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Cast your minds back to July 2019 and you may recall Wolves had big ambitions.

Nuno Santo’s team had just qualified for the Europa League and they were planning to follow that up by making some big-name signings.

Tim Spiers reported at the time that one player on their radar was Ruben Dias. The link certainly made sense. He was Portuguese and his agent is Jorge Mendes, the intermediary in charge of not only Nuno but a plethora of players on Wolves’ books.

If anyone could lure a player of Dias’ calibre to Molineux it was Mendes. Ultimately, Wolves were put off by Benfica’s £50m asking price.

That, however, would have been a mere snip. The centre-back stayed in Portugal that season but eventually signed for Manchester City a year later in a deal costing them £64m.

Since coming to English football, he has been breathtaking. Pep Guardiola’s defence was a huge reason for concern last term. They had repeated injuries and had failed to replace the departed Vincent Kompany.

Yet, in 2020/21, Dias has turned them back into title contenders. City are top of the table and they owe much of that to their new central defender. He has helped the club to keep 13 clean sheets in the Premier League from just 19 outings. It’s an astonishing record and it’s hardly a surprise that Guardiola’s waxed lyrical about the 23-year-old.

He said in January: “He is a guy that can play every three days. He recovers immediately and his ability is incredible, as is his understanding of the game.”

How Wolves could do with a player like that now. Their defence has been nothing short of shambolic this term. The Old Gold have kept only a solitary clean sheet since October and club captain Conor Coady is enduring a rough time.

His ability to play in a back four as opposed to a back three is questionable and that was evident when he gave away a penalty against West Brom. What followed was Nuno substituting him for the first time in his Wolves career.

It was a landmark moment for Coady, someone whose England aspirations are surely taking a hit. Though, had they signed Dias, it’s hard to suggest Wolves’ defence wouldn’t have improved.

If we compare the duo this term, the Portugal international is streets ahead. Dias has won 2.5 aerial duels per game while Coady has won just 1.2 duels in the air.

Critically, the former is also dribbled past on fewer occasions. The Man City defender is beaten by an opponent 0.43 times per 90 minutes. Coady, on the other hand, is surpassed 0.72 times.

Dias has very quickly become one of the biggest defensive forces in the Premier League and has unquestionably been worth the money City paid.

He could have been Wolves’ in 2019 if they coughed up the money. It’s easy to say in hindsight that Shi should have invested but it’s growing increasingly evident that this was a massive howler from the Old Gold owner.

AND in other news, Wolves could finally axe Moutinho by signing “intelligent” £13m gem Keogh once bullied…

Marcus Rashford’s hot streak continued as he put on a masterclass to help Manchester United come from behind to beat Liverpool and progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Inspired by the spirited Rashford, who earns wages worth £200,000-per-week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side claimed one of their biggest scalps of this season so far.

Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Rashford gave the Red Devils victory in a thrilling FA Cup clash against the defending Premier League champions at Old Trafford.

After Greenwood drew the Red Devils level, the Rashford scored shortly after halftime to put them within touching distance of a place in the next round of the competition.

While Fernandes will be the name in the headlines, it was Rashford who stepped up to derail the Reds’ pursuit of silverware. Mo Salah opened the scoring for Liverpool at Old Trafford but United bounced back in style after a cross-field diagonal ball from Rashford found Greenwood on the right, who coolly slotted home past the helpless Alisson.

But he saved his best moment for later in the game as he latched onto a through ball from Greenwood and found the back of the net.

As per SofaScore, the monstrous Rashford earned a 7.8 match rating for his display, that being the second-highest out of any United player on the pitch, bettered only by a certain Greenwood, which was significantly higher than his season average of 6.96.

Against Liverpool, he would take two shots on target, which was the most of any player from Solskjaer’s squad, including Fernandes.

He’s still not the finished article, that much is obvious, but he’s started to show a maturity far beyond his years both on and off the pitch.

The England international also took more touches (38) than Edinson Cavani as he showed a willingness to bring the ball out from inside his own half to put his team on the front foot, as evidenced by his two successful dribbles from three attempts per 86′ minutes.

He would also win four duels, which is on par with his average of 4.5 in the Premier League, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who were tasked with the job of keeping the left winger at bay, received below-par ratings of 6.4 and 6.7 respectively, as per SofaScore, which goes some way to show that it was the United forward who got the best of his direct opponents on the day.

If the Red Devils are to regain the title for the first time since the 2012-13 season and go far in the FA Cup too, United fans will be hoping that he can maintain his impressive run of form, which has seen him score 15 goals in 31 appearances so far this season.

AND in other news, Manchester United should consider January loan exit for Donny van de Beek…

Glasgow Rangers were handed a huge boost this time last year when Croatian left-back Borna Barisic re-committed his future to the Govan-based Glaswegian giants, but since then it’s been a little quiet on the contract front.

Steven Gerrard’s Gers are leading the race to regain the Scottish Premiership for the first time since the 2010-11 season, but that doesn’t mean that they should rest on their laurels and they should now look to prioritise a new contract for goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

The Light Blues struck a decisive blow after beating Celtic at Ibrox in a crunch Old Firm clash to take a gigantic step towards the Premiership title. A Callum McGregor own goal ultimately proved to be the decider, although a spirited display from the veteran Rangers stopper admirably played its part after he made a string of superb saves to deny the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths.

In fact, we’d even go so far as to say that he quite literally kept Gerrard’s side in the game for most of the first half.

The former Scotland international signed for Rangers before the turn of the century back in 1998 and during his two spells at Ibrox, he has gone on to make more than 300 appearances across all competitions, featuring in over 30 Old Firm derbies so far for his boyhood club.

As per SofaScore, McGregor was given a high grade of 7.4 out of ten for his efforts – he made three saves, including one save from inside the box at close-range, one punch, and took 43 touches of the ball. He also won 100% of his ground duels and was fouled once as well.

The Ibrox boss waxed lyrical over the veteran after the game, saying: “Wow, he was outstanding. He’s a world-class goalkeeper. The couple of saves he’s made to keep us in it.

“It’s a good decision to make him man of the match, he was outstanding and reliable. I know why he’s been so successful at this club because he’s bailed us out again on a couple of occasions.”

He also drew praise from his teammate Bongani Zungu for his performance, who hailed him as an “incredible” person and player

Recently described as a “really valuable” asset by former England international Paul Robinson, the 38-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of the current season and Ross Wilson must do everything within his power to ensure that he doesn’t depart on a free transfer in the summer.

Despite his age, he is still the club’s first-choice keeper and he has shown that he still has the ability to perform well at a consistent basis. It’s about time the club began negotiations over a new deal for the £13,000-per-week gem.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must sign former Leicester City starlet Dennis Gyamfi in January…

When it comes to the January transfer window, Wolves’ plans solely revolve around finding a new striker.

After Raul Jimenez fractured his skull against Arsenal, they have been relentlessly searching for someone to fill his void.

Fabio Silva has scored just once since the Mexican was ruled out for an unspecified amount of time and as a result, the club recalled Patrick Cutrone from his unsuccessful loan stint with Fiorentina.

The Italian has failed to score all season so it’s rather questionable that Nuno Santo believes him best qualified to replace Jimenez.

That being said, they are surely no better targeting Stephane Bahoken. The Cameroon international has been linked with a switch to Wolves in the last few weeks but hasn’t particularly caught the eye since.

Judging by the acquisitions of Romain Saiss and Rayan Ait-Nouri from Bahoken’s club Angers, he’d be a good signing, but his performance off the bench on Saturday was nothing short of a horror show.

His team were defeated 3-0 by Monaco and the striker came on and played the final 34 minutes of the encounter. Unfortunately, he failed to inspire a fightback.

The 28-year-old cut a frustrated figure as he completed just 57% of his passes – four out of seven. Coincidentally that was a worse tally than Cutrone managed when he came off the bench for Wolves last Friday in the FA Cup.

He only managed three passes but was successful with all of them at least. From just ten touches of the ball, Bahoken lost it on four occasions and only managed a solitary shot towards goal.

There was a distinct lack of threat from the experienced forward who didn’t do anything positive of note. Cutrone did at least try one dribble when he came on for Wolves but it would be wrong to say he didn’t struggle too.

It’s unsurprising, though, when you consider it was his first appearance of the season for the Old Gold.

That being said, he is still probably a better option than Wolves’ current target. Cutrone at least knows the demands of Nuno and how the team plays.

They must forget about Bahoken for the time being. This small cameo was a disaster.

AND in other news, Wolves can find their next Boly with swoop for £1.5m “weapon”, he’s a “great talker”…

Aston Villa striker Wesley Moraes is reportedly eying a return from his anterior cruciate ligament injury in the New Year but faces a mammoth struggle to prove himself all over again.

Supporters have not seen Wesley step foot on the pitch since New Year’s Day when carted off on a stretcher against Burnley, having appeared to twist his ankle in the follow-through of a robust challenge from Ben Mee.

Wesley had just begun to establish himself at Villa Park following a £22million transfer that summer, with the former Club Brugge hitman netting his fifth goal of the Premier League campaign at Turf Moor to open the scoring.

Aston Villa went on to win 2-1 against Burnley but were soon dealt the news that Wesley’s season was over alongside goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who similarly sustained a serious knee injury at Turf Moor.

But while 34-year-old shot-stopper Heaton returned to feature for the Villa Park natives’ Under 23s last month, Wesley continues his wait and is targeting his first taste of action in March – more than a year on from being carried off the field – according to BirminghamLive.

Barring any changes to Smith’s squad in the January window, Wesley’s return will be a huge boost to the Villans boss who has relied on summer signing Ollie Watkins to carry the burden in attack this season.

Watkins moved to the Birmingham-based outfit from Brentford for a club-record £33m in the off-season and has lit up the top-flight since with six goals in nine games, including a hat-trick over Liverpool and a brace at Arsenal in Man of the Match displays.

Smith is yet to hand starts to any other player at centre-forward this term, but will expect Wesley to challenge the 24-year-old once fit and prove himself to be worth the £35,000-per-week contract Villa are not currently benefiting from.

Though Wesley has a mountain to climb if he is to dethrone Watkins as all of his credit is spent, and he will return in March as if he is a new signing who must prove himself all over again.

Smith is already benefiting more from Watkins than he could with Wesley and in fewer games, too, as the Villans’ star of the season so far is averaging more shots (2.1) than the Brazilian achieved in 2019/20 (1.3), contributing more key passes (1.3 to 0.5), winning more aerial duels (4.1 to 3.3), taking more touches (37.9 to 29.5), winning more ground duels (3.4 to 2.0) and playing a higher number of accurate passes (15.1 to 12.5) per game in the Premier League, per SofaScore.

It will be up to Wesley to take the challenge to Watkins, but it will be Smith who decides if the Brazilian has a future at Villa Park beyond the season.

AND in other news, Dean Smith must demand more from his “erratic” £75,000-per-week Aston Villa favourite.

West Ham United’s vexing decision to sell Grady Diangana to West Bromwich Albion this summer is being proven right by the winger’s lacklustre form under Slaven Bilic.

The Irons caused uproar during the off-season when it was announced that Diangana was being sold to the Baggies for just £12million, rising to a potential Hawthorns record £18m through add-ons, following his standout campaign with the West Midlands outfit last term.

Diangana offered eight goals and seven assists in 30 Championship appearances during a one-year loan, only blighted by a hamstring injury that prevented his involvement over the festive period and kept the 22-year-old on the sidelines until the restart in June.

West Ham captain Mark Noble led the charge of angry supporters reacting to the east London outfit’s decision to sell Diangana, stating in a post on Twitter how the academy graduate’s exit had left him “gutted, angry and sad”.

“As captain of this football club I’m gutted, angry and sad that Grady has left, great kid with a great future!!!!!” he wrote.

Diangana was nothing but grateful for what West Ham had done for him during his 12-years with the London Stadium natives, having enjoyed 61 outings for the Irons’ Under 23s and breaking into the senior fold to make 21 appearances.

“I would like to say thank you to everyone at West Ham who have helped me to develop and become the player and person I am today, since the age of 10,” he noted in a statement on Instagram. “I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be able to represent such a great club! Thank you to the fans for supporting me along the way, you will always have a special place in my heart.”

But while supporters were so angered by West Ham’s decision to sell Diangana this summer, his performances in the Premier League under Bilic this term are only serving to prove the Irons were right to free up cash in the former England U21 international that could be put toward improving David Moyes’ squad.

In the latest of his nine league games this season, Diangana cut a disillusioned figure against Manchester United before being hauled off in the 62nd-minute having failed to score or assist a goal for the seventh match in a row.

Diangana penned his only goal of the term on matchday two in defeat to Everton, is yet to assist a goal in any competition and failed to come close at Old Trafford on Saturday, where he failed to register a single shot on target, key ball or attempted cross, per SofaScore.

He further lost four of nine ground duels, two of three aerial duels, turned over possession 10 times, was caught offside once and committed one foul on route to a 6.6 match rating – a score he has not bettered since earning a 6.9 in October’s 2-0 loss at Southampton.

The future may still be bright for Diangana, but West Ham cannot afford to wait with the move to the London Stadium continually slammed for failing to bring much reason for supporters to cheer.

AND in other news, GSB would be heading for disaster replacing a key David Moyes player with a “fantastic” prospect.

Manchester United were one of the busiest sides on Deadline Day, signing several players including Brazilian left-back Alex Telles from FC Porto.

What’s the word?

According to the BBC’s Simon Stone, Telles has signed a four-year deal with the Red Devils retaining the option to extend his contract for a further year.

The Brazil international, who has won one cap for his country at the time of writing, has moved to Old Trafford for a reported fee worth £13.6m with add ons.

It means that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally has a full-back who can compete with Brandon Williams and Luke Shaw for a place in the starting line-up.

Solskjaer had been desperate to add a player in this position all summer and now he has hit the jackpot.

Shrewd signing

By all accounts it had been a relatively quiet transfer window at Old Trafford by their standards but the club were forced into a dramatic upturn after missing out on Jadon Sancho.

The Red Devils are in dire need of a full-back, even more so after Solskjaer’s side were on the receiving end of a 6-1 drubbing by Spurs which saw Shaw exposed several times.

And they have brought in Telles from Porto which may not only bring Solskjaer’s nightmares at the back to an abrupt end but could also stop Harry Maguire from dramatically regressing even further.

Per SofaScore, Shaw may live to regret his mistakes, as he lost possession 16 times throughout the game, whilst he committed three fouls and failed to make a single tackle.

The 25-year-old played 24 games in the Premier League last season, averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.3 clearances and at least 1 interception per game, via WhoScored.

In contrast Telles made 31 appearances for Porto in the Portuguese top-flight, averaging 1.1 tackles, 1.2 clearances and 1.8 interceptions per game, as per WhoScored. He also scored 13 goals and supplied 12 assists in all competitions for the club last season.

Solskjaer insists that “he is a fighter and a winner” which is surely a sign of things to come.

And former Brazil left-back Roberto Carlos believes that “Alex is a phenomenon. He is another player who, before long, will be part of the national team.”

Whilst it may seem like a press of the panic button, this is a transfer the club have been pursuing for some time, and it could turn out to be a shrewd bit of business by Ed Woodward. It could take the club to the next level from a left-back point of view as he is surely an upgrade on what they had at Old Trafford.

AND in other news, Man United’s failure to sign Jadon Sancho spells certain doom for Solskjaer…

Arsenal’s chase of Gabriel has been the story for the Gunners in the ongoing summer transfer window. But now, they really do seem like just one step away from announcing the defender and finally getting the deal over the line.

Or so Newcastle United would hope, at least. And this is a rather interesting situation as well because Steve Bruce is reportedly counting on Mikel Arteta to land his target so that he has a chance of scooping up Rob Holding on loan.

That’s what the Daily Mail have stated in their latest update and it seems the Magpies are keen on taking the 24-year-old to St. James Park. The same source confirms, however, that Holding would only be allowed to leave if Gabriel’s signature is first secured by Arsenal.

So Newcastle are very much rooting for their rivals to land the big-money target from Lille but will also have to be wary of other potential suitors. The Daily Mail say Leeds United are also interested since Marcelo Bielsa is looking for a Ben White alternative.

As things currently stand, Holding could very well quickly become a wanted man once his club does finalise the deal for Gabriel. And that could be just around the corner as well.

The transfer window is heating up and the Magpies are on a lookout for their first big signing of the summer.

Verdict

Even though he seems to be expendable and has been struggling at the Emirates as of late, Holding can still be a big reinforcement for Bruce. All that remains is beating the opposition in the race and secure the defender’s signature as soon as Arsenal announce Gabriel.

If the latest reports are to be believed, that should be done sooner rather than later. Maybe even today of all days.

Only time will tell.

Rangers failed to capitalise on Sunday afternoon with their arch-rivals not in league action, though Steven Gerrard’s side are four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership after the opening four games of the season.

The Light Blues struggled to find a way past Livingston at Almondvale Stadium, drawing 0-0 with the winless SPFL outfit.

On the face of it, Gerrard’s men dominated in terms of possession (79%) and total shots (23) but when digging deeper, only three of those attempts at goal were actually on target and nearly half were from outside the penalty box – it’s no wonder they failed to score.

Much of the Ibrox faithful were quick to hammer midfielder maestro Ryan Jack following the full-time whistle. He was labelled a “waste of a jersey” as well as “shocking” whilst one supporter went as far as claiming that he had “done nothing” for months.

Well, this doesn’t appear to be the case whatsoever. In fact, the 28-year-old ran the show in the heart of the pitch, picking up a squad-high 7.8 rating.

Per SofaScore, Jack also made a whopping 128 passes at an accuracy rate of 90%, two of which were key passes and even recorded two tackles, two interceptions and won 100% of his duels.

Therefore, the blame should be attributed elsewhere as the engine room were clearly creating opportunities.

For example, Alfredo Morelos had a rare off day, failing to record a single effort on target from five attempts and likewise with Gerrard’s two new strikers that were introduced in the second half, Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe, who both failed to even have a shot at goal.

Jack’s midfield partner Glen Kamara has been linked with an exit since the 19/20 season finished prematurely – according to 90min, Premier League duo Everton and Newcastle are keen on the Finland international.

Perhaps fans should get used to seeing their Scotsman as clearly he’s going to be able to continue in Kamara’s absence should he depart Ibrox before October.

He certainly deserves less flak than what he got post-game.

AND in other news, Rangers could give Gerrard a different threat in young sensation dubbed the next Arjen Robben…

Glasgow Rangers are set to settle for a fee between £12m and £15m for Alfredo Morelos as a late-window sale becomes increasingly likely, according to Football Insider.

The Colombia international was thought to be close to a move to Lille, with the two parties reportedly agreeing personal terms.

However, their interest has diminished following the capture of Jonathan David, and it now seems that a deal could be done later on in the window. As such, the Ibrox outfit may be willing to settle for a fee below what they were previously asking for.

There was a time when the 54-time Scottish champions’ asking price was said to be at £20m, but the figure continues to decrease as time goes by. A fee of £12m would be someway off what they were originally looking for, and it would be a blow to the club to lose him for such a fee – given he has a record of 79 goals in 141 matches for the club, and with a Transfermarkt value of £13.5m, he is surely worth more than that.

Worryingly, it seems that the Gers are panicking, and may be concerned that he does not leave at all. Indeed according to the report from Football Insider the Ibrox club need to make a big sale to balance their books, otherwise they risk a financial black hole.

The double signing of Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe indicates that Steven Gerrard is prepared for the eventuality that Morelos does depart, but of course the boss will not be too eager to lose his star player. Quite frankly, unless the 24-year-old makes the situation difficult and demands to leave, they may be better off waiting another year and making a real tilt at the Premiership title rather than underselling themselves.

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