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Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed that Portugal international goalkeeper Rui Patricio has completed a move to Serie A giants Roma [BBC].

Enjoying a special career at Molineux, he made 127 appearances across three years in the West Midlands, registering 37 clean sheets [Transfermarkt].

Intriguingly, the 33-year-old moves to the Stadio Olimpico to work under Jose Mourinho, arriving in Rome as the Special One’s first summer signing at the helm of his new club.

Proactively looking to the future, Wolves look set to bring in fellow Portuguese goalkeeper Olympiakos stopper Jose Sa as a replacement, which is set to be confirmed in the coming days [BBC].

In light of this news, no wonder loads of Wolverhampton Wanderers diehards took to Twitter to pay tribute to their icon upon his departure.

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC fans react:

Replying to the Wolverhampton Wanderers FC Official Twitter account, here is what some supporters had to say upon hearing the recent developments surrounding Patricio:

“Thanks Rui, just a joy watching you in a Wolves shirt, never ever thought we would ever have a player of your calibre at Wolves. All the best at Roma”

Credit: @DNHALES

“Hes been a brilliant goalkeeper for our club an gotta thank him for everythin he’s done for us. He will always be welcome back home to us anytime he will be missed. Good luck on ur new journey”

Credit: @Jessy_Wolves

“Thanks for everything Rui Off to curl up in a ball and cry”

Credit: @TonyWilde99

“This man is a totally class act, on and off the pitch. All the best Rui and thanks for 3 amazing years.”

Credit: @tonybaloney36

“Thank you! See you again”

Credit: @PSG56413898

“Thanks Rui you’ve been a legend and we won’t forget you”

Credit: @lucychickk

In other news, Wolves have been told how much they’ll need to pay for a reported transfer target.

As European clubs continue to circle, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl should axe centre-back Jannik Vestergaard this summer rather than losing him for free when his contract expires at the end of next season.

According to The Athletic, a number of clubs in Italy, Spain and Germany are keeping tabs on the defender after his impressive performances for Southampton and Denmark in recent months.

Despite Southampton’s woeful defensive record last season, which saw them concede the second-most goals of any side in the Premier League, Vestergaard was one of the most consistent performers in Hasenhuttl’s side.

The 28-year-old, who reportedly earns £60k per week at Southampton, earned an average rating of 6.89/10 from WhoScored for his performances in the top-flight, which was enough to rank him as the third-best performer in Hasenhuttl’s side.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach man has also been key to Denmark’s run to the semi-finals of the European Championships this summer, which will surely only increase the interest being shown in him.

Despite him being a hugely important player at St Mary’s, with Hasenhuttl suggesting that he was not for sale, the Austrian manager should definitely consider cashing in on him this summer.

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Vestergaard’s contract expires in 2022, meaning that foreign clubs will be able to discuss signing him on a free transfer from January 2022, and a new contract doesn’t appear to be on the horizon.

Southampton paid £18m to sign the giant defender three years ago and after establishing himself as a key player for club and country, you would hope that they would be able to sell him for a similar fee should he depart this summer.

You would hope that the South Coast club recognise that, if he isn’t going to sign a new deal, selling him is the best option this summer, as his transfer value is only going to decrease further as we approach the new season and the closing of the transfer window.

Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand suggested in 2020 that he felt Vestergaard has “great potential” and it seems as if the interested clubs from across Europe agree, so Southampton should definitely cash in on him now while they still can.

And, in other news… Saints missed out on £16.2m-rated “monster”

Burnley and Brighton and Hove Albion are front-runners to lure Liverpool defender Nat Phillips away from Anfield this summer [GOAL].

The Lowdown: Liverpool re-shape their squad ahead of 2021/22

Liverpool will be looking to be back amongst the honours once again in 2021/22, following their third placed finish last term.

the Reds have already seen the high-profile departure of Gini Wijnaldum to PSG [BBC], whilst loanee Ozan Kabak has returned to Schalke after his temporary stint on Merseyside [SB Nation], so a small reshuffle of the squad could be necessary.

Interestingly, there now could now be a third exit through the famous Anfield gates, in the form of the 24-year-old Phillips.

The Latest: Burnley and Brighton and Hove Albion lead chase

Currently speaking, Burnley and Brighton and Hove Albion are leading the chase for the 6ft 3in colossus [GOAL].

Though the Liverpool hierarchy would be hesitant to sell Phillips, they understand his desire to play regular first-team football and could relinquish his services for the right price [GOAL]. No mooted fee has been established as of yet regarding his potential asking price.

Of course, these developments come as something of a fresh twist in proceedings, as Newcastle United were thought to be the team interested in the centre-back in recent weeks [CaughtOffside].

The Verdict: Phillips should be allowed to depart

There is an agreeable nature to these rumours, signifying it could be the right decision for Liverpool and Phillips to amicably part ways this window.

On one hand, the Bolton-born stopper is unlikely to be an important first-team regular in 2021/22, owing to the recent signing of highly-rated defender Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig last month [Liverpool FC] and others returning from injury.

Conversely, Phillips has proven his worth as an established Premier League defender who is too good to sit fourth or fifth in the pecking order. In 2020/21, he made 20 appearances for Liverpool, registering one goal and a solitary assist [Transfermarkt].

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Conveying his dominant prowess within the Reds backline, he won an outstanding 5.6 aerial duels per 90 minutes across the Premier League year [WhoScored]. Put into context, that was by quite a margin the highest rate of the entire Liverpool squad [WhoScored].

Once labelled as ‘brilliant’ by manager Jurgen Klopp [Liverpool FC], Phillips simply has to get out and play as a first-choice defender – he is entering the prime years of his career. Should Liverpool elect to sell him for a considerable sum, that could be a happy ending for both parties as they look towards the new campaign.

In other news, Jurgen Klopp is said to have ‘cancelled’ a move for an international defender.

Fulham are reluctant to pay Steve Cooper’s compensation fee in order to bring him to Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claim that Shahid Khan is not currently prepared to pay the £3m compensation fee it would require to get Cooper out of his current contract with Swansea City.

Sky Sports reported on Sunday that Scott Parker is set to leave the west London side in the next 48 hours before taking over at Fulham’s Championship rivals AFC Bournemouth, meaning that the Cottagers are set to be managerless with pre-season due to start in a matter of weeks.

Khan must pay

While it is understandable that Khan may not want to pay such a large amount of money in order to appoint Parker’s successor at Craven Cottage this summer, when taking into account Cooper’s record in the Championship with Swansea, in addition to sorting out the managerial situation at Fulham well before pre-season starts and the transfer window ends, there should be enough evidence to convince the club’s owner to cough up for the Swans boss.

Indeed, having taken over from a Graham Potter led Swansea side who had finished the previous campaign in 10th, Cooper has since guided the Welsh team to consecutive top-six finishes in the Championship, with improvements both in points and performance in the play-offs having been made each year.

The Welshman has also gained a reputation for developing young players, something that is undoubtedly helped by winning the U17 World Cup with England, as well as earning praise for the tactical diversity of his Swansea side.

And, with it seeming a near certainty that Parker will be moving onto pastures new this summer, considering Cooper’s record, it could be easily argued that the 41-year-old is actually an upgrade on the outgoing Fulham coach, with his appointment appearing to do no harm at all to the Cottagers’ hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League next season.

As such, if Khan does not pay up for the Swansea City manager this summer, and, for whatever reason, Fulham should fail in their promotion push next term, the owner’s decision would undoubtedly be looked back on as one of his worst in his time at the club, as well as one that would leave fans fuming.

In other news: Khan must ruthlessly axe “unbelievable” £21k-p/w flop, he’s let Fulham down for years

Paulo Fonseca will have a new coaching staff around him at Tottenham Hotspur, according to emerging claims…

What’s the word?

In a recent Q&A with Spurs fans on football.london, the ever-reliable Alasdair Gold dropped a fresh update on the 48-year-old’s imminent arrival. He said that Spurs could announce the appointment of Fonseca in the very near future, via Zoom. He aldo claimed that the club were going over the ‘final details’, in which the make-up of his coaching staff would be decided.

He said:

“There’s some suggestion that it might be next week due to travel restrictions etc, but you’d hope Spurs might just announce it with an interview via Zoom as they did with [Fabio] Paratici.

“I understand, from within Fonseca’s camp, that he held further talks with Paratici in Milan yesterday as they go over the final details of his arrival, including that new-look coaching team.”

Can he still be as good?

It was recently reported that some of Fonseca’s most trusted counterparts may not be coming to North London with him this summer in what could be perceived as a massive blow and Gold’s latest update seemingly confirms this.

It means the Portuguese coach will have to work with an entirely new set-up, one that wasn’t there for his successes in Ukraine and Portugal, nor at his latest job, AS Roma.

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As revealed by Gold earlier in the week, football.london understands that the 48-year-old will not have his 15-year long assistant Nuno Campos or fitness coach Pedro Moreira, who has also worked with him for over a decade, with him at Spurs.

This is a group that saw Fonseca guide Shaktar Donetsk to three successive league and cup doubles, whilst more recently, they steered the Serie A giants into the Europa League semi-final.

It begs the question, can he do the same without them? And as such, is he still the right appointment for Spurs?

The Lilywhites are in dire need of a rebuild, which is in part why Fabio Paratici has been hired as their first director of football since 2015.

He’ll have to sort out their defensive problems, resolve Harry Kane’s questionable future and guide the club back into the top four. No easy task, especially when the fanbase has been against your arrival from day one.

Fonseca’s previous successes came with his trusted staff memebers by his side and we have very little evidence to suggest he can be successful without them, so this is definitely a bit of a gamble by Daniel Levy. Time will tell if it works out for the best but many supporters in North London should be rather worried that Fonseca’s right-hand men won’t be by his side as and when he takes over.

AND in other news, Spurs were dealt another gutting manager blow over pre-Fonseca target…

Leeds United have been handed a major setback in their continued battle with RB Leipzig over Jean-Kevin Augustin.

What’s the story?

Speaking last summer, The Athletic’s Phil Hay admitted that the whole situation had become complicated, and that it could well head towards a major legal battle. He said: ” Sources at Leipzig tell us that Leeds are trying to avoid paying on the basis that the contract stated Augustin should be signed if Leeds were promoted before the start of June.

“Leipzig argue that, in good faith, that should be taken to mean the end of the season (which was obviously delayed by COVID). But Leeds and Bielsa do not want to take Augustin. This could well end up with FIFA or in an arbitration process.”

And now, the German club themselves have said that in the “first instance”, FIFA have sided with them on a positive basis, although it is added that the judgment is not yet final, while, of course, the Whites will have the right to appeal.

Radrizzani will be fuming

While the decision isn’t final just yet, this latest update on Augustin’s case will surely have Andrea Radrizzani absolutely fuming.

The Whites stand the prospect of having to shell out the £18m that was allegedly agreed between them and Leipzig over Augustin’s permanent transfer, and that would blow a major hole in their finances, just when they’re looking ahead to the summer transfer window.

At £18m, that kind of fee would actually represent the joint-third highest sum Leeds would pay out for a player, with only the deals for Rio Ferdinand and last summer’s signing Rodrigo costing more – a real indication of just how desperate Radrizzani and the Whites will be not to pay it.

Augustin ended up playing just three times in the Championship, totaling a measly 48 minutes of football for Leeds, scoring no goals and providing no assists – his only outings for the club all came in the month of February, when he featured against Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Bristol City.

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The last thing the Leeds owner will want is to be paying up a significant sum of money for Augustin, which is why he’ll certainly be frustrated with the latest development, especially as the player is now registered with Nantes, so Leeds would be shelling out money for a player who they will never actually have in the squad.

This whole situation has become very messy.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have entered into talks with this Premier League star…

Crystal Palace must swoop for Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall over the summer as chairman Steve Parish looks to rebuild the first team squad.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, the Eagles are among several Premier League clubs interested in acquiring the 24-year-old’s services after an impressive 2020/21 campaign.

The report claimed that Worrall is available for around £10m, with Burnley and West Ham United also closely monitoring the in-demand defender.

Parish must swoop

With Gary Cahill, Mamadou Sakho and Scott Dann currently set to become free agents at the end of the month, signing a couple of new centre-backs is likely to be a priority for the south London club.

Worrall has attracted admiring glances from some in the top flight after making 33 appearances for his boyhood club last season, achieving a respectable WhoScored rating of 6.74 in the process.

The Englishman has previously enjoyed several loan spells away from the City Ground, including a 12-month stint with Scottish giants Rangers throughout 2018/19.

After the powerful defender bagged a crucial equaliser against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup, his former manager Steven Gerrard showered the former England Under-21 international with praise, telling The Scottish Sun (via Nottinghamshire Live): “I thought Joe Worrall was outstanding. What a big goal to keep his team in the cup.

“It was a Man of the Match performance, and he will be a captain of whatever team he plays for. He is a leader, and he stepped up today.”

Palace had the oldest Premier League squad in the recently concluded campaign, and it’s a major issue which Parish will surely be keen to address over the coming months.

However, with the financial impact of the ongoing pandemic likely limiting the capital club’s budget, whoever succeeds Roy Hodgson will have to overhaul the squad on a shoestring budget.

Therefore, picking up Worrall for a relatively bargain price of £10m makes sense in more ways than one for the Eagles. He could feasibly form the base of Palace’s side for many years to come and be a pivotal part of the new-look side, no matter who is finally installed as Hodgson’s replacement.

In other news… Palace could seal their next McArthur in £10.8m-rated gem who has “everything” 

LAFC boss Steve Cherundolo sounded off on MLS for making them play in fierce winter conditions against Real Salt Lake Saturday.

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• RSL defeat LAFC 3-0
• Snowy conditions cause controversy
• Winter storm saw players freeze on pitch

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  LAFC fell 3-0 to RSL Saturday evening, obtaining their first loss of the season, but it didn't come without issue or controversy.

  The match was delayed multiple times, due to a mixture of wind, lightning, rain and dust… but by the time things properly kicked off at America First Field, the temperature had dropped severely and snow began falling on the pitch.

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  WHAT LAFC BOSS STEVE CHERUNDOLO SAID

  “It was an absolute joke we had to play today, the game could have and should have been called (off). It was an absolute disgrace to play… I don't understand why on earth we'd count a game like that."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  By the time the final whistle blew, visibility on the field appeared to be almost non-existent – with MLS implementing an orange ball in the game so that all persons could view it. The snow-covered pitch was shoveled multiple times throughout the match, while players opted to wear face-coverings, gloves and hats throughout the match.

  LAFC's Hugo Lloris was one of the most visibly shaken footballers on the pitch by the conditions, shivering on-camera whole seeing his facial hair turn into ice – frozen to his face.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LAFC?

  The Black and Gold return home to Los Angeles next weekend in what will – hopefully – be more playable conditions. They'll look to get their campaign back on track and earn their second three points of the season.

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has revealed he was caught with cider and cigarettes aged 14 by an Everton youth coach in a hilarious anecdote.

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• Rooney became a United legend
• But started playing days at Everton
• Caught red-handed by coach in hilarious story

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rooney was chatting alongside fellow Premier League legends Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as Lionesses icon Jill Scott, in the latest episode of . The group discussed the the drinking habits of people in Liverpool, as Carragher made a reference to anything from grassroots games to christenings warranting a boozy celebration. Rooney took that opportunity to tell a hilarious anecdote about growing up in his hometown of Croxteth, Liverpool.

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  WHAT ROONEY SAID

  Rooney told : "Where I grew up wasn't an easy place to live, but I used to absolutely love growing up there. It taught me so many different things. I remember when I was 14, I was crossing the road, I think it was a Thursday or something like that. I was playing for the U19s on Saturday for Everton, Colin Harvey was the manager. So I'm crossing the road, I've got a bag of cider and a packet of cigarettes, a car stops to let me cross – and it was Colin Harvey!"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rooney's escapades had no effect on a stunning Everton career which saw him seal a switch to United at just 18 years of age back in 2004. He went on to become a legend at Old Trafford before returning to the Toffees in 2017. Rooney then moved to MLS with DC United before finishing his playing career at Championship club Derby County, retiring in January 2021.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ROONEY?

  Despite such an esteemed playing career, Rooney has largely failed to live up to the billing at managerial level. He has averaged a dire 1.14, 1.04 and 0.67 points per game as permanent manager of Derby, DC United and Birmingham, respectively, and has been out of work since being sacked by the Blues in January following a dreadful spell.

Pep Guardiola hailed his "supermen" Manchester City players following their 1-0 win over Bournemouth – while criticising their busy fixture list.

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• City beat Bournemouth 1-0
• Guardiola hails his 'supermen'
• Manager criticises busy schedule

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  City cut Liverpool's lead at the top of the Premier League to one point thanks to Phil Foden's goal in a 1-0 victory at Bournemouth. That was City's sixth game this month, leading Guardiola to praise his players' fitness and durability. However, the former Barcelona boss said his team are having to play too many matches and their schedule needs to be reduced.

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  WHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID

  He told : "I adore my players – they are supermen. They are so good. Where we come from for many years, playing every three days – they [Bournemouth] had seven days to prepare for the game and we always have less. So when people say, you play in the same conditions in the Premier League, no, no – we don't have the same equality, we have much more games than the rest to play, and this is a tough place to come, they are a fantastic team, they won 3-0 at Old Trafford.

  "We demand too much of our players but they respond. I know people say: 'They earn a lot of money' but it [the schedule] is too much. Honestly, but business must go on and it surprises me every time how we are still there, they have an incredible character and are so competitive even when they are tired, they give extra. Our fans have to be so proud of these guys. The last 10-15 minutes were tough – we won the Treble and people think we have to win every game 4-0, 5-0 but that is not the reality and hopefully soon we can have a week off and refresh our minds and legs."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  City are going for another treble and when your team is successful, playing lots of matches comes with the territory. More games tends to mean players and clubs pocket more earnings as a result, so while footballers may be playing too often – a solution needs to be put forward to find a happy medium.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  City, who have played 36 games this season compared to Bournemouth's 31 in all competitions, round off a busy month with an away trip to Luton Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday. It will be their fifth match in a two-week period.