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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.

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 

Everton’s hopes of securing a place in Europe for next season took a huge blow on Saturday evening at Goodison Park.

The Toffees came into this clash full of confidence after defeating Arsenal last time out but they were all over the place defensively as they lost 2-1 to Aston Villa.

Michael Keane was back from injury but only made the bench, a decision that Carlo Ancelotti was surely left ruing come full-time.

That’s because Mason Holgate was a nightmare from a defensive point of view. The young defender gave the ball away on a frequent basis and it cost the hosts the opening goal.

Holgate received the ball inside his own half with plenty of space and room to pass into. However, he inconceivably turned back towards his own goal and was then robbed of possession by Ollie Watkins.

Unsurprisingly, with the form the England international has been in this season, he duly picked up the ball and pushed it past Jordan Pickford.

It was a howler from Holgate but he wasn’t the only one to disappoint on Saturday evening.

Indeed, Andre Gomes continued his rather mediocre return to the team following injury.

He lasted just over an hour against Arsenal a week ago and he was hauled off on 70 minutes this time having put in a particularly lightweight shift.

When the Portuguese initially signed on loan from Barcelona, he oozed class in the middle of the park for Everton. However, he’s been very inadequate of late and is lacking the qualities that made them spend £22m to prise him away from Camp Nou.

Gomes did complete 85% of his passes against the Villans but he was given the run around by an energetic midfield.

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The £140k-per-week earner was particularly feeble from a defensive point of view and lost a mighty 78% of the duels he competed in. That meant Gomes failed to win a single aerial duel and prevailed in only two tackles.

The 27-year-old produced one moment of quality in the first half when he played a delicious ball into the left channel for Lucas Digne but that was about as good as it got.

Gomes didn’t provide much energy and his physicality left a lot to be desired. Up against the likes of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn, you need to offer far more than was shown on Saturday evening.

It was a performance that will have left Ancelotti frustrated and disappointed. After all, Gomes is a player you should expect control and composure from.

AND in other news, Bye-bye DCL: Brands can land dream Everton replacement in “unbelievable” 44-goal beast…

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

Everton were right to sell Davy Klaassen to Werder Bremen for a significant loss in 2018, despite Ruud Gullit now claiming that his compatriot was wasted at Goodison Park.

Klaassen moved to Merseyside from AFC Ajax four years ago in £23.6m deal as the priority signing of then-manager Ronald Koeman amid doubts over Ross Barkley’s future, but he would only last the one season in royal blue.

The Dutchman struggled to adapt to the demands of the Premier League during a turbulent campaign for the Toffees, making just 16 appearances in all competitions before leaving for only £12m.

The season had begun with a run of just two wins in nine league games to pave the way for Koeman’s sacking, and the appointment of Sam Allardyce brought with it a style of football unsuited to Klaassen’s talents.

The physicality of the English game also proved an issue for the player named as the 2016 Dutch Footballer of the Year, and saw that he only started three of his seven Premier League outings and never scored for the Toffees before moving to Werder Bremen.

Now back at Ajax, Klaassen is again firing on the front foot and scored his fifth international goal as the Netherlands lost to Turkey in a World Cup qualifier earlier this week. Afterwards, Gullit explained how Everton had failed to get the most from the 28-year-old.

“He’s a [No.] 10. He’s a midfielder who goes all the time in the box. Ajax always played with plenty of people around the box, so it was easy for him,” the Dutch icon said, via quotes shared by the Liverpool Echo.

“There are numerous players from Ajax who went abroad then all of a sudden are in an environment which doesn’t play like that. That is the worst part of it.

“Klaassen went to Everton and found that problem. He came from Ajax, goes to Everton, who don’t play like that. All of a sudden, he’s lost, he doesn’t know what to do, where to come, because he’s not good at the ball and doesn’t do all kinds of tricks, he doesn’t have that.

“Klaassen then went to Germany, played a different role and played well. Now he’s back to Amsterdam and played the same role as he did before and he’s an outstanding player in the national team again and everyone says ‘Ooof!’.”

While Gullit suggests that Everton wasted Klaassen during his year at Goodison Park, the 58-year-old also explained why the Toffees were right to sell the midfielder, even if doing so meant owner Farhad Moshiri had to sanction a £11.6m loss.

Everton wasted a total of £15.6m with the signing and subsequent failure of Klaassen, having awarded him a £70,000-per-week contract which earned the Dutchman £4m in wages over his 58 weeks on Merseyside.

For that money, the Toffees only saw one assist, no goals and 10 starts from 16 appearances in all competitions, while being omitted from 29 matchday squads due to his inability to adapt to either the demands of Koeman and Allardyce or the demands of the English game.

It would have been unsustainable for Moshiri to continue paying Klaassen so lucratively for that return, knowing that a second season at the same level – or worse – would have meant his market value decreasing more than the near 50% it already had.

Everton simply had to bite the bullet with Klaassen when they did and accept that he may go on to rediscover his form in a system more to his suiting, as – like Gullit claims – the Premier League and the tactics used at Goodison Park were not set up for him to excel.

AND in other news, Everton dodged a £13m bullet in a “remarkable” talent as the hype falls silent…

An update has emerged on Arsenal’s William Saliba, regarding Southampton’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Foot Mercato, Southampton and Newcastle are both eyeing up a deal to take Saliba on loan from Arsenal this summer. Arsenal are willing to send Saliba back out on loan following his spell at OGC Nice in Ligue 1 last season.

London have reported that Arsenal’s pursuit of Brighton centre-back Ben White could even allow the Gunners to sell Saliba on a permanent basis. Arsenal are closing in on a deal for White and if they land the England international, it could lead to Saliba being available for a permanent deal.

Adrian Ursea, his coach at Nice, hailed Saliba as a leader despite his young age. He told BeIN Sports, as transcribed by Planet Football:

“You can see he has character and above all, he reassures the others. He’s not vocal, but he’s a leader in his own way.

“To see you a young lad who isn’t even 20 yet playing with such assurance against strikers like Wissam Ben Yedder and Kevin Volland, it really is quite amazing.

“He also gives off a calm air that the team needs. I’m not interested in age. The only question about a rookie is whether he’s a good player or not.”

Another one of his former coaches, Fabio Frasconi, likened him to Real Madrid and France centre-back Raphael Varane. He said:

“William Saliba will go far, very far. He reminds me of Raphaël Varane.”

Fans would be buzzing

Southampton fans would be buzzing if the club can get a deal over the line for Saliba. The young centre-back is a talented prospect and could provide some much-needed quality competition for places in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad next season.

Mohamed Salisu has been mainly utilised at left-back by Hasenhuttl, leaving Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard to play 36 and 30 Premier League game respectively at centre-back. This means that there could be scope for a new addition to come in and push the established duo.

Saliba could be the player who comes in and does just that. The 20-year-old has proven himself in France with St Ettiene and Nice, averaging a career WhoScored rating of 6.75 in 50 appearances for the two French clubs. This shows that he is good enough at Ligue 1 level, suggesting that he could be able to make the step up to the Premier League with Southampton. Therefore, he could be a shrewd addition to Southampton’s squad and provide valuable competition for Hasenhuttl’s other centre-backs.

The £36k-per-week beast also has the potential to develop further as he only turned 20 in March. Hasenhuttl could have the chance to coach him into becoming a better centre-back over the course of the season if he joins on loan.

Southampton fans will be buzzing if Saliba arrives at St. Mary’s as they could have the chance to watch him flourish whilst playing at the club next season.

AND in other news, Major development emerges on “fabulous” £43k-p/w starlet, Saints fans will be gutted…

Southampton are interested in a deal to bring Thomas Delaney to St Mary’s Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Germany (via Sport Witness), who claim that Ralph Hasenhuttl is keeping a very close eye on the performances of the Borussia Dortmund defensive midfielder at Euro 2020 with Denmark ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

It is also said that both Norwich City and Crystal Palace are interested in the 29-year-old, although none of the interested parties are thought to have made an offer as yet.

Hasenhuttl must move

Considering just how impressive Delaney was for Dortmund last season, as well as starring for Denmark this summer, it is easy to see why Hasenhuttl is keen on a move for the midfielder.

Indeed, over his 20 Bundesliga appearances for Edin Terzic’s side last season, the £13.5m-rated ace made an average of 1.1 interceptions, two tackles and won 4.8 duels per game.

The 29-year-old also chipped in for his side in an attacking capacity, scoring one goal, providing one assist and making an average of 0.2 key passes per league fixture.

These returns saw the man Michael Zorc dubbed an “outstanding” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.89, ranking him as Dortmund’s joint 11th-best performer in the German top flight.

The midfielder has so far continued this fine form at Euro 2020 with Denmark, making an average of one interception, one tackle and winning 3.5 duels per game, with these metrics culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.97, playing a huge role in helping his side reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

As such, with Hasenhuttl undoubtedly hoping for a much more impressive campaign than Southampton’s recent 15th placed Premier League finish next time out, the addition of the £85k-per-week Delaney would appear to be a fantastic step in the right direction for the Saints, leading us to believe the 53-year-old should do all he can to get a deal over the line for the Dortmund man this summer.

In other news: Semmens could strike gold for Saints with swoop for 5ft 6 starlet, Ralph would love it

Leeds are facing Premier League competition in the race to sign Rangers star Glen Kamara in this upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are interested in signing the Finland international this summer, but it now appears that they will have to fend off some intense competition.

The Daily Mail claimed that the likes of Southampton, Brighton and Burnley are also keeping tabs on the midfielder, and that it’s understood Watford would also be interested if they earn promotion back to the Premier League.

The report added that “Kamara is understood to be relaxed over his position”, and that while he still has two years left on his contract at Ibrox and has a good relationship with manager Steven Gerrard, “that is unlikely to prevent Premier League sides testing Rangers’ resolve to hold onto him this summer”.

Orta facing transfer misery

Given that Leeds’ interest in Kamara first surfaced way back in October amid suggestions that a move could be made in the January transfer window, failing to strike a deal for the midfielder would now go down as a massive mistake by Victor Orta.

The Whites have clearly had their eye on the Finnish ace for quite some time now, and by failing to kick things into gear and sort out a deal as quickly as possible, they have allowed rival Premier League clubs to potentially come in at the last minute and swoop for the 25-year-old.

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Neil McCann, his former coach at Dundee, has raved about Kamara previously, and it’s the kind of review which will surely have Marcelo Bielsa very excited at the prospect of working with him at Elland Road.

McCann said of the midfielder: “He isn’t a big, physical lad but he’s made of iron and really strong. I knew immediately that he could handle the ball under pressure and not give it away, so he was perfect. He’s a special talent. He’s lightning-quick but he doesn’t show it. He’s a player who takes instruction well.”

With the news that Leeds aren’t the only club interested in signing him, Orta’s task has just become more difficult – quite frankly, far more so than it actually should have been given they were keen on landing him late last year.

The dilly-dallying surely won’t have Bielsa happy at all.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign their new Lewis Cook in this Championship starlet…

Valerien Ismael is among the contenders for the vacant West Brom manager’s job, according to reports…

What’s the word?

That’s the latest claim from the Daily Mirror, who suggested that the Barnsley boss is high on the Baggies’ shortlist to replace Sam Allardyce at The Hawthorns this summer.

It’s also thought that the Midlands outfit would need to pay around £1.5m in compensation to land the 45-year-old coach after an impressive season in charge of the Tykes.

Former West Brom manager Roy Hodgson and Chris Wilder have also been mooted with the Albion job.

Baggies stars beware

After an abject and pathetic season on the pitch (just five league wins), culminating in relegation to the Championship after just one season back in the big time, a stern presence in the dugout could be exactly what West Brom need to spark the club back into life.

Former LASK Linz and Wolfsburg manager Ismael has completely transformed Barnsley from relegation favourites into play-off contenders in the second tier, before losing to Swansea City.

In his 44 games in charge of the club, he has registered a respectable 56.8% win rate, which is better than the other two candidates in their recent posts. Hodgson leaves Palace having won just 33% of matches, whilst Wilder only won 46.7% of games in charge of Sheffield United despite achieving promotion twice in three years.

Ismael has also been linked with the vacancy at Selhurst Park and, when speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa star Lee Hendrie waxed lyrical about the Barnsley boss.

“He wants that aggressive style. He’s got a very good, young squad at Barnsley and done absolutely brilliant this season with what he’s had at Barnsley. I’ve got to say that, for sure,” the 44-year-old claimed. “I say he likes that aggressive style, but he likes that energy and he plays football in the right way.”

These are all encouraging signs towards why West Brom sporting and technical director Luke Dowling would be wise to appoint someone like Ismael, who was hardly heard of before his stint in the Championship this season.

Some of West Brom’s squad have been around the club for several years, whilst an average age of 26.5 ranked them amongst the oldest in the top flight during 2020/21, as per Transfermarkt.

Albion have a fine academy setup, which means that Ismael would tick another box as his Barnsley side were by far the youngest in the Championship, with an average of just 23.5, as per Transfermarkt.

That would suit Dowling and his academy setup at The Hawthorns, so if he wants to get a reaction ahead of the new season, then the 45-year-old Frenchman must be considered as a serious candidate alongside the likes of Wilder and Hodgson.

AND in other news, Dowling may be on verge of landmark West Brom appointment amid surprise manager twist…

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…