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New Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui wants speedy winger Adama Traore to sign a new contract at Molineux, according to Express & Star journalist Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: Traore performing better

The 26-year-old has had a curious career at the Premier League club, producing some moments of brilliance but also flattering to deceive too all too often in the final third, scoring just 13 goals in 168 games for the Old Gold.

Traore fell out of favour under Bruno Lage, being loaned out to Barcelona, but he has done better this season, scoring twice and looking a more effective figure.

With Lopetegui now in charge, it looks as though things could be about to get even brighter for the Spain winger.

The Latest: New deal incoming?

Taking to Twitter, Keen said that the new Wolves boss wants Traore to extend his stay at the club, clearly rating him as a player.

Sharing a corresponding article for the Express & Star, the journalist tweeted:

“Julen Lopetegui wants Adama Traore to fire Wolves out of relegation trouble and sign a new deal in the process.”

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The Verdict: Time to trust Lopetegui

There was a point not long ago where it felt as though Traore had no future at Molineux, having made just 10 Premier League starts last season, and while his current contract expires next summer, the situation now feels rather different.

Lopetegui seemingly views the 26-year-old as a key figure at the club, and if he is able to get the best out of the winger, Wolves could have a special player in their ranks.

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The pace and power that Traore possesses is arguably unlike anything else in the Premier League, and ironing out the flaws in his game and becoming a consistent source of goal and assists could take him to the next level.

Lopetegui must feel that he can achieve that with Traore – the winger has been hailed as ‘amazing’ by former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo – and he should be trusted to see what he can elicit from this Molineux maverick.

Aston Villa are set to sign highly-rated Linfield teenager Cole Brannigan, according to The Belfast Telegraph’s Steven Beacom.

The Lowdown: Brannigan profiled

Brannigan is a winger and has been catching the eye in England, with Chelsea, Leeds and Manchester City all linked with a move in recent months.

A Northern Ireland U16 international, Brannigan recently impressed at the Victory Shield for his nation, and it seems as if a move to the Midlands is set to materialise.

The Latest: Villa move pending

Beacom shared a story on Wednesday afternoon regarding Brannigan and Villa.

He revealed that Villa have moved into pole position for the player and look set to pay Linfield around £150,000 plus add-ons, with a move ‘set’ to be completed in the summer.

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The Verdict: Exciting

Villa haven’t been shy when it comes to adding to their academy ranks recently, with the likes of Josh Feeney, Kerr Smith and Rory Wilson all arriving at Bodymoor Heath.

Brannigan looks set to be the next potential future star to head to Villa, which can only be viewed as a piece of positive news when you consider some of the sides who were keen on his services.

Hopefully, a transfer can be finalised in the New Year, and who knows, we could see the youngster at first-team level in years to come.

Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece has claimed that the club could move for Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha in the New Year.

The Lowdown: Zaha speculation

The Ivory Coast wizard is out of contract at Selhurst Park at the end of the season and doesn’t appear to be close to signing an extension, despite being verbally offered a pay rise.

Villa Park has been named as a potential destination for the 30-year-old, who has previously been described as “unplayable” by talkSPORT pundit Darren Ambrose.

The Latest: Preece’s comments

Preece shared a notebook for Birmingham Live on Wednesday where he was asked various Villa-related questions.

One of those was transfer related on who Villa could sign in the New Year, to which Preece said: “Keep an eye on Zaha… could be interesting given his contract situation.”

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The Verdict: A-list forward

Unai Emery is after a new A-list attacker in the New Year who can play anywhere across the front three, something that Zaha can do.

The Ivory Coast international has plenty of Premier League experience and enjoyed his best season in front of goal last year, netting 14 times in the top flight.

You’d expect that he still has plenty left in the tank at the highest level, so a cut-price move in January could prove to be a wise one for NSWE to consider – and as Preece mentions, one to watch closely.

Leeds United youngster Cody Drameh looks set to depart Elland Road during the January transfer window, according to an update from journalist Joe Donnohue.

The Lowdown: Drameh out of favour

The 20-year-old had been lured to Elland Road from Fulham two years ago and was frequently included in matchday squads by Marcelo Bielsa, but things have somewhat stagnated for him of late.

Drameh has been limited to just one appearance in the Premier League this season, and one in the Carabao Cup, with Jesse Marsh not seeing him as part of his first-team plans.

Indeed, it now looks as though the right-back may have reached the end of the line at Leeds.

The Latest: January exit seems likely

Taking to Twitter on Monday evening, Donnohue reacted to Graham Smyth’s report for the Yorkshire Evening Post which claimed that Drameh is expected to depart Leeds permanently in January.

He tweeted:

“A shame this looks to be the end of the road for Drameh at #LUFC, but best for all parties. Bags of talent, as shown throughout his time at Thorp Arch and with Cardiff last season, but completely wasted in U21s football. Writing on the wall in summer when Leeds signed Kristensen.”

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The Verdict: Time to move on

While it is a pity to see talented young players moving on from Leeds, this does feel like a natural parting of ways between Drameh and the Yorkshire club.

It would be far more beneficial to his career to enjoy regular football somewhere else, rather than potentially staying in the under-23s and not reaching his potential.

Drameh is unlikely to be without suitors during January given his long-term promise and a host of Championship and European interest over the summer, and it is simply a case of making the right decision for his career, ensuring that he carves out a positive pathway for himself.

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota’s injury is ‘complicated’ and his absence is expected to be ‘long-term’, according to an update from injury analyst Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Jota missing for a while

The Reds have again found themselves struggling with injuries this season, with Jurgen Klopp having to make do without some key players for long periods.

Jota falls into that category after being stretchered off in the 1-0 win at home to Manchester City in the Premier League in October, and he was subsequently ruled out of the World Cup.

The hope was that the 26-year-old would make a fast recovery from his knee issue but that doesn’t seem to be the case, following a new revelation.

The Latest: Long-term injury blow

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Dinnery admitted that Jota’s knee injury is a serious one and that he won’t be returning to action for a while.

The injury analyst said:

“With Diogo Jota, it is slightly more complicated and it is very much long-term.

“He will be going out to Dubai but that is purely just to continue his rehab, and for a change of scenery, get a bit of sun on his back, and psychologically it can be a bit of a boost to get away and change your environment.”

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The Verdict: Huge miss for Reds

There is no denying that this is a huge blow for Liverpool, even if they knew Jota was out for a long time already, with the Portuguese forward such a potent attacking figure at Anfield.

The 26-year-old has scored 34 goals in 93 appearances for the Reds and has the ability to pop up with crucial strikes – like those at Manchester City and Arsenal last season, for example – showcasing his ruthlessness in the final third.

Without Jota available for much of the season, Klopp desperately needs his other attackers to stay fit, with Luis Diaz hopefully back after the World Cup and Darwin Nunez continuing to improve in a Reds shirt.

Leeds United are reportedly devising a plan to unearth a gem akin to Cody Gakpo, following their failed summer pursuit.

What’s the latest?

The Whites were one ofmany clubs vyingfor the signature of the Dutchman, who has truly exploded this season.

However, Pete O’Rourke thinks that Victor Orta will be plotting a way to find a similar star, as he toldGIVEMESPORT: “Obviously, for Leeds, it does give them a bit of confidence that they are looking at the right players who have huge potential to become big, big players in the future.

“Victor Orta is very well renowned in the transfer market and I’m sure he will have plans in place to see if Leeds can find another gem or maybe try and unearth the next potential top player that could come to Elland Road and make a real name for himself.”

Orta masterclass

Should the Spaniard find someone of a similar ilk to Gakpo, it would surely be renowned as another masterclass from Leeds’ director of football, who has a history of seeking out brilliant unknown talent.

The signing of Raphinha two years ago arguably stands out as his greatest deal, but to find someone like the 23-year-old would perhaps blow even that out of the water.

Gakpo has had an exceptional campaign, having starred for both club and country in a season which has truly announced him on the world stage.

For PSV, he boasts13 goals and 17 assists across just 24games in both domestic and European competition, as he looks to surpass last season’s impressive tally of 36 goal contributions.

He would then translate this blistering form onto the international stage, havingscored in eachof Netherlands’ group stage matches as they cruised into the round of 16 at the World Cup, eventually bowing out in the quarter-finals.

Gakpo has been a consistent source of goals from the left wing for some time now, and it is a wonder why he only now seems to be garnering widespread interest.

Should Orta find his next big target, he will want to ensure that he gets it wrapped up promptly before they surpass a potential move to Elland Road, as the one for Gakpo – now a primary target for Manchester United – seems to have done.

It would certainly mark a masterclass from Leeds to get someone with even half the output of this free-scoring Dutch winger.

Aston Villa could look to the January transfer window to strengthen their squad ahead of the second half of the season, and a reliable source has revealed an update on the club’s pursuit of one potential target.

What’s the latest?

According to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, Villa are interested in signing Atletico Madrid striker Matheus Cunha.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “In terms of clubs interested, I know Villa are looking, Leeds as well. Leeds actually looked at him before he went to Atletico Madrid.”

“But I do expect Wolves to be in the box seat for that one, but obviously there’s no agreement to date, which does leave the door open to someone else.”

It’d be a huge risk

Unai Emery is just getting settled in at Villa Park but will surely be keen to put his own mark on the squad when he is given the opportunity to acquire the services of new players in the January transfer window.

The Villans have had an inconsistent start to their Premier League season, but after the newly-appointed manager picked up victories in his first two top-flight outings at the helm, they have climbed into 12th ahead of the World Cup break.

Despite the positive start for Emery in the Midlands, the former Villarreal boss will be hoping that he can transform the performances displayed over the entire campaign so far and continue the exemplary form that his team started to pick up when they return to action against Liverpool on Boxing Day.

If it is true that Villa are interested in Cunha, it is clear that Emery is looking at bolstering his attacking threat over the second half of the season to ensure that his first six months at the club leads to a comfortable finish and potentially ending the season in the top half of the table.

However, the signing of the £42m-valued dynamo – who was hailed as “unpredictable” by his former coach Maurizio Jacobacci – could be a huge risk for Villa, as he has not been in prime goalscoring form during the season so far.

In 11 appearances for Atletico this term, Cunha has failed to find net, missed four big chances and is currently one of the lowest-ranked players in the squad (21st out of 23). He has averaged just 0.7 shots on target, 0.5 key passes and 0.5 successful dribbles per game, which shows that he has not been a threatening presence in front of goal.

In fact, the Brazilian centre-forward has only scored seven goals in total for his club in 54 appearances, with a goal contribution every 255 minutes.

With that in mind, signing Cunha could be a huge risk and a bad move for the powers at Villa Park, as they should be looking at more consistent and aggressive attacking players who can make an instant impact on the team.

Tottenham Hotspur are likely to be without several key players when they return to domestic action with a trip to Brentford on Boxing Day.

Several of Spurs’ players returned from the World Cup nursing problems and that will see both Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison as definite injury absentees, and the latter may be out for quite some time with a hamstring issue.

Ben Davies is back, as manager Antonio Conte revealed earlier this week. However, it seems unlikely that Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero will be available after this country’s triumph in Qatar.

That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who told Football FanCast:

“I can’t see it, to be honest.

“Obviously, those celebrations are going to be pretty wild and hard, I think in Argentina right now for the next few days.

“So trying to get the player’s mind back in domestic action is going to be pretty hard.”

Romero’s likely absence on Monday afternoon will come as a big blow to Conte as the 24-year-old titan is an integral part of the back three, often being the right-hand aggressor and covering for Emerson Royal when he bombs forward.

Once described as an “animal” by former teammate Pierluigi Gollini, Romero is currently Tottenham’s best-performing defender – as per WhoScored ratings – having averaged 2.5 tackles and a squad-high 1.4 interceptions per game.

It would mean that either FC Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet or the inconsistent Davinson Sanchez is likely to take his place, which instantly makes Spurs’ backline a lot weaker.

Both Conte and the Lilywhites faithful will be hoping that their World Cup winner returns in time for the New Year’s Day clash with Aston Villa when Bentancur is also set to make his return.

AND in other news, Paratici could ease Spurs’ big Richarlison blow by signing £13m “magician” in January…

Following the scores of reports preceding the looking January transfer window, there is a clear onus on defensive reinforcements at Chelsea…

In an ideal world, Chelsea boss Graham Potter would secure the signing of Josko Gvardiol, one of the most desired names in world football at present, and be on his merry way with the 20-year-old colossus for years to come.

The seismic transfer tag – €100m (£85m) – however, could prove to be a spanner in the works and as such the Blues have shifted attention to alternative targets, with Milan Skriniar one of the latest high-profile names to enter the rumour mill. 

According to CalcioMercato, Potter is looking to close in on a transfer and secure the player’s services, with a new contract with Inter Milan failing to materialise. 

And now the Premier League could soon be blessed with another stellar defensive addition, a ball-playing titan who could lift the Blues back towards the eminent standing that the devout fanbase demands.

Bye-bye Koulibaly

Following the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger in the summer, Chelsea responded with the acquisition of Wesley Fofana from Leicester City for an initial £70m and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for £33m.

The former has been beset with injury issues, but the latter has failed to transfer his excellent performances in Italy to Stamford Bridge with any real regularity, and now Chelsea’s former Brighton & Hove Albion head coach is looking to instil defensive authority sooner rather than later.

Whether Koulibaly would be ousted from the club following the arrival of the likes of Skriniar remains to be seen, but it would add a sheen of pedigree that could go a long way for a prestigious club currently languishing below expectations in seventh place.

Certainly, though, if Koulibaly’s start to life in London is anything to go by, someone of the £91k-per-week Skriniar’s ilk could signal the end to his short stay in the starting XI.

The Inter centre-back has made 236 appearances for his prominent outfit, scoring 11 goals and winning the Serie A and Coppa Italia, and he could certainly bring his level of excellence to Potter’s team with emphatic effect.

As per FBref, the 27-year-old ranks within the top 3% of centre-backs throughout Europe’s major leagues for pass completion over the last year, with Rudiger coincidentally his sixth most compatible positional peer.

The “monster”, as hailed by journalist Siavoush Fallahi, would be an exemplary signing for Christopher Vivell, someone in the mould of Potter’s pass-centred philosophy, someone who could finally provide the cohesion and stability the club has been lacking.

Chelsea returned to winning ways in the Premier League during their first match following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, convincingly beating AFC Bournemouth 2-0, but an injury blow has marred the triumphant display…

What’s the word?

Sky Sports News relayed a statement from Chelsea regarding an injury setback for Reece James this week, with the full-back aggravating the knee issue that he sustained earlier this season against AC Milan in the Champions League, ruling him out of the World Cup.

The statement read:

“Defender Reece James underwent assessment earlier today after being substituted during the second half of last night’s 2-0 Premier League victory over AFC Bournemouth due to a knee injury.

“Scan results have regrettably confirmed a setback for the 23-year-old, with Reece now set to be ruled out for up to a month.”

James took to Twitter to brand 2022 as his “toughest year to date” continuing to state the impact it has had on him, saying it has “affected him mentally”. 

The prominent right-back is set to miss up to six key matches, including two against Manchester City – one in the league and one in the FA Cup – and a pivotal away trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. 

Potter will be “concerned”

Having been withdrawn from action at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, Blues manager Graham Potter was evidently disconcerted by the latest setback, especially considering the issue seemed to lie in the same area as the previous injury.

Via CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs, he said: “It’s the same area so we’re concerned. We’ll have to see in the next 24-48 hours. It’s a bit too soon [to tell]. But it was in that action, a chop, he felt something. We have to keep our fingers crossed at the moment. He’s disappointed.”

With Chelsea currently languishing outside the top four, in eighth place and six points off Tottenham Hotspur in fourth, James’ return following the conclusion of the World Cup could not have come at a better time for his side.

The 23-year-old has scored 11 goals and assisted 20 more from 135 appearances since his breakthrough into the senior side, having risen through the Cobham academy; his emergence has – by design – coincided with a period of success for the club, with the 15-cap England ace winning the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup at this early stage of this career.

In the Premier League this term, the Blues have won only one of the seven outings that James has missed out on, highlighting the irreplaceable presence and authority that he brings to Stamford Bridge.

Indeed, the £250k-per-week phenom has been of paramount importance to his outfit, marauding up and down the wing and blending his all-encompassing skills to form a refined, polished edge to his game.

Chelsea have options – the veteran Cesar Azpilicueta can still perform admirably wherever he is deployed, and the likes of Denzel Dumfries and Josip Juranovic are reported transfer targets for owner Todd Boehly, with intrigue perhaps advancing following the stricken James’ setback.

However, it will be strenuous to replace Chelsea’s “best player” – as remarked by journalist Jai McIntosh – and nursing him back to full, sustained fitness, is the best remedy to ail the club’s misfortunes.