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Wolves have made an excellent return to the Premier League and look well set to maintain their place in the top flight come the end of the season.

Manager Nuno Santo deserves a big chunk of credit for continuing in his tactical beliefs and sticking to his guns so to speak following promotion to the Championship, and a top ten finish could well be on the cards for the Molineux club.

The likes of Ruben Neves, Willy Boly, and new signing Joao Moutinho have all adapted to the Premier League with ease, and look well set for excellent careers in the top flight either with Wolves or beyond.

However, for the club to continue their run of form, they do need a bigger squad, with some areas of the team looking threadbare at times, especially if one or two big injuries were to hit proceedings.

That’s why we at the Tavern think that signing Stoke City midfield general Joe Allen would be a superb piece of business in January, with the Welshman currently holding a value of £16.2m on Transfermarkt.

Allen would be an excellent addition for Wolves, bringing plenty of top flight experience and knowhow to a squad who might just need that sort of presence come the busy winter period.

The Welsh midfielder has been a regular for the Potters already, but the signing of Ryan Woods might well mean manager Gary Rowett is open to letting one of his squad leave, which could open the door for Wolves to make their move.

A classy operator who would slot in nicely at Molineux, Allen would be a welcome addition to the ranks for the Midlands club.

Wolves fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Maurizio Sarri has found his best team, and unfortunately, that means that for the time being at least, rotation has been minimal. It’s quickly become clear just who Sarri fancies and who he doesn’t, and that’s come at the cost of a number of players’ involvement.

Things are changing at Chelsea, from the formation to the tactics, and the simple fact of the matter is that some of the players that Antonio Conte used to call on regularly simply aren’t up to the task under Maurizio Sarri.

Naturally, then, that will mean that a handful of individuals are left behind, and that seems unlikely to change as Sarri settles further into his role at the helm.

So, with October now underway and January beginning to appear in the distance, it’s fair to say that a few players’ departures are beginning to look inevitable.

With that said, the writing should be on the wall for these two Chelsea players…

Gary Cahill

Gary Cahill has been a regular for practically every season since he moved to Chelsea, but that’s no longer the case. The Englishman has struggled for regular minutes at Stamford Bridge this term, with Maurizio Sarri not rating the veteran.

The motivations behind that seem fairly simple. With such a strong focus on attacking and passing, the duo of Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz are simply far better suited to the task at hand.

Cahill will still be a useful option, but he won’t want to be sitting on the bench. It seems unlikely that Sarrri will change his mind, and so for the Chelsea legend, a departure needs to be on the cards.

Danny Drinkwater

It’s a similar tale for Danny Drinkwater. He’s yet to make a single league start for Chelsea, and much like his first season in London, it seems unlikely that he’ll get a continued chance in the first team.

The issue for him comes in the quality that Chelsea have. Between Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante to name just three, it’s hard to see where Drinkwater could fit in.

More often than not, he’s not even in the Chelsea matchday squad, and so he’s effectively wasting away.

A departure makes sense for all involved.

Crystal Palace have had a stuttering start to the season this year as the south London club currently sit 14th in the table and look completely reliant on Wilfred Zaha in order to survive.

The academy product has been the club’s best player so far this season as Palace have struggled to score goals and have only registered five in the Premier League. Up front, Palace don’t really have a top-level striker who can share the load with Zaha.

Roy Hodgson did bring in Andre Ayew to help bolster the forward line with the team relying on the severely out of form, Christian Benteke to be the main striker.

The Belgium international has not played for Palace since September 1 and as confirmed by Roy Hodgson, he will likely not be fit until the new year.

The Breakdown

Although Benteke scored 15 goals in his first season at the club, last year the former Liverpool man seemed to completely lose all confidence in front of goal and scored a horrific three goals in 31 games.

During his time at Villa, Benteke was always regarded as a talented striker but since he left the Midlands club, his career has taken an absolute nosedive. However, in fairness with Zaha as the main driving force for the team, Benteke’s game doesn’t fit the way Palace play. With the more mobile and quicker Andre Ayew waiting in the wings, it’s quite possible that the club will benefit from not having Benteke in the side.

What do you think Palace fans? 

According to Sky Sports, Swansea have been dealt the seismic boost that star striker Wilfried Bony has returned from injury. 

This news should be music to manager Graham Potter’s ears, as his club have endured a torrid injury crisis so far this season.

With a number of players returning in recent weeks, Ivory Coast international Bony is the final piece in the jigsaw that is Swansea’s promotion bid.

Although the former Man City striker may be a few weeks from playing, given the nature of his injury, this boost can still be enough the spur The Swans on to climb up the table.

The 22-year-old Oli McBurnie has operated as a very serviceable deputy to Bony (valued at £6.3m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) so far this season, and, while there may well be a place in the team for both of them, he has proven in the past that he is lethal and should find the Championship very fruitful for him.

The big forward was one of the biggest players that The Swans were able to keep hold of over the summer, and Potter must have been licking his lips at the thought of him returning.

Swansea currently sit in 11th place in the Championship, showing varied form throughout the season. They have dipped into the top six, but fallen out very quickly. If they can take those qualities and performances that they have shown and combine them with the return of Bony, fans can surely hope for a very successful season.

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Liverpool’s attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have set themselves very high standards following their scintillating displays last season.

However, it has taken a while for the forward force to click collectively during the 2018-19 campaign, with some performances on the pitch being below par.

On Saturday, Salah and Mane upped their games in a 4-1 victory over Cardiff City at Anfield, with both getting on the scoresheet.

It was Salah who opened the scoring and Mane added two, while summer signing Xherdan Shaqiri opened his account on Merseyside.

Firmino was part of the tribe on the pitch, but he failed to contribute to the scoreline and for large parts of the game his movement was sloppy.

The Brazilian failed to register a single shot on target and he made fewer key passes than the rest of the front three.

Firmino struggled with his passing as he recorded the worst accuracy percentage out of all of the players who started the fixture.

The 27-year-old prides himself on his attacking flair, but he also has a strong work ethic and ability to drop back and contribute to the defensive effort.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”310054″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Fake Madrid & Ross Barkley Emulates… David Ngog”]

However, against Cardiff, Firmino did not make a single tackle and he was eventually withdrawn from the field by Jurgen Klopp in the 71st minute.

It is likely that the attacker was simply having an off day, but it is worth mentioning that earlier this month he was linked with a move to Barcelona.

On October 16, Ok Diario reported that the Catalan giants are preparing to make a move for Firmino at the end of the season.

There is nothing concrete to suggest that the forward was distracted by these rumours, but if his performances don’t improve he risks finding himself out of the starting XI in the long run given Daniel Sturridge is now well back in favour.

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According to the Newcastle Chronicle, Newcastle United may have to fend off interest from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in defender Jamaal Lascelles in January.

Lascelles is the Magpies’ club captain and a talismanic figure at St James’ Park. However, at 24 years of age, and with Newcastle currently languishing at the foot of the Premier League table, the centre-back may deem the time right for him to step up to the next level.

Should a side such as Chelsea or Spurs come in for Lascelles in January, Rafa Benitez may find himself in need of a replacement for the 6’2″ man.

With funds likely to be restricted at Newcastle, Benitez would be wise to look at top talents in the Championship as potential replacements for Lascelles. Craig Dawson, at West Brom, represents the ideal target to take up the Englishman’s berth at St James’.

The 28-year-old has bags of top flight experience and great physical attributes. He is also a leader and capable of organising a backline himself, which is exactly the kind of figure Newcastle would be lacking in Lascelles’ absence. 

With a £7.2 million Transfermarkt valuation, if Newcastle could prise Dawson away from the Hawthorns for something around that fee it would represent excellent January business conducted in difficult circumstances.

What do you think, Newcastle fans – would Dawson be a suitable replacement for Lascelles?

According to The Mirror, Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno believes that he has become first choice under Unai Emery at The Emirates. 

This comes after the German was picked ahead of Petr Cech, despite the Czech Republic goalkeeper returning from injury recently.

This marks the first time that the 26-year-old has been picked ahead of the Premier League legend this season. However, his display against Liverpool suggests that he should not get too ahead of himself just yet.

While 6-cap Germany international pulled off some very impressive saves throughout Saturday’s fixture against Liverpool, he still made the blunder that lead to James Milner’s opener. This tarnished his performance significantly, and is a reminder to Cech and Emery that he is not overwhelmingly convincing between the sticks for The Gunners.

With this being said, it is not like Cech himself has not made some crucial errors in an Arsenal shirt recently. However, these errors by the 36-year-old tend to be due to his distribution rather than his actual shot stopping ability. On the other hand, Leno looks very comfortable with the ball at his feet. This is the major contrast between the two ‘keepers and is what makes this competition so interesting.

This is one of the most intriguing battles within any club in the Premier League this season, and while it looks as though Leno has the shirt at the moment, he cannot rest on his laurels, as he knows that he has one of the best goalkeepers in recent history breathing down his neck.

Two goals from Felipe Anderson helped West Ham secure a comfortable 4-2 victory over Burnley at the London Stadium.

The Hammers were ahead after just ten minutes through Marko Arnautovic before Johann Berg Gudmundsson equalised through the Clarets. Anderson restored the lead, but Burnley hit back again through Chris Wood. The Brazilian winger then completed his brace with Javier Hernandez completing the rout in injury time.

The win was Manuel Pellegrini’s first since September and will be a much-needed confidence booster for his side. Despite a summer of lavish spending, reports suggest West Ham still want to sign a new central midfielder in January. If the Chilean wants a new defensive midfielder, he should make a move for RB Leipzig star – Diego Demme.

Valued at £8.1m by Transfermarkt, the German has been a crucial player for the Bundesliga side since joining from Paderborn in 2014. Demme was a pivotal part of the team that earned promotion to Germany’s top division and remains a key man in the starting eleven. The 26-year-old has already made 19 appearances in all competitions this season.

A tough-tackling engine, Demme would provide some much-needed protection to the West Ham defence – he has averaged 3.1 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in the Bundesliga so far. The German can also dictate the tempo of the game, averaging 1.3 key passes and 3.1 long balls per game this season (WhoScored). Should Declan Rice choose to leave the club, Demme would be an excellent long-term replacement who is yet to hit the prime of his career.

Bringing the German to the London Stadium could be the last piece of the puzzle for Pellegrini. Indeed, this kind of clever signing looks to have worked wonders with Issa Diop, so

West Ham fans, thoughts?

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According to Turkish outlet Gunes, Super Lig giants Galatasaray have been scouting Finnish hitman Teemu Pukki with a view to signing the forward in the January transfer window, which will be sure to concern everyone associated with Norwich City.

What’s the word, then?

The former Celtic striker has been in stunning form for the Canaries since arriving at Carrow Road on a free transfer in the summer, scoring 10 goals in his first 16 appearances for the club.

His form has been a key feature behind Daniel Farke’s side’s excellent campaign so far, where they currently sit top of the Championship table.

Whilst his strike partner, Jordan Rhodes, boasts an equally impressive eight strikes so far this season, the loss of Pukki would be severely detrimental to the club’s hopes of a speedy return to the Premier League.

Worst case scenario

Let’s not beat around the bush here; Galatasaray are a huge club, one who can offer Champions League football and a consistent chance of silverware to any player on their books.

At 28 years of age, the Finnish international may be keen on one last return to Europe’s biggest footballing stage, whilst a move to Turkey would provide him with a chance to play for the biggest club of his career so far.

Should the Canaries be faced with this nightmare scenario, a dip into the loan market for a Premier League forward struggling for game time in Eddie Nketiah would be ideal.

The 19-year-old’s chances of playing time may improve following Danny Welbeck’s injury, although 18-year-old Emile Smith-Rowe appears to be ahead of him in the pecking order currently.

The Arsenal academy graduate burst onto the scene last season in the Carabao Cup, helping the Gunners come from a goal behind – coincidentally against Norwich –  by scoring two goals to help his side into the quarter-finals.

Nketiah is a quick forward with an excellent awareness of where he needs to be in the box to score goals, but is yet to really be given the chance to kick on from that match winning debut.

A move down to the Championship, should Pukki depart, would offer him a tremendous opportunity to develop his talents under a manager who has already excelled with youth this season, seen in the likes of Max Aarons.

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According to The Sun, Leeds are targeting a cut-price deal in January for Spurs’ Fernando Llorente in an attempt to bolster their forward line and chances of promotion. Crystal Palace, however, will surely be in the market for a striker to keep them in the top flight and would be foolish not to offer the giant hitman a Premier League lifeline.

What’s the word?

Well, The Sun reports that Spurs are willing to let the Spaniard go for a reduced fee of £4m to avoid losing him on a free next summer when his contract expires.

The former Athletico Bilbao man has played only 136 minutes of football this season but was instrumental against PSV in the Champions League as he teed up Harry Kane to score the equaliser.

Meanwhile, Leeds sit third in the standings as they vie for promotion to the Premier League with Kemar Roofe their top scorer on seven strikes.

The board at Palace are reportedly ready to back Roy Hodgson in the winter window as they look to retain Prem status – the Eagles currently sit 16th in the table, just three points above rock-bottom Fulham.

Bargain buy

The Selhurst Park outfit are lacking goals this season – as was the case in 2017/18 – and are yet to score from open play at home this season, with both goals coming from the spot.

With loanee Jordan Ayew and Alexander Sorloth both yet to net in the league and Christian Benteke sidelined, Hodgson favours the unpredictable Wilfried Zaha and the energetic Andros Townsend up front, but both seem isolated without a target man to feed off of.

At the very least, Llorente represents a powerful aerial threat – giving the Eagles’ creative players someone to cross the ball into, something that has been missing since Benteke’s injury, even though his goalscoring numbers recently have been poor.

At just £4m, most teams in the Premier League would take the big 33-year-old as a back-up if not a first-choice striker, and he would be everything that Sorloth was supposed to be for the Eagles – powerful, physical and potent.

Check out Playmaker FC’s Tom Skinner’s unfiltered take on Wayne Rooney’s England legacy in the video below…