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If 2019/20 was about Raul Jimenez, then 2020/21 was very much the campaign of Pedro Neto at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Jimenez suffered a devastating fractured skull back in November and from that moment onwards, he wasn’t seen on the field of play again.

The Mexican has now returned to action with a protective headband but rather typically, he has come back with Neto on the sidelines.

Last season was the Portuguese winger’s breakthrough campaign at Molineux, scoring five goals and supplying six assists as he tormented the opposition.

Quick, tricky and adept with both feet, Neto has taken on the mantle left behind by Diogo Jota in ruthless fashion.

Yet, once he returns from a serious knee injury, he will need the likes of Trincao and Adama Traore to step up and provide further goals in the final third to lend him some assistance.

They could receive further aid from Brest winger Romain Faivre. Wolves were linked with the Frenchman this week and if they sign him, he could forge a scintillating partnership with Neto on the flanks.

Faivre can play out wide and also in the middle but he’d surely be best used when stretching the play.

He has scored 13 career goals, six of which came last term and has dribbling that would terrify Premier League defences.

Described as a player with “something special” by his manager Olivier Dall’Oglio, the 23-year-old recorded an eye-catching 2.5 dribbles per match last term.

For context, that’s 0.4 more than Neto managed in the Old Gold during the best season of his career to date.

Faivre appears to be an extremely exciting talent and ranks in some high percentiles for offensive statistics. According to FB Ref, the attacker is in the 78th percentile across Europe’s top five leagues for key passes.

Most impressive are his shot-creating actions. He ranks at a whopping 92% for this area of the game; a number that usurps both Neto and Traore across the last 365 days. They are in the 77th and 74th percentiles respectively.

On that evidence, Faivre could well become the main man when it comes to creativity from a wide area at Wolves.

Just imagine the damage he could do when combined with Neto or Traore; it’s a mouth-watering thought.

AND in other news, Wolves eye swoop for “tenacious” 37-cap warrior, he could be their new Ruben Neves…

West Ham United face an uphill battle in their pursuit of Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite, with Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley and Norwich City also interested in his signature [Sport].

Enjoying a respectable 2020/21 campaign, the Danish forward registered 11 goal contributions from 42 fixtures for the Catalan giants, with seven goals and four assists [Transfermarkt].

The Premier League quartet are all said to be keen on the 30-year-old, who is also subject of attention from an unnamed Russian club.

David Moyes reportedly wants to strengthen his offensive arsenal this summer, whilst he is believed to be an admirer of Braithwaite’s qualities as the Irons stride towards the 2021/22 campaign [The Sun].

In light of these recent developments, plenty of Hammers diehards have taken to Twitter to voice their concerns over the latest news, with many unconvinced by Braithwaite’s abilities.

West Ham United fans react:

Replying to popular West Ham fan outlet West Ham News, here is how some fans summarised their opinion on the links with the Denmark internationalist:

“A player who through his career averages a goal every 4+ matches & last season in La Liga managed 2 in 1,160 minutes. Excuse me if I’m not overcome with excitement.”

Credit: @MrRobertGates”If it’s a battle with the likes of those 3. Then let them have him lol”Credit: @eva1whu”He’s 30 so no”Credit: @thorpe9214″He’s got the touch of a trampoline”Credit: @BubbleNeal”No thanks”Credit: @costahammer”No thank you. Must have a good agent to have got him a gig at Barcelona. Rather have Dolberg.”Credit: @Jay____PeeIn other news, these West Ham fans flock to news of a summer signing.

Millwall are interested in a deal to bring Allan Campbell to The Den this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Gary Rowett’s side are one of a number of EFL clubs keeping a close eye on the Motherwell midfielder ahead of a potential move in the upcoming transfer window.

It is reported that the 22-year-old has decided to call time on his spell at Fir Park, with the £1.08m-rated man rejecting the offer of a new deal to remain with Graham Alexander’s side beyond the summer, with his current contract set to expire in the coming weeks.

Rowett must move

With central midfielder Shaun Williams being set for release by Millwall this summer, the position is undoubtedly one in which Rowett will be looking to strengthen in the upcoming transfer window.

And, considering just how much potential Campbell appears to possess, it is unsurprising to learn of the 47-year-old Lions manager’s interest in the Scotland U21 international.

Over his 34 Scottish Premiership fixtures for Well last term, the £1.5k-per-week man scored four goals and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and winning 4.7 duels per game.

These returns saw the midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 6.82, ranking him as Alexander’s joint ninth-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

Indeed, the “highly-rated” 22-year-old appears to have an extremely promising future in the game, with his manager stating his belief that the youngster is a “shining example” for others at the club.

As such, with Rowett looking to build a side capable of improving on their impressive eighth-place finish in the Championship next season, the addition of a player with a future as bright as Campbell would appear to be a fantastic way to kick start Millwall’s summer transfer business, especially as he would cost the club nothing in fees.

In other news: Get it done: Rowett must sanction Millwall swoop for £4k-p/w “revelation” this summer

Paulo Fonseca will have a new coaching staff around him at Tottenham Hotspur, according to emerging claims…

What’s the word?

In a recent Q&A with Spurs fans on football.london, the ever-reliable Alasdair Gold dropped a fresh update on the 48-year-old’s imminent arrival. He said that Spurs could announce the appointment of Fonseca in the very near future, via Zoom. He aldo claimed that the club were going over the ‘final details’, in which the make-up of his coaching staff would be decided.

He said:

“There’s some suggestion that it might be next week due to travel restrictions etc, but you’d hope Spurs might just announce it with an interview via Zoom as they did with [Fabio] Paratici.

“I understand, from within Fonseca’s camp, that he held further talks with Paratici in Milan yesterday as they go over the final details of his arrival, including that new-look coaching team.”

Can he still be as good?

It was recently reported that some of Fonseca’s most trusted counterparts may not be coming to North London with him this summer in what could be perceived as a massive blow and Gold’s latest update seemingly confirms this.

It means the Portuguese coach will have to work with an entirely new set-up, one that wasn’t there for his successes in Ukraine and Portugal, nor at his latest job, AS Roma.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-spurs-news-transfer-gossip-rumours-manager-update-fonseca-paratici-levy” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, manager gossip, transfer rumours, injury updates and more!”]

As revealed by Gold earlier in the week, football.london understands that the 48-year-old will not have his 15-year long assistant Nuno Campos or fitness coach Pedro Moreira, who has also worked with him for over a decade, with him at Spurs.

This is a group that saw Fonseca guide Shaktar Donetsk to three successive league and cup doubles, whilst more recently, they steered the Serie A giants into the Europa League semi-final.

It begs the question, can he do the same without them? And as such, is he still the right appointment for Spurs?

The Lilywhites are in dire need of a rebuild, which is in part why Fabio Paratici has been hired as their first director of football since 2015.

He’ll have to sort out their defensive problems, resolve Harry Kane’s questionable future and guide the club back into the top four. No easy task, especially when the fanbase has been against your arrival from day one.

Fonseca’s previous successes came with his trusted staff memebers by his side and we have very little evidence to suggest he can be successful without them, so this is definitely a bit of a gamble by Daniel Levy. Time will tell if it works out for the best but many supporters in North London should be rather worried that Fonseca’s right-hand men won’t be by his side as and when he takes over.

AND in other news, Spurs were dealt another gutting manager blow over pre-Fonseca target…

Lots of Wolves fans have been expressing their delight as the Midlands club confirmed the signing of Trincao on their official Twitter channel.

As per the club’s official website, he joins on a season-long loan from Barcelona, with an option to buy him in the future.

Wolves technical director Scott Sellars has described Trincao as an ‘exciting’ player, who ‘drives with the ball well’ and has ‘good creativity’.

The winger will be very familiar with some of his new teammates given that he has played in six senior games for the Portugal national team, and also played with Pedro Neto at Braga, with whom he briefly featured against Wolves in the Europa League in the autumn of 2019. He clocked nine goals and 13 assists in that season to earn his move to Camp Nou.

Trincao is an emerging talent at just 21 years of age, and by playing alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, he will have gained a lot of experience and knowledge from some of the best footballers in the world.

Wolves fans on Trincao signing

These Wolves fans erupted as the news was shared on Twitter, with one describing the transfer as ‘unbelievable’:

“WE ARE WINNING THE LEAGUE”

Credit: @portopom

“Go on boys!!! Quality”

Credit: @C7Burton

“WOW! What a surprise!?! Amazing signing! Unbelievable.”

Credit: @idmahon

“YAAASSSSSSSS”

Credit: @Cal_Wood1990

“Get in!!”

Credit: @PhilChiller77

“Class signing”

Credit: @itsmebrody44

In other news, find out what transfer update Tim Spiers has dropped on this Wolves fans’ favourite

Dean Windass believes that Duncan Ferguson should be given the chance to manage Everton.

The former Toffees striker, who spent 10 seasons at Goodison Park as a player, has been Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant manager over the previous 18 months having returned to the club in 2014.

Between Ancelotti’s arrival and Marco Silva’s sacking, Ferguson was named as caretaker manager and impressed during his uplifting four-match spell.

With the side in the relegation zone at the beginning of December, Ferguson inspired Everton to a three-match unbeaten run following a fine Goodison Park victory over Chelsea and creditable draws with Manchester United and Arsenal, the former at Old Trafford.

His side even came back from 2-0 down to force penalties against Leicester in the cup, although the Foxes progressed to the last-four.

Ferguson’s work during those two weeks saw him promoted to Ancelotti’s assistant, and having learned off one of the most successful coaches in the modern era, Windass thinks the time has come for the 49-year-old to be considered for the permanent role.

He told Football FanCast:

“He’s a legend at the football club, he’s got blue blood running through his veins and he’s a very passionate man.

“He must have learned a hell of a lot with Ancelotti, and their relationship between the pair was very good. The board wants Duncan to stay around the place, whoever the new manager is.

“Give Big Dunc a go, he did very well in temporary charge before Ancelotti. The fans love him, and the fans will be back next year.”

Wayne Rooney’s Derby County defender Scott Malone looks set to leave Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Derbyshire Live, who claim that Malone is due to leave the Rams upon the expiry of his contract at the end of this season, along with Scott Carson and Florian Jozefzoon.

The £1.8 million-rated left-back, who Frank Lampard signed from Huddersfield Town back in the summer of 2018, has spent the past season on loan at fellow Championship side Millwall and does not look likely to make a return to Pride Park, with the Lions thought to be considering a move for the defender if and when he becomes a free agent.

Malone must go

Having made a total of just 45 Championship appearances for Derby throughout his three years at the club, over which the left-back scored three goals and provided two assists, it would be fair to say that Malone has not exactly made a drastic impression within the Rams side since his arrival.

Indeed, over his 18 second-tier fixtures for the club last season, the left-back gave away possession of the ball an average of 12.7 times per game, in addition to making one error that led directly to a goal and conceding one penalty, culminating in a highly disappointing SofaScore average match rating of 6.55.

As such, there should be absolutely no hesitation on the part of Wayne Rooney when considering the defender’s future at the club this summer, particularly as the 30-year-old is reported to earn a whopping £20,000-per-week.

Once the Rams are free of Malone’s wage commitments, the 35-year-old manager can put this money towards the improvement of his squad this summer, something that, considering how narrow Derby’s escape from dropping down to League One was this season, it appears is desperately needed at the club.

In other news: Forget Waghorn: Derby County “leader” who won 9 duels saved Rooney’s season – opinion

Rangers have been linked with a move for Reading ace Josh Laurent ahead of next season and he could be a superb addition to Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox should he make the move north this summer.

According to The Sun, Rangers and Brighton are keen on signing the 26-year-old this summer after his impressive debut campaign with the Royals.

The report suggests that Gerrard is keen to improve the spine of his team by signing the powerful midfielder, who they estimate would cost Rangers around £8m this summer.

Laurent joined the Championship side on a two-year deal from Shrewsbury Town last summer and was a key player in Veljko Paunović’s side as they narrowly missed out on a playoff spot in England’s second tier.

The English midfielder would make 45 appearances for the Madjeski Stadium outfit, contributing three goals and three assists, earning himself a solid 6.88 rating for his performances from WhoScored.

He has been deployed mainly in a defensive midfield role by Paunović and has averaged two tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in the Championship, with WhoScored suggesting that his defensive contribution is his main strength.

Gerrard will surely be looking to add depth in midfield ahead of next season, as Ryan Jack’s long-term injury this season has often forced the 40-year-old manager to rotate four players – Steven Davis, Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo and Scott Arfield – in his midfield three.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-news-transfer-rumours-and-more-copy-copy” title=“Latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more from Ibrox!”]

Therefore, with Kamara also being heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, it seems likely that the Gers will add some midfielders to their squad ahead of next season, and Laurent could prove to be a very shrewd addition.

He was recently named as the supporter’s Player of the Season at Reading, which led Paunovic to sing his praises, with the Serbian manager saying:

“He’s had a fantastic season, I’m very happy for him and proud of his achievements. He’s worked hard and I think he has benefitted from the huge amount of personality he has.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776″]

Therefore, after his impressive debut campaign in the Championship, Laurent could definitely prove to be similarly effective at Ibrox next season, so sporting director Ross Wilson should definitely be looking to bring him in.

And, in other news… Rangers suffer huge blow with “fantastic” 20 y/o gem, Gerrard surely fuming

Writing on Twitter, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has shared ‘good news’ coming out of N17 in an exciting development involving sporting director Fabio Paratici.

The Lowdown: Paratici and Spurs…

The Italian chief, noted for his transfer dealings at Juventus before he left the club this year, has been heavily linked with an appointment as part of the Tottenham boardroom.

Currently, Lilywhites chief Steve Hitchen holds the title of ‘technical performance director’ and overseees most transfer activity at the club.

It is now being widely reported that Spurs could go back to the sporting director model with Paratici, and Gold has shared an exciting development.

The Latest: Gold shares exciting Paratici development…

Writing on Twitter, journalist Gold has shared an exciting development on Paratici amid all the noise surrounding a breakdown in managerial talks with Antonio Conte.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-news/” title=”Spurs latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, despite both Conte and Paratici having a close working relationship at Juve, the latter man is set to join Tottenham regardless.

Gold has even gone as far as to say that the 48-year-old has already started working.

“In good news though, as reported elsewhere, Fabio Paratici is expected to join Spurs soon regardless,” explained the reporter on social media.

“Understand he’s already begun planning potential sales for Tottenham and targets with those funds.

“Steve Hitchen is currently expected to remain within the structure.”

The Verdict: Silver lining for Spurs…

Conte to Spurs now looks dead in the water barring a dramatic twist, but a silver lining for the Lilywhites is the appointment of Paratici upstairs.

He is widely regarded as a capable director and known for the playing a huge role in bringing footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.

Spurs will need to navigate the summer with due caution amid financial uncertainty caused by coronavirus, and they would struggle to find a more astute operator than Paratici to work with.

Indeed, now all that remains is for Spurs to get off the managerial-merry-go-round.

In other news: BBC pundit thrilled by ‘great news’ for Tottenham, find out more here.

Paddy Kenny has claimed that it would be ‘genius’ from Everton if they were able to make a profit off of the potential sale of Moise Kean.

This comes after Italian football journalist and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano had recently reported that the Goodison Park faithful are eager to offload the striker, currently on loan at Paris Saint Germain.

It is claimed that the Merseyside club will start talks about his possible sale at around the £43m point, having signed him originally from Juventus for £25.1m in the 2018 summer transfer window.

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny has claimed that it would be ‘unbelievable’ for Carlo Ancelotti’s team if they could yield a profit on the Italy international:

“That would be genius business from Everton’s perspective, 100 per cent.

“For someone who has done nothing for them, to even get your money back would be good. To make a profit on someone like that is unheard of.

“For them to get £40m-plus would be unbelievable. They could then go and use that cash on someone who can have more of an effect on the team.”

Everton should profit from Kean sale

If there is a chance that the Toffees can make a profit off of selling Kean, then they should snap PSG’s hand off.

While the form of the 21-year-old has been great during his time in Paris, his tenure at the Blues was far less enjoyable, scoring a mere four goals and making a further two assists in 37 games in total over all competitions across the last two consecutive terms (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, EFC should try and get as much money as they can for him and look to invest in another forward to replace him in the upcoming window, rather than risk him coming back to Merseyside, struggling and plummeting in value.

In other news, find out what European Super League news Toffees have flocked to here!