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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee can’t see Steve Bruce selling Allan Saint-Maximin, even if the budget could be low this summer.

Saint-Maximin is Newcastle United’s star player who gets fans on the edge of their seats and Lee thinks it would be criminal if Bruce moved the Frenchman, who was linked with Paris Saint-Germain last summer, on.

The winger has struggled with injuries and Covid this season which has seen him make just 12 starts in the Premier League, something Lee believes could put teams off making a move for him.

Lee admits he hasn’t seen the best of the £38,000-a-week Saint-Maximin this season but has been impressed when the 23-year-old has been on the pitch, and knows how much the fans enjoy having him as a player at their club.

The former midfielder spoke exclusively to FFC and believes it would be one of the worst things Bruce could do as manager if he sold Saint-Maximin.

Lee joked: “No, I think he’d be hung, drawn and quartered if he sold Saint-Maximin.

“It’s not as though he’s been outstanding you know, he’s been outstanding in fits and starts. He’s been 20 minutes here, 20 minutes there.

“He hasn’t done enough to warrant a big enough fee, for someone to come in with £50-60 million. He hasn’t warranted that yet so no one’s going to do that. There’s no point selling him for anything less.”

Saint-Maximin has been a bright spark in Newcastle’s team over the last two seasons, and Lee knows it would not go down well on Tyneside if Bruce was to sell his star asset.

Especially when a lot of the fans have turned on the manager already.

Many Wolves fans were heavily critical towards forward Adama Traore during their Premier League clash against local rivals Aston Villa.

The 25-year-old started on the left-hand side of an attacking three but found himself interchanging with Pedro Neto during certain moments of the game.

Traore has been heavily linked with a move away from Molineux and was slated by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp before the kick-off, astonished that he has not made any goal contributions during the 2020/21 campaign.

Last season, Wolves slapped a £70m price tag on the Spaniard’s head as both Liverpool and Manchester City were interested in his services.

Despite his slump in form, Traore still managed to secure his first set of international caps for Spain, but we suspect the club won’t get such a hefty fee if they decide to cash in this time around.

With all this in mind, supporters lambasted Traore and believe that he has lost interest in playing for Wolves, as you can see below.

Traore in Molineux bad books

“What’s the point of Adama?”

Credit: @csayers83

“Has Adama Traore forgotten he is the fastest player on the pitch?? The man doesn’t want to run this first half”

Credit: @craiglewis1993

“Unless Traore gets the ball to feet he’s useless, offers zero off the ball movement, sooner Podence back the better, Traore is an impact sub only, such a waste of talent, if he hasn’t developed a footballing brain by now I don’t think he ever will.”

Credit: @jamiewalters23

“Maybe Traore could move more, get into space to actually receive a pass”

Credit: @Ashbe_87

“Traore….you really selling yourself at the moment! Dream move back to the championship on the cards !!”

Credit: @Pukkawolf

“Doesn’t offer anything always wants the ball to feet and if he doesn’t get in he doesn’t care. When he gets the ball he either gets fouled gives it away or kicks it out”

Credit: @Jackbar83877495

In other news, Tim Spiers responds to Wolves exit rumours regarding ‘outstanding’ gem.

According reports, Aston Villa are interested in signing free agent Alex Teixeira.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side have enjoyed a superb Premier League season thus far, placing themselves firmly in the battle for a European place. And, according to Spanish publication, Fichajes, Villa are keen on making a move for Teixeira.

The Brazilian left Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning at the end of December, and the report claims that Villa, along with both Benfica and his former side Shakhtar Donetsk, are keen on giving him an immediate return to football.

It’s further suggested that Villa see Teixeira as someone who could give a “big boost” to their European push.

Upgrade on Barkley

Described as a “technical leader”, Teixeira has been doing the business across the world for a number of years now, amassing a quite incredible 172 goals over his illustrious career – that despite predominantly featuring as a number ten or out wide.

Speaking back in 2016, Teixeira’s then boss at Shakhtar, Mircea Lucescu, said: “He’s incredible, very fast, very good technique. I compare him with other players of the same age who changed (the fortunes of) a club, (Angel) Di Maria for example at Paris Saint-Germain.

“Teixeira can be at the same level, better even. He doesn’t get injured, and every year he gets better and better.”

The Brazilian would offer an immediate upgrade on Ross Barkley, who has still yet to prove himself as a real consistent performer over the years. He has never managed more than eight goals in a single league campaign, whilst his totals in the past three seasons in particular have been shocking to say the least, with three, one and two goals respectively.

On the other hand, Teixeira has consistently broken past the ten goal barrier in the league both at Shakhtar and with Jiangsu. Since the 2012/2013 campaign, he has managed totals of: 10, 6, 17, 22, 11, 8, 13 and 18. The veteran is a goal-scoring machine from midfield, and would give Smith’s side an added dimension, instead of just having to rely on Ollie Watkins to score all the time.

Teixeira’s consistency over such a long period of time, and the fact that he’s had plenty of experience playing at the highest level in the Champions League too, means he would surely represent an upgrade on Barkley. The fact he “doesn’t get injured”, like has been the case with the England international, makes him all the more of an attractive proposition when you add that to the fact he would arrive on a free transfer.

Meanwhile, this Aston Villa star has been a revelation…

Writing on Twitter, reliable club insider and West Ham United source ExWHUemployee dropped a claim surrounding youngster Jamal Baptiste after his senior debut against Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup – going on to say that manager David Moyes rates him very highly and that he is deemed a ‘potential England player’.

Baptiste got his first taste of action for the Claret & Blues during their 4-0 victory in the fourth round on Saturday afternoon, later explaining to the official club website how he was ‘over the moon’ to finally feature for Moyes’ men.

The 17-year-old replaced Ryan Fredericks during the final 10 minutes of their encounter, and supporters were thereafter curious to find out just how highly Moyes rates him as a player.

ExWHUemployee, answering a fan on social media, explained that the Scotsman is indeed a fan of his promising centre-back who he rates ‘very’ highly – with there being a belief he could one day play for the national team.

Flocking to this inside claim, it’s safe to say plenty of Irons are excited about what the youngster could bring after witnessing his debut – find all of their verdicts from Twitter here.

West Ham fans excited by Baptiste claim

“great player”

Credit: @TomWHU2

“Him and Mipo have world-class potential.”

Credit: @TedAthientis

“He is quality”

Credit: @ScoutSoucek

“Jeeeezzzzz”

Credit: @westhamwhu49

“Seen him playing at CB loads for the under 23s, Ogbonna replacement in a few years. Class”

Credit: @berkovic_eyal

“only 17 as well”

Credit: @whupatrick

“He only got his pro contract this summer… highly rated… a friend of a friends son…. his Dad is a firefighter.. that gets him brownie points just by itself… can’t wait to see more of this talented young man.. along with many others currently coming through the academy.”

Credit: @mtux66

“Only 17”

Credit: @edster994

In other news: Some West Ham fans weren’t impressed with this ‘weak’ ace against Doncaster, find out more here.

Grady Diangana has found life tough since making his permanent switch to West Brom this summer.

Indeed, the enigmatic winger has struggled to replicate the lucrative returns that saw him help the Baggies to promotion last season.

On Albion’s way to the Championship runner-up spot, the then on-loan Diangana delivered eight goals and seven assists from just 23 starts, via Transfermarkt.

Everyone at the Hawthorns got a glimpse of what was to come when he bagged himself a brace on debut against Luton Town, so it’s no wonder that sporting and technical director Luke Dowling pulled the trigger on signing him for the long-term.

The 22-year-old cost the Midlands outfit an initial £12m, which could rise to £18m in add-ons, according to the Express & Star.

That sum was a considerable chunk of their summer transfer budget. Karlan Grant cost the exact same fee, but one that is spread out in £2m instalments over six years, whilst they accounted for the permanent £9m addition of Matheus Pereira.

As a result of such an outlay, you’d want a huge bang for your buck – well, Diangana’s just not delivered in the big time.

Despite featuring in 15 of their 17 league outings this term, the 5 foot 11 attacker has contributed just one goal and has certainly struggled to repeat his attacking output from the second-tier.

Per WhoScored, Diangana has regressed from 2.4 dribbles, 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes per game in 2019/20 to a pathetic 1.5 dribbles, 0.8 shot and 0.3 key passes per match.

This suggests that he’s struggling to combat the rise in quality of opposition as he’s clearly not been able to beat his man with his dribbling ability and as a result, he simply has not bee able to get near the goal to fire off chances.

Once dubbed an “explosive” threat who’s a “total nightmare” to play against by Sky Sports pundits Lee Hendrie and Keith Andrews, the young wide man has been wholly ineffective and is now bordering on becoming one expensive flop.

In some ways, it draws serious comparisons to that of Nacer Chadli, whose spell at the Hawthorns was disastrous – the irony being that he was once voted the ‘Flop of the Year.’

After splashing out a club-record £13m to Premier League rivals Spurs for his signature, the Belgian winger scored only six goals in 38 appearances before being relegated. An all too familiar position to that of Diangana and Albion right now.

The £10.8m-rated former Hammers ace is in grave danger of becoming another Chadli as a rate of two goal contributions in 32 top-flight appearances is currently way worse than even the ex-Baggies disaster achieved.

AND in other news, WBA must OFFLOAD £50k-p/w flop once dubbed a “manager’s dream”…

West Brom take a break from their Premier League plight today as the FA Cup resumes.

The Baggies face a trip north to face League One outfit Blackpool at Bloomfield Road and they head into this afternoon’s encounter in dire form having been trounced in three of their four games under Sam Allardyce.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 66-year-old call on rotation to take a look at some of the fringe members of the squad he inherited.

Last time out, Albion were thrashed 4-0 by Arsenal in snowy conditions whilst the Seasiders have beaten two lower league opposition teams to get to the third round proper.

So, here’s the West Brom XI we’re predicting for this encounter…

Big Sam is dealing with considerable injury problems, though he will be buoyed by the return of skipper Jake Livermore from suspension and Sam Field, who returned to training this week.

We expect both to come straight in, featuring over Conor Gallagher and Romaine Sawyers, who are rested. It would be the 22-year-old gem’s first start for West Brom since September.

Conor Townsend is still on the sidelines, though Kyle Bartley came on for Branislav Ivanovic against the Gunners, so he could keep his place with rarely-seen centre-back Cedric Kipre getting a runout having played in just two Carabao Cup games.

Kieran Gibbs could come back in at left-back, whilst Darnell Furlong is likely to remain on the right as the club’s only senior option.

The Baggies confirmed the signing of Robert Snodgrass on Friday afternoon and he could feature, but we expect him to be named on the bench rather than from the off, which means young winger Kyle Edwards makes a welcome return to the senior fold.

He’ll partner Grady Diangana on the other flank with Matheus Pereira deployed through the middle. It means Matty Phillips is axed from the lineup.

In the absence of Karlan Grant, who has been ruled out for six weeks, and Hal Robson-Kanu, we expect Callum Robinson to lead the line, particularly with Charlie Austin potentially on the move.

His former club QPR are interested in taking him on loan and according to John Percy, he’s likely to be heading for the exit door before the end of the month.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Sam Allardyce urged to bring Championship man to West Brom this January…

David Moyes can find his ideal Arthur Masuaku replacement in Rangers full-back Borna Barisic amid reports West Ham United are considering a mid-season deal.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Irons are monitoring the Gers’ star left-back ahead of the January transfer window after losing Masuaku for the foreseeable future following knee surgery.

The Hammers believe there is a need for top-quality fresh legs in the position following Masuaku’s operation, while introducing competition for Aaron Cresswell after the three-cap England international’s struggles in recent games.

Barisic has emerged as the latest in a line of left-backs to be linked with a mid-season move to the London Stadium, with West Ham also said to be interested in FC Barcelona’s Junior Firpo and Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Rangers chiefs expect Barisic to be a target for several sides in the upcoming window with his contract entering its final 18-months, but they will still demand upwards of £8m after snubbing approaches from Leeds United in the summer.

Forget Cresswell, sign Barisic

Barisic has been in sublime form under Steven Gerrard as Rangers look to claim the Scottish Premiership title this season, with the Liverpool icon lauding the 28-year-old for his consistency which ensured interest was inevitably high in the summer.

“We’re not surprised if there is any interest in Borna,” Gerrard said, via quotes by the Glasgow Times. “Of course, we’re not because he has been a consistent performer for us for some time now and has started the season so brightly again.

“But he has signed a long-term deal here, everyone loves him, the fans like him and he was in the running for Player of the Year. If someone did come, they would have to bring an awful lot of money with them.”

Rangers are rightfully loath to part ways with Barisic, who has provided an astonishing 10 assists and two goals in 26 appearances across all competitions thus far this season, despite failing to create or find the back of the net since September in the Premiership.

His output has remained high nonetheless, with Barisic averaging 2.7 accurate crosses and providing 2.2 key balls a game in the Scottish top-flight, along with 0.7 shots, while winning possession with 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 successful tackles and 1.0 clearances, per SofaScore.

It would not take long for Barisic to warm the hearts of Moyes and West Ham supporters were he to move to east London in January and hit the ground running with the same impact.

AND in other news, West Ham are monitoring a £20k-p/w talent to resolve David Moyes’ “big” blow.

Manchester City have been linked with Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish recently but the Citizens already have their next Kevin De Bruyne in Phil Foden.

The 20-year-old showed his immense quality on England duty earlier in the week, as he scored twice in a 4-0 win against Iceland and he clearly has a huge future with both England and Manchester City.

The ‘Stockport Iniesta’ has progressed through City’s academy to establish himself as one of the most talented youngsters in the Premier League and you worry that if the Citizens splash the cash on Grealish, his pathway into becoming a guaranteed starter under Pep Guardiola may be blocked by the 25-year-old.

So far this season, Foden has made just four starts in the Premier League, with a further three appearances from the bench, in which he has contributed two goals and averaged a strong 6.84 rating (per WhoScored).

Whilst City often play him in central midfield, or on the left-hand side, his best performance this season came when he was playing in an attacking midfield role for England, as he earned a perfect 10/10 rating for his display in the 4-0 win (per WhoScored).

Following the win, England manager Gareth Southgate was full of praise for the young talent the Three Lions possess, including Foden, saying:

“We are very conscious of the crop of young players coming through that we think will be fabulous for England for years to come. It was great for the public to get a glimpse of that. They were surrounded by some excellent professionals.

“It would have been easy for us to not perform well tonight, there was every excuse possible not to perform well, but that wasn’t the mentality of the seniors and I have to say the captain led that from the start.” (per The Guardian)

This suggests that his future should be as an attacking midfielder who has more license to go forward and contribute more goals and assists but he is unlikely to displace De Bruyne from Guardiola’s team at this moment in time.

However, the £108million-rated Belgian is now 29-years-old and although his quality means he will probably be playing at the very top level for another four years at least, City may already have a direct replacement for the former Wolfsburg man in Foden.

Foden will certainly be hoping to learn from De Bruyne and try and add more goals and assists to his game, so hopefully, Guardiola will consider playing him further forward in future matches, as to try and unlock his obvious goalscoring potential.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham have offered Son Heung-min a new blockbuster contract worth £200,000-a-week, prompting Sky Sports pundit and former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson to welcome the ‘amazing news’. 

Son, who has struck up a devastating partnership with striker Harry Kane so far this season, with the South Korean international currently sitting top of the Premier League scoring charts, is reportedly being offered a new deal worth far more than his current wages.

Spurs look to tie down Son

According to Spotrac, the 28-year-old is currently on £140,000-a-week, and this new offer will increase the winger’s weekly earnings by around £60,000.

In an effort to tie him down and warn off any potential interest, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is now looking to make sure the new deal is an offer Son cannot refuse, with Robinson going on to claim that this could be ‘amazing news for Spurs’.

Lauding Son’s ‘outstanding’ form from the very first day, the ex-England ‘keeper believes that the attacker’s presence in the dressing room and on the training pitch is reason enough to hand him a new contract.

“It’s amazing news for Spurs if he signs a new deal,” explained Robinson to Football Insider.

“He has been outstanding from the first day he walked into the building.

“He brightens up the place when he comes through the door and his performances on the pitch match his attitude off it. He is brilliant to have around the club. Son is always happy, always smiling and always has time for people.

“He has been as good if not better at times than Harry Kane.

“Over the years he has made himself one of the first names on the team sheet because he is so consistent. He deserves every single penny of his new contract.”

Transfer Tavern take

Judging by his brilliant run of form so far this season, Son appears to be most deserving of a fresh deal – and according to recent reports, Spurs may not be done there.

As per The Athletic, Lloris is next in line for a bumper contract; and if Levy can tie up all these loose ends, it’s safe to say this has been quite the year of business for Tottenham.

In other news: Dele Alli’s situation at Spurs has just taken a positive turn, find out more here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed a busy week of transfer activity, splashing out a club-record fee on a teenager and bolstering their backline but their latest reported move could spell trouble…

What’s the word?

According to Sport (via Sport Witness), the Molineux-based outfit are showing the most interest in young Barcelona centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo with new manager Ronald Koeman not seeing him as part of his plans this season.

They claim the Catalan giants want €20m (£18m) for the 20-year-old’s signature but they face difficulty in offloading him as he is yet to return to training having tested positive for the virus.

The 6 foot 3 colossus is described as a perfect fit for the Premier League by the same source.

Vallejo 2.0?

It’s an interesting landscape in the west Midlands right now after sporting director Kevin Thelwell departed for America, leaving chairman Jeff Shi in charge of transfers this summer.

He claimed last month that his job is “50 per cent” about recruitment. He’s signed Fabio Silva from Porto and Marcal from Champions League semi-finalists Lyon, but a new central defender shouldn’t go amiss.

However, a swoop for Todibo should be avoided despite all the promise and enamour that he’s been carrying throughout his career is yet to come to fruition.

Bundesliga.com compared him to PL great Marcel Desailly due to his pace, physical strength and technical ability whilst German legend Lothar Matthaus once said: “Todibo is the best centre-back I’ve seen in a long time. At 20 he is incredibly calm, he always finds interesting solutions.”

He’s even been likened to fellow compatriot and Madrid rival Raphael Varane.

The France U20 international has barely featured for Barcelona and even during a loan spell at Schalke, he wasn’t able to get out on the pitch much at all.

From eight appearances, Todibo averaged 2.6 clearances, 1.9 tackles and 1.9 interceptions, via WhoScored.

This move just reeks of being another Jesus Vallejo, who arrived at Molineux with similar glamour yet Nuno very rarely allowed him the opportunity and now with Marcal in the mix, he could find game time even harder in the English top-flight.

Wolves were keen back in 2018, and perhaps they were smart to miss out.

AND in other news, Wolves can’t trust Jorge Mendes over move for expensive FLOP…