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Tim Spiers has dropped a promising Wolves transfer update involving Rayan Ait-Nouri.

The Lowdown: Ait-Nouri impresses

Ait-Nouri certainly impressed while on loan at the Midlands club in the 2020/21 season, ranking highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles (1.4), key passes (0.7), dribbles (1.2), pass success (86.1%) and crosses (0.6) per game in the Premier League (Whoscored).

His displays were that good at times that a lot of members of the Molineux faithful have since called for him to be signed on a permanent deal.

The Latest: Spiers on Ait-Nouri

Writing on Twitter, Spiers, who is a football journalist for The Athletic, has claimed that the Wanderers are moving to sign Ait-Nouri permanently:

“They’ve renegotiated a £10m deal with a 50 per cent sell-on for Angers.

“Gather that Wolves retain a buyout clause, should they want to remove the sell on fee at a later date.”

He also added that his signing would be “dependent” on Ruben Vinagre departing to free up squad space and funds, an he has been told that the left-back is “on the verge” of joining Sporting Lisbon on a permanent deal.

The Verdict: Good move

Bruno Lage will want to get the supporters on his side as quickly as possible, and there is not a better way to do that than signing Ait-Nouri, of whom they are very fond of.

Especially if Vinagre goes, WWFC will need some competition for Jonny at left-back, and Ait-Nouri can certainly provide that.

Nonetheless, at just 20 years of age, he has still got a lot of potential, and £10m could well turn out to be an absolute bargain.

In other news, find out what latest news has Wanderers fuming here!

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing over some transfer news on Jack Simpson.

As per The Daily Record, the Ibrox faithful could let him leave on loan once the January transfer window opens, with a number of clubs in the English Championship thought to be interested in his signature.

Simpson has barely featured at all over the past two seasons for the Teddy Bears, with just four games played in total over all competitions so far this term (central defenders that they have at their disposal, it may be a wise idea just to get him off of the wage bill.

Moreover, some of his performances this campaign have been far from flattering, and so an exit could be best for all parties.

Nonetheless, the money gained could then be used to help fund other signings for other priority positions in the winter market.

Rangers fans on Simpson transfer news

These supporters of the Light Blues were left buzzing as the transfer news on Simpson was shared across Twitter:

“I’ll drive him down south myself – Stevie G’s biggest mistake.”

Credit: @BobMacCallum1

“I’ll pay for him to leave”

Credit: @morvenatkinson9

“I’ll lock him in my boot and drive him.”

Credit: @Baldy_Barisic

“Happy Thursday x”

Credit: @paula2561

“Happy New Year”

Credit: @johnnywasajunky

“Start the engine”

Credit: @kennygrfc

In other news, find out what club update has Gers buzzing here!

An encouraging update has emerged on the future of Robin Koch at Leeds United this week…

What’s the word?

Ahead of the winter World Cup later this year, reports have surfaced linking the versatile German defender with a move away from Elland Road as hasn’t been afforded the game time he would’ve liked this season, though that has largely been due to injuries.

Football Insider claim the Yorkshire giants will listen to offers for the 25-year-old in the summer as they plot an overhaul of the squad.

However, according to the ever-reliable Phil Hay of The Athletic, he’s heard nothing to suggest that this could be the case – speaking on a recent episode of his podcast show, he said:

“I’ve always liked Koch’s game, I think that there’s a very, very good player there he’s just a player who hasn’t been fit enough and hasn’t been in the team enough.

“I’ve heard nothing from Leeds to say that they would look at moving him on in the summer, but I did see the reports earlier this week. As with quite a few players, it’s going to be quite interesting, isn’t it this window.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Marsch boost

Indeed, Koch has been restricted to only 12 league starts throughout 2021/22 but he missed the bulk of the start of the season with a hip injury before picking up an illness and then a concussion.

He did feature from the off during Saturday’s 3-0 win over relegation rivals Watford as he was a surprise inclusion over Adam Forshaw, featuring in defensive midfield with skipper Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente in the backline.

It is clear, however, that Marsch does like the German international as he was selected over the likes of Pascal Struijk, the returning Leo Hjelde, Charlie Cresswell and even Kalvin Phillips down at Vicarage Road.

The 6 foot 4 colossus, who has been likened to Javi Martinez, cost the Whites around £13m in the summer of 2020 and could prove to be a solid option under the American head coach going forward due to his ball-playing ability.

Once dubbed a “warrior” by his former Freiburg coach Christian Streich, the eight-time Germany international made 86.2% of his passes last season, where he enjoyed more minutes on the pitch.

Leeds could well lose several big stars this off-season with the likes of Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips, Illan Meslier and Jack Harrison all linked with exits, so to lose Koch on top of that would certainly be a blow, irrespective of how little he’s played in comparison to that quartet.

Hay’s comments surely put an end to rumours that Leeds could lose out on another key player heading into next season. Marsch needs to keep hold of everyone he can, so this good news will surely provide him with plenty of encouragement ahead of a busy summer.

AND in other news, Hay drops Brenden Aaronson transfer update…

An update has emerged on Newcastle United transfer target Stefan de Vrij, regarding his future at Inter…

What’s the talk?

According to Calcio Mercato, the Italian giants are plotting their future with Alessandro Bastoni and Milan Skriniar, with no final decision made on extending the Dutchman’s contract.

The report claims that he could be sold to make way for younger players to come in, allowing Inter to build for the years to come.

Major issue

Magpies boss Eddie Howe could solve a major issue at the club by securing a deal to sign de Vrij from the Serie A side in January.

After 12 Premier League games, Newcastle have 0 clean sheets and 27 goals conceded – with zero wins to their name as they sit rooted to the bottom of the table. They have conceded 2.3 goals per game on average, highlighting the defensive problems Howe needs to resolve in order to get the club out of trouble before the end of the season.

De Vrij, who was previously hailed as a “monster” by his former teammate Mauricio, could be a terrific addition to help solve this issue due to his experience at the top level. Last season, Inter kept 11 clean sheets in his 30 starts and he averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.03, which came after he averaged a score of 7.05 and helped to keep nine clean sheets the previous campaign.

He was once compared to Juventus and Italy beast Leonardo Bonucci by ex-Inter, and current Spurs, manager Antonio Conte too, who said:

“The growth of this team comes from assimilating certain concepts. Stefan [de Vrij], like Bonucci, becomes an important player because they must inevitably leave him room. Stefan is doing well. My defenders must be the first to rely on, even Godin had made assists against Udinese. We have to try it.”

These comments from Conte and his statistics in the last two seasons highlight the quality he could bring to St. James’ Park as a defender. The £116k-per-week earner has played well over 200 times for Lazio and Inter combined and has shown that he can perform to a high level on a consistent basis, which is why he could come in and lift Newcastle’s defence in the second half of the season.

His presence could lead to clean sheets and points on the board in the Premier League, as he has proven he can help to keep shutouts in the Serie A, and this could go some way to solving a major issue for Howe. It is now down to the ex-Bournemouth boss and PIF to ensure that they can get a deal over the line for the Netherlands international.

AND in other news, Paid £12m, now worth £4.5m: Newcastle had howler with dud accused of trying to “cheat”…

Manchester United correspondent Jamie Jackson has pinned the blame on the ‘ponderous’ Nemanja Matic for Everton’s goal in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat. 

The lowdown

United suffered a shock loss against the relegation-threatened Toffees following Anthony Gordon’s 27th-minute strike.

The result leaves them three points behind fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur, having played a game more than Antonio Conte’s side.

Ralf Rangnick elected to restore Matic to the starting line-up after naming him amongst the substitutes last time out against Leicester City.

The manager paired the 33-year-old Serbian with Fred in his two-man midfield.

But Matic was dispossessed by Everton midfielder Allan in the attacking half, and The Toffees proceeded to launch the attack that led to Gordon’s goal.

The latest

Jackson, who covers United for The Guardian, felt Matic had been punished for dwelling on the ball.

“All from Matic, more ponderous than a pond,” he tweeted after the goal.

The verdict

It was a difficult 65 minutes for Matic at Goodison Park before Juan Mata replaced him.

He lost three of the four ground duels he contested and also conceded possession 14 times overall (via SofaScore).

Of all the United players on the pitch, only Marcus Rashford (seven) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (four) came off second best in more ground duels than the midfielder.

You could argue, however, that he wasn’t solely to blame the goal that Everton scored.

Indeed, The Athletic’s Adam Crafton suggested that Harry Maguire’s attempt to block the shot was ‘really bad’, with the ball cannoning off the Englishman and beyond David de Gea.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has dropped this manager insight.

Marcelo Bielsa’s future as Leeds United manager remains up in the air but his replacement will be an ‘external’ one, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Inspirational leader

The 66-year-old has done an incredible job in charge of the Whites, guiding them back into the Premier League after 16 years in the wilderness and being hailed as ‘special’ by Mauricio Pochettino.

Not only that, but Bielsa has clicked with the supporters, coming across as a down-to-earth character and playing some of the best football at Elland Road in many years.

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The Latest: Phil unsure over future

The Argentine only signed a one-year deal in the summer, however, meaning constant question marks surround his long-term future at Leeds.

Responding to questions from fans for The Athletic, Hay admitted it is hard to predict what will happen next, with a decision likely to be made at the end of the season again:

“It would be someone external. Leeds always keep a shortlist because they have to be prepared for the day when the Bielsa era ends, in the same way as you plan for future transfer windows.“Dan O also asked if this will be Bielsa’s final season. There’s honestly no way of answering that. It’ll depend on various things, not least how well this season goes. Because he signs contracts year-to-year, he’s difficult to second guess.”