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Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing “talented” Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos this summer.

What’s the story?

According to reports in Brazil, a number of clubs are interested in signing the youngster who currently plays for Vasco da Gama in the second tier in the country.

Wolves are one of the clubs who want the 17-year-old who hasn’t yet started for his club but has impressed on international duty.

His club are determined to agree a new contract with the player with his current deal expiring next year. As a result it’s not a surprise to see clubs circling as they may be able to get him for free.

He’s got great potential

Santos undoubtedly has great potential, he’s impressed playing for the Brazilian U-20 side and has even wore the captains armband for them.

His stats at youth level on the international stage are impressive and probably one of the reasons he’s rated highly. At u-16 level he scored two goals in six appearances from defensive midfield.

According to further reports his club value him at £25m which seems a lot for a player who is yet to make a start, but with demand high they believe they can command a higher fee.

Wolves are no stranger to risky transfers, they signed Fabio Silva in 2020 for £36m from FC Porto and he had only made 12 league appearances for them at that point.

They obviously have a lot of trust in their scouting network and with clubs such as Benfica, Everton and even FC Barcelona known admirers of Santos they must have good judgement.

However, with clubs as big as that interested it will make it even harder for Lage to persuade the player to come to Molineux. Players dream of playing for the likes of Barcelona and as a midfielder it’s likely that he would love to play under Xavi.

Ultimately it would be a risk paying a huge fee for Santos, but there’s a reason so many clubs are interested in him. With his contract running down if Wolves can persuade Vasco to sell for less, then it might be worth securing his signature.

Molineux could be rocking with a genuinely exciting teenage sensation.

IN other news: Lage must avoid big Wolves mistake over “brilliant” £75k-p/w ace, “nothing phases him” – opinion…

Phil Hay was unimpressed with Leeds United’s first-half display in the Premier League clash with Tottenham, with the unfamiliar sound of boos echoing around Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Leeds being thumped by Spurs

The Whites were hoping to bounce back from their 6-0 drubbing away to Liverpool on Wednesday night, with a relegation battle looking increasingly on the cards.

It didn’t pan out that way in the opening 45 minutes against Spurs, though, with Antonio Conte’s side going 3-0 up before the half-hour mark in front of a stunned Elland Road crowd.

Leeds’ defending yet again left a huge amount to be desired and understandably the home faithful grew increasingly restless as the minutes ticked by.

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The Latest: Hay fumes at Leeds’ performance

Taking to Twitter during the first half, Hay bemoaned Leeds’ performance and made the telling observation that boos were ringing around the stadium, something he hadn’t heard at Elland Road all season until today despite the Whites’ struggles.

Just after Dejan Kulusevski gave the visitors a 2-0 lead, the journalist lamented: “Confidence, judgement…it’s all taking a hammering. A few boos after that second goal which is the first time we’ve heard that at ER this season. You can’t concede goals as easily and regularly as this.”

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The Verdict: Hugely worrying times

Leeds are arguably the most out-of-form team in the Premier League currently, with goals being conceded by the bucket load – they have now let in three or more in each of their last five league games – and confidence looking shot.

Having also lost 4-2 to Manchester United last Sunday, Marcelo Bielsa’s team have conceded 13 goals in less than 144 hours – for context, Manchester City have shipped 17 in the league since the start of the season in August.

Question marks could be raised about Bielsa’s current performance as manager, with his tactics naive and the players seemingly not showing the same levels of hunger and belief.

There is still time for results to change, with the likes of Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford hopefully returning soon, but a drastic improvement is needed quickly to get the disillusioned fan base back on side.

In other news, one Leeds player has hinted at a potential move away from Elland Road. Find out who it is here.

The three West Indies players who have turned down central contracts may find themselves unable to play in Australia’s Big Bash twenty20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2010The three West Indies players – captain Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard – who have turned down central contracts in order to play domestic cricket overseas, may find themselves unable to play in Australia’s Big Bash Twenty20 tournament. Recent statements from Ernest Hilaire, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief executive, and Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s acting head, suggest board clearance will be required for such events, and will not be automatically granted by the WICB.Gayle and Pollard are contracted to Western Australia and South Australia respectively, while Bravo is reportedly interested in representing Victoria, as he did last year. However, the players need no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the WICB to be eligible for the event.”There seems to be a thinking out there – and I’m not sure who has advised them – that they don’t have to sign central contracts and they can still play wherever they want,” WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire told the . “The rules of international cricket do not exactly allow for this.”Brown said there was no way the cricketers would be allowed to participate in the Twenty20 tournament without getting permission from the WICB. “I would not see a situation where a player would be putting his position with his [home] board at risk without consent,” Brown told the . “We will work through that and I will talk to the West Indies if needed. Our relationship [with international teams’] boards is fundamental.”Last month Bravo and Pollard, followed by Gayle, turned down the one-year central contracts offered by the West Indies board. The contracts require the players to make themselves available for the West Indies team at all times, something the three players – all of whom have forged prominent careers in domestic Twenty20 competitions including the IPL – were reluctant to do.Meanwhile Hilaire said the board has begun a discussion on how to “make all stakeholders happy” in the future, but cautioned that while the WICB has so far been liberal with issuing NOCs to players, it might be time to change that policy to safeguard the interests of West Indies cricket.”It has been to our detriment. We gave an NOC to a player to play in the Big Bash; he got injured, and could not play for our one-day international team. We have also allowed players to arrive days before important matches and play for West Indies.”We have allowed it to happen and the time has come not for us to say we are not supporting any player playing elsewhere, but to find the right arrangement and framework in which our interest is not compromised.”

As the end of the January transfer window approaches, it seems as though Wolves could be eyeing up a bit of late business that would give the Old Gold a big boost in one particular area that could set them up for a strong finish to the season.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Sami Mokbel had this to say on which areas Wolves manager Bruno Lage would want to strengthen his squad.

He said: “A striker for them, I’m sure, would be at the forefront of Bruno Lage’s mind. [Raul] Jimenez is back, but they certainly want more goals and more of a different kind of threat than he would offer, as good as a player he is.”

With 19 goals scored in 21 Premier League games so far this season, only Norwich City and Burnley have found the back of the net on fewer occasions, highlighting the possibility that freshening up their attacking line could be a good step forward for Wolves.

Fans will be buzzing

Taking into account how Jimenez has only managed to score four goals in 19 league appearances this season and the fact that Fabio Silva has only scored four goals in 43 league appearances since his arrival at Molineux, perhaps adding another striker to their squad could be what they need to become a deadlier team moving forward.

If Lage is keen on adding a striker to his squad before the January transfer window closes, this would surely be an exciting prospect for the Wolves fans, one that leaves them buzzing, especially if they get a player in that can start scoring goals on a regular basis to push the club closer to a European place in the league table.

With time being of the essence, Wolves and Lage will have to move swiftly if they want to identify and launch a move for a striker that could come in and hit the ground running in terms of scoring goals.

However, with Jimenez having made so many appearances for the Old Gold this season in the league, it would surely take a seriously skilled striker to come in and immediately take the Mexican’s place in the team.

In other news: Lage offers update on the future of 25-y/o gem, Wolves fans will be delighted

After the high of Headingley, Pakistan’s new-found confidence took something of a battering on the first day at Trent Bridge, as a combination of missed chances, squandered reviews and a double-hundred partnership between Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood

Andrew Miller at Trent Bridge29-Jul-2010After the high of Headingley, Pakistan’s new-found confidence took something of a battering on the first day at Trent Bridge, as a combination of missed chances, squandered reviews and a double-hundred partnership between Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood conspired to take the game away from them. Nevertheless, on a flat deck that looks very good for batting, Pakistan remain confident of being able to reply in kind.”It has been a very tough day for us today, but days come like this,” said their rookie batsman, Umar Amin. “We tried our best but unfortunately we didn’t get wickets at crucial times. But we’ll try to come back again tomorrow. It will be a new day and we’ll try to stick to the basics. There’s not much in the pitch, but we’ll try to restrict them to as little as possible.”At 118 for 4 in the first hour after lunch, Pakistan had an opening into England’s middle order, with Collingwood and Morgan forced to graft for their runs against a dangerous moving ball. But crucial opportunities went begging courtesy of the keeper, Kamran Akmal, who was positioned too deep to collect a low nick when Morgan had made just 5, and later made a hash of a stumping with Collingwood still short of his half-century.”We were in a good position, but unfortunately we gave it away,” said Umar. “Eoin Morgan played a fantastic innings, but it was lucky that as soon as he came, Aamer got a snick but it didn’t carry. Inshallah we’ll come back tomorrow and try to get him out, because all of us tried very hard and we created half-chances, but we weren’t able to capitalise on them.”Pakistan’s morale dipped even further when they used up both of their reviews in the space of five minutes, as Kevin Pietersen survived a referral for lbw and caught-behind in quick succession. Akmal, in his capacity as wicketkeeper and senior player, was the key man in persuading his team to go to the third umpire on both occasions, but Umar believed the calls were justified.”I think the review system is good when it goes in your favour,” he said. “I thought at the time they were out, but unfortunately, they weren’t, so I just consider it a hard day at the office. The senior players gave their opinions about those incidents, and it was the keeper who was the main man, but he’s a very tough man and he’ll come back tomorrow and try to compensate with his batting. I’m sure he’ll do good tomorrow.”Morgan also had a brush with the review system in the course of his innings, when on 78 he was adjudged lbw as Danish Kaneria came round the wicket. “It was the first time I’ve used it, so it’s been a bit different,” he said. “I walked down the wicket and Colly said I think you should review it, so that knocked it on the head.”The important thing is communication between the two batsmen, and being honest about it,” he added. “If it feels natural then refer it, because the angle he was coming from, it was going to struggle to hit the stumps.”Pakistan have a big challenge ahead of them if they are to get back into this match, but under Salman Butt and through their exploits against Australia, they currently have the spirit to overcome adversity. At the close, the players went into a huddle on the boundary’s edge, to reflect on a performance that hadn’t gone to plan, and to start the process of regaining some measure of control.”In cricket you learn every new day,” said Umar. “We are a young unit, and we’re becoming more and more united. We back each other and our captain, and we’re becoming a very good unit. I think this is the perfect pitch for batsmen, so we’ll try to make full use tomorrow. The key on this pitch is to stay on the front foot and manage the ball there. It won’t be very difficult tomorrow.”

The Sydney Cricket Ground will continue to host Tests and one-dayers for the next five years but Twenty20 internationals could be held in the city’s larger ANZ Stadium, which hosted the 2000 Olympics

Cricinfo staff13-Jul-2010The Sydney Cricket Ground will continue to host Tests and one-dayers for the next five years but Twenty20 internationals could be held in the city’s larger ANZ Stadium, which hosted the 2000 Olympics. An agreement between Cricket Australia and Cricket New South Wales will ensure Tests and one-day internationals remain at the SCG for the next five years.Last November, the possibility was raised of the SCG losing out as a venue for the 2010-11 Ashes following a staging row between Cricket NSW and the SCG Trust.”The SCG is the home of cricket in Australia, one of the world’s two finest cricket grounds,” Rodney Cavalier, the SCG Trust chairman, said. “Test matches have been played at the SCG since 1882. That tradition will continue. The SCG is where the players want to play, where the cricket lover wants to come.”Ashes tickets go on sale to Australian Cricket Family members on Wednesday and will be on general sale from July 20.

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been gifted a huge double injury boost ahead of the weekend…

What’s the latest?

The Yorkshire giants head to east London once again to face West Ham United for the second of this week’s double-header, having been defeated by the Irons in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

But this time, the Argentinian head coach is likely to welcome back two important members of the first-team squad, according to Daily Mirror reporter David Anderson.

“Leeds’ injury crisis is showing signs of easing and Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo should be fit for Sunday’s return trip to West Ham,” he revealed on Twitter.

Huge boost

This will come as a huge boost to Bielsa and his squad as it’ll give them some sort of threat in the final third at long last.

Bamford has been absent for large parts of the 2021/22 campaign, having missed 13 of their last 14 games in the Premier League. His only appearance since mid-September was a 22-minute cameo which brought his second goal of the season but since then, he’s been back on the treatment table.

Last season, the England international was Bielsa’s top goalscorer as he found the net 17 times in 38 appearances. He has been sorely missed as no Leeds player, apart from Raphinha (eight), has scored more than two goals from their 19 top-flight games.

Meanwhile, only five teams have scored fewer goals than the Yorkshiremen this term, three of which occupy a place in the relegation zone.

Rodrigo’s likely return is also encouraging as the Spaniard is a versatile attacker capable of playing in multiple roles. If Bamford wasn’t also returning, then he could be deployed up top, though his position has often been in the no.10 under Bielsa.

His presence could then help generate more chances as he ranks second to Raphinha for creativity, averaging 1.6 key passes per game. The likes of Dan James (0.9) and Jack Harrison (1.1) aren’t doing enough to help right now.

There is also the mounting injury crisis at Thorp Arch. As recently as last month, United were without 11 players for the defeat to Arsenal, so having Bamford and Rodrigo return is certainly encouraging.

Therefore, on the above evidence, Bielsa will be absolutely buzzing to see two of his key squad members back this weekend.

AND in other news, “I’m not so sure..”: Fabrizio Romano drops Raphinha update, fans will be fuming…

An update has emerged on Everton’s pursuit of Rangers right-back Nathan Patterson…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Alan Myers has delivered a major claim on the club’s attempts to sign the Scotland international this month from the Glasgow giants.

He Tweeted: “Everton are set to complete a deal worth up to £16m to sign right-back Nathan Patterson from Rangers. (12M initial fee) @SkySportsNews.”

Fabrizio Romano has since revealed that a medical is due to take place later this week before an official unveiling happens.

The reporter added: “Deal set to be completed for Nathan Patterson to Everton, permanent move. Understand medical + contract signing are expected this week, then it will be announced. #EFC Correct fee Rangers will receive is £12m (and not Euros) plus bonuses. It’s gonna be club-record fee.”

Delight

Everton fans will surely be delighted with this news as the club are in desperate need of strengthening in the full-back positions. Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey have both, at times, been tasked with playing on the flanks due to injuries and Jonjoe Kenny was drafted in at right-back with Seamus Coleman playing out of position at left-back against Brighton.

This highlights the issue facing Rafa Benitez, with the strength-in-depth of his options at full-back leaving a lot to be desired. The signing of left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko strengthened the left-back position and the club now appear set to resolve their issues on the opposite side by signing Patterson.

Jonjoe Kenny has shown that he is not good enough to be relied upon as a regular starter at Premier League level for the Toffees. Although he registered an assist against Brighton, his overall performances in the past 18 months have been poor.

He has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.51 in the top-flight this term, after managing a dismal score of 6.04 last season, showing that he has not been able to catch the eye with his displays – leading to the potential arrival of Patterson from Rangers.

The Scotland international is untested in England but has been impressive for his country. He has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.78 in World Cup qualifiers, producing one goal and one assist in four matches from full-back for his side.

At the age of 20, he also has plenty of time left to develop and he could be the long-term successor to Coleman that Everton have been looking for. This is why fans will be delighted with this news as the signing of the Gers defender, coupled with the arrival of Mykolenko, could solve all of Benitez’s issues in the full-back department.

AND in other news, EFC offered chance to sign “phenomenal” £16.2m-rated gem this month, fans would fume…

Wolves have reportedly seen a big-money bid for Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile rejected but a deal may still be possible in the future.

The Lowdown: January reinforcements possible

Wanderers have enjoyed an impressive first half of the season, sitting in the top half of the Premier League and still basking in the glory of the 1-0 win away to Manchester United earlier this week.

It could be that reinforcements come in during the January transfer window, as Bruno Lage looks to strengthen his squad ahead of the coming months and really challenge for a European place.

Defence could be an area Wolves look at improving further given the injury issues surrounding Willy Boly and Yerson Mosquera, with youngster Dion Sanderson needing to return from a loan spell at Birmingham to try and fix that problem.

The Latest: Badiashile bid rejected

According to L’Equipe [via Sport Witness], Wolves’ €30million (£25m) offer for Badiashile has been turned down by Monaco and the defender ‘does not intend’ to leave the Ligue 1 side currently.

That being said, the situation is not thought to be considered a ‘closed file’ and a summer move could possibly come to fruition if the right offer arrives.

The Verdict: Exciting long-term signing

At 20, Badishile would be a long-term acquisition for Wolves if a deal happens, and a hugely exciting one at that.

The 6 foot 3 tall Frenchman has already made 11 appearances in Ligue 1 this season, not to mention four in the Europa League, averaging a whopping 4.3 aerial duel wins per game in the latter.

Badiashile could come in and be an initial backup option for the likes of Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss, eventually forcing his way into Lage’s regular plans in the future.

In other news, some Wolves fans have gone wild over training ground footage that has emerged. Read more here.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has showered young midfielder Jacob Ramsey with praise. 

Speaking ahead of Villa’s Premier League clash with Burnley on Saturday, Gerrard admitted that ‘outstanding talent’ Ramsey has developed further then he had by the age of 20.

He believes that the Englishman can ‘go all the way to the very top’ if he continues to improve.

Ramsey making headlines

Ramsey earned the compliment off the back of his starring performance against Norwich City in midweek.

His solo goal set the Villans on their way to a 2-0 victory, and he also won 70% of his duels and completed 86% of his passes. That was enough to earn him a SofaScore rating of 8.0/10.

Ramsey has started 11 PL matches for Villa this season, including five of Gerrard’s first six.

Is Ramsey’s long-term future at Villa?

The £7.2million-rated ace is under contract with the Midlands outfit until June 2025, having signed an extension in February (via Transfermarkt).

But Spanish outlet Fichajes.net reported in September that he was ‘catching the eye’ of reigning champions Manchester City, who took Jack Grealish from Villa Park in the summer.

Fan feed Villa Report relayed Gerrard’s comments, and here’s what supporters made of them.

Villa fans flock to Ramsey praise

“I’m gonna get my heart broken again aren’t I”

Credit: @MisterGuilbert

“With Villa”

Credit: @AndyServicel1

“Wow high praise indeed”

Credit: @dan54287301

“Hands off city”

Credit: @Gaz57333644

“Sold Jack for a 100mil because villa knew this is the man who’s going to take us to Europe… love it”

Credit: @MattFothers

“Starboy”

Credit: @JamesVilla73

In other news, Gabriel Agbonlahor reacts to a big blow for Villa.