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In an exclusive interview Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who featured 561 times for Wolves, claims Nelson Semedo must improve the defensive side of his game with this season being a transformation period for the full-back and the club.

Semedo came in to replace Matt Doherty who was sold to Tottenham Hotspur last summer and despite arriving for £36.8 million, he’s struggled to fill the void left by the Republic of Ireland international.

The Portuguese international was signed from Barcelon, so expectations were high, however it’s been a difficult season for Wolves overall as they find themselves in the bottom half of the table after two successive seventh-placed finishes under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Speaking on where Semedo must improve to succeed at Wolves and how defence is the first line of attack, Bull told FFC:

“Semedo is a very talented player but he’s come in here blind-folded wondering what his role is.

“Yeah, I think he does need to improve his defending because like they say, the first form of attack is defence.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“You should shut-up shop first and then get your skates on and go down the line. However, once that ball goes out of play you have to get the whole team back in front of the ball.”

Wolves could do with more players helping out in the final third as they have scored the fifth-fewest amount of goals, finding the net just 28 times in 29 Premier League appearances.

Last season, Doherty was almost a fourth attacker for Wolves with his constant presence in the final third bringing about seven goals and five assists in all competitions.

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Conhecido por ser uma pessoa supersticiosa, Cuca levou na brincadeira quando perguntado sobre a sua nova peça da “sorte”. Desde o jogo contra a Chapecoense, o técnico do Palmeiras veste uma calça vinho, e com ela está invicto. Só não a usou em duas ocasiões: o empate com a Ponte Preta no Allianz Parque e a derrota para o Botafogo-PB, nessa quarta-feira.

Neste intervalo, são seis vitórias e três empates. A calça vinho substituiu a calça verde que Cuca vinha usando até a derrota para o Atlético-MG, ainda no primeiro turno. Na Paraíba, o técnico estava de jeans e não usou nem o seu relógio verde, comprado após acertar, em março.

– É verdade! Está vendo? Depois vocês falam que não ajuda! Foi bom você ver. Depois eu volto com a (calça) vermelhinha, o relógio verde e vocês vão ver uma coisa (risos) – disse.

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Desde que chegou, o treinador tem tratado com bom humor as perguntas sobre suas superstições. Na Libertadores que venceu pelo Atlético-MG, Cuca usava uma camisa com a imagem de Nossa Senhora da Aparecida. Naquele caso, porém, ele diz que não era superstição, mas fé.

– Eu me divirto com isso. Podem falar. Comentam da ré no ônibus, de usar a mesma camisa, do coração de boi no vestiário. Não tem problema. Alguma coisinha tem. Mas não é tudo isso. Quem não tem? É só ganhar um jogo e ver se vou trocar de camisa (risos) – brincou na sua apresentação.

Lots of Everton fans have been left to laud an injury update on Jean-Philippe Gbamin by Carlo Ancelotti.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against Burnley at Goodison Park, the Italian boss said that it is “realistic” for the central midfield player to play before the end of the 2020/21 term, and added that the Merseyside club “have no concerns” about his fitness in the long-term.

This has come as a much welcome relief to several members of the Toffees faithful, given that Gbamin has been out injured for so long, meaning that they have not been able to see him play in a Blues shirt since August 2019.

Nonetheless, it will be nice for the EFC supporters to see why they bought him from Mainz in the first place.

Everton fan reaction to Gbamin update

These Everton fans lauded the injury update on the Ivory Coast international on Twitter:

“It will be marvellous if Gbamin can return to the squad but to achieve full match fitness will be terribly difficult after such a long absence. We must wish him well and hope that he will become a strong and important squad member.”

Credit: @RogerWi33581994

“Would love to see the guy back and enjoying his football. Must have been a hard recovery”

Credit: @WeAreLovedOnes

“This is the news I’ve been waiting for. Cannot wait to see this man play”

Credit: @gromszgrad

“Get in. Massive fingers crossed that he gets to pull the shirt on before the season is out. The club know they have a player there which is why they’re treating him with kid gloves and not pushing him. The reports from his team in France were very encouraging going forward.”

Credit: @connjam

“There you go, the little bit of clarity needed so the same questions aren’t asked every week! No issue hopefully he comes back strong and can play a part for us!”
Credit: @Danny_EFC6

“It will be one of the highlights of the season seeing Gbamin back in Blue”
Credit: @bluesofgoodison

In other news, find out early team news before the Clarets has left fans fuming here!

Lots of Everton fans are in agreement over wanting to bring back Nikola Vlasic to the Goodison Park faithful following a recent interview with The Athletic.

Speaking to the news outlet, the CSKA Moscow ace talked about how he ‘didn’t want to stay’ at the Merseyside club but that he would have ‘fought’ to if Carlo Ancelotti was the manager at the time.

Since his move away from the Toffees to Russian football, Vlasic, currently valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, has impressed, scoring no fewer than 31 goals and making a further 20 assists in 95 games in total over all competitions across the last three consecutive terms (Transfermarkt).

Given his fine form and the fact that he is still only 23 years of age, it is no surprise that several Blues supporters have since been calling for his immediate return.

Everton fan reaction to Vlasic interview

These EFC fans called for the Croatia international to return on Twitter after reading the interview:

“Him, Gerry and Mirallas would be perfect right now”

Credit: @sammercer12

“Excellent article, comes across as a decent guy. Very intelligent and knows exactly what he wants from his career. Sort of player we could actually do with now for that no8 position.”

Credit: @jselder

“Exactly the kind of midfielder we’re lacking right now”

Credit: @Owens_EFC

“Him, Barkley and Lookman under the right management are just the sort of players we could do with in our team right now”

Credit: @OPB91

“Bring him home”

Credit: @ElyodMada

“Take him back myself”Credit: @Petermccarthy44In other news, find out what promising injury update has been dropped on one Everton star here!

Manchester United reportedly face stiff competition in their pursuit of Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent months have revealed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is searching for defensive reinforcements in the summer and has targeted the highly-rated Ramos as one of his top targets.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils are still interested in signing the 34-year-old veteran, but Paris Saint-Germain are also keeping tabs on the centre-back.

Spanish publication Todofichajes.com recently claimed his brother Rene Ramos is set to travel to England to discuss terms on a two-year deal at Old Trafford.

However, contrary to these latest reports, Romano also claims United have not made contact with the defender’s representatives in the last few weeks. However, PSG’s reported interest should force Ed Woodward’s hand before it’s too late.

Ed Woodward must act now

It’s no secret that the French champions are incredibly wealthy, but stealing Ramos from right under their noses would send a real statement of intent to the rest of the world.

United reached a new low in defeat to Sheffield United last month which has laid bare the full extent of their defensive woes. Promoting young players like Axel Tuanzebe is the right thing to do for the future, but they also need players they can rely on right now.

Harry Maguire has been expected to shoulder the burden of responsibility at Old Trafford but even the former Leicester City man can’t perform miracles and he needs an experienced and seasoned veteran alongside him to take his game to a whole new level.

Ramos, therefore, could be the perfect fit. Given his age, there may be some concerns about his lack of pace, but his experience and class could help to plug the gap in their leaky defence.

Despite his age, Ramos – who earns around £312,000-per-week at the Bernabeu – is currently averaging 1.1 tackles per game while Victor Lindelof has made just 0.8 tackles this term. Crucially, he also chips in with 1.5 interceptions per 90 across all competitions, suggesting he boasts a fine positional sense and awareness as well.

Now United could attempt to strike a deal with his agent to bring the centre-back to Old Trafford this summer as Solskjaer gears up to plan for the future ahead and for another crack at the Premier League title next term.

AND in other news, Manchester United urged to sign West Ham star Declan Rice by Trevor Sinclair…

Glagsow Rangers have been handed a major boost over their pursuit of Aberdeen winger Scott Wright in the January transfer window, reports say.

What’s the word?

According to The Glasgow Times, Rangers have edged closer to sealing a pre-contract deal for Aberdeen’s Wright which would see the 23-year-old move to Ibrox in the summer.

It’s claimed Gerrard has confirmed that he is close to securing the former Scotland U21 international, with the only downside being that they may have to wait until the end of the season for him to move to Glasgow as a free agent.

Reports in recent times revealed Rangers are looking to strike a deal for Wright as they look to take advantage of the Bosman ruling in a move for the Pittodrie star, with Reds boss Derek McInnes resigned to the loss of the left winger.

Perfect Brandon Barker replacement

If Rangers are to bring in a new era of Scottish football, they will need to strengthen their squad to stand any chance of ending Celtic’s recent dominance once and for all.

The Light Blues top the goal-scoring charts having found the back of the net 60 times in 24 outings. No other team has scored more goals this season than Gerrard’s Gers.

But if there’s one criticism that can be directed at his team at the halfway stage of the campaign, it’s the lack of goals out wide barring the ever-reliable Ryan Kent.

Kent continues to be linked with a move to Leeds United whilst Brandon Barker and Jordan Jones have been deemed surplus to requirements. Despite his best efforts, even Kai Kennedy has been unable to earn a recall, which leaves Barker and Jones as the only natural backup for Kent available to Gerrard right now.

Wright would almost instantly be a significant upgrade to his wide options as he has proven that he is able to score goals and provide assists consistently at a decent level at Pittodrie.

Just this season, the winger has bagged two goals and two assists in 14 Premiership appearances. That’s just one goal shy of both Barker and Jones combined, as per Transfermarkt.

This also means that Wright has created more chances than Gerrard’s first-choice striker Alfredo Morelos, as per WhoScored.

The fact that Rangers are already looking for a winger will be a huge boost for Gerrard and the Gers but leaves Barker and Jones in a perilous position as their future at the club is no longer assured.

Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish could not hide his admiration for Wright in a recent interview with Ibrox News, adding: “And Scott Wright is a great capture and within the club’s coffers, I would have thought.

“But it’s also a sign that they will give young players an opportunity, and that’s great for Rangers fans who, when the government relaxes the rules, will flock back and see these players developing and becoming great players for the club.

“There are a lot of demands on you when you’re playing for Rangers and the players will know that.

“The right players will thrive on that pressure and Scott Wright looks like a very tidy player indeed.”

It appears, therefore, that Wright, who is currently valued at a mere £540k via Transfermarkt, could be quite a coup if Wilson and co. can secure a deal before the transfer market closes in ten days time.

AND in other news, Rangers have ‘no interest’ in Preston North End defender Ben Davies…

Glasgow Rangers are expected to rotate their squad once again when they return to Scottish Premiership action against Hamilton on Sunday afternoon.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is set to make a few changes for the Gers’ clash with the Accies this weekend.

Gerrard fielded a largely-unchanged side for the Premiership tie against St Johnstone and he was rewarded with a solid 1-0 win over the struggling Saints.

However, the Ibrox boss is expected to take the opportunity to rest a number of first-team stars on Sunday as he reverts to a starting XI similar to that which triumphed 8-0 against Hamilton last time out.

So, without further ado, here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up, which sees Gerrard ring three changes to the team that beat the Saints.

As is often the case, it’s likely Allan McGregor will start in goal behind a traditional back four once more.

Connor Goldson and James Tavernier will both retain their starting berths but Borna Barisic and Filip Helander are likely to drop out as Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun return to the starting line-up.

Glen Kamara was rested against the Saints but should return in place of Steven Davis in the midfield, while Gerrard could opt for a slight formation change against the Accies so Joe Aribo and Ryan Jack will keep their places.

Scott Arfield is edging closer to full fitness but is unlikely to feature here, while Alfredo Morelos serves the second of his three-match suspension following his stamp on Ryan Porteous.

Kemar Roofe has been served with a notice of complaint by the SFA after his controversial challenge on St Johnstone’s Murray Davidson so could miss out in favour of Cedric Itten, although Roofe is the more likely pick having started the previous Premiership fixture.

Meanwhile, Ianis Hagi should continue on the right wing with Ryan Kent lining up on the opposite wing if Gerrard sticks with Roofe as his central striker.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard should unleash Rangers defender Calvin Bassey against Hamilton Academical…

Former England international Rob Lee, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast editor James Beavis, has claimed that injuries to Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman are a far bigger blow for Everton and Carlo Ancelotti than losing Fabian Delph.

The Toffees are set to be without Delph for this Saturday’s Premier League clash with title-chasing Chelsea after the midfielder limped off during the first half of last weekend’s draw at Burnley clutching a hamstring injury.

Blues chiefs are resigned to losing the former Manchester City star for the early stages of the festive period, fearing that rushing him back will only worsen the issue having been plagued by injuries since moving to Goodison Park in 2019.

Ancelotti was already without his first-choice full-backs Digne and Coleman for the trip to Turf Moor, forcing the Italian to hand Delph only his second start of the league campaign to fill in at left-back.

Digne is facing up to three months on the sidelines after surgery on an ankle injury, while Coleman has been plagued by hamstring problems this season that have ruled the Republic of Ireland international out of action for five of Everton’s last six top-flight fixtures.

Lee, who earned 21-caps for England during his playing career, feels the loss of Digne and Coleman has thrown Everton’s season off course and into the rough, as the pair brought energy and balance that Ancelotti cannot find elsewhere in his squad.

“I think the bigger blow is his full-backs. I think that’s why they started like a house on fire, Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman. But they’ve got so much energy, they can get up and down and give so much balance and I think they miss them more than they miss anybody else,” Lee told Football FanCast. “It helps that Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been on fire, he’s scoring all their goals.

“But I thought at the start of the season, they look good, they look like they have a really, really good balance to their team and it just goes to show you that if you lose a couple of your wider players and lesser players come in, or maybe they don’t know how to do the job, that they just seemed to be set up so well under Carlo Ancelotti. And they now, they look a bit not quite as fluent as they were. And I think it’s down to both their full-backs.”

Everton have won just once in the five Premier League fixtures they have been without Coleman for, coming at newly-promoted Fulham, while losing to Southampton, Newcastle and Leeds United.

Ancelotti fielded central defender Ben Godfrey at right-back against Southampton after stating he has “no doubt” in the summer arrival’s ability to play on the side, before favouring Jonjoe Kenny at Newcastle, Tom Davies against Leeds and Alex Iwobi at Burnley.

Godfrey is now expected to move to left-back in place of Digne and Delph when the Toffees host Chelsea on Saturday night, with Ancelotti seemingly opposed to utilising former Olympique de Marseille prospect Niels Nkounkou.

The young Frenchman has featured for just 69-minutes in the Premier League since moving to Merseyside in the summer and been omitted from Ancelotti’s last four matchday squads, despite playing all three Carabao Cup ties through to the end and providing one assist.

It remains to be seen who Ancelotti favours on the right of his defensive line, with Coleman’s absence denying the Italian his joint-most productive defender for successful tackles (14) and ground duels won (27), per SofaScore, while Digne accounts for the second-most key balls (16) and big chances created (5) by any Everton player in the league this term.

AND in other news, Everton already have their answer to a 48-goal target “every coach wants”.

Writing on Twitter, reliable West Ham United inside source ExWHUemployee has dropped an enticing three-word hint over a potential move for free agent Diego Costa in January – coming as the club could look to commence their search for a ‘perfect’ striker who can provide strength in depth. 

Indeed, due to consistent fitness issues for Michail Antonio, and the topsy-turvy form of club-record signing Sebastien Haller, numerous reports have claimed that the Hammers are targeting a forward in January.

ExWHUemployee drops Costa hint

Of all the names being linked, West Ham reportedly have their eyes on Olivier Giroud, Abdallah Sima, Moussa Dembele and Joshua King – but now a fresh name could enter the mix.

Costa, who has recently agreed to terminate his contract with Atletico Madrid by mutual consent, could potentially move to the Irons in January as he emerges as a realistic signing for GSB and the club.

ExWHUemployee, writing on social media, has dropped an enticing three-word hint as he believes the move is possible – going on to say ‘Wouldn’t surprise me’.

Transfer Tavern take

The Spaniard, proven at Premier League level with Chelsea, could potentially make a move to the London Stadium and is free to negotiate with any club following his new status as a free agent.

He also wouldn’t command a fee, however, it remains to be seen whether the target man would be willing to take a huge cut on his most recent £270,000-per-week wages with Atletico.

Described as a ‘beast’, given he is free to negotiate a potential Premier League return, West Ham could very well land him in January – and reliable insider ExWHUemployee believes the move is a realistic one.

In other news: West Ham fans buzzed over this inside claim, find out more here.

Leeds United had a great transfer window this summer and while their near-£100m outlay saw them add a plethora of new talent to their ranks, it shouldn’t be forgotten that they missed out on their number one target.

Indeed, Ben White isn’t a Leeds player after a summer-long transfer pursuit, and it seems as though they may never land him.

The centre-back, rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, has predictably taken to the Premier League like a duck to water after a somewhat shaky start in his first two games.

White has really come into his own in recent weeks, and his performance against West Brom over the weekend showed that perfectly.

The Seagulls star was brilliant against the Baggies, making four tackles and three interceptions, while his ball-playing abilities were abundantly evident as he completed two dribbles and had a pass accuracy of 91.7%.

One of the main things White was criticised for last season was his lack of aerial presence, with Noel Whelan saying:

“He is not as dominant in the air as centre-backs like Harry Maguire and Pontus Jansson. But he is better on the ball than Jansson and just as good as Maguire.”

However, he’s seemingly improved on that this term as well, winning five aerial duels against Crystal Palace last weekend.

Leeds may have landed Robin Koch and Diego Llorente at centre-back, but they should still be kicking themselves over the fact that White didn’t come through the door.

He was so highly rated at Leeds and it was easy to see that he was a ready-made Premier League star, with Whelan often waxing lyrical about him.

“Ben White ticks every box,” Whelan told Football Insider. “He is a brilliant defender who’s only going to get better in the years ahead. He does everything really well – mobile, athletic, great distribution, confident on the ball, makes good decisions, his positioning is good.”

The fact that he’s been touted as a potential Virgil van Dijk replacement at Liverpool tells you all you need to know about him, he’s a top-quality defender and at the age of 23, he still has room to improve.

Leeds may forever regret not breaking the bank to sign him.