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Some Wolves fans have been left to bemoan an injury update on Raul Jimenez as the Daily Mail have reported that he may not play again this season.

As per the news outlet, the Midlands club remain determined to remain prudent over the Mexico international’s return to the team.

He returned to training with his teammates in March, although he is still not able to participate in contact sessions, and must have further assessments before being cleared to head the ball.

Jimenez has clearly been a big miss for the Molineux outfit, as his goal record speaks for itself, scoring no fewer than 47 times in 118 games in total over all competitions across three consecutive terms for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side (Transfermarkt).

Wolves fans on Jimenez injury update

These WWFC supporters bemoaned the injury update on Jimenez after it was shared on Twitter, with one fan going as far as to claim that they were ‘gutted’ while another branded it as ‘disappointing’:

“Disappointing but it’s better to be safe considering what happened with Jonny :(“

Credit: @sophiaeclayton

“Shame but better playing safe then sorry”Credit: @EdgeOwyn”For the best but I’m still gutted”Credit: @ZakHughes_WWFC”Pain.”Credit: @wwfcjoe_”Relegation battle incoming”Credit: @georgiaa_sophie”Obviously it’s good that we’re not taking any risks or else something could go horribly wrong, but I just miss Raul so much and this isn’t helping”Credit: @WWFC_Sam1877In other news, find out what Fosun update has been slammed by Wanderers here!

Sunderland’s summer transfer plans will largely depend on whether they stay in League One or achieve promotion.End up in the Championship, and they will improve their chances of signing better talent.

What’s the word?

A remarkable return for Jermain Defoe has been touted in recent weeks but it’s another striker now at the centre of Sunderland’s attentions.

According to Football Insider, they are in a three-way tussle to sign St Johnstone’s Guy Melamed.

The Israeli only signed for the Scottish outfit back in October but his contract is set to expire at the end of the season. As a result, the Mackems could sign him on a free transfer.

They will face competition from Portsmouth and Ipswich as they battle to bring him south of the border.

Melamed currently earns just £1.2k-per-week in Scotland so his salary shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

A predatory force

There are plenty of uncertainties at Sunderland right now. Charlie Wyke is out of contract in the summer and if they fail to go up, he could be one of a number of players who choose to flee the nest.

Though, irrespective of whether Wyke leaves, the addition of Melamed would be a valuable one.

The 28-year-old is a tricky forward and has scored five goals and registered three assists in 15 outings this term, proving to be a real handful for defences.

Speaking about the striker after he netted a sensational goal against Hamilton, his manager Callum Davidson said: “You saw all game he was a danger in the box. It was an unbelievable touch and finish and we got what we deserved.â€

That was before the strike was compared to a certain Premier League legend by his teammate Craig Bryson: “I think people are maybe getting carried away when you compare players to Dennis Bergkamp. It was an incredible ball through from Liam Gordon, and just the way he controlled it and finished it was world-class.â€

Sunderland currently have Wyke to aim for aerially, but Melamed would give them something different. He is a more athletic forward, one that’s also capable of playing in wide areas.

With a player like Chris Maguire getting no younger and Jordan Jones heading back to Rangers, signing another attacking player makes sense. Melamed could just be that man.

AND in other news, Rarely-seen “local lad” could rival Diamond for a place at SAFC, Dickman loves him…

Philippe Sandler is now 24 years old and remains at Manchester City despite his lack of appearances for the Citizens in recent seasons, and the club should try and get rid of him this summer as he is arguably stealing a living at the Etihad Stadium at the moment.

City signed the centre-back from PEC Zwolle in July 2018 but he has been limited to just two appearances in his two-and-a-half years with the club and spent last season on loan with Anderlecht under Vincent Kompany.

He made just 11 appearances there before returning to the Etihad last summer, with injury issues having seriously stalled the youngster’s progress in a Manchester City shirt.

That being said, Sandler reportedly earns £38,000 per week at the Etihad and has now been at the club for 138 weeks, which means he has cost City £5.24m thus far.

That means that, for each appearance the Dutchman has made in a City shirt, with both coming in cup competitions in the 2018/19 season, he has cost City £2.62m.

That makes grim reading for the City board, who will undoubtedly be disappointed that Sandler has failed to have the desired effect during his time with Pep Guardiola’s side.

The 24-year-old’s contract with City is set to expire at the end of next season but the club may be best served by axing him this summer and trying to recoup some of the money they have wasted on him over the last few seasons.

He is currently valued at £2.7m by Transfermarkt, although Txiki Begiristain would do well to receive anywhere near that fee given his lack of appearances and injury problems during his time in the Premier League.

Therefore, Sandler’s time with City will unfortunately go down as a failure, and they must do their best to get rid of him this summer in order to avoid continuing to pay him for nothing before losing him for free at the end of next season.

In other news… No goals or assists in March: £63m-rated City ace let his standards drop this month

While a 0-0 draw at home to Wolves in the Premier League is hardly the result Dean Smith would have wanted, one man who certainly emerged as a positive for the Aston Villa boss was Ahmed Elmohamady.

After coming in for some criticism from his manager for his role in one of Leicester’s goals a couple of weeks ago, the Egypt international followed that up with a really disappointing performance against Sheffield United.

That was then followed by reports that Smith had made the decision to let the veteran full-back go in the summer once his contract expired, with loanee Frederic Guilbert set to return to compete with number one right-back Matty Cash.

But the £25k-a-week-earning Elmohamady’s display against Wolves showed that perhaps he does still have a bit left in the tank, and sent a huge message to his boss that he’s got the defensive nous to still be an effective Premier League defender on his day.

As per Sofascore, the full-back finished with a match rating of 7.3, the highest of any outfield player for Villa. And when you look at the way he virtually pocketed Wolves speedster Adama Traore, it’s no surprise to see why.

Wolves’ wide-man failed to attempt any shots on goal whatsoever, and also didn’t manage to find the target with any of his four crosses. Much of that was down to the way Elmohamady was quick to shackle him and not allow him room to knock it past him and see him run away with his sheer pace.

The Villa full-back was dominant in the challenge, making two tackles and one interception, while he also won an impressive five of his six total duels on the night – that latter stat is far above his season average in the Premier League of just 2.3 per game.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece said: “The Egyptian contained Traore and won his fair share of headers at the back post.

“The 33-year-old came in for a lot of stick after his error at Sheffield United but he was back to his usual, reliable self here and did what was asked of him against the jet-heeled Adama. Kept a clean sheet and was generally fine in Matty Cash’s absence once again.”

While one impressive display is hardly enough to convince Smith or any manager for that fact, of handing someone a new contract, it does raise the possibility of Elmohamady potentially earning another deal at the club with some more good performances like the one on Saturday.

Coming up against Traore is a hard task for any defender in the Premier League, let alone a 33-year-old in the twilight of his career. And yet, Elmohamady delivered a masterclass just when his long-term future is the main topic of conversation.

Meanwhile, this Villa man let Dean Smith down vs Wolves…

According to a West Ham United source, speaking to Football Insider, GSB and the club are stepping up their plans to tie down midfield star Tomas Soucek after an impressive campaign – with the Hammers ‘set’ to offer him a new and improved deal which includes a ‘significant’ salary increase.

Soucek, who has started every single Premier League game under manager David Moyes since signing permanently from Slavia Prague last summer, is apparently garnering more and more interest due to his performances.

West Ham plan new Soucek deal

Indeed, the Czech Republic colossus has a ‘growing army of admirers’ as per this report, with GSB and West Ham allegedly now stepping up their plan to offer Soucek a bumper new deal.

His current contract entitles him to around £40,000-£50,000-per-week, but the mooted fresh proposal will increase this take home significantly.

As this exciting claim emerges that West Ham are plotting a new deal for Soucek, who has debatably been their player of the season, Irons supporters will surely be encouraged by their club’s efforts to keep hold of him.

Transfer Tavern take

Despite his role as a defensive midfield player, the 26-year-old has topped the Hammers scoring charts above the likes of Michail Antonio – all while proving to be one of the most aerially dominant men in the Premier League.

According to WhoScored, Soucek has averaged an impressive 5.7 aerial duels won per 90 – the second best number in England’s top flight just behind Sheffield United striker Oliver McBurnie.

A fan favourite at the London Stadium, in good company with the likes of Antonio and Declan Rice, time will tell if this proposed new deal comes to fruition – but it’s certainly a promising claim.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this ExWHUemployee claim, find out more here.

Steve Bruce should repeat his genius Matty Longstaff move of throwing a Newcastle United product in at the deep end with Elliot Anderson against Manchester United on Sunday.

The Toon boss gifted Longstaff his Premier League debut at home to the Red Devils last season and saw the decision come good with the 20-year-old scoring the winning goal.

Longstaff stayed in the side for a trip to Chelsea and clash with Wolves before returning to the periphery, only to bounce back at Old Trafford two months later by netting his side’s sole effort in a 4-1 defeat.

It was a brave decision by Bruce to hand a then 19-year-old Longstaff his top-flight debut after a run of one win in seven, but a move that would see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side left stunned when the Rotherham-born midfield let rip from 25-yards out.

After the game, Bruce could only salute his efforts after seeing Longstaff add a refreshing twist to his tactics after going back to basics on the back of a 5-0 drubbing at Leicester City.

“He trains every day with a big, beaming smile on his face, he’s refreshing, wants to play, he’s a great kid and I’m delighted,” the Magpies boss said, via quotes by BT. “Typical of him, the first thing he said to me coming off was ‘Thank you’. It’s ridiculous after what he’s just done.”

Now, it is time for Bruce to place the same trust in Anderson that he placed in Longstaff, with the 18-year-old seemingly chomping at the bit for his big break at Newcastle.

The Toon boss handed Anderson his senior debut as a late substitute in January’s FA Cup defeat to Arsenal before the tie headed for extra-time and was not let down by the youngster who emerged as United’s only true positive at the Emirates Stadium.

He appeared again for a brief three-minute run out in north London nine days later when Newcastle returned to Arsenal for a league game but has since seemed to fall out of favour after being left out of Bruce’s matchday squad for Monday’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea.

Anderson had taken a seat on the bench in United’s previous seven Premier League games before the Magpies’ trip to Stamford Bridge and has scored six goals in eight matches with the Under 23s this season.

The teenager reacted to his omission from the squad to face Chelsea by posting an Instagram story sharing a quote from Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, suggesting age should never be what prevents a player’s involvement.

“I never liked talking about age. If you’re good you play, if you’re not good you don’t play. If you’re good, you take the responsibility. If you’re not good, you shut up and watch the others. Don’t talk to me about age, talk to me about levels,” the post read, as noted by Chronicle Live (16/2, 16:06).

Whilst the young midfielder has received plenty of glowing endorsements, his former youth coach John Forrest told The Athletic: “He knew how to dominate a game, which is a natural skill that’s hard to coach. He really was an outstanding footballer. He stood out, even then.”

In the very same article, several of Anderson’s former Newcastle academy team-mates have told The Athletic that, not only was he the “most talented player” in their side, he was also “supremely driven” and will not lose focus.

Bruce should now repeat his move of dropping Longstaff in unexpectedly with Anderson, and see if the youngster can repeat the levels of his performance against Arsenal after seemingly hitting out at his lack of game time, as he could be Newcastle’s new secret weapon.

AND in other news, Newcastle weigh up free-agent swoop for striker with two career Premier League goals…

Lots of Rangers fans have flocked to a post from their club’s official Twitter account which shared an image of Scott Wright holding his new Rangers kit. 

This comes after it was confirmed that the Gers came to an agreement with Aberdeen to sign the 23-year-old immediately on a four-and-a-half-year contract. 

Earlier in January, it was announced that the Glasgow club had signed the Scottish winger on a pre-contract, however, it has now emerged that Rangers opted to pay ‘an undisclosed fee’ to get Wright to Ibrox now, to help the Gers for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign, as they close in on their first Premiership title since the 2010/11 season. 

After this news was announced, the Gers shared an image of Wright holding his Rangers kit, which features the number 23 on the back. 

So, how have these Rangers fans been reacting?

Many Rangers fans reacted positively to this image. Wright’s kit number is the same number of points that currently separate top-of-the-table Rangers from second-placed Celtic on the Premiership table and some Gers supporters took the opportunity to poke some fun at that in response to this tweet.

“how many clear?”

Credit: @dylanharkins123

“Aw he’s absolutely loving it”

Credit: @_ryanrfc

“Nice of Scott and Mr Rangers to remind us how many points clear we are”

Credit: @GreigC22

“See what you did there mr rangers #23”

Credit: @Ljt10x

“What a number #23”

Credit: @RickleChimby

“LETS GOOOOOOO”

Credit: @BFoster_5

“That’s a good number !”

Credit: @robertmcnaught

In other news, some Rangers fans have been fuming at their club over their Alfredo Morelos decision.

Tottenham came into the Christmas period off the back of a very rare defeat this season.

Their loss to Leicester was disappointing and perhaps provided a reality check to Jose Mourinho and his players.

They will have the chance to correct that against Wolves but Spurs would be lying if they didn’t at least have one eye on the January transfer window.

On the chalkboard

It’s not often you get a dose of transfer news on Christmas Day but that’s exactly what occurred at Spurs.

It was revealed by German football journalist Christian Falk that Spurs were interested in signing Red Bull Leipzig midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.

Fortunately for Mourinho, the player is also reportedly interested in making the move.

The Austrian midfielder is currently rated at £31.5m according to Transfermarkt so Daniel Levy may well have to pay a sizable fee to bring him to the Premier League.

That being said, if Levy did stomach the cash it would surely elevate Tottenham’s chances of finally winning the Premier League.

A solution

The Londoners don’t particularly lack creativity and the ability to score goals. After all, Heung-min Son and Harry Kane have combined for a total of 34 strikes already in the top-flight this season.

Kane has begun to drop deeper and play in a false 9 role but if they add someone like Sabitzer to their ranks, he may be able to focus on scoring, rather than creating.

Why’s that? Well, Sabitzer is excellent in the final third. A player capable of playing on the wing, as a number 10 or even as a deep-lying playmaker he could be just what Spurs have been crying out for.

Since Christian Eriksen left, they have lacked someone of his creative talents to create and score goals. Fortunately, Sabitzer has that in abundance.

Speaking about the midfielder, Julian Nagelsmann once said: “With some players, you never know if you can count on them. Sometimes they’re good enough to play for Real Madrid, and the next game they’re not even good enough for the reserves. [Sabitzer] stands out because he always plays well and is completely stable.”

Fine praise indeed. The 26-year-old netted 13 times and registered ten assists in all competitions last season, even bagging on two occasions against Spurs when he destroyed them in the Champions League.

In the prime of his career, Sabitzer would be an astute acquisition, one capable of finally replacing Eriksen and adding an extra pair of hands in attack.

AND in other news, EXCLUSIVE: Mabbutt drops HUGE CLAIM over Arteta misfit who would have been “a great Spurs player”…

Manchester City cruised into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win against Birmingham City on Sunday afternoon.

Two goals from Bernardo Silva and one from Phil Foden in the first-half did the damage for the Citizens, who were rarely troubled by the Championship strugglers.

Whilst the Portuguese winger will pick up a lot of the plaudits for his display, and two goals, against Aitor Karanka’s side, the performance of Kyle Walker should not go unnoticed.

The Englishman was playing for the first time since recovering from the current viral outbreak and featured in an unfamiliar centre-back role in the first-half, but he was superb throughout the game.

As per SofaScore, the former Tottenham Hotspur man picked up a 7.5 rating for his display, with only Kevin De Bruyne, Silva and Foden rated higher.

The 30-year-old also enjoyed a staggering 133 touches during the game, completing 111/117 passes, which resulted in a hugely impressive 95% pass accuracy.

He also contributed one key pass, whilst five of his seven long balls found a Manchester City shirt.

Therefore, whilst Pep Guardiola has a plethora of options available to him at centre-back, with John Stones and Ruben Dias in particularly good form as of late, he is safe in the knowledge that Walker, who earns £110k per week at City, can do an excellent job there when relied upon.

It may also give the Spanish manager a selection headache ahead of the midweek game against Brighton when selecting a right-back, so perhaps we will see the in-form Joao Cancelo switch back to left-back as he did earlier in the season, in order to accommodate Walker against Graham Potter’s side.

Either way, Walker’s performance against Birmingham was extremely impressive and he deserves a lot of credit for his versatility in defence.

And, in other news.. Man City must axe “superb talent” amid exit link; Txiki can make a huge profit

Chelsea face FC Krasnodar in the Champions League on Tuesday night having already qualified for the knockout stage of the competition after their 2-1 win away at Group E rivals Rennes last month.

The Blues are back in action this evening, as they welcome the Russian club to Stamford Bridge for their final Champions League game in the group stages.

Frank Lampard has revealed that Hakim Ziyech has been ruled out of the Champions League clash due to a hamstring injury, whilst Callum Hudson-Odoi suffered a similar injury in training.

Lampard will most likely take the opportunity to rotate his squad ahead of a busy schedule, as he confirmed both Kepa Arrizabalaga and Billy Gilmour will start in the pre-match press conference.

Here is our predicted starting line-up for tonight’s game against Krasnodar in the Champions League, which sees the Blues boss make nine changes to the team that thumped Leeds United.

Aside from Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea have a clean bill of health, and Lampard is expected to ring several changes for this dead rubber, with the likes of Timo Werner, Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma receiving well-deserved rests.

This means that Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, Emerson Palmieri and club captain Cesar Azpilicueta are likely to start, which means there is no room for Reece James, who registered an assist against Marcelo Bielsa’s side at Stamford Bridge.

N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount may make way for a midfield trio consisting of Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and Gilmour, who will receive his first start of the season after his knee surgery in the summer.

Ziyech actually offered very little against Leeds, so switching Kai Havertz to the right wing and bringing fit-again Christian Pulisic in on the right should be a tempting option, whilst Olivier Giroud is likely to lead the line.

Maybe Tammy Abraham could come in, but Giroud has been in such impressive form in recent weeks that we reckon that Lampard will stick with the Frenchman upfront.