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Wolverhampton Wanderers will consider themselves extremely unfortunate to not at least get one point against Manchester City, after the Citezens scored in the 95th minute to steal all three points, winning the game 2-1.

Jorgen Strand Larsen gave Wolves the lead after just seven minutes, before Josko Gvardiol fired one in from outside the box, to make it 1-1 in the 33rd minute.

City then scored in the last minutes of the game, with John Stones scoring to secure all three points for the away side, as they remain second in the division.

Gary O’Neil’s side have now lost six games in a row in all competitions, five of them being in the Premier League, and the manager could find himself in trouble, with Brighton up next, as Wolves sit rock bottom on one point.

Larsen's performance against Man City

The 24-year-old was the Wolves goalscorer, putting them 1-0 up after just seven minutes. Larsen has now made nine appearances for Wolves this season in all competitions, scoring three goals, and providing two assists.

Larsen scored with his only shot of the game, having just 19 touches, making 4/8 accurate passes (50%), losing all seven of his duels (ground and aerial), and losing possession seven times.

He took his goal well, arriving in the right place, at the right time, to tap it home. However, one of Wolves’ other forwards was more impressive, despite only getting a 6/10 match rating from MolineuxNews.

Matheus Cunha's performance against Man City

Matheus Cunha only played 67 minutes, completing 1/2 successful dribbles, 1/1 crosses, 1/1 long balls, making one key pass, creating one big chance, and winning 4/8 of his ground duels.

The 25-year-old, who was described as “phenomenal” by Max Kilman in January this year, has made nine appearances for Wolves so far this season, scoring three goals in his 637 minutes played so far. This is coming off the back of an impressive 2023/24 campaign, where he made 36 appearances, scoring 14 goals, providing eight assists, and totaling 2,772 minutes played.

It is important to note these players had different roles in the game, Larsen being 6ft 4, his job was to pin the City defenders, look to be a threat in the box, contest aerial duels, and be an outlet.

Cunha, on the other hand, is more involved in all round play, dropping in to help Wolves get out, carrying it forward, looking to create for himself and others, as well as putting in a shift defensively.

Perhaps the decision from O’Neil to take Cunha off after 67 minutes was the wrong one, as he was clearly putting himself about in midfield, winning a fair number of his duels, and then helping the team to get out whether that was with his carrying or passing qualities.

The last few years have been nothing short of remarkable for Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys have gone from midtable in League One to just about holding their own in the Premier League, and while there is a long way to go, Kieran McKenna could just work another miracle for the third season on the bounce.

However, to do that, he will need his star players to give that little bit more, as after nine games, the club are still without their first win and currently sit on just four points with a goal difference of negative 11.

There have been some standout performers, such as Liam Delap, but others, like summer signings Omari Hutchinson and Sammie Szmodics, haven’t quite hit the ground running and are being outperformed by a former Ipswich star released for nothing in the summer.

Hutchinson and Szmodics' form this season

So, before we get to the player in question, let’s look at the underwhelming output from Hutchinson and Szmodics so far this season.

Now, before the pitchforks come out, we aren’t saying that the pair have been terrible so far, but given the money they cost and the form they showed last year, it would be fair to say that they haven’t exactly lit the Premier League up thus far.

For example, the club opted to spend up to £11m on the Irish international following his unreal campaign with Blackburn Rovers last year in which he racked up 33 goals and four assists in 48 games, but so far this season, he’s scored just twice in nine games.

Likewise, the former Chelsea prospect made his move to Portman Road permanent for £20m in the summer after scoring 11 goals and providing six assists in 50 appearances last season, but in nine games this year, he has produced just a single assist, which is a lower return than one of his former teammates who left East Anglia in the summer.

Kayden Jackson's form this season

The former Ipswich star in question is Kayden Jackson, who joined Paul Hurst’s Tractor Boys in the summer of 2018 for around £1m from Accrington Stanley.

It was a record sale for the League Two champions as, during the 17/18 campaign, the Bradford-born poacher racked up a sensational haul of 15 goals and 16 assists in just 49 appearances, equating to an average goal involvement every 1.58 games.

Unfortunately, the Englishman could not maintain that sort of form in the Championship, and he ended his debut campaign with a paltry tally of four goals and two assists in 38 games as the club suffered relegation to the third tier.

However, over the next few years, and especially with the arrival of McKenna, Jackson’s fortunes would start to improve, and by the time he left for Derby County this summer, he was the longest-serving player at the club and had a reasonable record of 28 goals and 23 assists in 199 appearances, of which 99 were from the bench.

He might not have made the jump up to the Premier League with his former teammates, but the 30-year-old is enjoying another promising season in the Championship this year, already scoring three goals and providing two assists in 14 games, meaning he is outperforming Szmodics and Hutchinson as things stand.

Ultimately, while his start to life at Portman Road was far from ideal, Jackson eventually proved to be a useful striker for the club, and we’re sure the Ipswich faithful are happy to see him kicking on at Derby this season.

Ipswich loanee who was unreal in McKenna's 1st season is now in Non-League

The loanee couldn’t find his feet after leaving Ipswich.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 1, 2024

Wrexham crashed out of the Football League Trophy semi-finals in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, with Peterborough reaching back-to-back finals.

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• Wrexham failed to protect a two-goal lead from first half
• Peterborough staged dramatic comeback
• Red Dragons out of Football League Trophy

• TELL ME MORE

  Reigning champions Peterborough were the more dominant side in the first half-hour of the game as they created more chances but were unable to convert them. The Red Dragons punished them in the 34th minute as Modou Faal found the back of the net with a clinical finish. The forward chased a long through ball from Max Cleworth and chipped the ball over goalkeeper Jed Steer from the edge of the box.

  Four minutes later, George Dobson doubled the host's lead. Ryan Barnett's initial cross was intercepted by Jacob Mendy on the right side of the box and the left-back quickly squared the ball for Dobson to comfortably net the second goal. Despite a slow start, Phil Parkinson's side headed into the break with a two-goal cushion.

  Peterborough looked determined to stage a comeback in the second period as just minutes after half-time they created an easy opportunity to pull one back, but the Posh had to wait until the 72nd minute to score as Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo brought down Cian Hayes inside the box. Malik Mothersille took the spot-kick and comfortably slotted the ball home. The visitors then scored a dramatic equaliser in the 91st minute as super-sub Bradley Ihionvien went past two Wrexham players before firing the ball into the net.

  The game went straight to penalties and the visitors clinched a remarkable comeback as they won 4-2 in the shootout, with Paul Mullin missing his spot-kick. The Posh will feature in the final for the second time in a row on March 13 against Birmingham City at Wembley.

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  THE MVP

  Posh boss Darren Ferguson's decision to bring in Ihionvien late in the second half proved to be a masterclass as the English forward netted the all-important equaliser after the regulation time with a brilliant solo effort.

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  THE BIG LOSER

  The Wrexham backline miserably failed in the second half as they were unable to protect a two-goal lead. They were challenged throughout the game and were often caught napping.

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  WHAT COMES NEXT?

  Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's side will be back in action in League One on Saturday as they take on Bolton at home.

Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement saw his side claim a solid point away from home in their latest Europa League tie.

Olympiacos were stern opposition, but a Cyriel Dessers equaliser kept the club’s hopes of reaching the last 16 well and truly alive.

Seven points after four games is a decent total, but the Light Blues do have ties against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the coming months.

They face Hearts at Ibrox today in the Premiership, although they will be without Tom Lawrence due to injury.

Tom Lawrence's injury absence

Following the 2-1 win over Motherwell at Hampden Park last weekend, Clement stated that Lawrence suffered a leg knock during the tie and would be ruled out for between 4–6 weeks.

The Welshman has emerged as a key player under the Belgian this season, scoring five goals in 15 appearances for the Gers, while chipping in with three assists too.

Although not the most mobile player in the number ten role, Lawrence has delivered several excellent performances in recent weeks.

His injury comes at the worst time for the club as fixtures will ramp up ahead of the festive season.

For the game against Hearts, Clement will need to unleash one of his summer signings in a slightly different role to what he has been playing of late…

The Rangers star who can replace Lawrence

Nedim Bajrami joined in the summer for a fee in the region of £3.4m and has proven to be one of the club’s most impressive signings so far.

In 12 games for the Ibrox side, the 25-year-old has scored three goals and grabbed an assist, looking like the type of player that Clement requires to fit his system.

The Albanian has been forced to play out on the left flank due to injuries to several wingers. This clearly isn’t impacting his performances. In Europe, the midfielder has created five big chances, averages 2.8 key passes per game and succeeds with an impressive 3.3 dribbles per game – a success rate of 72% – which proves he is contributing effectively from the flank.

These skills could be transferred to a more central position, however, filling the void left by Lawrence over the next few weeks.

For Sassuolo last season, Bajrami played 15 times as an attacking midfielder, registering four goal contributions in the process – three goals and one assist.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

This should be all the evidence Clement needs to unleash his summer signing in a new role for the club, one that saw him shine last term in Serie A.

There is no doubt the former Sassuolo gem can cause the Hearts’ defence all sorts of problems, regardless of where he plays. But due to Lawrence’s injury, Bajrami being unleashed just behind Dessers could prove to be a wise tactical change that may lead the club to victory this afternoon.

Rangers loan star is now worth £20m & better than Bajrami after leaving

Rangers had the chance to sign a former loan star for £5m…

By
Ross Kilvington

Nov 9, 2024

Coleen Rooney has revealed that her kids are often left asking “can dad stay at home” as Wayne proves to be a distraction at youth football matches.

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• Wayne is Red Devils' all-time leading goalscorer
• Eldest son forms part of United academy system
• Unable to attend as many games as he would like

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney is hoping to see his four sons tread a similar path to the one that made him a global superstar. Eldest son Kai is showing plenty of promise as another goalscorer in the Red Devils’ academy system.

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  THE GOSSIP

  Wayne is, however, not able to take in as many games as he would like. He has been busy with playing and coaching careers for the most part, but is also unable to blend into the background whenever paying a visit to grassroots fixtures.

• WHAT COLEEN ROONEY SAID

  Wife Coleen has told of raising her children in the public eye: “I’ve got to make them aware that with social media, things can come back around again. My eldest is 15, he’s at a football academy [in Manchester] where they have social media workshops. They’re told if they put anything online now and you’re in the public eye, it can affect you later on.

  “But I think our kids grew up with it. There’s certain things that it does affect – there were times when the kids have said, when Wayne was playing, ‘Can Dad stay at home?’ because we didn’t get around the theme park. Or, ‘He’s not watching me play football because he’s being asked for selfies.’

  “He’s grateful for fans too, so it’s a hard situation. We’ve obviously made them aware of things as they’ve got older and started to understand things.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WAYNE ROONEY?

  Wayne currently has plenty of spare time on his hands, having flopped in his latest managerial role at Plymouth, but may be prevented from watching his children in action. He will get ample opportunity to do just that if any of the Rooney boys go on to make the professional ranks.

Wayne Rooney came to Ruben Amorim's defence amid Manchester United's nightmare season as he urged the players to "step up".

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• Rooney praised Amorim
• Urged Man Utd players to raise their game
• Man Utd face Real Sociedad on Thursday

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United legend heaped praise on manager Amorim for trying to stamp a clear identity on the United team. He also urged every Red Devils player to "step up" so that the club can finish what has been a terrible campaign on a respectable note.

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• WHAT WAYNE ROONEY SAID

  Speaking to United's official website, Rooney said: "It's been a difficult season, there's no denying that, all season. But the new manager has come in, and I really like him. The way he handles himself and speaks with the media, he's been really good. It's probably more about getting through this season now and, hopefully, starting to implement his style more and getting players in to move the club forward."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former Plymouth Argyle and Derby boss also spoke highly of Red Devils' young sensation Amad Diallo, who is currently out injured, as he added: "I think he's been great. I tried to sign him for Derby when I was at Derby on loan. I thought I had him, really. I think it was the next day that he went to Rangers out of the blue.

  "He has been fantastic, with the goals he's scored, [his] creativity and work-rate. He's been a breath of fresh air, and, of course, we'd like a few more players to step up."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  Amorim's side will be back in action this Thursday as they face Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 fixture at Old Trafford, having drawn the first leg 1-1 in Spain last week.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a fanbase who have been on more of a roller coaster ride than Ipswich Town supporters over the last few years.

Before Kieran McKenna joined the club, they were languishing in League One, but within two and a half years of being at the helm, the Northern Irishman has led them up to the Premier League.

Now, the inexperienced manager has obviously played a hugely significant role in the Tractor Boys’ astounding resurgence, but he has also been helped by his often underrated squad, both those at the club on permanent deals and those who have spent loan spells at Portman Road along the way.

That said, the youngsters bought in on temporary deals during and just before McKenna’s reign have been a real mixed bag, with some doing exceptionally well and others less so, including one attacker from a London club who couldn’t make it work in East Anglia but has since seen his valuation soar.

Ipswich's London loanees

Before getting to the player in question, let’s look at some other youngsters who have joined Ipswich from sides in the capital over the last few years, starting with one who did fantastically well, Omari Hutchinson.

Yes, the former Chelsea prospect joined McKenna’s revolution at Portman Road on a season-long loan last summer and, throughout the 23/24 campaign, showed the Portman Road faithful just how unbelievably talented he is.

In 50 appearances, the Redhill-born gem scored 11 goals, provided six assists and won the club’s Young Player of the Year award for the men’s team, which was unsurprisingly enough to tempt the powers that be to spend £20m on him this summer.

However, not every loan player from London has had as much luck as the former Chelsea ace, as Tottenham Hotspur youngster Dane Scarlett’s loan move last season went the other way entirely.

The promising young striker joined the Blues on a season-long loan just a month after Hutchinson, but unlike the dynamic midfielder come winger, he struggled to make any sort of impact at all.

From late August to late December, the young Englishman played just 146 minutes of senior football across 12 substitute appearances, in which he failed to score or assist a goal.

Unsurprisingly, this led to him being recalled back to North London, as it became clear that regular football would not come his way under McKenna.

Unfortunately for the Lilywhites, the 20-year-old poacher hasn’t been their only youngster to become a loan flop at Ipswich in the last few years.

The former Ipswich loan flop who is on fire this season

Yes, the former loan flop in question is another ex-Spurs youngster who joined Ipswich ten months before McKenna did, Troy Parrott.

The then-18-year-old joined the Tractor Boys on a six-month loan while the club were still in League One, and while that should have allowed him to show his ability, things just didn’t work out for the forward.

During his stint at Portman Road, the Dublin-born marksman was given plenty of opportunities to play and racked up 18 appearances, totalling 1141 minutes by the time he returned to London, but in those appearances, he scored just two goals, one against Plymouth Argyle and one against Fleetwood Town on the final day of the season.

It was a rather dismal showing from the young poacher, and while he did much better at MK Dons the following season, scoring ten goals and providing seven assists in 47 appearances, the campaign after that was just as poor as he scored just four goals in 34 games for Preston North End.

However, things would again go his way during his final loan move last season, when he found the back of the net 17 times and scored five goals in 32 matches for Dutch outfit Excelsior Rotterdam.

Yet, that still wasn’t enough to secure his future in N17 and during the summer, he was sold to Eredivisie giants AZ Alkmaar, but thanks to his form in the country last season, he netted the Lilywhites a hefty fee of £6.7m according to reports at the time.

Now, considering Transfermarkt valued the Irish international at just €3.6m – £3m – just a few months before he joined Ipswich, that means his value has skyrocketed 123%, or in other words, increased by at least £3.7m.

That said, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it rise again before the end of the season, as in just 16 appearances for his new team, the “phenomenal” marksman, as dubbed by former manager Ryan Lowe, has already scored eight goals and provided two assists, equating to a goal involvement once every 1.6 games.

Ultimately, Parrott was an unmitigated flop during his stint with Ipswich, but it’s fair to say that in the years since he’s proven himself to be a reliable and effective goalscorer.

Signed by Keane: Ipswich loan ace who left in 2010 is struggling in Turkey

The veteran attacker had a short stint with Ipswich Town.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 8, 2024

West Ham United could sign a very highly-rated replacement for midfielder Lucas Paqueta in a Martin Odegaard-like player at a price of around £20 million, with under-fire manager Julen Lopetegui needing all the help he can get right now.

Lucas Paqueta faces spot-fixing allegations at West Ham

The Brazil international’s future in east London is precarious at best, as Paqueta faces allegations by the FA for spot-fixing on multiple occasions since his £51 million move to England from Lyon.

West Ham player who AC Milan have wanted for ages could leave in January

The Rossoneri could have another opportunity.

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 20, 2024

The FA have accused Paqueta of purposely influencing play and the betting markets by picking up deliberate yellow cards, which relate to matches against Leicester City, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old has released a statement proclaiming his innocence, while West Ham have reportedly hired top lawyer Nick De Marco in an effort to back Paqueta in court.

In any case, West Ham have been criticised for not performing their due diligence on Paqueta before spending north of £50 million on him, with ex-Hammers recruitment employee Mick Brown telling Football Insider it was a real lapse in judgement.

“I was told there was an £80million deal going on with Man City,” said Brown.

“That failed as a result of the accusations against him. So somebody at the club has to question how it was that they didn’t know that there was an issue. The same thing happened with the Italian midfielder at Newcastle [Tonali].

“You’ve missed out on a big-money sale and then the player gets taken away, essentially, without anything coming the other way. How did the FA know enough to investigate, but West Ham didn’t? You have to ask real questions of the club in that situation.”

West Ham could sign James McAtee for just £20 million

According to CaughtOffside, Man City midfielder James McAtee is being considered as a potential long-term heir for Paqueta – as Irons chiefs hold a theory that he would be ideal for that role.

The English talent is attracting interest from a host of other sides, though, including Leeds United, Celtic, Lens, Lille, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Feyenoord, VfB Stuttgart and Girona.

West Ham could sign McAtee for around £20 million, as per this report, which is quite the bargain considering his stellar reputation and likeness to Arsenal captain Odegaard.

“He’s a bonus player in that he plays midfield and you have an extra number in there, but then he can just attack,” said former Sheffield United striker Carl Asaba.

“He’s like Odegaard. You play him in midfield so he’s defending for you, he’s another body for them to try and navigate away from but he likes the ball 30 yards out because he can go past you like you’re not there.”

Ibrahima Konate appears likely to leave Liverpool for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer despite the Reds' desire to tie him to a new contract.

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• Konate leaning towards PSG move
• Liverpool eager to tie him to new contract
• Real Madrid also interested in centre-back

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Liverpool fear they may lose centre-backs Virgil van Dijk, whose contract expires this summer, and Konate, whose deal runs until the summer of 2026, in the same transfer window and are eager to avoid the key departures.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Merseyside club, then, are prepared to offer the French defender a new deal, but reports that PSG have a good chance of luring him to Ligue 1. The defender would prefer to join the French giants this summer and Liverpool are aware of his intention.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  PSG, who eliminated Liverpool from the Champions League this week, are not the only team interested in signing the 25-year-old. Real Madrid have also been linked with the former Sochaux and RB Leipzig player and may attempt to bring him to the Spanish capital alongside team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR KONATE AND LIVERPOOL?

  The Anfield club will hope to persuade Konate to stay before the summer transfer window opens as they look to keep their top stars following Arne Slot's debut season in charge.

Newcastle United have reportedly joined Manchester United and Chelsea in the race for one of the Bundesliga’s most revered young stars.

Newcastle transfer news

Newcastle are understood to be on the lookout for a new forward or two after a disappointing start to the season in front of goal. Eddie Howe’s side have managed just 17 goals in 14 Premier League matches this term – which is the joint sixth-lowest total in the division.

Three of those goals came in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool in mid-week, which delighted Howe, but the Magpies boss has previously made it clear that his squad needs additions after the New Year.

Among those names being linked with a move to St. James’ Park are Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo. According to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, Semenyo has emerged as a January target for the Magpies following his impressive displays on the South Coast this season and last. The former Sunderland loanee has four goals in 12 games this term.

Magpies want Nmecha

It’s not just forwards who are reportedly interesting Newcastle, however. According to German newspaper BILD, via Sport Witness, the Toon are also chasing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha. The 24-year-old, who came through Manchester City’s academy but never made a Premier League appearance for the club, joined Dortmund from Wolfsburg last summer.

After a difficult debut season on the Rhine, he’s come into his own this term to establish himself as a key cog in Dortmund’s midfield, where people can’t quite believe his “sensational development”, according to BILD, leading to the interest from England.

The publication claims that Chelsea and Manchester United are also interested in Nmecha, who has three goals and two assists in 18 games across all competitions this season, but that it would require an “immoral sum of money” to prize him away from the Signal Iduna Park. It’s unclear whether any of the three clubs would be willing to meet Dortmund’s demands, report BILD.

Sahin: Nmecha is "exceptional"

Last month, Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin heaped praise on Nmecha, who has been capped three times by Germany.

“I think he has everything, he has an exceptional profile for a midfielder,” Sahin said of the midfielder ahead of Dortmund’s match against Sturm Graz in the Champions League, which they went on to win 1-0 courtesy of a late goal from Donyell Malen. “He can play in the number six role, but can also play at number eight and ten.

“Now he needs to take the next step. And then we’ll have a really good midfielder for the next few years. As a coach, you want players like that.”

Upon Nmecha joining Dortmund in 2023, the club’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl said of him: “Felix Nmecha is a fast, technically adept and physically strong player who will enhance our midfield both offensively and defensively with his profile.”