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There has no been ‘no contact’ from clubs showing an interest in Leeds United star Raphinha, according to The Athletic‘s Phil Hay.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic season for the Whites, arguably standing out as his side’s star man.

Raphinha has chipped in with six goals and assists apiece in the Premier League, with his pace, dribbling and unpredictability making him a nightmare for opposition defenders.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Brazilian’s form has seen him linked with some of the top clubs in the country, with Liverpool one of those tipped to sign him.

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Hay provides key Raphinha update

Hay has given a positive update from a Leeds perspective, however, telling David Ornstein that there has been no concrete interest in Raphinha yet:

“In terms of Raphinha, the last time I asked about him there had been no contact of note.

“For all the links to the various clubs, particularly the top four in England, there was nothing behind it.

“But you have to be sensible enough to know it all depends on who bids what and when they bid.”

Transfer Tavern take

The thought of Leeds losing Raphinha just a year after he arrived is a worrying one, considering what a huge impact he has made.

If Marcelo Bielsa’s men want to go up another level in the league, they need to be keeping hold of their biggest players and the silky wide man is certainly one of those.

His aforementioned 12 goal involvements are proof of that and his level of threat means opponents often focus on him, opening up space for teammates to run into.

It would also leave a sour taste in fans’ mouths, given the kind of cult hero Raphinha has already developed into thanks to his frankly ridiculous moments of skill – such as the nutmeg on Gary Cahill.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a potentially game-changing signing this summer. Find out who it is here.

Former Sheffield United midfielder Keith Gillespie has exclusively told Football FanCast that the Blades have missed Sander Berge’s “quality”, but thinks his injury record could see him struggle for a future move away from Bramall Lane.

The Norwegian joined from Genk for a club-record fee last January, but whilst the midfielder featured in all 14 of United’s Premier League remaining 2019/20 games following his arrival, he’s been plagued with injuries this term and therefore hasn’t been able to help the club battle against relegation.

He appeared in Sheffield United’s opening 13 league matches this season, but hasn’t been available since having surgery on a tendon his leg following an injury sustained in the defeat to Manchester United before Christmas.

Berge still has more than three years remaining on his Blades contract, but with the club on the verge of relegation, is set to leave Bramall Lane this summer – with north London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal both interested in the 23-year-old.

Despite those links, Gillespie believes that Berge’s recent injuries could make a potential summer move difficult for him. He told Football FanCast:

“Berge was brought in for a lot of money and he has been injured for most of the season, so that can hinder you because you want somebody with that quality to come in and help the side.

“Berge, who’s going to come in for him? He hasn’t played that much. You don’t know how injury prone he can be, he’s missed a huge chunk of the season.

“I certainly think he would have improved Sheffield United this season.”

It has been a long nine days since Wolverhampton Wanderers were last in action.

Nuno Santo’s men played out a 0-0 draw with Midlands rivals Aston Villa – a game that they should have won.

Romain Saiss somehow blazed an effort over the bar from just a matter of yards out; a moment in the match that proved pivotal for both teams.

Small cracks are starting to appear in this Wolves side again, though. They haven’t won in their last three games and received a battering at the hands of Manchester City in the process.

In a normal season, they may well be on the end of a similar result against Liverpool on Monday. That being said, the Reds have lost six of their last seven Premier League outings. It’s a remarkable turn of events for a club who have been so impressive in recent years.

With that in mind, Wolves should feel confident about their chances this evening, but how will they line-up?

Here’s what we’re predicting at Football FanCast.

We think that Nuno may go in a similar way to how he fielded his team against Manchester City.

That means Nelson Semedo starts at right wing in order for Wolves to get the most from his attacking attributes. As a result, Willian Jose drops out and Adama Traore moves into the central role he started in at the Etihad.

Jose has found life difficult since moving from Real Sociedad in the winter and is yet to score a single goal in Wolves colours. With Liverpool’s defence as fragile as it is, Traore could prove to be a real weapon for the Molineux outfit.

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With Semedo moving forward it means that Ki-Jana Hoever comes in at right wing-back to play against the team that sold him last summer.

There is a second change in defence where the £23k-per-week Saiss drops out. We bemoaned his performance against Villa a few weeks ago and with Willy Boly now fit, he has to start.

The Frenchman has been back on the bench and after having nine days to train with the squad, should be in good shape to play from the off.

AND in other news, Shi could land Wolves’ perfect Moutinho heir in £35k-p/w gem with “boundless energy”…

Glasgow Rangers fans are livid at Michael Stewart following the BBC pundit’s take on Glen Kamara’s allegations of racist abuse from Ondrej Kudela.

Slavia Prague defeated Rangers 3-1 on aggregate to progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. However, in the aftermath of Thursday’s clash at Ibrox, the situation involving Kamara and Kudela has dominated the headlines. Kamara has released a statement backing up his claim, while Slavia themselves have moved to vehemently deny the allegations (slavia.cz).

Stewart was speaking on BBC Sportsound (via The Daily Record), and he was asked about the Kamara situation. However, instead of standing with the Finland international, he suggested there is a chance the former Dundee man may have misheard Kudela and has asked for there to be caution in judging the situation.

The comments were shared on Twitter by @thisisibrox, and they attracted plenty of attention from the Rangers supporters. They took to the social media platform to shared their anger with Stewart.

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

“He should be sacked immediately @BBCSportsound Utterly deplorable description of events of the last 24 hours. How @mstewart_23 can come out with this is beyond belief. An embarrassment to his colleagues and fellow professionals.”

Credit: @JohnGirvan2

“That’s what Scottish sports journalism amounts to sadly. Some never was given so much air time. Tragic”

Credit: @JohnAnd53999512

“Would be sacked for less. Shocking comments to make.”

Credit: @SteveGSmith_

“The BBC wish to bulld bridges with the club. It now ends.”

Credit: @ferguslie_james

“Lost for words with that statement from Michael Stewart. I think the reaction from everyone at Glasgow Rangers tells you exactly that there was racial abuse. Once again just trying to be controversial but, comes over as someone who deserves no respect.”

Credit: @Shunksy62

“he should be sacked. Simple, the player went with his mouth covered, said x & ran off. If polite he wouldn’t have. He said exactly what has been suggested, reactions followed. Forget what is said after. Fact he had is hands in an unnatural position, he is guilty.”

Credit: @iamdbali

In other news, Alan Hutton has suggested this Rangers ace could leave the club this summer.

Liverpool slumped to their sixth straight home defeat in the Premier League after their 1-0 loss to Fulham on Sunday.

Pearce reacts

Things went from bad to worse for the reigning Premier League champions as they fell further off the pace in the race for the top four. If there were any doubts of their title charge being over before the game, they have now surely been confirmed.

Mario Lemina scored the only goal of the game right on half-time to secure the points for the relegation-battling Cottagers, who latched onto a mistake from Mohamed Salah.

After the full-time whistle, The Athletic journalist James Pearce provided immediate analysis on the game as soon as referee Kevin Friend put the whistle to his mouth.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Liverpool have had just 10 shots on target in their last three games, which is nowhere near good enough for a team which recently won the Champions League and the Premier League in the space of 13 months.

It’s becoming increasing unfathomable that their gruesome run has continued. Jurgen Klopp freshened the squad up and featured some new faces in a bid to provide some new ideas, but ultimately nothing new came to the table.

The mystery is growing. Only Klopp and his coaching staff can work on the possible answers with a huge Champions League game on the horizon in midweek.

In other news, Liverpool blockbuster move in trouble as ‘unplayable’ star’s hefty demands emerge

According to a report by Spanish news outlet Sport, as relayed and translated by Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur star striker is ‘committed to leaving’ north London this summer as Manchester City eye a successor for club legend Sergio Aguero – coming as a potential blow for Jose Mourinho and Spurs.

Kane, who has been Tottenham’s most crucial asset this season, with the Englishman putting in an enormous contribution for the Lilywhites as they quest to mount a possible end of season top four challenge, is committed to a summer exit according to Sport.

Tottenham dealt potential Kane blow

The 27-year-old has bagged a brilliant 16 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League alone for Spurs this season, averaging a threatening 3.8 shots per 90 in that time under Mourinho.

Indeed, Spurs are heavily reliant on their star target man, but this report from Spain says he is now committed to leaving north London as Man City consider a move.

The Sky Blues are apparently set to ‘bet heavily’ on Borussia Dortmund attacker Erling Haaland in the next transfer window, but both Kane and Romelu Lukaku are also on the shortlist for Pep Guardiola.

Transfer Tavern take

Mourinho will be hoping Kane doesn’t opt to exit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he seeks to bring silverware to the club for the first time since 2008, but it seems another summer of constant rumours is on the horizon.

Alasdair Gold recently indicated that chairman Daniel Levy will have a ‘huge’ decision to make in regards to Kane being sold off to fund summer additions, especially given the club’s current financial plight due to coronavirus.

In other news: Tottenham have been handed a boost over Gareth Bale, find out more here.

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans are reacting to the latest news reported by Dom Howson around Owls player Joost van Aken.

The journalist posted on Twitter that: ‘Joost van Aken has suffered a fresh injury blow. The defender has not played for #SWFC since their Boxing Day draw at Blackburn.’

The 26-year-old was loaned out last season but became integral for the 2020/21 campaign as he featured 17 times before his injury (Transfermarkt). During the 1278 minutes of football he has played in the Championship, he managed 1.1 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, and 2.4 clearances a game (WhoScored).

When he played this season, the Owls managed six clean sheets, but only managed to win three games (Transfermarkt). Since his injury, Wednesday have won three out of four matches, and due to this, many are not too upset that he will be sidelined for even longer than expected.

However with Sheffield Wednesday still in the relegation zone and four points from safety (SofaScore), depth in their squad is needed as they have to turn things around sooner rather than later, so this injury will be frustrating for the club.

Here is what fans said following the injury update:

“Get rid”

Credit: @RyanGoodo

“Lucky escape for SWFC.”

Credit: ShiregreenOwl

“Missed 6 matches, we win 4 out of 6”

Credit: @DavidGillet

“Meh. Average at best would be bottom of the pile for CBs for me.”

Credit: @Patchswfc

“Forgot about him tbh”

Credit: @OwlSheffield

“Was actually playing very well on left of a back three. We need all hands on deck…”

Credit: @1SportsGenius

In other news, fans were discussing midfielder Izzy Brown. Have a read why here!

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard recently confirmed Nikola Katic has suffered a setback which has ruled him for the rest of the season.

What’s the word?

The Rangers defender sustained an injury during pre-season training last summer but his agent had insisted his client was pushing for a return in early 2021.

However, it was subsequently revealed he has not managed to recover as quickly as previously hoped, and as such will be forced to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.

And now, former Rangers fullback Alan Hutton has claimed the Croatian centre-back may be missing from first-team action for a full year following Gerrard’s latest update.

He said: “I think he’s an excellent player but these are injuries you must take your time with, you can’t rush him back. You don’t want it happening again just for the sake of pushing yourself to get an extra month and trying play a few games.

“You may as well take your time, get it right, have a full pre-season because that’ll be him out for a full year, so it’s going to be difficult for him to get back up to the level that we’re used to seeing him play. It’s going to take some time so think pre-season is a good time for him to build up slowly with the rest of the team and then get back into action.”

Gerrard faces a selection dilemma

The timing of the injury blow almost couldn’t be much worse after Rangers sent George Edmundson out on loan to Derby County in the January transfer window, with Gerrard’s side facing a very busy fixture list between now and the end of the season.

Kilmarnock are next on the agenda, and then there are Europa League games and an increasingly hectic Scottish Premiership schedule subject to Covid-19.

Prior to his injury, Katic had established himself as an integral part of Gerrard’s side, including getting himself into the Ibrox faithful’s good books with a dramatic winner at Parkhead to beat Celtic. In his last season alone, he averaged two tackles per 90 in the Europa League. For context, even Leon Balogun and Filip Helander have only managed 1.4 and one respectively.

Now, the long-term absentee is expected be sidelined for several more months to recover from the blow. This means that the 24-year-old will not only miss the Europa League, but he’ll also be unavailable to help the Gers in their push to regain the title for the first time since the 2010/11 season.

Having just Connor Goldson, Balogun and Helander available at the back leaves little margin for error, with the relatively inexperienced Calvin Bassey also an option in the central defensive role if required as a last resort.

Barring a coronavirus crisis, an injury crisis could quickly cause problems, so Gerrard will have to consider managing his options carefully to avoid a potential catastrophe.

Ultimately, the key thing for the Gers boss is making sure the £10k-a-week earning Katic can get up to speed as quickly as possible without suffering any more setbacks. Rushing him back into the equation would do both him and the club more harm than good, so as Hutton rightfully says, it’s better for the Ibrox side to really play it safe with the 6 foot 4 titan.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must secure the future of Rangers centre-back Leon Balogun…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has dropped his verdict on Phil Jones amid reports linking him with a move to the Hawthorns this transfer window.

Earlier in the month, the forgotten Manchester United centre-back was mooted as a loan target for the Baggies, as per the Daily Star.

They claimed that the 28-year-old colossus was free to leave the Red Devils this month and that they were prepared to pay a sizeable portion of his £120k-per-week wages, even if he remains under contract until 2023.

Jones hasn’t featured for United this season but Albion’s defensive issues continue to increase tenfold after they leaked another five goals to Manchester City on Tuesday night.

It means Sam Allardyce’s men hold the worst defensive record in the Premier League, conceding 12 more goals than any other side, while no team across Europe’s elite divisions has leaked as many goals at home than West Brom.

And Palmer believes Jones could help solve their backline problems…

He told FFC:

“Big Sam’s always fancied him. He has always fancied Phil Jones – big, strong, athletic.

“I haven’t seen Phil play for ages, I thought he’d do really well at Manchester United because he’s got serious pace about him and he’s athletic. It’s just not worked out for him at all.

“Sam certainly needs quality throughout his side. He needs a central defender. And Sam gets the best out of people. It could be a good fit for both Phil and West Brom.”

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The 27-time England international may have not featured in a competitive game since January 2019, but he is someone that Big Sam knows very well from their time at Blackburn Rovers.

Indeed, Allardyce dubbed the young Jones a “leader” who would one day go onto captain England – he was partially right, at least.

The £5.4m-rated defender has played 200 times in the Premier League and over 30 times in Europe, per Transfermarkt; vast experience that is lacking in abundance in this current Albion squad.

Clearly, if fit, he’d be a welcome addition at the Hawthorns.

AND in other news, 3 new signings, no Sawyers: How West Brom’s XI may look after deadline day…

Erling Haaland sent a one-word message to Takumi Minamino on Instagram after the Liverpool ace scored the opening goal in the 7-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League away at Selhurst Park yesterday lunchtime.

As shared on Twitter by a fan of the Anfield faithful, the Borussia Dortmund star sent ‘Takuuuuumi’ followed by an emoji of praying hands after the Japan international scored very early on to put Jurgen Klopp’s team 1-0 up in the clash and thus put them on course for a very handsome victory, one which in turn elevated them to first spot in the top flight table leading up to Christmas.

Of course, both Haaland and Minamino were teammates together at RB Salzburg and although they have since gone in different paths in the beautiful game, they seem to still have a nice friendship going.

Haaland has been linked to Liverpool

Haaland has previously been linked with a move to the Merseyside club, and it is not difficult to see as to why he has been dubbed as such a ‘huge talent’.

The Norway international has netted no fewer than 17 times in just 14 games in all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), and at just 20 years of age, will surely only get better from this point in his footballing career.

The striker is currently valued at £90m, and if the Reds were to make a move for him either in the January transfer window or in the summer, he would surely be worth every penny.

In other news, find out what a journalist has revealed amid exit rumours concerning Mo Salah here!