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Wolves boss Nuno Santo has already made it abundantly clear that the Old Gold need to prepare and plan better ahead of the transfer window.
The Molineux outfit have been rocked by a significant number of injury blows this season and they’ve been stretched right to the limit as a result.

What’s the word?

Wolves have decisions to make over their loan players in the summer but they will also have to focus their efforts on players outside of Molineux.
One man they’re reportedly considering ahead of the market opening is Mbaye Diagne.
The 29-year-old is currently on loan at West Brom but is due to head back to parent club Galatasaray after the Baggies were relegated from the Premier League.
Football Insider report that Wolves are in a chase with newly-promoted Watford to land the forward but previous reports state Brighton and Crystal Palace would also like to sign him.

Don’t bother, Nuno

Wolves need to strengthen their attacking reinforcements this summer. Raul Jimenez has been missing since November while he recovers from a fractured skull and his replacements haven’t done a very stable job.
Fabio Silva has begun to find form but he still only has four goals to his name in Wolves colours. As for Willian Jose, he has found the net just once since his temporary move from Real Sociedad in the winter.
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On paper, Jose looked like the ideal replacement for Jimenez. They are of a similar stature and were very alike in terms of their play styles.
Jose was supposed to be a forward who could bring others into play but he’s failed in that department and hasn’t been able to provide much threat in terms of goals either.
Diagne has scored 14 goals in all competitions this term and when he initially arrived in England, was described by journalist Berk Gol as a “great finisher” who is “very dangerous in the box.”
Unfortunately, he’s been rather wasteful and only has three strikes to his name since joining the Baggies. That dangerous nature has clearly eluded him at the Hawthorns.
He also wouldn’t suit what Wolves need. Speaking to Express & Star, Gol added: “He isn’t what you’d call an all-round centre-forward. His passing isn’t the best when it comes to linking play. You need to get the ball into him inside the box. But when you do, he scores goals.”
Fellow reporter, Burhan Can Terzi commented: “Diagne is a static forward who is efficient within the box.”
The trouble here is that Nuno requires someone who can link the play and run the channels; something Jimenez has done to devastating effect during his time in the Midlands.
Wolves would be better off finding an alternative target. Diagne isn’t potent enough in English football yet and he doesn’t suit their style.

AND in other news, Wolves dealt huge blow after big Molineux news emerges, Nuno surely fuming…

Leeds United have emerged as contenders for the signing of West Brom star Matheus Pereira in the summer.

What’s the story?

The Baggies saw their relegation from the Premier League confirmed at the weekend after suffering defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates.

And now, The Daily Express claim that Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds are interested in signing the Portuguese winger this summer, although they are set to face significant competition from the likes of RB Leipzig and Leicester.

The report adds that with West Brom’s Championship status now confirmed, Pereira’s exit from the Hawthorns is now likely, with the Foxes currently at the head of the queue to sign him.

Bye-bye Costa

Dubbed as a “genius” who “who has a technical ability that I have never seen before” by former Nurnberg coach Nate Weiss, Pereira has emerged as one of West Brom’s standout performers since his arrival at The Hawthorns.

Weiss added: “How am I going to tell a player like that how he is supposed to shoot, how he is supposed to pass or how he is supposed to use his body? The things he is doing are so natural. How do you train that? How would you train Lionel Messi?”

That natural ability has been on display all season for the Baggies, with the £17m-rated star scoring ten goals and providing another five assists in the Premier League alone – including a sparking display at Chelsea when he scored two and made two in a thrilling 5-2 win.

With Helder Costa’s future at Elland Road very much uncertain at the moment amid claims that he could be one of the players Leeds look to sell this summer in order to raise some much-needed transfer funds, Pereira could be the perfect replacement for him.

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His performances at Premier League level show that the Baggies’ wing wizard is more than capable of shining in the top-flight, and it’s no surprise Bielsa is eyeing up a move for him.

Pereira’s arrival could then well be the move that sees Costa wave goodbye to Elland Road as well.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United transfer target would be a major upgrade for Marcelo Bielsa…

Charlton Athletic have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their crucial League One finale this Saturday.

What’s the latest?

Nigel Adkins has been left sweating over the fitness of Addicks midfielder Jake Forster-Caskey ahead of the club’s must-win fixture against Hull City this weekend, as the midfielder was taken off with a knee injury Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Lincoln City.

When asked for an update on the 27-year-old’s condition after the game, Adkins said: “I don’t know. We’ve got brilliant medical staff so we’ll get it assessed. Obviously for Jake to come off there must be something going on with his knee.

“I don’t know, it might be a soft tissue injury. I don’t know, is the answer. Obviously, he’s a warrior who wants to carry on with things. We’ll see. We’ll have to get the right diagnosis and we’ll go from there. It’s not nice when anyone comes off.”

Huge blow

With Charlton simply having to win against the League One table-toppers on Saturday to stand any chance of securing a place in the play-offs, the news of a new injury, let alone one to a player as important as Forster-Caskey, is likely to come as extremely unwelcome news to both Adkins and fans of the club alike.

So far this season, Forster-Caskey has been in exceptional form over his 34 appearances for the Addicks, with the midfielder scoring six goals, providing two assists and creating two big chances, as well as making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.2 tackles and 1.4 key passes per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.26 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the third tier.

As such, it goes without saying how devastating it would be for Adkins to be without the midfielder in such an important and difficult fixture, and both the 56-year-old and fans of Charlton will undoubtedly be praying for the £6,100-per-week star’s recovery in time for the clash.

In other news: Lost possession 15x: Charlton passenger who committed 6 fouls let Adkins down vs Imps – opinion

Southampton may find themselves scrambling to find an heir to Danny Ings this summer, should the 28-year-old complete a move to Premier League champions-elect Manchester City, but Ralph Hasenhuttl may already have a ready-made replacement in Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The Norwegian international is currently in his second successive season on loan with Celtic in the Scottish Premiership and it has been suggested recently that he will be given an opportunity to impress by Hasenhuttl ahead of next season.

The Austrian reportedly told the winger last month that he could still work his way into Southampton’s plans for next season with some impressive performances in Scotland and he produced a stunning display at the weekend, contributing two goals and an assist in Celtic’s 6-0 win against Livingston. That saw him earn a superb 9.81/10 rating from WhoScored.

The 26-year-old has now managed 22 goals and 14 assists for the Hoops in just 61 appearances, including 15 in all competitions this season, so he could return to Southampton in confident form ahead of next season.

Elyounoussi signed for the Saints from FC Basel in the summer of 2018 but struggled to have much of an impact, with no goals or assists in his 19 appearances for the South Coast club so far.

However, if Ings does join Man City, or any other side in the Champions League next season who might be interested in the England international, then Hasenhuttl could turn to Elyounoussi as his successor.

We have seen Nathan Redmond, Theo Walcott and Nathan Tella all perform well on occasion when playing as a striker this season and perhaps the Norwegian could be rejuvenated playing in a different role for Southampton after boosting his confidence with regular goals and assists in Scotland.

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Earlier in the season, BBC journalist Tom English was full of praise for Elyounoussi, saying:

“He has an awful lot to offer and that performance will fill Neil Lennon with an awful lot of heart because if he’s back to his best, Elyounoussi is a very, very dangerous player.”

He has featured as a centre-forward in the past and could provide a more clinical option than the likes of Redmond and Walcott, who have both struggled for goals in the Premier League this season.

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Certainly, Elyounoussi deserves another chance to show what he can do at Southampton, and if the talismanic Ings does leave, perhaps we could see him step up as his replacement.

And, in other news… Imagine him and JWP: Semmens should seal Saints swoop for “amazing” £19.8m-rated gem 

Celtic have made contact with former Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre.

That’s according to a report from Football Insider, with a Hoops source informing them the club has put the feelers out to the 63-year-old over possibly taking on the vacant post.

This comes after Eddie Howe’s representative revealed that the former Bournemouth boss isn’t planning to return to management until the summer.

Favre has been out of work since December and is considered a genuine contender to replace Neil Lennon.

The Swiss coach, who has had four managerial positions in the last 10 years, prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation – the same system as Lennon.

Transfer Tavern take

When it comes to both Favre and Howe, we think there is a standout contender for the Hoops.

Howe has had previous experience of leading a successful rebuild, with the Englishman taking Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League in the space of six seasons.

He’s also 20 years Favre’s junior, so in the long run, could be the smarter option.

Finally, when it comes to the pair’s wage packets, Howe is the cheaper option. Favre picked up €7.5 million at Dortmund, whereas Howe collected £3 million a year on the south coast.

In other news: Transfer update emerges on £14k-p/w Celtic ace who has sights set on Hoops exit; not Edouard, find out who it is here. 

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has weighed in on the Trezeguet-El Ghazi debate in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, suggesting that the Dutch winger should be getting the nod at present.

It was Trezeguet who started in the recent 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, and the 26-year-old has since come in for criticism for putting in a subpar performance.

Ex-Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor was highly critical of his display and overall attacking contribution this season, stating Anwar El Ghazi should be in the team ahead of him, a sentiment shared by former team-mate Hendrie.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about the two attackers, Hendrie said:

“I agree with Gabby about that. El Ghazi’s more of a direct player and he’s got a bit more versatility than Trezeguet. He can go down the line or he can cut inside and he’s scored goals this season, so I totally agree.

“I feel that because they’re not scoring goals, you need something of that dimension to try and bring into the side. If I had to choose one, El Ghazi would be my first choice.”

This season, El Ghazi has managed to score six goals in the Premier League, a tally only top scorer Ollie Watkins can beat. Meanwhile, Trezeguet has failed to register at all, so it is not hard to see why some feel that El Ghazi should be getting the nod over the Egypt international.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 280 Premier League appearances, claims that the West Ham board now have faith in David Moyes after his signings have propelled the Hammers into Champions League contention.

In the last 12 months, signings such as Tomas Soucek, Craig Dawson, Jesse Lingard and Jarrod Bowen have taken West Ham to the next level after fighting off relegation last season.

With numerous big-name signings falling to work out such as Sebastien Haller, Jack Wilshere and Felipe Anderson, Moyes went for under the radar signings which would provide competition for places and be hard working.

Speaking on how some of Moyes’ signings have done since they joined the club and what the board now think of their manager, after letting him go in 2018, Lee told FFC:

“Jesse Lingard has been a great signing by David Moyes as well as Jarrod Bowen who came from the Championship, and seeing what he’s done has been great. I still think he doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done really.

“Bowen arrived from Hull and has continued to score goals. I think he’s done really well and David Moyes has proved he signs good players.

“I think the West Ham board have probably got a little bit of confidence in David Moyes now. They’ve allowed him to get the players he wants to sign for the club.”

West Ham let Moyes go at the end of the 2017/18 season despite him guiding the club to safety from a tough position in the table when he took over from Slaven Bilic.

After just 64 games in charge Manuel Pelligrini was sacked by West Ham, and the board decided to go against their previous judgement and hand Moyes another contract at the London Stadium.

Crystal Palace all but secured another season in the Premier League with a slender 1-0 win against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

A first half Luka Milivojevic penalty proved to be the difference between the two sides after Darnell Furlong handled the ball in the penalty area.

The Serbian midfielder was the match-winner, but Christian Benteke also stood tall as a huge reason behind Roy Hodgson’s Eagles sealing what is a huge victory in context of their campaign.

Following the Belgian’s goal in the 4-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, he put in another vital showing, albeit being more effective defensively against the Baggies.

According to WhoScored, the former Aston Villa and Liverpool man produced a huge seven clearances throughout the 90 minutes, with only Palace teammate Gary Cahill contributing more. He also won a massive 13 aerial challenges, proving to be an extremely physical and dominant presence in the Palace attack.

That saw the forward accumulate 51 touches of the ball throughout the 90 minutes, with only goalscorer Milivojevic and Patrick van Aanholt having more for the home side.

Benteke was also unfortunate not to get his name on the scoresheet once again. The £8.1m-rated forward fired in three shots throughout the match, getting two of them on target. As a matter of fact, he had as many shots at goal as the rest of the Palace team put together.

In all, it was a highly impressive performance from Benteke both going forwards and in defence.

Palace manager Roy Hodgson will hope to see more of those kind of displays for the remainder of the campaign, especially with the club’s place in the top flight all but confirmed ahead of 2021/22.

In more news, read why Palace should avoid making a permanent switch for Benteke’s international teammate Michy Batshuayi…

Just when you think Sunderland are building ahead of steam, they are halted in their tracks.

The Mackems ended January with back to back League One victories but after yet another draw, they have now dropped out of the play-off places.

Drawing seems to be the order of the day for the Black Cats. Since dropping into England’s third tier, that result has occurred too regularly. They have dropped points in back to back matches now and despite having a new manager, the same old habits keep halting their progress.

Lee Johnson’s team are still yet to taste defeat on the road but after beating MK Dons 3-0 in the Papa John’s Trophy in midweek, you’d have been forgiven for thinking this would be another straightforward win.

However, it was anything but. Sunderland drew 2-2 with the Dons in a repeat of the fixture in the week. They were vibrant in attack last time out but on this occasion, they struggled to finish their chances.

Though, in forward areas, no player was arguably worse than Aiden O’Brien. It was Aiden McGeady who missed a late opportunity but at least he was actually getting in the right areas.

O’Brien struggled throughout the contest and despite a clever piece of play that produced an opening for McGeady in the first half, he was rarely involved.

The winger produced just 15 complete passes in the entire game, failing to put much pressure on the Dons defence. He attempted only one take-on and didn’t register a single key pass either.

Despite being on the pitch for just over 20 minutes and thus, having little time to make an impact, Jordan Jones was still more creative. He attempted the same number of dribbles as O’Brien and also provided a key pass.

With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he was in the XI from the off next time out. After all, the Rangers loanee started against Dons in midweek and caught the eye in their 3-0 win, completing a team-high four dribbles.

With Jack Diamond also starting among the subs, O’Brien has plenty of players trying to take his place in the team. If the latter keeps demonstrating the consistency he played with today, he will be out the side quickly.

O’Brien was a liability for the Mackems on Saturday, and Johnson should seriously consider dropping him.

AND in other news, 1 goal in 15 games: SAFC ace who left Parkinson fuming has been a passenger for months…

Despite the scoreline of the game, Alex Iwobi let Carlo Ancelotti down as Everton beat Leeds United 2-1 on Wednesday night.

The Nigerian continued his run of opening the action for the Toffees from the right-flank at Elland Road, having established himself in the role over the festive period in the absence of James Rodriguez whilst the Colombian was sidelined with a calf injury.

Iwobi had impressed greatly from the right-wing during Everton’s 2-1 victory over Wolves last month by providing much of the Blues’ creativity and forward threat, but he was unable to replicate his Molineux exploits in West Yorkshire.

Iwobi initially looked powerful whilst enjoying pockets of space in Leeds territory as Everton controlled much of the early stages, keeping his head up to offer an attacking outlet.

Yet, the more the game wore on, the less involved Iwobi found himself, and ultimately he left Mason Holgate woefully exposed at right-back during a dogged defensive period in the second half, which saw Robin Olsen turn in an inspired display between the sticks to keep the Toffees ahead.

Holgate had been caught out by the Whites when his failed clearance ultimately led to Raphinha pulling one back for the hosts, with his precise strike halving the deficit created by goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Raphinha offering Leeds a route back into the game turned the tide in Leeds’ favour as it triggered a heavy flow of traffic only heading in one way – toward Olsen’s net – that on another day, could easily have seen Everton let a two-goal lead only result in a point.

Iwobi rarely played his part in thwarting Leeds’ efforts and he was fortunate to stay on the field until the 87th-minute when Ancelotti opted to replace the £23m-rated forward to hand Deadline Day arrival Joshua King his Toffees debut.

Iwobi was one of only two outfield Everton players who started at Elland Road to fail at registering a single tackle attempted, along with Sigurdsson. But unlike the goalscoring Iceland international, the former Arsenal attacker also failed to record an interception, per WhoScored.

It marks the third-straight Premier League fixture in which Iwobi has failed to register a single tackle, interception or clearance, while also committing his first foul since Everton’s 2-1 win at Wolves on January 12.

The 24-year-old has averaged at least 1.4 tackles attempted a game in the top-flight this term, and further lagged behind his usual standards with only one successful dribble from two attempts having boasted a 70.8% success rate this season for 1.7 from 2.4 attempts.

Iwobi further registered his only shot of the game in the final minutes of the first half, and offered his only key pass just after the half-hour mark. Goalkeeper Olsen also played a higher total number of passes (32) than the Nigerian (23).

Given Everton’s dominant first half and the volume of defending the Toffees were later forced into, Ancelotti will have expected to see far more from Iwobi at Elland Road at both ends of the pitch.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti faces a continued problem in a £9m man after Everton’s January transfer failings…