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Wolves now have only a few days left to bring any new players into their squad before the January transfer window closes.

One potential deal that the Old Gold could look to finalise before the end of the month is for Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig, a player with whom they have been linked in recent weeks.

With Adama Traore reportedly set to join the Spanish giants on loan until the end of the season with a view to a potential permanent deal waiting for him in the summer, these negotiations could give Wolves the opportunity to ask about the possibility of signing Puig, either before the upcoming transfer deadline or when the summer transfer window opens.

Having worked his way through Barcelona’s famous youth ranks, the 22-year-old – who is currently picking up £64k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has gone on to make 51 senior appearances for the La Liga club across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing three assists along the way.

Despite his experience, the midfielder hasn’t been a particularly important figure for Xavi this season with just two starts amid a total of 12 appearances across all competitions. That would suggest that a move from Barcelona to somewhere that he would obtain regular playing time would be beneficial for his career and development.

With that in mind, and given his young age, it could be worth Wolves trying to sign Puig – who has been labelled an “intelligent” player by his manager Xavi – on a long-term permanent deal to give him sufficient time to get accustomed to the Premier League and potentially become a regular figure in their team.

Taking all this into account, Jeff Shi now has the chance to sign Wolves’ next version of Ruben Neves as a young midfielder from a top European club who could come in and make a name for himself in the Premier League. The Portuguese midfielder has done just that since joining Wolves from FC Porto back in 2017, making a total of 197 appearances for the Old Gold.

Also, with Neves having been linked with a move away from Molineux, it could be an important piece of business from Wolves to bring Puig in if they end up selling their current midfield star any time soon.

Having had previous experience of signing young players from Barcelona as they did last summer with Francisco Trincao, a move for the current Blaugrana gem should definitely be considered either in the next few days or at the end of the season if his situation at Camp Nou doesn’t change.

In other news: Wolves eyeing transfer swoop for £14k-p/w “man mountain,” Lage would be delighted

Celtic could form a dream duo at Parkhead in the January transfer window after being linked with a move for Shanghai SIPG midfielder Aaron Mooy.

According to the Daily Mail, the highly-rated 31-year-old is Ange Postecoglou’s top target ahead of the upcoming transfer window as the Bhoys manager looks to bolster his engine room options.

The Hoops are currently lacking strength in depth in the middle of the park after losing Ryan Christie and Olivier Ntcham over the summer, and Mooy could be the ideal solution.

After beginning his career in his homeland, the Australia international was picked up by Bolton Wanderers as a youngster before being loaned to St Mirren, where he made 30 appearances in all competitions.

However, things didn’t work out for Mooy during his first spell in England, and Western Sydney Wanderers brought him home in 2014.

The £6.75m-rated maestro then rose to prominence after earning a move to Manchester City’s sister club Melbourne City two years later. His eye-catching displays earned a move to Huddersfield Town, and Mooy played a pivotal part in their promotion to the Premier League.

A return of 11 goals and 15 assists in 120 outings in Yorkshire for Mooy saw David Wagner call him a “top-class” talent during his time at the John Smith’s Stadium, as the Australian become a crucial cog in his setup.

Nevertheless, following the Terriers’ relegation in 2019, the box-to-box dynamo moved to Brighton and Hove Albion, where he completed his most recent campaign in English football, and his underlying numbers highlight how influential he was.

As per WhoScored, Mooy averaged 0.7 crosses and 1.3 key passes per game in his 31 Premier League appearances throughout 2019/20, placing him in the top three for both metrics when compared to his former teammates.

Since then, he has continued to impress in China, and he could be reunited with his former international manager at Celtic as a result. However, perhaps it’s the prospect of the exciting midfielder linking up with Kyogo Furuhashi at Paradise which will really excite the Glaswegian fanbase.

The Japan international has already found the back of the net 13 times this season, and with the support of Mooy – a player who has proven record of providing defence-splitting passes at the highest level – Furuhashi’s goal threat could increase even further upon his potential arrival.

It remains to be seen if the Celtic hierarchy can entice Mooy back to Scottish football, but it’s certainly a move that the club’s chiefs should carefully consider.

In other news… Ange may be heading for Celtic nightmare over 20 y/o sensation who’s a “real presence” 

Flocking to Twitter, these Sunderland fans seemed less than impressed with the performance of defender Denver Hume against Manchester United’s Under-21s in the Papa John’s Trophy on Wednesday night.

Lee Johnson’s side, looking to retain the cup they won last season, have now secured qualification from Group F as they narrowly beat the Red Devils 2-1 yesterday evening.

Tyrese Dyce opened the scoring for Sunderland on Wearside but it didn’t take long for the visitors to draw level again through United youngster Zidane Iqbal.

Alas, just under ten minutes later, The Black Cats regained control of the contest with Stephen Wearne getting in on the act – a strike which eventually guided Sunderland through the group stage with a game to spare.

However, on what was a solid evening, one man who didn’t impress supporters was Hume – with the 23-year-old losing possession 17 times and losing more than half of his ground duels (SofaScore).

Here’s what Sunderland supporters had to say on the left-back as they took to social media.

Sunderland fans slam Hume…

“Hume looks like he’s just not trying to actually run when we need to defend”

Credit: @safcreportt

“Hume is even out of his depth at this level, he is totally useless. Gives the ball away at this level at an alarming rate. Should not be anywhere near 1st team squad.”

Credit: @DarkKnightFTM

“All Hume does is play the team into trouble time after time.”

Credit: @newby08

“Denver Hume is even out of his depth against Man Utd youngens. He is absolutely dink. He’d struggle in non-league he would”

Credit: @Brysa08

“I’d very much like to never seen him in a Sunderland shirt ever again, please and thank you”

Credit: @MKA97FTM

“Things I learnt tonight watching our kids vs there kids. Denver Hume is a million miles away from Dennis Cirkin, Dyce looks a better back up to Cirkin, thought he was brilliant tonight. Don’t get the fuss or hype over losing Hugill, thought he was ok tonight but nowt special”

Credit: @44stu

Leeds United could help answer Marcelo Bielsa’s prayers by finally signing Reading star John Swift in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to reports over from the summer by The Sheffield Star, Bielsa’s side, along with the likes of Newcastle United and Brentford, have got their eye on the attacking midfielder.

And now, former Arsenal star Kevin Campbell has delivered his seal of approval over a move, and suggested that his signing could be key for the Whites to recapture their form.

He said: “Yes, I think they’ll have to go in for a John Swift or someone like that. January is gong to be so important for Leeds. They need to recruit wisely.

“Swift is have an amazing season at Reading. I think he could be one of two or three players who come in to bolster that squad.

“I know there is good youngsters coming through but this is the Premier League. You need proven quality. The players coming in need to be ready to fight. It is a big month for Leeds coming up.”

Leeds need him

If Leeds were in need of a central midfielder in the summer, then they are absolutely crying out for one now given the extent of their Premier League performances and recent injury crisis.

The Whites find themselves firmly in the mix of a relegation battle heading into Christmas, while they received the massive blow that talisman Kalvin Phillips will be out for the next couple of months.

While Swift isn’t likely to be a like-for-like replacement for the England international, he does offer something much-needed in the Leeds engine room.

The Reading ace has a track record of being someone who can offer a goal-scoring threat from attacking midfield, managing an impressive 65 goal contributions in 185 games – in fact, his start to the current campaign for Reading has been impressive to say the least, netting eight goals in the Championship as well as chipping in with nine assists too.

Speaking back in August after a 2-1 win over Preston, Royals manager, Veljko Paunovic, said: “Now he’s back, it is important we keep him healthy and motivated as he is now because that will help us a lot.

“He is super talented and he showed an urgency that he wanted to decide the game. The first couple of passes to Azeez and Joao were fantastic vision and execution of the final pass – something we’ve missed in the past. We missed those slick combinations through the middle when we progress forward so that’s something we have to keep up.”

With a record of 40 senior goals to his name in his professional career thus far, Swift could help answer Bielsa’s prayers of needing a new midfielder this January.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star must be axed vs Arsenal…

Liverpool head into their UEFA Champions League last-16 second-leg against RB Leipzig in a bit of a crisis.

Since the turn of the year, the Reds have lost seven matches, with the recent 1-0 defeat against Fulham at Anfield being a low point in the tenure of Jurgen Klopp.

A whole host of the German’s charges at Anfield are woefully out of form yet one man still fails to be handed an opportunity: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The upcoming European clash could be the perfect opportunity to reintroduce him into the starting line-up in place of Thiago Alcantara.

So far this season, the former Arsenal man has made just ten appearances in all competitions with just three of those being starts.

The early months of his campaign were blighted by injury, only returning to contention in mid-December. However, since then, he has only featured for a total of 201 minutes in the Premier League.

With Liverpool in such a commanding position heading into the second leg, the game could be a wonderful opportunity to hand Oxlade-Chamberlain a much sought-after place in the starting XI.

Some would argue that it makes no sense for the Englishman to replace summer signing Thiago in the lineup due to his much inferior output.

In one respect, they would be correct. According to WhoScored, the Spaniard is superior to Oxlade-Chamberlain in shots, key passes and dribbles per game.

Despite that,  however, it is actually the Englishman who has had a more telling contribution on the pitch with an assist. Whilst that is still not sparkling, the £120k p/w midfielder has achieved that in far less game time as Thiago continues his struggles to adapt to the demands of life at Anfield.

Even Klopp has pointed out an aspect that Liverpool are desperately missing and one that Oxlade-Chamberlain could bring: “energy”.

The reigning Premier League champions look flat and uninspiring at the current time. They need a spark from somewhere and that could potentially be with the recall of Oxlade-Chamberlain.

AND in more news, should Jurgen Klopp walk from Anfield in the near future, FSG have to target former midfielder Steven Gerrard as the German’s replacement…

Many fans of Aston Villa have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relayed Marlon Harewood’s claim regarding Ollie Watkins’ chances of making the England squad for the European Championships.

Speaking recently to Football FanCast (via Birmingham Mail), the former Aston Villa striker stated that, while he wouldn’t completely rule out Watkins making Gareth Southgate’s squad this summer, he couldn’t see the 25-year-old being ahead of the majority of the high-calibre forwards who will be available for selection for the Euros.

Having only joined Villa from Brentford last summer, the £75,000 per week centre-forward has already impressed hugely during his short time at Villa Park, scoring 10 goals and providing three assists over his 27 Premier League appearances, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.23 – ranking him as the club’s third-best performer in the top flight.

However, after Aston Villa News shared their report on Twitter, many fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with plenty appearing to be in agreement with Harewood’s assessment of Watkins’ chances of featuring at the Euros this summer.

So, what exactly did these Aston Villa fans have to say in reaction to Marlon Harwood’s claim regarding Ollie Watkins?

“He’s not ready yet, because of the competition with the likes of Kane and DCL. But, if he carries on performing in the Prem, then in the future he should definitely be considered for a call-up.”

@HKerecsenyi

“As much as I like Ollie I don’t think he is at that level at the moment, Southgate would probably have better options at this point. UTV.”

@FabledSage

“No (and I’m a Villa fan) – put 20 goals in a season in the Premier League for a season or 2 then maybe. Kane, Calvert-Lewin, Vardy (if he was inclined to) all above him at the mo.”

@steve_chaplin1

“Not yet, needs another year in the Prem and can work towards the World Cup squad.”

@markyboy84

“Being honest, no.”

@Mrb47016877

“No. Long way to go.”

@LeeClarke26

“Don’t be daft.”

@headmond81

“Not yet he isn’t ready still has lots to learn.”

@starblind1988

In other news: Villa learn asking price for in-demand PL midfielder – find out more here! 

West Ham United currently have the second-oldest squad in the Premier League with an average age of 28.9 according to Transfermarkt.

Two of the oldest outfield players in David Moyes’ squad are centre-backs Angelo Ogbonna (33) and Craig Dawson (31).

In terms of what sort of transfer business the east London club could be involved in during the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Hammers could be set to wave goodbye to one of their defensive players, but not one of their more senior ones.

According to a recent transfer report from L’Equipe, the recent Europa League meeting between West Ham and Olympique Lyon gave the two sides the chance to discuss a potential summer deal for Issa Diop that would see the defender swap east London for France.

Since joining the Hammers back in the 2018 summer transfer window for a then club-record fee of £22m from Toulouse, the centre-back has made 121 appearances across all competitions.

In those appearances, the Frenchman has managed to chip in with eight goals and three assists.

Despite being one of West Ham’s youngest players, it would be a good idea for the club to cash in on him this summer if they can.

Having started just 10 Premier League games in this campaign, the 25-year-old has found himself down in the pecking order behind Dawson and Kurt Zouma who have both played more often than Diop.

Also, when he has been able to get on the pitch, the defender has failed to show Moyes that he has what it takes to potentially become a first-choice centre-back.

With an underwhelming overall performance rating of 6.46/10 from WhoScored, Diop is currently listed as the third-lowest rated Hammers player to start more than one league game.

To highlight his lack of effectiveness at the back for his team, the Frenchman has only won three of the nine tackles he’s attempted and gotten dribbled past on eight different occasions.

Even though he was previously described as being a “monster” by Jose Mourinho in terms of winning his duels against Paul Pogba back in 2018, Diop has been anything but that this season, losing 20 of the 39 aerial duels he’s been involved in.

Taking all of this into account, this summer would be the ideal time for Moyes to finally axe Diop from the club and get his hefty £61k-per-week wages off their books.

In other news: “Gives West Ham the edge…”: Insider drops huge transfer claim, Moyes will be buzzing

A Matheus Pereira brace from the spot sealed Sam Allardyce’s first three points as West Brom boss with a huge 3-2 victory over fierce rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux this afternoon.

The first meeting between the two Midlands sides in nine years saw the Baggies run out on top having come from behind in the second half to pick up only their second win of the season.

Albion’s Brazilian playmaker drew the plaudits of BT Sport commentator Glenn Hoddle, who handed Pereira the Man of the Match award whilst central defender Semi Ajayi was another contender as his equaliser sparked the comeback.

But arguably, neither were as influential as the returning Kyle Bartley, who looked a rock at the back in his first Premier League start under Big Sam.

Indeed, the home side did find the net twice, both as a result of set-piece scrambles but in reality, Fabio Silva’s strike was an exquisite finish you’d expect from someone far more experienced and Willy Boly couldn’t be stopped so close to the goal.

Only Pereira (8.0) graded better than Bartley (7.5) as per SofaScore ratings, and you’d have to wonder if that would be the case had the Baggies kept a rare clean sheet.

Aside from the two spot-kicks, the 24-year-old was weak and lightweight against a vulnerable Wolves backline, as seen by him winning just five of 15 battles (33%).

Pereira also lost possession ten times, the worst of any attacking Albion player and was dribbled past two times, meaning he failed to stop the Old Gold from breaking in a counter-attack.

Likewise, with Ajayi, he too lost possession ten times and was wasteful with the ball, making only 67% of his 24 passing attempts – the worst of any starter on either team, per SofaScore.

Bartley, on the other hand, was immense defensively – he made a game-high eight clearances, some five more than Boly for Wolves, and also had double the number of blocks (four) than any other player on the pitch too, thus showing just how committed he was in trying to hold onto the victory.

The 29-year-old colossus also completely nullified the threat from the likes of Silva, Pedro Neto and Adama Traore, whom all on their day can strike fear into any defence, as he won 80% of his duels both on the ground and in the air.

Joseph Chapman at BirminghamLive also agreed with this point of view in his post-match ratings, handing Bartley a 9/10, which was better than Pereira. He wrote:

“Was excellent in open play when defending crosses from the box. Won a number of challenges and headers and set up Ajayi’s equaliser. Was throwing himself in the way of shots right until the end. Colossal effort.”

The 6 foot 4 monster, thought to be earning just £17.5k-per-week at the Hawthorns, absolutely stole the show for Albion and showed Allardyce what he’s been missing since his arrival.

Bartley could well have a big part to play in the Baggies’ survival bid as seen by this monstrous display across the Black Country border,

AND in other news, WBA could land their next Evans in £5.4m-rated titan, Big Sam dubbed him “outstanding”…

Former Manchester United midfielder Keith Gillespie has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that it’s impossible not to like Paul Pogba.

The French World Cup winner has often been criticised for failing to live up to his world-record fee following his move from Juventus back in 2016.

But Pogba has performed impressively for United in recent months and is just 90 minutes away from securing a second Europa League title later this month after their victory over Ajax four years ago under Jose Mourinho.

And the 28-year-old’s numbers epitomise his good form. Pogba has been involved in 14 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions, scoring six times, whilst chipping in with eight assists.

The £290,000-a-week ace is back to playing some of his best football under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Frenchman recently praising the United boss for never going against his players when taking a swipe at former boss Mourinho at the same time.

He starred once again at Aston Villa on Sunday, assisting Edinson Cavani’s goal to seal yet three more points on the road.

And Gillespie told The Transfer Tavern that he’s a huge fan of the midfielder:

“I think it’s hard not to be a Paul Pogba fan when you see how good he can be. But it’s just about getting that consistency.

“Sometimes you think, is his head in the right place? He’s so strong on the ball at times – he can make things happen.”

Wayne Rooney’s Derby County could consider a move for Gary Cahill this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who suggested that Rooney could be tempted to pick up the phone to his former England teammate in a bid to convince him of a move to Pride Park, with the 35-year-old’s contract at Crystal Palace expiring this summer.

The report added that Derby will look to bring Manchester United loanee Teden Mengi back to the club in the upcoming transfer window, with the Red Devils believed to be happy to let the 19-year-old move back to Pride Park after the Rams secured their Championship status on the final day of the season.

Imagine Cahill and Mengi

While Derby’s season was undoubtedly one which many of the Pride Park faithful would like to put behind them as quickly as possible, Mengi was one of the few promising aspects of Rooney’s side.

Indeed, Ryan Conway’s report for The Athletic praises the centre-back’s ability to “make smart interceptions,” as well as how comfortable he appears with the ball at his feet and how well the 19-year-old moves “into midfield to create overloads”.

However, with it being claimed that Matt Clarke does not look likely to return to the club on another loan deal, along with Curtis Davies’ contract expiring in a matter of weeks, experience could well be something which is required next to Mengi in the Rams’ backline as of next season.

Centre-backs do not come much more experienced than Cahill, with the £1.8m-rated defender having played 560 games over the course of his club career, with 392 of these coming in the top flight – in addition to the 35-year-old winning two Premier League titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups, two Europa Leagues and one League Cup.

As such, a move for Cahill this summer could turn out to be something of a masterstroke by Rooney. What the Crystal Palace man has lost in speed and agility with age could easily be balanced out by Mengi, while the 35-year-old’s experience and knowledge of the game would more than compensate for that which the 19-year-old lacks.

Therefore, a move for the £65,000-per-week centre-back – whom Roy Hodgson dubbed a “leader” – would appear highly advisable for Rooney and Derby this summer, if the club can afford him.

In other news: Derby dealt huge transfer blow over 19-goal starlet that’ll surely leave Rooney livid – opinion