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Former Premier League boss Lawrie Sanchez believes that Wolves are being run by agent Jorge Mendes.

The club have appointed Bruno Lage as their new boss after his spell at Benfica.

Lage is a client of Mendes, just as their previous manager Nuno Espirito Santo was.

Indeed, Sanchez is worried about the influence the super-agent is having on the club, given that the owners at Molineux, Fosun, have a stake in the Portuguese’s agency, Gestifute.

Of the Wolves squad, per Transfermarkt, Mendes represents Ruben Neves, Pedro Neto, Nelson Semedo, Daniel Podence, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rui Patricio, Vitinha and Joao Moutinho.

It may be that Wolves again look to utilise his connections in the summer transfer window to bring in new players, and Sanchez thinks that the relationship between the two parties is beginning to get out of hand and is something that ought to be investigated.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “If you’re looking at Wolves, you’ve got to go back to the relationship between Fosun and Mendes. Fosun bought the club at the same time they bought 15% of Mendes’ agency, most of the players, that are Portuguese players, that have come in are Mendes clients. Nuno was Mendes’ client and a good friend, and the new manager from Benfica is a Mendes client.

“It’s a little bit worrying, I think, that you have an agent pretty much running the club. We need to look at this situation.”

Leeds United have suffered a setback before their Premier League clash against West Brom this afternoon, with Diego Llorente ruled out of action.

The Spaniard was taken off by Marcelo Bielsa at half-time of the Whites’ victory over Southampton in midweek and it now appears that he will miss the final game of the season.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash against the Baggies today, Bielsa said: “Llorente is not with us, throughout the first half at Southampton he felt something in his muscle that if he had continued he could have got injured where he got injured before, that’s why we decided that he shouldn’t participate in the second half of that game nor on Sunday.

“Every decision that I have taken I take it thinking of the player and thinking of Leeds United, not thinking in other aspects.”

The centre-back was in outstanding form in his 45 minutes on the pitch against the Saints, and that’s exactly why Bielsa will be gutted at not being able to count on him again.

As per Sofascore, Llorente won ten duels on the evening, which was by far the highest of any Leeds player, while he also made three tackles, one interception and one clearance. The defender also looked to get things going when trying to build out from the back, stepping out and making those line-breaking passes into midfield and further forward.

It was no surprise that his performance earned some rave reviews after the game, with Leeds Live’s Beren Cross saying: “One of the few to come away from the first half with a bit of credit in the bank. Was assertive and combative. Rose to the challenge of the energetic hosts and their supporters when the pressure really came on Leeds.”

Llorente has emerged as a cornerstone of Leeds’ defence in recent weeks, starting the last 13 games in the Premier League, and coming up with some big performances – not least netting that late equaliser against Liverpool.

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Being without him against West Brom will no doubt have Bielsa gutted that he doesn’t have the in-form Spaniard to call upon today.

In other news, Leeds could reach a new level if they pull off a deal for this “extraordinary talent”.

Many Wolves fans have been left to flock to the latest transfer update on Rui Patricio.As per Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Jorge Mendes has offered the Portugal international as an option to AS Roma ‘for some time’.However, Mino Raiola, who is also a super agent, is ‘ready’ to bring Alphonse Areola to Rome instead of Patricio, prompting a lot of members of the Molineux faithful to send their praise in his direction.Patricio only missed one match in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt), and so it would not be wise to let such a key player go without a suitable replacement lined up.Nonetheless, the goalkeeper’s experience is crucial both off of the pitch as well as on it, especially for the younger players coming through like Fabio Silva, and also bearing in mind that a new manager will be taking charge of the team, and will need characters like Patricio around to help them make their mark.Wolves fans on Patricio transfer updateThese WWFC supporters flocked to the transfer update to send their appreciation to Raiola as it was shared on Twitter:”Raiola c’mon save us”Credit: @Gialadesign”Raiola at the back posttttttttt”Credit: @GeorgeTheStud”Raiola coming in clutch”Credit: @_samwwfc_”Love you Raiola”Credit: @bestwolvesfan”Raiola saving our season.”Credit: @Lem_WWFC”Mino you legend”Credit: @WWFCJoelIn other news, find out what Tim Spiers update has been lauded by Wanderers here!

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder and current Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes Celtic only want Eddie Howe.

While Howe is now said to be close to being named Celtic manager, the ex-Bournemouth boss had left the Glasgow giants waiting for a while.

It had seen Celtic consider other options, with Football Insider recently reporting that the Bhoys have interviewed former Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre and Roy Keane.

Hendrie, though, is convinced that Howe is the only real candidate that the Celtic hierarchy are desperate to bring to the club.

Speaking exclusively to TT about Howe and Celtic’s search for a new permanent manager, the ex-Aston Villa star said:

“I’m pretty sure that Celtic want him there for sure because he just seems to be the prime suspect that they want at the football club just for the way he plays and his style of football, which is certainly attractive.

“It just seems like he’s dragging his feet a little bit and that’s my only concern.”

If reports are to believed, then this long saga could be about to come to an end, which would be great news for Celtic.

After an extremely disappointing season, the Bhoys will be desperate to start planning for the next campaign where the aim will be to wrestle their title back from rivals Rangers – something they cannot do properly without having a manager.

Everton’s season ended in the worst way possible last weekend as they were well and truly battered by the Premier League champions.Their defence was cut open like a knife through butter while they lacked cutting edge and penetration on the counter-attack.

What’s the word?

One way of improving their fluency in the final third would be to sign a winger.

Football FanCast revealed last month that the Toffees were in the market for somebody who could play on the right-hand side. However, we believe Everton should stop at nothing to bolster the other flank as well.

Fortunately, it looks as though they’ll be doing exactly that. Football League World report this week that Carlo Ancelotti’s men are battling for the signature of tricky Bournemouth flanker Arnaut Danjuma.

Everton are looking to take advantage of the south coast side’s failure to get promoted from the Championship.

A number of top-flight sides are now circling with Wolves, West Ham and Brighton also interested in Danjuma’s signature.

Iwobi upgrade

If Everton can lure the attacker to Goodison Park this summer then he’d represent a huge upgrade on Alex Iwobi.

The Nigerian signed for £28m in the summer of 2019 but his arrival on Merseyside hasn’t been greeted particularly positively.

On his day, he can frighten the opposition with his dribbling but very rarely does he combine that with end product.

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Iwobi has scored just twice this term, taking his tally in the royal blue of Everton to four strikes in 65 appearances.

Those numbers aren’t strong enough whatsoever for a side challenging for a place in European football so improvement is need.

Danjuma would provide Ancelotti with the ability to beat a man but also provide goals and assists.

The Dutchman was in inspired form for the Cherries this term, racking up a mightily impressive haul of 17 goals. Capable of playing anywhere across the front three, it was on the left where he truly stood out.

The 24-year-old was impressive when it came to creating chances for his teammates as well, providing eight assists in all competitions.

He claimed the award for the EFL Championship Player of the Month in April and has gone from strength to strength this season, particularly under Jonathan Woodgate.

With the former defender at the helm, Danjuma totted up ten goals and six assists in just 18 league outings.

It’s hardly a surprise that Woodgate’s found the time to wax lyrical about his abilities: “I know last season that he didn’t really get a run in the Premier League and he maybe found it a bit difficult to get game time, but this season he’s been outstanding.â€

The Bournemouth boss continued: “I can only talk of what he’s done under my reign, but at the minute, he’s playing some exceptional football, and what else he is doing is working for the team.â€

Capable of producing moments of magic from nowhere, he’s the type of player you’d always love to have in your team.

Against Norwich he showed exactly what he’s capable of, skipping past two Canaries players before rifling a bullet right into the top corner.

It showcased his scintillating dribbling skills too, an area of his game that usurps nearly every player at Everton. Danjuma managed 1.8 dribbles per game this season, a number that only Richarlison can replicate.

This would be a top drawer signing from Ancelotti and Marcel Brands.

AND in other news, Everton can begin the transfer window with a bang by signing “dangerous” 16-goal beast…

Celtic reportedly have ‘major reservations’ over Bournemouth technical director Richard Hughes.

That’s according to a report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a Hoops source that the club are ‘committed’ to appointing Manchester City’s Fergal Harkin as their new director of football instead and that it is more than 90% done, a big update in the race to appoint a DoF at Parkhead.

The club are thought to be closing in on landing Harkin, with Eddie Howe’s alleged first choice of Hughes seemingly now falling by the wayside after concerns about the way Bournemouth plummeted out of the Premier League.

Eddie Howe to Celtic blow?

Howe verbally agreed on taking over at Parkhead, however, the former Bournemouth boss wanted some assurances over a Glasgow switch.

One of those was reportedly bringing Hughes with him to Celtic Park, and it doesn’t appear as if that will materialise with the club not intending to deviate from Harkin.

Transfer Tavern take

To us, this news won’t help Celtic’s pursuit of Howe in the slightest.

The new first-team manager will have to work closely with the DoF when it comes to off-field dealings, and it seemed as if Howe wanted to reunite with Hughes following their time on the south coast.

Howe appears to be a man in demand, with Brighton and Crystal Palace also keen on the 43-year-old, so it’s not as if he is desperate to seal a move to Scotland.

Harkin, who looks set to be appointed, will reportedly have a major say on Neil Lennon’s successor, so it’ll be interesting to see where Celtic’s managerial hunt goes from here, but we suspect that hunt may veer slightly away from Howe given the club’s decision to reject his desire to snap up Hughes.

In other news: £5.8k-p/w Celtic ace closing in on Parkhead exit, find out more here. 

Micah Richards has described Patrick Bamford as ‘incredible’ following the Leeds United striker’s comments on racism earlier this week.

The Whites are preparing for Sunday’s visit of Manchester United in the Premier League as they look for another impressive result in an excellent season. Marcelo Bielsa’s men drew 1-1 at home to reigning champions Liverpool on Monday night, following on from their amazing 2-1 victory at Manchester City.

After Monday’s game, Bamford spoke honestly about racism in the game, showing his human side, away from all the goals this season.

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Richards heaps praise on Bamford

Writing for the Daily Mail, former England international Richards lauded the Leeds star for his comments, saying it is vital that white footballers speak out about the issue. He wrote:

“The first place to start at the end of a week like no other is with a thank you to Patrick Bamford. His words on Monday night were incredible – if you aren’t aware of what he said, let me fill you in.

“It’s amazing the things they are talking about. I can’t quite comprehend it,’ he said. ‘It’s amazing the amount of opera that comes into the game when somebody’s pockets are being hurt. It’s a shame it’s not like that when other things are going wrong at the minute, like racism. It’s just how it is.’

“Bamford rightly received a lot of love for his sentiments. A simple view like that from a white person carries so much more weight than if I, for instance, had said it. He didn’t rant, he just said what he wanted and it was all done so effortlessly.”

Transfer Tavern take

Racism remains a negative aspect of football that still isn’t going away, despite strides being made over the years.

Having figures such as Bamford speaking so eloquently on the problem can only be a good thing, though, spreading awareness and highlighting the importance of eradicating the issue.

It says a lot about the 27-year-old as a character that he is capable of being so heartfelt and genuine about such an important topic, only making him even more likeable as a person.

In other news, an unlikely source has dropped a big claim ahead of Leeds’ clash with Manchester United. Read more here.

Speaking exclusively to the Transfer Tavern, former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie has warned owners David Gold and David Sullivan to splash the cash this summer.

West Ham are enjoying an impressive campaign under David Moyes and despite squandering a three-goal lead in their last Premier League match against Arsenal, they remain in with a shout of achieving their joint-best ever Premier League finish of fifth.

That draw left David Moyes team fifth, just two points behind fourth-place Chelsea having emerged as surprise top four contenders, and could still get into the Champions League for the first time in their history with a strong end to the season.

But it’s not just off the pitch where things are on track for West Ham.

Since Moyes returned to east London, the Hammers’ recruitment has improved dramatically – with Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen, Vladimir Coufal and Craig Dawson just some of the few success stories at the London Stadium in previous months.

There’s also been the inspired loan signing of Jesse Lingard, whose been a revelation since joining from Manchester United in January, whilst the failed likes of Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller have been moved on.

But despite being on the verge of qualifying for Europe for the first time in five seasons, McAvennie knows the importance of West Ham investing heavily in their squad this summer, especially with the prospect of extra games Europe.

He told the Transfer Tavern:

“I think they have got to compete. What they have got this year is what they were promised, the fans were promised this and this is the first year that this has happened.

“It’s the first year that they’ve competed for Europe in the new stadium. Every year we have been competing for relegation. This year has been a big difference, but you’ve got to build on it, I think the owners will know that.

“They’ve still got the season tickets, so they’ve still got that kind of money, but it’s been hard, the merchandise will be down, but every club is in the same boat.

“But I don’t think there’s a problem with the money, but I would imagine the owners will give money for two or three players. I think they need Lingard, a striker and another, that would do for me, as long as they keep everyone.”

Seamus Coleman refused to use Everton’s injuries as an excuse after they dropped points away to Brighton on Monday night.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side could muster only one shot on target in their goalless draw with the 15th-placed Seagulls.

Having picked up just two points from the last 12 available, they’ve slipped seven points back from the top four, albeit with a game in hand.

Ancelotti cobbles together side with Calvert-Lewin among absentees

Everton were without 10 players for their trip to the Amex Stadium, most notably top goalscorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin. With midfielders Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan, Fabian Delph, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Fabian Delph also on the injury list, Ancelotti was compelled to field six defenders in his line-up.

Coleman and Lucas Digne lined-up either side of a back three, with Mason Holgate pushed forward into defensive midfield. Alex Iwobi was left as the only established first-team player on an eight-man bench.

However, the Everton campaign told Sky Sports that he didn’t want to ‘harp on’ about the lengthy list of absentees, saying: “There’s plenty of other teams doing that.”

That prompted Jamie Carragher in the studio to speculate whether the Republic of Ireland international was aiming a veiled dig at Everton’s injury-riddled local rivals Liverpool.

Fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed his comments, and here’s how supporters reacted, with one Toffees fan acclaiming Coleman as a “leader”.

Coleman hailed for ducking Everton injury excuse

“Such a legend”

Credit: @FtblMatthew

“I love Seamus’ honesty.”

Credit: @cazzawarrington

“My captain”

Credit: @MainManMina

“Brilliant by Seamus”

Credit: @carroll3_p

“Proper Everton captain”

Credit: @alexthompson24

“Speaks some sense him”

Credit: @tomwilky93

“Nail on the head, no excuses, not good enough, need about 7 more players”

Credit: @_JP1878_

“The man gets grief, but he doesn’t pick the side nor does he choose the captaincy. 100 billion percent every game he plays and hides nowt. Coleman’s a leader, quiet or not.”

Credit: @lewismaskens_

In other news, the asking price has been set for one of Everton’s striker targets.

With a potential 12-man exodus on the cards at Celtic this summer, it could be all change at Parkhead.

The likes of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer are regularly linked with the exit door and thus, the new manager will likely have his work cut out in the transfer market.

On the chalkboard

Another player who could depart Parkhead in a few months time is Ryan Christie. The Scot has scored just twice in his last 25 outings and has been regularly tipped to leave by Frank McAvennie.

That comes after substantial interest in the winger throughout the winter. Leeds United were linked with making a move for Christie, while it was also reported that Arsenal were interested in his services.

It would be a timely departure when you consider his significant downfall in recent months.

Last term, Christie was one of the stars of the Celtic side. He scored 20 goals and supplied 16 assists in the process. However, in 2020/21, he has been nothing short of abysmal.

The Scotland international has netted five times and has regularly struggled to beat the goalkeeper. The nadir of his season was undoubtedly when Celtic lost 1-0 to Ross County.

Christie was selected up front on that occasion but spurned four chances and even blasted the ball over the bar from a matter of yards out. It was a moment that perfectly summed up his timid season.

The solution

With Moi Elyounoussi set to head back to Southampton at the conclusion of his loan spell, the Hoops will likely have to search for internal solutions.

One such option could be James Forrest. The attacker has only played once since September after a very lengthy injury lay-off. Though, there is a controversial figure in their midst who could just be given a second chance to prove himself; that’s especially if Christie does leave.

That happens to divisive winger Marian Shved. The Ukrainian has only played for the Bhoys on three occasions and has had a rather difficult few years in Scotland.

Shved admitted over the winter that he has an ounce of regret about his move to Celtic and you can understand why based on the limited opportunities he’s received.

The 23-year-old’s loan spell at Mechelen in Belgium was hardly going to plan either. He was turning up late for training and showing a diabolical attitude. For many players, there would be no way back from that.

Mechelen boss Wouter Vrancken initially said: “Let’s be honest here, Marian Shved is an outstanding talent who would not normally choose to play for a club like Mechelen. We are very lucky to have him.”

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That was before he unleashed a rather remarkable assault on Shved: “The players and staff have done everything they can to include Shved in the squad, but he puts himself above the group.”

“Well, it stops now,” he added. “If he wants to be a loner, he can. Go play billiards for the rest of his life or something.”

Fortunately, Shved has since turned his season around. The Ukraine international has worked to get back in the side and has provided promising results in recent months.

He assisted Mechelen’s goal in an impressive 1-1 draw with Anderlecht last weekend, taking his tally of goal involvements for the season to seven in 16 games.

Before Vrancken’s brutal assessment of Shved, he had not scored all season. It would appear that the penny has finally dropped with the hot-headed winger.

If he applies the same attitude on his return to Celtic, there’s no reason why he can’t work himself back into their long-term plans. With the club in disarray and players potentially leaving, there will be openings for him to exploit.

AND in other news, Soro should be fuming if Celtic sign £50k-p/w brute this summer, he’s a “class player”…