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Many Wolves fans reacted in their droves to a report that concerned defender Max Kilman.

Football Insider revealed on Tuesday that the Black County club are considering selling Kilman despite the fact he just signed a new five-year contract at Molineux in October, leading one fan to call it a ‘ludicrous decision’.

Kilman has been a bit-part figure in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side during the 2020/21 campaign, providing one assist, averaging 1.3 tackles and 2.2 clearances per game (Whoscored).

This tops any other Wolves player that has featured in a similar amount of games or less – including Romain Saiss who has been lauded by segments of the Molineux faithful this season. Indeed, the youngster had an impressive stint when he first broke into the side early in the season, showing the type of potential that earned him his bumper contract.

Because of this, supporters were against the idea of Kilman being offloaded with some suggesting that the Englishman has been their best defender so far.

Kilman report didn’t amuse these fans

“What message does this send to our academy..and players out on loan. Nuno always said He likes to improve players. Kilman is definitely a rough diamond”

Credit: @StPaul197173

“This better be a joke. Easily our best defender this season. What a ludicrous decision this would be.”

Credit: @TonyWilde99

“Madness.”

Credit: @IrishWolvesFans

“Would not like this at all definitely think he is first choice but Is unlucky right now he should be given more games to show his talent”

Credit: @AltonDills

“Hope this isn’t true, never felt like the right move when Bennett left, he’s developing and if not a starter each week a great back up option when we have injuries/suspensions”

Credit: @Ry4nH07

“Don’t think that’s a good idea great player Kilman”

Credit: @bashagas

In other news, Wolves star who is ‘hard to stop’ on brink of setback amid exit rumours – Report.

When Raul Jimenez suffered a horrendous fractured skull against Arsenal back in November, there were big fears for Wolves given his impressive contributions up top – he’s scored 47 goals in just 110 games for the club.

And since Jimenez went down, the Old Gold have won just four of their last 14 matches. It’s been a torrid period for Nuno Santo who has watched his side capitulate in recent months.

They have kept a solitary clean sheet in the Premier League since October, but their win over Arsenal on this occasion will have done them wonders.

The confidence was back in full swing and it was hardly a surprise that with a robust striker in Willian Jose to aim for in attack, they improved. Though, despite goals from Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, it was Pedro Neto who put the Gunners to the sword.

Neto is having a tremendous season and despite Wolves’ struggles, he has taken on the mantle as their chief creator with ease. With Jimenez out, the Portugal international is very quickly becoming their diamond in the rough.

His performances have continued with the same vigour in recent months and his tally of four goals and four assists are bettered by no one in the Wolves squad this season.

The 20-year-old has been quite the force this term and he demonstrated that against Arsenal. Neto gave Hector Bellerin a torrid time and when the Gunners went down to ten and then nine men, he exploited the open spaces ruthlessly.

Neto provided two key passes during the game and such was the space he received on the left that he attempted eight crosses. That was the highest number of balls into the area of anyone on the pitch.

On top of that, the youngster terrorised Bellerin by completing a massive five dribbles. That tally was significantly up on his season average of 2.2 dribbles per game.

He has been a threatening ball of energy for the entire season and ranks among one of the most intense runners in the Premier League – sitting high up on the list of players with the most sprints per 90 minutes.

If anything typified Neto, it would be a piece of descriptive tweeting from Tim Spiers on Tuesday evening. As the winger drove past two Arsenal players in the second half, he said: “Neto twists into the box like a champion slalom skier.”

It was the perfect way to express Neto’s qualities. He is a radiant attacking weapon capable of upsetting even the sternest of defences.

Arsenal had conceded just once in the Premier League since Boxing Day but they found life difficult against the Portuguese this week.

It’s a testament to how much he’s improved and to his overall qualities. He has fast become Nuno’s star man at Molineux.

AND in other news, Drop him: Wolves liability who lost 66% of his duels continues to let Nuno down…

Glasgow Rangers return to Europa League action later this evening when they travel to Belgium to take on Royal Antwerp.

Steven Gerrard’s side reached the knockout stages after emerging relatively unscathed from a group including Benfica, Lech Poznan and fellow Belgian Jupiler League outfit Standard Liege.

However, what looks like a straightforward Europa League fixture may, in actual fact, be a potential banana skin for the 54-time Scottish champions.

Not many Rangers fans will have heard the Belgian side’s name crop up in conversation, and in all fairness, Gerrard’s side are favourites to reach the quarter-finals as Antwerp find themselves beset by multiple setbacks.

But don’t let their recent poor run of form fool you. After all, this is the same Antwerp side who caused problems for Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur this season, having beaten Jose Mourinho’s side on home soil back in October.

Gerrard’s men, therefore, should tread with a note of caution.

However, they have been boosted by Alfredo Morelos’s return, who has not featured for the first team since his SFA charge last month.

With both Morelos and Kemar Roofe having missed the past few games due to suspension, Cedric Itten has been given the chance to stake his claim for a place in Gerrard’s starting XI. Yet, the Swiss international has arguably struggled to make the most of the opportunity to lead the line in their absence.

But the Colombian could be a huge threat for Antwerp’s backline, having previously broken Ally McCoist’s all-time European goalscoring record earlier this season.

The 24-year-old’s overall tally for the Gers sits at 88 goals from 168 appearances, which is just shy of a goal once every two games, via Transfermarkt.

Speaking after his record-equalling goal against Lech Poznan back in October, Gerrard said:

“It’s fantastic for him from a personal point of view. Alfredo’s a top-class player, a top-class goalscorer, and it’s fantastic that he’s still here.

“I said it a few weeks back when people are trying to compare them; Ally is a legend at the club, and he’s been here and done it, and he’s got the medals to prove it. Let’s hope Alfredo can continue to follow in his footsteps.”

A return of two goals and an assist ranks him joint-first with James Tavernier in terms of goal contributions in the Europa League out of the entire Rangers squad this season.

Given Antwerp’s injury struggles, Gerrard could give Itten the chance to redeem himself after drawing a blank against Kilmarnock.

However, if he wants to get real when it comes to achieving European success, Morelos is surely his best bet, as his record more than speaks for itself.

The controversial powerhouse has the goalscoring ability to cause Antwerp all sorts of nightmares at the Bosuilstadion tonight, Morelos must start from the off.

AND in other Rangers news, Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack’s goal against Kilmarnock laid bare their problems…

Southampton have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their game against Leicester City on Saturday, as Danny Ings has been ruled out after testing positive for the current viral outbreak.

Ralph Hasenhuttl confirmed in his pre-match conference on Thursday that the England international would be forced to sit out the game against the Foxes after a positive test, as he will now have to self-isolate due to the government’s guidelines.

This comes as a big blow for the Austrian as he saw his side fail to score in three games over the Christmas period that Ings missed through injury before the former Liverpool man returned to score the winner against his old side in the Saints’ last Premier League fixture.

It is an important game against Brendan Rodgers’ side on Saturday evening, with both sides having enjoyed an impressive start to the season which sees them challenging for a top-four spot, so to have your top scorer missing is obviously a huge blow for the South Coast club.

So far this season, the 28-year-old has managed seven goals and three assists in just 13 top-flight appearances for Southampton, averaging a superb 7.17 rating.

The Englishman is picking up where he left off last season, where he finished as the second joint-top scorer in the Premier League, despite a disjointed season so far where injuries, and now the current viral outbreak, have ruled him out of matches.

Last season, Eddie Howe was full of praise for the striker, saying:

“The most impressive thing about Danny is, of course, he’s an outstanding player.”

“Technically he’s very good, plays with real intelligence and the way he’s come back from his disappointments, the injury setbacks he’s had, the way he’s fought back and kept his mental strength has been hugely impressive.”

Hasenhuttl will surely be frustrated to have his top goalscorer missing for the game against Leicester and he now faces a dilemma on who to select up front alongside Che Adams, who should return after missing the game against Liverpool with a concussion.

And, in other news… Southampton signing England U21 gem would cast doubt over the future of Hasenhuttl favourite

Speaking to Sky Sports, as shared by Football Daily and West Ham Central, journalist Kaveh Solhekol dropped a candid message for West Ham United and their supporters – going on to say that the Hammers don’t get ‘the respect they deserve’ considering what they have achieved so far this season.

Solhekol, speaking on The Transfer Show, opened up over how brilliantly the Hammers have performed under Moyes this season – going on to drop a message that West Ham United deserve more respect when it comes to media coverage in general.

West Ham are currently in the mix for a top-four finish and Solhekol thinks that they deserve more recognition.

Solhekol drops West Ham message

“I can’t believe we’re going to talk about Arsenal before talking about West Ham,” explained the journalist (via Twitter).

“Before we get to talk about West Ham, we’re talking about fringe players at Arsenal who may be swapping one loan move for another.

“On this programme, we just don’t give West Ham the respect they deserve.”

Flocking to this candid message from the journalist, as shared by West Ham Central and West Ham Transfers, these supporters loved the comment with some feeling that the Irons have now been justifiably recognised. Find all of their best verdicts down below.

Hammers go wild

“Finally!! What a man he’s highlighted a big issue at sky sports”

Credit: @I96griffiths

“WOW”

Credit: @battey12

“You got to love this.”

Credit: @just_wasik

“Wow!! How about that? Who would have thought it!!”

Credit: @diltondiltond1

“Massive respect”

Credit: @Redjacket98

“Thank youuuuuuu”

Credit: @DBarnard1989

“My respect for Karveh has gone through the roof. What a man. Irons.”

Credit: @AlexLou47257315

“West Ham are massive”

Credit: @Lloydie_A

In other news: West Ham fans praised this ace for his performance against Crystal Palace, find out more here.

Former referee Mark Halsey has recently discussed a penalty incident for Southampton in their recent Premier League game.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men were recently held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham at Craven Cottage but after the game, the Saints boss made it clear that he thinks that his side should’ve had a penalty for a handball by Ola Aina. A cross had hit the Torino loanee’s arm but after a VAR check, play continued and no spot-kick was awarded.

When talking about the incident, Hasenhuttl said: “He goes with his hand to the ball and that it is a clear goal chance for us also so we were unlucky not to get a penalty there.”

Halsey gives his opinion about a potential Southampton penalty

Halsey was speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern and he talked about the possibility of whether Southampton should’ve had a penalty for Aina’s potential handball. The former referee believes that it was a subjective call and while Saints fans would want a penalty for that, the Fulham defender Aina had his arms in a natural position and he doesn’t think the call was a clear and obvious error.

He said:

“Looking at that, it’s subjective and if you’re a Southampton fan, you want it but his arms in a natural position in a running motion. I would agree (with the officials) that it wasn’t a penalty. In my own personal opinion, you don’t want to see penalties given for those sort of situations.”

The game saw Southampton have the ball in the back of the net on two occasions, but both goals were correctly ruled out for offside.

Penalty could’ve been a game-changer for Southampton

Hasenhuttl’s men currently find themselves in ninth place in the Premier League table and they have 25 points in the bag so far. Having said that though, they are only three points behind third-placed Leicester City (as per Whoscored).

If Southampton had won the game, they would’ve been in the third spot in the table but the draw means that they have dropped out of the top-four. It shows how important the handball call involving Aina was and it turned out to be vital when it came to determining Southampton’s position in the table.

However, the home side had generated an Expected Goals tally of 0.87 in the game – higher than Southampton’s tally of 0.12. So perhaps, getting a point from the tie wasn’t a bad result at all for the Saints, despite the frustration of Hasenhuttl.

In other news, Southampton fans have slammed Stuart Armstrong for his performance against Fulham – read more about it here.

Former referee Mark Halsey has talked about whether Wilfried Zaha should have been sent off in Aston Villa’s recent Premier League win at Villa Park.

Dean Smith’s Villa picked up a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday despite being down to ten men. Tyrone Mings was sent off after picking up two yellow cards, but the first yellow came as a result of a flashpoint involving Zaha and the defender. Zaha also got a yellow card for the incident (as per BBC Sport).

Smith described both bookings as soft yellow cards but Halsey has talked about whether Zaha himself should’ve been sent off for what happened during the flashpoint where he appeared to throw a hand at the Villa defender.

Halsey on whether Zaha deserved a red against Aston Villa

Halsey was exclusively talking to The Transfer Tavern recently and he discussed whether the Palace winger should’ve been sent off for throwing a hand at Mings. The former referee believes that VAR must have had a look at the incident and deemed it not to be worthy of a red card. Halsey himself feels that yellow cards for both Zaha and Mings were appropriate outcomes.

He said:

“I mean, you could argue the case (of a red card) but then, you have to say ‘well, why didn’t VAR pick that up and recommend a review?’ So VAR must have been happy that it wasn’t a serious and obvious error made by the referee on that occasion. To be fair, I thought two yellow cards was the right outcome in that situation.”

Villa were 1-0 up when Mings was sent off but despite the disadvantage, Smith’s men scored through Anwar El Ghazi and Kortney Hause in the second half.

Villa showed grit despite the disadvantage

It is anyone’s guess if Zaha’s sending off would’ve made any difference in the result considering the fact that Villa won 3-0 even while having ten men on the pitch. More than that, Smith’s men completely outperformed Palace on xG as well, generating a tally of as much as 3.5 while Palace’s tally stood at a lowly 1.06 despite the man advantage (as per FBRef).

Zaha had picked up a rating of only 6.32 in the game and while that was the fourth-highest rating for the Eagles, it was a disappointing rating in a general perspective (as per Whoscored).

So the winger clearly didn’t make much of a difference and a potential sending off for him may not have been too impactful for Villa.

In other news, Aston Villa have been buzzing about Matty Cash’s latest tweet – read more about it here.

Marcel Brands faces a fraught challenge to sign Carlo Ancelotti’s “very talented” transfer target, SSC Napoli’s highly sought-after midfielder Fabian Ruiz.

What’s the word?

According to TodoFichajes, Ancelotti intends to rediscover Everton’s early season form with a January raid on Napoli in hopes of reuniting with another of his former players in Fabian, after witnessing the successful adaptations of Allan and James Rodriguez to the Premier League.

Ancelotti was awash with praise for Fabian during his time at the San Paolo Stadium and has even reportedly contacted the Spaniard to discuss a potential move to Goodison Park, which the 24-year-old is not thought to have been opposed to.

Fabian is considered an untouchable aspect of Gennaro Gattuso’s plans in Naples, yet he remains a winter target for Everton after rejecting offers to renew his contract as the 8-cap international considers exploring a new challenge just two-and-a-half-years on from leaving Real Betis.

Everton could face a strong line of competition for his signature, however, as La Liga giants FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all hold a strong interest in Fabian, who the Express claimed was also an option for Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich this summer, but they all faced a staggering £74million asking price.

Jurgen Klopp had been keen to pip the growing swarm of interested parties before ultimately signing Thiago Alcantara, with Fabian’s Napoli future becoming increasingly uncertain after his agent Alvaro Torres confirmed that the Betis product was reluctant to discuss a new contract after a muddled campaign which saw Gattuso replace Ancelotti at the helm.

Fabian enjoyed the best days of his career so far under Ancelotti, scoring eight goals and penning five assists in 59 appearances across all competitions. He has since netted three and assisted five in 36 games under Gattuso, who has relied on the 6 ft 2 maestro to start all six possible Serie A fixtures thus far this term.

Brands’ fraught challenge

The level of interest in Fabian’s services and Napoli’s expected asking price would make any move by Everton this January a fraught challenge for their Director of Football Brands to overcome, especially as the Italian outfit have no urgent need to sell.

Fabian is under contract at the San Paolo through to the summer of 2023 and Napoli will be well-aware that the clutch of clubs keen on his services will ensure that their valuation remains high far into his current deal.

But in a boost for Everton, TodoFichajes do claim that the Toffees are the most likely destination for the 24-year-old, as the Merseyside outfit can improve his current salary and present an ambitious sporting project as they strive to secure European football.

Ancelotti’s past relationship with the central midfielder can also play a key role in advancing the Blues’ standing, with the Italian a keen admirer having noted in 2019 via Napoli’s official website: “Fabian can play various roles and must certainly grow in many aspects. He is young and very talented.

“He must have fewer breaks and must gradually be inserted into the heart of the team. Compared to Marek [Hamsik], he has a different vision of the game but certainly greater penetration.”

Fabian responded to Ancelotti’s comments by recording his most creative Serie A campaign last season with six assists in 33 games, and he is currently averaging 1.5 key balls and 1.5 shots per match this term as he registers 86.2 touches, 67.2 accurate passes, 4.5 duels won and 0.8 successful dribbles (83%), per SofaScore.

With Ancelotti keen and Fabian seemingly open to a move to Goodison Park, it only remains to be seen if Brands can unearth the funds needed to complete a raid on Napoli this winter.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is urging Everton to sign a “magnificent player” this winter.

Newcastle could have signed the perfect partner in crime for Allan Saint-Maximin in Lille’s Jonathan Ikone.

What was the story?

Reports from France earlier in the summer suggested that both Newcastle and fellow Premier League side Tottenham had made enquiries for Ikone, and that he could have left Lille if a considerable bid had been made.

In the end, Ikone stayed put, with the Magpies completing a free transfer for Ryan Fraser, who had left Bournemouth after the expiration of his contract.

When you look at what Ikone could have brought to the table, however, there’s a real argument that he could have been the dream partner for Saint-Maximin.

Bye-bye Almiron

With his ability to play anywhere across the front-line, including on both flanks, Ikone would have comfortably fitted in well with Saint-Maximin, giving Newcastle boss Steve Bruce the option of deploying the duo at the same time.

Valued at £32.4m by Transfermarkt, the Frenchman is incredibly direct, either with the way he can drive forward or get his shot away. Last season, as per Whoscored, the 22-year-old averaged an impressive combination of 1.3 shots, 1.1 key passes and 2.6 dribbles per game.

Having Ikone on one wing and Saint-Maximin on the other could have seen Newcastle have a twin threat, and opposition defences wouldn’t have been able to double up on the latter and nullify the Magpies’ biggest danger.

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His arrival in the summer could also have been a hammer blow to Paraguay international Miguel Almiron. The former MLS ace has really struggled to hit the heights at St James’ Park, managing just nine goals in 61 games since joining.

If Ikone had made the switch to Tyneside, then Almiron may have been the one pushed to the side with even fewer opportunities to shine.

Carlo Ancelotti is putting Jonjoe Kenny’s Everton future in doubt with a rumoured pursuit of Middlesbrough’s in-demand defender Djed Spence.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, Boro are facing an increasing battle to retain Spence’s services beyond the January market, with the attacking right-back’s form under Neil Warnock said to have impressed an array of Premier League sides.

Warnock has called on the former Fulham trainee – who departed Craven Cottage for the Riverside in 2018 – to start six of his nine Championship appearances this season, in which the 20-year-old has struck one goal and provided an average 0.4 accurate crosses a game.

Former Middlesbrough boss Jonathan Woodgate awarded the London-born defender his first-team breakthrough mid-way through last season, making his second-tier debut in a 1-0 win over Charlton Athletic and ending the campaign as the North East outfit’s prefered option.

Spence’s progress since Warnock’s appointment earlier in the year has seen Everton, along with Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers begin carrying out regular checks on his development ahead of a potential England Under 21s call-up.

Warnock is often full of praise for the £1.8m-rated talent, claiming in July that he considers Spence to be of the same type as Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

“If you look at one or two of the full-backs that are around now – the lad at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the lad at Manchester United from Palace – they are all the same type as Djed,” he said, via quotes by The Northern Echo.

“He does have enormous ability, and when you’ve got ability like that it’s criminal if you don’t get to the very top. But as I said to him in that first couple of weeks, he’ll only have himself to blame if he doesn’t get to the very top.

“He has quite a few things to brush up on at the minute, and I’m sure he will try. He’s a very good trainer and works hard.”

With Spence’s stock increasingly on the rise and Middlesbrough seemingly becoming progressively more accepting of a January transfer, it remains to be seen if Everton step in to win the emerging race.

Kenny’s future in doubt

Any move by Everton to sign Spence could come at the expense of Toffees product Kenny, who made his Premier League season debut against Newcastle on Sunday in place of the injured Seamus Coleman.

Ancelotti has previously stated that he has a lot of confidence in the former England U21 international, but moving for Spence would go against those claims as the 23-year-old would find himself with greater competition for the role of eventually succeeding Coleman.

Kenny, 23, has long been seen as the one to take over the right-back spot at Goodison Park once the Blues captain hangs up his boots, with Sam Allardyce noting in 2017 that the Liverpool-born ace belongs in the Premier League.

“He’s been a huge bonus for filling in that position,” said Allardyce, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “He proved that before I came, and he’s proven that to me in my short time because he doesn’t look out of place.”

Spence, meanwhile, has shown his attacking nature in the Championship this season with a heavy number of his 36.2 touches per game coming in the opponent’s half, where he plays 9.2 of his 12.1 accurate passes, while winning 3.4 total duels, recording 1.1 tackles and offering 0.4 key balls plus 0.3 shots, per SofaScore.

Kenny managed to register 61 touches against Newcastle before being replaced in the 76th-minute, but could only deliver one accurate cross from six attempts, lost possession 13 times, made two tackles and one clearance while recording most of his time in Toon territory.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands can build Everton’s dream unit with a gem who Carlo Ancelotti calls “one of the best”.