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Seven years ago to the very day, Wolves took 10,000 fans to Stadium MK when the club were sat in League One.

It was a period of time that Wolves spent in the doldrums of the football league, but that day will stand tall as one of their proudest moments, certainly from a supporter’s perspective.

In early 2014, a group of fans sat down in a pub and embarked on the project of taking 10k to Milton Keynes. Then, in March 2014, they achieved exactly that.

Decked out in Old Gold, their supporters witnessed a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Liam McAlinden.

Wolves have come a considerable way since. McAlinden is now playing in League Two for Morecambe while the Molineux outfit have now even competed in Europe again.

They have spent a considerable sum of money and have established a partnership with super-agent Jorge Mendes. He has a number of Wolves players and the manager, Nuno Santo, on his books at Gestifute.

He has helped take Wolves to the next level but he could be on the verge of making his biggest deal yet with the Midlands club.

That’s because according to sensational reports in Spain (via The Express), Cristiano Ronaldo is being linked with a move back to the Premier League.

Ronaldo’s future at Juventus is currently in doubt and because of his agent’s ties with Wolves, a natural link has been drawn.

It is, of course, incredibly farfetched to think one of the best footballers of all time could end up at Molineux but it’s a prospect worth drooling over.

Wolves have been desperately poor in attack this season with club-record signing Fabio Silva scoring just twice since his £35.6m arrival. Willian Jose has hardly set the world alight either, failing to find the back of the net after moving in January.

Merely improving their forward line in the summer is crucial, but adding Ronaldo would be mind-blowing.

He is one of the greatest to grace the football world and has won four Ballon d’Or trophies; the latest of which was awarded to him in 2020.

The forward is now 36 years old but age is no barrier to the Portuguese legend. His performances for Juventus have defied description with the veteran racking up 30 goals this term, taking his tally in black and white to 95 since he joined from Real Madrid.

This is a player who has earned copious amounts of praise during his career, but two comments stick out when assessing just what Ronaldo is.

Writing about the icon in his book, Sir Alex Ferguson said: “He possessed an unbelievable talent. I can place everything on that list: training performances, strength, courage, skill with either foot, heading ability.”

When comparing Ronaldo to a certain Lionel Messi, Robbie Savage told BT Sport: “Both are from a different planet, both work incredibly hard, but for me Ronaldo edges it because he’s done it in England, Spain, Italy and for his country.”

We don’t need to tell you why this would be a good deal for Wolves; the statistics, honours and appraisals paint a perfect picture.

This would be one of the biggest moments in the club’s history.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Neto: Wolves must sign “complete” £140k-p/w gem whose “shot is incredible”…

Former Tottenham captain Graham Roberts has exclusively told Football FanCast that Dele Alli can still become world class, but reckons his lack of effort in training saw him clash with the now-departed Jose Mourinho.

Alli was a regular during Mourinho’s early days at Spurs, but has hardly been used all season since being dropped from the squad following the opening-day defeat to Everton.

That first-half against the Toffees and three other brief appearances from the bench were the midfielder’s only Premier League outings until February, with Alli’s main involvement coming in the Europa League.

He did come back into the frame during Mourinho’s final few months, but never appeared part of the Portuguese’s long-term plans.

Despite his lack of minutes throughout this season, Roberts has backed Alli to reach his full potential at Tottenham.

He told Football FanCast:

“I still think he is going to be world class. It’s going to take a little while now because people have doubts about him.

“I think it’s to do with his training – he’s not the best trainer. I played with players and we’ve all been in those days where we aren’t the best trainers but on a Saturday you scored goals, but Mourinho wouldn’t have that.”

As much as you try to deny and admit that it’s the case, Celtic are a selling club. They may be one of the most historically successful teams in Europe but the Bhoys haven’t had much success keeping hold of their prized assets.

It’s a trend that could come back to bite them again this summer. Odsonne Edouard has attracted the interest of both Arsenal and Leicester.

He could be another name to add to the pile of those who have thrived at Celtic but then sought the exit door. Moussa Dembele and Kieran Tierney are two of the latest names but if we go back further, Victor Wanyama, Virgil Van Dijk and Fraser Forster all come to mind.

One player who has rather gone under the radar throughout his career, however, is Derdyck Boyata.

The centre-back struggled to make the breakthrough at Manchester City, an eventuality that has struck down plenty before him. Though, after a move to Glasgow, he found a home in Paradise.

Celtic treated him well and he became a pillar of four straight SPFL wins. Under Brendan Rodgers, the duo were a force, so much so that the Northern Irishman called him “top-class.”

Boyata played 135 times for the Hoops but left under a cloud of smoke in controversial circumstances.

In 2018, the Belgian was called up by his national team for the World Cup. This was a surprise for the centre-half but it was recognition that changed the course of his career.

He returned from Russia a man in demand and as he entered the final year of his contract with the Bhoys, Boyata wanted a move. Fulham reportedly bid £9m for his services but that was knocked back by Rodgers and co.

Speaking last week, he revealed what happened: “I cannot speak for them, but I really did not think they expected me to go to the World Cup, or for me to play. So I go to the World Cup, and I have one year left. So we ended up having a good World Cup, finished 3rd. Come back to Celtic. I had very good relations with Brendan Rodgers. I got mixed up in a situation I’ve never been in. [I had] all these teams coming from left to right.”

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Boyata continued: “That was the year the transfer window was closing earlier than usual. So what happened is, I speak with the guys, I speak with the doctors, the coach, about the situation. Yes, I requested a transfer. I said ‘I have these teams behind me, I don’t know what’s going to happen for me in the future. I need to know what’s going on now’.”

It was a complex situation. Without knowing the full details initially, it looked as though the defender refused to play for Celtic again. Rodgers left him at home for a crucial Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens despite the player being fit. The Glaswegian’s ultimately lost and Boyata was the one who took the blame.

He was understandably rocked by it, commenting: “Brendan Rodgers had an interview where he said ‘it’s difficult to win games when we have fit players at home, who don’t want to help the team’. From this interview, Chris Sutton was so hurtful. Honestly, he was so hurtful that I wrote down everything he said. He said something like “you need to kick him out of the team!”

Boyata concluded: “From that moment, I was finished. I came back the day after and went to speak to [Rodgers]. “How can you do this to me? How can you put me in the situation? You know everything that was going on, you were aware of everything”. He protected himself, he protected the team, and I was the bad guy.”

The 30-year-old did play for Celtic again. In fact, he played 32 matches for the Hoops in 2018/19.

However, he was clearly in no mood to stay. The Belgium international saw out his contract and departed for Hertha Berlin on a free transfer.

The £9m they could have sourced for the defender a year previous had clearly gone begging, but they could have fetched even more.

After all, John Hartson made a remarkable assessment during the 2018 World Cup: “If John Stones is £50m then Boyata is in same bracket. Celtic should be in his hotel room now with a contract offer.”

Since leaving, the former Man City man has become a Bundesliga and Belgium regular. In the process, his value has risen to the £8.1m mark.

Hertha undoubtedly got the better end of the deal here. Celtic should have cashed in when they had the chance.

AND in other news, “I have spoken with him” – Big U-turn could emerge after exciting Celtic manager claim…

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Gary Mabbutt believes that Oliver Skipp will be fighting for his place in Spurs’ first-team next season in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The central midfielder has gone on loan to Norwich City this season, with the club attempting to win promotion to the Premier League.

Skipp has played in every single Championship game and the club are currently top of the league, having taken 83 points from 38 games.

They are 14 points clear of third-placed Swansea City and are eight clear of second-placed Watford.

Skipp is also currently away with the England U21 team at the European Championships and Mabbutt believes that he can come back and make a real impression at Spurs next season.

He has played 23 times for the senior side in total, making his debut back in the 2018/19 season under Mauricio Pochettino, and played seven times in the Premier League last term.

Mabbutt told FFC: “Going away on loan to Norwich has been a great move for Oliver. When you have the competition, there are times as a club when you have to look at it and say ‘this player is nearly there, he’s not quite there’.

“Going away on a season-long loan to Norwich when you know they’re going to be fighting at the top of the table, and are an excellent team who should get back in the Premier League, that is a fantastic move for him.

“It has been both from the club’s perspective and from his own, so I’m delighted that he’s doing so well. It has shown that he is a player, I would think, that will be back involved in the Spurs first-team for next season.”

Carlo Ancelotti should urge Everton to seal the Italian a reunion with SSC Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and sign a commanding partner for Ben Godfrey this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Koulibaly tops Everton’s shortlist for defensive signings after Ancelotti made centre-back upgrades a priority for the next transfer window.

The Italian tactician is understood to be chasing the arrival of a world-class option capable of delivering the same level of impact that Liverpool saw from £75m signing Virgil van Dijk and that Manchester City have benefited from with their £65m capture Ruben Dias.

Everton chiefs are understood to be structuring a deal that would see the Goodison Park outfit sign Koulibaly, despite knowing a move for the Senegalese powerhouse would have little resale value as he turns 30 in June.

Napoli had demanded £69m for Koulibaly’s exit amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester United last summer, but reports by Gazzetta dello Sport via FourFourTwo have claimed the Serie A side are now willing to slash their asking price.

The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium hierarchy believe this summer is the right moment to sell the 43-cap international, as Koulibaly will have two years remaining on his £195,000-per-week contract come the end of the season.

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Ancelotti has instructed Director of Football Marcel Brands and his team to target a new centre-half in the off-season, as he does not believe Everton’s current options have the right skill set to work together long-term.

Michael Keane has opened the most Premier League fixtures at centre-half for the former Napoli head coach at 25 from a possible 28 so far this season, while Yerry Mina has started 19, Ben Godfrey has opened 11 of his 21 outings in the centre and Mason Holgate six of 18 appearances.

Should Everton sign Napoli’s Koulibaly?

A move for Everton to sign Koulibaly in the summer would likely still come with a hefty price tag, despite the reports from Italy that Napoli are willing to lower their asking price for the £54m-rated titan.

Koulibaly’s representatives from Lian Sports Group will likely also push for a hefty wage after securing Leroy Sane a £298k-p/w deal when he left Manchester City for Bayern Munich last summer, which was more than three times the salary the German was on at the Etihad Stadium.

But Ancelotti convincing Everton’s owner Farhad Moshiri to sanction a swoop could see the Italian acquire a dream partner for Godfrey, who the Toffees boss is said to consider as the best of his current central defenders and the one with the most potential.

Blues supporters are often bowled over by Godfrey’s performances, as well, with the £20m signing from Norwich City earning a wealth of praise for his efforts against Manchester City in the FA Cup last Saturday despite losing the quarter-final tie.

Koulibaly could be the perfect partner for Godfrey, having been lauded by Kevin Campbell as an “excellent” target for Arsenal last summer, while former Chelsea star Craig Burley claimed “is Koulibaly a great get for most clubs? Absolutely, he is a fantastic centre-half,” amid Liverpool and Manchester United’s interest.

Koulibaly’s experience and knowledge could also help Godfrey fulfil the potential Ancelotti sees in him, even if bringing the 6 ft 1 brute to Goodison Park would likely be an expensive operation for Everton.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £17m ace dubbed the next Erling Haaland…

Tottenham Hotspur bolstered their European claims with an emphatic victory in North London on Sunday afternoon and that was thanks to the phenomenal display from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Ryan Mason’s side moved into sixth place on goal difference and know that two more victories in their final two matches of the Premier League season will secure a place in the Europa League next season.

Spurs talisman Harry Kane moved into the sole lead for the Golden Boot with his 22nd league goal of the campaign, taking his total to 32 in all competitions, and will quite rightly take a lot of the plaudits for his goalscoring performance.

But the great Dane in the heart of midfield was arguably Mason’s best player on the day.

It was Hojbjerg who provided a high-quality assist for the England international to open the scoring, feeding in a delightful ball over the top for Kane to run in, casually push off Gary Neville’s comical Man of the Match Conor Coady to bag right on half-time.

He then found the net himself just after the hour mark, following up a parried effort to double their advantage and clinch all three points.

But there was so much more than a goal and assist to his game as he was once again one of Spurs’ most influential players in the engine room.

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Hojbjerg often dictates play with his cool, calm composure on the ball and that was seen in him managing a squad-high 102 touches, 17 more than anyone else, and 81 passes at a success rate of 94%, via SofaScore.

In addition to his rare creative outing, in which he provided two key passes and three shots, he also did his usual industrious defensive work and it’s that sort of ability that often goes unnoticed, especially when Kane is firing them home.

No other Spurs star managed more tackles (three) or interceptions (two) than Hojbjerg, whilst he also chipped in with one clearance and one block, as per SofaScore.

Alasdair Gold at football.london appeared to agree, calling him “Spurs’ best player on the day” and he also suggested he “did the dirty work” in midfield, too.

The £45m-rated beast stole the show at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Spurs handed gutting injury blow, key man likely out for the season…

When the summer transfer window opens, Wolves will need to sign some attackers.

Without the injured Raul Jimenez, their strikers have been pretty non-existent in front of goal, scoring just four times between them all season.

Fabio Silva’s £35.6m move from Porto has pocketed just three goals while Willian Jose had to wait until the middle of April for his first strike in Old Gold.

With that in mind, it feels unlikely that Nuno Santo and Jeff Shi will utilise their option to buy the Real Sociedad forward in the summer.

One alternative could be Sheffield United’s Oliver McBurnie. Wolves are looking to take advantage of their relegation by prising the striker away from Yorkshire in a few months time.

The Sun claim a fee of £15m could be enough to tempt the Blades into selling.

However, with only seven goals in 65 outings for Sheffield United, he hardly looks like he’d be a wise investment.

Instead, Wolves could save themselves a bucket load of cash by unleashing Rafa Mir next season.

If that sentence had been used at the start of the campaign you’d have been laughed at. Though, such is the Spaniard’s impressive season on loan at Huesca that he deserves another chance at Molineux.

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Mir’s time in English football has been nothing short of a disaster so far. He’s not scored for Wolves and didn’t beat the goalkeeper during a temporary stay at Nottingham Forest either.

That being said, he is beginning to flourish in Spain and is now among the top scorers in La Liga.

The 23-year-old is enjoying the best spell of his career so far and has 15 goals in all competitions this term, 12 of which have come in the Spanish top-flight. That puts him seventh in the rankings ahead of the £107.6m Antoine Griezmann and the £113m Joao Felix.

Mir is very quickly defying the doubters and his good form, along with the high ceiling he still possesses, should lead to a second chance at Wolves.

He has evolved from a young striker lacking confidence and maturity to a forward with the world at his feet.

He’s even earned comparisons to one of the most bullish forwards around; “He’s a little bit like Diego Costa,” Spanish football write Richard Dunne told The Athletic.

“He’s aggressive, he likes running the channels, he holds off defenders, he’s athletic and strong.”

Dunne continued: “He’s not exactly technically gifted but he has an unorthodox running style that works for him, he can keep the ball, he’s got a powerful strike, he’s quick and he’s good in the air.”

Having become a regular goal scorer in one of the most reputable leagues in world football, Nuno should consider bringing him into the first-team group next season.

He has scored more goals than McBurnie this term and he’d prevent Fosun from shelling out needlessly on £15m.

AND in other news, Forget MGW: Wolves must unleash rarely-seen 18 y/o who creates “things out of nothing”…

Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall may be set to stay at the City Ground this summer, despite a host clubs being interested in him.

What’s been said?

In a recent post on Twitter, after being awarded as the Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Club Player of the Year and the Gedling Branch Player of the Year, the 24-year-old discussed how honoured he was to pick up the trophies, as well as commenting on the club’s below-par performances in the Championship this season.

However, despite the reported summer interest of teams such as West Ham United, Norwich City and Burnley, the defender then appeared to drop a rather large hint regarding his future at Forest, claiming that next season is a chance for him and the Garibaldi to achieve something special.

He said: “Extremely honoured to pick up these awards, I would like to thank everybody for your support this season. This season, off the back of the last, has been disappointing and way below par from us all. Next season is a chance to try and achieve something special. Thank you!”

Fans will be buzzing

As Worrall points out, Forest’s 2020/21 Championship campaign has been one that is not likely to live long in the memory of the City Ground faithful, with the Reds finishing in an extremely disappointing 17th place in the league standings.

However, despite the team’s general poor performances, Worrall still managed to impress over his 31 Championship appearances from the heart of Chris Hughton’s defence, with the £3.6 million-rated centre-back helping his side to keep 12 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 4.2 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.94 – ranking him as the club’s fifth-best performer in the second tier.

As such, Worrall’s hint that he could remain at the club next season is something that is likely to leave the Garibaldi fans buzzing, as it would very much appear, if Hughton is to have any hope of mounting a promotion push next season, the player labelled by Steven Gerrard as a “leader” will be a crucial part of any success the club may have going forwards.

In other news: Forest handed devastating blow over £3.6m-rated gem dubbed “one of the most talented” – opinion

Sunderland have had a horrible habit in recent years of letting their academy gems walk through the exit door for not very much money.

Sam Greenwood was one of the first to start the trend. He departed Sunderland for Arsenal in 2018 and is now on the cusp of senior football with Leeds United.

Josh Maja is the most high profile case. His agent convinced him his future lay elsewhere and he left for Bordeaux in January 2019. Now playing at Fulham in the Premier League, there seems to be a familiar trend here.

Other young prospects like Joe Hugill, Bali Mumba, Luke Hewitson, Morten Spencer and Logan Pye have also all departed.

Though, if you cast your mind back to 2014, there is a name who is arguably doing better things than any of those mentioned above.

That happens to be John Egan. The centre-back never made a first-team appearance for the Mackems before being released seven years ago.

He subsequently joined Gillingham on a free transfer, before moving to Brentford and then Sheffield United.

The Irishman has been a wonderful presence in the Blades’ backline, very rarely missing a game. He played 44 matches during their promotion-winning campaign from the Championship in 2018/19 and since they were promoted, he’s been absent for only two games.

During that time, the 28-year-old has become an established international, earning 12 caps for his country, the Republic of Ireland.

Egan has very much become a classic case of one who got away. The defender is Premier League proven and was part of a backline that proved one of the best in the top-flight last term.

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The former Sunderland academy graduate helped Sheffield United to the fourth-best defensive record in the entire division. They conceded 39 times, a better tally than Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea.

Egan has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years, being described as “rock-solid” by Chris Wilder.

It’s unsurprising, therefore, that his value has risen so dramatically. Released on a free transfer by Sunderland all those years ago, he is now rated at an eye-catching £9m by Transfermarkt.

That kind of fee is one to bulk at, especially for a club now plying their trade in League One. As the Black Cats tumbled down the leagues, it would have been difficult for them to keep hold of him.

That being said, they got rid of him at a time when they were in the Premier League. He has since proven he is up to the challenge of performing at that very level.

AND in other news, Rarely-seen 18 y/o could rival Diamond at Sunderland, he’s a “talented lad”…

A number of Liverpool fans have been calling for the Reds to sign Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic following more brilliance over the weekend.

Jurgen Klopp’s men had an excruciating day at the office on Saturday, drawing 1-1 at home to Newcastle United. Mohamed Salah’s superb early strike suggested that it could be a comfortable afternoon for the Premier League champions, but poor finishing again proved fatal.

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Joe Willock’s stoppage time effort saw Liverpool drop two more vital points in the top-four battle, with Champions League football now looking unlikely at Anfield next season.

The profligacy on show from the Reds suggested that a new striker needs to arrive this summer, with Vlahovic one of those who has been linked with a move.

The 21-year-old scored a Panenka-style penalty in his side’s 1-1 draw with Juventus on Sunday, taking his tally for the season to 17 Serie A goals in 29 starts.

Liverpool fans wants Reds to sign Vlahovic

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to call for Vlahovic to be a summer signing.

“Vlahovic up against Chiellini, De Ligt and Bonucci on his own for Fiorentina . Impressing me more and more every time I see him. Tentative links to LFC from some. Would be something completely different to any of our current attack. A powerful target man with a ferocious shot”

Credit: @GrizzKhan

“Seen him playing for the last 3 years. Delicious attacker. Would be a great addition for Liverpool”

Credit: @lies_the_rub

“We need that kind of a player and a natural goal scorer”

Credit: @61Zaqir

“He’s class and needs signing up”

Credit: @lfc_ik4

“Very well taken, would love to see him do this in red”

Credit: @empireofthekop

“Vlahovic or Kaladjzic should be our No.9 targets”

Credit: @MoThiagoA6_

In other news, some Liverpool have been left fuming after a key development at the club. Read more here.