Crystal Palace: Fans share love for U18’s

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been heaping praise on the club’s under-18 side following their 3-0 away win over Tottenham on Saturday.

Striker Victor Akinwale scored an early penalty for the Eagles to put them on their way, with late strikes from midfielders Jack Wells-Morrison and Maliq Cadogan securing the three points.

The win against Spurs saw Palace return to the top of the Premier League U18 Category 1 South League table at the expense of Fulham. They are three points clear of the Cottagers but have played one game more.

There are only two matches remaining for Palace in their quest for the title, an away trip to Brighton before ending their campaign at home to West Brom.

Palace fans react

The club shared the update on the 3-0 win on their official Twitter page on Saturday afternoon. These Eagles fans were full of praise for the club’s youngsters, with one describing their talent as ‘insane’.

“Great stuff”

Credit: @Adam_Palace

“Massive win for the boys. Congrats”

Credit: @Teeboy_LFC

“Brilliant lads”

Credit: @Fiachra_Furlong

“We’re just insane”

Credit: @CPFCMax03

“We’re just too good for you”

Credit: @LawonY60

“If only the first team could play like this”

Credit: @RednBlue81

In other news: Many Palace fans hail star man after off-field activity emerges on social media, find out more here. 

Saints fans slam Redmond comments

Southampton fans are far from happy with comments from Nathan Redmond ahead of their F.A Cup semi-final this weekend.

The Saints will travel to Wembley on Sunday to play Leicester City for a place in the final. Despite losing 3-0 to West Bromwich Albion on Monday, the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit will at least be happy to be playing a side who themselves are struggling for form in the Foxes – they have lost their last two games (lcfc.co.uk).

Redmond was speaking ahead of the clash, and he was discussing the contrast with Southampton’s last semi-final appearance in 2018. On that occasion, they were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea, and the £16.2m-valued 27-year-old (Transfermarkt) said that at the time there was no aspiration for success amongst the Saints players, although now they are in a far better position to prevail.

These comments were shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it is fair to say the fans were disappointed. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Redmond below

“Appreciate his honesty but what a disgrace. In a semi final and no aspiration to succeed?!!”

Credit: @saintdansmith

“Behave”

Credit: @BuildABonfire

“This is throwing it on the line. Saying how up for it everyone is and how good the atmosphere is after a 3-0 spanking by a poor team means if we don’t turn up then we have some very big questions to answer.”

Credit: @Andrew_Stokes_

“He knows people actually watched the West Brom match right!?”

Credit: @JamesBrooksAP

“Imagine saying that out loud in any other job? Let alone a well paid one.”

Credit: @papaschmoo

“how can he say this after the wba game”

Credit: @jahgsvlayso

In other news, Southampton fans slammed this man against West Brom.

Wolves rue missing out on Bruno Fernandes

Whatever you think of Jorge Mendes and his methods, you can’t help but laud the things he’s done for Wolves.

Since Fosun became involved with the Midlands outfit, they have established a friendly relationship with one of the most powerful football agents in the game.

The club’s manager, Nuno Santo is a client of Mendes’ Gestifute agency while several of their playing staff are also on his books. To name a few, he leads negotiations for the likes of Pedro Neto, Nelson Semedo, Ruben Neves and Fabio Silva.

Ties to Mendes have even led to incredible links regarding a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. His arrival at Molineux is far-fetched but one that shouldn’t have been a few years ago was Bruno Fernandes.

The Manchester United star is one of the super agent’s biggest clients and managed to pave the way for one of the most game-changing transfers the Premier League has seen in recent years.

He was signed for a considerable £47m from Sporting Lisbon but if Mendes had noticed his talent quicker, a move to Wolves could have occurred.

That’s the word of club legend Steve Bull anyway. Speaking exclusively to FFC’s sister site, Transfer Tavern, he said: “I think he went under the radar for [Jorge] Mendes otherwise, I think he would have definitely been on our scale and we definitely would have had him all day long.”

He would have been enthralling capture for Wolves, and Fosun must be cursing Mendes after missing out.

Fernandes is now valued at £81m by Transfermarkt and has become one of the most impressive attacking midfielders in world football.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-wolves-transfer-news-and-views-ocampos-ronaldo-trincao-fabio-silva” title=”Latest Wolves transfer news and views!”]

Speaking about him recently, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel commented: “The impact he has since he arrived in Man United is indescribable. Unbelievable.”

The Portugal international has scored a mighty 23 goals this term, providing a further 14 assists in 46 outings. That adds to his tally of eight goals and seven assists in 14 Premier League matches last season after moving in January 2020.

Evidently, he could have been a real star in this Wolves team. That’s not just because of his antics in terms of creativity and goals, but because of his mentality and leadership.

“Bruno Fernandes is not really a tackler, but he leads by example because he works really hard and he’s brilliant on the ball,” Bryan Robson admitted this week.

“But I always see him talking and shouting to players and he is always either trying to encourage or having a bit of a go at players if they are not in the right position,” the Man United legend added.

Fernandes has very quickly become a star of European football and besides Ronaldo, he is Mendes’ diamond.

AND in other news, Shi will regret awful call on “intelligent” £75k-p/w ace, Wolves could have signed him…

WHU: Phillips on interest in Abraham

In a recent interview, former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips discussed West Ham United’s reported interest in a summer move for Tammy Abraham.

The forwar dhas endured something of an up-and-down campaign for Chelsea so far this term, with the 23-year-old scoring six goals and registering two assists over his first 14 Premier League appearances of the season, before going on a run of six league games without either a goal or assist, as well as finding game-time increasingly hard to come by under Thomas Tuchel of late.

Indeed, it has been reported that the German manager remains unconvinced by the £36m-rated striker, with West Ham thought to be closely monitoring the situation of the England international ahead of a potential summer move.

Speaking recently to Football Insider, Phillips stated his belief that the £82,000-per-week Chelsea forward would be a good fit for David Moyes’ side.

He said: “I could see him there, definitely. The way West Ham are playing at the moment, he’d get chances. As a striker, you want to be playing regularly because we live on confidence.

“To play a few games then get left out, for a striker, that’s not great. I can see him at West Ham. They’ve got creative players that would create opportunities for him and he likes to play on that last man. If he was to be sold by Chelsea there’ll be a few clubs chasing him because he’s still got a long career ahead of him.”

Transfer Tavern Take

With Moyes currently only having the option of Michail Antonio as an out-and-out centre-forward in his first team squad, a move for a striker is likely to be a priority for the Scot in the summer transfer window, something which surely won’t be lost on the club’s GSB ownership.

Considering that Abraham has impressed when being awarded a start this season, scoring seven goals in 15 games when he has been picked in the starting XI for Chelsea, perhaps the 23-year-old would indeed be a good addition to Moyes’ attacking arsenal this summer, as Phillips suggests.

However, whether or not the Blues will be open to selling the centre-forward to a Premier League rival, particularly one currently sitting just two points behind them in the league standings, remains to be seen.

In other news: This West Ham summer target dropped a big hint on his future – find out more here!

Celtic: Angelini ready to quit as Brighton ready move

Celtic youngster Vincent Angelini has been linked with the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Lazio and Manchester United in recent months.

However, it is Premier League strugglers Brighton who are now making a serious attempt to snap up the 17-year-old goalkeeper in quite the turn of the events considering the massive names mentioned above.

According to the Daily Record, Angelini has ben invited to train with the Seagulls and is waiting to be given the green light by the Hoops.

Angelini snubs new Celtic deal

The report claims that the shot-stopper has turned a new deal at Parkhead and looks set to quit the club.

Celtic will be due a compensation fee, should Angelini leave. Brighton want to see the teenager train with their own development squad before agreeing a fee with the Hoops.

Transfer Tavern take

Although the club are looking to land some of the UK’s top young talent ahead of the summer window, the number of teenagers heading the other way appears to be a concern.

Another young goalkeeper in Liam Hughes left Celtic for Liverpool earlier this year, and attacking starlet Karamoko Dembele also looks set for a Parkhead exit this summer.

It appears as if Angelini will be the latest to call time on his young career in Glasgow, and a move to the south coast with Brighton could well materialise, should he impress on trial.

In other news: Italian giants join race for Celtic star, find out more here. 

Man City fans buzz over Zabaleta news

Manchester City cult hero Pablo Zabaleta, as relayed by an exclusive with the Mirror, is in talks over an emotional return to Eastlands nearly four years after his departure – with the Argentine open to taking up different roles for the club following his retirement from football in October.

Zabaleta, who made 333 appearances for the Sky Blues before emotionally saying goodbye at the end of the 2016/2017 season, winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup and a Community Shield at the Etihad, could now make a dream return in a non-playing capacity.

The Argentine is a fan favourite for the club, being one of the only players signed before the takeover to survive in City’s squad for years thereafter.

After his departure from the Etihad, Zabaleta could come back in a non-playing role – as the Mirror relay CFG have approached him over a return in some capacity as he will continue to negotiate.

The 36-year-old hinted he could even take up a coaching role as supporters flock to this ‘awesome news’ shared by City Xtra on social media, and it’s little wonder why they’re excited given the love for ‘Zaba’.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

Man City fans wowed by ‘awesome’ Zabaleta news

“Get in Zaba”

Credit: @MCFCAJ10

“#ZABACK SIUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @gundo8ii

“YEA!!!! Awesome news…!”

Credit: @MCFCTone

“YEEESSSSSSS”

Credit: @jontekarlsson02

“Can’t wait to have Zaba back in any capacity. His genuine love for mcfc

is unmatched.”

Credit: @dippyalone

“Please make this happen”

Credit: @Mr_C_Walsh

“The king shall return”

Credit: @_TrueInBlue

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @mcfcsaif

In other news: Man City fans weren’t impressed by this claim, find out more here.

Jamie Redknapp slams Adama Traore

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp was aghast by Adama Traore’s poor record during the 2020/21 campaign.

Redknapp baffled

The 25-year-old was heavily criticised by segments of the Molineux faithful after the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Saturday, where Wolves extended their record to three games with a win in the Premier League.

Traore has not scored for Wolves since December 2019 and has not made any form of goal contribution all season, which is a complete contrast from the four goals and nine assists he provided last term (WhoScored).

This led to many Premier League clubs taking a strong interest in the Spaniard’s services, particularly Liverpool and Manchester City, who were told they would have to pay an eye-watering £75m (via SoccerLink).

Before Wolves’ stalemate with the Villains took place, Redknapp could not believe Traore’s figures and did not sugarcoat his thoughts when expressing his opinion.

“He’s not had an assist or a goal this season – I nearly fell off my sofa,” he told Sky Sports (via Football Daily).

“That’s not good enough for a player of his quality, I couldn’t believe it. But he still has the most successful dribbles – it doesn’t make sense.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

These are fair comments for Redknapp to make and Traore cannot argue. Considering what he managed to achieve last season with the West Midlands outfit, he will know himself that his performances have been well under par in recent months.

Since Raul Jimenez suffered his horrific head injury against Arsenal before Christmas, Wolves have struggled for goals – scoring more than two in a game just once in that timeframe (Fotmob).

Traore is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons at the moment, coupled with the fact that 2020 signing Fabio Silva has not been able to find his feet, makes his lack of attacking prowess even more noticeable.

In other news, some Wolves fans not convinced with reports from Italy concerning ‘appalling manager.’

Arsenal fans slam Xhaka vs Burnley

Some Arsenal fans have been left to slam the display of Granit Xhaka in the first half of their game away at Burnley in the Premier League, after he made a bizarre error to gift the hosts an equaliser.

The central midfield player was guilty of giving the ball away quite cheaply on a number of different occasions for the Emirates Stadium faithful, which eventually resulted in a quite ridiculous goal for Chris Wood.

The Switzerland international does sometimes takes a lot of risks in terms of keeping hold of the ball for too long or trying some ambitious passes, which can lead to him giving up possession to his opponents, and he played a ball across goal into the midriff of the New Zealand international, which ricocheted into the net.

Gunners supporters fumed at his performance in the first half of the match, and Mikel Arteta will be hoping that the 28-year-old can put that blunder behind him and recover after the break.

Arsenal fan reaction to Xhaka’s first-half display

These Gooners slammed his first-half performance on Twitter, with one AFC fan even going as far to claim that he is ‘useless’:

“#BURARS good chance for a breakaway, but, no, #xhaka side wards, backwards…”

Credit: @chudds007

“Xhaka starting to lose possession.”

Credit: @FRANXICAN

“Xhaka is useless stop defending stupid players”

Credit: @olalekan_ab

“Xhaka is so negative with going forward its a joke. Definitely glad we bought a forward thinking player in Partey”

Credit: @jed_i_diah

“Xhaka error, normal thing.”

Credit: @TayoSays

“Again. What’s with Xhaka’s bad habit to pull back when we’re breaking forward?”

Credit: @Arsenal_LINY

In other news, find out whose display was slammed against Leicester City here!

Agbonlahor in awe of 2020 West Ham signing

Speaking to Football Insider, talkSPORT regular Gabriel Agbonlahor has been wowed by Jarrod Bowen and has admitted he fully deserves a pay rise in reaction to claims from The Athletic over an increase to his salary – going on to say is it is a ‘great bit of business for West Ham’. 

Bowen has been a mainstay for David Moyes since arriving in 2020, starting 16 Premier League games in total this campaign alone, and reliable journalist David Ornstein claims the attacker has received a significant increase in salary after passing 30 appearances in all competitions for the Irons.

Agbonlahor hails Bowen business

In reaction to this development, Agbonlahor has heaped praise on the ‘great bit of business’ for West Ham with Bowen whilst claiming he will be a ‘star’.

“For me, he’s a quality player,” explained the talkSPORT regular to Football Insider. 

“The pay rise he’s got he deserves because he’s been outstanding this season.

“I’m sure now he just wants to get a few more goals and assists now to back up these great performances because he’s definitely going to be a star.

“It’s a great bit of business for West Ham.”

Transfer Tavern take

Given Bowen’s contribution for the Hammers this season, scoring four times and grabbing two assists (Whoscored), it’s hard to argue with the former Premier League striker’s assessment – and he is fully deserving of his reward.

Time will tell whether he does become a star for Moyes, but you wouldn’t bet against it based off this season.

In other news: West Ham fans reacted to these ‘unbelievable’ links, find out more here.

Preview: Tottenham Hotspur XI vs Wolves – predicted XI, latest team and injury news

Tottenham Hotspur return to action this evening as they look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho’s side face another away trip, this time to the Midlands to face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium.

The north Londoners advanced into the Carabao Cup semi-finals in midweek, defeating Stoke City 3-1, but have lost their last two league outings after being defeated by Liverpool and then Leicester City last weekend.

This’ll be the first time since Christmas that Spurs have played, so it will be interesting to see what sort of side Mourinho opts for tonight.

Here’s the XI we’re predicting…

There could be as many as six changes from the side that conquered the Potters on Wednesday night.

Club captain and number one Hugo Lloris keeps his place between the sticks, as do both Eric Dier and Matt Doherty, the latter impressed enough to keep his place over Serge Aurier.

We will surely see the return of Sergio Reguilon at left-back, replacing Ben Davies, with Toby Alderweireld also coming back in for Davinson Sanchez, who has often been snubbed in the Premier League this term.

The industrious Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg played the full 90 in midweek, but should also remain in the starting lineup, whilst Moussa Sissoko returns to partner him despite Harry Winks’ Man of the Match display.

We could also see Tanguy Ndombele start with £100k-per-week Dele Alli reverting to type as the forgotten man in the English top-flight, and on the wings, Mourinho will also go back to his usual duo of Heung-min Son on the left and Steven Bergwijn on the right.

Harry Kane also played the entire match against Stoke, scoring the third and final goal, and he is also set to keep his place. If anyone is undroppable, it’s him.

It means there is no room in the XI for the likes of Erik Lamela, who returned from the bench just a few days ago, £25m signing Lucas Moura, Gareth Bale or Ben Davies.

AND in other news, “A blow” – Exclusive: Mabbutt reacts to major Spurs injury setback before Wolves clash…

Game
Register
Service
Bonus