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Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea will be looking to reach another cup semi-final this weekend when they take on Leicester City at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.

The Blues come into the encounter off the back of a valuable 3-2 victory against Newcastle United on Monday night, with Chelsea moving within a point of the Magpies after the win.

Multiple players impressed during the encounter, with the likes of Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández the two stand-out players for Poch's side.

Despite the two impressing from the start, one player made a great impact after his substitution onto the pitch, with today's cup tie a brilliant opportunity for him to carry on his good form.

Why Raheem Sterling could make way against Leicester

Raheem Sterling started the encounter against Newcastle, but he was replaced after 71 minutes after another disappointing display for the Blues.

During his time on the pitch, the 29-year-old only managed 15 touches, whilst completing just seven passes – the lowest of any outfield player who started the match.

Raheem Sterling

7

Nicolas Jackson

10

Cole Palmer

20

Malo Gusto

33

Marc Cucurella

33

The winger managed three shots during his display, one of which was a big chance missed which could've secured the three points for the Blues long before the winning goal.

Sterling's below-par performance didn't stop there, with the attacker failing to win any of his six duels whilst being dribbled past three times by the opposition.

The winger has been satisfactory at best in recent weeks, with the former Manchester City man failing to live up to the £45m price tag the club paid for him just a couple of years ago.

His latest performance has given Pochettino a decision to make ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final – especially after the man who replaced Sterling found himself on the scoresheet.

The man to replace Sterling

After replacing Sterling in the 71st minute, 23-year-old Mykhailo Mudryk scored what turned out to be the winning goal for Pochettino's side – his first Premier League goal since the end of December.

In his 19-minute cameo, the Ukrainian only made two fewer passes than Sterling, but boasted a much better duel win percentage, winning all four of his ground battles.

The "phenomenal" winger, as dubbed by former Chelsea player Pat Nevin, has struggled for form after his £89m move during January 2023 with Monday's goal only one of six in his 46 appearances for the Blues.

However, his brilliant display off the bench earlier in the week could be the springboard he needs to be a hit at Stamford Bridge. It's clear the £100k-per-week star has been lacking in confidence since his arrival, with the youngster needing time to find his feet at his new home.

He deserves a start after his cameo against Eddie Howe's side, with the Ukrainian having a huge opportunity to be at the heart of another successful outing for the Blues which would result in another Wembley trip and move Pochettino's side one step closer to another cup final.

Either side of Aston Villa's promotion from the Championship to the Premier League, they launched multiple raids on Brentford. First, they poached their manager from the Bees, appointing Dean Smith, the man who would steer them back to the top flight, in 2018.

In 2019, he reunited with Ezri Konsa at Villa Park after paying £12m for the centre-back and then, a year on, he sanctioned what was at the time a club-record £28m deal for striker Ollie Watkins.

There haven't been any major dealings between the clubs since, but Villa have showed some interest in another striker at the Gtech Community Stadium, this time Ivan Toney. It was reported last May that Toney was on Unai Emery's radar, and that the Midlands outfit were plotting a move. It didn't materialise last summer, but now pundit Stan Collymore has pleaded with the club to revisit the deal.

Collymore offers to "drive" Toney to Villa

Speaking to CaughtOffside, Collymore told Villa to sign Toney on the basis that they need another more reliable option at the head of the team, with Jhon Duran facing multiple weeks out because of a hamstring injury.

He said: “I would love to see Aston Villa join the party. I know Toney’s preference may be to stay in London, but if he fancies a change of scenery, I would happily drive him to the Midlands myself.

"Unai Emery is one injury away from having no recognised striker. If Ollie Watkins is sidelined, that only leaves Jhon Duran, and he’s injured himself at the moment, so it’s obvious Villa needs a new forward — Toney would be a superb addition."

Toney deal ultimately makes little sense for Villa

Toney has proven himself to be a top-class striker, having reached the 20-goal mark in the league last season. There are no signs of him struggling to get back into form after an eight-month betting ban, either – heading into Saturday's trip to Wolves, he'd scored two in three following his return.

Emery could replace Watkins with Villa's teen "goal machine"

Aston Villa could have a perfect replacement for Ollie Watkins in their academy

By
Ross Kilvington

Feb 9, 2024

But just because a player is elite, it doesn't always make them the right fit for a particular team. In Watkins, Villa have one of the outstanding centre-forwards in not only England, but European football this season. In addition to his 11 goals, he's also notched a league-high ten assists, ranking second in the division for overall goal involvements.

Stat (per 90)	Ollie Watkins (23/24)	Ivan Toney 22/23
Non-penalty goals	0.49	0.43
Assists	0.44	0.12
Goal contributions	0.93	0.73
Non-penalty xG	0.47	0.5

Yes, signing both players would offer Emery some peerless depth, but the reality is that both of these players are far too good to accept sitting on the bench. While the Spaniard has used a 4-4-2 at times and could theoretically accommodate the duo with that shape, his typical use of Moussa Diaby alongside Watkins suggests he prefers a more withdrawn option to complement his number nine.

Liam Dawson’s fourth half-century of the season steered Hampshire to the safety of a draw on the final day of their County Championship fixture with Surrey at The Oval.The visitors looked in trouble after Amar Virdi’s three wickets reduced them to 175 for 5 shortly before tea, still 37 away from an innings defeat.But Dawson, who was 65 not out having scored a century against Surrey in the Royal London Cup earlier in the season, proved their nemesis again, batting for two hours to take Hampshire to 253 for 5 in company with debutant Harry Came, who remained not out 23 as they avoided defeat.Earlier, Ollie Pope had completed a maiden County Championship double century to set up the hosts’ morning declaration before hot-footing it to Headingly as England cover should Jason Roy be ruled out of the third Test with possible concussion.Surrey began the day 123 ahead and in need of quick runs. Skipper Ben Foakes was bowled through the gate before the go button could be pressed, but Pope continued serenely onto his double hundred from 323 balls with 19 fours.Rikki Clarke hoisted Dawson for a huge straight six to provide the necessary acceleration before being adjudged lbw to Fidel Edwards, who claimed 5 for 125, though replays suggested the ball would have missed leg-stump.The declaration came soon afterwards at 579 for 7 with Pope 221 not out, which left Hampshire 212 in arrears and with 40 minutes to negotiate before lunch.The hosts spurned a chance when Ryan Patel dropped Felix Organ at third slip after he was on eight, but they made the breakthrough with the last ball before the interval, Virdi having Ian Holland caught down the leg side by Foakes.There was more encouragement soon after the resumption when Clarke pinned England hopeful James Vince in front for just a single to leave Hampshire 39 for 2.It was clear the visitors’ intent was to play positively in a bid to wipe out their arrears and get in front. However, Sam Northeast took that intention to extreme lengths with a string of streaky shots down through third man and ultimately it proved his undoing when he slashed one from Morne Morkel to Scott Borthwick at slip.Organ meanwhile, was making the most of his earlier reprieve, racing to 50 in 55 balls with a six and eight fours, ending up with 77. He looked increasingly confident, but with a second century in as many matches beckoning he, like Northeast, contributed to his own downfall, giving Virdi the charge and missing the ball to be stumped by Foakes.The same combination would account for Rilee Rossouw before the end of the session, though the South African should probably reflect on why he was playing a needless sweep shot so close to an interval.Hampshire were wobbling but Dawson dug in, finding an ally in Came, who showed great composure for a man making his first appearance six days shy of his 21st birthday as a concussion replacement for Aneurin Donald, who was injured in the field on day three.Dawson’s 50 came in 63 balls to wipe out the arrears and the pair shared a half-century stand in the game’s dying embers.

Carey’s made a compelling case to be considered as a specialist batsman, even as Smith and Warner are set for Test return

Daniel Brettig13-Jul-2019

Getty Images

Cameron Bancroft and Marnus Labuschagne will have the chance to elbow their way into Australia’s Ashes tour party. The duo are part of a preliminary 25-man squad to face-off in a warm-up game ahead of the first Test against England starting August 1. Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis are the notable absentees.The squad will be trimmed to 16 for the series beginning August 1. Labuschagne (1057 runs at 70.46 for Glamorgan), Bancroft (698 at 46.53 for Durham) and Peter Siddle (27 wickets at 22.23 for Essex) have already presented compelling cases for selection through their performances in county cricket. If picked, Bancroft would be returning to Australia’s squad alongside David Warner and Steven Smith for the first time since the expiry of their bans in the wake of the Newlands scandal.Among other subplots will be the performance of reserve wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who by his outstanding World Cup displays has raised the possibility of being picked as a specialist batsman. The likes of Marcus Harris, Joe Burns and Kurtis Patterson will also be duelling for spots in what has now become a particularly deep field of batting candidates, also featuring Matthew Wade. The selection chairman Trevor Hohns said Bancroft’s displays for Australia prior to his ban merited another chance.”Cameron was making a fair amount of headway when he played Test cricket last for Australia and that was in South Africa,” Hohns said. “I think it’s been well documented that he was out leading run scorer in South Africa. What he’s done is he’s got on with business since he’s been able to play again, he’s playing with Durham in the County Championship, so he’s doing everything he possibly can to get himself back into consideration and back into the Australian squad.”He’s scoring runs on a pretty regular basis so he has been included in that 25-man squad along with two other players [Labuschange and Peter Siddle]. We’ve nominated 25 players, 25 doesn’t go into 16 so there’s going to be some disappointments but all we can do is try to select a squad that we think can win the Ashes in English conditions.”We’ve got all the history about what happened back home, we’ve got a little bit of what’s going on here in England at the moment with Australia A, but it’s more about the here and now and what’s going to happen in the next month or so.”Getty Images

Hohns indicated that the squad would likely include five pacemen, a back-up spin bowler and two wicketkeepers. He also hinted that his personal preference may be for more than 16 players in the final squad. With that in mind, the role of Carey as both a back-up gloveman and also a credible extra batsman may make him doubly valuable.”He’s proving himself to be a very smart cricketer,” Hohns said of Carey. “He played very well in the World Cup of course, batting wise he was very, very good, he showed calmness in a lot of different situations as well so he’s been very impressive, and of course his glovework we’ve been very impressed with for some time now so he’s progressing nicely.”I always ask for flexibility in numbers but at the moment we’re heading towards 16 at this stage and 16 I think historically has been about the right number. On the odd occasion there might’ve been one more. Doubtful that there’s been much less for an Ashes tour, but it’s quite a hectic program with five Test matches pretty close together and then of course we’ve got other players probably that will be included in the Ashes squad that have had quite an intense World Cup program.”The omission of Stoinis and Maxwell, who claimed four wickets for Lancashire on his post-World Cup return to cricket on Saturday, was an indicator that they have now fallen some distance away from Test calculations. “Let’s put it this way,” Hohns said. “We probably consider the 25 that did get chosen in this game or for this game as more in contention than those guys. It’s unfortunate but that’s just where we’re at right here and now.”Usman Khawaja’s continuing recovery from a hamstring strain will be monitored closely, though he is one the World Cup squad members now enjoying time away from the game until the 25 assemble in Southampton for the tour game. Hohns said that, having not won the Ashes in England since 2001, no compromises have been made in trying to prepare for the task ahead.”I think the preparation has been outstanding,” he said. “The organisational work that has gone into this tour, not just for the Ashes but the World Cup then straight into the Ashes and then you’ve got Australia A as well, we’re leaving no stone unturned basically in an attempt to win the Ashes in England, and it’s been a long time, there’s no doubt about that.”But I think we’re in pretty good shape at the moment. England are a pretty good side there’s no doubt about that, but we’re in reasonable shape, particularly with Smith and Warner coming back. we’re lucky right now I think to have our battery of fast bowlers fit and ready to go as well, so that’s something that hasn’t happened for a while when we’ve got a full complement of our major fast bowlers available.”Australia preliminary squad: Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Joe Burns, Alex Carey, Patrick Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Tim Paine, Kurtis Patterson, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, David Warner

كشف أحمد ياسر لاعب فريق التحدي الليبي عن كواليس اقترابه من نادي الزمالك قبل تسع سنوات، مؤكدًا احتياج الفريق الأبيض لصفقات قوية.

وقال ياسر في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “المحور”: “كنت قريبًا جدًا من الانضمام لنادي الزمالك في عام 2015”.

محامي أحمد فتوح يوضح موقفه القانوني بعد إخلاء سبيله.. وحقيقة العثور على مخدرات في سيارته

وأضاف: “اجتمعت رفقة وكيل أعمالي مع أحمد سليمان، ووقعت على العقود واتفقنا على المقابل المادي وكانت الأمور شبه منتهية”.

واستكمل: “ولكن الأزمة أنني كنت قد وقعت لنادي المصري قبل الزمالك وتمسكوا بي”.

واستطرد: “الزمالك يحتاج لصفقات قوية من أجل منافسة الأهلي، الأبيض غير قادر على المنافسة، والأجهز حاليًا هو الأهلي”.

واستأنف: “نظريًا، الأهلي الأقرب للفوز بـ كأس السوبر الإفريقي وإمام عاشور سيسجل هدفًا”.

وأتم: “كانت تجمعني علاقة جيدة مع الراحل إيهاب جلال، هو من الشخصيات التي لا تعوض على المستوى الانساني قبل الكروي”.

Shannon Gabriel, Evin Lewis back in contention; no room for Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels or Sunil Narine

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-20191:02

Is West Indies’ World Cup squad too light on spin?

West Indies have named allrounder Andre Russell, who has played just one ODI since 2015, in their preliminary squad for the World Cup, but there was no room for Kieron Pollard or Marlon Samuels. Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel returns, two years since his last ODI, while Evin Lewis and Kemar Roach were included having sat out the recent series against England with injury.Also overlooked was Sunil Narine, the spinner whose previous ODI appearance came in 2016. He may require surgery on a finger ligament injury but remains keen to return for West Indies at some point. “I don’t feel my finger is quite ready for ODI cricket,” he told ESPNcricinfo.Chris Gayle, who has signalled his intention to retire from ODIs after the tournament, is set for a fifth World Cup, while spinning allrounder Fabian Allen won selection ahead of Devendra Bishoo. Alzarri Joseph was not considered after suffering a muscle tear and dislocation of his right arm while at the IPL.While questions about who might be included centred on a possible recall for Pollard, following his form at the IPL, or even a comeback from the retired Dwayne Bravo, the return of Russell was the most significant decision by the new selection panel headed by Robert Haynes.Andre Russell flicks for six•BCCIRussell has been hampered by a knee injury since returning to cricket last year following an anti-doping ban. He made one ODI and three T20I appearances on Bangladesh’s tour to the Caribbean in mid-2018, but has since played most of his cricket on the franchise T20 circuit – most recently at the ongoing IPL, where he has been a talismanic presence for Kolkata Knight Riders.West Indies will play an ODI tri-series against Ireland and Bangladesh, before the World Cup, and could still make changes to their 15 before the final May 23 cut-off. They recently named their squad to travel to Ireland, featuring fringe candidates such as Jonathan Carter, Shane Dowrich and Roston Chase.”Based on the new selection policy approach which allowed us to consider a number of players that have not regularly appeared in the side over the last two years, we had a wide base of talent from which to choose,” Haynes said.”There were a number of tough calls we had to make to settle on our squad of 15, including ensuring there was some continuity in the side, but we believe we have chosen a strong squad of players taking into consideration such factors as experience, fitness, team balance, current form and conditions.”In keeping with tournament regulations, we submitted our squad prior to the deadline date of yesterday. All players named for the tri-nations series could, however, stake a claim to be in the final 15-member squad that will be submitted after the tri-series and before the final deadline next month.”Gabriel has only played 18 ODIs and missed the opportunity to stake his World Cup case last month, when he was handed a four-match ban for on-field comments made to Joe Root in the St Lucia Test. However, Haynes referred to the extra pace he offers as being important if the white ball does not swing.Roach also missed the series against England, after suffering a stress reaction in his back, but returns to what is otherwise a largely settled squad that pulled off a 2-2 draw against the No. 1-ranked side.West Indies preliminary World Cup squad: Jason Holder (capt), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas

With Steven Smith and David Warner expected to gain much attention from England supporters, Australia’s coach has passed on some words of advice

Daniel Brettig03-May-2019

Members of the Barmy Army sing•Martin Parr

Australia’s coach Justin Langer has counselled Steven Smith and David Warner to turn the other cheek to the Barmy Army’s inevitable barbs in England this summer, having reflected on how he made himself the focus of their tuneful banter as a player.During the 2002 Boxing Day Test, Langer made 250 and followed up by attacking the Barmy Army for baiting Brett Lee with shouts of “no-ball”, saying in part: “These people stand behind a fence drinking beer with most of them 50 kilos overweight making ridiculous comments,” Langer said at the time. “It’s easy for someone to say that from behind a fence, they’re within their rights because they’ve paid their money, but there’s still some integrity in life, I think.”From then on, Langer seldom had any peace from the English supporters’ group, something he recounted in Brisbane on Friday. “This is the biggest, probably, lesson of my sporting career,” he said. “I just got 250 so I walked in, I think I’m Viv Richards, I feel like I’ve got the gold chain and the chest out and like I’m the king … and I made one comment about the Barmy Army because I was sticking up for Brett Lee. Then they start singing the song about the seven dwarfs, so you don’t mess with the Barmy Army. I’m not messing with the Barmy Army.”One thing I respect about the Barmy Army, through thick and thin they always barrack for the England cricket team. We’re never going to be best friends but… I’ll never argue with the Barmy Army again. The songs are humiliating.”I think there’s going to be plenty of spotlight on the whole team. The boys are big boys now, they’ve worked through a real tough 12 months, they’ll be thicker skinned for it. There’s no real remedy for it, we know what we’re going to get, we’ll be ready for it. There will be some strategies, personal and collective strategies in place, so together we’re moving in the right direction and going on with what we love doing which is playing cricket and World Cup and Ashes cricket – it doesn’t get much better than that.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been inconsistent this season under head coach Gary O'Neil, proven by a massive 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur before the international break, followed by two consecutive defeats to Fulham and Arsenal.

Scoring goals is not necessarily an issue for the Midlands club. Hwang Hee-chan is the joint-fifth top scorer in the Premier League this term and Wolves as a team have found the net more than any other side in the bottom nine.

The issue comes primarily at the back for O'Neil's men. Only five teams in the top-flight have conceded more goals than Wolves but the manager has one glaringly obvious solution to their defensive woes.

Craig Dawson's stats this season

Craig Dawson joined Wolves back in January for a mere £3.3m, having been an integral part of West Ham United's defence for several seasons under David Moyes.

The centre-back brought experience and Premier League know-how, something that was lacking in the team last term as Wolves sat rock bottom of the division heading into the winter World Cup.

Nevertheless, nearing his mid-30s, the veteran was always going to be a stop-gap signing amidst plenty of turnover, including the departures of Conor Coady and Nathan Collins.

Having played primarily in a back three this season, the 33-year-old has struggled to keep up statistically with his defensive partners Toti and Max Kilman.

Progressive Passes

2.42

2.71

3.21

Progressive Carries

0.08

0.82

0.86

Passes To Final 1/3

2.42

2.47

3.36

Passes To Penalty Area

0.16

0.24

0.50

Pass Completion %

86.8

81

82.1

Tackles

1.56

1.88

1.29

Tackles Won

0.94

1.41

0.64

Blocks

1.88

0.71

1.79

Interceptions

0.55

0.94

1.14

Errors

0.08

0

0.07

Aerial Duels Won %

75.6

73.3

74.5

Dawson is still performing better than the pair next to him in metrics such as aerial duels and blocks which are his bread and butter.

However, the centre-back offers very little in possession and could be replaced by the end of the campaign by one man currently in the squad.

Craig Dawson's potential replacement at Wolves

Santiago Bueno moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers during the summer transfer window for £10m with high hopes after an excellent spell in Spain with Girona.

Sporting Director Matt Hobbs called the centre-back a "perfect fit" for the team and labelled him as a "front-footed" player.

Wolves could sign a "monster" £25m Dawson upgrade

This £25m “monster” could be the perfect replacement for Craig Dawson at Wolves.

ByAdam Scully Dec 3, 2023

However, the Uruguayan has made merely one Premier League start for the Old Gold since his arrival which came in a 3-2 defeat away at Fulham last Monday.

Nevertheless, the 25-year-old put a decent shift in, although he certainly wasn't helped by his right wingback Nelson Semedo who dropped a 5.9 Sofascore rating, which was the lowest of any player on the pitch, and gave possession away 19 times while also conceding a penalty.

Minutes

90

Passing Accuracy %

84

Touches

72

Passes To Final 1/3

2

Dispossessed

0

Tackles Won %

50

Clearances

7

Defensive Actions

12

Ball Recoveries

5

Ground Duels Won %

60

Kilman primarily plays on the right of Wolves' back three when Dawson is in the starting lineup as the latter isn't quick enough to cover the wide spaces. However, Bueno started on the right in his absence, with skipper Kilman pushing into the centre.

While Bueno has played just 276 minutes of football since arriving in England, the £30k-per-week defender's stats last season compared to Dawson this time around show that he can be a more valuable member of the backline under O'Neil.

Progressive Passes

4.43

2.42

Progressive Carries

0.90

0.08

Passes To Final 1/3

4.43

2.42

Passes To Penalty Area

0.15

0.16

Pass Completion %

86.5

86.6

Tackles

1.89

1.56

Tackles Won

1.14

0.94

Blocks

1.02

1.88

Interceptions

0.93

0.55

Aerial Duels Won %

64.3

75.6

Dawson comes out on top in aerial duels and blocks but this would be less of an issue with the latter featuring on the right side of the defence. Bueno is a superb defender, as shown by his stats last season and should be given a run of games in the team to shine.

Thomas Tuchel has responded to a fan petition pleading with him to reverse an exit call at Bayern Munich and stay on for the 2024-25 campaign.

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• Due to stand down in the summer
• Speculation raging regarding successor
• Is through to Champions League semi-finals

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Back in February, it was announced that Tuchel would be walking away from the Allianz Arena at the end of the season. That decision was taken amid criticism of Bayern failing to challenge Bayer Leverkusen for the Bundesliga title, while also slipping out of domestic cup competition.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Since then, safe passage to the semi-finals of the Champions League has been secured – with Harry Kane and Co readying themselves for a heavyweight showdown with Real Madrid. Tuchel has started to earn favour among supporters once more, with there now a petition online calling for him to stay that has collected over 13,000 signatures.

  Change.org

• WHAT TUCHEL SAID

  Tuchel told reporters when asked about that cause and whether it could change his mind: “Even though this topic is good for me when they [the fans] wish you to stay, it's not something that is a priority and it isn't allowed to be a priority. In the next 11 days it's only about football, nothing else. We want to achieve all we can and to gather as many points as possible in the Bundesliga to get the best result and to reach the final of the Champions League. Whether it's pleasant or unpleasant, I don't allow myself to be influenced by it. We're only focusing on every day counting towards our goals and there's no exception.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

  Various candidates have been billed as potential successors to Tuchel. Xabi Alonso will not be prised away from Leverkusen this summer, while questions have been asked of whether French legend Zinedine Zidane is the right man for the job. Martin Demichelis, who is currently in charge of Argentine outfit River Plate, has been mooted as a leading contender alongside former RB Leipzig and Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly ‘stepped in’ to sign a new player in the January transfer window.

Wolves summer signings

The Old Gold had a busy summer off the pitch, with Gary O’Neil replacing Julen Lopetegui days before the 2023/24 season got underway. When it came to incomings and outgoings, O’Neil didn’t really have much time or resources to play with, although a number of new players were brought in.

Matheus Cunha – Atletico Madrid

Undisclosed

Tom King – Northampton Town

Free

Matt Doherty – Atletico Madrid

Free

Tommy Doyle – Manchester City

Loan

Enso Gonzalez – Libertad

Undisclosed

Santiago Bueno – Girona

£10m

Boubacar Traore – Metz

£9.5m

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde – Strasbourg

Undisclosed

Fees according to Sky Sports

On the pitch, there has been plenty of frustration, with Monday night’s 3-2 defeat to Fulham the latest setback for O’Neil’s side. The boss wasn’t happy with the officiating after the game either, saying on VAR:

"Maybe tonight [Monday] has finally turned me against VAR. I thought it would probably help but it doesn't seem to be. I'm managing a big football club here – the difference you're making to my reputation, the club's progression up the league, people's livelihoods is huge.

"It can't be with all the technology, in the best league in the world, it can't be OK. We should discuss the game really but unfortunately we have to discuss this."

Despite the on-field setbacks, sporting director Matt Hobbs appears to be planning for the upcoming winter window, where a new defender now seems to be on the radar for those at Molineux.

Sport Witness relayed a transfer update on Galatasaray’s Victor Nelsson and a possible move to Wolves. There have been claims suggesting that Wolves have now ‘stepped in’ to sign the centre-back after his representative made a trip to England to hold talks with interested parties. The report adds that Wolves are considering an approach in the New Year, with Nelsson falling out of favour in Turkey after admitting he’s not planning to sign a new deal with his current employers.

Victor Nelsson profiled

Nelsson, a Denmark international, is 25 years of age and is primarily a centre-back who can also turn out as a holding midfielder if needed. The player is currently valued at a career-high €19m by Transfermarkt. (Victor Nelsson profile – Transfermarkt)

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He began his career in his native country with Nordsjaelland and FC Copenhagen before making the move to Turkey in 2021. Since then, Nelsson has featured heavily for his employers and boasts plenty of senior experience as he is approaching 100 appearances for Galatasaray. (Victor Nelsson stats – Transfermarkt)

Previously labelled as a “monster” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, Nelsson could come into O’Neil’s side and provide plenty of fierce competition to the club’s current centre-back options, Max Kilman, Santiago Bueno, Toti and Craig Dawson. (Wolves centre-backs – Transfermarkt)

However, there could be competition from fellow Premier League clubs for the defender, with recent reports suggesting both Arsenal and Tottenham are keen on signing Nelsson in 2024, so it appears to be one to keep an eye on heading into the New Year.