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Flash back to the end of the 2016/17 Championship season and you’ll see Wolves sat in mediocrity. In that campaign, they finished 15th, something that’s now become a distant memory.

For large parts of the Molineux faithful, it’s probably been forgotten about completely. Wolves were to gain promotion the following year, and now they’re on the verge of European football after sealing seventh in the Premier League.

What a difference just a couple of years make in football. Nuno Santo has done quite the job, and he’s been able to turn what was a distinctly average team into one of the most exciting in England.

But it hasn’t come without its issues. When is football ever that simple? One of the main problems to come from their stellar first term back in the big time has been depth. It’s no secret. In fact, it’s something that’s been at the forefront of many minds towards the back end of the season.

The club crashed out of the FA Cup and then looked to fade. However, in typical Wolves style over recent years, they bounced back, showing tremendous resilience.

Plans will now be drawn up ahead of the summer transfer market. Wolves need to add bodies to their squad, but what if they were to look towards internal solutions, rather than external?

Move over Jorge Mendes – the man largely responsible for the club’s impressive recruitment over the last few summers – because Wolves have a batch of highly promising youngsters coming through. Their U23 side had a terrific campaign, winning Premier League 2 Division 2 under the stewardship of Rob Edwards.

Within that side, there are three main candidates who could quite easily boost the club’s depth next season. Here they are in all their glory.

Niall Ennis

If anyone is likely to succeed from Wolves’ promising academy then it’ll be 19-year-old striker Ennis. He’s already had setback after setback in his career and if his mentality is anything to go by, then he’s destined to achieve at the top level.

During the 2016/17 season, Ennis was meant to play a big part for Shrewsbury. The forward signed on loan but would only play two matches, breaking his fibula and then suffering a knee injury. His ability to bounce back from that at such a young age is admirable.

It’s not been a story of fading away like it is with so many young footballers. Instead, he made his first-team debut this season, featuring in the FA Cup, whilst he played a pivotal part in the academy’s title win. During that run, he scored nine goals in 20 matches, whilst also claiming three assists.

With murmurs of Ivan Cavaleiro departing Molineux this summer, per The Mirror, now could the ideal opportunity for Ennis to prove his worth to the first team. After all, it would save the club trying to bring in a replacement.

Benny Ashley-Seal

Another forward, Ashley-Seal’s development this season has been fascinating and the club owe a huge thanks to him for helping them win a league title at youth level. Before moving out on loan, he scored ten goals in ten games.

Having featured against Ajax in pre-season and then played twice in the Carabao Cup, he was rewarded with a bumper contract in January. He then moved on loan to Famalicao in Portugal’s second tier.

The 20-year-old enjoyed a productive spell, scoring once in the five games he played in. His only strike came in a fixture where Famalicao were promoted, contributing to a slice of history as his loan side went up to Liga NOS for the first time in 25 years.

He may not have played too many games but his exposure to senior football in a foreign country will have been of great benefit. Like Cavaleiro, Helder Costa is set to be made surplus to requirements in the summer. As a result, it’s another spot begging to be claimed by one of the club’s young stars.

Pote

One of the less familiar players that academy boss Edwards has brought through is Portuguese midfielder Pote. Yes, that’s yet another Wolves player hailing from the Iberian country.

The 20-year-old is a fine talent and after playing a part in the club’s pre-season last summer is someone who can really kick on going into the new campaign.

Pote was another of the U23s’ best players during their Premier League 2 Division 2 success, playing 19 matches and scoring four times from the middle of the park. He also laid on a further three goals for his teammates.

A Wolves fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the club in the video below…

Boosting fantastic technical abilities, he’d be the perfect man to bring into Nuno’s team next season. Such is his creative nature and discipline on the ball that he wouldn’t look out of place.

Birmingham Live revealed that Wolves are looking to add to their midfield ranks this summer. However, they may just be better off bringing through Pote.

Super agent Mendes has done a canny job of providing Wolves with shrewd acquisitions over the last two years, but this method could prove an even bigger success.

After all, what football fan doesn’t like seeing a young player come through their club’s system?

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According to The Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are keen on want-away Newcastle star Isaac Hayden this summer, with the midfielder apparently seeking an exit from St James’ Park despite having enjoyed an extended run in the starting XI in 2018/19.

A tough-tackling defensive midfielder who, like Palace, has frustrated Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City this season, Hayden could be a shrewd by for plenty of sides, the Eagles included. Any swoop for the 24-year-old would surely be terminal to Jairo Riedewald’s career at Selhurst Park, though.

What’s the word?

Well, The Daily Mail reports that Hayden is set on finding pastures new at the end of the season having remained for one term longer than he wanted to, and his impressive performances at the base of Rafa Benitez’s midfield will surely mean he won’t be short of options.

Newcastle are thought to be demanding in excess of £10m for the enforcer, who has made 24 league appearances this campaign, with Palace’s bitter rivals Brighton and Hertfordshire outfit Watford also interested in acquiring his services.

Standing at 6 ft 2, Hayden is a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the park and would add some extra steel to an already impressive Palace midfield. The former Arsenal man’s arrival at Selhurst Park would surely mean that Riedewald’s career is as good as over as the Dutchman threatens to become a huge waste of potential through no fault of his own.

Should Crystal Palace keep hold of Max Meyer this summer? Harvey Jones discusses in the video below…

A tough Ried for Riedewald

The 2017 signing from Ajax has yet to feature for Palace in the league this season but has impressed when given a chance in the cup and, at just 22 years of age, still has plenty of time to blossom into the player Palace surely thought they were buying almost two years ago.

A versatile midfielder who reads the game well and is composed on the ball, Riedewald has looked like a class player when he dons the red and blue and these Palace fans want to see more of him:

Unfortunately, it seems that the hopes of this pro-Riedewald section of the SE25 faithful will be dashed this summer, with any move for Hayden surely spelling the end of the young Dutchman’s career. He’s been left to rot in the reserves for too long and the Newcastle man’s arrival, preceded by the signing of Cheikhou Kouyate last summer, must be the final straw.

وجه أحمد فتحي لاعب فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي السابق، والمنتقل حديثًا إلى صفوف بيراميدز، رسالة إلى جماهير القلعة الحمراء.

وكان فتحي قد أعلن انضمامه إلى بيراميدز بعد نهاية تعاقده مع النادي الأهلي بنهاية الموسم المنقضي، ليبدأ رحلته الجديد مع الفريق حديث العهد.

نادر شوقي يتحدث عن خلافه مع أحمد فتحي ويشيد بـ صفقة الأهلي الجديدة: لا يوجد مثله في النادي!

وقال فتحي في بيان نشره عبر حسابه الرسمي بتطبيق الصور الشهير “انستجرام”:-

لحظات يصعب فيها الكلام .. لحظات يصعب فيها التعبير . خاصة وأنت بتخاطب أطراف كلها عزيزة عليك . ولها مكانة خاصة فى قلبك . وكمان عشت معاهم أحلى 12 سنة فى حياتى .. 12 سنة كلها إنتصارات وبطولات وأفراح .. وعايز أقول لو عقود الأحتراف المكتوبه بتنتهى .. عقود الحب والود والأحترام بينى وبين كل منظومة النادى الأهلى لن تنتهى .. أعذرونى لحظات قاسية . وأى قسوة وانت تغادر حبايبك اللى قضيت معاهم سنين فى النادي الأهلى .. بيتى . وهيفضل بيتى . حتى لو كان القدر كتب لى خطوة جديدة . وهيفضل جمهور الاهلي اللى حبنى وساعدني ووقف جنبى . هيفضل سندى .. لأنه جمهور وفى .. جمهور أصيل .. ربنا يشهد اني لم أقصر لحظه لا فى حق النادى .. ولا حق جمهوره .. وبذلت أقصي ما أملك حتى آخر لحظه . وأتمنى أكون قدمت ولو جزء من اللى يستحقه الأهلى وجمهوره .. فى هذه اللحظه الصعبه على نفسى . عايز اسجل شكرى للنادي الأهلي وإدارته وعلي رأسها المحترم الكابتن محمود الخطيب .. وكل الشكر للجماهير اللى مهما تكلمت مش هقدر أعطيها حقها .. شكرا لكل المدربين اللى ساعدوني من أول يوم . وحتي أخر لحظه .. والشكر لكل زمايلي اللعيبه . اللى أنا لعبت معاهم على مدار كل الأجيال .. شكرا لاخواتي الأطباء ومساعدينهم أخصائيين التأهيل والمدلكين .. شكرا للاداريين والعمال .. شكرا لكل فرد ساعدنى ولو بأى حاجه .. أنا مش عايز حد يزعل منى .. فى الأول والآخر دى خطوات كتبها ربنا سبحانه وتعالى .. وأنا متوكل على الله فى كل خطواتي .. ودايمآ هيفضل الأهلي وجمهوره فى قلبى

It’s taken Unai Emery months of hard-work to lay his foundations into making Arsenal a much more attractive, positive football club in his tenure.

So, to see his good work being undone by unnecessary individual errors can be especially frustrating for the Spaniard.

So whenever Shkodran Mustafi ruins Arsenal’s plans with a mistake, it’s Emery who is undoubtedly hurt the most. The error-prone German defender was back to his worst on Sunday, ending the Gunners’ unbeaten home streak with another embarrassing performance against Crystal Palace.

Coming up against possibly the most out-of-form Premier League striker in Christian Benteke, Mustafi ended up getting bullied. He was out of position multiple times, harried with his challenges and unsure of what to do. The German allowed the towering Palace striker to waltz beyond him for the opener before making a schoolboy error for the second.

Just when Arsenal were clawing back into the game after equalizing, he sloppily allowed Zaha to slide past him to score against the helpless Bernd Leno. This isn’t the first time he’s made mistakes which have cost Arsenal points. The German’s done it time and again this season, ruining their momentum and piling on the misery on Emery.

Considering he’s reportedly paid £90k (via SportRac), it simply isn’t good enough.

At this point, even Kostas Mavropanos seems a more reliable option than him. While signing a strong centre-half must be made a priority in the summer, Emery needs to deal with his Mustafi issue immediately.

However, if he keeps on persisting with the erroneous defender, the witty Spaniard’s risking destroying everything he’s built so far at Arsenal.

Arsenal fans, do you think Mustafi should be replaced soon? Join the discussion by commenting below…

James Tavernier came through the academy system at Newcastle, and after spells on loan, with a move to Wigan sandwiched between them, he moved to Rangers in 2015.

Still a Championship club then, he wanted to be part of the rebirth of a giant, and help Rangers re-establish themselves as one of Scotland’s powerhouses, after the now infamous issues that plagued much of this decade.

Three and a half years later, and he is now firmly established as one of Steven Gerrard’s key players — which was acknowledged when he was given the captain’s armband this season.

As captain, he is the first name on Gerrard’s team-sheet each week, and he has consistently led by example over the season.

With still eight games left — and a massive Old Firm clash against Celtic this weekend — he has already made 50 appearances this season, and that he has played in every competition Rangers have taken part in, it underlines his importance to the team.

To think that as a youngster, Tavernier could not get close to establishing himself in the Newcastle senior team, and all his temporary moves away from St James’ Park, it is testament to his character and self-belief that he never gave up.

It is exactly that type of attitude that has endeared him to Rangers fans, and the fact that he has managed to chip in with 14 goals and 17 assists across all competitions this season has helped too.

Awarded with an improved contract at the beginning of the season, Tavernier, at 28-year-old, still has his best years ahead of him, and tied down at Ibrox until 2022, should see him leading the club for a few years to come.

Perhaps one of Tavernier’s most impressive stats is that, as a defender, he has only been booked once in his 50 games this season, which is remarkable for a full back who is up against pacy, tricky wingers almost every week.

His low point of the season, however, happened recently when playing in a game at Easter Road, a Hibs fan ran along the touchline and attacked the Rangers captain as he attempted to take a throw-in.

It was an ugly incident, and not one that Tavernier will remember fondly, but he kept his composure and helped his side secure a point.

Tavernier’s is a success story for a player who, in footballing terms, has gone from rags to riches.

A young player deemed unlikely to succeed by Newcastle, who has gone on to be captain of one of the biggest clubs in Britain.

Newcastle’s loss has most definitely been Rangers’ gain.

What do you think of your captain’s performances this season, Rangers fans? Do you hope he skippers your side for the years ahead? Let us know…

أعلن نادي يوفنتوس الإيطالي لكرة القدم، إصابة الدولي الأمريكي ويستون ماكيني، لاعب وسط الفريق، بـ فيروس كورونا المستجد، كوفيد 19.

وأكد النادي عبر موقعه الرسمي، أنه امتثالًا للوائح والبروتوكول المعمول به، وبعد ظهور إيجابية نتيجة ماكيني، سيدخل في عزلة تامة “الحجر الصحي”.

طالع أيضًأ.. رونالدو يكسر العزل في البرتغال للعودة إلى تورينو 

وقال يوفنتوس إن جميع العينات سلبية باستثناء ماكيني، ولكن لن يتم السماح لهم بالاتصال مع أي شخص خارج المجموعة بعد إصابة ويستون.

وكان كريستيانو رونالدو مهاجم الفريق قد تعرض للإصابة بـ فيروس كورونا أمس الثلاثاء، أثناء مشاركته مع منتخب بلده البرتغال.

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Sheffield Wednesday held their bitter rivals Sheffield United to a draw in the Steel City derby at Hillsborough on Monday night. The goalless stalemate was a better result for the hosts than it was the Blades, as Chris Wilder’s side missed an opportunity to move into the automatic promotion places.

Despite the deadlock remaining unbroken, it was not a boring game, and in fact represented a fascinating tactical battle. Ultimately, Owls boss Steve Bruce will be the happier of the two managers, but both learned important lessons about their teams on Monday.

Steve Bruce is doing a brilliant job

One thing that this derby clash made clear is just what an impact Bruce has had at Hillsborough. Defensively, the Owls were brilliant to a man. The home side produced a dogged, battling, determined and diligent display to keep their fierce local rivals at bay for the ninety minutes.

Prior to Bruce’s appointment earlier in the year, the Owls would not have had the cohesion or confidence to pull off such an impressive defensive effort. Now, though, under the 58-year-old former centre-back’s stewardship, the likes of Michael Hector and Tom Lees are flourishing.

Did Chris Wilder get it wrong in the Steel City derby? Check out the thoughts of Ingood Nick below…

The Blades missed Mark Duffy

For all of their possession and endeavour, the Blades lacked incision and penetration. Without that killer final pass being good enough, the likes of Billy Sharp and Gary Madine stood little chance of scoring. In the end, Wilder’s side resorted to hopeful long balls, which Wednesday mopped up easily.

What the Bramall Lane club lacked was the influence of Mark Duffy, as the 33-year-old midfielder remained an unused substitute for the second Championship game running. The veteran has racked up four goals and six assists in the league so far this year, and might have been the key to unlocking the Owls’ stubborn rearguard. With his side having failed to find the back of the net at all, Wilder may now regret not having given Duffy a go.

Madine or McGoldrick is a big choice

Both Madine and David McGoldrick are fine strikers, each capable of scoring goals and having a positive impact. Madine was given the nod to start by Wilder on Monday night, with the 31-year-old taking his place on the bench. This was a far bigger decision than it might have originally seemed, as both the Cardiff City loanee and McGoldrick significantly impact the way United play.

By going with Madine, Wilder opted for a more physical, target man-like presence. This was the wrong call, as the Wednesday defence found this type of threat all too easy to cope with. When McGoldrick, and his movement and creativity, were introduced to the fold in the second half, the Blades immediately looked better and more potent. Had he been included from the off, the final result may have been very different.

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reflecting on their 0-0 draw against Bayern Munich, and they’re more than a little worried about a bad patch of form for Andy Robertson.

Robertson has been one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League since joining Liverpool in a deal worth an initial £8m, as the Scottish captain’s performance levels rarely drop below a seven out of ten.

That hasn’t been the case recently though, as he seems to have lost a little bit of the attacking spark that has seen him rack up eight assists in all competitions this season, and even more worryingly he has looked shaky at the back.

After a poor showing in the 1-1 draw against Leicester, it was the 24 year-old who needlessly gave away a free kick at the London Stadium, from which West Ham equalised, and he struggled massively with Bayern ace Serge Gnabry on Tuesday night.

That is now three games out of the last four that the all-action left-back hasn’t been at his best, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Newcastle United finally break unwanted record signing Miguel Almiron for a transfer fee of £20 million signalling the start of what could be a new beginning. But most likely not.

The 14 (and a bit) year wait is finally over. Not since 2005 have the Newcastle faithful seen their club dip into their silver collection to fund a transfer anywhere close to what recent arrival Miguel Almiron has cost.

With owner Mike Ashley opting to continue his business strategy into football – signing budget items and hoping for the best, it’s been a tough time for the Newcastle faithful who have had to endure their team bouncing between the two top English tiers without a clear project in sight.

During his unveiling, Almiron, 24, claimed (via the Daily Mail): ‘I am the sort of player who tries to get the team playing around me, that’s how I’d describe myself.‘ Adding: ‘I try not to think about the pressure of the price tag or pay attention to it.‘

The Paraguayan international will undoubtedly be making his full debut for the club shortly to help secure their Premier League survival, and hopefully Rafael Benitez’s future on Tyneside.

He said, ‘When I heard of the interest from Rafa Benitez it was a no-brainer. We all know what a great manager he is, a great person, and there was no hesitation about wanting to play for him and the club.’

However, on the topic of the Spaniard’s possible departure from the club, he conceded: ‘It’s not a topic we’ve discussed. The only things I’ve spoken to him about is me feeling comfortable and settling in quickly so I can bring something to the side.‘

Does this go to prove how influential Benitez is at Newcastle?

It’s certainly evidence that he’s one of the fundamental incentives behind big money transfers. Moves which have become intrinsically linked with Premier League success.

The striker may have drawn a blank against Bournemouth but their talisman turned on the style in a 4-0 win

If Erling Haaland doesn't get you, don't worry there's plenty of Manchester City players that will. The Norwegian didn't find the net on his first appearance at the Etihad Stadium but that didn't stop the Premier League champions tearing apart Bournemouth apart in a 4-0 win.

The newly-promoted Cherries simply had no answers to the brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan, who combined to produce a mesmerising performance that will have City's title rivals fearing that Pep Guardiola and his players will prove unstoppable this season…

• The Winners

  Kevin De Bruyne:

  Another season, another performance of quality as the Belgian continues to set remarkably high standards at the Etihad Stadium.

  Irrespective of his involvement in the goals, De Bruyne has an incredible work rate that his team-mates have to follow. and that’s matched by sheer quality.

  His goal was a work of art, with the attacking midfielder completely throwing Bournemouth’s defenders with an incredible dummy that gave him enough time and space to curl a delightful shot into the corner with the outside of his right boot.

  Then, of course, came the assist, with De Bruyne stretching the Cherries’ backline before playing a perfectly-timed nutmeg pass for Phil Foden to run onto and score.

  Ilkay Gundogan:

  He was the hero at the last game at the Etihad – the dramatic, title-clinching victory over Aston Villa – but admitted afterwards that he was disappointed that he hadn’t started.

  But those two goals were a reminder of why he is so important, with Guardiola hailing his ability to take up goalscoring positions.

  Getting a breakthrough always takes the pressure off City and once again it was Gundogan that found the opener after exchanging passes with Haaland.

  That and his constant running earned him a deserved hug from Guardiola when he was replaced midway through the second half.

  Sergio Gomez:

  The new left-back has not yet been confirmed as a signing but he was at the Etihad Stadium to watch the brutal dismantling of Bournemouth.

  And he must have been licking his lips at the thought of playing in this City team, with his move from Anderlecht expected to go through imminently.

  Gomez began his career as an attacking midfielder and, therefore, will have been delighted to see Joao Cancelo effectively play as a winger.

  Guardiola spoke enthusiastically about what Gomez can bring to his team and now he must be desperate for the deal to go through as quickly as possible so that he can join up with his new team-mates for their next outing.

  Bernardo Silva:

  Speculation continues to grow around Silva’s future, with big-spending Barcelona making no secret of their ambitions to sign him.

  Starting on the bench for City’s second successive Premier League game will only add to the rumours, even if Guardiola’s decision to leave him out was tactical.

  The City boss has made it clear that he wants the Portuguese star to stay, although he cannot be certain what will happen before the transfer window closes.

  And City fans made their affection for Silva clear when he was introduced as a second-half substitute, with a deafening roar followed by the constant chanting of his name.

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• The Losers

  Scott Parker:

  Choosing to wear a cardigan on one of the hottest days in Premier League history was a strange decision, but trying to stop City in this mood was largely out of his control.

  His side counterattacked intelligently but the reality was that City were simply too strong and Bournemouth spent the majority of the game on the edge of their own box.

  The Cherries have been bouncing between the top divisions for the past few seasons and are among the early favourites for relegation.

  A chastening visit to the Etihad Stadium is the last thing that Parker needed after an encouraging victory on the opening day against Aston Villa and he must get his players to forget about it as quickly as possible.

  Erling Haaland:

  The Norwegian striker played well but he looked frustrated at not scoring when he was replaced midway through the second half.

  His last touch had come moments earlier when he scuffed a shot just wide with what was probably his only sight of goal.

  It was also a tough start as he didn't touch the ball for the first 16 minutes, although he should be happy that when it came, it teed up Gundogan for the game's crucial opening goal.

  There was little space for Haaland to work in and he will have easier days but this was hard work in high temperatures.

• Getty
  

  Man City Ratings: Defence

  Ederson (6/10):

  The goalkeeper’s biggest test was to remember to put on sunblock on an afternoon where he was largely watching from the best seat in the house. But he stayed alert to make one smart save from Ben Pearson’s snapshot.

  Kyle Walker (7/10):

  Reprised his new role as a hybrid full-back-midfielder and once again revelled in the position. His sharp, intelligent passing is exactly what Guardiola would have wanted from him.

  Ruben Dias (7/10):

  Always alert to any danger whenever Bournemouth tried to overload on the counterattack. Saw a lot of the ball at his feet and continues to improve at starting attacks from deep.

  Nathan Ake (8/10):

  Was left isolated on a couple of occasions but swept up without fuss. Continued his impressive start to the season.

  Joao Cancelo (7/10):

  A typically impressive performance as he helped the build-up throughout and his intricacy and calmness panicked Jefferson Lerna into an own goal.

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• Midfield

  Rodri (7/10):

  The Spaniard doesn't generate many headlines in his holding midfield role but he completely controlled the middle of the park with his reading of the game.

  Ilkay Gundogan (8/10):

  With Bournemouth lined up on the edge of their box for long periods, he played as a second striker at times, getting the crucial opener and making dynamic runs.

  Kevin De Bruyne (9/10):

  Incredible quality coupled with a fantastic attitude shows why he remains one of the most impressive performers in world football.