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It’s been a rocky ride for Rayan Ait-Nouri at Wolverhampton Wanderers so far this season.

The summer arrival from Angers SCO has gone from hero-to-zero in the space of just one week – scoring the opener against Crystal Palace before being particularly error-prone against Leicester City this afternoon.

Nuno Santo’s side went into the match on the back of an unbeaten four-game run but that came crashing down against their local rivals, the Foxes.

Max Kilman was adjudged to have handled inside the area for Jamie Vardy’s first spot-kick in the 15th minute, though he missed his second penalty chance nearly 25 minutes later after Ait-Nouri clattered into Justin James.

It wasn’t the only mistake from the young 19-year-old though.

Per SofaScore, he lost possession 15 times, won just three of eight duels (37.5%), made just 50% of his crosses and recorded only one successful dribble from three attempts.

BirminghamLive graded Ait Nouri’s display a paltry 4/10 and said: “We saw the good of Ait-Nouri against Palace last week and today we saw the bad and the ugly. His positioning in the build-up to Leicester’s second penalty was bad, and his attempted recovery challenge on Justin was incredibly ugly.”

TalkingWolves were more scathing in their verdict, calling his error a “braindead decision.”

There were already plenty of questions marks about the youngster going into the match defensively too.

It was something that his manager pointed out despite his attacking contribution against the Eagles, claiming: “The goal was focused on, but this is not what we look at. He has a lot of things to work on. He has to have the knowledge and the main idea of the shape of the team.”

No other Wolves player recorded a lower rating than Ait-Nouri (6.1) and given Marcal’s short but encouraging impact, it’s a swap Nuno may consider after the international break.

The veteran won 75% of his duels, provided an accurate cross and made the same number of tackles as the £18m-rated starter, per SofaScore.

It may have just been an off afternoon, but clearly, the raw teenager has plenty left to learn before he cements his place down in a Europe-chasing Premier League starting XI.

AND in other news, Jeff Shi’s summer decision is his biggest Wolves mistake yet…

Tottenham Hotspur will host Everton on the opening day of the season next month, but how will Jose Mourinho’s side look?

The Portuguese boss has moved quickly with his summer business, landing former Saints skipper Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in a £15m deal and ex-England number one Joe Hart on a free transfer.

Whilst the likes of Steven Bergwijn and Tanguy Ndombele will be getting a full pre-season at the club for differing reasons.

Here’s how Spurs’ XI could look in just over three weeks time…

Despite adding Hart, club captain Hugo Lloris is set to remain between the sticks for the foreseeable future.

After Jan Vertonghen’s departure, Eric Dier is likely to cement his place at centre-back and he could partner Toby Alderweireld over Davinson Sanchez.

Spurs are in the market for a new right-back too as Serge Aurier edges closer to an exit. The likes of Max Aarons and Timothy Castagne have been mooted, but Lille’s £14.4m-rated Zeki Celik is the man to come in with Ben Davies on the other flank over Ryan Sessegnon.

The 23-year-old Turkish international is thought to be Mourinho’s top right-back target as per Matt Law at the Telegraph.

In midfield, Hojbjerg could be handed a debut in an anchorman role with an impressive-looking duo just in front in the form of Giovani Lo Celso and Ndombele.

January addition Bergwijn may get the nod over Lucas Moura at right wing with Heung-min Son occupying the other side.

Harry Kane may be starting pre-season later than the rest of his squad, but there’s no doubting his place in the lineup – hopefully by then, though, Spurs do have a viable backup.

Callum Wilson and Arkadiusz Milik are just two names regularly mooted with a switch to north London.

It means there is no place for Dele Alli, Harry Winks or Erik Lamela.

AND in other news, Latest Spurs saga a reminder of transfer incompetence under Levy…

Time could be up on Merseyside for Gini Wijnaldum who will not be offered a new contract following the expiration of his current terms. 

That’s according to The Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom), who claims that the Dutchman could become a free agent once the final year on his contract is up.

Fans have been hoping to see Wijnaldum pen a new deal with Liverpool, but this latest update doesn’t cast a good feeling over the situation.

The 29-year-old initially joined the club back in 2016 from Newcastle. The Toon agreed a fee of £25million for the midfielder, who looks like he could be leaving for free next summer. Wijnaldum has made a total 186 appearances for the Reds, accumulating 19 goals in that time (via Transfermarkt).

As expected, plenty of Reds fans are unhappy with the idea of losing Wijnaldum and have lashed out in the replies to the news. One supporter has described it as an ‘absolute shambles’ not to offer the Dutchman a new contract. Indeed, he has established himself as somewhat of a cult hero after his heroics against Barcelona in last year’s Champions League semi-final.

Another fan has echoed the sentiment and has described the news as ‘disappointing’.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think Liverpool should offer Wijnaldum a new contract? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Villa Park once represented one of the most intimidating grounds in the country.

It still has its moments. of course, particularly when Birmingham City are in attendance. However, it has seemingly lost some of its passion over the past few years, which may have seen referees give them the benefit of the doubt over 50-50 decisions, as they did in the 90s and early noughties.

Having watched the Villa over the past few years it is hard not to feel that the club gets the wrong end of the deal with contentious decisions these days, apart from an obvious one behind closed doors on Wednesday night.

Whilst historically it is believed that referees and linesmen tend to favour the big clubs, the lack of consistency is incredibly frustrating and even with VAR intervention, there still doesn’t appear to be parity with big calls within the game. Conspiracy? Who knows?

So, which referees really have it in for Aston Villa and who dishes out the most cards against them? The good people at TOFFS have compiled some top-line research that analyses the data from officials and gives football fans a definitive overview of which refs have it in for their clubs.

Will the Villa be surprised at the results?

You can see the full report compiled by Abbey Green at TOFFS here.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW EVERY PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB’S REFEREE HISTORY

According to Calcio Mercato, Tottenham could offer Erik Lamela to Serie A giants Inter this summer in order to sign Ivan Perisic.

What’s the word?

After guiding Tottenham to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, and thus securing Europa League football for next season, Jose Mourinho will no doubt be hoping he gets backed in the transfer market this summer.

Can you name every one of Spurs’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…



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And as per Italian publication Calcio Mercato, Spurs are keen on Croatia international Perisic, and are willing to send Lamela in the opposite direction to lure him away from Inter this summer.

Mourinho’s perfect signing

With finances set to be tight this summer, swap deals may become the norm in the Premier League, and if Daniel Levy can engineer a move in which Spurs get Perisic for Lamela, then it would be an absolute masterclass.

Mourinho has gone on record with his praise for Perisic, with his comments after his performance in Croatia’s World Cup semi-final triumph over England back in 2018 showing just how much he rates him.

He said: “Perisic is the kind of winger that is different to the others. Normally you look at wingers and they are just fast and creative. But he is also physical, very physical, fantastic in the air.”

Described as a leader and someone who sacrifices himself for the team by former Inter boss Luciano Spalletti, the 6 foot 1 ace has all the hallmarks of being a prototypical Mourinho signing.

Tall, strong and someone who rises to the big occasion – he struck the equaliser against the Three Lions in that semi-final – Perisic could add some vital trophy-winning experience to Spurs ahead of next season and ensure they have the kind of player who won’t shirk the key moments.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Friday that Dejan Lovren will miss the Premier League clash with Watford on Saturday because of a muscle issue, as per The Athletic’s James Pearce.

Following a tough campaign where he has suffered from injury and seen Joel Matip in the team ahead of him, the Croatia international was actually enjoying a decent run in the first team alongside Virgil van Dijk in recent weeks – and he has even received some rare praise from the fans, too.

He had started their previous seven Premier League matches and two in the Champions League prior to this update, although he came off in the first half of the win against Bournemouth last weekend with an issue.

With Matip also out it has left the Merseyside outfit a little short of options at the heart of their defence tomorrow, and potentially ahead of the festive period if it doesn’t turn out to be a short-term injury.

Joe Gomez will be expected to fill in against the Hornets today, but Liverpool supporters are certainly concerned by the update from their manager, with one labelling it as “very bad news”.

Other fans were clearly worried about the lack of depth in what is a key position right now, with one asking who there is to back them up. Youngsters Sepp van den Berg and Ki-Jano Hoever are of course the answer to that.

No clues: Can you name the season these iconic Liverpool images belong to?

Another suggested that signing a centre-back in the January transfer window may now need to be on the cards.

More supporters look at Klopp’s comment about not knowing a time-frame for Lovren’s injury, and are clearly fearing the worst.

One wrote back “months then”, and if that proves to be the case then it would be a major setback for the Reds.

In other news, Steven Gerrard provided a two-word response on Instagram to the news that Jurgen Klopp had signed a new deal with the Reds…

Liverpool got a taste of winning ways again after returning to action against Blackburn Rovers in a friendly at Anfield on Thursday. 

It was a triumphant affair for the Premier League champions-elect, who ran out 6-0 winners on home soil. Goals from six different players secured the win, including youngsters Ki-Jana Hoever and Leighton Clarkson.

Midfielder Clarkson rounded off the afternoon with his composed strike inside the box, taking his time on the ball before slotting it past the goalkeeper. The 18-year-old has registered four assists in Liverpool’s youth competitions this season, setting himself up for a promising-looking 2020/21 campaign (via Transfermarkt).

Loads of Reds fans have responded to Clarkson’s goal after the official LFC Twitter posted footage of the youngster in action. One supporter has even commented that the teenager’s strike reminded them of Robbie Fowler, who would often dribble past defenders before coolly finding the back of the net.

Read more replies from excited Liverpool fans here:

Do you think we will see more of Leighton Clarkson next season, Reds? Join the conversation in the comments below…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Willian’s future at Chelsea seems secure but if his recent words are any indication at all, as quoted by Sky Sports, the Brazilian knows what he wants to do and is waiting for the Blues to make their move.

And this could be a blessing in disguise for Barcelona.

What did he say, then?

The winger is now already 31 years old and his contract is due to expire next summer.

That means he is now eligible to talk to other teams in January and Chelsea risk losing the player for free. But if his latest admission is anything to go by, Willian would very much prefer staying at Stamford Bridge.

And interestingly enough, he was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, which was not the first time we’ve seen those rumours appear.

But it seems that despite the Catalans’ reported interest, Willian wants to stay put.

Here’s what he said in full:

“I feel happy to play for this club but this situation is not in my hands. It’s in theirs. I wait for them. They know what I want, what I want to do. They already know so I wait for them.”

Dodged a bullet

For all his obvious qualities and experience, Willian is someone Barcelona should definitely be staying away from.

And yes, he has bagged some important goals in 2019/20, netting a total of three and assisting further three across all competitions, and he’s proven himself on numerous big stages, but he is 31 and Barcelona already have young wingers in their squad.

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The likes of Ousmane Dembele, Carles Perez and not to mention their prodigy, Ansu Fati, are all eager to start playing some regular football and the arrival of Willian would only make that much more difficult.

Chelsea have a really good player in their midsts and his skill is definitely not under a question mark.

But looking strictly to the future, and especially with some of the key players in the team already on the wrong side of their 30s, Barcelona can’t afford to put too many more veterans on that pile.

For that reason, Willian’s stance could actually end up being a blessing in disguise for the Catalans if he indeed stays at Stamford Bridge.

They can only hope so but as the player stated himself, we’re all waiting for the Blues to make their move, and that could set everything into motion, one way or the other.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Angelo Ogbonna was West Ham United’s third-choice centre-back last season, but he has turned things around this campaign.

On the chalkboard

The majority of the 31-year-old’s 20 Premier League starts last season came when Fabian Balbuena was injured, indicating that he was firmly behind the Paraguayan and Issa Diop in Manuel Pellegrini’s pecking order.

However, the powerful 6 foot 3 defender has come to prominence this season, having already started half of the games he managed last time around, not requiring injuries to his colleagues for time on the pitch.

The defender was hailed for his performance in the 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Saturday, but this wasn’t a one-off, as he has been consistently solid at the heart of the Hammers defence.

A turnaround for Ogbonna

There can perhaps be an argument made that Ogbonna should be the first-choice centre-back for West Ham, even if Diop has made the most starts this season with 13.

It speaks volumes about Ogbonna’s influence that he comes out on top in three of the four key defensive contributions when compared to his teammates, as shown below.

What also stands out is how efficient the Italian is with his tackling, because as well as making more challenges per game than his colleagues, he commits 0.7 fouls and is dribbled past just 0.2 times per game.

In comparison, Diop and Balbuena both have a combined total of 1.8 in those traits.

Ogbonna has also shown that he is comfortable on the ball, maintaining a pass success rate that is 4.8% higher than that of Balbuena.

When West Ham started their season against Manchester City, Ogbonna was sat on the bench, it is hard to imagine that this will happen too often moving forward after his performances this term.

In other news, one of Ogbonna’s teammates was hailed for their performance against Chelsea.

A number of Leeds United fans have mixed views on Mateusz Klich’s selection in the Poland squad for their upcoming Euro 2020 qualification matches.

Klich has featured in all but one of his country’s last 10 matches in all competitions, and therefore his inclusion in the squad for the two matches against Israel and Slovenia later this month is not a surprise.

However, some Leeds supporters appear shocked that the 6-foot midfielder has been selected due to his recent struggles at club level.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

That opinion, though, is not shared by everyone.

The 29-year-old has only managed one goal and one assist in 15 Championship appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this season.

As a midfielder, Klich’s main task is not to score goals, but he has featured higher up the field in seven of Leeds’ last eight Championship matches and has not managed to register a goal or an assist.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the supporters is available to view below: