had grabbed his chance with both feet following the injury to Paul Pogba, and that he was sure he would “kick on and improve”.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

But despite the Red Devils’ impressive 4-0 victory over Norwich at the weekend, there is certainly an element of frustration behind the kind of performance Fred delivered.

As a central midfielder, one of the most obvious remits is helping to dictate the play and maintain the tempo in your side’s favour. And there cannot be any complaints with Fred trying to get his foot on the ball and control possession for United – he enjoyed the most touches of anyone with a Red Devils shirt with 115 to his name as per Sofascore. But whilst that was all well and good, what he actually did with it was incredibly limited.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk man managed no key passes whatsoever during the entire game, and that lack of creativity and cutting edge from deep in midfield has been one of the main reasons behind United looking toothless on occasion. In this instance, Fred’s teammates further forward like Marcus Rashford bailed him out, but similar levels of non-existent contribution in future games will be to the detriment of the side.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Man United Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

And defensively against the Canaries, he looked all at sea too. He was dribbled past six times during the game (the worst of any United player), whilst also losing 12 total duels and giving up possession on 17 occasions. It was a display riddled with ineffectiveness on the ball, and a lack of solidity in trying to screen his defence.

So whilst the result for the Manchester side was very promising, the performance of their ace left a lot to be desired. And with the January transfer window open, it raises an important question for Ed Woodward to answer.

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With Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay out injured, a new central midfielder may now have to be on the agenda following Fred’s insipid display. They have the chance to bring in someone who can help add a bit more creativity and thrust, and it is important the club looks to do so. If Woodward wants to secure top-four football once more, opening up the purse-strings and buying someone who can unlock the door from deep may be the catalyst for that.

Meanwhile, Manchester United swooping for this Bundesliga star would spell bad news for one academy starlet.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking on talkSPORT, Tony Cascarino has suggested Scott McTominay would be “better off” if he starts playing at centre-back for Manchester United.

What did he say?

The 22-year-old has made 14 appearances across all competitions this season for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, and as per Transfermarkt, they have all come from either the central or holding midfield positions.

However, Cascarino has questioned whether the Scotland international has the requisite quality to be a United midfielder, and suggested his strengths are better suited to a role in defence.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “The two midfielders, McTominay, I think McTominay’s okay. Fred and McTominay are not a partnership, they are not a partnership to lead Manchester United in midfield. I think (McTominay’s) not bad but you’re talking about Manchester United being not bad in midfield.

“I don’t see Fred at all, I think he’s far better than Fred. I actually see McTominay as a centre-half. I look at him every time and come away thinking ‘you’d be far better off being a centre-half’ because he does a lot of things that centre-halves do well.”

Ludicrous

In a rather difficult season for the Red Devils, McTominay has arguably been one of the shining lights. As per Whoscored, the 6 foot 4 man has an average match rating of 7.07 in the Premier League – a number that puts him as high as fourth amongst the entire United squad.

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Whilst his defensive skills are his main strength – he has averaged an impressive 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions this season in the top-flight – he is ever-improving in the technical part of the game. He now makes 51 passes per game compared to last year’s 28.1, whilst he is also completing 1.4 dribbles instead of just 0.1. Cascarino’s argument in moving the 6 foot 4 man into centre-back is perplexing considering the Red Devils also simply don’t have alternative options.

Paul Pogba remains out injured, whilst the central defensive area is arguably the one position where United are incredibly well-stocked – they have the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Marcos Rojo, Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly all competing for that role. McTominay is showing this season that he can be the “very good midfielder” that Solskjaer thinks he is, and that is exactly why Cascarino’s suggestion should fall on deaf ears.

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Loads of Liverpool fans on Twitter have unexpectedly called for the club to appoint Jose Mourinho as Jurgen Klopp’s successor following comments this week from the German in his home country which suggest he could leave the role in 2022.

That is the date when the 52-year-old’s contract with the Merseyside outfit is due to expire, and it would also take him up to seven years – the same time he managed at previous clubs Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.

In quotes from Bild, as translated by The Mirror, when asked what is next in his career he said: “I hope to continue like this, but in two, three years I don’t know what may happen.

“Maybe I’ll retire!

“It doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen, however, but if that were the case, you wouldn’t be surprised.”

Those words have obviously got Liverpool supporters talking about who could potentially replace Klopp when he does eventually go, and Mourinho was a surprise name on quite a few lips.

Given he has managed Chelsea and arch-rivals Manchester United – and been sacked by both in the previous four years following some poor performances and results – it is a surprise that the Anfield faithful would want him, with one even describing him as a “perfect fit”.

Of course in addition his style of play is seen as more defensive and conservative than Klopp’s sometimes gung-ho approach, although you can’t argue with his haul over honours over the years – including three Champions League trophies, one Europa League success and three Premier League titles.

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Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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In the same way that Dubai has emerged from the sands of the desert, Manchester City have risen from the cold, wet muddy grounds of Manchester to become a footballing powerhouse.

As they say, you can’t make a cake without breaking a few eggs, and boy oh boy, have a few shells been smashed by the Blues along the way.

Indeed, while Pep Guardiola has introduced some pragmatism to City’s transfer policy, which has benefited the club no end, those who came before him seemed to adopt a more, shall we say, frivolous approach.

High off their newly found riches, the likes of Mark Hughes, Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini all splashed the cash on some questionable signings who, quite frankly, didn’t possess enough ability to lace the boots of half of the current City squad, never mind play alongside them.

Take Javi Garcia, for example. It cost City £16million to recruit this lummox from Benfica in 2012, and for what exactly? The world’s most expensive sleeping aid?

Honestly, what can we say about him? Should we start with his manoeuvrability? The Spaniard shifted at a rate that made the tectonic plates look like they’re travelling at light speed. He turned like a canal barge docked on sand and had the agility of man made entirely of cardboard trying to do an assault course. Picture it.

Then there was his general play. Garcia really didn’t bring much to the team – not least at the dynamic level we have come to expect of Manchester City nowadays. The Spaniard sort of just stood on the pitch and let things pass him by without contributing so much as a single positive ball forwards. It was boring to watch him, it really was. Especially on the comedown from the previous campaign. It just felt like the club were going backwards.

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Though Garcia did feature a little more in his second season in Manchester under the guidance of Pellegrini, his one-dimensional, unfashionable style of play did little to win over the love of fans and, ultimately, the man in charge, whose preference for Yaya Toure and Fernandinho eventually squeezed him out of the club.

Manchester City fans, what are your standout memories of Javi Garcia? Are we giving him more stick then he deserves? Let us know in the comments below…