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Liverpool are reportedly set to make Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Adama Traore their first signing ahead of the 2021/22 season.

According to reports in Spain, the Reds have agreed a deal with the Midlands outfit in a switch that would see the winger become the second player to switch Molineux for Anfield in as many years, following the transfer of Diogo Jota.

Whilst the Portuguese has been a success story with the reigning Premier League champions, signing Traore would be a huge mistake by Michael Edwards as Liverpool aim to re-establish themselves at the top.

The £31.5m-rated wideman is of course a talented player but his productivity is simply not enough to justify a big-money swoop.

In five seasons of Premier League action, Traore has only managed to accumulate five goals and 14 assists, with the vast majority of those contributions coming in his fantastic 2019/20 campaign.

The five-time Spanish international’s statistics have nose-dived since then though, having only supplied a solitary assist for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men throughout the current season.

When comparing Traore with his former teammate, Jota, during 2020/21, it is the Liverpool man who continues to come out on top.

According to WhoScored, the Portuguese ace produces more shots and passes, whilst getting dispossessed much less frequently.

Considering he would also have competition from the likes of first choices Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, as well as Jota, Xherdan Shaqiri, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the returning Takumi Minamino for a starting berth out-wide, it is hard to envisage Traore making a significant impact on Merseyside.

Whilst Klopp might be keen to strengthen his options out wide with the “unplayable” Wolves man, Traore does not look like the correct solution.

Should they have agreed to a deal already, as reported, Edwards should do everything he can to back out as quickly as possible.

AND in more news, Liverpool should increase their bid for a Serie A starlet…

Many Crystal Palace fans are reacting to the latest update surrounding the possible transfer of Radu Dragusin, which suggests that the club might have to look elsewhere.

According to DigiSport, via @CPFCtransfersHQ, Dragusin is signing a new contract at Juventus with his agent believing that the defender will be rewarded with a big pay rise.

The 6 ft 3 centre-back is certainly a prospect with plenty of admirers in Turin, but has only played 22 minutes of football this season (WhoScored). However, with him only being 19 years-old, his lack of game-time is understandable, and the mere fact he is involved in the senior squad at such a big club suggests that he could be a serious player in the future.

He has four appearances for the U19 Romanian side (Transfermarkt) and he could be an ideal acquisition for Palace. It might be a risk due to his lack of football this campaign, but the Eagles have some issues at the club, one of these being a very ageing defence. It is starting to show too, as they have conceded the third-most goals in the division.

A revamp is needed at the back, and Dragusin could help start the rebuild, leaving these fans frustrated by the reports of a new deal at Juventus.

Here is how Palace fans reacted to the news:

“Ah bugger!”

Credit: @TheGoverner99

“Was he suppose to turn down Juventus for a club that doesn’t even know who’s gonna be in charge next season”

Credit: @Sumo08112

“What a surprise”

Credit: @cpfc_fpage_se25

“SHOCK……not……”

Credit: @Jonno55ng

“He defo just laughed at parish, probably offered him a Fredo and a free Morley’s”

Credit: @Kevbartleyy

“Must have heard that we’re interested”

Credit: @TheEagleDC

In other news, Palace fans reacted to this update on Eddie Howe!

Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle must question Steve Bruce’s tactics after being left a passenger of Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.

Bruce recalled Gayle to the Magpies starting line-up for the visit of Dean Smith’s side to St James’ Park, having only opted to name the 31-year-old as a substitute for his last three Premier League squads.

However, the forward’s return did not come in his natural and preferred central position, with Gayle instead forced into occupying a role on the left wing in the absence of Allan Saint-Maximin after the Frenchman sustained a groin injury and was ruled out until April.

Gayle kept pushing to try and influence proceedings against Aston Villa but rarely managed to deliver a key impac, in what was only his second start of the season across all competitions, having missed the beginning of the campaign with a medial collateral ligament injury.

Being played out of position further meant Gayle rarely got on the ball in dangerous positions, was unable to get on the end of crosses into the Villans’ box and often cut a frustrated figure yards from Emiliano Martinez’s area.

Changes were made at the break with Gayle moving into a false nine role and Ryan Fraser shifted onto the wing in a direct swap from the first half, yet Bruce’s switch still continued to see the £40,000-per-week striker occupy positions too far from goal to cause any real problems.

Of Gayle’s 27 touches registered on Friday night, only three came inside the Villa box, with three taken on the edge of the area and seven in United territory, per WhoScored. Jacob Murphy, who came on in the 79th minute, registered four touches in Martinez’s box, while Fraser took five and Joelinton registered six.

It was a similar story for Gayle against Chelsea when fielded on the right wing during his first start of the season last month, as the London-born forward could only register one of his 16 touches inside Kepa Arrizabalaga’s penalty area at Stamford Bridge.

Gayle’s difficulties in adapting to a wide or false nine role were further hammered home in how little he could produce against Aston Villa, with the £7.2m-rated striker completing just 14 of his 17 passes – only Emil Krafth (13) completed fewer among those who started for Newcastle, per Sofascore.

Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka completed 17 of his 29 attempted passes against Aston Villa for the third-least among those who opened the action for the Toon. Only Bertrand Traore (6), who came off in the 21st minute; Morgan Sanson (9), who came on in the 59th; and Martinez (12) completed fewer passes than Gayle for the away side, per Sofascore.

Similarly against Chelsea, Gayle completed just six of his eight passes before being taken off in the 64th minute, which was the least achieved by any player for either side who started at Stamford Bridge.

Gayle must be questioning what more he has to do for Bruce to realise that he is not accustomed to occupying a deep or wide role and that he should be deployed as an out-and-out centre-forward, as the Toon coach’s current system is not working for him at all.

AND in other news, Newcastle eye summer swoop for £16k-p/w maestro once lauded for being “the most gifted” player…

Nottingham Forest have reportedly launched a bid for Peterborough United striker Siriki Dembele, dealing a blow to Glasgow Rangers’ chase for a new versatile forward, Football Insider reports.

What’s the word?

Peterborough director of football Barry Fry claimed last month that “Rangers have watched Siriki twice” following initial reports of interest from Ibrox.

But they have been dealt an apparent transfer blow after it emerged that Forest have submitted a loan-to-buy bid for their reported target.

Since then, Fry has denied these claims that Forest have made a fresh attempt to lure Dembele to the City Ground.

However, this could be because the Posh may be holding out for a bigger fee for a move elsewhere.

Wilson should act swiftly

The 24-year-old has been impressive so far this season, in fact over recent seasons as well, since he moved to Peterborough from Grimsby Town in 2018.

Dembele scored six goals over the whole of last season but has already bagged the same amount in 21 appearances across all competitions this campaign so far, also bagging seven assists, with Posh performing well in League One.

For context, that’s more goal contributions than Alfredo Morelos himself has managed this season so far.

Whilst it would be a bit of a stretch to suggest that Dembele would be a substantial upgrade on the 24-year-old, who has established himself as a regular starter under Gerrard, the Posh ace’s stats are actually already stronger in almost every area than the Colombian’s this season.

Per WhoScored, the London-born Scottish national currently averages more dribbles and more key passes than Morelos. Although the Colombia international takes more shots, Dembele’s versatility could be an added bonus.

After all, Ryan Kent has been heavily linked with the Ibrox exit with a move to Premier League side Leeds United, whilst Brandon Barker, Jordan Jones and Glenn Middleton have all fallen afoul of Gerrard for various reasons so far.

Posh boss Darren Ferguson dubbed Dembele “destructive” for his performances during the club’s incredible run of form last season.

Signing Dembele would bolster Gerrard’s firepower and boost the wide options at the Rangers manager’s disposal.

However, if any club wishes to sign him in January or next summer he won’t come cheap, with 18 months left on his current contract. Therefore, Ross Wilson must act swiftly before it’s too late.

AND in other news, Rangers can find perfect Barker replacement in Aberdeen’s Scott Wright…

Southampton right-back Yan Valery’s has been linked with a loan move to Birmingham City, which could be a great opportunity for the Frenchman to rediscover his form.

It was reported earlier on deadline day that the 21-year-old could be set to join the Championship side on loan for the rest of the season, however, that move could be in jeopardy as the Saints are yet to bring in any defensive reinforcements.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has seen potential moves for Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Japhet Tanganga fall through on deadline day, which leaves just Kyle Walker-Peters as a natural right-back in the Austrian’s squad, should Valery move to Aitor Karanka’s side in the coming hours.

We saw on Saturday night’s defeat against Aston Villa that Hasenhuttl does not currently favour Valery, as James Ward-Prowse was selected ahead of the defender at right-back, with Moussa Djenepo also featuring there in the second half.

Therefore, a move to the Championship could be ideal for the Saints youngster, who has struggled for game time since Walker-Peters arrival from Spurs last January.

Valery was a regular for Southampton in the 2018/19 Premier League season, making 23 appearances, but he has been limited to just three appearances in the top-flight so far this season.

It seems as if his loan move very much depends on whether or not Southampton can bring in another defender before the 11 pm deadline, and it would be a big shame if he were to end up staying with the Saints for the rest of the season, as you worry that he could find himself back with David Horseman’s B team once Walker-Peters returns from injury.

Valery and Hasenhuttl will both surely be desperate for some defensive cover to be brought in so that the right-back can complete his move to Birmingham, where hopefully he can rediscover the form that marked him out as a really promising player a couple of seasons ago.

Therefore, Martin Semmens must act quickly to bring in the players that Hasenhuttl needs, so that Valery’s loan exit can be completed before tonight’s deadline.

And, in other news… Running out of time: Hasenhuttl suffers another blow with £23k-p/w prodigy

After a momentary blip, Glasgow Rangers seem to be back on track to stopping Celtic from winning ten in a row.

Steven Gerrard’s side have now won three games on the trot including a victory over Premiership rivals Hibernian at home.

With the transfer market set to open its doors in a matter of days, Rangers have set themselves up nicely to strengthen their squad, as they currently sit at the top of the table, 14 points clear of Neil Lennon’s side.

What’s the word?

But their newfound momentum has largely failed to cover up the cracks and in January, Ross Wilson needs to iron out their issues once and for all.

He will need to look no further than their shortage of wide options with Ryan Kent heavily linked with a move to Leeds United in the summer. Although a move never materialised in the end, that has done little to dampen the transfer rumours amid rife speculation about his future at Ibrox.

It’s no secret Rangers need a new left-winger and they may have found their answer already playing in the lower leagues of French football.

According to FootMercato, the Gers are interested in signing Billal Brahimi from Stade Reims and the Ligue 1 side are open to offloading the former France U19 international.

However, they will face stiff competition from the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, amid interest from Lens and Stuttgart.

Gerrard’s plan B

The 20-year-old has been in prolific form on loan at Le Mans this season, providing six goals and two assists in 12 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Gerrard will be under no illusions that he needs to improve his quality in the wide areas as both Brandon Barker and Jordan Jones simply aren’t up to scratch.

Wilson may be best served sanctioning a move for Brahimi as not only would he be an adequate backup for the Oldham-born winger, but he’d also offer an alternative threat in attack as well, as he can also play on the right wing or in the midfield.

Having left Middlesbrough for Reims, Brahimi is finally starting to show signs of living up to his obvious potential – six goals in 16 outings is certainly nothing to sniff at, while he has become known for his electrifying pace off the left wing in the French lower leagues.

He has even insisted he has modelled his game on the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Gareth Bale.

The Frenchman previously told FootMercato “If I work hard and well, I hope to be able to play in the Premier League one day. I have three models – Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Gareth Bale.”

If Kent does depart Ibrox in the not too distant future, it’s fair to say that Brahimi could help to fill the void.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers left-winger Ryan Kent was far from his very best against Hibernian…

Noel Whelan has urged Leeds United to sign Julian Draxler after Fabrizio Romano revealed that they were ‘looking’ closely at him.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Whites striker claims that the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner should be right at the top of Marcelo Bielsa’s transfer wishlist:

“Yeah, I don’t think you should ever go for the second choice. It’s the same with marriage.

“You’ve got to be sure about it. Why have number two if you can’t have number one? That’s not gonna make you happy, is it?

“So what you’ve got to do is make sure this transfer window is the right one. If it’s a specific target you’ve got, you’ve got to make sure you got out hell-bent to get him because he’s gonna make the team better.

“Now, Draxler’s been rumoured at the beginning of the season, he’s now been rumoured again. He’s only got six months left on his contract. For £10million, a 27-year-old coming into his best years of football, who wants to get back into the Germany squad. That excites me.

“That’s what should excite the manager as well, getting this quality and calibre of player in. And we do know that we have a very good relationship with PSG, with the owners. So maybe it’s a real possibility. He would definitely add to the quality of the side.”

Draxler would be a ‘quality’ signing for Leeds

As Whelan points out, Draxler would be a ‘quality’ signing for the Elland Road faithful, and given that he only has six months left on his current deal at PSG, a transfer fee of £10m could be a very good deal.

The attacking midfield player has fallen out of favour at the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League finalists, being limited to just 11 games in Ligue 1 so far in the 2020/21 term, having only completed the full 90 minutes on two different occasions (Transfermarkt).

Thus, a deal with Paris Saint Germain may be possible, and signing someone of the calibre of Draxler, given that he has won the World Cup, is a full German international and has played at the highest level with the likes of Schalke and Wolfsburg as well, may also have a knock-on effect of attracting other big names to the Yorkshire club.

Nonetheless, the 27 year-old would certainly be a statement signing by the Peacocks if they can get a deal done this month.

In other news, find out whose return from injury has been deemed ‘massive’ here!

Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate Kazaiah Sterling looks like he’s heading for a dismal end to his career in north London. Like many other players, the striker hoped he would follow in similar footsteps to club legend Harry Kane but unfortunately, he has fallen short of the mark.

Despite showing his skill in the club’s reserve leagues, Sterling has failed to make it count during his loan spell with Southend United this season. In fact, all of the 22-year-old’s loan stints have been disappointing and he has struggled to replicate his form from playing in the Tottenham youth sides.

As it stands, the striker has made just two senior appearances for Spurs and it doesn’t look like he will get any more chances.

His current contract is due to expire next summer and there have been no talks of integrating Sterling into the first team. Despite Mauricio Pochettino handing him his debut in the Champions League in 2017, the forward has struggled to grab the attention of current boss, Jose Mourinho.

Sterling has featured ten times for Southend this campaign but has only managed to score the one goal. His strike came in a 6-1 demolishing at the hands of Colchester United which knocked them out of the EFL Cup. He is also yet to score in the league and has been on the winning side just once out of eight matches played, via Transfermarkt.

It’s not a promising look for a 22-year-old Spurs prospect to struggle to find the back of the net in League Two. It’s certainly not likely that he will return from loan and begin training with the senior squad, especially with Mourinho now firmly setting his sights on winning the league with the Lilywhites.

Sterling will have the likes of Troy Parrott and potentially Carlos Vinicius to contend with when he returns too.

Despite former coach Ugo Ehiogu lauding Sterling as a “combative” attacking player, the reality is that he just isn’t up for the task of Premier League football.

In other news, Jean-Philippe Mateta has Mourinho green with envy following 38-minute hat-trick…

According to Football Insider, Wolves are lining up a potential move for Stoke City starlet Tyrese Campbell.

What’s the story?

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side of course suffered a major blow after Raul Jimenez’s horrific clash of heads with Arsenal’s David Luiz left the Mexico international requiring surgery for a on a fractured skull.

Now, Football Insider claim that Wolves and Burnley are among the clubs considering a potential move for 20-year-old forward Campbell, who’s shown his versatility this season by playing all across the front-line.

Stuck in lockdown? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

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The report adds that Stoke are adamant that they won’t sell one of their star players in the January transfer window, but it remains to be seen whether he will still be with the Potters by the end of it.

Easing the pressure on Jimenez

When Jimenez is able to make his return back to the first-team, the most important thing Wolves can do for him is to make sure that he isn’t burdened with the task of having to fire in the goals straight away.

Easing him back into the side would be the best way to go, and bringing in an “explosive” player like Campbell would help with that massively.

His manager at Stoke, Michael O’Neill, said of him back in the summer: “Tyrese is a great finisher. If you are a good finisher you have to get in the positions and he did that today. He is a young player who is still developing. When he is in that mood, defenders are frightened at this level.”

With seven goals and six assists in 18 games this season, Campbell is showing signs of having a real breakout year, and if Wolves can snare him before he makes an even bigger name for himself, they could land another perfect project signing for Nuno,

Liverpool are currently in a defensive crisis following Virgil van Dijk’s ACL injury news.

Whilst Fabinho is doing a fine job of slotting into the empty space across the backline, it’s a big ask to continue the defensive record from last season.

The Reds have already established that they will be on the market for a new centre-back during the January window, with many options available to be explored.

One man who has been on Jurgen Klopp’s radar through the summer is Brighton’s Ben White, who turned a lot of heads during his loan spell with Leeds.

Liverpool eyeing up Ben White move

The 23-year-old looked like he could make a permanent move away from the south coast this summer after interest from Liverpool amongst others appeared on the radar.

The Seagulls have had a sticky start to their Premier League season and currently sit in 16th place, just three points above the drop zone.

White is currently at the point in his career where he will be looking to challenge for silverware and grab the attention of Gareth Southgate for a senior England call up.

Moving to Liverpool will certainly give him a high chance of both, but he will come with a hefty price tag of £50million, according to the Daily Express.

Whilst this may have scared the Reds off during the summer, it’s certainly something they should be considering whilst they suffer the absence of van Dijk.

Trouble for Joe Gomez

Snapping up the centre-back will definitely bolster Liverpool’s backline and plug a leak that they currently have, but it could trouble the waters at Anfield in the long-term. Once van Dijk returns from his injury, White will be battling same-aged Joe Gomez for a spot alongside the Dutchman.

A lot of concern has been raised over van Dijk’s usual defensive partner. Jamie Carragher recently raised his eyebrow over the Englishman’s ability to step up the plate for the rest of the season. Whilst he has been solid against Ajax and Sheffield United, there’s no telling how long his impressive form will last.

Should Klopp go after White, he could be subconsciously ousting out Gomez in the near future. Mark Lawrenson believes that his former side should avoid placing a bid for the Brighton ace, who he thinks still has a lot of room to grow, despite having “all the tools” to become a top class defender.

Whilst EFL pundit Keith Andrews dubbed him a “cult hero” at Leeds and lauded his season as “phenomenal” when speaking on the Sky Sports EFL podcast back in April.

Indeed, Gomez definitely boasts the better pedigree – after helping to guide Liverpool to a Champions League and Premier League title. But it will all boil down to who Klopp sees the most potential in as part of a new Anfield era.

In other news, New Klopp tactics could be huge for Liverpool’s title chances…