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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who scored 306 goals for Wolves during his career, believes Rayan Ait-Nouri is out of his depth in the Premier League and has bemoaned his lack of strength.

Ait-Nouri has made 13 Premier League appearances for Wolves this season, and managed to score his first senior goal of his career on his Premier League debut in a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace.

The 19-year old has started just eight league games this term though despite regular left-back Jonny being injured for a lot of this season, which has seen him average a 6.43 WhoScored rating as Wolves continue to think about signing him permanently.

Speaking on if the 19-year-old has been a good addition for Wolves and what he is lacking to succeed in the Premier League, Bull told FFC:

“In my eyes, he just looks a bit out of his depth.

“I’ve watched him a few times and he does get up and down the wing a bit, but he just looks a bit lightweight to me and I don’t think he’s getting a lot of chances so his confidence is low.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“Whether they keep him or not beyond the end of the season I don’t know because he just looks young and a bit immature.

“In a team, you need someone who is a like-for-like replacement when somebody else drops out the side like and he just looks a bit lightweight to me.”

Ait-Nouri had only played 23 senior games of footballer before his loan to move to Wolves this season and they may think there are better options than the £36k-p/w full-back.

In total, the French defender has made 16 appearances this season but has failed to offer a consistent attacking threat as he’s returned to just one goal and assist.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee says that Miguel Almiron has been one of Newcastle United’s best players this season, but could still do more.

The Paraguayan arrived for a then club-record fee of £21.6 million and famously struggled to get off the mark for the Magpies, despite no lack of endeavour.

Almiron went 27 games without a goal for Newcastle before netting the winner against Crystal Palace last season. The attacker is a testament to the fact that Newcastle fans will embrace anyone if they give their all, something Lee claims has never been in doubt over Almiron.

The 27-year old has turned a corner this season and is currently the club’s second top scorer with five goals and three assists, only behind Callum Wilson with 10 goals. However, Lee still believes there is more Almiron can give to Newcastle during this crucial time.

Lee gave his thoughts to Football FanCast on Almiron and where he can still improve his game and help Newcastle.

“He is one of our better players,” when asked about Almiron and how the team will cope during his injury.

Lee added: “I mean, one thing you can never say about him is he doesn’t try, he’s always giving 100%.

“My criticism is if I’m get attacking players in they’ve either got to create or score. He runs around but I’d rather someone not run and score 10 goals and create me 10 goals.”

There is no doubting Almiron’s commitment to Newcastle, which is something they need in a relegation fight. However, could he preserve some of his energy for when he’s in and around the box?

Lee was a midfielder himself for Newcastle and knows how you have to play to be loved by the fans, hence his admiration for Almiron’s workload. The need for goals is paramount for the Magpies now though.

Many Manchester United fans were left to slam the display of Dan James despite their 1-0 win in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team had it all to do in the second leg after only managing a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the first, but Paul Pogba came up trumps just a couple of minutes after coming on for Marcus Rashford to give his side the win and thus put them safely through into the quarter-final stage.

However, although there were some very good performances in a Red Devils shirt, James flattered to deceive several MUFC supporters.

The former Swansea City man lost out on six of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on target or long ball, while losing possession on no fewer than on 14 separate occasions, the third-most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

Manchester United fan reaction to James display

These Man Utd fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter even going as far as to compare the Wales international to a ‘Sunday league’ player:

“Man, Dan James made me bald last night. Pulled out a lot of my hair after every stupid decision he made, or pass he didn’t make. #MUFC”

Credit: @OnFaaya

“Daniel James, not United quality! #mufc”

Credit: @ThorsethFillip

“Pogba class when he came on, Fred brilliant 2nd half. Bruno and Dan James awful. But job done, that’s the main thing, and probably just knocked out the best side left in this comp. #MUFC”

Credit: @dink2k5

“Dan James must be bribing someone. How is he playing? #MUFC”

Credit: @Jamewalte

“What is Dan James and what is it’s purpose? #MUFC”

Credit: @lsr1988

“James and Fred are definitely Sunday league players – they don’t appreciate the shirt, the club and @ManUtd. They are both lucky to be playing for #MUFC. Pogba showed he is class! Still poor game management from Ole. Ole is right Cup can cover the cracks.”

Credit: @Sauba_Oumesh

In other news, find out which Premier League ace United are interested in signing here!

Glasgow Rangers director of football Ross Wilson may be regretting his failure to sign Alfie Doughty after he swapped Charlton Athletic for Stoke City.

What’s the story?

If you cast your minds back to the beginning of the January transfer window, Rangers and Celtic were among the clubs chasing the 21-year-old, who had entered the final six months of his contract at Charlton Athletic.

However, Stoke have pulled off a major coup with the signing of the highly-rated winger.

According to Glasgow Times, Doughty opted for the English Championship instead of the Old Firm. The report adds the Accies also rejected two cash bids from Celtic, which should soften the blow of any disappointed Rangers fans, knowing he turned The Hoops down.

The ever-reliable Ryan Kent was among the scorers as Rangers ran rampant over Ross County in a five-goal thriller at Ibrox. Yet Doughty’s last performance for Lee Bowyer’s side gave Stoke fans a glimpse of what he has to offer, and showed Wilson exactly what he missed.

Missed the boat?

Able to play at left-back or on the left wing, Doughty’s ability to operate anywhere on the left-hand side of the pitch is no doubt an added bonus for Michael O’Neill’s side.

Having excelled on loan at National League side Bromley, the Accies took a chance on their academy prospect and were duly rewarded, as he has received a WhoScored rating of 7.15, which put him firmly at the top of the leaderboard for Bowyer’s side, tied with his former teammate Jake Forster-Caskey.

Just like Kent himself, his dribbling is arguably one of his biggest strengths and he delivered with great aplomb against Northampton Town, as evidenced by his 66% win rate in his individual battles, winning two out of three duels against the Cobblers before succumbing to injury.

Off the ball, he is also prepared to work hard to to deny opponents any opportunities to score goals. This season, Doughty has made 2.4 tackles per game in League One, which suggests that he still chips in defensively as well. For context, that’s more than can be said for the likes of Rangers fringe players Brandon Barker (0.6) and Jordan Jones (0.7).

Opposition players have also found it difficult to get the better of Doughty, who was dubbed “outstanding” by his former boss Bowyer, as he is dribbled past just 0.9 times per game, as per SofaScore.

And it’s not just his hard graft that has caught the eye, either, as he has shown a willingness to bring the ball forward and put his team on the front foot. The left midfielder currently averages 1.7 key passes per game, which is only slightly fewer than Kent himself (1.9).

With Doughty now plying his trade at the bet365 Stadium, it seems Rangers have missed the boat on signing a player who could have been a perfect replacement for Kent, who former Scotland star Alan Hutton thinks could be sold “if the price is right” amidst reports linking him with a move to Leeds.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must get rid of Jordan Jones this month…

Celtic look ahead to tonight’s Scottish Premiership clash with Ross County as they prepare to travel to Victoria Park. The Hoops are on a five-match unbeaten streak in the league right now, thanks to a new found positive run of form.

Neil Lennon’s status as Celtic boss continues to hang in the balance amid their disappointing 2020/21 season. They will ultimately lose out on their Premiership title as Rangers wait to be crowned and rewarded for their blistering runaway campaign.

But despite their struggles, the Bhoys are looking to limit the damage taken and end the season with a positive. Recent decisions regarding lineups have worked wonders for Lennon and his team, with risks involving the integration of Ismaila Soro and David Turnbull paying off in dividends.

The duo will more than likely start against Ross County off the back of their impressive displays recently. Another man who should be named on the team-sheet is Ryan Christie. The Scotland international has come under a lot of criticism recently from Celtic fans and his somewhat inconsistent performances have divided the fanbase.

Christie was dropped from the squad earlier this month when the Hoops took on Motherwell in a 2-1 win. He returned to make a cameo appearance in the following match against St Mirren, in which he contributed a goal and an assist.

The £8,000 per week midfielder earned his way back into the team and has started both matches since then. Last time out he put in a solid shift in the middle of the park and proved to be a handful for the opposition. He was fouled four times, which was more than any other Celtic player on the pitch, according to Sofascore.

He is a driving force for the Hoops in the engine room and he could play a big part in carving open the Ross County defence tonight. Lennon must let him silence his harshest critics.

In other news, Celtic should move for free agent Johnny Russell…

Southampton are reportedly one of the Premier League sides who have been offered the chance to sign Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury on loan this month, and the 23-year-old could solve a key issue in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Southampton, Newcastle and West Brom have all been offered the midfielder on loan during the January transfer window, as he struggles for first-team minutes under Brendan Rodgers.

The England U’21 international is reportedly desperate to play more regularly and he could offer the Saints some much-needed back up in midfield.

Do Southampton need him?

Southampton are flying high this season and sit sixth in the Premier League after Monday’s 1-0 win against Liverpool, with the partnership of James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu in midfield perhaps a key part of why they are doing so well this season, with the duo amongst the top four performers for the Saints in the top-flight this season.

However, they are limited in terms of back up options in central midfield, with Ibrahima Diallo and Will Smallbone the only other senior players available to Hasenhuttl in that position.

Whilst Diallo has impressed in his limited appearances so far, he has made just two starts in the Premier League since his summer arrival from Stade Brest, whereas Choudhury has 40 top-flight appearances under his belt, which is comfortably more than Diallo and Smallbone combined, so he would add some experience to this young Saints squad.

Another option in midfield would perhaps allow Hasenhuttl to allow Ward-Prowse some rest, with the captain having played every single minute of the season so far.

Hasenhuttl has admitted previously that the only January business Southampton are planning to do will be similar to the deal that saw them sign Kyle Walker-Peters last January, which allowed them to assess him and sign him on a permanent deal in the summer, which could also prove to be the case with Choudhury.

Certainly, the £7.2 million-rated man doesn’t appear to be getting a look in under Rodgers this season, with just one start and two substitute appearances in the Premier League, so this deal could make a lot of sense for Southampton, and would arguably go some way towards fixing the real lack of options they have in central midfield.

And, in other news… Forget Diallo: Saints star who won 11 duels was Hasenhuttl’s best vs LFC

Over the last month, nothing has really gone right for Nuno Santo and Wolves.

Since Raul Jimenez fractured his skull in a horrific clash of heads against Arsenal, the Molineux outfit have won just three of their last 12 outings.

Not only have they struggled to score goals but at the opposite end, they’ve been in diabolical shape. Nuno has shifted between a three-man and four-man backline but on a rare occasion in recent weeks, he got his system spot on during Wednesday night’s draw with Chelsea.

The Portuguese went back to basics as Wolves lined up with three centre-backs. The result was a first league clean sheet since October – a run of 13 matches. All three of the defenders were imperious as Willy Boly and Max Kilman lost just one of their duels between them.

It was a night of near perfection from Wolves’ defence and it was a timely return to form for club captain Conor Coady.

The £55,000-a-week Wolves skipper has struggled of late and looked in horrific form when the Old Gold lost the Black Country derby to West Brom. He conceded a penalty and was then hauled off for the very first time in his Molineux career by the manager.

It was a landmark moment for the defender, one that signalled he wasn’t untouchable in this Wolves team.

However, the England international bounced back on Wednesday evening and answered any critics with a superb performance at the heart of Nuno’s defence. As he traditionally does, Coady marshalled things well and in winning 100% of his duels, barely put a foot wrong.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-wolves-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Wolves news”]

Express & Star’s Joe Edward’s typified his display with the following words at full-time: “Led by example. Typically vocal, always organising those around him and providing encouragement too. His own game was hugely improved from the previous few matches as well.”

That was all Nuno could ask for from Coady on Wednesday. He was superb and demonstrated all of the characteristics we’ve become accustomed to seeing from the bubbly 27-year-old.

In completing 86% of his passes – a team-high – he was safe and secure, while his radiant confidence meant he wasn’t dribbled past on a single occasion, nor did he commit a foul.

He and the rest of the defence stifled Olivier Giroud exceptionally well. That’s no mean feat given his physicality and for a man who usually dominates in the air, he won only three of the seven aerial battles he competed in.

That was a testament to not only Coady but the entire defence he was leading.

After his horror show against West Brom, he needed to prove himself and this was exactly the way to do it. Why did we ever doubt him?

AND in other news, 7 passes all night: Wolves gem who won just 25% of his duels endured a torrid evening…

Crystal Palace will be determined to return to winning ways when they travel to West Bromwich Albion to take on Slaven Bilic’s side in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Eagles face a tough trip to the Premier League strugglers having won just one game out of their last four to lie just three points above Brighton towards the bottom of the table.

After narrowly being beaten by Manchester United, the Baggies bounced back with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United at home.

Roy Hodgson faces one of the toughest challenges of his managerial career as he bids to get the Eagles fully firing on all cylinders, but he should have an easy choice to make over who should lead the line at the Hawthorns.

The former England manager has made some pretty questionable decisions in the past but this is a selection call he literally cannot afford to get wrong. Losing to a newly-promoted side who already find themselves struggling for Premier League survival would cast doubt over his future at the club.

Hodgson has options aplenty in the striking department but that doesn’t make his job any easier as it’s fair to say that some are more viable than others.

The Palace boss has heavily relied on Michy Batshuayi to shoulder the burden so far this season but he hasn’t reaped the rewards – no goals and just two assists in total in seven appearances in the Premier League, via Transfermarkt.

There’s a very real possibility he’ll give Christian Benteke a run of games but he ought to hedge his bets and stick with Jeffrey Schlupp instead.

Schlupp started upfront as Palace were beaten by Newcastle United at Selhurst Park. But, whilst we were well within our rights to lampoon his disastrous display, that doesn’t mean that anyone should write him off almost entirely.

Let’s face it, anything is better than Batshuayi or Benteke, so why not give it another go?

Valued at £9m via Transfermarkt, the 27-year-old has often been used as a left winger since he first arrived at the club, but he is yet to taste defeat against West Brom, which will no doubt be giving Bilic sleepless nights.

Last season, Schlupp enjoyed his most prolific spell in the top flight, having scored three goals and supplied two assists in 17 appearances, which is a pretty decent return when you consider the fact that he has mostly played as a left-back or central midfielder. That’s one more goal than Benteke, who played 24 games in the Premier League last term.

It surely makes most sense to give the speed demon a fair crack of the whip upfront alongside Jordan Ayew whilst Wilfried Zaha works his way back to fitness after testing positive for coronavirus. This means that Eberechi Eze could start on the left wing and allows Andros Townsend to line up on the opposite flank.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish should reward Jairo Riedewald with a new contract…

West Brom have a lot of decisions to make ahead of the January transfer window otherwise they truly risk their place in the Premier League.

Finances are tight, so incomings may be scarce but perhaps funds can be raised through sales of many of Slaven Bilic’s fringe players. You’d imagine Charlie Austin and Kamil Grosicki will be the first two out the door.

But perhaps there is some value left in Hal Robson-Kanu, who is just not favoured in the Premier League by the Croatian. The two-time Championship promotion winner would surely attract some interest given his experience.

The versatile 31-year-old forward hasn’t started a single game in the top-flight and despite being fit was snubbed entirely from the matchday squad as the Baggies were thrashed 5-1 by Crystal Palace.

Indeed, Robson-Kanu has featured in the Carabao Cup as captain, scoring three goals in two matches, but both outings were against lower-league opposition, which only goes to show that he may well be out of his depth in the Premier League at this point.

According to Spotrac, the Welshman is among the highest-earners at the Hawthorns, bringing home a tidy £30k-per-week, which is more than Grady Diangana (£20k-per-week), Kyle Bartley (£13.5k-per-week) and Romaine Sawyers (£12.5k-per-week).

All of those three have started and featured more than Robson-Kanu.

Therefore, it only seems like a wise decision to look to offload him in January as he’s merely bleeding Guochuan Lai’s pockets dry by not playing, and it’s not as if the Chinese businessman will be prepared to invest much more in terms of a transfer kitty.

WBA legend Kevin Phillips hailed the veteran’s impact during their promotion run-in, he told the Express & Star: “Hal Robson-Kanu has really performed. He has always been an exciting player, I’ve always liked his work ethic and his hold-up play. But this season he has added the goals that perhaps in previous seasons he hasn’t.”

That’s merely a thing of the past now though as Albion face a desperate battle to survive in the top-flight. Robson-Kanu could well take a bit off the wage bill and every little bit will help.

AND in other news, West Brom must take a risk on prolific EFL marksman who scores once every 75 minutes…

Vladimir Coufal shone on Saturday as West Ham United held Manchester City to a point, with David Moyes’ summer capture keeping England international Raheem Sterling silent.

The Irons finalised a deal to bring Coufal to the Premier League late in the summer transfer window, concluding Moyes’ search for a new right-back by striking a deal worth just £5.4million with Slavia Prague for a 10-time Czech Republic international.

Coufal was thrust into the Hammers starting line-up immediately upon his arrival with Moyes fielding the 28-year-old away to Leicester City, and has kept his trust in the Slezsky FC Opava product who started the 3-3 draw at Tottenham Hotspur and against Man City.

Moyes’ trust was repaid heavily on Saturday when Coufal’s pinpoint delivery found Michail Antonio in the box, before the English centre-forward spectacularly netted his third of the Premier League season to break the deadlock.

Coufal had already begun to earn his fair share of admirers before starring against Manchester City, with West Ham icon Trevor Sinclair waxing lyrical over the east London outfit’s summer capture ahead of this weekend’s clash.

“Playing three at the back – Coufal has come in and done a superb job – the balance looks superb,” Sinclair told talkSPORT (23/10, 09:20).

Moyes had similarly been impressed with what he’d seen from Coufal before the right-back had even kicked a ball in claret and blue, noting after his capture via quotes by The Guardian: “He is a player we have been tracking for some time now and all of our reports have been very impressive.

“He has a lot of attributes and qualities that we believe will enable him to adapt quickly to the demands of the Premier League. We are confident that he will make a positive impact and prove to be a great addition to the squad.”

Coufal proved to have taken well to the Premier League during his debut away to Leicester, and again stood out on Saturday as he kept Manchester City’s £115.2m-rated Sterling silent throughout the first-half.

The Czech Republic international struggled slightly more in the second period once ganged up on by Phil Foden and Joao Cancelo, but still came through the affair with flying colours as West Ham’s second-best performing outfield player, per SofaScore.

Data collected from the Citizens contest saw Coufal warrant a 7.1 out of 10 rating, only trailing Declan Rice (7.6) and Lukasz Fabianski (7.5) for the hosts. The right-back achieved his score thanks to an impressive display featuring seven successful duels and five tackles.

Coufal won six of his ten ground battles and his sole aerial contest, while adding one interception, three clearances and 55 touches to his record.

The Czech beast further attempted 30 passes but could only connect with West Ham players on 17 occasions, while misplacing five of seven long balls, two of his three crosses and losing possession 17 times.

Nonetheless, Coufal impressed against Manchester City, and warranted the high match rating given by SofaScore.

AND in other news, David Moyes must hit the reset button as £27.2m target puts West Ham’s interest in the past.