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It’s perhaps always inevitable that potential stars slip through the net once in a while. Arsenal fans probably watched Serge Gnabry help lift the Champions League trophy last season with Bayern Munich, with gritted teeth, knowing that the German was once on their books.

Whilst Aston Villa haven’t quite had a faux pas like that, Adama Traore’s meteoric rise since leaving Villa Park back in the summer of 2016 is right up there with being one of the club’s biggest ever transfer blunders.

Signed a year earlier for around £7m from Spanish giants Barcelona, then Villa boss Tim Sherwood waxed lyrical about the kind of coup that they had pulled off. He said: “He’s dynamic, very quick and a maverick-type player – you never know what he’s going to do next and I mean that as a compliment. He’s a huge asset for this club. He can hurt the opposition and I’m delighted to bring him here.”

In the end, the winger never even started a Premier League game for Villa, playing just 186 minutes of football in the top-flight. Most of his game-time came with the club’s U21s, before he was eventually shipped out to Middlesbrough the following summer.

Now, Traore is tearing Premier League defences to shreds with his power and pace for Wolves, and it was even reported earlier in the summer transfer window that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side had slapped a €150m (£135m) price tag on his head to ward off potential suitors.

It’s quite the turnaround for someone who clearly had enormous ability in his locker, with former Villa ace Micah Richards not shy in admitting that the Spaniard completely embarrassed him.

He said: “We were warming up before training and I was really warm so I thought ‘yeah, I’m gonna see how quick this guy really is’. I always fancied myself to be fast. No-one I had faced had really out-paced me. The only people I had struggled with on a totally different level were Theo Walcott, Gabby Agbonlahor and Aaron Lennon.

“But Adama was way quicker than even them in their prime. I was just like ‘wow’. My confidence was shot after that. I never wanted to race him again. Honestly, he beat me by about 20 yards!”

All Villa had to do was show a bit more patience with the Spanish flier, and afford him the kind of leniency that normally comes with young, raw talents. Instead, they got rid of him at the first possible opportunity, and have been paying for it ever since.

And in other news, this Aston Villa transfer target had a nightmare whilst on international duty.

Speaking to Football Insider, Alan Hutton has raved about Rangers starlet Stephen Kelly.

What did he say?

The 20-year-old spent the campaign on loan at Ayr United, and enjoyed a very impressive year, being named the club’s young player of the season.

Now, Hutton has revealed that he has high hopes for the youngster, and that Rangers’ reserve team coach, Peter Lovenkrands, has spoken highly about him.

He said: “You always get excited about the young players, I’ve heard a few things about him from Peter and that as one of the exciting players coming through. This is ideal in my opinion – boys going out and playing 30, 35 games a season, coming back battle-hardened, that’s what they need. I’ve been there before.

“See when you’re going into the first-team for the first time, it’s like a shock to the system, it’s difficult. If you’ve gone out for seasons and played and you know what to expect, it makes you feel so much better.

“For the youngsters, it’s a great move. Of course he’s one for the future – to go out on loan in a tough league and get young player of the year, it speaks volumes. I’m sure Rangers will be watching him very closely.”

Decisions

After such a successful loan spell, the big temptation for Steven Gerrard and co will be whether to throw Kelly into the deep end for next season at Ibrox.

What could be worth their while in the long-run however, is actually sending Kelly out on loan again for another full year, and seeing him continue to get first-team football at a high level.

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The season just gone by saw the 20-year-old feature 36 times across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing a further four assists. Playing week-in and week-out would be far more beneficial for a young player like Kelly, than simply sitting on the bench and getting some minutes here and there.

A massive decision will have to be made this summer on his short-term future.

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan insists Wilfried Zaha should move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer after Roy Hodgson revealed he is “so set on leaving” Selhurst Park. 

Zaha, 27, wanted to leave Palace last year, but a move never materialised, amid interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Everton.

A year later, the winger finds himself in a similar situation.

Despite Hodgson’s best efforts, Palace have been unable to match his ambitions, while Zaha has changed agents and made it clear he wants to win trophies.

Palace refused to sell him for anything less than £80m last year, although their valuation is expected to plummet, as clubs are operating in unprecedented circumstances.

Jose Mourinho’s side qualified for the Europa League after drawing with the Eagles on the final day of the Premier League season.

Hodgson suggested speculation has had an impact on his performances this season.

“It’s obviously affected him because his form in the last few weeks has really been quite poor considering what he is capable of doing,” Hodgson said.

“It’s a dilemma for the club and a dilemma for him if he is so set on leaving. If he feels he just does not want to be with us any more, that would be sad.”

“We still like him very much; we can’t make him like us. This is a situation that only he and the club can sort out. I don’t have an answer.”

Zaha, a product of Palace’s academy, left the club to move to Manchester United in 2013, before returning to Selhurst Park in 2014.

The Ivorian, who is known for his dribbling, scored 10 league goals last season, but only managed four goals this term, which is his lowest return since the 2015-16 season.

However, the pundit believes he should join Spurs instead, as he feels Mourinho will be able to get the best out of him.

Speaking to talkSPORT, as per The Daily Star, Jordan admitted “I don’t think Wilfried has covered himself in glory this season. I think he is a tremendous player. “

“Obviously I knew him from a very long time ago – he came out of the academy which I produced – and started his professional career as I was going but he’s an incredible talent.”

“He is on £130,000 a week which in Palace’s terms, is very expensive. And now he wants to go now. He gave them another year, they gave him a longer contract which means they have put themselves in a strong negotiating position.”

“I could see him going to Tottenham. It depends how Mourinho wants to set them up next year and what he wants to do with them.”

“He wants to go. I could see him going to Tottenham. He is in the price category that Daniel [Levy] might be willing to spend.”

It is hard to argue with Jordan on this one, as Zaha is arguably one of the best players in the Premier League on his day.

He is one of the Eagles’ biggest attacking threats, but now wants to spread his wings. Zaha has been an exceptional servant at Selhurst Park, who has stayed far longer than anyone would’ve expected.

Given his age, he desperately needs to step up another level, in order to achieve his full potential.

He finds himself in a similar situation to former Chelsea star Eden Hazard, albeit on a much smaller scale. At the end of his Stamford Bridge career, even Blues fans could see that Hazard deserved so much more than chasing long balls over the top in the Europa League.

While Spurs have plenty of attacking options, the Ivory Coast international would give the side something extra going forward.

Mourinho is not short of wide options, as Son Heung-min, Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela have all contributed in some way, shape or form so far. Whether or not Levy will be willing to spend a colossal sum on a winger who has struggled for consistency this season is another matter entirely.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Zaha in the summer? Let us know down below!

Tottenham Hotspur wonder-kid Yago Santiago has posted a video of himself scoring a cool finish during training via his official Twitter account, prompting discussion amongst the fan base. 

Santiago joined the Spurs academy at the beginning of the season from his hometown club Celta Vigo.

The midfielder bagged 15 goals for the Celts’ U-16s in the campaign beforehand and his eye-catching performances attracted plenty of interest.

While he might not be the first name that springs to mind at the moment, the 17-year-old has given a small sneak peek of what he has to offer.

Prior to the nationwide lockdown, the Spaniard made 10 appearances in the U-18’s Premier League, picking up one goal before football was suspended due to the ongoing pandemic (Transfermarkt).

If the clip is anything to go by, Santiago has definitely shown he knows how to find the back of the net.

The youngster’s footage has divided the Lilywhites faithful though, as a fan tweeted his “first touch was terrible,” while another dubbed the teenager a “baller.” One supporter even suggested he is the “next Fabregas.”

Take a look at some of the mixed reactions down below…

Tottenham fans, do you think Yago Santiago can become a club legend in the future? Join the discussion in the comments section!

Sunderland shareholder Charlie Methven has revealed why the club sold Tunisia international Wahbi Khazri.

Arriving at Sunderland in the 2015/16 season, Khazri played a part in the club’s Premier League stint which came to an abrupt end during the winger’s second season on Wearside.

Relegation to the Championship saw the Black Cats struggle and the 29-year-old would play just three games in England’s second tier before being allowed to join French club Rennes on a season-long loan. That loan was then followed by a permanent move away from the Stadium of Light, seeing the lively attacker join Saint-Etienne.

Discussing his sale, shareholder Methven revealed the reasons behind the attacker’s exit from the Wearside club. Speaking in an interview with Sasikumar Ramu’s YouTube channel as quoted via Roker Report, he said:

“There were some players, some honourable players, who wanted to leave who said ‘look, even if I have to take a pay cut, I want to play at the highest level I can possibly play’.

“It was a case for those players, of trying to find them the right club for them to go to and there were several examples of that.

“A top player from the last World Cup, Wahbi Khazri, the Tunisian playmaker, Wahbi was very clear ‘I want to play in top division football and if it means that I earn less, that’s fine. I just want to play at a great level of football’. So he went to St-Etienne and we received £6m from St-Etienne and that was very helpful.

“Khazri right from the start was very football orientated, it’s all about football, money comes afterwards, I have no interest in money, it’s all about football and then you have other types of players who are like ‘well no other club is going to pay me what my contract at Sunderland is, so I’m going to stay here’.

“In some cases, I think that meant indicating to them in the most tactful way possible that their life at Sunderland from now on would not be all that enjoyable and probably they would be best served by looking elsewhere and they were under an illusion if they felt that Sunderland was going to carry on being this easy place to be for guys on big money and it would be a bit more uncomfortable than that.

“Of course in two or three of the player’s cases we fired them and then sued them, it was a case by case basis but in the end we did it.”

Khazri, who is still playing for Saint Etienne, netted three goals and gained two assists in the 2019/20 season.

There was simply no way Sunderland could have kept hold of Khazri, especially if the player wanted to play at a higher level. However, the creative attacker was not replaced, along with other players who left, and that is one of the downfalls of the club over the last few seasons.

This summer is another important one in the club’s immediate future and boss Phil Parkinson must ensure that players are signed to replace those who are due to leave at the end of June.

Should Sunderland have kept hold of Wahbi Khazri? Let us know in the comments section below…

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

If Newcastle are to get anything from the clash against Aston Villa, Steve Bruce will have to ensure once again that his team are tough to break down.

If they provide defensive solidity while providing a threat on the counter-attack, they may be able to replicate recent wins against West Ham and Bournemouth.

On both of those occasions they managed to negate the threat of key players such as Felipe Anderson, Ryan Fraser and Joshua King, and much of that was because of the performance of Isaac Hayden.

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It is little surprise that his return from suspension has coincided with an upturn in form, as no other Newcastle midfielder is able to fulfil the role he performs – his duties are key to Bruce’s system.

He has gone from being a bit-part player under Rafa Benitez – making 21 league starts last season – to acting as the chief protector of the backline.

As per WhoScored, his 2.9 tackles and 1.8 interceptions mean he cuts out danger with great efficiency, and against a midfield consisting of Jack Grealish and John McGinn that will be pivotal.

Villa possess a threat in a variety of areas but there is no doubting that Grealish is the main man, with the captain backing up his talismanic-like status with four goals and three assists this term.

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Added to that, Grealish often provides a constant attacking threat in the opposition half, and has 2.5 key passes and 1.9 successful dribbles per game, as per WhoScored.

He likes to get in between the midfield and defence, picking up the ball to run towards goal before finding a teammate or offloading a pass, and Bruce must be prepared for that.

One solution is to limit the space between defence and midfield by playing them close to each other, but given that is the domain in which Hayden operates, a lot of expectation is on his shoulders.

This will be another difficult test for the former Arsenal man, but as long as he keeps his composure and stays on his feet – which he didn’t against Leicester – then he should be able to keep a close an eye on the Villa man and reduce his influence.

If he achieves that Newcastle will keep a key threat quiet, and as long as the front-three can reproduce their recent form, particularly Allan Saint-Maximin, then the Magpies may keep their current run going.

Many Tottenham Hotspur fans want Real Betis striker Loren Moron at the club after Twitter fan account TranSpurs relayed a story from Estadio Deportivo last month saying he is keen to link up with Giovani Lo Celso in north London.

The report says that 26-year-old has been tempted by both Spurs and Serie A giants Napoli, although it added that he will only be allowed to leave if the price is right for the La Liga outfit.

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The prospect of Moren linking up with Lo Celso again would have to be seen as an exciting one for Tottenham, seeing as the Spaniard has scored 26 goals in 89 matches for one of the Spanish top-flight’s less fancied sides.

Jose Mourinho certainly looks to need another striker during the summer transfer window given he hasn’t trusted Troy Parrott to play there in Harry Kane’s injury absence in recent months, with the likes of Dele Alli and Lucas Moura preferred out of position in the centre-forward role instead.

As you can see from the reactions below, Spurs supporters would certainly be keen to see “Gio’s mate” arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

In other Tottenham news, Spurs’ 23-goal target has sent a promising transfer message to Daniel Levy…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Roshane Thomas, of The Athletic, has been speaking about West Ham United’s goalkeeper situation, following the 3-0 loss against Burnley.

What did he say?

Roberto made another big mistake against Burnley when he attempted to punch away a corner, seeing the ball spin off his fist and over the line.

The goalkeeping situation is beginning to severely cost the Hammers, as they have now gone on a run of seven games without a victory in all competitions – with Roberto making a number of questionable saves during that time.

During a Q&A on The Athletic, one fan put it to Thomas that Roberto should be dropped and that Adrian was never adequately replaced, to which he replied: “Yep, I also think Martin should start the next game. Roberto was very poor today. He’s yet to keep clean sheet in the Premier League. Pellegrini pretty much refused to talk about his performance.

“I don’t think the situation would be this bad if Adrian was still the club’s second-choice goalkeeper.”

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Hard to argue

Adrian definitely would have been able to help the Hammers’ situation because Roberto’s frailties have been a big reason behind them, with fans having shown their frustrations towards him.

A contrast between Roberto and his fellow Spaniard shows just how bad a deal West Ham set out for themselves during the summer.

Adrian played an important part in Liverpool’s UEFA Super Cup win, saving Tammy Abraham’s penalty shootout, with only 1 of his 11 appearances this campaign ending in a loss.

He has also become a surprisingly popular figure at Anfield, which cannot be said for the Hammers’ back-up goalkeeper based on reactions to yesterday’s performance.

The 32-year-old also impressed Garth Crooks when featuring against Burnley, as he was quoted on BBC Sport as saying: “The relationship between the Liverpool back four and stand-in keeper Adrian has had its good and bad moments.”

“Adrian’s performance against Burnley, however, was about as good as it gets. The Spanish keeper made a superb save from Chris Wood at a critical time in the first half, while his defensive unit made sure Adrian was not required to come to their rescue thereafter.”

The Hammers certainly miss the stopper, but will need to find a solution to the issue if they are to pick up points while Lukasz Fabianski is out injured. That may well come in the form of David Martin, the current third-choice, starting between the sticks next time out.

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

Manchester United winger Daniel James has been given something clear to work on from his latest appearance for Wales.

On the chalkboard

United’s summer signing from Swansea City started the clash with Azerbaijan on Saturday and created his side’s first goal, as he embarked on a mazy dribble and crash an effort against the underside of the bar, leading to Harry Wilson’s opener.

However, the statistics show that he endured a mixed evening despite his side’s victory.

Per SofaScore, James had 57 touches of the ball and while he laid on three key passes, he struggled with his general accuracy.

He had a pass completion rate of 81%, completed just one accurate cross having attempted seven, and did not have a single shot on target.

Add in that James lost possession on 17 occasions – more than any other Wales attacker – and that he was dribbled past once, and it’s clear James was not quite at his sparkling best for his country.

However, he was rated higher than Gareth Bale for his contribution, picking up a 7.7 rating, and one feels that he merely has to improve in terms of his decision-making if he is to fulfil his burgeoning potential.

Playing style calls for it

James is perhaps a victim of the way he tries to play.

The United speedster is so quick that he continually looks to carry the ball forward and beat his man, not unlike Bale.

He completed three dribbles out of the four that he attempted and, while he created one big chance, there is a case to be made for James slightly altering his playing style if he is to have even more success, particularly for Wales.

His profile has been raised by his time at United and defences are already doubling up on him as he tries to make his runs.

It is excellent to see a young player with the confidence to run with the ball and look to take players on consistently, and James is a real outlet for both club and country.

But there is nothing wrong with looking to pass instead of running on, otherwise James risks running into cul-de-sacs all too regularly.

Wales boss Ryan Giggs was a master at this and always seemed to make the right decision when it came to choosing whether to take his man on or not.

That knowledge will surely trickle down and, eventually, one has to believe that James will strike the right balance between trying to beat defenders and distributing effectively.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Bukayo Saka is desperate to keep his place in the Arsenal starting line-up despite Alexandre Lacazette’s return to fitness, per Football.London.

What’s he said?

The France international suffered an ankle injury during the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and subsequently missed clashes with Watford, Aston Villa, Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth.

Saka has played in the latter three of those games, registering an assist against United, and he is hopeful of retaining his spot.

He said: “It’s always good to have all our best players available, all of us competing makes us push to play better and better.

“If one player is injured then others get an opportunity but I want everyone to come back and do the best for Arsenal.

“The boss knows what I can do, what the other players can do. Different games require different players but I feel like I’ve shown the boss he can trust me. Whatever game he puts me in I’ll always give it my all.”

An exceptional talent

Saka is an excellent player and he has shown as much in recent weeks.

The England U19 international has been a shining light for the youth teams, netting 16 goals in 26 games for the Gunners’ U18 side, along with scoring six and providing 10 assists for the U23s.

Having been handed an opportunity, he has grasped it with both hands.

Per WhoScored, in the Premier League prior to the clash with Sheffield United, Saka has averaged 1.7 key passes per game, two dribbles, 1.3 shots per game, as well as 2.7 tackles.

In the Europa League, his stats are even more impressive. He has made just one appearance – in the 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt – but he scored once, provided two assists and laid on five key passes in a virtuoso display.

It remains to be seen how manager Unai Emery will utilise him across the remainder of the season but one thing is for sure; he deserves to play regularly.