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Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt an injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash.

What’s the latest?

In pre-match press conference comments cited by Express & Star journalist Liam Keen, Bruno Lage revealed that left-back Fernando Marcal will once again be unavailable for selection for the visit of Everton on Monday night, as the 32-year-old is yet to recover from a calf injury which ruled him out of last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

In his tweet, Keen said: “Bruno Lage presser is underway and we start with injury news: ‘Boly is back but Marcal is not ready’.”

Lage will be gutted

While it is indeed true that Rayan Ait-Nouri impressed while filling in for Marcal in the draw at Elland Road last week, the Brazilian very much appears to be Lage’s first choice at left wing-back, so his absence on Monday is sure to have left the 45-year-old feeling gutted.

While further Premier League game-time for Ait-Nouri will undoubtedly help in the 20-year-old’s development as a first team regular, it would be naive to suggest that Marcal has not impressed over his eight top-flight fixtures so far this season.

Indeed, the £1.62m-rated man has helped his side to keep two clean sheets, as well as making 1.5 interceptions, 2.9 tackles and 1.9 clearances and winning five duels per game, as per SofaScore.

These returns have seen the £29k-per-week left-back earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.86, ranking him as Wolves’ joint 11th-best performer in the Premier League.

As such, Marcal’s injury will certainly come as a blow to the Portuguese boss, who will undoubtedly be hoping to put right the disappointment of conceding a last-minute equaliser against Leeds when Everton come to Molineux tomorrow night.

In other news: Wolves handed major boost over “special” £41k-p/w beast, Bruno Lage will be buzzing

While things at Wolverhampton Wanderers have undoubtedly improved under the leadership of Bruno Lage in recent weeks, with the club picking up ten points from a possible 15 over their last five Premier League fixtures, Ruben Neves’ injury prior to Saturday’s 1-1 draw highlighted something of a problem for the 45-year-old manager.

Indeed, with Lage currently only having the options of Neves, Leander Dendoncker, Joao Moutinho and the injured Bruno Jordao in central midfield, the position is one in which the Portuguese boss lacks significant depth.

However, rather than spending big in the January transfer window on a fresh face in the middle of the park, it would be wise for Lage to consider recalling Connor Ronan from his loan spell at St. Mirren, as the midfielder has highly impressed during his temporary stint at the SMISA Stadium.

Indeed, over the 23-year-old’s six Scottish Premiership appearances for Jim Goodwin’s side, the £405k-rated man has scored three goals and registered one assist, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots and making 1.3 key passes per game. That’s led to Goodwin describing him as “outstanding.”

And, while the Scottish top flight is undoubtedly a completely different standard to Premier League football, Ronan’s return of three goals and one assist would nevertheless rank him as the top scorer and joint top assist maker out of Wolves’ current midfielders, while his average of 1.5 shots and 1.3 key passes per game would also rank him first and second in the Wolves midfielder rankings.

Furthermore, it is not only the number of goals the £4.4k-per-week academy prospect has bagged that have made him stand out, but also the quality of his strikes – as his most recent finish against Rangers earned praise from both Tim Spiers and Talking Wolves on Twitter, with the latter dubbing the midfielder’s long-range thunderbolt as a “beauty.”

As such, with Wolves lacking in both goals and assists from the middle of the park, it would indeed appear smart for Lage to consider bringing the 24-year-old back to Molineux this winter, as Ronan could end up saving Fosun millions in transfer fees.

In other news: Nixon drops worrying claim on “authoritative” £62k-p/w ace, Wolves fans will be gutted

Everton fans on social media have been left pleased with their third round draw in the Carabao Cup.

As shared by the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, they have been drawn away from home to Queens Park Rangers for a place in the fourth round of the competition.

Considering that teams from the Premier League who are involved in Europe came into this next round, along with the many other sides from the top flight they could have drawn, the Merseyside club have done well to draw a club outside of the top flight.

They should be favourites to get through against QPR, and thus hopefully progress into the next round and really go for the trophy in order to try and give new manager Rafa Benitez some silverware in his debut season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-updates-5/” title=”Everton updates! (5)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Everton fans on cup draw

These Toffees supporters were left pleased as the Carabao Cup draw was announced on Twitter, with one Blue claiming that they were ‘happy’ with it:

“Winnable. Can’t ask for anything more. Hopefully a few new faces in for it”

Credit: @ItsOnlyJk

“Sounds good to me. Keep it going!!”

Credit: @DarthVGaming

“COYB”

Credit: @AlexClerc_EFC

“What a draw that is”

Credit: @jamietierney_78

“I’m happy with that draw”

Credit: @Adamefc95

“Got lucky with this one”

Credit: @IAToffees

In other news, find out which confirmed exit has Evertonians fuming here!

Everton are on a dire run of form and Rafa Benitez has been not been dealt any favours when it comes to injuries at Goodison Park.

According to The Athletic, Richarlison is set to be out for a number of weeks with a calf tear after he was substituted in the second half of the defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The Toffees have lost seven of their last nine Premier League matches, having won just five of their 16 matches in the division this season.

Revival

They are in desperate need of something to kickstart their revival under the Spaniard and Richarlison’s injury could open up the door for the spark they need to come in. Ellis Simms could be called up from the academy to come in and make his senior bow.

The 20-year-old is yet to make his first-team debut for Everton but his record in the youth teams and out on loan suggests that he has the potential to be a difference-maker for the Blues.

He scored 10 goals and provided two assists in 24 League One games for Blackpool last term and has scored 55 goals for the Toffees across the U18’s and U23’s, meaning he has 65 career strikes to his name at senior and youth level combined.

In the 2018/19 campaign, he scored a sensational 32 goals in 21 under-18 Premier League matches – scoring 41 times in 44 games at that age bracket overall. Since moving up to the 23’s, he has scored 17 in 37 outings – with his loan spell with the Tangerines coming last season.

Everton U23s Assistant John Ebbrell previously heaped praise on the young attacker, saying:

“What I do know with Ellis, if he ends up one-vs-one with the goalkeeper, he’s scoring.

“From experience, I know if you have time to think for that finish it can be difficult but Ellis is really calm and composed in those situations. He very rarely misses.”

His goalscoring statistics and Ebbrell’s comments on his finishing suggest that he could be able to make the grade in the first-team if he is given a chance by Benitez in the coming weeks. Richarlison’s injury could be the perfect opportunity to throw him in at the deep end to see if he is able to swim or not.

If Simms is able to come in and score goals at Premier League level then it could kickstart Everton’s revival and see them begin to move up to the part of the table where they want to be, rather than struggling in the bottom half.

AND in other news, “What I’m hearing…”: Greg O’Keeffe drops big Everton update, fans surely buzzing…

Shields Gazette reporter Liam Kennedy has confirmed Newcastle United are looking to sign Hamza Choudhury before the transfer window slams shut.

It appears as though the Magpies are closing in on their first signing of the summer after the club agreed a fee in excess of £20million for Arsenal’s Joe Willock.

The midfielder is set to head to St James’ Park on a permanent basis after enjoying a successful loan spell with Newcastle last season. During his temporary stay on Tyneside, Willock became the first player since Alan Shearer to score in seven consecutive Premier League outings.

But Magpies boss Steve Bruce wants to strengthen his midfield further by poaching Leicester City’s Choudhury, who saw a loan move to Newcastle fall through at the end of the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old made just four Premier League starts last term and Kennedy has revealed the central midfielder remains on Bruce’s wishlist after narrowly missing out earlier this year.

He told The Transfer Tavern: “He is a player who hasn’t ever come off the wanted list. He was a hair’s breadth away from signing in January on a loan deal.

“Hamza Choudhury is a player that Steve Bruce rates and they were very close to signing. They thought it would happen but Brendan Rodgers pulled the plug in January and kept him on at Leicester.”

Florian Lejeune is largely regarded as Newcastle United’s best all-round defender but Steve Bruce appears unconvinced over his fitness, and former defender Steve Howey believes that the Magpies could cash in on the Frenchman.

Lejeune has been unlucky with injuries during his time on Tyneside having suffered an ACL at the beginning of the 2018/19 season before suffering yet another serious knee injury at the end of the same campaign, but former manager Rafa Benitez always knew he was an important player for the Magpies.

The Frenchman endeared himself to the Newcastle United fans beyond his top passing ability when he netted twice in second-half added time at Goodison Park, which saw the Magpies earn an unimaginable 2-2 draw during the 2019/20 campaign, but the club could be willing to sell him this summer to generate funds.

Bruce will know that he has to move on some fringe players this summer to squeeze every last drop out of his limited transfer budget this summer if he wants to avoid yet another relegation battle, and Lejeune could be moved on this summer to do so according to Howey, who spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“I thought he was a decent player but ultimately sometimes your body just can’t cope after all those injuries so the club will be thinking they can possibly offload him and try to increase the budget.”

Last season Bruce was asked if he was considering bringing the 30-year-old back to Tyneside halfway through his loan spell when the club were hit with a defensive injury crisis which saw Isaac Hayden having to play as a centre back, but Bruce confirmed that it would not benefit him coming back.

During Newcastle’s upturn in form last season, Bruce opted for three centre backs with one of them being Paul Dummett, so if the manager sees the academy graduate as another option at centre back then Lejeune will be even further down the pecking order.

Southampton travel away to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday as they look to end a run of three straight draws in the Premier League.

The Saints are currently sat on three points after four games and are still looking for their first win of the league campaign, with a trip to the champions next up for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

West Ham held the south coast outfit to a 0-0 draw in their last league outing, with Southampton starting with a 4-1-4-1 formation instead of their usual 4-2-2-2.

How many changes will Ralph make? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side, with Ibrahima Diallo, Kyle Walker-Peters and Che Adams coming in.

Starting with Diallo, we are predicting £59k-per-week beast Oriol Romeu to drop out to give the Frenchman an opportunity to impress. The Spaniard was taken off in the 53rd minute against the Hammers for the 22-year-old to come on, having given possession away eight times in the first half, completing 75% of his passes. That substitution may have given an insight into his team selection for this game, with Diallo potentially starting ahead of the ex-Chelsea man.

Valentino Livramento has started all four of Southampton’s Premier League matches this season, but it could be time to give the teenager a rest. He lost six of his eight duels against West Ham and gave possession away 17 times, whilst making zero tackles or interceptions.

This suggests that it could be the perfect opportunity to hand him a rest and start the more experienced Walker-Peters. The 24-year-old started 30 Premier League matches last season and averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.84, showing that he knows how to perform consistently at this level. This is why he should come in and start ahead of Livramento for this clash.

Finally, in a change which will see the return of the 4-2-2-2, we are predicting that Adams will come into the side to replace Djenepo. The Mali international played out wide on the left last week, with Mo Elyounoussi in central midfield, and this change sees the latter go out wide with Adams partnering Armstrong up front.

We published an article on Friday explaining exactly why Adams should be unleashed against Manchester City, with his Premier League record in general, and indeed against today’s opponents, taken into account.

AND in other news, Hasenhuttl provides fresh Southampton setback update which could frustrate supporters…

One of Jose Mourinho’s biggest problems continues to linger at Tottenham Hotspur under new manager Nuno Santo.

Their 100% start to the 2021/22 campaign was halted by Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon as the ten men of Spurs were well-beaten 3-0 at Selhurst Park.

The north London outfit had been sitting pretty atop the Premier League table heading into kick-off, having won all three of their opening three matches by a 1-0 scoreline.

A recurring theme was bubbling beneath the surface during their short run of success under the Portuguese and it was fully exposed at the weekend.

Spurs are still suffering from the very same issue that Mourinho had – there’s a clear lack of creativity in attacking midfield.

Last season, the ex-boss relied heavily on Heung-min Son and Harry Kane’s exploits, with the pair scoring 58.8% of their 68 league goals scored. They were also the only two to surpass four assists and average 1.4 or more key passes per game in the whole campaign, via WhoScored.

In fact, no player that managed to create more than 0.8 key chances each match still remains at the club, with Gareth Bale back at Real Madrid and Serge Aurier without a team.

That’s where the problem lies.

Mourinho’s attacking midfield options struggled to create much at all – Giovani Lo Celso (0.8 key passes per game), Dele Alli (0.6), Tanguy Ndombele (0.4).

Two of those three were big-money signings yet neither have really set the ground alight since joining in the summer of 2019.

The club-record Frenchman has only delivered eight goals and eight assists in 75 appearances, managing a direct contribution every 267 minutes and the Copa America winner has performed worse, averaging a goal or assist every 353 minutes – once every four games.

That’s just not good enough considering both were earmarked with Christian Eriksen’s exit in mind, given he was entering the final year of his deal at the time.

The Danish playmaker provided 69 goals and 90 assists in 305 appearances, meaning he contributed once every 151 minutes – a stark, stark contrast to the numbers above.

As evident on Saturday, this is still very much a problem that lingers. Against Palace, Spurs only managed two shots at goal in 90 minutes – it’s no wonder they only won by the solitary goal in their three previous games.

Speaking after the match, Nuno described his creative issues as a “big concern.” He told reporters, via the Evening Standard:

“It is a big concern, we had enough quality and talent to play better. We didn’t do it, credit to Palace they were aggressive and they didn’t allow too much time on the ball. We lost duels, many, many situations that I think we should do much better. In terms of offensive, much improvement is required.”

There are some important games coming up for Spurs, including their group stage opener in the UEFA Europa Conference League – a competition they are favourites to win – so Nuno will need to find a solution sooner rather than later.

Clearly, it’s an issue that has lingered for quite some time as the Portuguese remains haunted by the same problems as the previous regime.

AND in other news, £75k-p/w dud must never play for Spurs again, had fewer touches than Lloris yesterday…

Some Wolves fans have been left to bemoan a transfer update involving Rui Patricio.

As per Corriere Dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Portugal international is set to join AS Roma after Euro 2020 has finished.

He has reportedly told the Midlands club that he would like to leave Molineux in the summer window, and Jose Mourinho is keen to take him to Italy.

The news outlet claims that a deal is close to being completed, with a three-year contract, and a €7m (£6m) fee, rising to €10m (£8.6m) with bonuses, being agreed.

Patricio only missed one match in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt), and so it would be strange to let such a key player go without a suitable replacement lined up.

Nonetheless, hiss experience is vital both on and off of the pitch, especially for the younger players coming through like Fabio Silva, and under new management in Bruno Lage.

Thus, it is not a surprise to see some WWFC supporters upset by the thought of him leaving.

Wolves fans on Patricio transfer update

These Wanderers bemoaned the transfer update as it was shared on Twitter, with one claiming that they were ‘gutted’ while another even went as far as to describe it as ‘sad’:

“:( gonna miss him so much”

Credit: @sophiaeclayton

“Gutted if so, best keeper we’ve had in my lifetime. Reasonable deal with the add ons for his age given the 1 year left on contract.”

Credit: @Rbeartoe

“Oh :((((“

Credit: @chlolouisez

“:( been great for us”

Credit: @itsmebrody44

“Brilliant goalkeeper…sad to see him go”

Credit: @lewis21074

“:(“

Credit: @XXXTANNERTACION

In other news, find out which Wolves ‘liability’ has been slammed after a transfer update emerged here!

Celtic underwent a massive overhaul during the previous summer transfer window by bringing in several players, as well as moving many out of the Parkhead club.

After then seeing some more players move around in January, Ange Postecoglou has been able to take his side six points clear at the top of the SPFL table with just a handful of games left to play.

With the next summer window on the horizon, it’ll be interesting to see how the Hoops follow up their previous transfer windows this time around.

One deal that should be at the top of the club’s priority list is to turn Jota’s loan deal into a permanent one.

Having signed from Portuguese club Benfica on a temporary basis until the end of the campaign, the winger has been a solid addition to Postecoglou’s squad.

With 36 appearances under his belt across all competitions, the attacker has scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists along the way.

To highlight how much of an attacking threat he has been on the pitch for the Hoops, Jota currently has the highest number of crosses made (203) in the SPFL than any of his teammates.

He also has the second-highest number of shots on target (25) behind Liel Abada (37).

In addition to his consistent attacking prowess, his overall performances have been rather eye-catching as he is currently listed as the highest-rated player in the Celtic squad with a rating of 7.59/10 from WhoScored.

Praised for his “outstanding” performances for the Bhoys by Postecoglou, it’s safe to say that the 56-year-old is a big fan of the winger and would be delighted to see him remain at the club beyond his current loan deal.

The Hoops reportedly have an optional purchase fee of £6.5m to keep Jota at the club, which was labelled as being a “mouth-watering prospect” for the Hoops by Noel Whelan.

With all of this in mind, it seems as though the 23-year-old has already done enough to warrant the club splashing out that money and keeping him where he is.

Moving forward, if the Bhoys can secure the league title in the coming weeks and then manage to secure Jota on a permanent deal, this would surely have plenty of Hoops fans bouncing.

In other news: Ange can raise the roof at Parkhead as Celtic plot “huge” move for “immense” £10m gem