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Wolves are reportedly the ‘most serious’ about trying to sign Joao Palhinha in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Midfielders needed

Given that Joao Moutinho is now 34, and Ruben Neves has been linked with a move to Arsenal, the Wanderers certainly need to strengthen their numbers in the centre of midfield.

Leander Dendoncker and Morgan Gibbs-White are other options for new manager Bruno Lage, but the Midlands club could definitely do with another player in there.

The Latest: Wolves eyeing Palhinha

As per A Bola (via Sport Witness), Palhinha is ‘at the top’ of the priority list for the Molineux faithful.

However, Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim is desperate to keep the Portugal international, as he sees him as an ‘important element’ of his squad and ‘will do anything’ for him to stay put.

Nonetheless, Sporting would be willing to listen to any offers starting at €30m (£25.8m), and WWFC are seen as the ‘most serious’ team in the race for his signature, and would be willing to spend a ‘substantial portion’ of their transfer budget in order to get their man.

The Verdict: Sign him

Palhinha would be a shrewd addition for Wolves in the middle of the park, given that he was such a key player in his side’s recent title win, winning no fewer than 9.1 duels a game, while also averaging a whopping 3.3 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.2 clearances per match (Sofascore).

At six-foot-two-inches tall, he should have no trouble at all in adapting to both the aerial and physical demands of the Premier League, and at 25, Palhinha is at a good age for the Wanderers to pounce in this window, likely getting the prime years out of the midfielder before perhaps selling on for a decent fee in the future.

In other news, find out what big transfer update has WWFC fans talking here!

Wolves won’t have a great deal of money to spend this summer. It’s an unfortunate eventuality but ultimately one which cost Nuno Santo his job in the Midlands.

It would appear that the only way to spend big this summer will be to sell some of their prized assets.

What’s the word?

One player who has been on the radar of the Old Gold for a while now is Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha. They’ve been interested in the 25-year-old since last year but, despite winning Liga NOS with Sporting this term, he could be heading for the exit door.

According to Record (via Sport Witness), Wolves are the strongest candidates for his signature but a concrete proposal is yet to be made.

A separate report stated that Everton are also chasing his signature, which means that his agent, a certain Jorge Mendes, could be key in luring him to Molineux instead.

Ideal Neves replacement

Palhinha may not possess the long-range shooting of Ruben Neves, but he’d be a stellar replacement for the 24-year-old in the middle of the park.

The Wolves midfielder looks likely to leave this summer, with the Old Gold needing to sell before they can spend this summer. The Athletic claimed that a fee of £35m will be enough to tempt the Molineux hierarchy into selling the Portugal international.

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If Neves does move on, it would be a huge blow. He has been the glue holding Wolves together for a number of years now, thriving in English football after becoming the most expensive signing in Championship history.

Wonderfully composed in possession of the ball, Palhinha is also a tough-tackling general in the middle of the park.

Those are two attributes synonymous with Neves. During this season, the 24-year-old completed 84.4% of his passes and registered 2.4 tackles per match.

Comparing those numbers to Palhinha, the Sporting stalwart was successful with just over 83% of his passes in Portugal, winning 3.3 tackles per game.

Neves is more productive in the final third but, if the club’s new manager requires someone who can win the ball back on a more regular basis, then Palhinha is their man.

Standing at 6 foot 3, the £35m midfielder’s game is well suited to the Premier League. His physical qualities are outstanding, bullying opponents to one side and then starting attacks.

The Portugal international’s 1.3 shots per game indicate he can also still get forward, which is important when considering how he can replace Neves.

A destructive force, Palhinha would come at a high cost. However, if they are going to lose one of their best players from the Nuno era, they will have to spend.

AND in other news, Wolves eye swoop for “outstanding” 25 G/A beast, he could be their new Traore…

West Bromwich Albion are interested in a deal to bring Jack Hendry to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that the Baggies, along with clubs such as Burnley, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Sheffield United, are keeping a very close eye on the KV Oostende centre-back ahead of a potential move in the upcoming transfer window.

It is also reported that there is significant interest in the 26-year-old from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, with clubs thought to be willing to pay up to £10m for the Scotland international.

It is then revealed that Oostende themselves have only just secured the £2m signing of Hendry from Celtic, although the Jupiler Pro League side are believed to have informed the defender that they will be selling him to the highest bidder this summer.

Dowling must move

Considering just how impressive Hendry was during his season-long loan spell at the Belgian side last season, it is unsurprising to learn of the significant amount of interest in the centre-back’s services this summer.

Indeed, over his 30 Jupiler Pro League appearances for Alexander Blessin’s side, the 26-year-old helped his team keep six clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.6 interceptions, one tackle, 4.1 clearances and winning 4.8 duels per game.

The £3.15m-rated man also impressed in an attacking capacity, chipping in with two goals and providing one assist, in addition to making an average of 0.2 key passes per fixture.

These metrics saw Hendry earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking the defender as Oostende’s third-best performer in the Belgian top-flight – something that is no mean feat having only arrived at the club last summer.

As such, it would be a difficult argument to make that Hendry would not be an extremely useful addition to West Brom’s current options in the heart of defence, leading us to believe that the club’s sporting and technical director, Luke Dowling, should be doing all he can to convince the man Blessin dubbed a “natural leader” of a move to The Hawthorns this summer.

In other news: West Brom dealt transfer blow over “tenacious” £31k-p/w gem that’ll leave fans gutted

West Ham United are among the teams interested in Nikola Milenkovic, according to emerging reports in Italy…

What’s the word?

Calciomercato claim the Irons have taken their first steps towards signing the Fiorentina colossus, alongside Manchester United, as the pair have inquired over his services ahead of the summer transfer window.

It’s thought that the Serie A outfit would be looking to seal around €30m (£26m) and that fellow Premier League rivals Spurs and Everton are also evaluating the Serbia international, though their interest is not as advanced as the aforementioned duo.

Milenkovic’s most likely destination is the Premier League and the report suggests that he has already ‘packed his bags’ ahead of the new season.

Major upgrade

Whilst a place in next year’s Champions League is now looking out of reach, David Moyes’ side should qualify for the Europa League, which would top off a fine season in East London.

But if they are to continue to progress at this rate and even contend in the competition, then reinforcements will be paramount. Of course, a new striker is going to sit high on the priorities, given an injury-prone Michail Antonio is their only senior option, but a new central defender shouldn’t go amiss.

Fabian Balbuena has some interest ahead of the window, whilst there are doubts over Issa Diop, too.

It leaves Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson, who are likely to be Moyes’ first-choice pairing anyway, though when the Scotsman switches to a three-man defence, we’ve seen left-back Aaron Cresswell drop in there, though his squad-leading seven assists shows why he’s needed on the flank.

And thus, a move for Milenkovic makes the world of sense – if anything, he’d be a major upgrade, given his age, experience and quality.

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The 23-year-old could well be a perfect fit for the English top-flight as he cannot shake off the lofty comparisons to Man Utd legend Nemanja Vidic.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic told ESPN. “He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

Ability with the ball at his feet (85.7% passing accuracy) is certainly an attractive attribute to have in England and is also a vast improvement on both of Moyes’ current first-choice duo.

Whilst his 3.1 aerial duels won, 1.5 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game this season, via WhoScored, far exceeds that of Ogbonna (2.3 aerials, one tackle and interception per match) and Dawson (2.8 aerials, 0.5 tackles and 1.2 interceptions).

“Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him,” added his former Partizan coach Ivan Tomic to ESPN.

On the above evidence, £26m for a young, imposing 6 foot 5 monster with bags of potential is a pretty good deal and Milenkovic appears to have all the attributes to thrive in England.

Ogbonna came from the Serie A too, and was a success, so the Fiorentina man can do it too. Moyes must urge GSB to sanction this move in the summer.

AND in other news, Forget Toney: GSB could take West Ham to new level with “special” £21.5m goal machine…

Celtic are without a first-team manager right now and they could soon be missing a number of their best players too.

A muss culling is set to grace Parkhead this summer with plenty of those who have donned the famous green and white hoops being linked with a move away.

What’s the word?

Odsonne Edouard is currently being touted with a move to England but he’s not the only one who’s caught the attention of south of the border.

Another name who looks set to leave is Kristoffer Ajer.

The defender has admirers from Norwich and Newcastle but it looks as though the latter are in a better position to sign him.

They have scouted Ajer and now according to The Daily Mail, the Magpies are progressing with a deal to sign him.

It’s thought the Norwegian will cost somewhere in the region of £8m.

Huge blow for Celtic

Edouard is the man who scores the goals at Paradise but Ajer is the rock that holds everything together.

Without him this season, the Bhoys’ backline would have collapsed entirely.

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Celtic were woeful in defence, conceding 16 more goals than Rangers in the Premiership and shipping 19 strikes in just six Europa League outings.

On paper, Ajer shouldn’t really take any praise for that but his displays have led by example and provided a beacon of hope for the supporters watching on.

He is a rare breed, combining raw strength with poise and grace. The defender can bring the ball forward in extraordinary fashion, bursting past the opposition like a winger in full flow.

Standing at 6 foot 6, he is a man mountain at the back and has provided performances that others in the team should be looking up to.

Speaking earlier this term, John Harton said: “He’s a credit to the rest of the players. They should all look at him and if they’d all adopted the same attitude as Ajer then might have made a better fist of it in terms of holding on to the title.”

With that in mind, it’s easy to see why he’s such a key part of the team. If they lose the centre-back, their chances of reclaiming the biggest prize in Scottish football will become more difficult.

Celtic have been able to replace strikers in the past but Ajer’s influence extends way beyond his performances on the pitch. Off the field, he is a natural-born leader, someone who will grab the bull by its horns and shake things up. Thus, fans would be gutted to see him head for the departure lounge this summer.

They must do their utmost to keep him in Glasgow.

AND in other news, Imagine him under Howe: Celtic must sign 6ft3 “freak”, he’s the spitting image of Ajer…

Davinson Sanchez was once Tottenham Hotspur’s club-record signing but his value continues to drop under Jose Mourinho.

The Colombian, who is still only 24, was signed from Ajax for £42m in 2017 and was tipped for big things by then-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

“When we knew about the possibility to sign him, it was a massive opportunity because we believe he will be one of the best centre-backs in the world in the future,” claimed Pochettino. “That is why we made the effort to try to sign him.”

Now nearly four years on, Sanchez is at a career crossroad…

Value drop

Heading into the start of 2020, the central defender hit a career-high value of £54m, as per Transfermarkt but now that has dropped dramatically to €30m (£26m), according to CIES Football Observatory.

That’s a decrease of nearly 52% in just four seasons and merely goes to show how big a downfall he’s had under the tutelage of Mourinho.

It’s not too encouraging for a player that should only be rising as he heads towards the peak years of his career.

Current form

A lot of this has surely come down to his disappointing performances on the pitch, a mix of not being played enough and too many mistakes when trusted to feature.

After a three-goal collapse against West Ham earlier in the season, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara urged the club to get rid of him [and Eric Dier] to talkSPORT.

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“The back-four is just an absolute shambles. I don’t know why Jose keeps playing [Davinson] Sanchez and [Eric] Dier because it’s probably one of the worst partnerships in the Premier League!”

And similarly, Curtis Woodhouse blasted Sanchez, claiming he’s “just not a very good defender” because he “probably costs you 20 goals a season.”

The 24-year-old has started only 16 Premier League games this term, and has been snubbed by Mourinho for their last two outings, as per Transfermarkt.

Levy’s wrath

Sanchez is a wanted man this summer, so chairman Daniel Levy may not be best pleased to see a potential asset decrease in value so rapidly.

According to the Express, Sevilla and former club Ajax are keen on signing the £65k-per-week flop, who has also been dubbed a “real liability” in recent weeks by Kenny Cunningham.

Levy will have a hard task of recouping back most of that £42m but if anyone can drive up a hard bargain, it’s the Spurs chairman.

AND in other news, Mourinho could unearth his next Rashford at Spurs in 17 y/o “diamond”…

One of Sheffield Wednesday’s out-of-contract stars has received two pre-contract offers from abroad, according to Football League World this week…

What’s the word?

They claim that Belgian league leaders Club Brugge and Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon have offered 20-year-old Owls gem Osaze Urhoghide terms ahead of the summer, when his contract expires at Hillsborough Stadium.

Teams across Europe can enter negotiations with players in England six months before their deal ends, whilst domestic rivals have to wait until the contract is complete, thus handing them a considerable advantage.

Leeds, Palace and Watford have been mooted with interest in Urhoghide before, so it seems unlikely that he will remain a Wednesday player much longer, especially if they are relegated to League One.

Moore will be gutted

This will not only come as a huge blow to Moore but will also be gutting towards his plans next season, as the South Yorkshire academy graduate is the sort of player he’d love to build round.

The former West Brom manager has built up a reputation as a successful youth coach and that is a trend he continued when taking the helm at nearby Doncaster Rovers, where they were contending for a playoff spot under his tenure – also possessing an average squad age of 24.6, amongst the four youngest in the division.

Despite not being in the dugout recently, Moore has still continued to select the 20-year-old this season. Indeed, he’s made 16 appearances in all competitions, with the bulk coming since the turn of the year.

Following a particularly impressive display against local rivals Barnsley last month, the Owls boss heaped praise on his young defender. He said to The Star:

“I don’t like to pick out individuals because I thought they were all excellent, but he was immense today in terms of his performance. In terms of his contacts, in terms of getting in the radar of the opponents and spoiling it – he was absolutely rock solid.”

Urhoghide has also been lauded by club captain Barry Bannan, who gave an insight into his potential too.

“He’s always willing to learn and ask questions,” explained the Scottish midfielder. “He’s a good lad and I’m really happy for him. I think we’ve got a player there.”

These are all characteristics that have already delighted Moore, as evident above, so to lose him for nothing – in the same vein as Liam Shaw to Celtic and many more before him – will be a truly crushing blow.

When teams that have the potential of playing in Europe next season come calling, you’d imagine that Wednesday stand no chance in keeping him. A disappointing but understandable likely end to his Owls career.

AND in other news, this Owls monster was Moore’s unsung hero against Rovers…

David Moyes could land his ideal partner for Craig Dawson with a summer swoop for West Ham United to sign UC Sampdoria centre-back Omar Colley.

What’s the word?

According to Club Doria 46, the Irons are in a four-way Premier League tug-of-war to obtain the services of Gambia international Colley.

The Blucerchiati are expected to listen to offers for the 25-cap enforcer at the end of the season, as Colley’s performances under Claudio Ranieri have added millions to his value.

Colley endured a difficult 2019/20 campaign and carried those struggles into the current term, but has proven to be a leader at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris since earning a reprieve in November.

Colley has only failed to feature three times in Sampdoria’s last 20 Serie A fixtures – once through injury and once through suspension – and committed his future to the Genoa outfit in January with a contract extension to June 2025.

But the new terms will not prevent the 28-year-old’s from leaving the Blucerchiati this summer, as Ranieri’s side will sell the sought-after centre-back for between €10-15m (£8.5-£12.5m).

That will come as good news for West Ham, who – along with Fulham, Leeds and Newcastle United – are monitoring Colley’s situation, with the view to a summer swoop.

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Fulham failed to sign Colley last summer when Sampdoria valued the centre-back at around €10-12m (£8.5-£10m), and he has previously been linked with a potential move to Leeds and Sheffield United.

Should West Ham sign Colley?

West Ham are expected to be in the market for a new centre-back this summer, with Moyes said to be keen on adding another experienced option to his ranks, and Colley may offer an ideal target.

The Gambia star can add depth, talent and experience without the Irons having to break the bank to land a player Sampdoria owner Massimo Ferrero likened to SSC Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly amid interest from Leicester City last September.

“Why should I just give Colley away?” Ferrero told Secolo XIX, via quotes by Football-Italia. “Have you seen how much [Napoli President Aurelio] De Laurentiis is negotiating for the possible sale of Kalidou Koulibaly? Let’s not joke around here.”

Napoli demanded £89m to sell Koulibaly to Manchester United last summer, while interest from Celtic, West Ham and Leicester in Colley was only said to have delivered offers in the region of €4-6m (£3.5-£5m).

West Ham would have to pay more than that this time around, but doing so may see Moyes acquire a potential upgrade on Angelo Ogbonna – who he lauded earlier this season as being “magnificent” but will turn 33 in May.

Colley is certainly a more aggressive player than Ogbonna in their approach to defending, with the Sampdoria enforcer averaging 8.38 pressures per 90 minute in the Serie A this season to the Italian’s 7.8 in the Premier League for West Ham, per FBref.

Colley is also more successful when tackling dribblers than Ogbonna, as he averages 0.2 successful efforts from 0.51 attempts while the Hammers titan is dribbled past with each of his average 0.48 attempts per 90.

Ogbonna further offers one fewer interceptions than Colley per 90, and blocks fewer shots with 0.53 registered to the Gambian’s 0.91.

If Moyes is on the lookout for an experienced option to add depth, Colley would certainly appear a wise way to go as he may turn out to be West Ham’s dream partner for Dawson.

AND in other news, West Ham have been tipped to sign a 12-goal striker who is “Moyes’ type”…

Kevin Phillips has been discussing Patrick Bamford’s substitution against Manchester City, admitting it was no great surprise.

Leeds United enjoyed a memorable victory on Saturday afternoon, winning 2-1 away to the soon-to-be Premier League champions. Beating City in any scenario is impressive enough, but Marcelo Bielsa’s men did it with 10 men following Liam Cooper’s red card just before half-time.

It was Bamford who was sacrificed by the Leeds manager straight after the incident, in order for the Whites to be set up in a more defensive manner.

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Phillips understands Bamford sub

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League Golden Boot winner Phillips claimed that the writing was on the wall for the Leeds striker, even though it was no doubt frustrating for him:

“It would have been frustrating for Bamford.

“I know the feeling because it happened to me. Whenever a man got sent off when I was playing, I was the one who was sacrificed. Sadly, you just knew what was going to happen.

“He will have been angry and disappointed but it is no surprise he got taken off, especially away from home.

“Bielsa could have taken off a wide player but they can tuck in and make you hard to break down. Almost like defending with a five and a four.

“The wide men have a lot of energy and the hope is, when you get possession, that they can carry the ball forward and give an outlet.”

Transfer Tavern take

No player wants to be replaced at any point during a match, so Bamford’s annoyance at coming off would have been completely understandable. However, bringing on Pascal Struijk made Leeds harder to break down and the decision ultimately paid off handsomely as Bielsa’s men picked up a famous win.

Had Bamford stayed on, he may have become increasingly isolated and wouldn’t have offered the same defensive work as Struijk, potentially affecting the whole team in the process.

In other news, one Leeds player has been praised for his performance against Man City – find out who it is here.

West Ham’s top four hopes were dealt a blow on Sunday night as they turned in a limp performance in a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United.

David Moyes opted to field three defensive midfielders – Mark Noble, Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek – as well as a back five as he looked to frustrate his former club.

However, they struggled to create opportunities, with home goalkeeper Dean Henderson facing no shots on target over the course of the 90 minutes.

Noble struggling to make a positive impact

Soucek and Rice are regulars for the Irons, but this was club captain Noble’s first start since the 2-2 draw with Brighton just before the turn of the year and just his fourth of the season in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

The Hammers’ record when he plays from the off does not make for pleasant reading – they have picked up one point from a possible 12, with the veteran of 521 club appearances also starting in comprehensive defeats to Newcastle and Chelsea.

The 33-year-old announced last week that the 2021/22 would be his last at the club and, judging by last night, he is in danger of going out on a whimper. His total of 38 touches was the third-lowest among the Irons’ starting XI, while he was beaten twice in the dribble by opponents (Sofascore).

Responding to a tweet from fan feed The West Ham Way highlighting the unenviable win record with Noble starting, these supporters gave their verdict on what he has offered this year. One described his Old Trafford performance as “anonymous”, while another feel that he “kills the way we play”, which may explain the Irons’ poor record when he starts.

These West Ham fans were critical of Noble

“Noble is a club legend and rightly so but should be nowhere near the starting 11….another season carrying him in these games vs the ‘big’ boys. Moyes doing a fantastic job but has an inferiority complex in these games. Man City performance should be the rule, not the exception.”

Credit: @Lipdogz

“His first move is to turn goal side to buy time. He moves the ball to either a cb or a fb or at best to rice or soucek. Any momentum stagnates. This level has been beyond him for some time now. At times it was painful watching fred and mctominay bypassing him with such ease.”

Credit: @apl63

“Noble starts we lose. Great servant, love the bloke but coming on to hold on or kill a game is one thing. He just kills the way we play”

Credit: @unbiasedhammer

“As soon as I saw he was starting I knew we wouldn’t win, we haven’t won a game when he has started and it shows. Great bloke, but times have changed and he shouldn’t start any more games. Sad but time catches up with everyone in the end.”

Credit: @Tiger2806

“He was totally anonymous last night, players glide past him with ease now, he is only useful for a game in last 15 or 20 minutes due to players tiring but starting no”

Credit: @tayloriw

“Love him but the team has moved on. He’s not good enough to be starting anymore. As a sub to see a game through to the end then yes. But not as a starter.”

Credit: @billhrpr

“The problem is he shouldn’t even be an option. He is taking up an academy players slot and not for the first time.”

Credit: @gallivantor2020

“And that point was because he was subbed off at half time. He is a huge problem. Last 10-15 min player tops. Should never ever start league games, he’s way past it.”

Credit: @henn88

“He has one strength now, and that’s slowing a game down to close it out.”

Credit: @ZentaviusTV

In other news, one West Ham player has signalled good news on the injury front.