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Wolves have had a fairly quiet start to their January transfer window compared to other sides in the Premier League with Japanese midfielder Hayao Kawabe being the only player to arrive at Molineux so far this month.

However, it seems as though the Midlands club could be set to say goodbye to one of their current squad members, which wouldn’t please manager Bruno Lage.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, fellow Premier League club West Ham United have made a “concrete” move to sign Wolves winger Adama Traore this month.

In the 152 appearances he’s made for the Old Gold since arriving from Middlesbrough in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m back in the 2018 summer transfer window, the 25-year-old has only managed to score ten goals and provide 18 assists along the way, which is far greater than what the club would have been hoping to get from him at this stage.

Potential disaster?

Despite the Spaniard reportedly being unhappy at Molineux with a long-term issue surrounding the possibility of him signing a new deal, Lage would certainly not want to lose one of his most dangerous attacking players midway through their season, especially as they aim to secure a European place.

Labelled as a “dynamic” player by former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood, Traore has still managed to prove himself to be an important player for Lage in the Premier League this season with an overall rating of 6.96/10 from WhoScored, making him their third-highest rated player.

If Wolves were then to sell Traore this month, it could be a disaster for Fosun and Lage if the team were to miss out on a European finish this season as a result of the winger’s potential absence for the remainder of the campaign.

Considering West Ham are a rival for European football, it wouldn’t be a good idea at all to sell him to the Irons and if they eventually beat them to a place among Europe’s elite, Lage would understandably be rather angry.

With that in mind, it may be the best option to keep the £43k-per-week Traore until the end of the season and then try to secure a move away for him if he still doesn’t want to sign a new deal.

In other news: Lage could blow Wolves fans away by signing £27m-rated ace who is “better than Mbappe” – opinion

As per Football Insider, former England number one Paul Robinson believes that Nathaniel Phillips is more likely to be allowed to leave Liverpool than Joe Gomez, amid strong interest from West Ham.

The Lowdown: West Ham’s centre-back crisis

West Ham are now running short in the defensive department due to injuries sustained by centre-backs Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma.

Ogbonna is expected to be out for the rest of the season after suffering from a cruciate ligament rupture on the 7th of November, whilst Zouma sustained a hamstring tendon injury during the Hammers’ 3-2 victory against Chelsea.

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The 27-year-old Frenchman is especially important to West Ham’s defensive success, as he leads the team’s statistics with 5.2 clearances and 0.5 offsides won per game. The Italian defender also deploys the high-line to perfection, sitting second with 0.4 offsides won per game.

As a result of this huge blow to David Moyes’ plans, Liverpool player Phillips has been shortlisted as a January transfer target, and it is believed that a fee around £12m would be enough to secure his services.

The Latest: Robinson reacts to Phillips links

As reported by Football Insider, Robinson, a regular pundit on Sky Sports, believes that there is more chance of Phillips leaving Liverpool in the January window than Gomez. The former Spurs keeper said: “Phillips has got more chance of leaving than Gomez has, that’s for sure.

“I still think a deal will be difficult to do though given the injury crisis Liverpool had last season.

“Phillips was brilliant at the end of last season but whether he is of the same level as Zouma and Ogbonna, I would question that.

“It’s an area that Moyes probably need to address though.”

The Verdict: Phillips a possibility

The Sunday Mirror have reported (as shared by Football Insider) that the Reds will block any attempt at luring Gomez away from Anfield.

However, it is understood that Jürgen Klopp will listen to offers for the 6 foot 3 Phillips, who is deemed to be lower in the pecking order at Liverpool. This could open up the possibility of the 24-year-old making the switch in January.

The Englishman may not be as technically gifted as Zouma and Ogbonna, exemplified by not having made a key pass when playing in the League cup this season, but Klopp has hailed his heading ability, saying that “in the air, he’s a monster!”

Therefore, Phillips may just be the perfect addition to help reduce West Ham’s defensive crisis and simply add a bit more depth and solidity where Moyes needs it most.

Rangers maintained their 100% winning record under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the Premiership on Saturday afternoon, securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Dundee United at Ibrox.

A second half penalty from James Tavernier secured the win for the Gers, extending their lead at the summit to seven points.

Despite Tavernier scoring the decisive goal, there was another hero for Van Bronckhorst’s side – Ianis Hagi.

The Romanian was instrumental on the right wing, enjoying a 77% passing accuracy with two key passes, as well as completing half of his long balls and crosses.

He was heavily involved throughout the contest, having 77 touches across the 90 minutes. Moreover, the 23-year-old also contributed defensively, making two tackles and winning six of his nine duels as the Premiership leaders picked up a fifth consecutive clean sheet in the league.

His overall match rating of 7.4 was the third-highest from SofaScore of anyone on the pitch, a reflection of how he helped to run the show for the home side at Ibrox this afternoon.

Hagi has had a slightly mixed campaign so far for Rangers, starting 13 of their 19 league games amid an ankle injury and testing positive for the global virus, which also saw him miss the club’s opening Europa League group game against Lyon.

The winger often looks dangerous on the flank but must add goals to his game to improve, scoring just three in 23 matches across all competitions this season, with a further four assists.

Moreover, the Romanian hasn’t scored in the Premiership since the opening day 3-0 win over Livingston. The playmaker will need to improve on this return, with reports suggesting that the Gers are looking to sign his fellow countryman Olimpiu Morutan of Galatasaray as an alternative to the 23-year-old.

Regardless of his lack of goals, Hagi is a vital cog in the Rangers setup and could prove a key player in the Scottish champions’ bid to retain their league title this season, particularly with impressive performances like the one against Dundee United today.

In other news: Van Bronckhorst reveals huge Rangers boost which will leave fans thrilled 

With the next January window on the horizon and Newcastle United currently finding themselves in a relegation battle, this could provide their new owners with the chance to improve their squad for the remainder of the campaign.

Taking this into account, it seems as though the Tyneside club are positioning themselves to make a swoop for a player who will be fairly familiar to a lot of Premier League followers.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Juve Live (via Sport Witness) that Newcastle are in pole position to make a swoop for Juventus and former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey during the upcoming January transfer window.

During his time with Arsenal, the midfielder, who is currently valued at £9m according to Transfermarkt, made a total of 371 appearances with the north London club across all competitions in which he managed to score 65 goals and provide 65 assists in the process with 40 of those goals coming in the 262 Premier League games he played in.

Since joining Juventus back in 2019, the 30-year-old, who has been described as an “intelligent” player by his teammate Federico Chiesa, has made 70 appearances for the Turin club across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing six assists along the way.

In terms of a potential move to Newcastle in January, this could be a great piece of business from the Tyneside club and their new owners to add a player to their current squad with such experience who could be a big help for some of their younger midfield options such as Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff.

Ramsey’s potential arrival could also provide Howe with the next version of Yohan Cabaye at St James’ Park, who often proved to be a goalscoring threat from midfield, having scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists in 93 appearances for the Toon between 2011 and 2014.

If the Wales international were to join Newcastle in January and become a useful attacking threat for Howe’s side, this could be just what they need to help push them away from the relegation zone and in the Premier League next season.

In other news – Offer on the table: PIF working to land NUFC deal for beast which will leave fans buzzing…

Some Wolves supporters have been sharing their joy over the progress Raul Jimenez has made one year after suffering a life-threatening head injury.

On 29 November 2020, the Mexican was stretchered off against Arsenal in the Premier League, having suffered a hugely serious injury.

Not only were there doubts over Jimenez playing football again after fracturing his skull, but the severity of the issue was also life-threatening.

Thankfully, the 30-year-old has made a wonderful comeback over the past 12 months, taking to the field once more and remaining a vital player for Wolves. This season, Jimenez has scored three times and registered two assists in the league, helping Bruno Lage’s side to sixth place in the table currently.

On Monday, Wolves’ official Twitter channel posted a touching tribute to the striker showing the remarkable progress he has made over the past year.

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Wolves fans love Jimenez post

These Wanderers fans showed their love for Jimenez on Twitter in response to the club’s tweet.

“My striker”

Credit: @wwfcbilly

“What a guy”

Credit: @MarkoC88

“Who’s cutting the onions?”

Credit: @sabrinajg11

“Brilliant”

Credit: @Gabrielle2030

“Amazing!”

Credit: @Salsa_M

“What an amazing man we have #ournumber9”

Credit: @shellwwfcsankey

In other news, Luke Hatfield has tipped Wolves to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Mohamed Salah’s recent comments about finishing his career at Liverpool have put a lot of pressure on FSG, according to James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Salah wants to stay for good

The Egyptian King was again unstoppable on Sunday afternoon, scoring a hat-trick the Reds’ unforgettable 5-0 win away to Manchester United.

There is constant speculation surrounding Salah’s long-term future but he recently claimed that, in an ideal world, he would stay at Liverpool forever. The 29-year-old made it clear that the decision over a new-and-improved contract lies with FSG and not him, putting the ball in their court.

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The Latest: Pearce makes FSG claim

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic on Sunday, Pearce said it is now up to the owners to sort out the situation, delivering an 11-word response to a reader’s question.

When asked if Salah had “checkmated” FSG by saying that he wants to stay at the club for the rest of his career, putting it up to the club to sort out a new contract for him, the journalist replied: “Certainly puts the pressure on the owners to get it sorted.”

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The Verdict: Get it done

Frankly, if Salah isn’t rewarded with a new deal after the level of performances he is producing, FSG will never be forgiven.

Liverpool have the world’s best player in their ranks on current form – he has scored 10 goals and registered five assists in just nine Premier League games this season – and he deserves to be paid far more than his current £200,000 weekly wage.

Granted, it isn’t always healthy to have one player earning comfortably more than anyone else at a club, but Salah is a special case because of his extraordinary talent. As Pearce says, the pressure should come on FSG to not let the impasse fester for much longer.

In other news, Liverpool are thought to be eyeing up a move for one exciting player. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United must finally sell Tyler Roberts amid his latest disaster-class against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

What’s the story?

The Wales international has endured a nightmare start to the campaign thus far, scoring no goals and providing no assists, and following his performance in mid-week, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross revealed what he saw from that night.

He said: “Roberts remains a divisive figure among fans, but Bielsa evidently likes him and plays him because he sees a lot of potential in the Wales international. The only way Roberts improves is by playing more and developing as a player on the pitch. That’s the way Bielsa will see it.

“It was interesting to see the flashpoint which convinced Bielsa to go for Gelhardt last night, though. Roberts received the ball in a promising position last night with Arsenal out of shape and rather than look to turn Maitland-Niles, as he had the time to do, he waited and looked for contact from behind to go down. The referee waved played on and the hosts took the ball away. Bielsa was furious and barked immediately for Gelhardt to come on.”

Time for Roberts to go

Here on FFC, Roberts’ performance on Tuesday against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup was heavily scrutinised, and with the January transfer window looming, it’s perhaps high time that the Wales international finally heads for the exit door.

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan insisted that the £12.6m-rated forward hasn’t shown enough in the Premier League to “convince” Bielsa – he managed just one goal in 27 top-flight appearances all of last season, and even that came in the penultimate game against Southampton.

The 46-year-old said: “With Leeds this season, he’s been given a long spell of games to convince Bielsa he’s worth keeping. In my opinion, I’m still undecided. I don’t think he affected the game during his time on the field.”

Whelan added: “Is he good enough? In my opinion he isn’t. I would love him to go out there and prove me wrong because I want everyone to succeed. I need him to show me more. He needs to show more fight and desire. I just do not see that.”

The quite shambolic goal-scoring record that Roberts has at Elland Road, even for someone who’s relatively young at 22, should surely be the end of the straw for him under Bielsa.

The Whites desperately need greater end product from someone occupying that attacking midfield role just behind the striker, and Roberts simply hasn’t cut it.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United star is now attracting big interest…

Sunderland manager Lee Johnson has revealed exactly how the club brought Ross Stewart to the Stadium of Light back in January.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats boss shed light on the club’s pursuit of the centre-forward, as well as revealing that the 25-year-old turned down a number of Championship clubs in order to join the Mackems.

Discussing the January swoop for the Scot, Johnson said: “Rossco turned down Championship moves to come here, as well. The fact that he initially had a hamstring injury probably helped keep him under the radar a little bit, though, to be honest, we didn’t initially think it was as bad as it actually was.

“The journey he’s had really excited me as well because he’s progressed bit by bit. He’s been a bit of a late developer and that’s something I always like because that physicality comes with it. I think Ross could play until 36/37 to be honest, as long as he steers clear of injuries. He’s got that agility.

“So in the end the club made the decision it was the right thing to do [to make that investment]. It wasn’t necessarily a succession plan for Charlie [Wyke] because we absolutely saw them playing together, but, of course, it was part of the thinking, it had to be.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Stewart has been for Sunderland so far this season, the news that the Black Cats managed to land the 25-year-old ahead of a number of second-tier sides in last season’s winter transfer window is sure to have the Stadium of light faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his nine League One appearances this term, the £450k-rated centre-forward has scored seven goals and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.4 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player Stuart Kettlewell dubbed a “handful” earn a rather extraordinary average SofaScore match rating of 7.49, ranking him as Johnson’s best performer in the third tier.

So, despite the fact that the club’s 2021/22 campaign is still very young at present, with Sunderland topping the League One standings and Stewart currently ranked joint-second in the division’s top scorers chart, the signing of the striker very much looks to have already been vindicated, while the Mackems fans could also have a new cult hero at the Stadium of Light.

In other news: Johnson drops fresh injury update on “one of the best”, Sunderland fans will be gutted

According to a report by O Jogo, as relayed by Sport Witness, some transfer news has developed this week as Tottenham and Fabio Paratici eye FC Porto forward Luis Diaz.

The Lowdown: Spurs in forward hunt?

Given how light Spurs are in the forward department, it’s little wonder Paratici and co are looking at targets already.

Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-min have suffered injury problems already this season, perhaps a stark warning to Nuno Espirito Santo and co that they need more depth, while Lucas Moura is slowly approaching the twilight phase of his career at 29-years-old.

Spurs have been linked with a few attacking options since the last transfer window and O Jogo have spotted club chiefs on a Tuesday mission concerning Diaz.

The Latest: Spurs eyeing Diaz?

As per their information, via SW, Tottenham chiefs scouted the FC Porto star mid-week as his side took on AC Milan in the Champions League group stages.

Diaz ended up scoring the winner and would have undoubtedly done no harm in enticing the interest of Spurs officials.

He also won Man of the Match in all-round electric individual display with Paratici apparently keeping his eye on the player since his Copa America performances for Colombia.

If Spurs opt to swoop, however, they may need to pay big money considering he is protected by a €80m (£67.5m) release clause.

The Verdict: Get it done?

The 29-cap gem has been nothing short of a revelation in Portugal and it is clear to see why Spurs chiefs were sent on a Tuesday scouting mission.

Over his eight Primeira Liga starts this season, Diaz has netted six goals and an assist with his teammate, Sergio Oliveira, branding the player ‘extraordinary’ after his latest mid-week heroics (via italynews24.com).

While the 24-year-old’s release clause comes as a financial obstacle, it may be worth the plunge if Paratici can get it done.

In other news: Growing frustrated…Alasdair Gold says ‘special player’ could now ‘potentially leave Tottenham’, find out more here.

Nuno Santo will now surely be livid over Tottenham Hotspur’s failure to sign one of his top summer targets in Danny Ings…

What was the word?

During the off-season, The Telegraph’s Matt Law reported that the former Southampton striker was the Portuguese’s number one priority during the transfer window.

It was claimed that the 47-year-old wanted Ings to partner Harry Kane up top, rather than replace him, as he looked to switch the Lilywhites’ system to a two-man attack – something he had done at Wolves to varying degrees of success.

The 29-year-old had entered the final year of his contract at St Mary’s and reportedly rejected an offer of a four-year extension, as per Sky Sports.

Ings went onto join Spurs’ top-flight rivals Aston Villa in a £30m deal.

One that got away?

As expected, the vastly experienced talisman has already continued his fine form in front of goal and has emerged as a starter under Dean Smith.

In just four appearances, the three-time England international has found the net twice and even provided one assist, building on from his 13 goals and four assists for the lowly Saints last term, as per Transfermarkt.

A year earlier, the £18m-rated Ings hit 22 goals in 38 league games – his best-ever campaign in English football.

Spurs have struggled in front of goal so far this season. They may have won three of their four matches to sit just one point behind league leaders Manchester United but they have only amassed three goals from a trio of 1-0 victories and a heavy defeat to Crystal Palace in which they struggled massively in attack.

Nuno lambasted their creative and goalscoring problems as “a big concern” after the match and it would’ve surely made him ponder what might’ve been following the failure to sign Ings during the summer.

Heung-min Son, who is currently out injured, is the only Tottenham player to match the 29-year-old’s returns so far this season.

Once dubbed a “goal machine” and an “assist machine”, you can’t help but feel that things may have been different had Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici and co sealed a move for the 5 foot 10 talisman.

It could well be their biggest mistake of recent times, and Nuno must be livid over it.

AND in other news, Spurs make “incredible” £36m-rated monster their top 2022 target, Nuno would love him…