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Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked with a move for Goncalo Ramos this summer, and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist Jacque Talbot, Benfica forward Ramos could be the player Bruno Lage turns to next in Wolves’ attempt to strengthen their team ahead of the transfer window closing.

Talbot told GIVEMESPORT:

“They’re looking to get into Europe again next year. To get back in the Europa League, they’re going to start pulling a lot of big names out.

“I think Ramos is next up on the list as well.”

Imagine him & Podence

Bruno Lage’s side are yet to pick up a win in the Premier League after three games with just one goal scored so far, so bringing in a player like Ramos who can inspire more creativity and goal-scoring opportunities in the side could be a major coup for the club.

Ramos has already scored one goal and assisted twice for Benfica this season over two league appearances, and has scored four goals in their Champions League qualification games too, playing in the centre-forward role and finally climbing out of new Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez’s shadow.

Showing glimpses of his potential over 29 league appearances last season, the 21-year-old scored seven times, delivered one assist and created three big chances, while taking 1.9 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

That all came after the forward racked up some “outrageous numbers” in the words of football talent scout Jacek Kulig, with the youngster totalling 11 goals and three assists in nine matches at one stage over the 2020/21 campaign for Benfica B.

Lage could even form a fantastic attacking partnership between Ramos and Wolves’ winger Daniel Podence if the club can seal a deal for the player this summer.

The Portuguese pair certainly offer a number of different attributes in the way they affect the game for their respective teams, but combining their talents could be lethal for opponents coming up against them over the season ahead.

In terms of finding the back of the net and creating goalscoring opportunities, Ramos offers much more consistency in those attributes with a better shot on target rate (44.4% v 42.9%) and more goal contributions per 90 minutes (0.45 v 0.39). However, Podence’s creativity could be they key to getting the very best out of the £30m-valued talent at Wolves.

The 25-year-old created seven big chances and delivered three assists last season, with 1.4 key passes per game. He also ranked in the top 25% of his positional peers in the top five European leagues for progressive carries over the last 12 months.

As a result, the signing of Ramos could be a golden opportunity for Lage to give Podence the perfect partner to work with in order to fashion more chances for Wolves as their expectations for European football could be farfetched if they don’t improve upon their performances already behind them.

West Ham United supporters have been handed a fairly promising transfer update involving left-wing-back target Filip Kostic as the club chase a deal.

The Lowdown: Irons in talks…

The Irons are in talks for numerous targets after completing four major summer signings already for manager David Moyes.

West Ham are thought to attempting moves for both Lille midfielder Amadou Onana and Kostic of Eintracht Frankfurt, while the likes of Burnley winger Maxwell Cornet have also been heavily linked.

It appears the east Londoners mean business ahead of their Premier League opener against English champions Manchester City this weekend and look determined to right the wrongs of last season.

The Latest: West Ham ‘willing’ to meet Kostic price…

Now, a promising report has surfaced with an update on West Ham’s chances of landing Kostic.

According to The Evening Standard, GSB and co are ‘willing to meet’ Frankfurt’s asking price with negotiations being held over the 29-year-old’s signing.

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Going further, while they claim ‘convincing’ Kostic is proving ‘more difficult’, it is also believed that he is ‘tempted by a move to London’ and West Ham haven’t given up.

The Verdict: Perfect for Moyes?

Kostic, primarily a wing-back, is perfect for Moyes if the Scotsman wishes to change formation to a back five.

Called Frankfurt’s ‘irreplaceable’ star by the official Bundesliga YouTube channel, the Serbia international racked up a brilliant 15 assists in all competitions from out wide and was absolutely pivotal to their Europa League triumph.

Kostic’s contract situation, due to expire in 2023, could also motivate his club to accept a lower valuation and we believe West Ham should certainly keep pushing.

ExWHUemployee has dropped an update on reported West Ham United transfer target Jesse Lingard.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, the West Ham insider revealed that, following reports suggesting that Rob Newman is now closing in on a deal to bring the out-of-contract forward to the London Stadium this summer, he has been informed by a number of sources that a move for the 29-year-old is indeed close.

However, Ex went on to state that he was not prepared to reveal just how close the England international’s switch to east London actually is, as the former Manchester United attacker could yet opt to move elsewhere – having also been linked with a move to Wayne Rooney’s DC United and a number of European clubs in recent weeks.

In his tweet, the insider said: “I have been told by numerous people he is close, but I said I’m not prepared to say how close until I know he has been to [the] training ground and it’s that close – as he can change [his] mind.”

Supporters will love Ex’s update

Considering just how impressive Lingard was during a loan spell at the London Stadium in the second half of the 2022/21 campaign, Ex’s claim that the 32-cap international does now appear to be close to securing a permanent switch to east London this summer is sure to be news the West Ham faithful will love.

Indeed, over his 16 Premier League fixtures for the Hammers in the season before last, the £16.2m-rated attacker was in devastating form for Moyes’ side, scoring nine goals, registering five assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.6 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

These metrics saw the 29-year-old average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.19, not only ranking him as the Irons’ best performer in the league but also as the 20th-best player in the English top flight as a whole – playing an influential role in West Ham sealing an extremely impressive sixth-place finish that year.

As such, the prospect of the Manchester United academy graduate linking up with the club once again on a full-time basis is sure to be an extremely tantalising one for both Moyes and supporters alike – with Ex’s latest update appearing to suggest that it will not be long before Lingard is back playing his football in claret and blue.

AND in other news: “Signing both not ruled out”: Sky Sports journo drops WHU update, Moyes surely buzzing

An update has emerged on Rangers and a player Gio van Bronckhorst is pursuing in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to the Sunday Mirror. via the Glasgow Times, the Light Blues are one of a number of teams keen on a deal for Oscar Gloukh ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The report claims that Borussia Dortmund, Roma and Tottenham are also eyeing the Maccabi Tel Aviv talent, with the Gers facing stiff competition for his signature.

It has been reported that his club want a fee in the region of £10m for the gem, although it remains to be seen whether any of the interested parties are willing to match that. 

Scott Arfield upgrade

By securing a deal to sign Gloukh, Rangers could land an upgrade on veteran attacking midfielder Scott Arfield this summer.

The Canada international struggled in front of goal last season and failed to show that he is good enough to play regular minutes in the forward line.

In the Premiership, the 33-year-old scored four goals and did not provide a single assist in 29 outings. Along the way, the dud missed a whopping nine ‘big chances’ as his finishing left plenty to be desired.

Meanwhile, he was unable to register a goal or assist in 12 Europa League outings – missing three ‘big chances’ and not creating a single one for his teammates.

Gloukh, on the other hand, has shown great signs of promise in the attacking third. He has scored three goals in eight league matches for Tel Aviv and four goals in 19 outings for Israel at U18 and U19 level.

Gers podcaster Andy Barnett recently told the Heart & Hand podcast: “They (Rangers) were meant to be looking at Oscar Gloukh, who I’ve seen play in person and is an absolutely superbly talented youngster, a wonderkid.

“He came on for Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the final third of the season and was just the best player in the league in the final third. He scored against Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel-Aviv which are the two biggest games and there was meant to be clubs from La Liga as well as Rangers looking at him last night.”

The gem was also named in talent scout Jacek Kulig’s U19’s European Championships Team of the Tournament this summer, which further illustrates that he is a player with immense potential.

This suggests that the teenager, who has already shown signs of being a goalscorer from midfield, has the scope to become an upgrade on Arfield in the long term. He can develop whilst gaining experience at Rangers and, hopefully, make a bigger impact in the final third than the ex-Burnley man.

AND in other news, Rangers “confident” of sealing deal for £6m maestro, he could be GvB’s own De Bruyne…

An update has emerged regarding Rangers youngster Josh McPake and his future at Ibrox ahead of the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Journalist Jacque Talbot has revealed that the winger is being eyed up by a number of teams south of the border after a loan spell in the fourth tier of English football.

The reporter tweeted: “Understand Rangers youngster Josh McPake is the subject of interest from several League Two sides. Carlisle United and Hartlepool United are keen on the attacker, who’s just finished his loan spell at Tranmere Rovers.”

Ross Wilson will be delighted

Rangers’ sporting director Ross Wilson will be left delighted by this claim, as it suggests that he will be able to cash in on the attacker in the coming months.

The youngster has spent the last two seasons on loan in League Two but failed to show that he has the potential to come back and make an impact in the first-team at Rangers.

In the 2020/21 campaign, he scored four goals and failed to provide a single assist in 23 outings for Harrogate Town. He also lost 56% of his duels as he struggled to deal with the physicality of the game, although that was to be expected as it was the then-teenager’s first experience of regular senior football.

However, he did not use that season to improve, as he left a lot to be desired again in 2021/22. In 14 League Two appearances for Tranmere, he managed one goal and zero assists whilst losing 62% of his individual battles.

These statistics indicate that McPake regressed after a year of experience in the English fourth tier, and this is a worry in relation to his future at Ibrox. He has not shown that he is on the right path in his development and there is little to suggest that he is a player who Gio van Bronckhorst will want to call upon any time soon.

Therefore, now is the right time – whilst his stock is seemingly high amongst League Two clubs – to cash in on him whilst the Gers still can.

At the age of 20, clubs may want to take a punt on him in case he is able to improve over time, but his statistics in his career so far are less than encouraging with respect to the chances of him making the first-team in Glasgow.

Wilson will now be delighted to learn of the interest in McPake’s services, as he can rake in a fee for the underperforming youngster and use the money to bring in another young prospect or invest it in another area of the club.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Lundstram: Wilson must land Rangers deal for “fabulous” £28k-p/w maestro…

Wolves have made Barcelona midfielder Nico Gonzalez one of their top targets this summer if they are to lose Ruben Neves during the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

That’s according to reports from Sport (via Barca Universal), claiming that the 20-year-old could be used in a deal to lure Neves to the Nou Camp, with the Spanish giants interested in signing the Portugal international.

It has been suggested that the Blaugrana are favourites to sign the Wolves midfielder this summer, with the 25-year-old likely to be allowed seek pastures new after five years of service if the right fee was to be received.

However, they could benefit from allowing the Portuguese midfielder to join Barcelona by making one of their top targets in Gonzalez part of the deal, with Oscar Mingueza and Riqui Puig also mentioned to be potentially included in a deal with the La Liga giants.

Wolves must sign Nico Gonzalez

Despite being just 20 years old, Gonzalez has been a regular for Xavi’s side this term, making 36 senior appearances across all competitions. Although most of his appearances have come as a substitute, the Spaniard is well regarded in Catalonia, having come through the ranks at La Masia.

With characteristics of a box-to-box midfielder, the 20-year-old averaged a 90% passing accuracy in La Liga this term from 33.6 touches per game, with over half of his appearances coming from the bench.

Labelled “spectacular” by Cesc Fabregas, Gonzalez has shown promise defensively with 1.1 tackles, 0.4 clearances and 0.2 interceptions per match, whilst being excellent on the ball with 1.3 successful dribbles per game at a 79% completion rate.

Neves may not be the only midfielder leaving Molineux this summer, with 35-year-old Joao Moutinho yet to sign a contract extension at Wolves and his current deal set to expire at the end of June.

Even if the veteran does extend his stay in the Black Country, he is 36 in September and a long-term replacement will be required, with Gonzalez being an excellent candidate.

At just 20 years of age, the Spaniard has made 36 senior appearances, all of which coming this season in what has been an impressive breakthrough campaign.

With an excellent footballing education at La Masia, Gonzalez should only improve even further and could eventually become a mouth-watering option for Wolves in the not too distant future, if they can perhaps use him as a sweetener in the potential sale of Neves.

AND in other news: Wolves now closing in on “special” £23.4m-rated signing, it could be bye-bye Neves

Manchester City have a track record when it comes to signing English players from fellow Premier League clubs.

Players such as Kyle Walker, John Stones, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish have all made moves to the Etihad Stadium from other top-flight sides in recent years.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Manchester club could be looking to add another English talent to their ranks.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Star, City and Pep Guardiola have identified Leeds United midfielder, Kalvin Phillips, as a potential summer transfer target.

As a product of Leeds’ youth academy, the midfielder has gone on to make 233 senior appearances for the Yorkshire club across all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing 13 assists along the way.

Better than Fernandinho?

With current City midfielder, Fernandinho, set to leave the club in the summer, it’s easy to see why the club would be looking to bring in a player like Phillips to potentially come in and replace their departing Brazilian.

To put the two players under the spotlight, there’s an argument to be made that the England international could be a better option for City in terms of being a defensive-minded midfield player.

With 19 appearances in the Premier League to his name compared to the 37-year-old’s 18, Phillips has racked up considerably more tackles, interceptions, pressures, blocks and clearances than the City veteran.

This shows how much the Leeds star could make City a stronger and tougher team to play against.

Labelled as a midfield “destroyer” by Steve McLaren, Phillips has also been praised for his “immense” performances on the international stage with England by Marcus Rashford.

Despite having a rather hefty reported transfer fee of £60m, Phillips could be a great addition to City’s ranks, following in the footsteps of some of his other international teammates that have joined and won trophies at the Manchester club.

Having already secured a deal to sign Erling Haaland, moving onto Phillips to help strengthen their midfield and wrap up a suitable replacement for Fernandinho would be the ideal next step for City in terms of their summer transfer business.

In other news: Man City plot surprise bid for £30m “delivery expert”, just imagine him & Haaland

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has rubbished any suggestions of one-time Elland Road idol Kalvin Phillips returning to the club.

The Lowdown: Agbonlahor’s claim

The midfielder moved to Manchester City over the summer but has struggled for game-time under Pep Guardiola. The 26-year-old has played just 13 competitive minutes at the Etihad Stadium this season and now looks set for a spell on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.

His slow start to life in Manchester led to Gabby Agbonlahor claiming last week that Phillips should be loaned back to Elland Road, and Robinson has been giving his thoughts on the former Aston Villa striker’s suggestion.

The Latest: Robinson’s comments

Talking to MOT Leeds News, the 42-year-old – who also contributes for Sky Sports – had this to say on Phillips and a potential return to Elland Road in light of Agbonlahor’s comments:

“For him personally, it’s a new challenge and a new step. He’s got off to a slow start but you don’t judge him at the first sign of trouble.

“He’s a fantastic player and he’s not even had an opportunity at Manchester City. He’s had a couple of niggling injuries and that’s stopped him from the opportunity to keep going.

“You don’t go to a club of that size and after three or four weeks decide it’s not working and go back again.

“He’s a player of huge ability and huge quality and it’s only a matter of time before he makes his mark on that Man City team.

“He’s against one of the best players in the world – Rodri – to get into that team and with the way they play, there’s only room for one of them. Kalvin will get in that team eventually.

“There’s an option for him to play in a three at the back, there’s an option for him to play in midfield. But he’s part of a huge squad so there’s no way in the world he should be considering going back to Leeds.

“He’s earned himself that fantastic move and it will come to fruition at some point.”

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The Verdict: Not happening

It is a shame to see that Phillips’ move to the Etihad hasn’t worked out so far, but it looks as if injury has played a big part in his absence instead of being snubbed by Guardiola.

Hopefully the 26-year-old will return in good time for the World Cup and duly break into the Man City team regularly during the second half of the season.

A move back to Elland Road could well materialise towards the end of his career, but for the immediate future, we’re with Robinson in believing that the midfielder should be focusing solely on impressing in Manchester.

As batsman, coach, and the man who snagged MS Dhoni for CSK, VB Chandrasekhar possessed both daring and clear thinking

Deivarayan Muthu and Saurabh Somani16-Aug-2019VB Chandrasekhar may have hit a 56-ball fourth-innings century in the 1988 Irani Trophy against Rest of India, to go with 160 in the quarter-final and 89 in the final of the Ranji Trophy that preceded it, but he might be remembered more for what he did in a spellbound auction room ahead of the inaugural IPL almost three decades later. It was Chandrasekhar who raised the paddle to signify that Chennai Super Kings were bidding USD 1.5 million for MS Dhoni. That was 30% of the budget cap on one player, and the size of the bid meant Dhoni got a higher pay packet than even the five ‘icon’ players (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh), who would each be paid 15% more than whatever their respective franchises’ highest bids were.And if it is for that one act that people remember the former India batsman who died on August 15, six days before he would have turned 58, it will still be fitting. The otherwise straightforward act had the daring and audacity of his strokeplay, the foresight of his time as national selector, the ability to spot talent that he had as coach.Described as a witty, jovial character who was an excellent reader of the game, Chandrasekhar had become a familiar figure in his later years as a commentator on domestic cricket and an owner of one of the teams in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.His career as player, selector and coach meant he had a bird’s-eye view of the game as well as an insider’s perspective, and the cricketing community in India recalled his contribution to the game with fondness.”I am shocked and completely taken aback,” R Ashwin told ESPNcricinfo in a text message. “He was a man who garnered respect wherever he went in the cricketing fraternity, had a great eye for talent and his service to game is beyond my limits of expression.”VV Kumar, who played two Tests for India and had a first-class career spanning 1955-56 to 1976-77, was Chandrasekhar’s neighbour and had seen his progress from close quarters. “I knew him for more than 30 years,” Kumar said. “He had that cricketing brain to judge a player, whether he is good enough or whether he could be tried in a different role and turned into a better cricketer. He had that great temperament, both as a batsman and a selector.

“He had that cricketing brain to judge a player, whether he is good enough or whether he could be tried in a different role and turned into a better cricketer”VV Kumar, the former India legspinner

“After [former India opener] Kris Srikkanth, the only batsman from Tamil Nadu who could hit any bowler – pacer or spinner – was Chandrasekhar. If you go deeper, Srikkanth might give a chance to a bowler, but Chandrasekhar never gave the bowler a chance to settle down. He had that capacity to hit any bowler, but unfortunately did not get enough chances for India.”The special thing about VB’s hitting was that he could pick the length half-a-second earlier than the others. Even if you changed lengths, (he would jump down the track and hit you). Even if a coach or a captain would tell VB not to hit in the air, he would not listen and back himself to hit over the top.”He also had a great eye for talent. Suresh Raina wasn’t a T20 star, but VB picked him [for CSK] and he still continues to play for them. And Dhoni, of course.”Kiran More, who was Chandrasekhar’s India team-mate and later served on the same selection panel from 2004 to 2006 – a fairly tumultuous time in Indian cricket with Sourav Ganguly sacked as captain and Greg Chappell’s stormy tenure as coach – had memories of a player who trained hard and a selector whose opinions were well worth paying heed to.”There’s a beautiful ground [in New Zealand], the New Plymouth Ground. There’s a hill on that ground and we named it ‘VB hill’. Because what happened is, Bishan [Singh Bedi, the Indian team manager then] made him run every day, with pads on, up and down the hill. He would do it at least seven to eight times during the day.Getty Images”When the match [a four-day game against New Zealand Board President’s XI] happened, VB got out for a duck [he actually made 92 in the first innings, but 3 in the second]. And from the ground itself he went straight up on the hill, and didn’t come down till the evening! So we called it the VB Hill. He went straight from the ground, with the pads on. Pads, gloves, helmet, he went up.”More said that as a selector, Chandrasekhar was clear-thinking and candid. “VB would always give his opinions. He knew his own mind and we respected that,” More said. “He definitely had his opinions, and he would share them too, but a very good cricketing brain. We used to get along really well together as selectors. We would argue in the selection meetings, but at the end of the day, we were all great friends.”He had his own style of talking. Always jovial, and he would drop these cricketing anecdotes from time to time. Sometimes I would find that he would just get lost in his own world. If something went wrong he wouldn’t like it and would just go into his own world, in his own zone. That’s why I used to tell him, ‘VB, you’ve not come down from that hill!'”

The first Ashes Test swung back and forth multiple times, before Australia grabbed the initiative on the fourth day.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2017