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Things are looking a lot rosier for Wolves all of a sudden.

Of course, they aren’t completely out of the woods yet, but a win over Arsenal and then a draw with Leicester demonstrated they still have what it takes to mix it with the top half of the Premier League.

Though, could their squad for the back half of the campaign been bolstered more?

What’s the word?

January wasn’t a particularly busy month for Wolves but they did welcome a new striker to the club in the shape of Willian Jose.

However, it’s been revealed that Jeff Shi and the club’s recruitment team had another forward on their radar last month.

According to Transfermarkt (via Sport Witness), Wolves approached Frankfurt in a bid to sign Portuguese striker Andre Silva.

Atletico Madrid were also pursuing Silva but had a bid rejected for his services. This link certainly makes sense given he’s a client of super-agent Jorge Mendes.

The intermediary currently has a number of Wolves’ players on his books.

Forget Jose

This would have been a seriously eye-catching move for Nuno Santo and Shi to make. They were linked with a swoop for the 25-year-old in 2019 when he was still at Milan but he has come on leaps and bound since.

In fact, he’s far more prolific than Real Sociedad loanee, Jose. So far this season Silva has found the net on 18 occasions in just 21 outings compared to Jose’s meagre haul of four strikes. It’s been a near impeccable campaign for the striker who has earned comparisons to a certain Bayern Munich forward.

After scoring against Mainz last month, Frankfurt boss Adi Hutter commented: “Andre Silva is the solo forward up top, but he does it really well. He wasn’t rewarded against Leverkusen, today he was. His composure on penalties reminds me of Robert Lewandowski, who always turns ice cold.”

Silva has gone from an erratic striker to one that shows remarkable composure in front of goal. Though, that’s not the sole reason Wolves should have signed him over Jose.

He’s confident in the penalty area, but most importantly has similarities to Raul Jimenez. Silva revealed what he brings to the Frankfurt attack last year: “My job at the moment, like a striker, is to score goals, to gain the ball in the air and to protect the ball in the front, so my teammates come more forward. So, I think it’s my job. But the most important in the final is the three points or the winning.”

Jimenez does a wonderful job of protecting the ball and you only need to look at Silva’s stats this term to realise what he could have offered to the Old Gold.

He has won 2.4 aerial duels per game which outmuscles Jimenez by 0.9. It’s a tally that also betters Jose’s in 2020/21 who has only prevailed in one aerial duel a match.

Hailed an “entertainer” for his performances this term, Molineux would surely have been a better place with Silva leading the line.

Depending on the cost, this would have been the perfect striker for Wolves in January. Let’s hope they don’t live to regret their decision.

AND in other news, Forget Aaron Ramsey: Nuno could unleash “special” rarely-seen Wolves gem instead…

David Moyes should push West Ham to bid for Jesse Lingard at the end of the season after Rio Ferdinand urged the on-loan midfielder to quit Manchester United for good.

What’s the word?

While speaking on BT Sport, via quotes by The Sun, Ferdinand claimed Lingard’s temporary move to the London Stadium will be seen as a failure if the Irons do not make efforts to retain the England international beyond his half-season deal.

Lingard joined West Ham on loan for the remainder of the campaign during the winter transfer window, but no purchase clause was included in the terms of his move.

The 28-year-old is expected to hold talks over his long-term Old Trafford future with Red Devils chiefs in the summer, at which point he will have one-year remaining on his £100,000-per-week contract.

Lingard could cost West Ham up to £4m for his six-months on loan, having paid Manchester United a £1.5m loan fee, agreed to cover his salary in full and pay a £500,000 bonus should Moyes guide the east London outfit into Europe.

And the spending may not stop there, as Ferdinand believes Lingard has to leave Old Trafford in the summer as his parent side have now moved on from the playmaker.

“What’s his ambition here, beyond this season? What is he looking to do?” Ferdinand said. “If West Ham don’t put a bid in to buy him at the end of this loan, I think this loan has to be seen as a failure.

“That’s got to be his aim – to get a bid from West Ham and other clubs to take him out of Man U. Because I don’t see him going back to Man U and really affecting that squad now.

“I think they’ve moved past him with the players they’ve recruited, he doesn’t feature and hasn’t done for so long.”

Should West Ham bid for Lingard?

West Ham will be in a strong position to purchase Lingard at the end of the season should he continue featuring as often as he has since arriving at the London Stadium, as he will know the future can be bright in claret and blue.

The picture was very bleak for the £9m-rated maestro at Old Trafford before leaving on loan, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only awarding 179 minutes of action across all competitions this season – less than he has featured for under Moyes (262) already.

Lingard has enjoyed an impressive start to life in east London, as well, having scored twice on his debut in a 3-1 win away to Aston Villa and turned in a vastly influential display in Monday night’s 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

He was always a threat on the break and looking to get West Ham moving in the right direction, with a game-high six attempted dribbles and the joint-most successful efforts (3) with Blades defender Chris Basham, per WhoScored.

No one who featured for either side took more shots than Lingard (5), too, while also finding the target (4) at least twice as much as any other player, though unable to find a way past Aaron Ramsdale.

His performance was at such a level that Lingard now leads West Ham for average shots per game in the Premier League this season with 3.7 – 1.5 more than second-ranked Michal Antonio – and is first for dribbles with 4.3 attempted – 1.4 more than Antonio (2.9).

If Lingard keeps up these performances, Moyes should have no reason to not bid for his signature in the summer, having already stated that he is open to a potential deal.

AND in other news, West Ham may rue not signing a £1.8k-p/w target in January as he nears a pre-contract agreement…

Celtic have been linked to several new faces this month as the January transfer window fast approaches. Their disappointing season will have only encouraged Peter Lawwell, Nick Hammond and co to scour the market for some fresh personnel.

However, whilst they have been linked to potential incomings, some Celtic stars could also be on their way out. Kristoffer Ajer is a man who has a lot of speculation surrounding him at the moment and it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he bids Parkhead farewell.

AC Milan are one of the latest clubs to show interest in the centre-back and they have an ace up their sleeve to sweeten the deal.

Laxalt for Ajer?

According to Calciomercato, the Italian giants are keen on moving for Ajer this window and would be willing to let Diego Laxalt join the Hoops permanently in return.

The latter joined the Glaswegian outfit last summer and has been one of Neil Lennon’s more impressive players this season. Sofascore reports that he has averaged 2.2 tackles per game so far this term, which is much higher than any other defender at Celtic.

Laxalt has also quickly become a Lennon favourite, thanks to his hard work and balance between attacking and protecting the goal. Recently speaking to the Daily Record, the boss waxed lyrical about the £22,000 per week left-back, labelling him an “aggressive” player who he believes has been a “great addition” to the Hoops.

Indeed, Celtic have come to rely heavily on the 27-year-old. He has played all but one Premiership match this season and contributed an important goal against Hibernian in November, as per Transfermarkt.

Ajer has received a lot of interest recently and Celtic may need to concede the fact that another big side is likely to come in and tempt him to leave. If they are going to lay down their sword and let him transfer, they would do well to at least bank an equally solid defender in Laxalt for their troubles.

Lennon has Christopher Jullien, Shane Duffy and young Stephen Welsh to deploy at centre-back, but appears to only trust Laxalt to get the job done on the left. Losing him would be a huge blow on top of a miserable season in which they will almost certainly give up their crown to Rangers.

In other news, Celtic signing this striker could edge out Leigh Griffiths…

Luke Edwards has given a rather damning update on the proposed takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

Revealing among a thread of tweets, the Daily Telegraph journalist said:“I’m told the Newcastle Consortium Supporters Ltd (NCSL) legal challenge is flawed on the basis of standing.”

He went on to tweet that the NCSL have to show that they were directly damaged by the failed £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA group, and added that they cannot claim damages on behalf of the chief executive of Sports Direct or indeed the Tyneside club itself.

Edwards also revealed that he had been informed that the letter sent by the Premier League would have had this featured heavily in it, in what could be a big blow to hopes of the takeover eventually going through at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle takeover in doubt

Indeed, this may have put a spanner in the works for the NCSL, especially considering that they tweeted just how confident they were that they could win their dispute with the English top flight.

England’s highest division and indeed its CEO Richard Masters may still be taken to court by the Magpies to settle their legal battle, with Ashley already seemingly having top lawyers ready to represent him, but it is unclear as to what the outcome of this legal battle would be.

Nonetheless, it will certainly be interesting for the Toon Army to see how this all plays out in the end, but this latest update from Edwards has likely knocked the confidence of some fans.

In other news, find out which manager has been tipped to lead NUFC through a post-takeover era here!

Crystal Palace welcome Leeds United to Selhurst Park in Saturday’s Premier League game showdown as both sides look to bounce back from respective defeats.

Roy Hodgson’s side will hope to get back to winning ways after their away trip to Wolves ended in an embarrassing 2-0 defeat.

The Eagles have won three out of their eight games in all competitions so far and enter this weekend thirteenth in the division, tied with Marcelo Bielsa’s side on 10 points apiece. However, Leeds are ahead of the Eagles on goal difference.

Hodgson will be buoyed by the fact that James McArthur has worked his way back from injury, although Palace will be without Luka Milivojevic, whilst the club captain begins a three-match ban after being sent off in the game against Wolves.

Here at Football FanCast, we’ve predicted how we think Hodgson will set his side up for the clash with the Whites, which sees him make three changes to the team that lost to Wolves.

Vicente Guiata is expected to start Saturday’s Premier League game against Leeds amid fierce competition for places, with Jack Butland spotted in training for the first time since he moved to Selhurst Park from Stoke City.

Christian Benteke made a brief cameo in the 2-0 defeat at Molineux but should stay on the bench, whilst Michy Batshuayi may miss out after failing to find the back of the net in his first five fixtures so far. This means that Jordan Ayew could make another appearance after recovering from coronavirus as he came off the bench against Wolves last week.

Jairo Riedewald is due a rest but is expected to start alongside McArthur, who will most likely replace Milivojevic, with Andros Townsend starting on the right wing.

At the back, Hodgson will have wanted to rotate his centre-backs but injury may force his hand, as there are concerns over Gary Cahill and James Tomkins, whilst left-back Tyrick Mitchell remains a doubt after he took a knock in training.

Summer signing Eberechi Eze should partner Wilfried Zaha on the left flank, which will see Jeffrey Schlupp drop to the bench after a poor performance at Molineux.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace may forever regret not signing now-Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk… 

Liverpool have done a U-turn on their decision to offload Xherdan Shaqiri this transfer window, according to David Lynch.

The report claims that unless a surprise bid is tabled for the Swiss international’s services, he will remain with the club for this season. A very wise decision for Michael Edwards and Jurgen Klopp, given they will likely still be reeling from their 7-2 mauling on Sunday.

A deadline day change of heart

Despite making just 11 appearances across all competitions last season, Shaqiri proved he is capable of delivering the goods when called upon. He got himself on the scoresheet in Liverpool’s thrilling 5-2 win over Everton back in December and popped up with a goal in the Carabao Cup this campaign as though he’d never been away (via Transfermarkt). Pep Lijnders lauded his performance and said he was “superb” during a cup post-match conference.

The Reds have already been ruthless with their outgoings by cashing in on could-have-been heir to Roberto Firmino, Rhian Brewster. Harry Wilson is also linked to a move away from Anfield after failing to break into the senior team full-time.

With Sadio Mane out due to illness, selling Shaqiri would have left Liverpool with a skeleton crew up front. One major injury to either of their star wingers, and the reigning league champions would be in serious trouble. Luckily for the the Swiss man, Klopp realised how much the Reds missed Mane during their Aston Villa defeat and can’t risk shredding his options up front. To be in with a chance of securing back-to-back titles, depth is absolutely key for the current holders.

In other news, Liverpool must move to sign Paulo Gazzaniga to end Adrian woes…

Celtic supporters got a glimpse of two of their former players earlier this week as Jason Denayer and Dedyrck Boyata both started alongside each other for Belgium against England in the UEFA Nations League.

The latter is perhaps the more memorable ex-City man given he won three trebles with the Scottish giants between 2016 and 2019.

In that time, Boyata made 135 appearances and contributed towards 24 goals, via Transfermarkt.

The 29-year-old’s Bhoys career came to a controversial end last summer as he left the club on a free transfer. He had been accused of refusing to play for ex-Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers again thanks to a battle with his agent.

So how is he getting on elsewhere?

Where is Boyata now?

Now a regular in the Bundesliga for Hertha Berlin, Boyata has continued to thrive, so much so that he’s now the captain of the team after Vedad Ibisevic’s departure to league rivals Schalke 04.

Last season, the Belgian international made 28 appearances in the league, averaging 5.6 clearances, 2.7 aerials won, 2.2 interceptions and 0.9 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

He’s been an animal in one of Europe’s best leagues.

It’s no wonder that he has become a regular for Roberto Martinez on an even bigger stage having now racked up 19 appearances for the Red Devils. He featured the full 90 in both of their Nations League matches this week.

According to Transfermarkt valuations, the colossal centre-back is now valued at £9m, which makes him the ninth-most valuable player for the Bundesliga outfit.

Germany legend Jurgen Klinsmann hailed Boyata as “one of the best defenders in Europe” back in January, adding: “He’s at the top of his game and he’s been absolutely terrific for me. Since I arrived here, at every training session and every game he’s been inspirational. He makes a difference to us in every match he plays. He reads the game and is a great leader and the rest of the team have recognised that. He’s been excellent.”

Surely Celtic rue not keeping him longer as his career as still come on leaps and bounds even after an illustrious time at Parkhead.

AND in other news, not signing £14.4m-rated maestro has been one of Lawwell’s biggest failures this century…

According to The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, West Ham have had a look at Swansea’s Joe Rodon as they look to sign a new central defender in this transfer window.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks have linked the Hammers with a big-money move for Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski, but so far, the offers for the England international have failed to be accepted, with Sean Dyche’s side holding out for an estimated £50m.

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Now, Steinberg has revealed potential transfer alternatives for West Ham, with the 6 foot 4 Rodon mentioned as a possible signing.

Steinberg suggests that the defender has been looked at by the Hammers, but that he too would also be very expensive for them.

Shades of Rio Ferdinand

Ever since Rio Ferdinand came through as a youngster at West Ham, the Hammers haven’t really seen too many strong, ball-playing centre-backs in their team.

In Rodon, who’s just 22, Moyes could get someone who can marshal the back-line for the next decade or so, if things go well. Journalist Dominic Booth, who used to cover Swansea for the South Wales Evening Post, declared: “He brings the ball out from the back, he’s comfortable with it at his feet. Rodon was part of the Swansea U23 side who won the Premier League cup in 2017, alongside the likes of Oli McBurnie and Dan James – it’s been a good crop from the club’s academy to break through.

“Rodon is a leader given his age, a bit of an old head on young shoulders. He’s good in the air despite not being a huge presence, and looks destined for bigger things.”

For a 22-year-old to be described as a “leader” says everything about the nature of the Wales international’s character, and it’s that kind of personality the Hammers could do with in these testing times, both on and off the pitch.

Whilst Tarkowski may have been the man in their sights for the previous few weeks, West Ham could find a gem in someone much younger and with more room to grow. In a time where Moyes needs players to stand up and be counted, Rodon looks like he has the perfect mentality to do just that.

When the Premier League fixture list was released, it almost seemed fitting that Leeds would be travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool in their first game back in the top-flight.

Two giants of English football doing battle once more, but with the obvious caveat of it being played with no fans in the stadium. And if there is anything that we have learned about Marcelo Bielsa during his time at Elland Road, then it’s that he will be feverishly drawing up plans on how to secure a famous victory against the reigning Premier League champions on opening day.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Leeds’ search for a star striker could be over soon, with Valencia’s Rodrigo inching closer to a big-money move to the club. But whilst the Spain international has all the hallmarks of being a superb acquisition, Bielsa could really throw Jurgen Klopp’s side for a loop by starting another one of his summer signings: Joe Gelhardt.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

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The youngster arrived from Wigan for a reported fee of around £1m, and all signs point to him developing into a top-level centre-forward. Speaking after Gelhardt scored his first goal in professional football last season, then Latics boss Paul Cook said: “To get on the pitch and make an impact in a game at Championship level like Joffy does, it will justify the feelings everyone has about the young man.

“He’s got that special talent in football to create space in tight areas and you only have to look at his finish, the goalkeeper doesn’t move. He’s a great kid, he’s a really nice young man and if he keeps working hard and keeps his head down, he’s going to have a really bright future in the game.”

Anyone who watched Liverpool’s opening day fixture against Premier League new boys Norwich last season would have seen how Klopp’s men were incredibly slow out of the blocks, with Virgil van Dijk looking nothing like his normal self – Teemu Pukki in particular looked threatening with his movement in behind, eventually getting onto the score-sheet in the second half.

Promoted teams will always have that surprise factor early on, but if Bielsa were to unleash Gelhardt against the Reds, then Liverpool may be more than just surprised. It would be the kind of bold move from Leeds that could see Liverpool’s defence unsure of how to deal with Gelhardt, arguably preparing to face the likes of Rodrigo or Patrick Bamford instead.

It could be the kind of inspired decision that sees the Whites secure a famous victory on their top-flight return.

Liverpool have just won their first league title in 30 years, and it doesn’t look as though they’re going to rest on their laurels after their success.

Indeed, the Reds have been linked with a number of players that will improve their squad with the Thiago Alcantara rumours running rampant, while links to Kalidou Koulibaly still bubble under the surface.

However, despite all these targets from mainland Europe being reported, the Reds are now apparently looking domestically at one player.

What’s the story then?

The Daily Mirror are reporting that Liverpool are interested in signing Leicester’s Harvey Barnes.

The paper’s story says that Barnes fits Liverpool’s transfer strategy of signing young players with high sell-on potential, and you can understand exactly why the Reds are in the market for him.

The 22-year-old has been pivotal in Leicester’s success this term, contributing to 14 league goals, despite only starting 24 games throughout the campaign.

Perfect Shaqiri replacement

Liverpool’s front three is almost impenetrable, and any attacking player that is brought in may have to offer something a little different if they want to see a lot of first-team action, and Barnes is that man.

Not only can he play on either wing, but he can also slot into a midfield role, and that sort of versatility is exactly what Liverpool need, especially if Xherdan Shaqiri leaves as he’s expected to.

Shaqiri has played in five different positions since joining Liverpool, and despite Barnes’ career still being in its infancy, he has played in six different roles for Leicester.

The Swiss international is far from a key player at Anfield, but he does offer something valuable, and it seems as though his versatility won’t be missed all that much if Barnes joins this summer.