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A number of Liverpool supporters have been hailing Sadio Mane after the Reds superstar contributed towards the building of a hospital in his hometown in Senegal.

The 29-year-old has been one of the biggest figures of the Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield, maturing into a truly world-class footballer. Mane has scored 97 goals in 218 appearances for Liverpool, winning the Champions League and Premier League along the way.

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Not only that, but the Senegalese’s likeable personality has shone through during his time at Anfield, making him one of the most popular figures at the club. He has a selfless, down-to-earth attitude on the pitch and he is clearly the same off it, with his latest gesture summing him up as a person.

As reported by African sports journalist Nuhu Adams on Twitter, Mane has paid €530,000 (£455,000) for a hospital to be built in his hometown of Bambali, having already done the same with a high school in the village.

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Liverpool fans hail Mane gesture

It is a special gesture from the Liverpool forward and these Reds fans have taken to Twitter to shower him with praise.

“I would visit Bambali one day to see Sadio, my very own favourite player”

Credit: @presidentofdsen

“What makes me happy is that the players we love are an inspiration as a human being. Sadio is a hero on and off the pitch”

Credit: @AbhayJogekar

“I’m proud of Sadio Mane as a Liverpool supporter”

Credit: @huntelaar19

“What a fella”

Credit: @TheRedDebate

“What a king”

Credit: @MbappeLFC_

“Make Sadio president imo”

Credit: @AudunMan

In other news, a reliable journalist has provided a key update on the future of one Reds player. Find out who it is here.

Many Wolves fans have been flocking to a transfer update on Rui Patricio as Corriere dello Sport reported (via Sport Witness) that he is ‘ready for Italy’.

As per the news outlet, a fee of €10m (£8.6m) should be enough to convince the Midlands club to sell, as the goalkeeper himself has reportedly admitted that he would ‘take into consideration’ another move abroad.

Given that he is now 33 years of age, it may be a wise idea for the Molineux faithful to cash in on him now, as his value will only diminish from hereon at this stage of his career.

The 2020/21 campaign was not Patricio’s best for Wolves, as he conceded 11 more league goals despite playing one game fewer compared to last term (Transfermarkt), while he was also culpable for two errors leading to goals for the opposition.

Wolves fans on Patricio transfer update

These Wolves supporters flocked to the transfer update as it was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that the goalkeeper was ‘hopeless’ at set pieces and corners:

“I would cash in now before it’s too late. Ruddy is not that bad and I am sure we can find a suitable replacement. Good shot stopper but hopeless at set pieces and corners.”

Credit: @Earlknudsen

“When Ruddy played he was so much better, got the ball out quicker! Think we should sell doesn’t seem that good too me! Keeper at the Albion is better IMO”

Credit: @sigarrett

“The statue on set pieces. Slow off his line! Wolves deserve a better keeper!”

Credit: @xeno2480

“Been good for us tbh, however I don’t blame him wanting to move on and try new things, be a good move for both parties if he goes”

Credit: @RyanEvans_11

“Can’t blame him, 3 years here and nothing to show for it. Brilliant shot stopper but when Coady started taking goal kicks like it’s Sunday League I think its probably time for a change”

Credit: @BC1877

“Can’t believe I’m saying it but I think it’s time for him to move on, great goalkeeper but at the wrong end of his career now and £15m could get us Johnstone”

Credit: @craigdavison86

In other news, find out what managerial update has left these Wolves fans fuming.

Considering Rafael Benitez in their hunt for a new manager should be a no-brainer for Tottenham, claims former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer.

The north London club seemed to have had their man in ex-Inter Milan and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte. However, multiple reports broke last Friday, including from The Telegraph, stating that talks to bring the Italian back to England have now ended.

It leaves Tottenham now needing to look elsewhere as their search for a successor to Jose Mourinho drags on.

And Palmer believes one of the Portuguese coach’s former rivals would be a good option for the club.

“Rafael Benitez is a top manager, that goes without saying,” the ex-Leeds United star exclusively told FFC. “Rafa knows what he’s doing, he’s managed in almost every league and had success. So, for me, that’s a no-brainer, really.”

Benitez has plenty of Premier League experience, managing Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle United.

He has also had success at each of those clubs, winning Champions League and Europa League trophies to name a couple of his honours from his time in England. At this point, the Spaniard is surely a name worth considering.

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills believes that Raphinha can get even better for the Whites, having shone in his first season at the club.

The Lowdown: Superb first season

The Brazilian joined Leeds from Rennes last autumn and has undoubtedly been one of the Whites’ key performers this season. Raphinha has scored six goals and registered eight assists in the Premier League in 2020/21, catching the eye with his silky touch and dribbling ability.

The Latest: Raphinha tipped to get even better

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills claimed that the 24-year-old – who he dubbed a “class player” – could now go up another gear for the Whites next season. He said:

“He’s had his first season in the Premier League now it’s about building that robustness to play at that level week in, week out. The experience of this season will stand him in good stead for next year.

“We’ve talked about it many times, Bielsa almost works his teams to death at times. They are incredibly fit but it does mean, from time to time, new players who aren’t as used to it are going to break down and are going to pick up little injuries.

“After a season you’d expect those little bumps in the road to be ironed out and he can have a real good tilt at it next season.”

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The Verdict: Vital figure for Leeds

As Mills has hinted, Raphinha may potentially have dipped a little in recent times, with a relentless season taking its toll as he has now gone four matches without scoring, but he is a huge player for Leeds moving forward.

When foreign imports come to England, they can sometimes struggle to adapt to life in the Premier League. However, the Leeds winger has hit the ground running, with Tony Cascarino describing him as ‘incredible’.

His knowledge of the league should, as Mills said, “stand him in good stead” for next term, although he must avoid the footballing equivalent of a difficult second album, and hopefully he can continue to excel with his end product and all-round effectiveness.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up another left-back – find out who it is here.

Liverpool are willing to sell striker Taiwo Awoniyi this summer if they receive an offer of £8m, according to The Athletic’s James Pearce.

The lowdown

The Reds signed Awoniyi from his homeland Nigeria back in 2015 for just under £1m but they have been forced to sanction a succession of loan moves while they waited for him to secure a work permit. His switch to Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin ahead of the 2020/21 campaign was his seventh temporary exit.

Awoniyi finished the campaign as the team’s third highest-scorer with five goals, helping them to a seventh-place finish in the German top flight and qualification for next season’s Europa Conference League.

Mergim Vojvoda, a former team-mate of Awoniyi at Royal Excel Mouscron in Belgium, hailed him as “an excellent player with great qualities”, adding that “Taiwo is a forward who needs to showcase his power”.

Earlier this month, the Nigerian was finally able to obtain his work permit, meaning he could be part of the Liverpool squad next season, while he has two years left on his contract at Anfield.

The latest

Fulham, West Bromwich and Stoke City have ‘already shown interest’ in the 23-year-old, according to Pearce for The Athletic, and he is seen as one of the club’s more valuable assets after impressing in Germany.

Pearce added that the Reds will listen to offers for a whole host of returning loanees, including Harry Wilson, Marko Grujic and Loris Karius.

The verdict

Awoniyi may never have featured for the Reds’ first team, but he could still make an important contribution to Liverpool.

Having sealed the signing of Ibrahima Konate on Friday, The Athletic claimed that further coming incomings will be ‘influenced by how much is generated from player sales’.

An £8m influx is not to be dismissed. It could represent a decent chunk of the fee for a backup forward or a midfielder, while the potential sale of Awoniyi could be similar to how Liverpool yielded big fees for rarely-seen strikers such as Dominic Solanke and Rhian Brewster in the last couple of years.

In other news, could interest from Turkey see this Reds player sold to raise funds?

West Ham United have been given a big boost in their pursuit of Eddie Nketiah, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser claims the Irons have been given hope of securing a deal for the 21-year-old Arsenal youngster this summer after the north London outfit secured Folarin Balogun to a new long-term contract extension.

It’s thought that West Ham have been tracking Nketiah since January, where they had a loan approach knocked back but he’s now expected to drop down the pecking order, especially given mooted interest in Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard, who the Hammers have also been linked to recently.

At the end of the season, the England U21 international will be in the final year of his contract, so it leaves the Gunners with a decision to make.

It remains to be seen how much Nketiah would command with CIES Football Observatory currently valuing him at €30m (£26m).

Shades of Defoe

The report goes onto suggest that David Moyes is a huge admirer of the Arsenal gem as he sees him as someone that could fit his energetic style of play and would be hungry to prove himself – very much in a similar nature to that of Michail Antonio.

But it’s another one-time Hammers goalscorer that he draws further comparisons to, and it should have many at the London Stadium brimming with excitement.

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Moyes and GSB could well find West Ham’s next Jermain Defoe in Nketiah.

“He reminds me of another Jermaine Defoe and look at how well he did at West Ham,” explained Noel Whelan to Football Insider. “He’s very much that similar sort of player. He plays off the shoulder, very dangerous in the box. He’s a player you can’t take your eye off because his movement’s so good.”

The 38-year-old is still plying his trade for Scottish champions Rangers and his career was truly kickstarted in east London, where he proved to be a prolific sensation, top-scoring with ten goals in his debut season in the Premier League aged just 19. He then went onto bag eight in the next season, and 11 goals in 19 appearances in the old First Division, as per Transfermarkt.

Nketiah may be a little further along at 21 but he has found game time hard to come by at the Emirates Stadium, though his record for the Three Lions is impeccable with 16 goals from 17 caps, and that’s caught the eye of Michael Owen, who knows a thing or two about scoring himself.

The former Liverpool striker lauded the young forward a “goal machine,” something that the Irons have felt this term themselves as he bagged the winner back in September from the bench – his only league strike so far this campaign.

Signing a new striker should absolutely be Moyes’ top priority this summer and making a splash for Nketiah could prove to be a shrewd decision as not only will he fill a glaring void but he’ll also get a 5 foot 11 nuisance that’s perfect for his system.

GSB must stump up the cash for Nketiah at the end of the season.

AND in other news, One man shines: Our West Ham player ratings in poor Newcastle defeat…

Sunderland centre-forward Charlie Wyke is attracting the interest of a number of Championship clubs this summer, according to reports.

What’s been said?

Football League World claim that Cardiff City are leading the race to sign the striker on a free transfer this summer, with Middlesbrough also thought to be keeping tabs on the 28-year-old ahead of a potential move.

The Sky Sports journalist, Keith Downie, also recently reported that, as well as Boro and Cardiff, both Millwall and Nottingham Forest are also interested in a deal for the Sunderland star, whose contract at the Stadium of Light is set to expire at the end of the season.

Louis-Dreyfus must not repeat Donald’s mistake

Wyke has undeniably been the star of Sunderland’s season so far, with the former Bradford City hitman bagging 25 goals and providing three assists over his 42 League One appearances for the Black Cats, as well as averaging a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.35 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the third tier.

As such, it is hardly surprising to read that a number of Championship sides are keen ona move for the striker, particularly as, at present, the 28-year-old will be available on a free transfer, with Sunderland yet to agree terms on a new deal with the forward.

It is possible that Wyke is waiting to make a decision on his future until it becomes clear in which league Lee Johnson’s side will be playing their football next season, as the Black Cats – barring a catastrophic collapse – appear to be one of the four sides who will enter the League One play-offs at the end of the regular season.

However, regardless of whether or not Sunderland gain promotion, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus should learn from the mistake of his predecessor, Stewart Donald – who sold Josh Maja in a self-proclaimed “ridiculous” deal, shortly before the striker’s contract expired – regarding the situation of Wyke.

In short, Louis-Dreyfus should offer the £6,000-per-week star, who Lynden Gooch dubbed a “brilliant” player, a new deal that he simply cannot refuse prior to the transfer window opening, as, without his goals this season, Sunderland would not be anywhere near the play-off places. They’ll need him to either help them stay in the Championship next season or make another promotion push.

In other news: Lost possession 22 times: Johnson surely furious with shocking £5k-p/w Sunderland ace – opinion

Alex Iwobi has been left ‘shocked’ at the goal that James Rodriguez scored for Everton in their 1-1 home draw with Crystal Palace on Monday evening.

The former Real Madrid star placed a neat finish into the bottom corner with his weaker right foot to give the Merseyside club the lead at Goodison Park, only former Carlo Ancelotti’s team to be pegged back late on by a goal from Michy Batshuayi.

Nonetheless, Iwobi recently gave his thoughts to the BBC on his 29-year-old teammate:

“What shocked me was his right foot finish, I didn’t know he had that in him.

“Some of the passes he plays, I don’t know how he sees it. It’s not normal.”

Rodriguez fitting in at Everton

Rodriguez is seemingly fitting in very well in the Toffees side and has shown that in decisive moments he is a player that they can count on in front of goal.

The Colombia international, who currently earns £90,000 per week with the Blues, has now scored no fewer than six goals and made a further eight assists in 22 games in total over all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), and will surely be hoping for plenty more goal contributions as the season comes to an end.

Nonetheless, it will no doubt be good to hear for fans that he is pleasing his teammates on the pitch, and is turning out to be a very shrewd signing by EFC.

In other news, find out what big Josh King transfer claim has been dropped here!

Celtic striker Patryk Klimala has flown out to the United States to undergo a medical ahead of a permanent move to New York Red Bulls, and the Hoops could actually make a profit on his sale.

That’s according to a report from The Scottish Sun, who claim that the 22-year-old is set to pen a long-term deal with the MLS side when a visa application is granted.

Klimala’s exit imminent

Klimala was initially expected to have his medical in Austria, however, he has headed to the States instead to finalise the final stages of a transfer.

The Hoops signed the Poland Under-21 international from Jagiellonia Bialystok last January. Klimala has struggled in Glasgow, though, scoring just three times in 28 appearances.

Transfer Tavern take

Reports from The Scottish Sun previously stated that the Hoops could end up recouping the £3.5m fee they paid for the striker last year.

However, their latest report now claims that Celtic may eventually be pocketing more than that figure.

If that is the case, we see a deal as a no brainer. Klimala, who Callum McGregor said looked ‘really strong’ prior to the start of the season, has never put in the consistent displays of a big-money signing.

He’s been the club’s worst Scottish Premiership performer this season for players who have made more than three appearances, as per WhoScored.

Klimala has averaged a match rating of just 6.36/10, so we can’t blame the Hoops for cashing in on the forward at this moment in time.

In other news: West Ham leading race for Celtic star after recent progress over summer deal, find out more here. 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 18 appearances for West Ham, believes it is just David Moyes’ agent who will be putting his name in the hat for the Celtic to try and get him a better contract at the London Stadium.

Moyes has taken West Ham from relegation candidates last season to top four contenders this season as they currently sit fifth, just two points behind Chelsea in fourth.

However, it has been reported by GIVEMESPORT that Celtic are considering Moyes to be a strong candidate to take the job from the start of next season, and the longer his contract situation rumbles on at West Ham the stronger those rumours will grow as Celtic look to bounce back against Rangers next season.

Speaking on where the links have come from regarding the 57-year-old and what mistake the West Ham owners made last time around, Lee told FFC:

“No chance he’ll take the Celtic job. It’s probably just David Moyes’ agent trying to get a better contract for him at West Ham.

“Why would he leave West Ham? David Moyes has really done a good job of organising this team and he’s always been a good organiser of every team he’s managed and now he’s got players in the side that can score goals.”

Celtic’s interest in Moyes always looked a little farfetched given his success in London this term, but with no new contract agreed with the Irons the rumours may linger on for a while yet.