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Wolves are still likely to sign Hwang Hee-chan permanently during the summer transfer window, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Hwang’s hit-and-miss spell

The South Korean joined Wanderers on loan from RB Leipzig last summer and hit the ground running, scoring three goals in his first five appearances.

Since then, Hwang has had a more muted spell at Molineux, however, netting only once and finding himself sidelined for an extended period during the winter.

Wolves have the option to sign the 26-year-old for £12million at the end of the season and an update has now emerged regarding the situation.

The Latest: Spiers talks up permanent move

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Spiers claimed a permanent move still looks likely, although his injury and a dip in form have clouded the situation slightly:

“Was going to be this month but then he pulled his hamstring. I’d imagine they were also slightly concerned about his drop in form just before then. Lage is a big fan so if he gets back fit and in form before the end of the season he’s a bargain at £12m.”

The Verdict: Still worth it

In the early weeks of Hwang’s time at Wolves, signing him permanently looked like a no-brainer, with the Leipzig man excelling out on the left-hand side in games like the 2-1 win against Newcastle, when he earned Whoscored’s Man of the Match award.

While his impact has diminished of late, some of that is through no fault of his own – any player can be hit with muscle injuries – and he still looks a strong option to bring in during the summer window.

At 26, he should be approaching his peak years, and his versatility means he could also be a long-term replacement for Raul Jimenez in a central role, having been used there once to date this season.

In other news, Spiers has also made another key Wolves transfer claim.

Leeds United are looking to sign two different types of midfielder in the January transfer window, according to a new report which emerged on Saturday morning.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ injury crisis

The Whites have made a disappointing start to the season but they haven’t been helped by injuries, which have got increasingly worse in recent weeks.

Kalvin Phillips is the most high-profile current absentee but the likes of Patrick Bamford, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk and Rodrigo are also sidelined.

The long-term injury to Phillips has only heightened the need for midfield reinforcements in January and that appears to be the plan at Elland Road.

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The Latest: Two midfielders coming in?

According to Football Insider, a Thorp Arch source has informed them that the club will be looking to sign both a defensive midfielder and a No.8 next month.

Whites chiefs are thought to be ‘fearful of a relegation battle’ and they see new signings as a way of avoiding that happening.

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The Verdict: Simply has to happen

Making midfield signings is an absolute no-brainer for Leeds, with Phillips such an influential player that they could struggle to get by with their current options.

Both Koch and Struijk can play in the middle of the park, too, so their respective injuries mean Marcelo Bielsa is even lighter in that area. Frankly, it would be a grave error not to sign a No.6 and a No.8, injecting some life into Leeds’ stuttering campaign.

Someone like Nahitan Nandez would be an ideal defensive midfielder to come in, with the Cagliari man averaging two tackles per game in the Serie A this season, not to mention winning 49 caps for Uruguay.

In terms of No.8, Aaron Ramsey could be a clever choice, with the Welshman linked with a move to Leeds and scoring 40 goals and assisting 51 times during his previous spell in the Premier League.

In other news, an injury expert has made a worrying claim about one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

According to reliable Manchester Evening News correspondent Samuel Luckhurst, there has been a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update involving international goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

The Lowdown: Lloris contract saga…

Tottenham’s number one, despite being a mainstay under new boss Antonio Conte who apparently ‘loves’ the player, is set to leave on a free at the end of this season as things stand.

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The Frenchman’s current deal expires in 2022, meaning foreign clubs can even approach Lloris over a pre-contract summer move in January in what could be a danger for Spurs.

As a result, Spurs and managing director Fabio Paratici have been linked to signing an eventual successor to the long-serving number one – including England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

However, as per Luckhurst, it appears the Lilywhites have their eye on another Three Lions ace in the form of Henderson amid his lack of game time at Manchester United.

The Latest: Luckhurst makes Henderson claim…

According to the Red Devils correspondent’s information, Tottenham and Conte are eyeing the 24-year-old with ‘a view to a summer transfer’ as Lloris’ deal winds down.

Henderson himself is apparently desperate to get regular playing time and is even ‘prepared to leave permanently’ – but his club and manager Ralf Rangnick have no desire to let him go on loan or indefinitely.

The Verdict: Ideal replacement?

Depending on United’s sale stance in 2022, Spurs could have identified an ideal replacement for Lloris if he does indeed leave in the summer.

Still young and able to add to Tottenham’s homegrown quota, Henderson has also enjoyed great campaigns in the Premier League – most notably whilst on loan at Sheffield United over 2019/2020.

Starting 36 top flight matches for The Blades that year, he earned the applause of their former boss Chris Wilder, who called him an ‘outstanding’ member of their squad.

Meanwhile, Norway international Sander Berge held even loftier praise for Henderson – labelling the £120,000-per-week shot stopper ‘insane’ and ‘exceptional’.

A swoop for the United man isn’t without merit and it will be interesting to see how this one develops over the coming months.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Statement’…Tottenham pundit thrilled as Paratici eyes ‘big signing’, find out more here.

James Pearce reckons Liverpool could be willing to sell defender Nathaniel Phillips to Newcastle United in January. 

The lowdown

Phillips played 17 Premier League games for the Reds last season in the midst of an injury crisis, helping them salvage a third-place finish.

But with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez back fit and Ibrahima Konate added to the Liverpool ranks, he’s not made a single top-flight appearance so far this term.

In fact, he’s only played 46 minutes for the senior side in total.

Phillips signed a new £65,000-per-week deal as recently as August, and it runs until June 2025.

Jurgen Klopp has branded him a ‘monster’, while Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher called his 2020/21 efforts ‘unbelievable’.

The latest

In a Q&A for The Athletic, Pearce was asked whether there were any players Liverpool might be interested in selling to Newcastle United.

He replied that Phillips ‘would be the obvious one’, assuming they want a centre-half.

“Looking at Klopp’s squad,” he added. “I’d say CB is probably only the only area where he could afford to lose someone.”

‘LFC had hoped’ to receive offers in the region of £10million-£12million last summer amid ‘lots of interest’, but ‘serious’ bids never really materialised.

The verdict

According to The Telegraph, Phillips is very much a target for the relegation-threatened Magpies.

Will Liverpool’s demands be met this time? Well, they might consider themselves to be in a strong negotiating position after agreeing a new contract.

But, on the other hand, it’s possible that Phillips’ almost total lack of involvement has seen his perceived value depreciate.

Either way, it probably makes sense for the Reds to cash in. They have a potentially lucrative asset sitting in their reserves, and a sale could help funds raise funds for incomings.

In other news, fans flocked to this AFCON development.

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming over a revelation involving Bruno Lage and some of the players at the Midlands club.

As per The Express & Star, Lage has revealed that he is now testing some members of the squad as emergency central defenders in preparation for when they will have a shortage in that area of the pitch.

Romain Saiss and Willy Boly are set to go to the African Cup of Nations in January, while Yerson Mosquera is still injured, meaning that the Molineux faithful will only be able to call upon Conor Coady and Max Kilman as their other two senior centre-halves.

Leander Dendoncker, Fernando Marcal and Ki-Jana Hoever are the ‘most likely’ to step in for the position, but the situation is certainly not ideal, especially given that the January transfer window is coming up, in which they should just buy cover at centre-back.

Wolves fans on Lage revelation

These WWFC supporters fumed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘shocking’:

“This is a shambles. It just shows how Fosun have lost ambition. There’s no way Nuno would accept this situation”

Credit: @WolvesMatty

“The footballing decisions at this club are shocking. I think stick Podence there for a game just to show them how poor this looks!”

Credit: @JayWilkes34

“How about buying an actual centre-back? You know, just for a laugh.”

Credit: @MOOKWOLF

“How pathetic that Jeff Shi has got our club into this situation. SHOCKING”

Credit: @Ianph61

“Premier League club and he’s having to do this, Jeff Shi you are a disgrace”

Credit: @andybullyuk

“My word”

Credit: @fowls21wwfc

In other news, find out what exit rumour has Wanderers talking here!

As per TuttoJuve24, some more news from Italy has come to light on yet another Serie A star Antonio Conte could now bring to Tottenham Hotspur in Alessio Romagnoli.

The Lowdown: Italian job…

Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici has finally landed his number one managerial target for Spurs nearly five months after talks for Conte broke down in the summer.

As confirmed by the club, ex-Chelsea boss, former Premier League winning-manager and four-time Scudetto champion Conte has taken over at Spurs – following on from the dismal eras of Portuguese duo Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho.

The 52-year-old comes to north London with much promise and is tipped to instil a winning mentality and transform Tottenham into a high-intensity pressing team (football.london).

He also comes with links to some of Serie A’s biggest stars as Spurs continue to be mentioned alongside the likes of Franck Kessie and Dusan Vlahovic with new names like Federico Chiesa also popping up in the Italian press.

Centre-backs like Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt are also being watched by Conte but TuttoJuve24 has now shared that AC Milan captain Romagnoli could feasibly join Spurs.

The Latest: Romagnoli could be tempted by Tottenham…

As per their information, Tottenham’s new boss is ‘ready to take’ two Juventus transfer targets ‘immediately’ in Vlahovic and Romagnoli.

The latter man, who was considering Turin as a possible destination, could now have his plans ‘changed’ by Spurs with this report hinting he could be tempted to join the club.

It is stated that Spurs will be spare ‘no expense’ in backing Conte and represent a ‘danger’ to Juve’s transfer plans.

The Verdict: Get it done?

The 26-year-old, valued at a meagre £18 million by Transfermarkt, could leave for free in the summer of 2022 due to his contract expiring and this report states that is when Spurs are most likely to swoop.

Given both Romagnoli and his agent, Mino Raiola, have currently stalled discussions over a new deal due to Milan wanting to cut his salary in half, this could put Paratici and Tottenham in a strong negotiating position to even make an attempt in Janaury.

It may be a wise move going by Romagnoli’s quality and our belief he would certainly add some steel and composure next to Cristian Romero.

Averaging a cool 88.9% pass accuracy out from the back over his league appearances this season, a higher number than any Spurs defender according to WhoScored, he has also been labelled a ‘great champion’ by England defender Fikayo Tomori (Corriere dello Sport via milannews.it).

The £106,000-per-week ace doesn’t exactly command a hefty pay packet either, perhaps indicating he is more than affordable from Tottenham’s perspective given his contract situation.

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…

Everton are one of the clubs who are interested in Sassuolo’s Filip Djuricic, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato. 

The lowdown

Significantly, his contract is up at the end of this season, and unless Sassuolo can reach an agreement with the 29-year-old soon, they may come under pressure to sell in January. That may be their only way to avoid losing him on a free transfer next summer.

The Serbian has featured in all nine of their Serie A matches so far this season, starting eight (via WhoScored), and he has averaged 1.9 dribbles, 1.8 shots and 1.1 key passes per 90 minutes for Sassuolo this term. For context, no Everton player boasts more than 1.2 dribbles per match up to this point in the season, with only Demarai Gray averaging more than one per game at Goodison Park.

The latest

Calciomercato claimed that there are three Premier League clubs on the trail of Djuricic.

Those are Everton, West Ham United – managed by former Blues boss David Moyes, of course – and struggling Southampton.

The verdict

Djuricic is valued at £8.1m by Transfermarkt, but the interested parties could look to avoid a transfer fee altogether by pursuing a pre-contract agreement.

He would appear better suited to the 4-2-3-1 that West Ham play rather than Rafael Benitez’s 4-4-1-1 given his capacity to play in the three positions behind the striker, but that’s not to say that a move to Merseyside is unrealistic.

His performance metrics certainly suggest that he could add plenty of verve to Everton’s attack, not least in terms of beating opponents one-on-one.

In other news, some Everton fans fumed over these Benitez comments

Lots of Everton fans have been left raging as an update to one of their upcoming fixtures was announced.

As per the Toffees’ official website, their game in the Premier League against Leicester City at Goodison Park will now take place on Sunday 19 December with a midday kick-off.

It was originally going to be played on Monday 20th at 8pm but has now been brought forward because the Foxes have qualified for the quarter-final stage of the Carabao Cup, where they will also be on Merseyside to play Liverpool that week.

A number of Everton supporters have been left unhappy with the news, as some were planning to spend time with their families and friends on the last weekend before Christmas, while others would have preferred to travel to the stadium on Monday night rather than Sunday morning.

Everton fans on Leicester fixture change

These Evertonians were left raging as the news was shared on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that the fixture change is ‘awful’:

“Just why?”

Credit: @JFatality_x

“Sunday at 12. Grim.”

Credit: @ConnorBennett14

“Birthday ruined already.”

Credit: @CallumChadwick_

“That’s an awful time on the last weekend before Christmas”

Credit: @JGreenway8

“Getting worse this.”

Credit: @1878stevo

“Please just stop”

Credit: @patto1878

In other news, find out what early team news before the Wolves clash has had many Evertonians raging

Everton hit a bump in the road last week with two consecutive defeats but their start to the new campaign has been phenomenal if you excuse that.

The Toffees are just a point off top spot and that’s despite a rather mediocre showing in the transfer market.

Salomon Rondon may have struggled to hit the ground running but the likes of Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray have wasted no time settling in.

Townsend already has four goals since signing as a free agent while the latter has found the back of the net on three occasions.

Gray’s addition was an interesting one. He’d scored just 13 times for the Foxes before a move to Germany seems to have given him new purpose.

Following a switch back to England, he has been in electrifying form and at £1.7m he looks like a true bargain.

What’s funny about this move is that Leicester now have a former Everton player in their ranks; Ademola Lookman.

The duo are incredibly similar in the way they play. They are tricky individuals with plenty of pace but ultimately, they lack end product.

Gray is making strides away from that assessment now but Lookman is arguably still in the same boat as he was at Everton.

He struggles to receive game time and ultimately, doesn’t score enough goals.

The 23-year-old played 48 times for the Merseyside outfit but only found the net on four occasions. What followed was a whopping £22.5m move to RB Leipzig but his career has not followed the path many thought it would when he first broke through.

Lookman is struggling to reach his true potential and as a result of a few poor years, his transfer value has collapsed quite significantly.

According to Transfermarkt, he is now rated at just £9.9m. Therefore, to receive the amount of money they did in the summer of 2019 has to be considered a masterclass from Marcel Brands.

He doesn’t always get things right but he must be commended for that deal.

After all, he is yet to score for Leicester in the Premier League while Gray shines for Lookman’s former employers Everton.

The ex-Toffee had a solid season at Fulham last term where he bagged four goals but he will sadly always be remembered for a dismal Panenka penalty miss in the dying embers of a game with West Ham.

It was an incident that left pundit Andy Townsend seething. “That young man – that was the most selfish, ridiculous, incomprehensible decision I think I’ve seen for many a year,” he said.

Lookman’s attitude will no doubt improve under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers but one does wonder how he’d have coped with Rafa Benitez his mentor.

The Spaniard is currently steering Townsend and Gray’s careers in directions they’d have only dreamt of when first signing at Goodison.

Football is a funny old game but Everton have definitely received the better end of the deal here.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Doucoure: Everton must swoop for “outstanding” dynamo with 262 PL apps…