Sheffield Wednesday have gathered a rather mixed bag of results in their current League One campaign so far, winning four, drawing two and losing three of their opening nine league games of the season. That has left them in ninth place in the table with a home clash against Oxford United coming up this Saturday.
The Owls’ latest league match saw them beat Wigan Athletic 2-1 at the DW Stadium, ultimately knocking their opponents off top spot in the table.
Despite Darren Moore’s side managing to take all three points in midweek thanks to an own goal from Max Power and a second half strike from Callum Paterson, there was one Owls player in the game who did not have a particularly successful night.
On The Chalkboard
Left-back Jaden Brown, who played in a more advanced role against Wigan and has done throughout the season so far, lost possession 12 times and ultimately earned himself a rather disappointing overall match rating of 5.8/10, making him Wednesday’s lowest-rated player on the night according to SofaScore.
Since joining the Owls on a free transfer from Championship club Huddersfield Town during the summer transfer window, the 22-year-old – who is currently valued at £450k according to Transfermarkt – has made six appearances across all competitions for Wednesday, but has yet to score a goal or provide an assist for the team.
Looking ahead to the match against Oxford, we feel that it would be the best if Moore were to drop Brown from the team on this occasion and give Olamide Shodipo – who recently defended Moore and Wednesday’s start to the season – a chance to see if he can be a better fit for the team on the left of midfield.
Moving forward, if Moore decides to stick with Brown in that position, the 22-year-old will need to vastly improve upon what he delivered on the pitch against Wigan, or else he could soon find himself out of the team as the season progresses.
In other news: “Unpredictable” £4.8k-p/w ace drops promising transfer hint, SWFC fans will be buzzing
West Brom will need to pay a ‘substantial loan fee’ if they want to sign Orlando City striker Daryl Dike in January, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.
The Lowdown: Baggies linked with Dike move
The Baggies had to settle for a 0-0 draw away to Barnsley on Friday night as they dropped points in the Championship promotion race.
It could be that Valerien Ismael delves into the transfer market next month, and one player they have been mooted with potentially signing is Dike. The 21-year-old has scored three goals in eight caps for the USA, as well as netting 19 times in just 41 appearances for MLS side Orlando.
The Latest: Hatfield makes Dike claim
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Hatfield admitted that Dike wouldn’t come cheap if West Brom plan to bring him to The Hawthorns in the January transfer window.
The journalist claimed: “Dike’s not a cheap player to pick up. We saw that when he went to Barnsley. I mean, they paid a substantial loan fee to bring him in at Oakwell and Albion would have to do the same thing.”
The Verdict: Worth the money
Dike showed during a loan spell at Barnsley what a force he can be in the Championship, scoring nine goals in 19 matches in the division last term. For that reason, West Brom should take a punt on him next month, strengthening their attacking options as they look to make a swift return to the Premier League.
Only Karlan Grant (nine) has scored more than four goals for Albion in the league this term, so Dike could be the man to add more firepower at a key point in the campaign, having been hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by his former Barnsley manager Ismael in the past.
In other news, three Albion players struggled in the draw with Barnsley. Find out who they are here.
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers target Hirving Lozano looks as if he will be available to sign in the summer transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Get Italian Football News), who claimed that, with Napoli on course to sign Dinamo Batumi winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia this summer, the Mexico international could be put up for sale by the Serie A title challengers.
This could see Jeff Shi reignite his interest in the 26-year-old, with Calciomercato reporting back in the March 2020 that Wolves were one of three Premier League clubs – alongside West Ham United and Everton – contemplating a move for the former PSV Eindhoven starlet.
Furthermore, Lozano himself appears to be open to a move away from the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this summer, with the forward revealing in November: “The truth is that I would like to go and play in another club, bigger.”
Better than Ocampos
With Bruno Lage looking as if he could experience something of a mass exodus in the wide attacking positions of his Wolves squad at the end of the current campaign, it would appear a very wise move for Shi to revisit the possibility of signing Lozano this summer.
Indeed, with Francisco Trincao recently revealing that he does not want to remain at Molineux beyond the completion of his season-long loan deal, Adama Traore looking certain to move onto pastures new this summer and Paris Saint-Germain plotting a move for Pedro Neto, Lage could well be left with only Daniel Podence and Hwang Hee-chan as options on the flanks ahead of next season.
While it is true that Lozano has somewhat struggled to live up to his club-record €42m (£35m) transfer fee over his two-and-a-half year spell in Naples, the Mexican has nevertheless shown in flashes that he is still a player who boasts a huge amount of talent.
Indeed, over his 32 Serie A appearances last season, the £31.5m-rated winger was in deadly form for Gli Azzurri, bagging 11 goals, registering four assists and creating 10 big chances for his teammates, along with taking 1.8 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.
These returns saw the £112k-per-week attacker, who journalist Bolarinwa Olajide dubbed a “sensation”, average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.04, ranking him as his club’s seventh-best player in the Italian top flight.
As such, with the futures of Trincao, Traore and Neto all appearing to be somewhat up in the air at present, and with goalscoring being something of an issue for Wolves this season – with Lage’s side finding the net just 33 times in the Premier League – a swoop for Lozano could well be the answer to the Old Gold’s problems.
Furthermore, with Sevilla reportedly demanding an eye-watering €90m (£75m) in order to part ways with Wolves’ target Lucas Ocampos this summer – a player who has registered one direct goal contribution for every 208 minutes of football played for Sevilla, compared to Lozano’s record of one direct goal contribution every 160 minutes at Napoli – it is clear to see that the Mexican would be a signing who represents much better value for money.
AND in other news: Lage could unearth Wolves’ next £100m talent as Fosun plot offer for 19-year-old “missile”
With only a handful of days left until the latest January transfer window draws to a close, it seems as though this will be a crucial time for Wolves and the future of one of their key players.
What’s the latest?
According to a recent Twitter post from journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to push on and secure a deal for Wolves winger Adama Traore.
Romano also added that “talks will re-start with Wolves to enter into final details & reach the agreement” and that the north London club are “confident” that they will sign the Spaniard.
In full, he said: “Tottenham are prepared to push on Adama Traoré deal starting from today. Talks will re-start with Wolves to enter into final details & reach the agreement. Club confident to complete the new signing.”
Lage will be sweating
In 154 appearances for Wolves across all competitions since joining the Midlands club back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Middlesbrough in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m, Traore has scored 11 goals and provided 18 assists in the process, highlighting his importance to the team with the number of games he’s played for them.
With 20 league appearances under his belt this season and an overall performance rating of 6.94/10 listing him as Wolves’ fifth-highest rated player according to WhoScored, his departure from the Old Gold this month would be a big blow for Lage.
Having entered the final week of the January transfer window, Lage will surely be sweating over whether or not he will have Traore in his squad for the remainder of the season and if he will have to look for a potential replacement before the window closes.
If the winger does leave Molineux in the coming days and Wolves don’t sign another winger before the end of the month, Lage could then have to rely on Pedro Neto being able to hit the ground running and keep his fitness up for the remainder of the season when he eventually recovers from his knee injury.
Or, with Chiquinho coming in earlier this month, Traore’s potential exit could pave the way for him to come into the team and show Lage what he’s made of.
Either way, the best thing Wolves could do if they do sell him this month would be to get at least the £18m they paid for him back from Tottenham and use that money to strengthen their squad.
In other news: Lage offers update on the future of 25-y/o gem, Wolves fans will be delighted
With Everton having won five, drawn four and lost eight of their 17 Premier League games so far this season, the upcoming January transfer window could provide Rafa Benitez with the opportunity to make some changes to his squad to help them turn their fortunes around and end the season on a high.
In a recent transfer mailbag report on Everton from The Athletic, they claimed that there are “whispers of interest” from the Merseyside club in signing Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.
Since joining Monchengladbach back in the 2017 summer transfer window from Young Boys, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £24.3m according to Transfermarkt has made a total of 144 appearances across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists along the way.
Labelled as a “complete” player by former Monchengladbach manager Marco Rose, Zakaria has been likened to Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos in terms of his playing style by Lothar Matthaus.
If these reported whispers of interest were to come to fruition next month, not only would this give the Toffees the chance to sign a midfielder that has some Champions League experience under his belt, but it could also give them the chance to get rid of current Everton midfielder Andre Gomes at the same time.
With a significant injury record and an uninspiring overall season rating of 6.2/10 according to WhoScored, making him one of Everton’s lowest-rated players in the Premier League this season, it could be time to call an end to his time at Goodison Park, especially if they manage to secure the signing of Zakaria.
It’s not just this season that Gomes has failed to impress at Everton either with journalist Chris Beesley highlighting how much the midfielder was “struggling” in the team last season.
Taking all of this into account, Everton should definitely explore the possibility of signing Zakaria in January to see if he can perform alongside the likes of Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure in their midfield and possibly bring an end to Gomes’ career with the Toffees if they are able to find a club that would be willing to buy him.
In other news: Big boost: Benitez drops exciting Everton claim that’ll leave fans buzzing – opinion
The clock’s ticking and as always at this time of year, clubs are rushing around like headless chickens looking for last minute deals.
There isn’t a single club who isn’t being tipped to complete some late January business before the window slams shut on Thursday evening, with so many managers still desperate to strengthen their squads ahead of the final run-in of fixtures this season.
You’ve only got to look at any of the live transfer feeds around the internet to know that we haven’t seen the last of the business being done this month, with a number of huge deals touted to go through.
Will Solskjaer dip in to the market to make his United team even more unbeatable? Can Sarri bring in another attacker to complement Higuain in Chelsea’s attack?
Will West Ham go ahead of break another club-record transfer before the weekend? Here’s a look at the most likely deals expected to go through before Thursday’s deadline, and some of them will get fans very, very excited…
Vincent Janssen – Cardiff, Boro, Wolves, Burnley
A switch to China is currently the most likely of destinations for the Dutch striker, who is hoping to bring an end to a nightmare spell at Tottenham. Cardiff (9/1), Middlesbrough (12/1), Wolves (2/1) and Burnley (4/1) are currently the leading favourite English clubs, according to the bookies.
Youri Tielemans – Leicester City
Soccer Football – Ligue 1 – Monaco vs Montpellier – Stade Louis II, Monaco – December 1, 2018 AS Monaco’s Youri Tielemans celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Reports this week have linked Leicester with a move for Belgian wonderkid Tielemans. It’s believed, with a number of midfielders being allowed to leave the King Power Stadium this month, funds have been freed up in order for Puel to make a move for the youngster.
Gelson Martins- Newcastle
Newcastle being linked with anyone these days doesn’t normally lead to a deal being done but reports over the last few days suggest Rafa Benitez may just be able to secure a few deals before the window shuts. Gelson Martins is one of the favourites to sign for the Magpies before Thursday. Watch this space.
Adrien Rabiot – Spurs
The Frenchman is in to the final six months of his PSG contract and therefore is able to start discussing personal terms with other clubs. Tottenham have reportedly already made an offer to Rabiot and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him being brought in to replace the departed Mousa Dembele. He’s as short as 3/1 with some bookies to agree a move to North London.
Nathan Ake – Chelsea
This would be classic Chelsea, but it does seem as though Sarri is interested in bringing Nathan Ake to Stamford Bridge. He’d cost a fair whack financially but it’s no secret the Blues need to tighten up defensively and it’s believed they’re lining up a huge bid before the window closes.
Michy Batshuayi – Crystal Palace, Everton
Higuain’s arrival last weekend has all but ended the Belgium international’s Stamford Bridge career, but there shouldn’t be a shortage of suitors ready to offer him a way out. Crystal Palace (4/1) and Everton (2/1 are currently the favourites among the English clubs interested in him, but Spurs, West Ham, Watford, Southampton and Fulham are all considering late moves.
Bradley Dack – West Ham, Burnley
Bradley Dack has been smashing it in the Championship for Blackburn, so it’s no surprise to see him being linked with a move to the Premier League. It’s widely expected that he’ll be rocking up in Stratford before the month is out, with the Hammers the bookies’ favourites to sign him at 4/1, while Burnley are priced at 10/1 to complete a deal.
Gary Cahill – Crystal Palace, Fulham, Arsenal
Gary Cahill, once a mainstay stalwart of dominant Chelsea teams gone by, is widely expected to leave the Blues in January and despite his age, there does seem to be some concrete interest in his signature. Crystal Palace (9/4), Fulham (3/1), Arsenal (10/3) and even Aston Villa (4/1) are all battling for his signature this week.
Nicolo Barella – Man United, Chelsea
The 21-year-old Cagliari midfielder is quite rightly attracting interest in some of Europe’s biggest clubs, but it’s Man United and Chelsea who are both leading the chase to sign him this week. The bookies currently have Chelsea down as the favourites at 4/1 but reports suggest the youngster would prefer a move to Old Trafford. Keep an eye on this one!
Che Adams – Southampton, Burnley
Che Adams can’t stop scoring for Birmingham in the Championship, so it’s little wonder Southampton and Burnley have been keeping close tabs on him this month. Both Premier League clubs have struggled for goals this term so expect Adams to be rocking up at one of these clubs come Thursday evening.
Newcastle United’s new KSA owners are reportedly ‘ready to go crazy’ as they ‘dream’ of hiring Antonio Conte as their next manager.
The Lowdown: Conte demands
Writing in a piece for The Chronicle, Lee Ryder has revealed that Conte is ‘open’ to another shot at managing in the Premier League, and is keen to learn of what conditions would be involved at St. James’ Park.
The ‘key element’ for Conte is the degree of control he would have over players coming to the North East, as he has ‘not always had full control’ in his previous roles at both Chelsea and Inter Milan, so such assurances would be ‘vital’ for him.
The Latest: Wanted
As per Calcio Mercato Web, the new owners on Tyneside are ‘ready to go crazy’ from a financial sense to try and bring Conte to the Magpies, as they now ‘dream’ of hiring him to replace the departed Steve Bruce.
They have ‘no intention’ of giving up on trying to get their man, and Milan star Theo Hernandez would become their ‘main target’ as a sweetener to get him on board.
The Verdict: Lots of persuasion needed…
Given that the Toon currently find themselves in a relegation battle at the moment in the top flight, it would take a lot of persuading for Conte to take the job straight away.
Described as an ‘exceptional’ coach by former Chelsea star Graham Roberts, the Italian had a lot of success at Stamford Bridge, winning both the Premier League and FA Cup, while he has also won seven other trophies in his luxurious career so far (Transfermarkt).
Of course, the new owners could throw a lot of money at Conte, and it would then be up to him over whether to come into a relegation fight.
Nonetheless, it would be a quite remarkable appointment if they manage to pull it off.
In other news, find out which NUFC talks with this Tuchel-like manager are ‘ongoing’ here!
With Ralf Rangnick now confirmed as Manchester United’s interim manager, there will certainly be attention on the upcoming transfer window after the Red Devils’ dismal start to the campaign.
Defensive woes have once again been at the forefront of United’s issues, with the Manchester club conceding 24 goals in their 14 Premier League outings thus far.
It’s an issue that needs to be solved immediately, and, not for the first time, Rangnick’s side have recently been linked with a move for Sevilla defender Jules Koundé who per one expert, is a “pretty special player”.
What’s the talk?
According to the Super Deporte, United are well placed to make a swoop for the 23-year-old defender, who is valued at £54m according to Transfermarkt.
The Frenchman was reportedly close to a move to Chelsea last summer, only for the transfer to fall through. However, it appears that Koundé could have a second chance of making a Premier League move in January.
Kounde can solve United’s defensive woes
Despite signing centre-back and Kounde’s fellow countryman Rafael Varane in the summer for a reported £43m, United have still suffered at the back.
The 28-year-old has been limited to just six Premier League appearances with injury issues suffered early into his spell in England. Therefore, the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Baily have been tinkered with by Rangnick’s predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Having turned 23 last month, Kounde has bags of potential whilst already attracting the attention of top clubs from across Europe.
His current employers Sevilla sit second in La Liga having conceded just 11 goals in 15 matches, the division’s joint-best defensive record. The defender has played in 13 of those games, keeping seven clean sheets in the process.
To put that impressive feat into perspective, in 12 matches, Maguire has only kept two clean sheets. Varane boasts the same tally but in half the matches. It’s obvious to see who would be withdrawn from the starting lineup should Koundé join United and Rangnick has a clean bill of health to deal with.
The £54m-rated man has excellent passing stats too, according to SofaScore, with the defender currently enjoying a 90% per game pass accuracy.
Since his appointment as interim Manchester United manager, there has been plenty of coverage regarding the talent that Rangnick has worked with and developed over his managerial career.
The likes of Sadio Mané, Erling Haaland and Joshua Kimmich were all purchased by Rangnick before they became world-class talents. However, the difference between these deals and a potential move for Koundé is the fees.
The German is notorious for buying young players with bags of potential for small prices to then develop them into valuable assets; Koundé wouldn’t be an example of that.
If United are to secure a transfer for the Sevilla defender, they’re going to have to pay a sizeable fee. However, with their defensive woes, it could prove to be a shrewd move, one that makes their new interim boss an instant hit at the Theatre of Dreams.
Speaking to Football Insider, N17 club source and Tottenham Hotspur ‘insider’ John Wenham, who regularly breaks news on his Lilywhites Rose social media account, has shared his own update on Peterborough defender Benjamin Mensah.
The Lowdown: Spurs eye Mensah move…
In the last week, news came to light of Tottenham’s interest in the Posh full-back with Sky Sports (via the72) first lifting the lid on an enquiry from by managing director Fabio Paratici.
Following on from the story, the Championship side’s own Director of Football, Barry Fry, confirmed that he has ‘talked to Tottenham’ – but the initial approach was swiftly turned down.
The Latest: Insider shares update…
Sharing an update, Wenham has explained that Spurs have indeed made an ‘offer’ to sign Mensah but he is certainly one for the future.
However, the fact Tottenham have tabled a proposal shows how serious the club is about signing the talented teenager.
“He’s very much one for the future,” Wenham explained to Football Insider.
“As I understand it, we have made an offer. He has only made a few appearances for their first team.
“I imagine if he did come this month he would be loaned straight back to Peterborough for the remainder of the season.
“I also imagine many ‘football twitter’ accounts would react to the news of him arriving with something like ‘who is he?’
“This is certainly one for the future and someone our scouts have found on their travels.
“The fact we have made an offer tells me there is a strong interest in getting this deal done before someone else signs him.”
The Verdict: Exciting prospect?Having only just signed his professional contract, Mensah has already earned rave reviews from former Manchester United man and current Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson.The 49-year-old called Mensah ‘aggressive’ and ‘excellent’ in one-vs-one situations and went on to explain that he possesses all the best traits required in a modern-day full-back.This could pinpoint a really promising future player for Spurs and we believe it is a move they should certainly attempt to get over the line as they also work on more key first team additions.In other news: Conte green-lights move for £220,000-per-week ‘jewel’ as he lays out transfer demand for Spurs chiefs, find out more here.
Tottenham defender Ben Davies has returned from international duty as a precaution after picking up a minor injury, according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold.
The Lowdown: Davies’ importance to Spurs
The Welshman has become a prominent figure under Antonio Conte’s management, slotting in as the left-sided central defender in Spurs’ back three.
Since the Italian arrived at Hotspur Way in November, the 28-year-old has started all but two matches for the Lilywhites.
Consequently, Davies has been very complimentary of his boss, saying: “To have the opportunity to work under a world class manager is always nice as a player.”
Davies withdrew from the Wales squad after playing 90 minutes in his country’s 2-1 win over Austria on Thursday evening. However, Alasdair Gold has now revealed the specifics on his withdrawal, claiming in an article for football.london that it was due to precautionary measures.
Taking to Twitter, he shared the article and captioned the story: “Good news on Ben Davies it seems.”
In the article, Gold shared that the defender had picked up a minor injury whilst on international duty. Due to feeling tightness in one of his quad muscles, the Wales international returned to Tottenham as a precaution.
As a result, he should be available for Spurs’ upcoming clash against Newcastle on Sunday.
The Verdict: Good news
As Gold put it, this will come as “good news” for Conte, who will presumably slot the left-footer back into that left-sided centre-back position against Newcastle.
In the Lilywhites’ last five Premier League games, Conte’s side have won four and lost one, with the Welshman having nearly played the full 90 minutes on each occasion. To highlight how impressively he has been playing, former Spurs centre-back Michael Dawson said that Davies is “perfect” for the Italian’s system.
Therefore, given his importance to the Tottenham back line, Conte will be relieved to see the 28-year-old come back from international duty relatively unscathed.
In other news: Pete O’Rourke makes Paulo Dybala to Spurs claim