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Having joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in an initial £10m move back in the summer of 2020, Ki-Jana Hoever may not have progressed as quickly as many had initially expected at the time of his signing.

Indeed, under the management of Nuno Espirito Santo last season, the 19-year-old was handed just five starts in the Premier League, making a further seven appearances from the bench.

Although, despite this lack of game time, the £6.3m-rated man nevertheless managed to turn in a number of impressive performances for the club – most notably in the 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion back in May, in which the teenager earned a SofaScore match rating of 7.1, as well as the 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the subsequent fixture, in which Hoever received a match rating of 7.0.

However, upon Bruno Lage’s appointment at Molineux this summer, the £40k-per-week right-back has once again seen his first-team opportunities limited, with the 46-year-old manager handing the teenager just one start in the league, in addition to two more appearances as a substitute.

This continued lack of game time is somewhat surprising, as the defender once again impressed in his solo start, making one key pass, two interceptions, four tackles, completing two dribbles and winning 10 duels in the club’s 1-0 defeat to Leicester City, with these returns seeing the 19-year-old earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.4.

As such, considering the fact that, when handed the opportunity of a starting spot, Hoever has more often than not turned in an impressive performance, it would appear highly advisable for Lage to place his trust in the Netherlands U21, or else the 46-year-old risks slowing the former Liverpool man’s progression in senior football.

And, with the Reds academy director Alex Inglethorpe stating his belief that the youngster is an “outstanding talent” who boasts “serious potential” to become “a top player”, it would very much appear as if Hoever has the ability to make a real impact in the Wolves first-team, all he needs is a chance to do so.

In other news: Wolves set for negotiations over “spectacular” £7.2m-rated gem, Lage would love him

The injuries are mounting up for Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side as they gear up for what should be a meaty clash versus West Ham on Sunday afternoon.

Setbacks have riddled Klopp’s squad over the last few months and they’re only getting stranger.

Curtis Jones is set to be out for a week after taking a finger to his eye in an accidental blow in training. Sadly, he’s not the only player who will be missing the encounter with the Hammers.

Liverpool are without Naby Keita and James Milner while Harvey Elliott and Joe Gomez are still in the treatment room.

Yet, there is a further face who the Reds manager will be severely gutted to lose.

Roberto Firmino picked up a problem after the match against Atletico Madrid and speaking in his pre-match press conference before the game with the Irons, the Brazilian was ruled out for a month with a hamstring problem.

Klopp said: “We are talking weeks, still. More than four. I’d consider that a serious injury.”

The German is absolutely right in his assessment. This is a hefty blow for the 2019/20 league champions because he has been a huge part of what Liverpool have achieved in recent seasons.

Of course, Diogo Jota has found form this term and has scored five goals, but no one offers quite what Firmino does.

During his time in Merseyside, the Brazil international has found the net on 93 occasions but it’s his 70 assists that perhaps make for the more eye-catching statistic.

He has played a vital role in helping the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to score so many goals and without him leading the line, the outlook of Klopp’s attacking triumvirate would look incredibly different.

Firmino is not always the most clinical of players but his selfless nature makes him a pivotal aspect of the Liverpool side.

Having Jota as a replacement is no bad thing, but to lose such a talented player for the best part of four weeks is an enormous setback.

There is, of course, an international break to contend with, but Liverpool then play an in-form Arsenal side before facing Porto in the Champions League. Evidently, a degree of rotation will be necessary. Without Firmino, however, that isn’t quite so possible.

AND in other news, Matip axed, £200k-p/w star returns in 3 changes: Predicted Liverpool starting XI…

Flocking to Twitter, lots of Everton fans have erupted over some punditry from Stephen Warnock.

As shared by Sky Sports Premier League on their official Twitter page, the former Liverpool player claimed that Tottenham Hotspur were ‘very very good’ against the Merseyside club at Goodison Park over the weekend, considering that it was only a week into Antonio Conte’s reign.

He also claimed that Spurs’ wing-backs caused Rafa Benitez’s team ‘problems’, despite the final score ending up 0-0.

The analysis has left several Toffees supporters baffled, given that the Lilywhites failed to record a single shot on target in the game, despite the hosts going down to 10 men after Mason Holgate was shown a straight red card (SofaScore).

In terms of their wing-backs, Emerson Royal did not record any dribbles, key passes or accurate crosses, while Sergio Reguilon was ranked as the worst player to have started the match on SofaScore, with a mere 6.3 overall rating.

Everton fans on Warnock punditry

Taking these individual performances from Tottenham’s defenders into account, these Blues erupted over Warnock’s punditry as it was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ’embarrassing’:

Find all of their verdicts from social media down below.

“What problems? Zero shots on target type problems? Only reason they got a point was because the Premier League is corrupt.”

Credit: @1878X

“A week to prepare his team for a game! An experienced coach, what sort of punditry is this?”

Credit: @Hemms10

“Need new specs pal”

Credit: @mcnallyc95

“Shocking analysis”

Credit: @BurnsA1997

“How many shots on targets? Clueless”

Credit: @Fordy1EFC

“This is so embarrassing for Sky omg haha. I didn’t see the match but the stats speak for themselves”

Credit: @_efcluke

In other news, find out which former referee has been slammed for his post-game comments here!

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing over an admission from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their game away at Liverpool in the Premier League this evening, the Spaniard admitted (via Sky Sports Scotland) that he is a Gers fan: “As a Rangers fan I must say thanks so much to Stevie”.

Of course, he is referencing the departed Steven Gerrard, who has left to go and manage Aston Villa, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst has now taken his place.

Nonetheless, members of the Ibrox faithful picked up on the fact that he is a Light Blues supporter, despite growing up in Spain and currently managing the Gunners.

Arteta won a Scottish Premiership title with the Teddy Bears as a player, as well as two other domestic trophies (Transfermarkt), and must have enjoyed his time in Scotland so much to call himself an RFC supporter.

Rangers fans on Arteta admission

These Rangers fans buzzed as his admission was shared on Twitter, with one claiming that they ‘love’ it while another even went as far as to call it ‘superb’:

“Class, well said Mikel! Always a Ranger”

Credit: @KenM_inCzechRep

“Outstanding Mikel”

Credit: @gazza226

“Now this does put a smile on my face”

Credit: @Gsinclair291

“Superb”

Credit: @douglasjamesgr2

“Love this”

Credit: @buntymunn

“Cutting onions”

Credit: @RssGrhm

In other news, find out who van Bronckhorst is bringing with him to Rangers here!

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left fuming over some news that has emerged involving their Non-Fungible Token (NFT) scheme.

The Ibrox faithful announced the new scheme earlier this month, which has been set up to commemorate their 2020/21 title-winning campaign.

The tokens allow supporters of the Teddy Bears to be entered on a blockchain ledger of payments, of which there are 1,111 in total, so that they can purchase various items related to their title success.

The Light Blues have now made the items in the ‘Rangers FC Champions NFT Collection’ available to buy on their official website, with NFT’s that have to be purchased in order to give the supporters a chance of winning them.

While taking the Scottish Premiership title off of the hands of bitter rivals Celtic was a triumph at the time, it seems a lot of Gers just want to concentrate on this season now, following their 3-1 loss at home to Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup semi-final on Sunday.

Others see it as nothing more than a money-making scheme, given that you would have to buy a significant amount of tokens to give yourself the best chance of winning.

Rangers fans on NFT news

These RFC fans fumed as the news was shared in an official club post on their Twitter page:

“No. Just no.”

Credit: @MobRoolz

“Who do the club actually think wants these things???”

Credit: @ECMcElhatton

“Going from bad to worse Rangers”

Credit: @RampantRyanJack

“Stop scamming fans!”

Credit: @gordmatheson

“This ain’t it”

Credit: @EG_72_

“Shut up about last season, it’s done”

Credit: @GilmertonLoyal

In other news, find out what ‘catastrophic error of judgement’ Giovanni van Bronckhorst has made here!

Aston Villa are prepared to cash in on Bertrand Traore during the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Steven Gerrard has given Aston Villa the green light to accept offers for the 26-year-old winger in the upcoming winter market, as the 41-year-old believes his current squad features too many wide attacking options.

The report goes on to state that, in order to give themselves the best possible chance of parting with the Burkina Faso international, the club would be willing to sanction the forward’s departure on either a temporary or permanent basis in January.

Gerrard must axe Traore

Having joined Aston Villa from Olympique Lyon in what was an initial £17m deal – plus £2m in add-ons – back in the summer of 2020, with the winger being handed a four-year deal on £63k-per-week, it would appear to be a fair statement to make that Traore has not quite lived up to his price tag so far in his career at Villa Park.

Indeed, despite scoring seven goals, providing six assists and averaging a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.95 over his 36 Premier League appearances last season, the £18m-rated man struggled to maintain a consistent level of performance throughout the campaign, something which Dan Bardell took aim at the 26-year-old for.

Speaking on The Villa View Podcast (via This Is Futbol), the journalist said: “There was a period where I thought, ‘this guy’s brilliant, what a signing, he looks great,’ but he’s suddenly just become so inconsistent.

“He got his assist against Fulham and I thought right here we go, that might give him a little bit of a lift-off again, but [he was] just completely ordinary [against Liverpool] and just not really offering us anything at times on the flanks.”

Unfortunately for Traore, this has proven to be the case more often than not over his four Premier League appearances so far this season, with the forward scoring no goals, registering no assists and averaging an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.67 – ranking him as Villa’s 11th-worst performer in the top flight.

As such, considering that Gerrard has a wealth of options on the wing, coupled with the fact that Traore’s returns thus far have not exactly reflected the near £23m figure Villa have shelled out on his transfer fee and wages since joining the club, the 41-year-old manager simply must axe the Burkinabe winger this January, as he is somewhat stealing a living at Villa Park.

In other news: Lange can seal dream AVFC deal for £54k-p/w beast with “no limits”, Gerrard is in love

“The window applies to both domestic and international registration applications.”

Football, despite its simplicity, is a constantly changing and evolving game. Similarly, the squads of professional football clubs change regularly, both with incoming and outgoing players. So how does a player transfer from one team to another? What are the football betting site that accepts Indian players? What causes the players to end up at one club over another?

Let’s have a closer look at how transfers work.

What is a Football Transfer?

Simply defined, a transfer occurs when a player under contract with one club goes to a new club. The registration information of a player is transferred from one association football club to another, hence the word “transfer” is used.  Typically, the buying club gives the selling club monetary compensation for the loss of the player and their services, which is referred to as a ‘transfer fee.’

 How does a transfer happen?

In football, a transfer occurs when two clubs make an agreement of sale and the buying team agrees on a contract with the player.

A transfer, like any other commercial transaction, can appear in several ways.

• When a club wants to sign a player, a spokesperson from that club will typically make a formal inquiry to the club that already has its target under the agreement.
• If a team is willing to sell a player, the possibility of joining a new club is naturally presented to the player, who then discusses it with their agent and advisors.

There are several steps involved in completing the transfer.

• First and foremost, the two clubs must agree on transfer fees as well as any additional terms, such as sell-on percentages and other financial incentives.
• The buying club must negotiate a new deal with the player they intend to recruit, trying to satisfy the terms asked in terms of salary, bonuses, contract length, etc.

WHAT ARE THE Football transfers in January?

 “The January transfer window opens on January 1st for Premier League and English Football League clubs and closes on February 1st.”

January transfer windows are rarely as spectacular as their summer counterparts, but this one could be an exception.

Following a summer in which Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both transferred clubs, the upcoming window might see both of their new clubs, plus a bunch of other prominent clubs, return to the market to solve their problems or fill areas they feel they are missing expertise in so far.

Whether it’s selling costly duds, signing tomorrow’s stars, covering for injuries, or just patching cracks in struggling squads some of the world’s greatest clubs will be seeking to flash the cash in January.

It may be a pre-signed contract agreement that transfers a superstar from one European powerhouse to another, or it could be a team with more cash than sense panic buying in the depth of winter. 

When does the January transfer window open?

Premier League

The Premier League transfer window begins on January 1 and ends up on January 31.

La Liga

The transfer window in La Liga begins on January 3 and ends up on January 31.

Serie A

The Serie A transfer window opens on January 3 and ends up on January 31.

Bundesliga

The German Bundesliga’s transfer window opens on 1 January and ends up on 31 January.

Image from: unsplash.com

An insider at Tottenham Hotspur has now dropped some insight on their new signing Charlie Sayers.

The Lowdown: Sayers signs

As confirmed on Tuesday afternoon on the official website of the Spurs faithful, Sayers has now joined the Academy from Southend United on a scholarship programme.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The North London club were reportedly ‘impressed’ with the young left-back, who has spent the last few weeks on trial with them, as per Lilywhites insider John Wenham.

He had played in six matches for Southend in the National League earlier this season, before making his debut for THFC’s U18s (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Wenham on Sayers

Speaking to Football Insider, Wenham has now given some insight into Sayers, and claims that he could be promoted to the U23s soon:

“I knew he was going to sign as soon as he captained the Under 18s last week.

“We wouldn’t have given him the armband if he was still on trial.

“From what I understand he’s already trained with the Under 23s as well.

“Everything else I have heard about him is really exciting. He’s already played for Southend’s senior side.

“He can carry that experience into the Under 18s and he will be looking at a space in the Under 23s too.

“Dennis Cirkin left and joined Sunderland in the summer and we haven’t replaced him.

“So, is there a chance for him to go even further straight away? I wouldn’t rule it out.

“This is a really exciting move and I can’t wait to follow Sayers’ development.”

The Verdict: Bright future

The fact that he is only 17 years of age and could be promoted to the U23s already suggests that Sayers has a bright future on his hands.

Having already played senior football with Southend, he would have learned a lot from his experience, and playing in those physical games will only speed up his development.

If the Englishman can now impress with the U23s as well as the U18s, he should certainly catch the eye of Antonio Conte, who could use some cover for Sergio Reguilon at left-back, given that Ben Davies has been playing as a central defender in his new system.

Nonetheless, Sayers is a player that you can see coming through the Academy and into the senior squad at a later date.

In other news, find out which ‘unique’ ace could be leaving Tottenham in January here!

Liverpool could find themselves without Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita for their Premier League clash with Chelsea on 2 January.

That’s if Egyptian club Al Ahly get their wish for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be moved.

The Mirror’s David Lynch reported that Liverpool are ‘confident’ that the trio will be available for the trip to Stamford Bridge, but the African club’s intervention threatens to throw a ‘spanner in the works’.

Al Ahly are lobbying CAF to move the tournament’s start date from 9 January to 3 January. That would ensure they had their key players available for the start of the Club World Cup on 3 February.

However, from a Liverpool perspective, it would rule out Salah, Mane and Keita for the meeting with title rivals Chelsea, currently just one point behind The Reds in the table.

Just how big a blow would this be for Liverpool?

Salah is Liverpool’s runaway top scorer with 21 goals in all competitions, more than twice the tally of his nearest challenger. Mane is joint-second with nine goals, while Keita is a valuable rotation option, having played seven league games so far this season and netted three goals in all competitions.

Fan feed Anfield Edition relayed Lynch’s report on Al Ahly’s wishes, and here’s what some Reds supporters made of it.

Liverpool fans flock to AFCON update

“If AFCON allow this to happen, then this tournament is meaningless, less significant than Club World Cup. Even FA didn’t want to move their FA Cup preliminary rounds for us when we went to Club World Cup.”

Credit: @lfc_eddie

“Against Chelsea without Salah and Mane? We will be in trouble, that’s for sure. Hopefully before that there will be new players signed. Either Raphinha, Bowen or Antony to replace Salah’s position. For Mane’s position maybe Jota can play there.”

Credit: @Anggara16126514

“Jog on la”

Credit: @_DS_LFC

“Just cancel the AFCON altogether and move it to some other time”

Credit: @reeceoliver17

“Void the AFCON, lives are at stake for God’s sake, remember that saying well when LFC were 25 pts clear in 19-20 PL, just void the AFCON as it’s not even started……..”

Credit: @lfcmli4eva

“Wowwww”

Credit: @vadavandijk

In other news, plenty of LFC fans react to the club’s price tag for this player

In addition to their poor results in the Premier League so far this season with just three wins in 18 games, Leeds United have had to deal with a lot of injury issues throughout the campaign with the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Patrick Bamford, Charlie Cresswell, Rodrigo, Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk currently out.

Looking specifically at Phillips, Marcelo Bielsa’s side seem to struggle when he’s not in the side, mainly from a defensive point of view having lost five of the six league games he’s missed so far this season.

With this in mind and the fact that the January transfer window is close to opening, one player that the Yorkshire club could bring in that could potentially fill in for the injured England international and help the team’s leaky defence with 36 conceded, is Celta Vigo midfielder Okay Yokuslu.

Having been linked with a move for the former West Bromwich Albion loanee in the past, Yokuslu has been suggested for a move to Elland Road by Kevin Phillips who recently said that Yokuslu “would be a great option” for a potential January move, even more so that Reading’s John Swift, who Leeds have been linked to recently.

During his time at West Brom last season when the Baggies were relegated, Yokuslu managed to end the campaign as their joint-highest rated player with an overall performance rating of 6.96/10 alongside attacker Matheus Pereira according to WhoScored, showing just how capable he is of playing in the Premier League.

He also managed to rack up an average of 2.4 tackles per game, the second-highest of anyone at West Brom last season and 2.2 interceptions per game, higher than any other Baggies player, proving why he was labelled as a “tenacious” player by Kyle Bartley.

As well as this, Yokuslu was on the end of a lot of praise from Sam Allardyce who brought the player to West Brom by likening him to Fernando Hierro and Ivan Campo.

Looking ahead to January, Victor Orta could help Bielsa fix Leeds’ issue of being defensively weaker without Phillips in the team by securing a deal for Yokuslu to see if he can have the same sort of impact he had last term, remaining as defensively strong for the Yorkshire side this time around as he was for West Brom.

In other news: Leeds can start 2022 with a bang if Orta agrees terms with £38k-p/w “destroyer” in Jan – opinion