Journalist Tim Spiers has revealed a huge boost to Wolves’ squad depth, with Chiquinho, Yerson Mosquera and Toti Gomes all closing in on a return to action.
The Lowdown: Injuries not helping Wolves form
Wanderers have suffered a frustrating dip in form at a key time in the season, losing back-to-back Premier League matches against Arsenal and West Ham.
It has left their top-four hopes hanging by a thread, with a few nagging injuries not necessarily helping matters – their depth is suffering even if the bulk of the key men are now available.
Four players who have been absent in recent times are Chiquinho, Mosquera and Gomes, but it looks as though they could be back in the fold in the near future.
The Latest: Spiers gives positive update
Taking to Twitter on Monday, Spiers confirmed in a 12-word update that the trio, as well as Luke Cundle, were all starting for Wolves’ Under-23s in their Premier League 2 clash with Reading:
“Chiquinho, Mosquera, Cundle and Toti Gomes all start for the U23s tonight.”
They won 4-3, with Mosquera grabbing a goal while Cundle and Chiquinho both provided assists.
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The Verdict: Much-needed boost
While none of the three players in question are seen as pivotal figures for Wolves, having more faces available at a crucial and busy point in the campaign can only be a good thing.
Mosquera has been particularly dogged by an ongoing hamstring issue and Chiquinho has been unable to make an impact since arriving in January but both can have an impact between now and May.
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Cundle impressed on his first start for Wolves away to Tottenham last month and is someone who could increasingly become a key figure over time, having been hailed as a ‘really good player’ by Leander Dendoncker.
Perhaps all four will feature in the coming weeks and allow some key men to rotate, as the Molineux outfit face Crystal Palace, Watford and Everton in the space of eight days.
In other news, Wolves have suffered a potential transfer blow. Read more here.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke believes it’s a ‘massive blow’ not knowing when Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi will return from injury, GiveMeSport report.
The Lowdown: Furuhashi’s absence
The 27-year-old was enjoying an unbelievable first season at Parkhead, contributing to 21 goals in just 27 appearances in green and white. However, he hasn’t been seen since the end of December due to a hamstring problem.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have managed to cope without their big summer signing, though, and are currently three points clear of Rangers.
The Hoops boss admitted recently that Furuhashi is nowhere near a return to action, with a crucial Glasgow Derby just over four weeks away.
The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments
O’Rourke was talking to GiveMeSport regarding Furuhashi’s absence. This is what he had to say
“It’s a massive blow for Celtic, to not even have a timeline for when he might be able to return is a real concern for Celtic.”
The Verdict: Return needed
Postecoglou has relied on Giorgos Giakoumakis and January signing Daizen Maeda with Furuhashi out.
Giakoumakis has scored six times in 2022 and Maeda four, however, the Hoops have had their struggles in front of goal in recent weeks.
Centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers and captain Callum McGregor are the only players to have scored in the club’s last 270 minutes of action, netting in a 2-0 win over St Mirren on Wednesday after a 0-0 draw with Hibernian and a 2-0 defeat to Bodo/Glimt, so the sooner they have Furuhashi back, the better.
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It may well be touch and go for the trip to Ibrox next month, so the Hoops may need to navigate three more fixtures in all competitions without their star forward.
In other news: Ange can finally fix big Lennon blunder as Celtic now hold talks for ‘dangerous’ star – opinion.
Newcastle United remain interested in signing Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara after the Magpies failed in securing the 22-year-old’s signature in January.
What’s the story?
According to Foot Mercato, Newcastle still believe in the possibility of luring the Frenchman to St. James’ Park after a failed attempt in the winter window.
Kamara has been a regular for the Ligue 1 outfit this term, racking up 33 appearances across all competitions already this campaign.
However, Eddie Howe’s side will face competition from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid who are reportedly leading the race for the young French star.
Newcastle must sign Kamara
With the January addition of Bruno Guimaraes already bulking up the Magpies’ midfield, the signing of Kamara would seriously bolster the Tyneside outfit’s quality in the middle of the park.
With the £46k-per-week starlet being regularly deployed as a defensive midfielder for Marseille, Newcastle’s back-line would have extra protection with Les Phocéens third in Ligue 1 and one of the best defensive units thanks partially to the contributions of Kamara.
Moreover, it would allow the possibility of Guimaraes being utilised in a more offensive position which would certainly please Howe.
The 24-year-old has already shown quality in the box with a sublime finish against Southampton on Thursday night to get off the mark in Newcastle colours.
There is certainly plenty of excitement surrounding the 22-year-old Frenchman, with former Marseille teammate Rolando stating: “This kid is a phenomenon.
“When he started training with us, he was 15 years old. And from day one, I said, no, but this little one is going to be a great player. He’s the kind of central defender I like. He is full of qualities and, above all, he works, he listens. It is out of the ordinary”
According to SofaScore, the midfielder has been a major presence in the middle of the park for Marseille this term, averaging 78.1 touches per league game whilst also enjoying a 90% passing accuracy in the French top-flight.
From a defensive aspect, the Frenchman is also providing two tackles a game as well as 1.1 interceptions and one clearance.
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It’s no secret that the North-East club are looking to invest heavily with safety looking more secure every game and signing one of Europe’s most exciting prospects would certainly fit the blueprint provided by the new ownership structure.
However, Kamara certainly won’t come cheap after it was reported that Marseille were holding out for €40m two summers ago, meaning that their asking price will certainly be significantly higher this time around.
AND in other news, Forget Bruno: £35k-p/w Newcastle dynamo with 90% duels won was Howe’s unsung hero…
Gio van Bronckhorst’s Rangers enjoyed another special night at Ibrox under the lights in Europe as they won 3-0 on Thursday night.
James Tavernier got the Gers off to the perfect start as he whipped a penalty into the top corner early on. VAR awarded the hosts the spot-kick after a trip on Ryan Kent was spotted in the box, allowing his captain to put the side 1-0 up.
Alfredo Morelos then did what he does best to make it two. He picked up a superb position in the box and reacted quickly to a poor defensive header to rifle home a volley, with the aid of a slight deflection, into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Allan McGregor was called upon to save his team, though, as he made a terrific save from the spot after Ryan Jack was penalised by the referee.
Leon Balogun then rounded out the scoring in the second half as he scored a fantastic header. He rose highest to power in the third goal for Rangers after an excellent delivery from Tavernier.
Despite the impressive result, there are some areas for improvement that van Bronckhorst will surely be hoping to iron out – one being the performance of Glen Kamara.
The Finland international got carried through the match by his teammates as he struggled to put his stamp on the game in midfield. He will surely be disappointed in his own display as it was not up to the usual high standard he sets himself.
In the Premiership this season, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.08 – winning 55% of his duels – and this shows that he has been performing well throughout the campaign.
However, he was a £21k-per-week passenger on Thursday night. As per SofaScore, he lost a whopping 71% of his duels (10/14) and made just one tackle and one interception, whilst being dribbled past once.
This shows that the opposition were able to get the better of him the majority of the time as he was not strong enough to hold them off. He was nowhere near good enough on that side of the game and van Bronckhorst will be frustrated with that part of his performance.
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On the ball, he offered very little either. Via SofaScore, he completed 24 passes and managed one key pass whilst also failing to complete a single dribble.
He did not do enough in possession to make up for his lightweight play out of it and was, therefore, carried to the win by his excellent teammates. Hopefully, he will be able to get over this dismal display and return to his best form next time out.
AND in other news, GvB could save Rangers millions in “clinical” 26-goal teen with “pure enthusiasm”…
As per Goal.com, Manchester City lead the race to sign Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland, with executives having held talks with the Norwegian’s representatives.
The Lowdown: Haaland a wanted man
The 21-year-old has been at the centre of a chaotic transfer saga which has seen him linked with a number of European giants ahead of a proposed summer move.
Real Madrid are rumoured to be a strong contender in the race, but with the striker’s seemingly minimal £62m release clause, the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United all remain interested.
Pep Guardiola is reportedly keen to add a forward with a killer- instinct to his squad after failing to secure Tottenham’s Harry Kane last summer.
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The Latest: City lead the race for Haaland
According to a fresh report by Goal.com, City have emerged as the frontrunners in the race to sign Haaland.
It is believed that Txiki Begiristain and fellow City executives have recently met with the Norwegian’s representatives over a proposed move, with the youngster currently earning a reported £132,000 per week.
With the money irrelevant due to his affordable release clause, Haaland’s choice will come down to personal preference, and it is claimed that a coach like Guardiola is a major selling point in his decision.
The Verdict: Would be huge
Whilst City have not struggled to score goals, as exemplified by their enormous goal difference, Haaland would be a fantastic addition to Guardiola’s side, given the Premier League champions’ lack of out-and-out centre-forward options.
The 21-year-old has netted 80 times in as many games for the German club, so that level of consistency will provide City with an attacking alternative to what we have become accustomed to seeing with the Catalan in charge.
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Virgil van Dijk has supported this rhetoric, having likened the striker to Jamie Vardy due to his “quick” and “direct” nature – a scary proposition in City’s attacking ranks.
Therefore, if Begiristain can get this deal across the line, Guardiola should certainly be eyeing a Champions League triumph next season.
In other news: One Manchester City player could be set for a big role over the coming weeks
Newcastle United have seen numerous players join the club before being sold for significant sums of money over the past few years, such as Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Georginio Wijnaldum and Aleksandar Mitrovic among others.
One player who departed from St. James’ Park in recent years in what can now be seen as a great piece of business from the club during Mike Ashley’s much-maligned tenure at the Toon is Ayoze Perez.
Signed in 2014 from Tenerife for £1.5m, the Spaniard went on to make 195 appearances for the Magpies across all competitions, with 48 goals and 17 assists to his name before joining fellow Premier League side Leicester City in 2019 for £30m, highlighting the massive profit the Toon made on him.
Since making the move to the King Power Stadium, the 28-year-old has made 92 appearances for the Foxes across all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists along the way.
In December 2019, just a few months after leaving Newcastle, Transfermarkt had Perez’s market value listed as £27m, the highest it has been throughout his career. It now stands at just £13.5m, which is 55% lower than the £30m transfer fee the Magpies recouped for him when Leicester came calling.
With just eight appearances under his belt in the current Premier League campaign, the attacker – who is currently picking up £83k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has more red cards than goals, having failed to find the net at all.
In addition to his lack of goals, his overall performances for Brendan Rodgers’ side have been rather disappointing. WhoScored list him as Leicester’s second-lowest rated player (excluding those who haven’t started a league game), with an underwhelming rating of 6.24/10, which would also place him among some of Newcastle’s lowest-rated players for this campaign.
Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Newcastle and Ashley pulled an absolute blinder in selling the Spaniard when they did for the amount of money they got for him.
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Even though the Magpies have been involved in a relegation scrap for most of the season before reviving their fortunes over the past few weeks, it seems unlikely that many Toon fans will have been missing Perez in the meantime.
In other news: NUFC dealt setback on “sensational” £180k-p/w ace, supporters will be gutted
Aston Villa have started to build up a reputation over the past few years of being a very active club in the transfer market when it comes to signing players for significant amounts of money.
However, looking back down memory lane, there was one prime example of the Midlands club not being ruthless when it came to securing a deal for a player they definitely should have.
Back in the summer of 2001, when legendary Premier League midfielder Frank Lampard was at the start of his career at West Ham United, there was a big race to snap him up from the east London club.
According to Neil Moxley, Villa had made an offer of £7.5m to West Ham in an effort to bring the midfielder to the Midlands, only for Chelsea to jump in and snatch the youngster in a deal worth a reported fee of £11m.
Having made 174 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 32 goals and providing 18 assists in the process, the Englishman went on to become a certified legend at Stamford Bridge during his 13-year spell on the west side of London.
With 648 appearances across all competitions under his belt as well as 211 goals, 150 assists, four FA Cups, three Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy, Lampard wrote his name into the history books, not just at Chelsea but in the top-flight as one of the best English players of all time too.
After leaving Chelsea in 2014, the midfielder then had one final season in the Premier League with Manchester City, which was followed by the final year of his playing career with their sister club New York City.
All in all, the 43-year-old, who has been labelled as being a “magnificent example of English leadership” by Carlo Ancelotti, had scored 266 senior goals across his lengthy and illustrious career.
To further highlight the former Blues star’s importance to English football, he was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021 alongside other big names such as Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Dennis Bergkamp.
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Taking all of this into account, letting a player like Lampard slip through their grasp must be seen as one of the biggest mistakes in Villa’s history.
Had the Villa Park outfit decided to put in a bigger offer to West Ham for their young midfield talent, they could have seen another future legend added to their history books instead of Chelsea’s.
In other news: Lange set for disaster on “old fashioned” £100k-p/w AVFC gem, supporters would rage
Last Christmas, Arne Slot’s Liverpool sat top of the Premier League pile, seven points above Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Now, it’s Arsenal’s turn to lead the standings, with the Gunners ten points better off than the Reds, who will head into their clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers after the big day, dreaming of a jump up the division.
Unfortunately for Slot and Co, it’s not been all good news as of late at Anfield, despite the Reds now being five games unbeaten in the Premier League, with Antoine Semenyo looking likely to move elsewhere, rather than his expected Merseyside route…
Liverpool shift focus to new winger
An unexpected setback has now come to the surface in Liverpool’s much-talked-about chase of the Ghanaian.
As per journalist Ben Jacobs, via X, Semenyo’s preferred move out of the Cherries is now to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, as all other suitors have been informed, with his £65m release clause set to come into play.
This will be a hard one for Liverpool to stomach, with Semenyo turning into a Premier League superstar on the South Coast, but the disappointment about losing out on the 25-year-old will be softened somewhat if the reigning top-flight champions can pull off an alternative swoop.
As per a report from Caught Offside, Liverpool have shifted their focus to try and snap up Paris St Germain ace Bradley Barcola, instead, with the Reds’ recruitment team intensifying their monitoring of the tricky Frenchman, who they deem as a long-term project and a ‘prime alternative’ to Semenyo.
Moreover, they are on a standby over a potential deal owing to Barcola’s hesitancy to pen an extended contract at the Parc Des Princes, with Slot noted as being a big admirer of the number 29.
While Semenyo does have Premier League experience on his side, it could be argued that Liverpool pulling off a deal for the skilful 23-year-old – once noted as boasting a £100m valuation – would actually be a better signing in the long run, with Barcola already proving himself on some grand stages for PSG.
Why Barcola would be a better signing than Semenyo
Barcola has shone in Ligue 1 from a very early age, with this goal against his current employers coming way back in 2023, when he was previously a starlet bursting into the first team picture at Lyon.
Now, the Lyon-born attacker is up to 28 goals and 29 assists just in Ligue 1 action, with a bumper 31 goals and 33 assists also coming his way for one of France’s elite clubs in PSG, when regularly competing in the Champions League.
While Semenyo is the talk of the town in the Premier League, he is yet to be exposed to the same illustrious surroundings as Barcola, who even helped PSG to lift the Champions League last season, with 11 goal contributions falling into his lap in Europe’s premier competition.
Moreover, the £65m forward, despite bettering Barcola in their league goal counts this season with a mightily impressive eight strikes to the Frenchman’s slightly lesser five, he has just 43 goal contributions overall for the Cherries. That’s in contrast to Barcola’s aforementioned 64 tally in France. Their respective FBref numbers over the last year also expose some weak areas in the ex-Bristol City attacker’s game.
Barcola vs Semenyo: Last 365 days
Stat (per 90 mins)
Barcola
Semenyo
Total shots
2.98
2.60
Shot-creating actions
4.60
3.59
Passes attempted
37.63
31.57
Pass completion %
83.7%
72.8%
Progressive passes
4.02
3.43
Progressive carries
4.96
3.62
Successful take-ons
1.55
1.58
Touches in the attacking penalty area
8.37
4.86
Progressive passes received
14.80
6.86
Stats by FBref
Indeed, despite his electric form, the Man City-linked attacker falls flat across many areas of his varied game when weighed up next to the 18-time France international, with Barcola managing more shots and shot-creating actions over the last year, at first glance.
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Scanning further down the table, Barcola also trumps his Bournemouth counterpart in terms of progressive passes and progressive carries averaged, too, with Hugo Ekitike no doubt licking his lips at working alongside such a gung-ho attacker, who has been dubbed as “one of the best left wingers in Europe” by scout Ben Mattinson.
Semenyo has also been subject to widespread praise for his red-hot form on the South Coast, having been noted as “incredible” to watch by journalist Owuraku Ampofo.
But, there’s no guarantee that he would be able to pull off his Cherries best at Anfield.
Whereas, with Barcola at the top of his game for many a year now, whether that be domestically or via Europe’s grandest setting, splashing out the cash on his services, instead, could be a fantastic and extravagant next step.
Liverpool keen on signing £100m "warrior" to upgrade on Mac Allister
Liverpool are getting ready to make a series of changes in the transfer market in 2026.
Manchester United scouts are now extensively monitoring a “world-class” midfielder, who could be brought in as an heir to Casemiro.
Man Utd keen on new midfielder amid Casemiro uncertainty
Ruben Amorim will have been frustrated that Casemiro was unavailable against Aston Villa on Sunday, with the midfielder ruled out due to suspension, given that he has been surprisingly impressive from an attacking point of view this season.
The 33-year-old has been an important player for the Red Devils this season, making 15 appearances in the Premier League, but his future at Old Trafford is up in the air, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the season.
It was recently revealed the central midfielder is growing ‘increasingly closer’ to moving to the MLS, which means it is time United started thinking about bringing in a long-term replacement, and there has now been a new update on their interest in Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi.
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Man United scouts are now extensively monitoring the Lille midfielder, who is valued at the €60m (£52m) mark, but there could be competition for his signature.
Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are also named as potential suitors for Bouaddi, alongside Paris Saint-Germain, and a move within France is the most likely scenario in the upcoming transfer window.
Lille are now open to substantial bids for the 18-year-old, which suggests that a deal could be possible, if Amorim’s side are willing to stump up the huge asking price.
"World-class" Bouaddi could be exciting Casemiro heir
Despite still being a teenager, the central midfielder has been impressing in the Champions League this season, being singled out for high praise by scout Jacek Kulig after a top display against AS Roma.
The Frenchman is an impressive dribbler of the ball, averaging 1.31 successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, which places him in the 93rd percentile, when compared to other central midfielders.
Man Utd preparing ambitious move to sign £80m+ superstar who wants Premier League move
He’d complete Amorim’s attack.
ByTom Cunningham
That said, the youngster may have to improve from a defensive point of view, if he is going to replace Casemiro, given that the Brazilian has vastly outperformed him across some key statistics.
Key statistics per 90 (past year)
Casemiro
Ayyoub Bouaddi
Tackles
3.83
2.83
Interceptions
0.98
0.90
Blocks
2.33
1.48
Clearances
2.67
1.23
Bouaddi could be an exciting long-term addition to Man United’s squad regardless, but £52m would be a lot to fork out, especially considering they hold serious interest in signing AFC Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause.
South Africa midfielder Steven Pienaar will not consider his future until after this summer's World Cup.
Pienaar's future at Goodison Park has been thrown into doubt after he left for international duty having failed to agree a new long-term contract with the Toffees.
Arsenal and Bayern Munich are two clubs recently linked with Everton's newly crowned player of the year with his contract set to expire at the end of next season.
However, Pienaar is happy to shelve talk over his future until the World Cup finals end in mid-July.
"As a player my job is to play and that is for my management team to deal with," he said."I'm totally focused on Bafana and the World Cup.
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