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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who is a Wolves Hall of Famer, has claimed that Conor Coady’s newfound goal threat is down to Nuno Espirito Santo telling him to get forward more often.

Coady got his first goal for England on his debut for the Three Lions in a 3-0 win against Wales and since then he has also found the net for the first time in the Premier League.

The Wolves captain netted for the first time in the top flight when he made it 1-1 against Manchester City at the Etihad, but they did end up losing the game.

Speaking on where this newfound willingness to go forward has come through and what subtle tweak Nuno made to make it happen, Bull told FFC:

“I think Coady used to be one of these sweeper defenders because we’ve got Willy Boly, Romain Sais and Dendonker who go up for corners, so why does Coady need to?

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“He’s been more of a threat than the others to be fair, so I think it’s down to Nuno – he would’ve said to him ‘you’ve got the freedom to go forward’.

“We get the little defenders sitting back rather than the big one because you’d rather have your threat in front of goal instead of with their back to your own goal.”

The £16,500 per week defender has been a mainstay for Wolves since he joined from Huddersfield Town in 2015, and Nuno Espirito Santo has trusted him to lead the team from the back.

In the four matches Coady has played for England, Southgate has trusted him to play the full 90 minutes.

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that Josh King would be a hugely successful signing for Celtic.

King joined Everton on a short-term deal in January, but has failed to score in eight substitute appearances and will be available on a free transfer this summer, should the Toffees decide against signing him permanently.

But whilst the Norwegian striker has failed to make an impact on Merseyside, King is a proven goalscorer in the Premier League having scored 48 times across five seasons for Bournemouth prior to their relegation last term.

Despite King’s poor form for Everton, he’s been attracting attention from other Premier League sides, although recent reports suggest that Eddie Howe wants to make him one of his first signings at Parkhead.

Howe signed him Bournemouth back in 2015 from Blackburn, and wants to reunite with King should be take the Celtic job and King himself quit Everton.

“I think he’s a good player. I think he could do wonders up here,” McAvennie told Football FanCast.

“It would be great for him to come up here, spend two or three years and win some trophies. That’s what he would want and he would score goals up here, although he would have to get fit.

“He would come up here and he would definitely score goals and would be a great replacement if Eddie goes.”

Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of keeping Sergio Reguilon for the long term have just been dealt a massive boost this week…

What’s the word?

According to Defensa Central, the 24-year-old’s former club Real Madrid are not planning to trigger the buyback clause which was part of his move to Spurs in the summer.

It is claimed that Los Blancos hope they can bring in out-of-contract Bayern Munich star David Alaba ahead of next season, and that would give Zinedine Zidane plenty of options, with Ferland Mendy and Marcelo his current options.

As per football.london, Daniel Levy managed to secure the Spaniard for ‘less than’ £28m, whilst they believe the clause would see the north Londoners net around £15m profit, so the La Liga giants would need to splash around £43m to secure him back.

This clause reportedly expires in 2022 but for now, Spurs appear safe.

Massive boost

This will come as a huge boost to Spurs for several reasons. Firstly, Reguilon has arguably been one of their players of the season, if not one of the signings of the summer alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

In the Premier League, only Harry Kane (13) and Heung-min Son (nine) have delivered more assists than the £45m-rated dynamo, whilst he also ranks amongst their top eight performers, with an average WhoScored rating of 6.89 – far better than his current rival Ben Davies (6.56) by some margin.

The 5 foot 10 gem has also impressed Spurs reporter Alasdair Gold at football.london. Speaking about the signing back in October, he lauded the club for managing to secure him, telling fans via Periscope:

“You kind of don’t want to overshadow Sergio Reguilon, who I think is going to be one of the best left-backs in Europe – probably almost is. With Sevilla, he was phenomenal: had a great season, won the Europa League. He’s got incredible confidence. He’s come straight into the group and everyone loves him.”

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Indeed, when he’s fit, he is Mourinho’s first-choice left-back, so to be able to have him around next season will be majorly encouraging.

Secondly, it means whatever their current transfer plans are for the summer, they can remain largely the same because Spurs will not have to look for a new left-back in the wake of his absence.

Sergio Rodriguez, his former coach at UD Logrones, very much echoed the same thoughts as Gold in an interview with The Telegraph, who also described the marauding wing-back as ‘confident’ and ‘committed.’

“A very sociable boy,” Rodriguez told the Telegraph. “A joker who generates a good atmosphere. He was always in a good mood, always at the heart of jokes. He’s a very cheerful guy, who takes things in the best possible way.”

In a season where things have not gone to plan for Spurs – early FA Cup and European exits, and out of the top four race – an attitude like this can be infectious and only adds to the reasons why having him around will do Mourinho and his squad more good than harm.

Mourinho will surely be absolutely buzzing with this latest update. Reguilon could be the future of Spurs on that left flank.

AND in other news, 75% of duels won: “Composed” Spurs gem dropped a massive statement in front of Mourinho vs Villa…

West Brom will be looking to build on back-to-back draws in the Premier League when they welcome relegation rivals Brighton to the Hawthorns this afternoon.

The Baggies need to start picking up wins as they sit 11 points adrift of safety, with only 13 games left to play. The Seagulls are only a handful of points above the dropzone themselves, so a victory for the home side could do wonders in the long run.

Last time out, Albion clinched a point at Burnley despite going down to ten men and subsequently, it means they will be without the services of mainstay centre-back Semi Ajayi for today’s encounter.

So, what sort of side will Big Sam select? Here’s the lineup we’re predicting along with the latest team and injury news from the Midlands camp…

There could be as many as three changes from last weekend, one of which is forced through the absence of the Nigerian colossus.

In the only alteration to the Baggies’ recently solid backline, we’re expecting young academy starlet Dara O’Shea to get the nod over Branislav Ivanovic in central defence, partnering Kyle Bartley, whilst Conor Townsend and Darnell Furlong continue on the flanks, in front of Sam Johnstone.

January arrival Okay Yokuslu has been making his presence felt at the base of midfield, indeed, he now ranks as Albion’s best-rated player (6.9), as per WhoScored.

Therefore, the 26-year-old is likely to remain, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Matheus Pereira making up the engine room – the latter playing in an advanced role closer to the no.10 position.

That does mean 21-year-old Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher is facing the axe from the starting XI, as we should also see Karlan Grant return with Robert Snodgrass still absent through injury. He’ll come straight in at right-wing, which will allow the playmaking Brazilian back into the middle of the pitch.

Whilst we could see Grady Diangana make a comeback in the third and final chance. He could replace Matty Phillips on the left, whilst Mbaye Diagne should remain upfront on his own.

It means there is no spot for either Callum Robinson or skipper Jake Livermore among the starters, so they’ll have to wait for the opportunity to make a point from the bench as will Romaine Sawyers and Kyle Edwards.

AND in other news, West Brom could find their next Jason Koumas in 19 y/o “real talent”…

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp is continuing to impress on loan with Norwich City in the Championship this season and, if he returns to challenge in Jose Mourinho’s side next season, it could spell trouble for Harry Winks.

The 20-year-old was sent out on loan to the Canaries for the season and has been a key part of Daniel Farke’s side’s impressive campaign thus far, as they currently sit top of the second tier and are eyeing an immediate promotion back to the top flight.

So far this season, the Spurs academy graduate has made 34 appearances in the Championship, scoring one goal and averaging an impressive 6.88 WhoScored average match rating for the table-toppers.

It was even suggested during the January transfer window that Jose Mourinho had considered recalling the youngster to his squad, so he definitely has an eye on him ahead of next season.

The Portuguese manager also suggested last summer that Skipp is a future captain at Spurs, so he certainly looks destined for a big future with the north London club.

Therefore, when he returns in the summer, with Farke recently admitting that it is impossible for the Canaries to sign him permanently, it seems likely that he will be challenging for a spot in Mourinho’s first team.

The German manager also spoke highly of the impact Skipp has had at Norwich, saying:

“We saw the potential, we looked into his character a lot and we knew he would be fully convinced to give everything, not thinking I don’t need to work to prove I am the best in my position.

“Oliver is a perfect lad. So humble. He is a brilliant loan signing.”

One casualty of Skipp’s return to Spurs could be fellow academy graduate Winks, as the 25-year-old has struggled to establish himself as a regular under Mourinho.

So far this season, Winks – who reportedly earns £50,000 per week at Spurs – has made just six starts in the Premier League and has averaged a disappointing 6.34 WhoScored rating for his performances in the top flight – the worst of any Spurs player who has started at least five games.

Therefore, considering he is already on the fringes of the Spurs squad, the return of a genuine wonderkid in Skipp could be the final nail in the coffin for Winks and bring an end to his time with the club next season.

And, in other news… 100% duels won: £60k-p/w Spurs scapegoat sent Jose a message with superb display vs Fulham

Reports by The Telegraph earlier this week claimed that Newcastle United are keeping close tabs on Kyle Bartley’s situation at West Bromwich Albion.

However, the Magpies moving to sign Bartley at the end of the season smacks of Mike Ashley planning for relegation to the Championship.

The centre-back will enter the final 12 months of his £13,500-per-week contract in June and could be made available for the right price.

Bartley is expected to be among the players of interest for rival clubs in the off-season should West Brom fail to remain in the Premier League, with the Baggies facing a 10-point deficit to Newcastle in 17th.

The Toon are understood to be in the market for a new central defender this summer and could swoop for Bartley, but may face competition from Burnley. Sean Dyche’s Clarets are also monitoring the 29-year-old as the Turf Moor natives look to bring in cover for James Tarkowski and Ben Mee.

Newcastle currently have four natural centre-backs in the first team fold in Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez – plus the versatile Paul Dummett – but Schar and Fernandez are both set to be free agents this summer.

Steve Bruce revealed last month that talks were “ongoing” with Fernandez over a new deal, while Schar could snub a one-year extension to his £40k-per-week terms.

Newcastle losing one of or both Schar and Fernandez at the end of the season would force the St James’ Park natives to explore signing replacements, but the benefits of a move to land Bartley would be questionable.

Bartley has rarely proven to be a Premier League calibre defender over his six seasons in the division, with the current campaign his only one to feature double-digit appearances.

The £2.5m-rated enforcer has started 19 of his 21 league outings for the Baggies thus far this term, accounting for half of his career haul of 42 top-flight appearances after earning an average of 4.2 a season over five campaigns with Swansea City between 2012 and 2018.

Bartley was a key factor behind West Brom securing promotion from the Championship as runners-up to Leeds United last season, with 37 starts in 38 appearances from a possible 46 in the division, but his performances have often stayed at that level.

While improvements have come since Sam Allardyce was appointed in December, issues have remained in Bartley’s game which could raise alarm bells at Newcastle if Bruce is able to keep the Magpies in the top-flight.

“His weaknesses, I would say, lie in his positioning, which has occasionally been called into question,” Birmingham Live’s Baggies reporter Joseph Chapman told Lancs Live. “Sometimes this season he’s been caught out and, as is often the case at this level, it results in a goal. But even that’s improved since Sam arrived.

“Bartley has another year left on his deal with Albion. He’s not immediately a player you think of attracting top-flight interest when you consider that they have the likes of [Sam] Johnstone and Matheus Pereira, who will almost certainly have suitors.

“I think he is someone who, if you asked the average Albion fan on the street, would be content with him continuing in the starting XI in the Championship, which is highly likely where Albion will be.”

Chapman’s remarks would hardly instil much confidence in Bartley being a worthwhile pickup for Newcastle in the off-season as a Premier League side, but rather a move by Ashley to prepare the Toon for life in the Championship.

AND in other news, Newcastle have landed a huge boost ahead of facing Tottenham…

David Sullivan would risk throwing his money away with a revised approach for Chelsea full-back Emerson Palmieri after West Ham United’s initial loan bid was rejected.

What’s the word?

According to the Mirror, Frank Lampard has blocked Emerson from joining the Irons as David Moyes strives to find cover and competition for Aaron Cresswell.

West Ham are not expecting to have Arthur Masuaku back from knee surgery until the end of February, and they consider Emerson to be a good stop-gap who can fill the void left by the DR Congo international.

Emerson has been frozen out at Stamford Bridge for much of the campaign with Lampard favouring summer signing Ben Chilwell, while Marcos Alonso is also ahead of the 26-year-old in the former England star’s pecking order.

Yet Lampard is refusing to sanction a temporary exit for the £13.5m-rated full-back as he plans to manage a heavy fixture list featuring games in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Emerson has only featured for 88 minutes in the Premier League this season after earning his sole start of the campaign so far in the Blues’ 3-0 win over West Ham last month, while carrying the strain in the FA Cup and the dead rubber Champions League Group Stage ties.

Moyes has been without Masuaku since early December after undergoing career-saving surgery, leaving Cresswell to play seven of the following eight top-flight games at left-back with cover from academy graduate Ben Johnson.

Should West Ham sign Emerson?

While Moyes is on the lookout for cover to support and challenge Cresswell until Masuaku has returned to full fitness and can take over the left-back duties, he would be wise to avoid urging Sullivan to strike a deal with Chelsea for Emerson.

Sullivan would risk throwing his money down the drain by signing Emerson on loan, who is paid £75,000-per-week at Stamford Bridge which only Andriy Yarmolenko (£115k-p/w) and Jarrod Bowen (£96k-p/w) earn in excess of at the London Stadium, per Spotrac.

Chelsea would likely want to see Emerson play if he were to join West Ham, too, which could spark a clause like the alleged £50,000 penalty fee the Irons were claimed to have agreed to pay every time Fikayo Tomori did not feature before his proposed loan fell through.

Emerson would struggle to make worth of any such agreements, having progressively got worse over the last three seasons whilst struggling to get a game for Chelsea, with his tackle success in Premier League fixtures decreasing from 60% in 2018/19 to 46.2% and 33.3% in the following two terms, per FBref.

He has only been successful in applying pressure to the opposition in 21.4% of the instances where he has tried to force a change of possession, too, which is only marginally more than Moyes is currently seeing from 20-year-old Johnson (16.7%) in his rare outings thus far.

Cresswell, who forces a turnover with 27.7% of his pressures and wins 47.4% of his tackles, would barely feel any pressure whatsoever from Emerson if signed. So, Sullivan would be better served saving his cash from going to waste and urge Moyes to keep faith in his current options or find a better, alternative target.

AND in other news, West Ham consider January bid for “phenomenal” striker boasting 15 goals in 19 games.

Said Benrahma has left David Moyes powerless to omit the Algerian forward after the Brentford loanee excelled in West Ham United’s victory over Leeds on Friday night.

Moyes opted to hand Benrahma his first start in claret and blue following a late injury to Arthur Masuaku, which forced West Ham to deviate from the five-man defence which has inspired their solid form this season.

Benrahma had featured for just 78 minutes of Premier League football before the Hammers took to the pitch at Elland Road, as Moyes struggled to see a reason to bench his favoured attackers Pablo Fornals or Jarrod Bowen, believing the pair were playing “really well”.

In the end, Masuaku’s injury and a move to a four-man defence allowed Moyes to introduce Benrahma to his starting plans in behind striker Sebastien Haller to provide an added level of creativity beside Fornals and Bowen.

Benrahma upstaged his more established teammate Fornals with a game-changing display as the Hammers clinched a 2-1 win to move up to fifth in the table, with more points beside their name after the opening 12 games than early high-flyers Everton and title-hopefuls Manchester City.

Former Irons defender Anton Ferdinand was among the hordes to applaud the 25-year-old for his performance, seemingly confident that only good things can come from the £5million loan signing who West Ham are obliged to buy for £20m next year.

“Benrahma looks like he could be a maverick for us,” Ferdinand shared in a post on Twitter. “Loves the ball at his feet, very comfy and loves to make things happen!”

VAR stole the show at Elland Road when Mateusz Klich was allowed to retake his penalty after Lukasz Fabianski was deemed to have been off his line whilst making the initial save, but Benrahma’s performance ensured a spotlight focused on him as well.

The six-time Algeria international may not have registered a third assist of the season to pair with his game-winning involvement in goals against Fulham or Aston Villa, and may still be without a maiden goal for West Ham, yet achieved what Moyes tasked him with being. A nuisance for Leeds star Kalvin Phillips.

West Ham often found themselves without possession while Benrahma was on the field, as Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites controlled 65.7% of the ball before Moyes opted to introduce Mark Noble six minutes from time to instil an added defensive presence in the engine room.

Yet Benrahma still recorded the joint-second-most touches by a visiting player with 45, only Aaron Cresswell (52) took more, and played one key ball from 15 accurate passes, per WhoScored.

Benrahma came into his own when with an eye for goal, as he unleashed a game-high six efforts on Illan Meslier’s net, though only forcing the Leeds’ shot-stopper into making a save once.

Only Bowen could match his 100% dribble success rate, too, among any Irons player to feature, with Benrahma able to beat his marker with each of his three attempts as the £23,077-per-week forward won five of nine ground duels, per SofaScore.

Moyes will no doubt like to see Benrahma fine-tune his shooting, but is now powerless to omit the 25-year-old from his starting plans after seeing what he can bring to the side having bided his time for a chance to shine.

AND in other news, a £27m-rated West Ham dud is playing on borrowed time after a shocking showing at Leeds United.

Liam Kennedy has given an update on the proposed £300m takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

Replying to a fan of the Tyneside club on Twitter, The Shields Gazette journalist was asked about the possible arbitration hearing involving the Magpies and the Premier League to settle their legal disputes over the failed deal between Mike Ashley and the consortium.

The Magpies supporter asked him if a chair has been agreed or if the top flight are stalling for time, to which Kennedy said: “Things aren’t quite that black and white”.

He also went on to say that any thaw in terms of relations between the Saudis and Qatar may well have implications in terms of a legitimate reason for rejecting any form of bid.

What next for the Newcastle takeover?

Mark Douglas believes that the summit in the Kingdom on January 5th may well be the next point of hope for the takeover to possibly be revived, where the first meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of the new year will take place, when it is expected that steps will be taken to end the political disputes between Qatar and the KSA.

It could well be something to come back on to if and when the arbitration hearing does takes place, which could give more hope to fans in the North East that the takeover can be resurrected.

In other news, find out who has been put under pressure to give takeover answers here!

Preston North End have confirmed that Glasgow Rangers target Daniel Johnson has signed a contract extension at the club which has put paid to rumours suggesting that he could move north of the border.

What’s the word?

Ever since the summer transfer window, Johnson has had to cope with stories linking him to the 54-time Scottish champions.

Though there may have been some truth to the rumours, and a link-up with the likes of Rangers midfielders Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo under Steven Gerrard could have been fruitful, it seems as though the long-running transfer saga has finally run its course.

The 28-year-old Jamaican international has put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him at Deepdale until 2023 after initially rejecting an offer to stay at the club.

“I am relieved, but I am very happy that it is done,” Johnson told the club’s website. “It is put to bed now and for quite a while, it has been what I have focused on, so I can get tunnel vision and focus on my football.

“I have been here quite a while and I am happy to still be here. The goal now is to kick on and start producing what I know I can produce and keep helping the team.

“I have become one of the senior players at this football club and it is about showing that and helping pass on information to the younger boys in the squad.”

Missed opportunity?

There are no two ways of saying this, this news will be a bitter pill to swallow for Gerrard, who has been chasing Johnson for at least half a year.

His decision to extend his current deal has pretty much sounded the death knell for Rangers’ hopes of landing the Jamaican, who has been an integral part of Alex Neil’s side this season thus far, with Ross Wilson missing the opportunity to sign a player who possesses truly game-changing qualities.

Johnson has caught the eye with a series of impressive displays for Neil’s men so far this season, featuring in 22 appearances across all competitions including four goals and three assists to show for his 17 starts.

His fellow Jamaican and former Motherwell ace Chris Humphrey cannot speak highly enough about his countryman having witnessed single-handedly how the live wire has often changed the game with his array of passes and ability to bring the ball forward.

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“I would put DJ up there as one of the best number 10s or attacking midfielders I have played with – and I’ve played with some really good players,” Humphrey told The Daily Record. “He is unbelievable and in that league, he would be unreal. He’d be good for Rangers in Europe as well.

“He is excellent technically, scores goals and has pace. He drives forward with the ball and can play a pass. His all-round game is phenomenal. I’d say he’s probably got the best left foot of any player I’ve played with.”

‘DJ’ has proven to be one of Preston’s most creative players in the Championship this season, with the midfielder producing 32.3 passes per game at a success rate of 79.1% – bettered only by four other players, including Ben Pearson (88.5%) and Scott Sinclair (80.2%).

Of those key passes, he has provided three assists with a combined total of six-goal contributions – only Sinclair (8) has contributed to more goals this season, per WhoScored. For context, that’s more than struggling Bafana-Bafana midfielder Bongani Zungu, who has yet to find the back of the net in 14 appearances for the Gers.

Had Wilson been brave enough, or keen enough, to pull the trigger, who knows what Rangers would have been able to achieve with Johnson in their ranks.

He certainly had the qualities to bring an extra dimension to Gerrard’s side but alas, the Rangers boss will need to focus on other targets if he does want to improve his midfield options.

AND in other news, Rangers should regret missing out on Ben Davies as George Edmundson set for Ibrox exit…