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When Christian Marques signed for Wolves for a fraction under £600,000, he became the academy’s most expensive ever acquisition.

This was a player arriving in the Midlands who could quite easily now be plying his trade for one of the biggest clubs on the continent.

A fee had been agreed between Grasshoppers and Benfica in January 2019 before that move fell through. Bayern Munich even enquired about Marques’ services before he penned terms with Wolves.

Evidently rated very highly, the humble teenager has been making waves at Wolves as he’s developed and come through the ranks.

The centre-back was awarded the Academy Player of the Season for 2019/20 and it’s clear to see why. A modern-day sweeper, the 18-year-old has captained Switzerland at youth level and has already skippered both the U18s and U23s at Molineux.

He has never made a senior appearance for the club but it only feels like a matter of time before the youngster becomes an important part of Nuno Santo’s plans.

Marques was in Wolves’ squad for the Premier League Asia Trophy in 2019 while he has trained regularly with the senior side and even been included on the substitute’s bench in the top-flight on three occasions.

The Old Gold have become a club accustomed to developing young talent but very rarely have they found gems from a defensive point of view. In attack, they have plenty of young talent from Fabio Silva and Pedro Neto to Theo Corbeanu and Owen Hesketh.

Though, of every player in the U23s, the keenest of eyes need to be cast towards Marques. He is the real deal and could become the club’s next Conor Coady.

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Like the England international, he is an example for his teammates and can carry the ball out of defence astutely. He is a confident passer and plays in a similar role.

Wolves knew he could eventually replace their club captain just four weeks after scouting him. Graham Clutton, their head of European academy recruitment, reported back in that time frame that the defender was a “no-brainer” for the Coady role.

He was first spotted by Harry Hooman – now Wolves’ head of UK academy recruitment – who described him as “outstanding.”

What sets him apart from the rest is his maturity. Speaking to The Athletic, Wolves’ elite player development coach, Darren Ryan, said: “It’s rare for a youngster coming from another country to show such leadership.

He continued: “That Coady role is so important in a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2 but like Coady, he’s a leader, he’s driven and has a great mentality.”

Having trained with the senior side on a regular basis, Marques now knows what it takes to become a figurehead in defence.

Despite being just 18 years of age, he looks set for a bright future in the game. Those at Wolves rate him above every other player in the academy and Nuno checks frequently on his progress.

Marques epitomises what Wolves have become; a team who pick up talent at a young age and develop them into Premier League regulars.

The teenager, however, may just be the jewel in the crown of their efforts.

AND in other news, Forget Neto: Wolves should unleash rarely-seen 18 y/o who’s “got a bit of everything”…

Manchester United may look to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton this summer.

That’s according to a report from The Sun, who claimed that the Red Devils will target Heaton if they can’t land West Brom’s Sam Johnstone. Both shot-stoppers have been on the books at Old Trafford previously, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looking for experienced goalkeeping cover in the summer transfer window.

Heaton, who earns £47,000 per week at Villa Park, is out of contract at the end of the season. The 35-year-old has played second fiddle to Emiliano Martinez since returning from long-term injury, and the latest report claims that the ex-Burnley stopper ‘would have to be happy as an understudy’ at Manchester United – eight words which seem crucial to any potential deal.

Transfer Tavern take

Heaton may well be looking at a Villa Park exit in search of regular game time, so Manchester United viewing him as an experienced backup ‘keeper may not appeal to him.

Former England number one Paul Robinson recently described the veteran stopper as ‘phenomenal’, and we feel that he is too good to sit on the bench in the final stages of his career. He has more than 100 appearances in both the Premier League and Championship under his belt, along with three England caps.

On that basis, he could be a shrewd signing for any club looking for a new number one, providing he doesn’t extend his stay at Villa Park.

In other news: Many AVFC fans buzz as club make South American ‘top transfer target’, find out more here. 

Some Liverpool fans have been providing their thoughts on the latest news surrounding Rodrigo de Paul, as the Reds continue to be linked with the Udinese midfielder.

This summer promises to be an interesting one at Anfield as Jurgen Klopp looks to further enhance his playing options. Despite this disappointment of this season, Liverpool’s squad doesn’t need too many tweaks, with injuries still the main reason for their shortcomings.

That being said, Klopp will know that a few new faces are needed in order to take the Reds to another level and continue competing with Manchester City.

De Paul is one player who has been linked with Liverpool in the past, with the Argentine scoring six goals and registering five assists in Serie A this season.

In truth, midfield isn’t an area of the pitch which needs too many changes made given the wealth of options, although Gini Wijnaldum’s potential exit to Barcelona could alter that.

According to Tutto Udinese, Liverpool will need to pay more than £40m if they want to acquire De Paul’s signature, which could be a stumbling block for the often-frugal Anfield club.

Liverpool fans react to De Paul latest

A number of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to give their thoughts on a possible move for De Paul.

“Would be worth every penny if we decide to sign him”

Credit: @OmegaFalcon19

“How about 25 mil plus Harry Wilson included? Seems fair”

Credit: @Md_Arif02

“We absolutely neeeeed to buy him”

Credit: @jephersyn

“Pay it, stop playin”

Credit: @SirXabi

“Barcelona need to go for Wijnaldum and leave De Paul to us”

Credit: @1892LFC1

“What about 10M + Origi?”

Credit: @andligator

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly close to signing a Premier League player with awful statistics this season. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United face West Ham United this evening and Phil Hay has dropped an exciting development on long-term absentee Gaetano Berardi before the match.

What Phil Hay had to report

The Athletic journalist reported that: “Gaetano Berardi has also made the trip and this would be his first appearance in a matchday squad since damaging his ACL at Derby last season.”

Indeed, the right-back ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament last summer towards the end of the Whites’ promotion-winning campaign and has been out of action ever since.

This is great news for Berardi and Leeds

The 32-year-old Swiss international is now close to getting a glimpse of the Premier League for the first time, a fitting reward for his lengthy service at Elland Road.

Back when he was fully fit, Bielsa praised the defender, saying: “Berardi is a loyal player and he gives everything on the pitch. When you give everything on the pitch, the players can arrive late, but you have to analyse every red card. Maybe the red card today is different to another.”

It is fantastic to see the right-back travel with the Leeds squad and, while it seems unlikely that he will feature tonight after so long out of action, at least Bielsa has one player set to return amid a plethora of injury issues elsewhere in the squad.

In other news, Leeds have received a positive update in regards to a reported transfer target!

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge recently, and if the Norwegian were to join this summer, it could lead to Moussa Sissoko leaving the club.

According to reports from France, both Arsenal and Spurs are interested in signing the 23-year-old this summer, with the Blades looking extremely likely to drop back into the Championship following an awful campaign.

Berge became Sheffield United’s record signing when he joined from KRC Genk in January of last year but he has only been able to show glimpses of his ability in his time at Bramall Lane, with an injury having kept him out for much of this season.

Last season saw the midfielder make 14 appearances in the Premier League, where he contributed one goal and one assist, averaging a 6.81 WhoScored match rating.

Incidentally, both the goal and the assist would come in Sheffield United’s 3-1 win against Spurs following Project Restart last season, so you could certainly argue that he showed Jose Mourinho what he is capable of in that impressive display.

There is no doubt that Berge has the potential to be a top player, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp complimentary of the youngster after he produced a solid display for Genk at Anfield in the Champions League, reportedly telling him that he is “a very interesting player.”

Considering the number of options Mourinho already has in his midfield at Spurs, Berge’s potential arrival could be curtains for Sissoko, who has already been linked with a Spurs exit in recent months.

The Frenchman’s contract with the north London club isn’t set to expire until the end of the 2022/23 season but in 20 Premier League appearances this season, the 31-year-old has contributed no goals or assists, averaging a disappointing 6.55 WhoScored rating.

This ranks him below the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, so it already appears as if the former Newcastle man is giving way to a younger generation at Spurs.

Berge plays in a similar box-to-box style as Sissoko and therefore it is difficult to see the experienced midfielder getting regular game-time under Mourinho should he arrive from Sheffield United this summer.

Spurs fans could well end up saying bye-bye to the Frenchman should Daniel Levy sign the £16.2m-rated Berge this summer, as his future is already seemingly on a knife-edge, and the Norwegian’s potential arrival could prove to be the catalyst for Sissoko leaving.

And, in other news… 12 duels won: Spurs beast was exceptional and has given Mourinho a headache ahead of Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways before the international break, seeing off Aston Villa to move back into top-six contention but they can count their lucky stars that a former target wasn’t available to haunt them.

That, of course, being Jack Grealish.

The England sensation has emerged as one of the best players in the Premier League right now, though it could’ve been an all too different story had Spurs secured his signature nearly three years ago.

According to The Sun, Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy had an opportunity to sign the attacker for just £6m as Villa, then cash-strapped fighting the prospect of administration and in the Championship, were willing to sell him to garner some desperate funds.

This is where the tough-negotiator let his greatest strength quickly become Spurs’ greatest mistake in recent times. Levy believed he could secure Grealish for £1m to £2m cheaper, so he boarded the plane for the club’s pre-season trip to Los Angeles mulling over the move.

By the time he landed, Villa had been sold to billionaires Nassef  Sawiris and Wes Edens, who quickly slapped an asking price of £40m on his head.

That has turned out to be a ghastly error, with the 25-year-old dynamo a shoo-in to feature for England at the summer’s European Championship on home soil.

Despite Villa battling relegation last season, Grealish still created the second-highest number of chances (91) in the Premier League. He was only second to Man City superstar Kevin De Bruyne (136) and ahead of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold (87), Willian (76) and Mo Salah (61). No Spurs player made the top ten, as per Squawka.

He has continued this fine form, ranking as the Premier League’s second-best player (7.73) as per WhoScored ratings, behind Harry Kane (7.78). Grealish has the same number of assists as Bruno Fernandes (ten) and only sits behind Kane and De Bruyne for that aspect, too.

Ahead of the January transfer window at the start of the year, the Midlands outfit quite rightly slapped a £100m price tag on his signature, as per the reliable Matt Law at the Telegraph, which would make him the most expensive British player of all time if anyone wants to pay it.

That number will surely only be rising as the season rumbles on, especially with him due back from injury after the break.

Comparisons to former Spurs great Paul Gascoigne and many a glowing endorsement ranging from being dubbed a “monster” by Joe Cole to being lauded “absolutely outstanding” by England boss Gareth Southgate, will only have Levy even more gutted, and perhaps even a little bitter.

Whether Grealish would’ve had this rise if he joined Spurs in 2018 remains to be seen, but it certainly seems to be the case that the north Londoners missed out big time.

They will surely forever regret that ghastly call from Levy.

AND in other news, Levy surely licking his lips over Spurs “monster”, his value has doubled since 2017…

As Celtic’s Albian Ajeti claimed a ball from Scott Brown, turned his man and then buried an opportunity last Tuesday, he looked every bit a £4.5m player.

Truth be told, that’s very rarely been the case for the striker since he signed from West Ham last summer.

Though, just as he finds his shooting boots again, he’s been ruled out of this weekend’s clash by the dreaded Scottish FA.

Ajeti felt contact from Kilmarnock goalkeeper Colin Doyle and went down inside the area. Odsonne Edouard stepped up and slammed home the resulting spot-kick. However, the Scottish FA have now retrospectively banned the Swiss striker after a panel watched back the footage.

They believe that the forward conned referee Kevin Clancy in the way he fell to the ground. Celtic sources are reportedly astonished by the turn of events and for Neil Lennon, he is also aggrieved.

He reacted to the news by saying: “The keeper has made contact, he has gone down, the referee has given a penalty. I don’t see any simulation. Simulation is where there is no contact. There is obvious contact, you can see that quite clearly.”

The Hoops have appealed against the ban and will fight his cause in a hearing next Monday. However, he will miss their clash with Motherwell this afternoon.

It leaves Lennon with quite the dilemma. Ajeti earned a rare start on Tuesday and took it with hands. He was particularly lively and not only did he win the penalty, but he scored a tremendous fourth for Celtic.

Thus, it will represent a hefty blow for the Bhoys as they strive to bridge the gap to Rangers. The manager will now have to decide whether to bring Leigh Griffiths back into the fray or play Edouard up top on his own.

Lennon has fluttered between both systems in recent weeks. Griffiths and Edouard struck up a solid partnership in the 2-0 win over Hamilton – both scoring – but the former played just 45 minutes when they suffered defeat to St Mirren.

The Scot was on the bench when Celtic beat Killie but didn’t play any part in the game. Whether he returns to the starting XI is firmly in Lennon’s hands. He now has a big decision to make.

AND in other news, £7m Celtic brute could become a real star if Desmond hires “very demanding” 62 y/o…

The Athletic’s Tottenham Hotspur correspondent, Charlie Eccleschare, has identified ‘sensible’ targets that the north London outfit should aim for ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

One name mentioned is Brighton and Hove Albion powerhouse Yves Bissouma, who has really impressed so far this season, despite all of the Seagull’s struggles.

Eccleshare wrote:

“Another option is the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma, who has also been linked with Arsenal.

“Bissouma has the capabilities to play box to box, and scored a couple of tidy goals at the end of last season and start of this, but has generally played as a No 6 of late.

“He has matured since joining Brighton in 2018 and has a better passing range than Sissoko, while being similarly effective off the ball. Brighton, though, would probably demand close to £40m.”

Shades of the Hojbjerg swoop

In the summer, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy pulled off – what has since turned out to be – an absolute masterstroke as he managed to secure former Southampton captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in a £15m deal.

Young right-back Kyle Walker-Peters was sent in the other direction for £12m, meaning they effectively only paid £3m for a 25-year-old with a ton of Premier League experience.

An utter bargain.

It’s been reported by Duncan Castles that Jose Mourinho is in the market for a new box-to-box enforcer next month and as Ecclesshare suggests, Bissouma is an ideal candidate.

The 6-foot Mali international, who cost them £15m two years ago, fits the mould immensely – based on this season alone, he has averaged 3.3 tackles, 1.5 dribbles, 1.5 shots and 0.8 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.

For comparison, he is even tackling more than Hojbjerg, and is also managing more dribbles than everyone in the Spurs squad bar Tanguy Ndombele.

Valued at just €15m (£13.5m), Bissouma is a player who manager Graham Potter believes is only just getting started, he said to reporters, via Goal:

“He makes good decisions, and he has the ability that top players have, in that he has got the power and athleticism to be able to use the ball well, so then it’s down to the tactical understanding of how we want him to play, and he’s now good at that too. He will get better and better the more he plays.”

This echoes praise from his former Lille teammate, Lebo Mothiba, who told the Argus:

“He is a very good midfielder, very skilful, and he has confidence. Each and every time he is always looking for the ball and, when he has the ball, he makes the difference. He is very skilful, and he is very strong.”

The “wonderful talent” would undoubtedly be a major upgrade to the likes of Sissoko, as Eccleshare points out, and the rarely-seen Harry Winks.

If Levy has the scope to get this done, then he can absolutely land Spurs another Hojbjerg – evidently in more ways than one.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Sanchez: Levy can land HUGE Spurs upgrade in £22.5m “beast” who’s “fearless”…

When Wolves take on Chorley tonight, they will do so with the hope of evading memories of 1986/87.

On that day, the Old Gold lost 3-0 to tonight’s opposition in what was one of the most embarrassing evenings in their history.

Judging by Wolves’ form, however, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if they struggled again.

On the chalkboard

Wolves have been diabolical of late and since Raul Jimenez sustained a horrific fractured skull against Arsenal, they have won only two of their last ten outings.

Nuno Santo has swapped between a four-man and three-man defence, but clearly that level of tinkering has not benefitted the side.

The Molineux outfit have kept just one clean sheet since the end of October and it’s evident that change is needed. In their last ten outings, Nuno’s side have shipped an almighty haul of 18 goals.

A large reason behind that has been the form of club captain Conor Coady, someone who has looked particularly out of sorts of late, giving away a penalty against West Brom.

The solution

When Wolves travel to Chorley this evening they must take the ruthless decision to axe their skipper. Conor Coady was ever-present in the Premier League last season and has been so far this term too.

Therefore, removing him from the starting XI would be a particularly surprising judgement. However, Nuno is clearly losing patience with the defender, substituting him for the first time in his Wolves career during their Black Country derby defeat.

The fact of the matter is that the £55k-per-week earner is becoming a bit of a liability, and after his awful display at Molineux last time out, is proving that he cannot play in a back four – a formation Nuno has used seven times since Jimenez’s injury.

It doesn’t offer the same protection as a back three and thus, Coady was caught out for a penalty by Calum Robinson.

Former referee Mark Halsey told This is Futbol: “He’s caught him twice. So as I’ve said before, you cannot go and make challenges, rash challenges like Conor Coady did in the penalty area if there’s any contact.”

Unfortunately, that’s not the first time Coady has been caught out lately. He has made just four successful tackles in his last ten outings, a tally that defies belief when you consider the position he’s playing in. It’s equally bad when you recall the aforementioned sum of goals Wolves have conceded.

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Coady’s substitution last weekend felt like a watershed moment. It would be wrong to suggest that Nuno has completely lost faith in the 27-year-old, but it showed his frustration.

Against non-league opposition in Chorley, it’s the perfect time for the manager to experiment with his backline and remove Coady from the firing line.

He needs a momentary spell out of the Wolves side.

AND in other news, Wolves must unleash “outstanding” rarely-seen 18y/o with “a bit of everything” tonight…

After West Ham United came away with a 2-1 London derby victory over Tottenham this afternoon at the London Stadium (BBC), plenty of Hammers lavished the ‘unsung’ performance of defender Issa Diop as David Moyes’ men cement a crucial Premier League win. 

Michail Antonio opened the scoring early on before January signing Jesse Lingard notched a second just after the half time interval.

Tottenham winger Lucas Moura pulled a goal back for the north Londoners but it wasn’t enough, with Gareth Bale only threatening an equaliser by striking the crossbar.

West Ham eventually held out for an heroic win, and despite the brilliant contributions of both Antonio and Lingard, plenty of Irons held special praise for Diop following a brilliant defensive shift – find all of their verdicts on the defender down below.

West Ham fans hail Diop

“Diop was absolutely fantastic today”

Credit: @JamiePaul587

“Dawson and Diop were outstanding”

Credit: @jjohncaskey

“Diop was class today, for somebody who’s hardly played, brilliant performance”

Credit: @danheath2021

“Issa Diop done a job on Kane today, top class.”

Credit: @MattGardner90

“Jose will love Diop even more after that, what a performance.”

Credit: @WHUFCallum_

“If all our defenders perform at their best, Diop is our best defender by a mile! The guy is a monster. A lot of fans are just thickle! & quick to forget.”

Credit: @RoyalDocks8

“Unsung performance of the afternoon for West Ham has to be Issa Diop – very solid against a top quality opposition attack; even more impressive given his lack of consistent game time in recent months for West Ham. Huge confidence building performance from Diop. Much needed.”

Credit: @WestHamJoshV

In other news: West Ham flocked to this ExWHUemployee claim, find out more here.