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Wolverhampton Wanderers have once again been linked with a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney this summer.

According to a recent report by 90min (via Birmingham Live), Bruno Lage is in the market for adding a striker to his squad ahead of next season, although his side could be priced out of a move for the Englishman.

Toney has settled into the top-flight excellently after catapulting the Bees into the Premier League last term with 33 Championship goals, finding the back of the net 12 times in the current campaign for Thomas Frank’s side, who now look all but safe after their first season in the first division.

Having played in League One, the Championship and now the Premier League over the last three seasons, the 26-year-old’s rise up the English football ladder has been remarkable.

Netting 139 senior goals over the course of his career, Toney has been a kingpin for Frank’s men, despite only joining in September 2020.

The Danish manager has previously labelled the striker as “special” whilst also claiming that he has the “mindset of a lion.”

The former Newcastle youth player has quickly established himself as one of England’s most prolific forwards and is certainly destined for bigger things, with no disrespect to Brentford.

Although the Englishman would see sides that can offer European football as a preference, joining Wolves would certainly be a step up with the West Midlands club enjoying a successful first campaign under the management of Bruno Lage.

The Old Gold currently find themselves eighth in the Premier League, although they are three points behind seventh-placed West Ham with a game in hand.

Securing European football is still very realistic for Lage’s men which, if they are successful in doing so, will make them a much more attractive prospect for potential signings.

Despite their strong campaign, quality in the final third has frequently been lacking for Wolves who have scored just 33 goals in 32 matches – with only Brighton, Burnley, Watford and Norwich have scored fewer.

Therefore, adding a prolific striker will certainly be a priority for the Portuguese manager.

This season has seen the return of forward Raul Jimenez after a horrific skull fracture that could’ve easily forced the Mexican into early retirement.

However, while the 30-year-old is Wolves’ joint-top goalscorer this term, he has been well below the standard previously set prior to his injury, scoring just six goals.

Although there were extra matches with the West Midlands outfit reaching the quarter-final of the Europa League, the 2019/20 campaign saw Jimenez score a whopping 27 goals and assist a further 10 in 55 games.

Moreover, the season prior saw the Mexican find the back of the net on 17 occasions in 44 appearances.

Had Wolves’ defence not been as good as it has been this campaign, the Golden Boys would undoubtedly find themselves well out of contention for a European spot.

Therefore, adding a more consistent goalscorer over the summer is vital as Lage’s men cannot rely on solely shutting teams out regularly to progress. With a good record, plenty of potential and top-flight experience, Toney would be an excellent candidate.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Wolves dealt late injury setback ahead of Burnley, Lage will be gutted

Manchester City fans want to sign Dusan Vlahovic after it was revealed the Fiorentina striker’s contract talks with the Serie A club have collapsed.

The Citizens have so far had a relatively good start to the campaign – they are just two points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea after a momentous win over the Blues last weekend (Sky Sports).

However, results such as the 0-0 draw with Southampton indicate the Citizens are struggling to convert chances without a reliable centre-forward after failing to capture Harry Kane during the summer.

They were also linked with Vlahovic during the transfer window, but he ended up staying in Italy. As per Fabrizio Romano, the Serbia international’s contract talks have now fallen apart.

His current contract is set to run out in 2023, meaning Fiorentina could be open to selling him the next year rather than lose him for free the following term.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“January and we’ll win the Champions League.”

Credit: @jofer_ms

“Get him in!!”

Credit: @MCFCYoungboy

“January”

Credit: @shaunyb3000

“Get him in jan”

Credit: @_KawaiiKayky

“Yes. Sign him.”

Credit: @WayneJa01355301

“Sign him in January!”

Credit: @King_Kevin100

In other news, Man City fans have been reacting to this transfer news.

2018 was an exciting year for Celtic and everyone associated with the Hoops and Parkhead.

The Bhoys wrapped up the treble as Brendan Rodgers led his side to a Premiership crown and cup double.

Celtic even reached the group stages of the Champions League, an achievement that’s felt incredibly far-fetched over the last few seasons.

Yet, that year was also one for Peter Lawwell to forget in the transfer window. That’s because the Glaswegian side missed out on a player who’s now one of the first names on the team sheet for the national side.

Coincidentally, he’s also now a regular in the Premier League.

The man in question is a certain John McGinn. The central midfielder was at Hibernian when Celtic tried no fewer than three times to sign from the Edinburgh club.

However, he eventually left for Aston Villa in a deal worth a measly £2m. Speaking after that, McGinn revealed the reasons:

“It was important to weigh up everything and not just go with my heart because I had basically made up my mind I wanted to join Celtic.”

The midfielder added: “But I also had to weigh up in my mind how strong Celtic’s midfield had been for a long time.

“I remember speaking to Brendan Rodgers and he said the important thing I would take from it was I would play games. But Steve Bruce said I would play every game.”

Sadly, it looks as though the club’s new CEO, Dominic McKay, has just repeated that mistake.

Of course, the chief executive officer has to be given praise for his work in the market. Celtic brought in 12 new first-team players over the summer, some of which have already taken to the Premiership like a duck to water; Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada are the primary suspects.

Yet, in this instance, he has made a mistake. Celtic had been scouting a certain Ali McCann long before McKay arrived in Glasgow but on transfer deadline day, they ignored a swoop which allowed him to move to England instead.

It wasn’t a Premier League side that came calling as they did for McGinn, but perhaps more frustratingly it was a club in the second tier.

Preston North End ended up landing the Northern Irishman in the final hours for just £1m.

Similarly to McGinn, he is an all-action midfielder, one that surely would have become an instant name on the team sheet at Paradise.

Last term, the former St Johnstone man was a force going forward and from a defensive point of view. He won 1.7 aerial duels per game and was also victorious in 2.7 tackles a match.

Furthermore, McCann made 1.5 interceptions and also registered 0.8 key passes. For the price tag touted, it’s strange that Celtic decided to ignore him.

This was a golden opportunity on deadline day.

AND in other news, Worse than Edouard: £4.5m-rated Celtic gem who lost 80% duels let Ange down massively…

A number of Liverpool supporters have bemoaned the news that Alisson and Fabinho could miss two important upcoming games for the Reds.

Jurgen Klopp’s men will look to continue their good start to the season on Saturday evening when they make the trip to Brentford in the Premier League.

Two players who are almost certain to start are Alisson and Fabinho, with the pair becoming two of Jurgen Klopp’s most important players.

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It looks as though Liverpool could have to make do without them for the games against Watford and Atletico Madrid next month, however, according to This is Anfield on Twitter, due to international duty.

Roberto Firmino has not been called up, though, so he will at least be available.

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Liverpool fans react to key Brazil update

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure at the news, ruing the Reds being without such a key pair.

“Adrian vs Atletico. It’s in God’s hands now”

Credit: @Lfcmino7

“We’re absolutely dusted. Season over right there”

Credit: @ChrisHPE

“IF KELLEHER GETS INJURED IT’LL BE ADRIAN AGAINST ATLETICO ALL OVER AGAIN”

Credit: @Kloppppp

“Get stuffed”

Credit: @erhanlfc

“Don’t need any help feeling more depressed”

Credit: @JotaBelieveIt

“Scaryyyyyyy”

Credit: @izy_dara2

In other news, some Liverpool fans are unhappy at a Reds injury update. Read more here.

Aston Villa youngster Keinan Davis still has a bright future at the club despite a lack of playing time recently, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Davis struggling for playing time

The 23-year-old is yet to make an appearance for Villa’s senior team this season, having fallen down the pecking order under Dean Smith.

Davis could have left Villa Park on loan in the summer but ended up staying put, and it could be that a temporary exit in January makes sense.

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The Latest: Hatfield provides key update

Despite Davis’ career stalling a little in recent times, Hatfield believes that he still has plenty to offer at Aston Villa.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, the journalist claimed that Villa think highly of the striker and that his opportunity to become a key figure could arise in the future, tipping him to possibly join Nottingham Forest on loan. Hatfield said:

“Aston Villa have high hopes for Keinan Davis, regardless of whether they send him out on loan or not.

“They just want to make sure he gets the time on the pitch and hopefully he develops into the football player that is potentially there to be.

“So, I’m sure Villa will be looking at teams that play a similar style, and it seems like Nottingham Forest would work out pretty well.”

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The Verdict: Persevere with him

At 23, Davis isn’t necessarily an up-and-coming player anymore, but there is still lots of time for him to develop as a footballer and become more polished.

A loan move away could do him the world of good, allowing him to pick up confidence and get minutes under his belt before returning to Villa next summer.

Jack Grealish once described his former Villa team-mate as ‘unplayable’, which speaks to how much ability Davis appears to have, so hopefully the striker will be able to forge out a stable future under Smith.

In other news, some Villa fans have reacted to an image of one player. Find out who it is here.

Leam Richardson’s Wigan side extended their unbeaten run to five matches in all competitions as they beat fellow League One outfit Bolton on penalties on Tuesday night in the second round of the League Cup.

Wigan had the better of the chances during the game and ended up with six more shots and twice as many on target in the 90 minutes, but they were unable to score as the match ended 0-0 in regulation time. It then went to penalties, where the Latics held their nerve and won 5-4 to progress into the third round of the competition.

Goalkeeper Jamie Jones will get the headlines after scoring a penalty in the shoot-out, before Nathan Delfouneso smashed his over the bar, but the player who stole the show for Wigan was defender Kelland Watts.

The 21-year-old, on loan from Premier League side Newcastle, was outstanding at centre-back and helped to keep Bolton at bay throughout the match. His defending allowed his attackers to dominate the game, albeit they were ultimately unable to make the most of their chances during normal time.

Watts was also key on the ball, with 69 touches during the game – the most of any Wigan player. Watts completed 83% of his passes, including seven long balls to stretch or switch the play in attack. This shows that he was comfortable with the ball at his feet and that he did not consistently give it away with loose passes out from the back, which could have allowed Bolton to put pressure on the Wigan goal.

Defensively, Watts had a near-perfect game. Per SofaScore, he won 100% of his duels on the pitch, winning four of his four ground duels and four of his four aerial duels. This shows that he was able to dominate the Bolton attackers and prevent them from holding the ball up. He also made three clearances, one tackle and two blocks, with the only blemish on his performance being that he gave the solitary foul away.

Watts, therefore, stole the show for Wigan with his showing against Bolton as he was able to show off his quality on and off the ball against a fellow League One outfit.

Hopefully, he will be able to keep up this standard of performance throughout the league campaign and help Richardson’s side to push for promotion back to the Championship before he returns to Newcastle.

Aston Villa have been handed a major blow in their chase to sign River Plate starlet Julian Alvarez in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had claimed that Fernando Hidalgo, the agent of the 21-year-old, was set to meet with Villa’s representatives over a move to Steven Gerrard’s side ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

That of course failed to materialise, and now, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed that the Argentine is instead set for a move to Old Trafford.

He said: “I believe he’s Manchester United-bound. Villa looked to have missed a trick for £17m. Trez, Traore and Bailey all missing for the next month.”

Blow for Villa

Like Emi Buendia, Alvarez is very much a creative attacker bagging four goals and setting up another seven in just 20 appearances last season – including a couple of games where he registered an impressive hat-trick of assists against Godoy Cruz and Central Cordoba.

This campaign however has seen him take his game to a completely another level, scoring 18 goals and providing another seven assists in just 21 games in the Argentine top-flight.

Given his ability to play anywhere across the front-line, and his age, Alvarez seems like the perfect profile of player that could have flourished alongside his fellow Argentine compatriots in Buendia and Emi Martinez.

The duo could have helped Alvarez settle into life at Villa Park a bit more comfortably than he may otherwise would have done, and the fact he’s now headed for a switch to United shows just how highly-rated he is.

Preece’s update is a major blow that will surely frustrate Villa fans that they have let an exciting young talent slip through the net.

Meanwhile, Villa are interested in this Serie A starlet…

Celtic have two distinct financial plans in place for whether or not they qualify for next season’s Champions League, according to football finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley.

The Lowdown: Celtic closing in on title

The Hoops are enjoying a memorable season to date, with Ange Postecoglou proving to be an inspired managerial appointment last summer despite a rocky start in Glasgow.

As the season slowly reaches its conclusion, Celtic find themselves six points clear of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race, as well as preparing to face their arch-rivals in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

If Postecoglou’s side are crowned champions of the league they would of course qualify for the Champions League, as they look to make their mark in Europe’s biggest club competition.

The Latest: Financial plan in place

Speaking to Football Insider, Plumley revealed that plans are in place at Celtic financially, in terms of them qualifying for the competition or not, as it could make a £17m difference:

“You have to be careful, of course. Celtic know near enough what their revenue will be each year because it’s almost guaranteed that you’re going to finish first or second.

“They sell out every week and they know what they’re working with. The differentiator is, of course, European football. If they win the league this year, they get automatic qualification, which is going to be worth £17m minimum.

“That makes a big difference, so they’ll have different models depending on different possibilities.  Model A, they make the Champions League. Model B, they don’t. That extra money makes a big difference.

“Everything is based around those distinct models and whether you can repeat the trick and qualify year on year.”

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The Verdict: Shrewd approach from Desmond

This is a really smart approach after major shareholder Dermot Desmond hinted at as much recently, ensuring the club is run in sensible fashion rather than recklessly.

The expectation should be that Celtic are in the Champions League next season, of course, but in the event that it doesn’t happen, it is only right that a contingency plan is in place.

While Postecoglou and his players deserve huge praise for their performance on the pitch this season, the manner in which the club is being run as a whole is also worthy of positive reviews.

In other news, Kieran Devlin has singled out one Celtic player for praise. Find out who it is here.

With Dara O’Shea suffering a serious injury earlier in the season that will keep him out for the next few months and Kean Bryan suffering a season-ending blow recently, it’s safe to say West Brom will need as many defensive options as possible at their disposal for the time being.

With that in mind, it seems that the Midlands club could be set to lose one of their young defenders currently in their youth ranks.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by All Nigeria Soccer (via Birmingham Live) that Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, Aston Villa and Southampton are interested in signing West Brom youth defender Kevin Joshua.

Despite only joining West Brom’s U23 side from Solihull Moors’ U19 side back in March for an undisclosed fee, the 19-year-old centre-back has played in six of their 11 league games, grabbing one assist in the process, showing how impressive he has been given the number of clubs reportedly eyeing up a transfer swoop for the youngster.

Ferguson 2.0

Even though Joshua hasn’t made an appearance for Valerien Ismael’s side this season, there is a possibility that Ismael could be forced into giving the teenager his senior debut for the Baggies given their defensive injury issues, and certainly if any of their other senior defenders get injured between now and the end of the season.

Therefore, it should now be one of Lai Guochuan’s top priorities to keep hold of Joshua and out of the clutches of the numerous clubs reportedly interested in signing him, which could be seen as a disaster if he were to leave the club so soon after joining them. That’s especially when you consider the way they lost a fellow defensive talent in Nathan Ferguson so controversially to the jaws of the Premier League.

Given his young age, there’s no reason why Joshua, who has been described as a player who is “aggressive, quick, and excellent on the ball,” by his agent Arfan Rehman when he joined the club, couldn’t go on to become a regular first-team figure at The Hawthorns in the future, giving the Midlands club even more reason to keep the defender in their ranks.

Moving forward, perhaps giving the teenager some first-team minutes could not only help Ismael’s side in the short term while O’Shea and Bryan are out injured but also in the long-term by proving that they feel Joshua will have a big part to play for the senior team. By doing so, they may also be able to avoid a repeat Ferguson scenario too.

In other news: 60% duels won: WBA’s “dangerous” £18k-p/w beast proved he can be Ismael’s main man – opinion

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing “talented” Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos this summer.

What’s the story?

According to reports in Brazil, a number of clubs are interested in signing the youngster who currently plays for Vasco da Gama in the second tier in the country.

Wolves are one of the clubs who want the 17-year-old who hasn’t yet started for his club but has impressed on international duty.

His club are determined to agree a new contract with the player with his current deal expiring next year. As a result it’s not a surprise to see clubs circling as they may be able to get him for free.

He’s got great potential

Santos undoubtedly has great potential, he’s impressed playing for the Brazilian U-20 side and has even wore the captains armband for them.

His stats at youth level on the international stage are impressive and probably one of the reasons he’s rated highly. At u-16 level he scored two goals in six appearances from defensive midfield.

According to further reports his club value him at £25m which seems a lot for a player who is yet to make a start, but with demand high they believe they can command a higher fee.

Wolves are no stranger to risky transfers, they signed Fabio Silva in 2020 for £36m from FC Porto and he had only made 12 league appearances for them at that point.

They obviously have a lot of trust in their scouting network and with clubs such as Benfica, Everton and even FC Barcelona known admirers of Santos they must have good judgement.

However, with clubs as big as that interested it will make it even harder for Lage to persuade the player to come to Molineux. Players dream of playing for the likes of Barcelona and as a midfielder it’s likely that he would love to play under Xavi.

Ultimately it would be a risk paying a huge fee for Santos, but there’s a reason so many clubs are interested in him. With his contract running down if Wolves can persuade Vasco to sell for less, then it might be worth securing his signature.

Molineux could be rocking with a genuinely exciting teenage sensation.

IN other news: Lage must avoid big Wolves mistake over “brilliant” £75k-p/w ace, “nothing phases him” – opinion…