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Former Wolves loanee Vitinha has been linked with a return to Molineux, with a scout thought to have watched him in action for FC Porto recently.

The Lowdown: Vitinha impresses on loan

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Wolves, making 22 appearances overall and catching the eye with his mature performances.

Vitinha returned to Porto when his loan expired and he has made four Primeira Liga starts so far this term.

The Latest: Linked with return

According to Record [via Sport Witness], Wolves sent a scout to watch Porto’s 3-1 win away to Tondela, with officials from the likes of Valencia, Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad, Tenerife, Extremadura also thought to be present.

It is mentioned that Wolves could potentially be considering a permanent deal for Vitinha in either the January transfer window or next summer.

The Verdict: Shrewd potential business

This is positive news from a Wolves perspective, with Vitinha a player who would represent a long-term addition and someone who becomes more formidable as each year passes.

He may not have been perfect on loan at Molineux, but for a player of his age, he showed what he is capable of and why the club are seemingly watching him closely again. His 90.3% passing accuracy was the best of any Wolves starter in the 2020/21 Premier League and is far above the team’s 81.4% for the current campaign, so he could improve them significantly in this regard.

Some Porto fans have hailed his performances this season – one called him ‘better than prime Iniesta’ – which speaks volumes about the strides he is making. Also, with the 21-year-old already having a taste of Molineux, the readjustment to the Midlands should be fairly comfortable for him, particularly with another Portuguese manager at the helm in Bruno Lage.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly keen on a move for a hugely exciting young player. Read more here.

Michael Ball has offered his thoughts on Everton potentially signing Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach.

What’s the talk?

Former Everton defender Michael Ball has urged the Toffees to get a deal over the line for Borussia Monchengladbach defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria this month, with the club reportedly eyeing up a potential swoop for the Switzerland international.

He told Football FanCast:

“He’s 24 and got good experience in the Bundesliga, which is a good league to learn and develop your abilities.“If that’s a deal Everton can get over the line, I’m all for it.” Doucoure upgrade

Marcel Brands and Rafa Benitez must work hard to secure an agreement to sign Zakaria this month as he could be a sublime addition to the squad. He could prove to be a major upgrade on existing midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, who joined from Watford last summer.

The Swiss international suffered an MCL injury towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign, ending his season short and disrupting the start of the following one. If we compare Doucoure and Zakaria based on the former’s statistics for Everton last term and Zakaria’s pre-injury in 2019/20, there is a clear winner.

As per Squawka, Zakaria made more forward passes at a higher success rate whilst losing the ball fewer times per 90 than the Blues man. He also won more tackles, more ground and aerial duels combined, whilst also making more interceptions, clearances and blocks.

Switching it up and looking at the Gladbach man’s form last season, the result is only slightly better for Doucoure. The Toffees enforcer equaled him on tackles made and interceptions but still fell short in all of the aforementioned categories. This shows that he could prove to be an upgrade on Doucoure defensively and in transition, with his defending and passing stats standing out in this comparison.

Former Gladbach manager Marco Rose hailed him as a complete footballer and said he has more development to come. He told Sky Germany, via Planet Football:

“He is a very complete footballer who still has a lot of development potential.

“He has incredible dynamics, understanding of the game and is not yet at the end of his development.”

The £55k-per-week powerhouse, therefore, has room to grow further and develop his game to the next level. Given that he is four years younger than Doucoure, he could be a major upgrade on the Frenchman as he has already shown that he can perform to a higher level than him in a top European league whilst having four more years of time to improve as a player.

AND in other news, Coleman 2.0: Everton must seal dream swoop for 28 y/o beast, Rafa would love him…

Celtic have agreed a deal with Gamba Osaka for midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, Yahoo Japan report.

The Lowdown: Busy January in store…

The Hoops look set to have a busy start to the New Year, with Ange Postecoglou after two more Japanese additions alongside Ideguchi in Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate.

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There could also be a number of outgoings, with the likes of Albian Ajeti and Vasilis Barkas linked with Parkhead exits.

It appears as if Celtic are making good progress ahead of the transfer window opening in regards to Ideguchi, who has been described as a player who likes to ‘give it out’.

The Latest: Ideguchi deal reached

Yahoo Japan shared a story on Thursday, revealing a fee of over €1m has been reached for the 25-year-old.

They claim that there are still visa issues to resolve, however, Ideguchi is set to fly to Scotland before the end of the year for a medical.

The Verdict: Good news…

Celtic need all the January reinforcements they can get with the number of injuries they are picking up.

Ajeti and Furuhashi were the latest to pick up knocks on Thursday evening, leaving Postecoglou with limited options in attack.

Ideguchi won’t be able to provide cover in attack, however, he’ll be another body in midfield, with Callum McGregor, Tom Rogic and David Turnbull relied on heavily by Postecoglou so far.

Hopefully, a transfer will be wrapped up quickly in the New Year, and who knows, should that be the case, Ideguchi could be around for the Glasgow derby on January 2.

In other news: BBC Radio 5 Live man reacts as Celtic eye a second Spurs player alongside Carter-Vickers. 

Everton have received a selection boost ahead of the Merseyside Derby with Liverpool at Goodison Park after Rafa Benitez revealed he has no fresh injury concerns, while Andre Gomes has started training with the first team again.

What’s the word?

The Toffees will be aiming to end a seven-game winless run when they host their local rivals in this midweek clash, and their chances of doing just that have been increased by Benitez’s latest update.

In Tuesday’s press conference, the 61-year-old revealed that he’s only set to be without three players for the visit of the Reds due to fitness concerns, with Richarlison also back from suspension.

“We have three players injured. Davies, Yerry Mina and Calvert-Lewin. Andre Gomes has started training with the team,” confirmed Benitez.

Everton will also be boosted by the fact that key midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure came through his first 90 minutes in several weeks unscathed over the weekend, providing hope that the hosts can cause an unlikely upset.

Rafa Benitez will be buzzing

News that Everton have no new injury concerns to contend with, combined with the fact that Doucoure is available for selection and Richarlison is back from suspension will surely have Benitez absolutely buzzing.

The Blues have slipped to 14th in the top-flight table after picking up just two points from a possible 21 in recent weeks, piling the pressure on the Spanish tactician. However, with key men now returning, it’s a huge boost when you consider they have a Merseyside derby on their plate this evening.

With Richarlison and Doucoure racking up a combined four goals and five assists in the Premier League between them this term, Benitez will be delighted to welcome both players back into his struggling setup, especially in a campaign where unavailability has plagued the Toffees squad.

It remains to be seen if the deadly duo can fire Everton to a positive result against Liverpool, but their return to action will certainly be warmly welcomed by everyone associated with Goodison Park.

And, in other news…Everton line up “leader of the year” to succeed Benitez, Toffees fans will be ecstatic

West Bromwich Albion head into their opening fixture of the new Championship season with a few unknowns still hanging over Valerien Ismael’s squad.

Firstly, the future of Matheus Pereira remains up in the air, although it has been recently reported that the winger could be set to secure a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in the not too distant future.

However, the Brazilian has not played a part in Albion’s pre-season fixtures, nor has he been training with the squad, so the uncertainty surrounding the 25-year-old does not seem to affect the team directly, but more so in terms of their incoming transfer business.

Indeed, with it being reported that Albion are demanding a figure in the region of £25m in order to sanction the 25-year-old’s sale, this sum would help Ismael to plug a number of gaps in his West Brom squad, with the 45-year-old lacking depth at left-back, in central midfield and up front.

With that in mind, we take a look at how the Baggies could line up against Bournemouth on Friday evening, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Ismael confirming that he will be without the trio of Adam Reach, Quevin Castro and Taylor Gardner-Hickman for the trip to the Vitality Stadium, the team is not overly changed from the one which defeated Birmingham City 4-0 in their final pre-season friendly last weekend.

However, with Phillips impressing in the number nine role in pre-season, the 30-year-old gets the nod to start the game up top following his self-isolation, with Karlan Grant moving onto the left-hand side of attack – a position which allows the forward to cut in on his favoured right foot – while Callum Robinson drops to the bench.

New signing Matt Clarke does not make the starting XI, while Sam Johnstone could be set to begin the clash between the sticks, after Ismael praised the £30k-per-week goalkeeper’s attitude in training amid reports suggesting that the 28-year-old could be moving onto pastures new this summer.

Meanwhile, in terms of shape, the new 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 system will undoubtedly take time for the Albion players to become familiarised, but Ismael will nevertheless be hoping for a positive result in his first competitive game in charge of the club.

In other news: West Brom dealt transfer blow on “tenacious” £4.5m beast, Ismael will be gutted

Manchester City right-back Yan Couto enjoyed a superb campaign on loan with Girona and he could well prove to be the next Joao Cancelo in Pep Guardiola’s side in the future.

The Brazilian defender, who was signed from Brazilian Serie A side Coritiba in March of last year, looks to have an extremely bright future if his performances on loan are anything to go by.

Last season saw the 19-year-old join Manchester City’s sister club Girona on loan in the Spanish second division, and he was a key player for Juan Carlos Unzué’s side throughout the campaign.

The right-back, who can also feature further forward down the right-hand side, would play 29 times in all competitions for the Spanish side, in which he contributed two goals and five assists.

As per Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig on Twitter, the teenage defender was named “the best” right-back in the division last season, whilst he also dubbed him a “superb talent”.

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He suggests that the youngster averaged one key pass, 1.8 dribbles, 1.3 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per 90 minutes for Girona, which is extremely similar to the numbers averaged by Cancelo in Guardiola’s side last season.

The Portugal international would average 1.6 key passes, 1.7 dribbles, 2.4 tackles and 1.5 interceptions in the Premier League, in a campaign where he was one of the most consistent players in Guardiola’s side.

Whilst he has the better of Couto overall for now, there is no reason why the Brazilian won’t be producing these sorts of numbers at the Etihad in the future.

He looks to be an extremely attacking full-back, so could fit in well with City’s current tactic of pushing the right-back high up the pitch and into midfield, whilst the left-back usually plays a more conservative role.

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Although Guardiola will most likely stick with Kyle Walker and Cancelo as his first-choice right-backs next season, he will surely have been made aware of Couto’s superb performances out on loan, so fans may not have too long to wait until they see the Brazilian pull on a Man City shirt for the first time.

And, in other news… Txiki must sign “world class” beast for Man City 

Manchester City face Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League as they go in search of a third straight win.

Pep Guardiola’s side are coming into the match off the back of two 5-0 wins against Norwich and Arsenal, having started the campaign with a disappointing 1-0 loss at Tottenham.

Ederson and Gabriel Jesus are set to be available despite previous concerns over whether or not FIFA would ban them from playing. Kevin de Bruyne is also set to return, whilst Phil Foden is likely to miss out.

Who will Guardiola bring into the XI? Here is our predicted starting line-up for the clash against Leicester…

We are predicting that Guardiola will make three changes to the team which started the rout against Arsenal, with Kevin de Bruyne, John Stones and Raheem Sterling coming in.

Firstly, we are predicting that de Bruyne will return to the starting XI. The Belgian has been back in training all week and we believe that Guardiola will take Bernardo Silva out of the team to accommodate the two-time PFA Player of the Year.

He has only played 11 minutes in the league so far this season, having produced 19 goals and 32 assists in the previous two Premier League campaigns combined. His ability to score and create goals could increase City’s chances of picking up three points against the Foxes, which is why he should be brought into the team.

Although Jesus has been cleared to feature, the decision has come very late ahead of the match and Jesus may not be in the best place – mentally – to start the game. With Zack Steffen out with Covid, there is little choice but to select Ederson, but Guardiola has plenty of options to start out wide in the front three.

We are predicting that Raheem Sterling will come in. The 26-year-old has only started once this season (against Tottenham) but did manage to get himself on the scoresheet against Norwich. He also scored once in two games for England over the international break, netting in the 4-0 thrashing of Hungary.

Riyad Mahrez could also start in the wide role, but we are backing Sterling for this match because of his positional flexibility which could allow Ferran Torres and himself to interchange positions throughout the game. Sterling has the capabilities to play through the middle, which could then see Torres move out wide and cause problems for the Leicester defenders as they try and work out who they should be marking.

Finally, we are predicting that John Stones will start at centre-back alongside Ruben Dias instead of Spanish international Aymeric Laporte. We have published an article explaining our reasoning behind this decision, with the Englishman yet to start a Premier League match this season and deserving of an opportunity to come in and show that he can recapture his form from the previous campaign.

We are predicting that the rest of the side will remain the same from the 5-0 win over Arsenal prior to the international break.

AND in other news, Pep must start £100k-p/w Man City enforcer vs Leicester, he could stop Vardy…

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has made an exciting Leeds United claim about Raphinha and Marcelo Bielsa.

What’s the story?

The Whites made a late move to sign Manchester United’s Dan James on transfer deadline day, and Hay has now suggested there could be a very intriguing tactical tweak on the cards for Bielsa.

He said: “He (James) probably starts on the bench, doesn’t he, behind Raphinha (and) behind Jack Harrison – they seem pretty well-established. But we’ll wait to see whether or not there’s any effort made to convert somebody like Raphinha into a 10.

“From what I can gather, that is on Bielsa’s mind, but I think it would take a heck of a lot of coaching and I think it would be a longer-term process. Raphinha doesn’t instantly look to me like a Bielsa player in that two behind Patrick Bamford.

“It always feels like a little bit closer to an 8 than it is to an out-and-out number 10, who plays solely as a 10, but perhaps it can be done, and I mean, Raphinha, his range of skills are exceptional.”

Could be Bielsa’s game-changer

Having seen Raphinha enjoy a superb debut campaign at Elland Road by playing out wide, it feels slightly silly to suggest that Leeds should already think about changing up his position.

However, the Brazilian’s ability to beat players one-on-one, and also have the end product to either deliver a pass or land a shot on goal, makes him a rather interesting fit for that number ten role.

Rodrigo has struggled to nail down that position or even convince in that role behind Patrick Bamford, but Raphinha’s explosiveness and willingness to carry the ball could be a game-changer for Bielsa.

As per WhoScored, out of players who have featured in more than one Premier League game this season for Leeds, the 24-year-old ranks top for shots per game, fourth for key passes and second for dribbles.

The former Rennes man can do it all, and by playing him in that number ten role, Bielsa can then fit both Jack Harrison and James into his team out wide and give Leeds an incredibly pacey and exciting attack.

It’s exactly why Hay’s claim that Bielsa is considering moving Raphinha infield could well be a masterstroke from the Argentine tactician.

Meanwhile, this Leeds ace has seen his value diminish dramatically…

In a stunning new twist, Tottenham Hotspur appear to be on the verge of ending their long managerial search…

What’s the word?

According to reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, former AS Roma boss Paulo Fonseca is incoming sporting director Fabio Paratici’s top target to fill the Spurs vacancy.

The 48-year-old departed the Serie A outfit at the end of the season and was soon replaced by Jose Mourinho, who was sacked by Daniel Levy back in mid-April.

Other outlets have since added further fuel to the fire, with the BBC claiming that the Portuguese coach was in talks with the North London outfit about becoming their next manager.

Hugely uninspiring

As Gold suggests in another tweet, this is a “big gamble” from Spurs and one that will undoubtedly cause more friction amongst the fanbase.

In recent months, several supporters have protested against both the chairman and club’s owners, the ENIC Group, after plans to create a European Super League were abandoned.

But truth be told, this was the mere culmination of many years of underachievement and a serious lack of ambition from the club’s hierarchy. After all, Spurs have not won a trophy since 2008 and it’s been downhill since they lost that Champions League final.

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Things could soon go from bad to worse as leading talisman Harry Kane wants out and several of Tottenham’s top-flight rivals, namely both Manchester clubs and Chelsea, are now circling like vultures, as per Sky Sports.

It means Levy has to get this appointment absolutely spot on otherwise he’s under even more intense pressure from those that are effectively paying the bills in North London.

In response to Gold’s initial tweet, you can quickly see that there are plenty of Spurs fans completely against the move – a small sample size but a rather damning one.

“Team will be booed off first game …that’s a shocking appointment,” claimed one supporter, whilst another added: “Seriously is it possible to get a refund on my season ticket Alasdair? We’re being mugged off here.”

There was even popular music star BassHunter chiming in with his thoughts as he suggested that he would rather appoint Sean Dyche and that it was “embarrassing.”

This is just the start, so as Spurs seemingly close in on appointing the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss, anger from around the club will surely only mount up.

AND in other news, How Fabio Paratici can transform Spurs in one window…

Everton completed the ultimate smash and grab by winning a point from their game at Goodison Park park last night against Leicester City, with another point tallied up in their battle for safety from relegation this season.

Frank Lampard will be delighted that his team have managed to build a four-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone with just seven games left to go and the belief in the dressing room will hopefully push the team on to put in a performance in the Merseyside derby this weekend.

Despite only having 36% possession, fewer shots on goal and no big chances created throughout the game, the hosts refused to let the game pass them by to ultimately take a point away from the difficult game against the Foxes yesterday evening.

Leicester opened the scoring early when Harvey Barnes found the back of the net in the fifth minute of the first half, and from that moment it looked like it was going to be a tale of ill-fate for the Toffees, a situation we’ve seen the side find themselves in numerous times this season.

However, Lampard’s side remained resilient and held off the visitors from taking their further chances over the rest of the game, and Richarlison took the opportunity to find a last-minute winner scoring to undo Leicester’s work in the 92nd minute, sealing a point in the process.

One player who will go under the radar for his huge influence in the centre of the pitch with a performance that kept Everton in with a chance was Fabian Delph, someone who is currently enjoining a renaissance period at Goodison Park.

According to SofaScore, the 32-year-old midfielder won 100% of his five aerial and ground duels combined, made five blocks, two interceptions, one key pass and two tackles.

Furthermore, he only lost possession nine times in his 53 touches of the ball in an all-round impressive display that made him the real hero in the team.

The Toffees boss will surely be absolutely delighted that Delph has come back into the team to make such an influential impact on the side following a long-term injury.

The former Manchester City star also played a huge part in the victory over Manchester United, and Lampard will surely be hoping that his inclusion in the team will continue to inspire further positive results.

AND in other news: EFC plotting £25m bid for “dangerous” £152k-p/w ace, it could be bye-bye Richarlison