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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”…

GOAL takes a look back at the 20 best kits to grace the Spanish top division.

Much like La Liga itself, the battle for the best Spanish kits is also dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The club’s Blaugrana and Los Blancos nicknames illustrate how iconic their respective home colours are, and a couple of classic away kits over the years also help.

But away from the big two, La Liga has always been packed with sensational kits.

There’s Valladolid’s violet, Real Vallecano’s red sash and the world-famous red and white stripes of Atletico Madrid.

Considering that legacy, here are the 20 best kits ever to grace La Liga…

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  20Malaga home 2010-11

  Malaga’s 2010-11 home shirt is something of a forgotten gem. At this time, the club from Southern Spain were working with Li-Ning – a Chinese label more often associated with basketball nowadays – and the blue stripes were transformed into a gradient effect, fading away as they reached the collar. The shirt wasn’t adored when it was released, but its forward-thinking aesthetic wouldn’t look out of place a decade later.

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  19Espanyol away 2003-04

  In the 2003-04 season, Espanyol played it very safe with their blue and white striped home shirt. The away kit, though, was a different story. It arrived in two shades of red, with a curved dividing line beginning a gradient change to black at the bottom of the shirt. It was, and still is, by far the most adventurous kit the Barcelona-based club ever attempted.

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  18Cadiz away 2021-22

  Cadiz’s blue away kits have often incorporated unusual graphics – including sashs, gradients and checkerboards – but the 2021/22 effort was the pick of the bunc. Different shades of blue and turquoise were used to create an abstract brushstroke pattern on the front of the Macron-produced jersey, which helped the club stand out as it just about held on to its La Liga status.

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  17Rayo Vallecano home 2013-14

  Most of Rayo Vallecano’s La Liga kits would qualify for this list due to the red diagonal stripe – a tribute to River Plate – but the 2013-14 season was one of the best. The whole design was retro-inspired, with the sash complemented by an old-school red collar and sleeve cuffs. Finishing off the whole thing was a lightning bolt graphic, added to the sash, a regular motif for the club.

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…

The Gunners started their Europa League campaign with a 2-1 win against FC Zurich in Switzerland.

Arsenal have another Brazilian to thank – but not one who had contributed before Thursday night.

Marquinhos, making his debut for the Gunners, scored the opener to help his team begin their Europa League campaign on a positive note. Next to him in celebrations was Gabriel Martinelli, another rising Selecao star. Gabriel Magalhaes, the 24-year-old starting centre-back, and substitute Gabriel Jesus are also part of the proud (and productive) Brazilian contingent.

The 19-year-old Marquinhos was joined on the scoresheet by Eddie Nketiah, as Arsenal earned all three points in their first Group A outing despite a valiant performance from the hosts.

Marquinhos broke the deadlock early, finishing off a wonderful counter-attack to register his first goal for the club.

But Nketiah gave away a penalty on the stroke of half-time, which Mirlind Kryeziu tucked away to make it 1-1.

Nketiah made amends for his error in the second half, however, heading home Marquinhos' cross to secure a deserved victory for Mikel Arteta's side.

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  The Winners

  Winner: Marquinhos

  You could see by the tears in his eyes what his goal meant to him.

  The teenager from Brazil has had to bide his time to make his debut following his summer move from Sao Paulo.

  He has impressed in training and when he's featured for the Under-21s, and his performance against Zurich showed why Arsenal opted to keep him around this summer, rather than sending him out on loan.

  He took his goal really well with a first-time finish and then did superbly to set up Eddie Nketiah for what proved to be the winner in the second half.

  The Europa League will give plenty of fringe players the chance to stake their claim for Premier League minutes this season and Marquinhos did his chances no harm in Zurich.

  Winner: Fabio Vieira

  Vieira's first start has been eagerly awaited and the £30 million signing didn't disappoint with an excellent performance.

  The Portuguese youngster was given license to roam in the central areas and looked technically solid with both feet.

  His movement was impressive and he certainly looked like he was able to cope with the physical side of the game despite his relatively small frame.

  Vieira's play which started the move for Marquinhos' goal perfectly highlighted his qualities, both in the way he spun away from his man and in the way he then picked out the perfect pass to send Nketiah clear.

  It was a very promising first start by the former Porto man.

  Winner: Eddie Nketiah

  It was somewhat of a mixed evening for Nketiah, who gave away a penalty right on half-time with a sloppy challenge.

  But at the other end he did exactly what Mikel Arteta would have asked of him.

  He showed real quality to set up the opener for Marquinhos and then he demonstrated his predatory instincts to score the winner with a back post header in the second half.

  The goal capped a fine performance from Nketiah, who led the line very well.

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• The Losers

  Arsenal's goal difference:

  This should not really matter, but this was a game in which Arsenal could have boosted their goal difference tally in Group A.

  Arteta's side were dominant throughout, but – not for the first time this season – failed to really make their dominance count.

  They weren't clinical enough going forward and that almost cost them because of one sloppy bit of play defensively when they gave away a penalty.

  Arsenal can just about get away with that at this stage of the competition, but they won't be able to be wasteful later on in the tournament.

  Reiss Nelson:

  Arsenal's academy graduate would have been looking at the Europa League this season as a real opportunity to impress.

  But he was forced to watch back in England as Arsenal got their campaign underway against Zurich on Thursday night.

  And to make matters worse for the winger – who has been out with a muscle injury since the opening week of the season – he would have seen Marquinhos play a starring role on the right hand side of the attack.

  If the young Brazilian continues to produce performances of this level, Nelson's opportunities could be few and far between – even when he does return to fitness.

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  Arsenal Ratings: Defence

  Matt Turner (6/10):

  Shaky start on his debut, but improved as the game went on.

  Takehiro Tomiyasu (6/10):

  Relatively comfortable night's work on his first start of the season.

  Rob Holding (6/10):

  Solid enough, was never really put under pressure.

  Gabriel Magalhaes (6/10):

  Saw lots of the ball, tried to drive forward at times to inject some forward momentum.

  Kieran Tierney (7/10):

  Worked tirelessly all game down the left hand side. Fantastic block in the first half to deny what looked a certain goal. Those 67 minutes would have done him the world of good.

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  Midfield

  Sambi Lokonga (7/10):

  Still settling into that lone midfield role. Swept up well at times and played one excellent ball to Vieira in the first half which deserved a better finish.

  Granit Xhaka (7/10):

  Kept the ball moving as always. Didn't get forward as much as he has been recently.

  Fabio Vieira (8/10):

  Excellent. Was always looking to get on the ball and create. Did superbly to start off the move for Marquinhos' goal. Promising first start.

Darren Bent has urged Aston Villa to give Douglas Luiz a new deal amid some links with a move away from Villa Park.

The defensive midfield player has reportedly been linked with a move back to his old club in Manchester City via a release clause in his contract, as the former Villa, Spurs and Sunderland striker has told Football Insider that his old team that they should give him a new contract:

“He fits that way Villa play nicely.

“He obviously sits in front of that back four, he’s disciplined, doesn’t wander too much, comfortable in possession. You need them type of players.

“We’ve seen players come into that position for Villa and not do very well but he looks comfortable, he looks assured and, for sure, he’s definitely a player that Villa need to keep hold of, because he has been very, very good.”

Luiz needs new deal to fend off City interest

Luiz needs to be given a new deal as soon as possible by Dean Smith’s side in order to fend off the reported interest from Man City.

A source from the Manchester club has previously described the Brazil international as a ‘hugely talented’ player, highlighting the fact that he has admirers back at his old team.

AVFC really need to do all that they can to persuade him to stay, given just how important he has been to their success so far in the Premier League.

Villa currently sit in ninth spot in the top flight table on 22 points, just nine points off of the top with a crucial two games in hand.

Luiz has won no fewer than 4.4 of his duels a match in England’s highest division so far this season, as well as averaging 1.3 shots, 1.3 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and one key pass per appearance (Sofascore), showing his impact on the side both attacking and defending wise.

In other news, find out the blow that Villa have been dealt in their pursuit of one transfer target here!

Goal brings you all the latest kit releases from Europe's biggest clubs, including information about leaks and predicted looks

Football fashion is an industry in itself and every season clubs across the world get in on the action by releasing a whole new set of kits for the campaign.

Manufacturers such as Nike, adidas, Puma and more are all in competition to produce the best looking kits each year, meaning there is always some sort of innovation.

Some brands have delved into the past for retro inspiration, while others tend to stick with a more modern vibe.

So, what will the top teams be wearing in 2021-22? Goal brings you all the details of confirmed kits, rumours and leaks.

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  AC Milan | Home

  AC Milan's partnership with Puma continues in 2021-22 and there is a lot more red on the this season compared to last. A thick black stripe runs down the middle of the chest on the jersey, with two thinner stripes either side of it. Framing the torso is another even thinner black stripe. The v-neck collar is red, with the Puma logo and sponsor text popping out white.

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  AC Milan | Away

  AC Milan will wear a light gold away kit in 2021-22, complemented by red flourishes on the shoulders and cuffs as well as sponsor logo, with black used for the Puma logo.

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  Ajax | Home

  Ajax have brought back a classic club logo for the 2021-22 season and they will also nod to the past by playing without player names on their jerseys – in the Eredivisie at least. In European competition they will have to comply with UEFA's regulations. As well as the classic red and white, the new home jersey features silver adidas stripes across the shoulders.

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  Ajax | Away

  Ajax will wear a bold blue and black striped jersey as their away outfit in 2021-22, leaving behind the grey-white colourway. A turquoise-teal colour will adorn the badge and logos, as well as the adidas stripes and they border the black stripes, helping them to pop.

One of the most iconic football boots is making a comeback in 2018 and Goal takes a look back at the evolution of Adidas' famous range

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  1Adidas Predator 18 Team Mode (2018)

  Four years after its discontinuation, the Predator was reborn in 2018 with the launch of the new Predator 18 Team Mode.

  The Predator 18 has revived the traditional look which characterised the range throughout the 2000s, but care has been taken to bring the boot into the modern era, with a 'PrimeKnit' and 'ControlSkin' textile upper, as well as a sockfit collar to improve stability.

  Recalling past ventures, the front and sides of the boot feature a ridged texture, but the tongue remains a thing of the past.

  World Cup winner Paul Pogba is the face of the new era of Predator boots, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Zidane.

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  2Adidas Predator Instinct (2014)

  There were even more daring alterations made to the Adidas Predator in 2014 with the release of the Instinct in the lead up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

  The boot, which borrowed from the F50 range in terms of the synthetic material used, was used by stars such as Angel Di Maria.

  The design of the Predator Instinct featured white hexagonal shapes on a black background, with three orange stripes on the sides.

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  3Adidas Predator Lethal Zones (2012)

  After the release of the Predator X, the old style was very much left in the past and Adidas began to explore new innovations in their Predator Range.

  In 2012 they released the Predator Lethal Zones (or LZ), which was totally unlike any of its predecessors in design.

  In fact, since they used the same 'SprintFrame' technology and stud configuration, the Predator LZs were more similar to the new F50 and adiPure ranges.

  The 'Lethal Zones' alluded to in the boot's name were five distinct sections of the shoe: first touch, dribble, drive, pass and sweet spot, which were each optimised for the different areas of the game.

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  4Adidas Predator X (2010)

  Drastic changes came in 2010 as Adidas launched their 10th edition of the range: Predator X.

  The tongue, which had been a unique feature of the range for the duration of the previous decade, was removed completely, with the laces partially hidden, which was said to improve the control of the ball

  As with the Powerswerve, rubber strips were not present and the front of the boot featured a single area of foam.

West Ham United would rue their naive call not to offer Fabian Balbuena a new contract amid rumours Flamengo could move to sign the David Moyes favourite in 2021.

What’s the word?

According to Jorge Nicola, Flamengo are paying close attention to Balbuena’s situation at the London Stadium with his £40,000-per-week contract set to expire next summer.

The Brazilian heavyweights are open to the idea of signing the centre-half if he leaves the Premier League as a free agent, which would be expected to spark further interest in his services.

Flamengo are not yet putting any steps in place toward a deal for Balbuena, with the Estadio de Gavea natives currently focusing efforts toward deals for other priority positions.

Rogerio Ceni’s side currently sit second to Atletico Goianiense by three points, having allowed the fifth-most goals (31) in the Brazilian Serie A thus far this season.

Flamengo may miss out on signing Balbuena next year, as it is thought West Ham are plotting a new deal for the 29-year-old who has started seven of the Irons’ nine Premier League fixtures thus far this season.

Moyes has only opted against naming Balbuena in one of his line-ups for West Ham’s opening two games of the campaign, which saw the Hammers lose to Newcastle United and Arsenal before enjoying a run of one loss in seven.

Naive to let Balbuena leave

While Nicola notes that West Ham are expected to present a new contract offer to Balbuena before his terms lapse, it would be naive of the east London outfit to allow the Moyes favourite to leave for nothing next summer.

Balbuena has bounced back perfectly from facing a fraught future this year, after rumours surfaced suggesting the Irons were open to offers after the centre-half failed to convince Moyes that he could be relied on last season.

The Paraguayan was also said to be open to the chance of moving back to South America, but has gone from being written off and out the door to one of the first names on the teamsheet.

“You look at Balbuena, a player who was completely written off – we wanted anyone rather than Balbuena playing in central defence. [But] Balbuena has been brilliant,” Sam Delaney claimed on The Athletic’s U Irons podcast. “I can’t see how he’s going to get Balbuena or [Aaron] Cresswell out the team.”

Balbuena has become so integral at the London Stadium as the 6 ft 2 enforcer has registered more interceptions (15) and clearances (38) than any other West Ham defender, and has as many successful tackles (10) and been dribbled past (4) as many times as Angelo Ogbonna, per SofaScore.

Moyes may look for other options in the January or summer markets next year, but West Ham would be naïve to allow Balbuena to leave – especially for nothing – after his turn of form this season.

AND in other news, David Moyes would not be getting his next Tomas Soucek in a £16m West Ham target likened to David Luiz…

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.

Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed one hell of a transfer window.

Gareth Bale made a sensational return to the club where he made his name. Sergio Reguilon accompanied him from Real Madrid. Matt Doherty, Joe Hart and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg joined from other Premier League teams and a back-up striker was finally found in Carlo Vinicius.

However, could Daniel Levy already be rueing the decision to not sign one mooted summer target?

Over the weekend, Football Insider revealed that former Brentford striker Ollie Watkins held “extensive” talks with the north London outfit and was “desperate” to make the move to the club prior to signing for Aston Villa for £28m.

They also claim that Levy would not meet the Bees’ asking price and tried to keep driving down the deal.

And despite costing a whopping £28m, it appears that the Midlanders have truly won from this saga.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a phenomenal start to life in the Premier League, culminating in a recent hat-trick against defending champions, Liverpool.

Whilst they are the only three goals he’s scored in Villa’s opening three matches, he’s still contributed massively to their encouraging start – per WhoScored, Watkins is averaging 3.3 shots, 1.7 key passes and one shot per game, so he’s clearly doing more than just finding the back of the net.

His form has already drawn high praise indeed. Alan Shearer told Match of the Day: “It wasn’t just his goals that impressed me – it was his hold-up play, the strength. He’s too strong for you. Bringing people into the game. Running in behind he was a constant nuisance, they just couldn’t live with him. We said he should have scored more – he perhaps should have.”

Whilst Exeter City boss Matty Taylor believes he’s on the cusp of an international call-up. He said: “If you perform well then the next level is international football, and to see him in an England shirt would top the lot – it would even top the hat-trick against Liverpool.”

Watkins is managing more shots at goal each game than Heung-min Son (2.5), so you could only imagine the threat Spurs would have if it was a front three involving the Villa man, the South Korean and Harry Kane.

Levy may well have made a mistake with this one.

AND in other news, Levy hardball could cost Spurs in the race to land £20m “special talent”…