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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to a seventh straight game this afternoon, but a local rival stands in their way.

Nuno Santo’s side welcome Aston Villa to Molineux just a couple of weeks after they defeated them in the Carabao Cup, so maybe there is some revenge at stake too.

Michael Kightly reveals the truth about his exit from Wolves in the video below…

Last time out, the west Midlanders needed a second-half goal from Raul Jimenez to clinch a point against Arsenal, but there were encouragements for the future.

None more so than the performance from Ruben Neves, who finally was utilised in an advanced position – and it paid off.

On the Chalkboard

Football FanCast have previously highlighted the need for the Portuguese midfielder to play further forward to draw the best out of him.

He is known for the odd screamer, after all.

In fact, he’s not scored a goal from inside the area (aside from a penalty) in an old gold shirt, per Understat – remarkably at one stage, Neves had more long-range goals than touches inside the penalty box.

Playing next to his fellow countryman Joao Moutinho in a 3-4-3 formation, the 22-year-old was allowed to venture into the final third – 42 of his 45 passes were between the mid and final phases of the pitch.

Neves also managed to fire off four shots at goal, all from considerable range – the most in one game since Burnley at the end of August – which only goes to show that he’s been given a bit more freedom.

This is most emphasised when taking a look at his heatmap from a game like Manchester City, where he was deployed in a very defensive role and this game against Arsenal.

The City victory (left) shows just how deep Neves was, while the Arsenal draw (right) displays him much closer to the opposition’s penalty area with more intensity in their half too.

Wolves may have beaten the reigning champions, but that was down to a moment of brilliance from Adama Traore as he netted a late brace, so that can be discounted in terms of Neves’ own personal performance – he had a far greater impact against the Gunners.

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And that is something that needs to continue going forward if Nuno wants his side to score more goals, which should in theory lead to more victories.

Wolves have just drawn too many matches as they sit 12th in the league despite losing the same amount of games as City and fewer matches than Tottenham Hotspur.

The £45m-valued (Transfermarkt) midfielder holds all the keys to unlocking future success.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

When Jordan Hugill left West Ham United to join Queens Park Rangers on loan during the summer, he did so as a man with a point to prove

He had pretty much been discarded by the Hammers after playing just 22 minutes of football for them across three substitute appearances in 2018.

The striker spent last season with Middlesbrough, scoring 6 goals in 20 league starts and 17 substitute appearances for the club – a decent total, albeit far from eye-catching.

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He has really kicked on this season at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium though, already exceeding last season’s goal tally with 7 strikes from 11 starts and 4 substitute appearances – that tally includes a brace against Sheffield Wednesday to secure a 2-1 victory for QPR.

Following that game, Mark Warburton summarised how useful he has been for the club, as he was quoted on West London Sport as saying: “A good striker feeds off of good chances and I told him he’d get that by coming to QPR, and he has. He’s responded really well.

“There were good quality finishes today I’m sure he upset a few in the crowd. But you have to do that. You have to come to a tough venue and draw the fouls, and you have to be strong, and you have to look after the football and link play – and he did all of those and more.”

The 27-year-old’s effectiveness hasn’t come solely from goals though, as he has won 3.3 aerial duels per game, helping to bring strike partner Nakhi Wells into the game – his influence is indicated by the fact he has already been awarded Man of the Match twice by WhoScored.

His lack of polish is still evident though, marked by 6 yellow cards, 2.2 fouls committed per game, as well as his average of 2.5 unsuccessful touches.

It is this side of the former Preston North End striker’s game that makes it unlikely Manuel Pellegrini will reinstate him to the West Ham team, but that should not detract from the fact Hugill, who is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, has achieved some form of redemption this season after a tough couple of years since moving to the Hammers.

Tottenham Hotspur confirmed on Wednesday morning that they have appointed Jose Mourinho as their new Head Coach on a deal until the end of the 2022/23 season.

Spurs had only announced the departure of Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday night, but they have moved quickly and swiftly to bring in his appointment in the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager.

Mourinho won three Premier League titles with the former before being unable to add another to his collection during his time at Old Trafford, and he will surely be tasked with delivering his new club’s first since the competition inaugaration in 1992.

It certainly isn’t going to happen this season with the north London outfit lying in 14th position in the top flight standings having won just three of their opening 12 league matches of the campaign to date, which sees them trail leaders Liverpool by a whopping 20 points even though we are yet to reach December.

The 56-year-old needs to act quickly to turn things around at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he gets his first chance to do so when they travel to arch-rivals West Ham United at the weekend, looking to record their first Premier League win on the road since January.

Many Tottenham Hotspur fans have been raving over a report by French media outlet Le Foot, saying that the club are “very closely interested” in Nice right-back Youcef Atal.

Le Foot report that Spurs, as well as Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, are keen on the Algeria international, with it being a position that the north London outfit really need to strengthen.

Indeed, having sold Kieran Trippier last summer and loaned an out-of-favour Kyle Walker-Peters to Southampton during the January transfer window, Serge Aurier has been their only specialist player in his position this term.

Interestingly, the 23-year-old is currently sidelined with a knee injury he suffered in December 2019, but he is expected to be back for the beginning of the 2020/21 season, whenever that may be.

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The African has a decent record in terms of goalscoring with seven in 44 outings for the Ligue 1 outfit since joining them in 2018, while according to WhoScored, he averaged 1.5 shots and 3.6 successful dribbles in his 13 French top flight appearances this term before his injury.

Tottenham supporters certainly seem thrilled at the prospect of signing Atal, with one individual saying they have “tears in my eyes”, while another said “that’s more like it”.

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While Aurier had been improved in recent months, his previous displays mean it is no surprise that the Spurs faithful are excited at the prospect of a new right-back arriving.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

In other Tottenham news, a report has provided an exciting insight into what Levy & ENIC’s plan to keep Harry Kane happy…

As the footballing world continues to wait on edge about what will happen to the current season, players are having to spend a significant amount of time away from the pitch – something that isn’t exactly ideal for top-level athletes.

But Leeds ace Jean-Kevin Augustin is seemingly doing everything he can to make sure he gets in tip-top shape for if and when the campaign resumes.

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In a video posted on the Whites’ official Twitter account, the Frenchman can be seen working out, no doubt trying to ensure he is completely in tune with Marcelo Bielsa’s notorious demands.

And after watching the footage, Leeds fans flooded to the replies section in their droves.

Some Leeds fans talked up how Augustin could return a different animal when the Championship resumes, and suggested he could be their “new secret weapon”.

Having signed him on a loan deal from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig back in the January transfer window, Leeds may have hoped Augustin could play a leading role in their promotion charge and give Patrick Bamford some much-needed competition.

Instead, he has played a total of just 48 minutes of Championship football, and hasn’t even been involved in the match-day squad in five out of the ten league games he has been at the club for.

But if he can make sure he is in great condition when the season kick-starts again, there’s no reason why he can’t be the man to give Leeds that extra little spark to ensure their return to the top-flight.

Meanwhile, Leeds fans discuss Phil Hay’s report on the club’s finances.

Liverpool fans have been left raving about midfielder Naby Keita after The Athletic’s James Pearce wrote an article about his struggles since leaving Germany for England in 2018.

It’s been nearly two years since his mega £52.75m move to Anfield where he took the honour of donning Steven Gerrard’s prestigious number eight shirt, but he’s yet to make a mark remotely akin to the club legend.

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Pearce claims he’s the only big-money signing of the Jurgen Klopp era to not give the Reds a return on their investment, although supporters are tipping big things for him next season and in part hold his inconsistencies down to injuries.

Keita has played just 18 times this campaign with only 368 minutes coming in the Premier League, via Transfermarkt.

Earlier this month the 25-year-old claimed that injuries were the only thing holding him back from thriving under his German chief during an interview with Liverpool magazine, via the Evening Standard.

And this is what fans are saying in response to Pearce’s latest piece…

AND in other news, Liverpool fans react to Timo Werner transfer update…

Many Newcastle United fans have reacted to comments made by Amanda Staveley, the businesswoman leading the takeover bid.

As per ChronicleLive, moderator Manus Cranny could hear a ‘discernible change of tone’ in her voice when they talked about sport and chose to ask her why someone would want to invest in the game.

She said that they are quite big football supporters in her family, both in terms of supporting clubs and as investors, and have been looking to buy assets in the Premier League for some time.

However, Staveley added that there is a difficulty in terms of totally different valuations, and as a private equity investor, you would look at quite moderate ones and then, suddenly, you are getting advisors saying that some of the big top flight teams are now trading at four or five times revenue. She claims that this is heavy, but they believe very much in investing in sport.

These members of the Toon faithful reacted to the comments on Twitter:

Newcastle fans, what are your thoughts on Staveley’s comments? Let us know below…

Celtic fans have been discussing midfielder Oliver Ntcham this week after one account on Twitter asked whether Neil Lennon’s side were better off with or without him in the lineup.

The 24-year-old joined the SPFL giants in the summer of 2017 from Manchester City and was somewhat a regular presence under former manager Brendan Rodgers, but this season, the Frenchman has found game time hard to come by.

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Ntcham may have played 38 times, but only 17 have been league starts whilst he has only managed 286 minutes in the Europa League across their six group games, via Tranfermarkt.

He’s often got the likes of skipper Scott Brown, Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor ahead of him in the pecking order, even despite his ability to play both defensively and advanced.

Transfermarkt currently value him at £3.6m and clearly many at Celtic Park can also see his worth to the team.

Here’s how they have been reacting…

AND in other news, Celtic fans discuss Mohamed Elyounoussi future…

As per TEAMtalk, Glasgow Rangers are interested in signing Charlton Athletic’s Lyle Taylor.

Taylor’s contract runs out at the end of this current campaign, which would leave the Montserrat international able to depart The Valley on a free transfer.

As such, the Gers are said to be eyeing a deal, but they will not be the only outfit with the 30-year-old on their radar. Burnley, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Stoke, Preston and Middlesbrough are all mentioned in the report as potential suitors.

Taylor has proven himself to be a quality marksman so far in his career, and particularly over the past few seasons. He has scored at least 10 league goals in each of the past five seasons, twice breaking the 20-goal barrier, and has managed 36 strikes in 67 matches for the Addicks.

In Scotland, too, he has proven himself in the past, scoring 41 goals in 78 matches combined during spells at Partick Thistle and Falkirk. As such, he is a proven entity up front, and on a free transfer, he would be an absolute bargain, despite his age.

The future of Alfredo Morelos remains uncertain amidst transfer interest, whilst Jermain Defoe, at the age of 37, cannot be relied upon to lead the line on his own. A new recruit would be welcome in that position, and Taylor is a far better bet than Florian Kamberi, who has also been linked with a permanent switch to Ibrox – he managed just one goal in nine matches during his loan spell there.

Let us know what you think below!

Tottenham Hotspur are keen to sign Serie A ace Timothy Castagne, according to The Times.  

The Daily Express revealed earlier this week that Tottenham are in talks with Paris Saint-Germain star Thomas Meunier. However, transfer guru Nicolo Schira claims Meunier has decided to join Borussia Dortmund instead.

Now, The Times reports the Lilywhites are considering Castagne as an alternative.

Jose Mourinho is in the market for a new right-back, as it is fair to say Spurs have struggled to fill the void left by Kieran Trippier, and Serge Aurier’s off-field issues have angered the club’s hierarchy.

As it stands, this latest development could be good news for the Portuguese.

Tottenham are reportedly looking to cash in on Aurier and Kyle Walker-Peters, which will leave Mourinho short of options on the right flank.

Given the fact Spurs will have barely any cash to spend in the summer, they will have to resort to signing free agents or organising swap deals in order to improve the squad.

The board were lining up a move for Meunier as he will be available for free, which is a big factor as clubs are facing financial pressures due to the pandemic.

Although the Belgian has apparently snubbed the club, they have now turned their attentions to his international teammate instead.

Ever since he arrived at Atalanta from Genk for £5.85m in 2017, Castagne has emerged as one of Europe’s hottest talents.

Indeed, the 24-year-old has played 14 games in the Italian top flight this term, scoring once, supplying one assist, winning 1.4 tackles per match and taking one shot per game (WhoScored).

However, Daniel Levy will likely have to splash the cash for Castagne, as his contract with the Nerazzurri will run out next year. He is currently valued at £14.4m via Transfermarkt.

Nevertheless, Spurs are intent on pursuing a new full-back, which may have delivered the coup de grace for Aurier’s career in north London.

While the Ivorian has received a higher WhoScored rating than his Belgian counterpart, he has failed to convince the critics so far.

Given his issues on-and-off the pitch, it makes perfect sense for the club to get rid of Aurier and sign Castagne instead. The Belgium international can also play in the midfield, and his versatility is surely an added bonus.

Even in the unlikely event a move doesn’t work out as planned, Mourinho would still have gained a valuable asset.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sign Timothy Castagne in the summer? Let us know by commenting down below!