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Wolves may not have much left in the financial kitty this summer but that hasn’t stopped them from ramping up their efforts in the transfer market.

The Old Gold have made a bid to sign Brazilian starlet Kaio Jorge while landing James Tarkowski is also a possibility.

What’s the word?

Wolves may lose John Ruddy this summer with his contract expiring but they could also lose number one goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

He has attracted the attention of Roma and a deal is thought to be edging closer to completion.

With that in mind, Bruno Lage will need to find a new ‘keeper in order to bolster the Wolves ranks.

According to Football Insider, they are interested in signing Leicester City’s Danny Ward.

He has caught the eye for Wales at Euro 2020 and it would appear that Wolves have been left impressed by his performances.

Brilliant business

If Lage can convince Ward to move across the Midlands then it would be an astute replacement from Patricio.

They will need a capable and experienced man to replace the Portugal international, but fortunately, those are areas that Ward ticks the boxes of.

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The 28-year-old remarkably hasn’t played a game of league football since May 2017 but his displays during the ongoing European Championships have been nothing short of superb.

Ward has made a succession of top-drawer stops for his country, making 4.3 saves per 90 minutes, the third-highest number at the tournament.

On top of that, the Welshman has prevented more xG (3.77) than any other number 1 during the Euros. The next best goalkeeper is Finland’s Lukas Hradecky on 2.27.

Speaking about his form this summer, Andy King commented: “He’s been one of Wales’ outstanding players in this tournament.”

King continued: “He’s been absolutely brilliant. For someone who doesn’t play football for their club week in, week out, he’s assured in everything he’s done.

“He’s been commanding, he’s come for crosses and his distribution has been excellent.”

With that in mind, Ward is surely ready for more first-team football once the tournament has concluded.

Wolves need a new stopper and the Wales international should be searching for a better chance elsewhere.

A lack of league football isn’t always indicative of where you are as a footballer. You only need to look across the Midlands to Emi Martinez.

He only ever managed 15 league appearances for Arsenal but rocked up at Aston Villa to take the top-flight by storm. Martinez kept 15 clean sheets last term and made 142 saves, only to be bettered by Sam Johnstone and Aaron Ramsdale.

Wolves should repeat a similar trick this summer by landing Ward; he has proven to be a reliable and exceptional shot-stopper.

AND in other news, Wolves eye swoop for “exceptional” £22.5m-rated colossus, he’s perfect for Bruno Lage…

Many Wolves fans have been left to buzz as Tim Spiers shared the name of a new manager candidate.

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, the journalist has shared that Steven Gerrard is being looked at by the Midlands club as a potential replacement for Nuno Espirito Santo.

Frank Lampard is also on the running, while Bruno Lage still remains the frontrunner, although Gerrard was certainly the name that caught the eye the most among the Molineux faithful.

The Liverpool and England international legend has just enjoyed a great season with Rangers, winning the Scottish Premiership title off of the hands of Celtic while also going through the Gers’ league campaign without a single defeat.

Of course, Gerrard knows the Premier League very well too, and so he has emerged as an ideal successor in the eyes of several WWFC supporters.

Wolves fans on Gerrard manager update

These Wanderers buzzed as Spiers shared the update on Gerrard on his Twitter page:

“Gerrard…. no brainer”

Credit: @nakedguyonvespa

“I think most of us want Gerrard”

Credit: @MarkTFillingham

“If Gerrard is an option we should go all out for him”

Credit: @Vaughany1973

“Gerrard please.”

Credit: @Supermancooks

“Gerrard all day”

Credit: @DanielSparkrite

“Gerrard. Got to be.”

Credit: @goggs19591

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Wanderers buzzing here!

Liverpool are set to play Rangers in a friendly, which will see Steven Gerrard enter the Anfield dugout as a manager for the first time [This is Anfield].

Due to restrictions imposed on travel due to the pandemic, the Reds are expected stay local in their 2021/22 pre-season preparations [Daily Record].

The event is mooted to be scheduled for around late July, potentially in line to be the first full capacity game at Anfield since Liverpool’s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid in March 2020 [BBC].

The former Liverpool captain won’t be the only individual returning to the Merseyside giants, as former Liverpool coaches Michael Beale, Gary McAllister, Tom Culshaw and Gary Milson alongside ex-player Ryan Kent get set to re-acquaint with Jurgen Klopps’s side [This Is Anfield].

Excited by the news, loads of Liverpool fans took to Twitter to share their excitement regarding these latest developments.

Liverpool fans react:

Here is what some Liverpool fans had to say upon hearing about the clash:

“This could be a belter of a pre season game”

Credit: @Jack_Rogers97″Saw this coming. Can’t wait.”Credit: @HeGotStripes”Omg this’ll be amazing!”Credit: @_sarahah__”IM SO EXCITED, I JUST CANT HIDE IT.”Credit: @salahvvd”WOW!!! CAN’T WAIT!!!”Credit: @liaPurnama09″Lmaoooo. This is going to be a very crazy game”Credit: @Bami_MaveIn other news, Liverpool fans react to a Caoimhin Kelleher update.

Dean Smith could help build a dream future at Aston Villa by signing Bournemouth’s exciting starlet Ajani Burchall.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested that Dean Smith’s side are one of a number of teams including the likes of fellow Premier League clubs Leeds and Arsenal who are eyeing up a summer move for the 16-year-old.

Now, Burchall himself has confirmed that he will be leaving the Cherries this summer via his official Instagram page, and thereby opening the door to a move to Villa Park.

Imagine him and Chukwuemeka

With Villa’s academy side in the FA Youth Cup final, it’s no surprise that the club have got a number of stand-out young players, not least Carney Chukwuemeka.

The midfielder came on to make his Premier League debut against Spurs on Wednesday night, and if the club can convince him to stay at the club for the future, could be lining up alongside Burchall.

The 16-year-old Cherries starlet can play on either flank, and is clearly already making big impressions at the club having already made his senior debut for them.

In fact, Burchall’s teammate at Bournemouth, Steve Cook, said after his first-team debut for the club: “You could see how special a player he is. His first involvement was checked his shoulder, cut across a player and won his foul. For a 16-year-old, that awareness, that knowhow, I think the club have produced a really good player.

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“On Saturday we had a few players who have come through the youth system, so it’s terrific. The club’s been known for that and I think Ajani has got great talent. He obviously can’t train with us day-to-day because he’s at school! But I’m sure he’s got a very good future and a very proud moment for his family.”

If Smith can land the teenager this summer, then he could add him to the list of exciting young talents already at Villa’s disposal.

Meanwhile, this Villa man stole the show vs Spurs…

Aston Villa are lining up a £7m offer for Celtic midfielder David Turnbull, according to The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Turnbull’s award-winning campaign

The Hoops may have not had the season they wanted, but Turnbull certainly made an impact in his first campaign as a Celtic player.

He netted nine times and provided eight assists in 35 appearances, booking his spot at this summer’s European Championships as a result.

Turnbull was also named the PFA Scotland’s Young Player of the Year recently, and it seems as his displays have caught the eye at Villa Park.

The Latest: Villa readying offer

The Scottish Sun claim that Villa manager Dean Smith is looking to add to his creative midfield ranks ahead of the 2021/22 season and has received glowing reports regarding Turnbull.

Villa representatives have watched Turnbull on numerous occasions and now thought to be readying a £7m bid.

Turnbull’s Transfermarkt valuation stands at just £1.62m, so the Hoops look set to be tested with a bid over four times that figure.

The Verdict: Hoops must keep Turnbull

Unless a club-record bid comes in (£24.3m), we think Celtic should reject all offers for the 21-year-old this summer.

There looks set to be a Parkhead rebuild both on and off the pitch this summer, and Turnbull has shown he can be an integral part of Celtic’s future with his displays in a struggling Hoops side this season.

He starred on his European debut, netting the winner against Lille and completed more key passes than any player in the Scottish Premiership (80), as per WhoScored.

On that basis, we think Celtic need to keep hold of the midfielder, who Frank McAvennie described as ‘incredible’, going forward and should snub a proposed £7m offer.

In other news: Celtic transfer U-turn comes to light; decision made at the end of the season, find out more here.

Reported Southampton transfer target Tammy Abraham is said to be looking to leave Chelsea this summer and after he was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, it is looking increasingly likely that he won’t be at Stamford Bridge next season.

According to Eurosport, Southampton and West Ham are both considering moves for the England international this summer, as he continues to struggle for game time under Chelsea’s new manager.

It was suggested at the time that Abraham could look for a new venture ahead of next season and it feels as if his complete omission for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final could be the final straw for the young striker at Chelsea.

Since Tuchel’s appointment on the 26th January, Abraham has completed 90 minutes just once in a 1-0 FA Cup win against Barnsley when he scored, so it is perhaps surprising that he has been used so sparingly in the Premier League and Champions League by the former PSG and Borussia Dortmund boss.

Despite his lack of minutes this season, the former Aston Villa loanee has six goals in just 12 top-flight starts this season, as well as six goals in cup competitions, so it is clear that he can be relied upon to find the back of the net when he features.

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The 23-year-old striker was prolific during his time with the Villans in the Championship, hitting 25 goals in 37 league appearances, which led Jack Grealish to sing his praises on Instagram last year, saying:

“Unbelievable. Couldn’t believe how good he was with the ball for how tall he is. Loved playing with him.”

Given that Southampton spent the majority of their FA Cup semi-final launching long balls to Danny Ings and Nathan Redmond, having a striker such as the six-foot-three Abraham certainly seems like a good idea ahead of next season.

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It certainly seems likely that he will depart Stamford Bridge, so Martin Semmens should do everything he can to bring the striker to St Mary’s, as he could be a superb addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

And, in other news… Ralph blew it: Hasenhuttl’s tactical blunder cost Saints at Wembley, they were woeful

Swansea City sealed their place in the Championship playoffs with a 2-2 draw against Reading on Sunday afternoon but Steve Cooper was once again left frustrated by his side conceding a late goal.

Yakou Meite’s header had put the Royals ahead before second-half goals from Jamal Lowe and Andre Ayew had looked to seal the three points for the Swans.

However, Tomas Esteves earned the hosts a point in the 93rd minute, although it wasn’t enough for Veljko Paunović’s side, who saw their own playoff hopes come to an end.

One man who impressed for Swansea City at the Madejski Stadium was left-back Jake Bidwell.

As per SofaScore, £1.8m-rated defender would earn himself an impressive 7.4/10 rating for his performance, with only Lowe (8.0) and John Swift (7.7) earning higher from both sides.

During the game, Bidwell would make an impressive seven clearances, which was the most of any player, and also far more than the 2.1 clearances per game he has averaged in the Championship this season.

He also contributed two interceptions and one tackle during the 90 minutes, which again is above his average of 0.6 interceptions and 0.6 tackles per game so far this campaign.

The former QPR man was also excellent going forwards, as he completed 23/27 of his passes during the game, resulting in a solid 85% pass accuracy rate, which is far better than his 64.9% average in the second tier.

Bidwell would also contribute three key passes and superbly provided the assist for Ayew’s goal, as he burst down the left-hand side and waited until the perfect moment to cut the ball back for the Ghanaian international to score a tap in.

Whereas Lowe produced an excellent display, scoring and hitting the post whilst also being heavily involved throughout, he played fewer key passes, lost possession on several more occasions (16 vs 9) and also won fewer duels than Bidwell (6/14 vs 7/13).

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Therefore, the 28-year-old left-back deserves a lot of credit for his display and perhaps emphasised that he should be the man to start in the playoffs for Cooper’s side.

And, in other news… Swansea could sign their ideal Ayew heir in £225k-rated beast, Cooper would love him

Dropping the latest on West Ham United star Declan Rice, club insider Claret & Hugh has shared an injury boost – with the Irons and David Moyes apparently hopeful of an early return date for the Englishman.

Rice was at the centre of breaking news before West Ham came away from Wolves with a vital 3-2 win, as reports emerged that he would miss the game with a knee injury.

Moyes gifted Rice injury boost

As a result, there was even speculation that he could miss the Euros this summer and fears at Rush Green he could possibly need surgery if the self healing process ‘took too long’.

However, C&H report that the ‘early signs’ behind the scenes are he’ll miss five weeks – with the 22-year-old already pictured back in the gym and commencing his rehabilitation.

Indeed, the situation is apparently ‘looking much better’ and it is ‘far more likely’ he will miss just over a month of the season.

Rice could even return for West Ham’s final three matches against Brighton, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton, according to C&H.

Transfer Tavern take

While the insider claims West Ham’s five week estimate is viewed with ‘some optimism’, news there is a good possibility he could return before the end of 2020/2021 is arguably a big boost for Moyes.

The Irons are chasing unprecedented Champions League qualification, and supporters will be holding their breath over his return whilst praying the team can maintain their momentum in his absence.

In other news: West Ham fans erupted at this ‘fantastic news’, find out more here.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he can understand why supporters of his old side are getting frustrated with central defender Tyrone Mings.

Mings came in for criticism for his performance in Villa’s 3-1 win against Fulham earlier this month, with the 28-year-old’s mistake resulting in the west London club taking the lead.

He did, however, manage to redeem himself by setting up the equaliser. Ultimately, thanks to Trezeguet’s brace, no real damage was done in the end.

Nevertheless, Hendrie has called for Mings to up his game in general amid fan frustration, frustration that the ex-Villa player totally gets.

On the £24.3m-rated England international, Hendrie told FFC:

“I look at the mistake that John Stones made in the England game and, you know, there’s similar sorts of aspects between Tyrone Mings and John Stones. They’re footballing centre-halves, they get on the ball, they want to have that bit of time and they want to play football from the back.

“And that’s a risk you run having centre-halves that want to play through the lines and want that extra couple of seconds on the ball where they’re going to pick things out. And sometimes they get a little bit cocky in that situation.”

Discussing the matter further, the retired Premier League footballer went on to add:

“I can understand why Villa fans are getting frustrated because [Ezri] Konsa’s been brilliant defensively, puts his neck on the line. And, at times, I’ve seen Tyrone over the season, you know, the Leeds game stood out to me where [Patrick] Bamford just literally ran riot and some of the goals that were scored… defensively, I didn’t feel that he was at it.

“For the physical strength that he possesses, he should be going on and doing a lot better, and I think that’s why Villa fans get so frustrated.”

Next up for Mings and Villa in the Premier League is the visit of Manchester City.

Smith’s side will need to be wary of a reaction from the Citizens following their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Manchester United are reportedly lining up an audacious move for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Pedro Neto.

According to The Sun, the Red Devils want to bolster their right-flank and are interested in the Portuguese winger, with him being on their transfer shortlist.

Should he arrive at Old Trafford, he could certainly emulate the type of impact that his compatriot and international teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, had at United..

Whilst the 21-year-old still has some way to go to even come close to matching the levels of the current Juventus superstar, the signs are extremely promising.

Signed from Lazio at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, Neto had an extremely encouraging first season, notching five goals and racking up six assists in all competitions.

He has almost matched those numbers already during the current campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo, scoring five goals and notching four assists in the Premier League alone, highlighting his considerable progress.

Neto has certainly been a key player for Wolves, with the young winger contributing to 32% of his team’s entire goal haul this season.

He also got his international career off to the best possible start, scoring on his senior international debut in a 7-0 rout of Andorra.

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It could be said then there is a lot of responsibility on his young shoulders but he is certainly taking that in his stride.

Of course, should the £31.5m-rated winger sign for the Red Devils, there will certainly be inevitable comparisons to Ronaldo, but they do make some sense.

According to WhoScored, Neto is averaging two key passes, and 2.1 dribbles per game this season which are statistics that are interestingly higher than Ronaldo’s numbers of 1.1 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game respectively.

Whilst Neto still has some way to match the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s meteoric five shots per game in all competitions, he is still up with the best in Wolves’ current squad, with only striker Raul Jimenez overcoming him.

With Nuno labelling Neto as a “very talented” player, he will surely loath losing him to a Premier League rival but the young Portuguese ace could certainly be the right-winger that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United are searching for.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Donny van de Beek’s awful showing in the Red Devils’ 3-1 defeat against Leicester…