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Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Rui Patricio is close to securing a summer move away from Molineux.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claimed that Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma side are close to agreeing a deal of €6m (£5m) plus bonuses with Wolves for the transfer of the 33-year-old.

It is reported that the Premier League club began negotiations for Patricio by demanding a €12m (£10m) fee, which then dropped to €10m (£8.5m) before reportedly settling for half the figure they had originally wanted for the Portugal international.

Lage heading for grave mistake

Having only taken over at Wolves at the beginning of June, if the reports are indeed true that Lage is willing to allow Patricio to leave this summer, particularly for the fee mentioned by Corriere dello Sport, it seems that the former Benfica boss is already on his way to making a grave mistake at the club.

Having joined Wolves from Sporting Lisbon in a £16.2m deal back in 2018, the goalkeeper has been a near ever-present for the Premier League side, missing just two top-flight fixtures since his arrival in the Black Country.

Over these 112 Premier League fixtures, the £9m-rated stopper has kept a total of 31 clean sheets, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.60 in 2018/19, 6.83 in 2019/20 and 6.76 in 2020/21 – ratings which prove just how solid the 33-year-old has been for the club since his arrival.

Furthermore, with only John Ruddy in the Wolves squad who could realistically replace the Portugal number one if he were he to leave Molineux this summer, Lage would more than likely have to bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer transfer window, and it seems unlikely that the 45-year-old could find a stopper as talented as Patricio for the £5m Wolves would receive from his sale.

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As such, all of the above would lead us to believe that the sale of the man whom Steve Bull dubbed a “world-class” goalkeeper would be a huge mistake on the part of Lage, as the manager could well find the £100,000-per-week 33-year-old an extremely difficult player to replace.

In other news: Get it done: Lage must sanction £26m Wolves summer swoop for “special” Euro 2020 beast

Bundesliga expert Daniel Pinder believes that Sasa Kalajdzic would be a starter for West Ham United if he joined the club, in an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern.

The 23-year-old has been in fine form for Stuttgart this season, scoring 15 goals in 32 outings.

He has been linked away, with various clubs said to hold an interest.

Tottenham Hotspur have been credited as suitors, as have the Irons, with the latter on the lookout for some much-needed firepower.

West Ham sold Sebastien Haller to Ajax in the January transfer window and did not replace him, only signing Jesse Lingard on loan from Manchester United.

Michail Antonio has sustained an injury that has placed his participation in the run-in in doubt, with the Irons pushing for a European place.

Kalajdzic could be seen as an interesting recruit, then, with the giant striker, who stands at 6ft 5in tall, a youthful talent.

He is only 23 and has also won five caps for Austria, scoring three goals, and Pinder thinks that he would slot straight into the Hammers’ starting XI.

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Speaking exclusively to TT, Pinder, who is the editor-in-chief of Get German Football News, said: “It would be an interesting club to join, especially with the good form West Ham are in at the minute.

“I think Kalajdzic, he’d probably start for West Ham.”

Said Benrahma was David Moyes’ unsung hero as Jesse Lingard scored a brace on his West Ham United debut to help his new side beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Lingard joined the Irons on loan until the end of the season late in the winter market, having failed to play a second of Premier League football for Manchestr United this term.

Moyes wasted no time in introducing the 24-cap England international into his starting line-up, with the decision returning the Hammers’ second and third goals against Dean Smith’s Villans after Tomas Soucek opened the scoring with his eighth strike of the league campaign.

After a scoreless first half, Soucek broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when the Czech Republic international drilled the ball into the far corner of Emiliano Martinez’s net following a piece of superb link-up play between Michail Antonio and Benrahma.

Lingard soon hit Moyes’ men’s second of the night to make the visitors’ pressure count after they’d been dominating play for long periods of the game, and he later restored West Ham’s two-goal lead after Ollie Watkins pulled one back for his ninth goal of the top-flight campaign.

But, despite Lingard rightly getting plenty of attention after netting a debut double, Benrahma also shone brightly at Villa Park having played a pivotal role in the Irons’ attacking moves throughout the night, to leave Birmingham with a third assist of the league season as his wait for a maiden goal continues.

Benrahma registered his assist with a precision first-time pass threaded through the Villans backline for Soucek to score, while his decoy run allowed Antonio to find Lingard open on the edge of the Aston Villa penalty area to score his first of the night five minutes later.

Benrahma’s threaded pass left Aston Villa’s backline helpless, with Tyrone Mings only able to watch the ball roll through to Soucek to score. The £23,000-per-week maestro could have ended the night with further assists in his pocket, too, after recording three key passes – only Jack Grealish (4) created more goalscoring opportunities on Wednesday night, per WhoScored.

Not only was Benrahma creative with the ball at his feet, but Moyes further saw the £20m winger prove safe in possession with a 93% pass accuracy rating thanks to completing 28 of his 30 passes. No player who stared for either side completed a higher percentage of their passes than the 25-year-old.

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The Algerian additionally came close to finally ending his Premier League goal drought and would have done just that had his volley gone a few inches lower.

Moyes would surely have loved what he saw from Benrahma at Villa Park as he linked up well with Lingard, who slotted in seamlessly to West Ham’s starting line-up, as the London Stadium natives closed to within two points of Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp’s side fell to defeat at home to Brighton.

AND in other news, West Ham eye future swoop for prolific £30m striker with “absolutely superb” movement…

Despite the continuous errors over the past few seasons, Jordan Pickford has somehow remained both Everton and England’s number one.

The 26-year-old has endured his fair share of high-profile howlers – Toffees fans certainly won’t be forgetting his last-minute clanger back in December 2018 against arch-rivals Liverpool anytime soon.

And whilst he may not have had a similar sort of mishap in Everton’s pre-season clash against Blackpool on Saturday afternoon, he certainly didn’t enjoy the greatest of games.

How big of an Everton fan are you? Can you spot Mikel Arteta from Graham Stuart? This quiz will test your knowledge, try it if you’re brave enough…

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The Merseyside club were torn to pieces in the opening ten minutes, with the Seasiders romping away to a three-goal lead, Pickford offering no resistance whatsoever.

And perhaps just to underline how miserable of a game he had, after being withdrawn at half-time, Pickford watched on as Carlo Ancelotti’s side salvaged some pride and rescued a 3-3 draw.

But after seeing yet another disappointing performance from their number one, Everton fans took to Twitter to voice their frustrations.

A few Everton fans simply insisted that they need to get rid of Pickford this summer, and that they had had enough.

It’s no surprise that some Everton fans seem to have had enough with Pickford and his antics.

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A goalkeeper’s main job is simply to prevent goals from going on, but not only does the England international seem to be letting the relatively easy ones in, he also has a habit of gifting the opposition ones too – in his time in the Premier League, he has made 13 errors that have directly led to goals.

As a couple of Toffees fans suggest, maybe it’s the perfect time to get rid.

West Bromwich Albion are sitting pretty at the top of the Championship at the moment, but with 10 games of the season to go, that could still all change.

The Baggies are currently suffering a little bit of a dip after losing two games in a week, but luckily there is quite a simple switch Slaven Bilic can make to put things right.

Baggies’ dip

Albion have been dominant this season, but they’ve lost both of their last two games, being turned over by Wigan in the league and losing against Newcastle in the FA Cup.

It’s been a rarity to see the Midlands club lose this term, they’ve been defeated just five times in the league, but now they’re in the middle of a small dip at the worst possible time.

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These little hiccups occur from time to time, but Bilic is in a lucky position in that his issues could be put down to one thing.

Sawyers’ return

West Brom have been without one of their most important midfielders for the past few weeks after Romaine Sawyers’ sending off against Bristol City saw him miss three games.

Fortunately, the midfielder is eligible to play against Swansea this weekend, and if Bilic has any sense he should be straight back into the starting XI.

Rekeem Harper failed to impress during his time as a starter, and Gareth Barry didn’t have the best of times against Newcastle picking up just a 5.84 rating on WhoScored.

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Sawyers has previously been hailed as the best passer in the Championship, and he’d started every game but one before his suspension, so you can understand why the Baggies have dipped without him in the team.

Hopefully the return of the St Kitts and Nevis international spurs the Midlands club on to rediscover the form that saw them win five of their previous six games before the Wigan clash.

In other news, Charlie Austin should be concerned by one man’s performance.

James Chester put in a strong performance for Aston Villa during their 5-0 victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

On the chalkboard

Chester’s dedication to Aston Villa has been well documented, as he put his body on the line to help the club get out of the Championship, playing for months while injured.

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He admitted this will have long-lasting impacts on his body, as quoted by The Birmingham Mail: “I’ve damaged my body indefinitely. It’s something I’m going to have to manage for the rest of my career.

Watch Villa vs Norwich Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

“Hopefully I can look after it and play for as long as possible. It is what it is, I’m a professional.”

It is this dedication to the cause that has made the 30-year-old a cult hero at Villa Park, so it will have caused plenty of excitement to see him back on the pitch for the first time since a 2-1 win against Ipswich Town in January.

Encouraging signs

Not only was this a big occasion because of the fact that the club captain was returning from injury, but he also put in a solid performance, helping Villa to the Carabao Cup semi-final.

He was dominant alongside Ezri Konsa, making five clearances, three tackles and winning all five of his duels during the match, as per SofaScore.

The Wales international was also efficient on the ball, completing 86% of the passes that he attempted.

When he left the pitch, Chester received a great ovation from the crowd and it was thoroughly deserved, not just for the fact he had managed to work his way back onto the pitch, but also for what he did once getting there.

The skipper is not stopping there though, as he was quoted in The Express & Star as saying: “Before Tuesday it would have been difficult to knock on the manager’s door because I’m not under any illusions at not playing any football between January and now.

“But I felt really good being back out on the pitch. There are a lot of games between now and the end of January. Hopefully, I can get back in the team.

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Whose Line Is It Anyway: Roy Keane, Graeme Souness or Adrian Durham?

“We’ll just have to wait and see. It would certainly be a nice Christmas present!”

This may have been against youthful opposition, but if he continues playing in the manner shown on Tuesday, Chester could get himself in with a chance of getting back into the team.

In other news, another defender staked their claim for a starting spot against Sheffield United.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Arsenal striker John Hartson believes Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino will walk before he is pushed if he is to leave following a bad start to the season.

Having already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup – one of their best chances of winning a trophy – by League Two Colchester United, Spurs have faltered in both the Premier League and the Champions League too, losing against Brighton and Hove Albion and Bayern Munich in their previous two games.

The pressure may well be building on the Argentine with some fans growing restless with performances and results and being open to the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Massimiliano Allegri replacing the Argentine if he does go.

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However, reports suggest that his job under threat at the current time, with Daniel Levy ready to stick by the man who has helped Tottenham become a regular competitor among Europe’s elite.

Speaking about the 47-year-old, Hartson believes the international break may have come at the right time for him.

He said: “He looks to me as though he might need a break. He’s gone off to Qatar on holiday, and he’s using the international break to clear his head a bit.”

“I think he might well go on his own terms. He would sit down with Daniel Levy and leave on his own terms.”

The Welshman certainly wasn’t impressed with what he saw from the north London outfit against Bayern, and believes it is a sign of what is happening behind the scenes at the football club.

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The 44-year-old added: “There’s a lot going on at Spurs in the last two or three months. Losing 7-2 against Bayern, was embarrassing. Spurs, with that back four, don’t get beaten 7-2. There are obviously major issues there.”

It’s hard to argue with Hartson, and Harry Kane has even admitted that the uncertainty for some players over their futures has affected performances on the pitch.

Pochettino recently suggested that he could be with Spurs for another five years, but a loss against bottom-of-the-table Watford next weekend could well leave him hanging by a thread.

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Aston Villa confirmed the signing of Ezri Konsa on Thursday morning, making him their seventh new addition of the summer.

The central defender arrives from Brentford for a reported fee of £12m after the Villans activated his buyout clause.

Villa’s defence now looks to be building up nicely having already added Tyrone Mings, Matt Targett and Kortney Hause to their ranks.

Reacting to the news of a new signing on Twitter, fans of the side were absolutely buzzing with the announcement.

One supporter said he couldn’t wait to see Konsa’s progress next season, labelling him as a typical Dean Smith signing.

A further fan called it a class bit of business whilst another individual said the 21-year-old was a great addition to the squad.

Konsa enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Brentford last term, establishing himself as a ball-playing central defender.

Across 42 Championship outings in 2018/19, he completed 87.7% of his passes. The youngster also won two aerial duels per match and made 3.6 clearances.

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The former Bees defender played a part at the U21 European Championships this summer too, albeit from the substitutes bench as he appeared for England in a 3-3 draw with Croatia.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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Tottenham Hotspur have slapped a €35million (£30.2m) asking price on Kieran Trippier amid interest from both Napoli and Manchester United, per Gianluca Di Marzio.

What’s the word?

Trippier has already been the subject of a bid from Napoli, per the aforementioned report, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side “insisting” on the signing of the England international.

An offer worth as much as €20m (£17.9m) has been submitted to the Premier League side, but they have demanded a fee of £30.2m to countenance a sale.

However, United are also said to be monitoring developments and Trippier, who was born in Bury, is said to prefer a possible move to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

The right-back, who enjoyed a fantastic 2018 World Cup, has struggled for form this season but he has still made 34 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, who are third in the Premier League and in the Champions League semi-finals.

Levy’s greatest trick

Receiving over £30m for Trippier will only further enhance the legend of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

The right-back has been a liability for much of this season and proved that with a truly shambolic own goal in the Premier League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

It is crazy that both United and Napoli, two clubs of great European renown, are even contemplating the idea of signing Trippier.

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If they actually meet Levy’s asking price – he is a feared negotiator and has a reputation for squeezing every last penny out of buying clubs – then perhaps the game truly has gone mad.

On this form, Trippier is worth a third of his purported value.

Rangers have been in fine form in recent times as they continue to grind out positive results under Steven Gerrard, with the Scottish Premiership title still within their reach. 

It’s safe to say that the Bluenoses will need to be at their best if they are to stand any chance of securing any silverware in the current campaign, as Celtic have looked a dominant force in Scotland in recent times.

However, one thing that has been worrying supporters recently is Alfredo Morelos’ future, as Football Scotland recently reported that their sources at Rincon Escoces had confirmed Spanish side Real Betis were interested in signing the South American from Rangers.

So, with the forward on Betis’ wanted list, perhaps it would make sense for Gerrard to eye a potential replacement.

Indeed, the forward has been the standout performer for Rangers in the current campaign as he’s produced an incredible 23 goals and 10 assists in 38 appearances. It would be almost impossible to find a direct replacement for the South American, but there’re certainly a lot of players out there who can at least try to fill the potential void.

One player who could be of interest to Rangers is Swansea City’s Oli McBurnie.

The forward has found the back of the net 16 times in all competitions this season, so it’s clear to see that he knows how to ensure a consistent flow of goals. And, one selling point is the fact that he’s a big Rangers fan and he stated on his personal Instagram account that he will play for Rangers one day, according to the Scottish Sun.

Indeed, one thing that fans will love about the striker is the fact that he once mocked Old Firm rivals Celtic after their loss to AEK Athens with a tweet on his personal Twitter account (as per HITC).

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Aside from that, the forward has all the potential to become a future star in Scotland as he’s already proven himself in a difficult English Championship, as well as having previous experience in the Premier League. He’s the same age as Morelos and he’s shown that he can score bags of goals, with similar playing styles being shared between the two, so he’d be an excellent signing to potentially replace the Colombian.

Rangers fans – thoughts?