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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Wolves legend Steve Bull has suggested that Leander Dendoncker is more suited to midfield than defence.

Since joining the Midlands club from Belgian outfit Anderlecht in the 2018 summer transfer window, Dendoncker has played at the back and in the middle of the park under Nuno Espirito Santo.

This season, the 25-year-old has mostly been deployed in midfield, making 14 starts there in the Premier League (per WhoScored), and Bull believes that is where he belongs in this Wolves side.

Discussing Dendoncker’s best position in an exclusive interview with FFC, the legendary Wolves striker said:

“I don’t think he’s a centre-back. He’s not slow, he just doesn’t read the game as quick as a defender should. In midfield, you have time to get the ball, turn left, turn right, to play, but when that ball’s coming into the box and the striker’s running across and you’re a midfielder, by time you’ve got your head [in the correct position], the striker has gone in front of you.

“So, to me, I’d rather play him in midfield rather than centre-half, but he’s a very good stand in. He’s a very good stand in if we need him.”

Aside from £28.8m-rated Dendoncker, Nuno has captain Conor Coady, Romain Saiss and Willy Boly to call upon when it comes to selecting central defenders for his back three. The latter, however, has had his problems with injury this season, making it little surprise that Nuno has continued to utilise Dendoncker’s versatility.

Next up for the Belgium international and Wolves is a home fixture against West Ham when the Premier League returns after the international break.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Dean Windass praised former Hull City winger Jarrod Bowen for his performances in the Premier League.

Bowen has been an ever-present when fit for West Ham United and is a crucial cog in David Moyes’ well-oiled machine.

During his final season and a half for Hull, Bowen registered 38 goals and 10 assists in 75 games which was making a lot of Premier League clubs interested.

After a deadline day fight, Moyes got his man and is proving his worth both on and off the ball registering five goals and three assists in the league so far.

The winger has carried the ball the second furthest out of anyone at West ham (40892 yards) only behind Declan Rice with 6549 yards.

Bowen’s willingness to run himself into the ground for the side is extremely valuable to how Moyes has got the Hammers playing this season.

Windass admits he was wrong to question Bowen’s ability after he departed Hull.

He told Football FanCast: “I’ve questioned Jarrod Bowen before. I questioned Jarrod when he left Hull. Was he good enough to play in the Premier League?

“He’s proved me wrong and he’s probably proved himself wrong the kid. He’s a lovely kid.”

Bowen’s form has also forced Moyes into some tough choices into who misses out in the starting line-up which has often been Said Benrahma, which Windass spoke about.

“You bring in Benrahma who’s been in and out. I think if they wouldn’t have gotten Jesse Lingard, Benrahma would have played a lot more games.”

The 24-year old is improving every game and thriving in a team that is full of energy and confidence and looking to breach the top four.

If West Ham are to earn a spot in the Champions League, Bowen’s energy and willingness to sacrifice personal achievements for the team will have to remain at the highest level.

Manchester United bolstered their hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four by squeezing past West Ham 1-0 on Sunday evening.

It was a tight victory for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men as they overcame a fellow UEFA Champions League challenger, courtesy of Craig Dawson’s own goal. The Hammers defender was somewhat unfortunate in the way that Scott McTominay’s header deflected off of him and into the back of the net but the Red Devils would not have minded at all in what form the goal came.

It was the aforementioned McTominay who was key for the Red Devils in claiming victory, playing a crucial role in the goal, as well as the remainder of the game.

The Scottish midfielder is currently in the midst of his best scoring season having scored seven goals in all competitions, and whilst the winner will not be awarded to him, his intervention made it.

McTominay continued to display that hunger to get forward throughout the rest of the clash, having two shots, as well as providing a key pass, according to WhoScored. His passing statistics also remained eye-catching as he accumulated a highly impressive accuracy rate of 96.9%. No player on the park who started the game managed to complete a higher percentage of their attempted passes than the Scottish international, including the ever-inspirational Bruno Fernandes.

The 24-year-old wasn’t finished there though as he also played a pivotal role from a defensive standpoint, too.

Partnered alongside Fred, McTominay produced two tackles and a further four interceptions – no player on either side managing to pick off more opposition passes than the Red Devils’ midfielder.

The only slight blot on his copy book was a silly yellow card picked up for a pull-back on Michail Antonio, however, that should not take anything away from his performance at all in what could be a crucial victory for the Red Devils.

AND in more news, read about why a move for AS Roma Gianluca Mancini could be crucial for Manchester United…

Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard could leave the club this summer because the club’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has not put any money into the club for an “awfully long time.”

Edouard to leave?

This is what football finance expert Kieran Maguire has said, in light of the 22-year-old switching his agent and with his asking price lowered by the Bhoys.

Real Madrid have reportedly joined the race to sign Edouard on the back of interest from Arsenal who are keen to sign him in 2021.

Speaking with Football Insider, Maguire believes Desmond is looking for a self-sustainable model and Edouard’s sale will help balance the books.

“If you take a look at Celtic, the owners haven’t put any money into the club for an awfully long time,” he said. “So to a large extent, Celtic have been self-sufficient financially.

“Now, if that’s going to be the case, they are losing money on a week-by-week basis, and the only way you can cover those losses is through player sales. Dembele, Tierney, other players of that standard, they’ve been clever in selling in recent years.

“If the owner (billionaire Desmond is the majority shareholder) doesn’t want to put any money in, there’s no alternative but to sell someone like Odsonne Edouard.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

This will be understandably a huge blow for Celtic, especially after everything that Edouard has helped Neil Lennon’s side achieve over the past three years.

Since his loan move from Ligue 1 giants in 2017 and his permanent transfer a year later, Edouard has gone on to score 72 goals from 151 appearances and clocked up over 10,000 minutes of game time (TransferMarkt).

Time will reveal how developments at the club unfold from now until the end of the season, in what has been a wretched campaign from start to finish.

In other news, Peter Lawwell hit with further scathing amid Celtic’s Dubai fallout.

Tottenham Hotspur’s week from hell continued as they were defeated in a second successive Premier League match by Brighton on Sunday night.

First, it was an injury blow to Harry Kane, and then defeat to Liverpool, and now Jose Mourinho’s men have lost again, putting their quest to make the top four in jeopardy.

Spurs were lacklustre in the absence of their leading talisman, but once again, there were underperformers in defence, namely Moussa Sissoko, who massively let his manager down considering his vast experience.

The £90k-per-week star was deployed in an unfamiliar right wing-back role as he was preferred to Serge Aurier – snubbed completely from the matchday squad – and Matt Doherty, which speaks volumes.

Though, that said, Sissoko has still played at right midfield or right-back 139 times, as per Transfermarkt’s recorded matches.

But he endured a nightmare evening at The Amex, and it culminated in the game’s only goal of the game coming from a switch-off defensively.

Pascal Gross was given time and space along the right flank, but Sissoko allowed his man, Leandro Trossard, into the penalty box without following him.

And that’s only half the story…

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-spurs-news-and-transfer-rumours” title= Read this week’s latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more…”]

The 31-year-old was also the most wasteful player on the pitch, from either side, as he lost possession a whopping 23 times. It meant he handed the ball back to the Seagulls once every 3.9 minutes or once every 4.3 touches as he had the second-most touches (100) of anyone on the pitch, via SofaScore.

Given his vast influence in the game, he should have done better.

Sissoko managed to only make one of five crossing attempts (20%) and was rather lightweight in his battles as he won only 50% of his duels, both aerially and on the ground.

Sissoko’s teammate, Steven Bergwijn, has taken a lot of flak on social media since kick-off but the young winger was exposed in a solitary striker role, so he should be forgiven for not having the same sort of impact that Kane would’ve had.

And at the end of the day, he was the only player to have a shot on target for Spurs.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick graded Sissoko a 5/10 in his post-match ratings column and wrote: “Completely ineffectual as a wing-back and effort was unusually lacking on occasion.”

Sissoko was far worse than Bergwijn on the night.

Mourinho may want to think again before he axes Aurier or Doherty – he clearly needs one of them, however bad they may be, in their natural right-back role.

As evident above, the wasteful, inefficient and weak Sissoko massively let Mourinho down.

AND in other news, Levy have struck gold in dream deal for £45m-rated “born leader”…

For Celtic, they have somehow managed to get their season back on track.

Only a few weeks ago their supporters had gathered outside Parkhead in protest against Neil Lennon and the club’s ownership but the Northern Irishman has turned things around.

Celtic have now won five games on the trot which included an impressive win over Lille and also victory in the Scottish Cup final. Of course, the Hoops are still considerably off the pace in the league but it’s encouraging that they’ve been able to change their fortunes in such a short space of time.

One of the reasons they’ve been able to do that is the renewed fitness of Leigh Griffiths. A man with “unquestioned” talent according to Chris Sutton, Lennon hasn’t always been able to call on the striker.

He started just ten times in the SPFL last season and this term, the forward has only managed two league starts. However, possessing 121 goals for his club, it’s clear he has the necessary qualities.

His instinctive finish against Hearts in the Scottish Cup final summed up the attributes he possesses and then he took his start against Hamilton with both hands.

Griffiths found the back of the net but did endure a mixed afternoon on Boxing Day. He lost 66.7% of his duels and could have had a hat-trick but it was promising that he got in such good areas.

It was a display that has provided Lennon with a huge problem, albeit a welcome one in the final third.

Odsonne Edouard hasn’t been his usual self this term but after being involved in all three goals last time out, it was a welcome return to form. Yet, his goal-scoring performance came from the left-wing as Griffiths played through the middle.

The dilemma, therefore, is whether to keep Edouard in a new position and stick with Griffiths or put the Frenchman back in his preferred role. Considering the Bhoys beat Hamilton 3-0, making changes would be foolish.

Yet, he has to consider the impact Mo Elyounoussi can make. Having contributed to 17 goals this campaign, it’s incredibly difficult to leave him out too.

Lennon has a lot of thinking to do ahead of the New Year.

AND in other news, Celtic must swoop for “extraordinary” colossus, he’s better than Barkas…

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for LA Galaxy right-back Julian Araujo in recent weeks and if he were to join the North London club, it could spell trouble for Matt Doherty.

It has been suggested recently that Spurs are readying a €5 million (£4.45 million) offer for the 19-year-old defender, who has impressed with his performances in the MLS over the past couple of seasons, ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report from AS describes the youngster as one of the top young talents in the MLS and considering he has one goal and two assists for LA Galaxy in the American top-flight so far this season, helping him to a 6.87 average match rating, it is easy to see why.

If he were to join Spurs in the summer, it would only increase the competition Jose Mourinho has at right-back and based on current form, that could prove to be bad news for Doherty.

The Republic of Ireland international has not lived up to expectations since joining from Wolves in the summer and has fallen behind Serge Aurier in the pecking order at the Lilywhites.

He arrived with the reputation of being an attacking full-back who could contribute goals and assists, as he had consistently done with the Old Gold during their time in the Premier League, but he has no goals and just one assist in 17 appearances for the Lilywhites thus far.

After signing the defender in the summer, Mourinho suggested that he was “so happy” with the signing of Doherty but following his sending off against Leeds in the Premier League recently, it seemed clear that the Portuguese manager was far from happy with the 29-year-old defender, and if his performances don’t improve, he may end up making way for Araujo next season, with Spurs perhaps looking to cut their losses after just one year.

The USA international has also featured as a right-winger during his time in the MLS, which suggests that he could prove to be effective in a right-wing back role, similar to the one we saw Mourinho utilise Aurier in during the 3-1 win against Sheffield United last weekend.

So, if Daniel Levy does swoop for the teenage defender during the summer transfer window, it will be interesting to see how much first-team football he will get under Mourinho, and whether he will do enough to displace the £18 million-rated Doherty entirely as Aurier’s understudy.

And, in other news… Jose can sign Lucas Moura upgrade in £25.2m-rated wizard; he wouldn’t cost a penny

Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has hardly put a foot wrong since he first arrived at the Ibrox outfit from Premier League side Southampton. Now he has a chance to give a lifelong fan a dream chance to play for Steven Gerrard’s side if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Rangers are considering a shock move for Norwich City midfielder Kenny McLean in January.

It’s claimed that Gerrard is closely monitoring the situation as he is well aware that McLean has been in and out of the Canaries first team since they were relegated from the Premier League.

The Ibrox boss is believed to be eyeing a swoop for the Scotland hero in the winter transfer window after he helped Steve Clarke’s side secure their spot for the Euro 2020 Championships next summer by scoring his penalties in the play-off shootout victories over both Israel and Serbia.

Rangers are reportedly lining up either a deal to be paid in instalments or an initial loan deal with the option to buy in the summer. However, McLean signed a new contract with the Canaries only a couple of months ago, which ties him down at Carrow Road until 2023.

Wilson’s time to shine

This is Wilson’s time to shine as he notoriously drives a hard bargain, having developed a reputation for being the key figure in the club’s recruitment during his time at St Mary’s. He oversaw the arrival of former Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk before selling him to Liverpool for a huge profit.

McLean has scored one goal in eight games in the Championship so far this season, despite the fact he has only started four of those games. The Scottish international may decide a change of scenery is in his best interests with the Euros just around the corner.

With the 28-year-old potentially looking to leave Carrow Road and with Norwich feeling the impact as a result of these unprecedented circumstances, the Canaries may have to cash in on the Scotsman sooner rather than later.

McLean, whose market value is estimated at £2.88m via Transfermarkt, has made 72 appearances for Norwich, scoring five goals and supplying eight assists in all competitions so far.

Once hailed as an “irreplaceable” dynamo by Norwich boss Daniel Farke, the former Aberdeen and St Mirren man should be able to hit the ground running. He also has experience of playing in the Europa League qualifying rounds, which is surely an added bonus.

The centre-midfielder, who can also be deployed as an attacking midfielder or out wide, could be the perfect deputy for Rangers star Joe Aribo, who himself has become a versatile option under Gerrard, having replaced Ianis Hagi on the right-wing in recent weeks before the international break.

However, the Gers are hardly short of options in the midfield, as Gerrard can call upon the likes of Steven Davis, Bongani Zungu, Glen Kamara, Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield as well. However, Arfield isn’t getting any younger, whilst it remains to be seen if Davis will be offered a new deal or not, as his current contract will run out in 2021.

Wilson may feel that he will be able to negotiate a cut-price deal with the Canaries for McLean in the coming months as the Euros loom ever nearer, with the Scotsman keen to add to his 16 caps for his country so far.

AND in other news, Watch out Arfield: Bongani Zungu sends a timely reminder to Steven Gerrard with South Africa display…

Carlo Ancelotti will be in dreamland if Marcel Brands is able to strike a deal with Real Madrid for Isco, potentially threatening Tom Davies’ future at Everton.

What’s the word?

According to La Razon, Isco has rejected the chance to reunite with former Los Blancos and Spain manager Julen Lopetegui, after snubbing a potential move to Sevilla for economic reasons.

The 28-year-old has turned his nose up to slashing his wage in order to continue his career in La Liga, as the Andalusian outfit would not be able to match his €6million-a-season (£104k-p/w) salary despite only having to pay the remaining €3m to sign Isco on loan.

Isco has further rejected the chance of joining Andrea Pirlo’s maiden voyage as Juventus manager, feeling the Serie A would not be best suited for his talents and would prefer to join a league more to his liking in the January window.

Madrid are looking to offload Isco on loan this winter with a potential view to a permanent deal come the summer and with the midfielder snubbing two exit routes, the Premier League is seen to be the most likely destination.

Ancelotti allegedly ‘dreams’ of reuniting with the 38-cap Spain international following their time together at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite recently dismissing reports of a move in a fiery response.

Hello Isco, goodbye Davies?

While Ancelotti was quick to rubbish speculation of a move for Isco last month, the persistent rumours linking the Italian with a bid to bring the Real Madrid outcast to Goodison Park would suggest there is interest on the Everton manager’s behalf.

Isco has been drip-fed minutes in the Spanish top-flight by Zinedine Zidane this term, who has called on the £18m-rated talent – valued as high as £81m in 2018 – to start three La Liga fixtures while earning the remaining 121 of his 306 minutes over five substitute appearances.

The four-time Champions League winner is also yet to register a goal or an assist, while penning a measly average of 0.5 key balls and 0.5 shots per league game, including zero accurate crosses, 1.1 successful dribbles and 18.1 accurate passes in the opponent’s half, per SofaScore.

Ancelotti welcoming Isco to Merseyside, despite his recent form, would surely spell bad news for Davies, who has found himself an outcast of the Italian’s plans this term with just one of his two Premier League starts to date coming in his natural midfield role.

Davies was called on to play at right-back for last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Championship title-holders Leeds United, and had played just 18 minutes of top-flight football outside of his starting role in October’s 4-2 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

Ancelotti clearly does not rate Davies to a high standard, and would surely be looking for a replacement to the Toffees product should Everton forge efforts to sign Isco in January.

Versatile AFC Bournemouth attacker David Brooks would make the perfect Deadline Day signing for Everton, after Carlo Ancelotti’s unbeaten side were touted as a potential suitor.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Goodison Park is one destination where Brooks could be plying his trade beyond the domestic transfer window if the Wales international does leave Bournemouth.

The Cherries are determined to retain the 23-year-old at almost any cost, with boss Jason Tindall eager to utilise his services in the south coast side’s bid for an immediate return to the Premier League following their relegation last season.

Brooks shone at the Vitality Stadium during his maiden campaign in the top-flight in 2018/19 following an £11.5million move from Sheffield United, scoring seven goals and penning five assists before a serious ankle injury restricted him to just nine outings last term.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Leicester City and Everton are all thought to be keen on striking a deal, nonetheless, but face paying as much as £40m with Bournemouth set to hold firm in their stance with the winger under contract until 2022.

The Cherries can further hold off any interest that may emerge for Brooks before Friday’s 17:00 deadline as they insist there is no pressure to sell the 14-cap ace, even after their relegation.

Brooks has opened the 2020/21 second-tier campaign with appearances in Bournemouth’s opening two fixtures, but has not featured since the closing stages of a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough through illness.

The perfect late addition

While Brooks has failed to pen a goal or an assist in the Championship so far this season, the Warrington-born winger would make the perfect Deadline Day signing for Everton if the Blues are able to reach an agreement with Bournemouth.

Brooks displayed all his worth on the south coast during his debut campaign with a hand in 12 top-flight goals, including striking home key efforts against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Chelsea while fashioning Joshua King’s initial equaliser in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal.

He further created a total of nine big chances in 2018/19, along with averaging 1.1 shots, 1.0 key balls, 44.8 touches, 3.8 duels won and 1.2 tackles a game, per SofaScore.

Had it not been for needing two surgeries to mend ankle ligament damage sustained in a pre-season friendly, then Brooks would likely have offered Bournemouth vastly more than a mere one goal as they dropped out of the Premier League last term.

Former Cherries boss Eddie Howe failed to lower his admiration of Brooks’ ability upon the youngster’s return to action in June, stating via quotes by the Bournemouth Echo: “He is an outstanding player and I think there were moments in there that are promising for us.

“Obviously, the length of time he’s been out, there is going to be an element where he’s just going to be working his way back to his best levels.”

Everton could certainly do with greater depth on the right-flank now that Theo Walcott has returned to Southampton on loan, with James Rodriguez the only natural option Carlo Ancelotti has despite Richarlison, Alex Iwobi and Anthony Gordon all excelling on the opposing wing.

Rodriguez has also been a star on the right for the Toffees since his summer arrival, with the Colombian offering three goals and two assists in four Premier League appearances alongside an average 1.8 shots, 3.3 key balls, 6.3 duels won and 2.0 successful dribbles a game.

But while Brooks would be the perfect Deadline Day signing for the Blues and offer Ancelotti a second Rodriguez type, the £40m price tag slapped on the Wales international will ensure that he remains with Bournemouth – or at least not move to Goodison Park during the final hours of the domestic transfer window.

AND in other news, Everton have made a decision on the future of a £3million outcast.