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Nuno Espirito Santo’s sudden departure from Wolves last Friday sent shockwaves around the Premier League, not least legendary striker Steve Bull.

The Portuguese manager was approaching the end of his fourth campaign at Molineux and had recently guided the club to Premier League safety once again.

Less than 10 months ago, Santo led Wolves to a second consecutive seventh-place finish and the quarter finals of the Europa League, but moments after conducting his press conference for the final-day visit of Manchester United, he announced that he’d be leaving his post.

Santo was appointed prior to the 2017-2018 campaign and turned Wolves into Championship winners in their first season, before a seventh-place finish saw them qualify for Europe for the first time for more than 20 years.

But the previous season has proved a challenging one for the 47-year-old, who’s struggled without his talisman Raul Jimenez, with Wolves’ league form suffering as a result.

Wolves managed just 12 Premier League victories all season, and only six in their final 25 matches, leading to Santo’s exit on Friday.

And Bull told Football FanCast that he was as stunned as anyone that Santo decided to call it a day:

“Oh my word! You can ask anybody in the football world, that would have been the unlikeliest thing to happen at Wolves.

“It’s a shock to everybody, I thought he was here for the longer haul, like an Alex Ferguson type, but obviously the club has got different opinions.”

Crystal Palace will assess the condition of their 20-year-old midfielder Michael Olise ahead of today’s evening kick-off against Leeds United.

What’s the latest?

Friday morning’s press conference (via Football.London) saw Palace boss Patrick Vieira drop a revelation on Michael Olise’s foot injury that saw him prematurely withdrawn last time out against Newcastle United.

Speaking to the media, he said: “With Michael Olise – we were off yesterday and today, so we have to wait until tomorrow. But, yes, we took him off early in the [Newcastle] game as he wasn’t feeling 100 percent.”

A mini-update of sorts was then revealed by producer Conor McGilligan on Twitter who shared he was “definitely a doubt.”

Olise omission

In what is his debut season in the Premier League, Olise has struggled to assert himself as a regular under Patrick Vieira, starting just 34% of the Eagles’ Premier League fixtures.

Though you cannot argue against his impact for Palace this season, with his accumulation of seven goal contributions (two goals and five assists) in a total of 23 appearances in the league.

The Frenchman’s five assists this season see him rank first in the Eagles set-up, ahead of Conor Gallagher’s total of three assists in the league.

Along the same lines, his chance creation is what Palace will miss the most, with his total of seven big chances created again placing him ahead of Gallagher and ranking him first in the squad.

At just 20-year-old, Olise is an outstanding creative asset for Vieira’s side and in the appearances, he has made, has acted as the glue for his side’s efforts in possession, with his average of 49 passes per 90 and goal-creating actions of 0.62 placing him within the elite category amongst positionally similar players in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year.

For extra context, Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong averages 56 passes per match, so Olise is kicking it with the best of them and it is not going unnoticed.

Vieira will certainly be worried if he has to make do without the French starlet’s brilliance in the side tonight in what will be a real let-off for Leeds United.

In other news: Vieira must finally unleash CPFC’s £15.3m “delight” today, he will terrify Leeds…

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, Rob Lee, who made 18 appearances for West Ham, believes one of David Moyes’ targets this summer, Tammy Abraham, will cost more than £30 million this summer.

It has been reported that David Moyes has prioritised Abraham as his number one target to replace Sebastien Haller, who they failed to replace in January after the club-record signing departed for Ajax.

Since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, the £58,000 per week striker has struggled for first-team minutes, even being left out of the matchday squad for their FA Cup semi-final victory against Manchester City at the weekend.

Speaking on how much it will cost West Ham to sign Abraham this summer and if that would be a sensible price for the Chelsea striker, Lee told The Transfer Tavern:

“You’d be talking a lot of money for players like Abraham because £30 million probably gets you a cheap player now.

“You’re talking a lot of money to buy these sorts of players and Tammy Abraham will probably cost you more than that.”

West Ham have been heavily reliant on Michail Antonio for goals this season, however with his injury record it would be a wise move for Moyes to sign another striker this summer.

Jesse Lingard has been chipping in with goals since his loan move from Manchester United in January, which has helped the Hammers while Antonio has been out injured.

Tottenham director of football Fabio Paratici will give an answer to AC Milan over a move for Japhet Tanganga ‘this weekend’.

The Lowdown: Tanganga under Conte

The 22-year-old has been used by Antonio Conte on a number of occasions in recent months, turning out in a variety of roles.

He’s played as a left-back, centre-back, right-back and even right midfielder, with his latest appearance coming against Leicester City in a dramatic 3-2 victory.

Tanganga is under contract until 2025 but has been linked with a move to Italy, and it seems as if Spurs are mulling over a possible transfer in the final days of the January window.

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The Latest: Next 48 hours key

Sports Witness shared a link to a story on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, revealing the clubs are in talks and Paratici will give an answer ‘this weekend’.

AC Milan are thought to be ‘working’ on a move and would prefer a loan deal over a permanent one, with the next 48 hours seemingly vital.

The Verdict: Reinforcements needed first?

Sending Tanganga to Milan for the second half of the season may well be good for the youngster – it has reinvigorated Fikayo Tomori’s career, for example. However, Spurs could do with bringing players in before shipping any out on loan.

Conte has just five senior centre-backs to choose from, one being Cristian Romero who is injured. Joe Rodon also doesn’t seem to be fancied by the Italian, who has moved Ben Davies into a central role from left-back.

Spurs are thought to be keen on Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, and should they pip Newcastle to the Brazilian, then perhaps an exit for Tanganga, who Gary Neville called ‘really special’, could be on the cards.

In other news: Spurs make 11th-hour attempt to dramatically scupper rivals’ move for £40.5m-rated ‘beast’. 

It was a shame for both club and player when Jetro Willems picked up a season-ending injury against Leicester City back in 2020, but now he’s a free agent and former Magpies defender Steve Howey believes that he could be an option that Steve Bruce looks to bring in.

Willems turned down a new contract at Eintracht Frankfurt as he is holding out for a return to Tyneside to link up with good friend Allan Saint-Maximin, whom he struck up a great relationship with both on and off the pitch.

The Dutch international certainly endeared himself to the Newcastle fans with stellar performances at both ends of the pitch and his goals against both Liverpool and Manchester City were certainly memorable ones with the latter being a crucial one in the match.

After Jamal Lewis failed to impress this season with just a 6.34 WhoScored rating and Matt Ritchie, not a natural defender, Willems could be the best and most viable option for Bruce this summer. That’s according to Howey, who spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“I thought he did really well and I think he was very unfortunate with that injury, but it is one of those things which meant he obviously had to go back and it’s very frustrating as a player.

“He did do quite well here and the fans liked him so it’s certainly an option that they could look into.”

If Willems was to join Newcastle permanently then it would appear to signal the end of Paul Dummett’s career as a left-back for the Magpies and considering how much he impressed at the back end of last season as a centre back, it would come as no surprise.

Something that will have sparked life into Bruce’s transfer plans for this summer is that his budget is now set to increase from a measly £10 million, all the way up to £50 million in a shocking turn of events considering Mike Ashley is desperate to sell the club.

Glasgow Rangers fans have launched a petition urging the SNP’s Humza Yousaf to resign as Justice Secretary after comments the politician made concerning The Gers.

The Lowdown: Yousaf aims criticism at Gers

Rangers players were recently accused of sectarian singing as they celebrated winning their 55th league title last week, but Police Scotland eventually decided there was “no criminality” involved (via The Daily Record).

Upon the allegations, Yousaf called for any Rangers player or staff member found guilty to be sacked immediately, while he also applauded Police Scotland for investigating the claims.

The Latest: Gers fans demand resignation

Following Police Scotland’s announcement, Gers supporters group Union Bears launched a petition demanding the resignation of Yousaf. They said:

“Humza Yousaf has disgraced himself and proven to be completely biased and untrustworthy to be a factual or reasonable member of the Scottish devolved administration.

“He must resign immediately so the Scottish people can have faith that politicians will not use lies or fake videos to smear demographics of society that disagree with his and his party’s political position.”

At the time of writing, more than 18,000 people had decided to take action into their own hands by signing a petition on change.org demanding Yousaf’s resignation.

The Verdict: Difficult

Yousaf seemingly jumped the gun in this case as he demanded strong action from the club before there was any significant proof of any criminality.

It is also not the first time the Justice Secretary has taken a hard-line stance against the Ibrox outfit – it actually appears to be a semi-regular occurrence.

In all fairness, in this case, he did make it clear people should be sacked “if” there was any criminality, so it may be best to give him the benefit of the doubt. However, it appears that thousands of Rangers supporters disagree, hence why there are so many signatures on the petition.

In other news, Rangers fans react to this Steven Gerrard video.

Aston Villa are in line to bring Ashley Young back to the club, 10 years on after leaving for Manchester United, according to the Daily Mail.

And, as to be expected, several Villa fans were quick to give their immediate thoughts to the news online.

The Daily Mail claim that Young will be allowed to leave Inter Milan this summer, with the Serie A giants looking to balance their financial books.

Young helped Inter Milan win Serie A last season, making 34 appearances in all competitions.

The 35-year-old played at left-back, right-back and as a left midfielder during the 2020/21 campaign, with Young also attracting interest from Watford and Burnley.

His experience of the British game appears to be a reason why Villa are looking to bring him back to the Midlands, with Yong making 369 appearances in the Premier League.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the Daily Mail’s claim regarding Young on Twitter on Tuesday evening.

These Villa supporters were quick to share their delight, with one describing a possible deal as ‘class’.

“Wait, what?”Credit: @LukeKing_”My word, if this happens”Credit: @reidjones25″Great signing as a back up to Targett”Credit: @GW_94″would actually be class as a back up left back why is everyone mad”Credit: @avfcben___”I beg”Credit: @LewBlud”Get him. Make it happen. On my desk by the morning. I want it. Yep. Do it. Make it so. Please.”Credit: @StevieGreenXI

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to what Man City are plotting, find out more here. 

West Ham United return to Premier League action as they welcome newcomers Brentford to the London Stadium this afternoon.

It’s the seventh match in three weeks for the Irons, who have started the 2021/22 campaign on fire, losing just once across all competitions thus far.

With another international break soon on this horizon, David Moyes will want to sign off in style with yet another victory, though after defeating Rapid Wien in the Europa League on Thursday night, the Scotsman is facing plenty of selection headaches.

Just two places split the two teams heading into kickoff, so the newly-promoted Bees aren’t a side that can be taken lightly.

Moyes has utilised squad rotation to some extent with these midweek matches, so players like Tomas Soucek and Kurt Zouma should come straight back into the starting XI, though one name that shouldn’t feature is fellow summer signing Nikola Vlasic, who has looked very underwhelming since joining the club.

As per SofaScore, the £27m-rated Croatian playmaker was the only Hammers player to record a rating below 7.0 as his early-season struggles continue at the club.

He flattered to deceive on his debut for the Hammers – as explained by Football FanCast here – despite it being in the most perfect of circumstances after returning to his home country to face Dinamo Zagreb.

Against Wien, he managed to record fewer touches (25) than goalkeeper Alphonse Areola (28) and he also registered the fewest touches of any West Ham starter (nine) and that’s the last thing you want from your creative option in the no.10 role.

The 23-year-old midfielder may well come good for the Irons eventually but in games like this, Moyes is better off turning to his tried and tested, such as Pablo Fornals, instead.

Moyes has already been impressed by what he’s seen from Vlasic on the training pitch, revealing to reporters:

“He can play several roles for us which is important, but we also want to give him the chance to adapt and adjust. He’s only been really impressive since he’s been at the club and we’re really hopeful that he’ll turn into a really good player for us.”

But the former Everton flop has struggled for weeks now, so he must not keep his place in the starting XI for this encounter. Brentford pose plenty of threat themselves, having beaten Arsenal and drawn to Liverpool already this campaign.

Moyes may well like what he sees in Vlasic but at the London Stadium this afternoon, he must be brutal and leave the 5 foot 10 maestro on the bench. His faith in the summer signing is yet to be rewarded with any sort of promising performance, so he must now be axed from the starting XI.

AND in other news, Newman could become an instant hit at West Ham by signing £36m-rated “world-beater”…

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes that Marcelo Bielsa would have been a great appointment at Tottenham instead of Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Lowdown: Modern-day Leeds legend

Bielsa has done a remarkable job at Elland Road since arriving in 2018, inspiring the Whites to promotion back to the Premier League and making them an established top-flight club again.

The 66-year-old is adored by the supporters and his playing style has made for some of the most entertaining football at the club in decades.

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The Latest: Robinson makes worrying claim

There is always a fear that Bielsa will move on eventually, though, and Robinson’s latest comments are unlikely to go down too well with many Leeds fans.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former England stopper claimed that Spurs would have been an ideal destination for the Argentine in the summer, perhaps suggesting that he could still end up there eventually.

He said: “I cannot understand why Spurs didn’t go for Bielsa. He’d be perfect. Or they should have moved heaven and earth to get one of the top targets they wanted in the summer.”

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The Verdict: Last season at Elland Road?

Bielsa has only been signing one-year deals at Leeds, so it is tough to predict what his next decision will be at the end of the season.

Much could depend on how the Whites have performed overall, with a disappointing campaign potentially convincing him to seek a fresh challenge elsewhere.

Thinking more optimistically, however, Bielsa may feel he still has a few years left in him at Leeds – something most supporters will hope is the case.

In other news, one vital Leeds player has been tipped to leave the club. Find out who it is here.

Wolves could be forced to sell Ruben Neves this summer as they look to bring in new players, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

Since joining Wolves from Porto back in 2017, Neves has gone on to become a key figure for the Midlands club.

He made over 40 Championship appearances in the season they won promotion and has continued to be a regular in the Premier League.

However, the Portugal international is now being linked with a move to Arsenal, with Goal reporting that they see him as a potential replacement for Granit Xhaka, who could be off to AS Roma.

And Hatfield believes, while nothing is a forgone conclusion, Neves is one player Wolves could be willing to let go in order to generate funds.

“For Wolves to sign players, do they need to sell?” the Express & Star reporter said. “That’s the report we’ve kind of heard from some, that there needs to be a few sales to fund those big moves that they maybe want to make.

“Maybe Neves is seen as someone who is not completely disposable but would be an acceptable departure to fund other moves. That could be the case.”

According to The Athletic, Wolves do need to sell if they are to bring in reinforcements.

Valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, Neves probably has the potential to capture a good fee. So while he has been an important player for this Wolves team, you can see some logic behind selling him this summer.