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Rumoured Leeds United transfer target Adama Traore is reportedly in talks to sign a new deal with Wolves, acting as a blow to the Whites’ chances of landing the man Jurgen Klopp once called ‘unplayable’.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Traore move

The Whites have been linked with a host of players, as a potentially busy summer transfer window looms at Elland Road.

Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt feel happy with the squad he has built, but will also believe some new faces will make them an even stronger outfit verging on becoming a contender for the European places.

Someone who has been tipped to join Leeds in the past is Traore, whose incredible pace and unpredictability has made for entertaining viewing at Wolves, with Eurosport claiming earlier this year he is ‘firmly’ on Leeds’ radar and that Victor Orta and co are ‘likely’ to make a bid this summer.

The Latest: Spaniard could extend Wolves stay

According to The Athletic, talks are ‘ongoing’ between the Spaniard and Wolves over a new deal, with his current contract expiring in the summer of 2023.

That suggests Leeds could miss out the 25-year-old being available in the summer, meaning Bielsa has to look elsewhere for a new wide man.

This will certainly be a blow to Orta, who ‘loves’ Traore after once signing him for Middlesbrough.

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The Verdict: Bullet dodged or opportunity missed?

While the £31.5million-rated Traore is a player who can get you off your seat, he is a footballer who flatters to deceive when it comes to end product.

Despite his ability to get into good positions constantly, mainly because of his blistering speed, he has only managed two goals and assists apiece in 36 league appearances this season.

He has also been dispossessed an average of 1.8 times per game in the league in 2020/21, which suggests he could struggle in a Bielsa side – only Jack Harrison is on a par with him for Leeds, in that respect.

That said, the impossibly athletic Traore has created 1.5 chances per game this season, a number only bettered in Yorkshire by Harrison and Raphinha, so perhaps he has been the victim of Wolves’ striker problems.

In other news, one pundit admits he is 50/50 over the future of one huge Leeds figure. Find out who it is here.

Things very much look as if they are on the up for Celtic at present, with the Bhoys remaining undefeated over their last nine fixtures in all competitions, qualifying for the final of the Scottish League Cup and closing the gap on the current Scottish Premiership leaders to just four points.

However, despite the positives, there is still undoubtedly a great deal of work that Ange Postecoglou needs to do in the upcoming January transfer window if he is to keep Celtic firing on as many fronts as possible this season.

And, while Joe Hart has become the Hoops’ undisputed number one since joining from Tottenham Hotspur this summer, there is undeniably a significant lack of quality in depth behind the 34-year-old shot-stopper, with the prospect of the former England international picking up an injury being dubbed a “nightmare” scenario by Chris Sutton.

However, before splashing the cash on a new signing between the sticks in January, perhaps it would be wise for Postecoglou to take a closer look at one of Celtic’s up and coming youth products in the position – in the shape of 18-year-old Tobi Oluwayemi.

Oluwayemi can save Celtic millions

Having been selected ahead of Vasilis Barkas as part of Postecoglou’s matchday squad for the Bhoys’ 3-2 Europa League win over Ferencvarosi TC at the start of the month, it is evident that there are high expectations for Oluwayemi at Parkhead.

Indeed, the teenager has been impressing for Celtic’s B team in the Lowland League this season, with the reserve side’s coach, Darren O’Dea, stating upon the 18-year-old’s call up to the England U19 international squad: “We’re going to miss him for a couple of games but that’s a success. We thought he would be involved with the U19s team and then the added surprise of being involved with the first team is fantastic. It’s why we’re here, it’s why he’s here.”

Furthermore, Postecoglou is also known to be a personal fan of the former Spurs youngster, something which is largely down to the goalkeeper’s excellent ability with the ball at his feet – a crucial and perfect trait for a shot-stopper to possess in order for the 56-year-old manager to implement his particular brand of football efficiently.

And, with reports suggesting that Barkas could be on his way out of Parkhead in January, there would very much appear to be a space that requires filling in Celtic’s first-team squad for the second half of the campaign, a slot which Postecoglou could save Celtic millions of pounds in transfer fees on if he decides to place his trust in the teenager O’Dea dubbed a “really good” talent.

In other news: Huge blow: Celtic dealt injury setback ahead of Bayer clash, fans will be fuming

Spurs finally return to Premier League action this evening following their last-minute postponement at Burnley on Sunday afternoon.

Back in north London, Antonio Conte’s side welcome top-flight newcomers Brentford to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the most intriguing of encounters.

Only three points separate the Lilywhites and the Bees heading into kick-off, which is a rather damning indictment on the latter’s incredible rise and the former’s recent fall from grace.

It means that Spurs’ last competitive fixture was nearly a week ago, in which they were humiliated by the Europa Conference League’s lowest-ranked team, NS Mura, who defeated a heavily-rotated lineup in Slovenia.

Amongst the starters that day was right wing-back Matt Doherty, who you would think is a perfect fit for the Italian’s system but truth be told, he has never been good enough and that much was evident under Jose Mourinho. And then perhaps the writing was on the wall when his former Wolves boss Nuno Santo snubbed him frequently in N17.

Indeed, the Republic of Ireland international has been a bit of a walking liability and somewhat a £15m transfer disaster.

After last week’s game, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara unleashed at the 29-year-old, and few others, deeming them all “shocking” to Sky Sports News. Similarly, Evening Standard reporter Dan Kilpatrick described him as “wasteful” and rusty” in his post-match column.

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Mourinho, who signed the defender in his first summer at the club, was once seen berating Doherty for his limp display against Liverpool and it even led to reports suggesting that his future was in doubt under the Portuguese, per ESPN.

Clearly not much has changed as he has started only five games in 2021/22.

The north London outfit clearly felt comfortable with Doherty providing competition to summer signing Emerson Royal as they cancelled Serge Aurier’s contract to allow him to find a new club post-deadline day.

But the £14.4m-rated dud, who earns around £74k-per-week at the club, isn’t fit to lace the Brazilian’s boots and that much is shown by who is often favoured, as evident above.

Fans around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have also regularly laid into the Irishman, some calling him a “liability” for example, so it’s clear that he has just been one massive disaster and as such, he should have no involvement against Brentford on Thursday evening.

With Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbuemo in fine form, scoring six goals between them, Conte cannot afford to carry someone like Doherty and instead, he must bring Emerson back into the fold, as he planned to do at Turf Moor a few days ago.

AND in other news, Conte could rectify Daniel Levy’s ghastly £32m transfer mistake this January…

Celtic star David Turnbull looks set to be sidelined for at least two months with a hamstring issue, according to The Scotsman’s Andrew Smith.

The Lowdown: Ange’s injury woes

Ange Postecoglou has had to deal with multiple injury problems in his first season in charge at Parkhead.

In recent weeks, he’s had a shortage of attacking options, with the likes of Giorgos Giakoumakis, Albian Ajeti, Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota, James Forrest and Karamoko Dembele all missing.

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Turnbull, who Postecoglou called ‘outstanding’, even filled in at centre-forward earlier this month, but he hobbled off with a muscular problem in Celtic’s League Cup final triumph against Hibernian and hasn’t been seen since.

The Latest: 10 games…

Smith shared an update on Turnbull’s situation in a story for The Scotsman on Monday evening.

He claimed that Turnbull would be out for a minimum of two months, which would make him unavailable for the Glasgow derby with Rangers on February 2 and the Conference League matches against Bodo/Glimt.

A two-month timeframe from the story on December 27 could see him miss a total of 11 first-team fixtures up until the end of February.

The Verdict: Will it ever end?

The winter break appears to have come at the right time for the Hoops, who were seemingly suffering fresh injuries every week.

Hopefully, the break will give Postecoglou time to get a number of players back from injury, but, unfortunately, Turnbull won’t be one of those.

He’s been an ever-present figure in midfield this season, making 34 appearances in all competitions. His absence should present a chance to another player, though, and who knows, that could be a January signing, with midfielders Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi both linked with moves.

In other news: Celtic set sights on move for ‘quality’ Scot who has the same agent as Turnbull. 

Life has arguably never been busier for Dermot Desmond at Celtic. The club’s majority shareholder is frantically trying to right the wrongs of this season and he’s even appeared in front of the media.

At the top of Desmond’s agenda is finding a new manager. Neil Lennon left his role around three weeks ago but we are still no closer to discovering his successor.

The 70-year-old admitted this week that a process was in place but they wouldn’t reveal what sort of boss they were looking for.

The businessman has also been busy revamping the club’s hierarchy. Celtic are set to welcome Dominic McKay as the new CEO this summer when Peter Lawwell retires.

He could also be followed out the door by not only a number of the playing staff, but also Nick Hammond, the man in charge of the Hoops’ recruitment.

That’s because a brand new director of football role has been opened up by Celtic. It has been a meticulous process to find one but according to Football Insider, a deal to bring Manchester City’s Fergal Harkin to Paradise is 90% done.

Indeed, he could be unveiled in the not too distant future if you believe the words of Hoops podcaster Paul John Dykes. Speaking this week, he said: “Fergal Harkin seems to be a shoo-in. He seems to be the guy that’s in as director of football. And we would expect a director of football to be announced first.”

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Dykes added: “So, we’ve got the new CEO; we know that he’s going to be in place – Dominic McKay. I would expect pretty soon the announcement that Fergal Harkin is going to be the director of football.”

This should be music to the ears of Desmond, a man that’s had plenty on his plate. Only this week he was questioned over his status at the club.

A quick-fire answer was provided; he wouldn’t be selling his shares. That response should have been obvious considering the empire he’s currently building at Parkhead.

With a new director of football through the door, it will give the hierarchy at Celtic a greater opportunity to focus on finding their new manager. It could even lead to Harkin himself having a large say in who walks through the door.

After a season where the Bhoys relinquished their grasp on the SPFL, having more eyes on proceedings is certainly no bad idea.

To get one appointment finally sorted will come as a big relief to Desmond.

AND in other news, Celtic star could leave after worrying phone calls emerge, Desmond must be scared…

According to reports, Aston Villa are interested in signing Rangers defender Filip Helander in this upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Swedish publication Sportbladet claim that Dean Smith’s side and fellow Premier League outfit Leicester are both said to be keen admirers of the 27-year-old ahead of a potential summer move.

The report added that the Gers are already looking at potential replacements for Helander, with Kenya international Joseph Okumu thought to be in their sights.

Bye-bye Engels

With reports in recent months linking Bjorn Engels with an exit from Villa Park, there’s no questioning that Smith could do with some extra depth in the centre-back department.

In the 1.92m (6 foot 4) Helander, the Villa boss could find someone who is ready to run through brick walls for him and the team.

The defender’s form for Rangers has since earned him a recall to the Swedish national team, whose manager Janne Andersson was full of praise for him earlier this season, saying: “He’s a reliable defender with a great sense of where to place himself on the pitch. Filip’s also a very tough player who won’t bow down.”

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is also a firm admirer of the centre-back’s qualities, adding: “It is the reason why we kept him in the team and because he is one that will stand up. Positionally he is outstanding, you can see that he has been coached in Italy and been around Italian coaches. He gets blocks in, important blocks, and positionally he is always spot on.”

It’s no surprise that the Gers boss has also dubbed Helander as a “leader” given his willingness to put the team first on the pitch, and that level of selflessness should surely go down well at Villa Park.

If Villa are looking for a defender to compete with the likes of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, then they should look no further than Helander.

Meanwhile, Villa must unleash this academy talent after his FA Youth Cup display; it’s not Aaron Ramsey…

Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola have seemingly set their sights on an ‘incredible’ new target amid reports they’re edging closer to signing Borussia Dortmund star Erling Braut Haaland.

The Lowdown: City in pole position for Haaland…

A plethora of credible claims have backed that City are by far the frontrunners to seal a summer deal for Haaland.

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Journalist David Ornstein of The Athletic revealed last week that the 21-year-old has given his green-light to join Guardiola’s side, as also backed by The Times.

The Daily Mail, sharing news on City’s interest in West Ham United star Declan Rice last week, thereafter claimed that a move is already ‘agreed’ to sign Haaland as Sky Blues sporting director Txiki Begiristain sets his sights on a Fernandinho replacement.

Meanwhile, this week, even ex-Man City forward Rodney Marsh got in the act – taking to Twitter and saying that the striker’s move to Eastlands is ‘done’.

City supporters, fresh off an absolutely exhilarating night of Champions League semi-final action against Real Madrid, could be interested to hear of an ‘offer’ as Guardiola joins the mix for a brand new target.

The Latest: City offer on the table…

According to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, the Premier League champions, and by extension their boss, are now eyeing Championship starlet Djed Spence.

It is claimed he has five ‘offers’, including one from City, but the player himself is a fan of bitter rivals Man United.

He explained (via Twitter): “Update #Spence: Selling price is €12-15m! It is said that he has got 5 offers. City, Arsenal & Tottenham are among the interested clubs. Jedd‘s dream is to play for #MUFC one day. He is a fan! Been told there should be still a loose contact with #FCBayern.”

The Verdict: Win the race?

The competition for Spence’s signature is evidence of his real quality and sky high potential.

He has been shining in England’s second tier on a loan spell at Nottingham Forest from parent club Middlesbrough with former Scotland international Alan Hutton recently calling him ‘incredible’ and ‘ready for the next level’.

The only sticking point may be his affection for the Red Devils, and as City target a possible future heir to Kyle Walker on the right side, Guardiola will want players who think of Eastlands as a priority move.

In other news: £102m ‘big name’ set his sights on joining City, turns to super agent for help…find out more here.

Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett has taken to Twitter to issue an update on West Bromwich Albion and their chase for Crystal Palace centre-forward Christian Benteke.

This comes after West Brom were linked with a move for the Belgian striker over the weekend.

What is Dorsett’s update on Benteke?

Now, according to Dorsett, the Baggies ‘are in talks’ with their Premier League rivals Palace over a short-term deal for the 30-year-old, however, it’s also explained in this tweet that finances are ‘an issue’ with regards to completing this deal.

Dorsett explained that the two clubs are far apart in terms of agreeing on how Benteke’s wages would be shared between them for the remainder of his current contract, which is set to expire in the summer.

Per Spotrac, Benteke earns £120k-per-week at Palace, which is more than twice as much money as Albion’s highest earner, Kieran Gibbs, earns per-week at The Hawthorns.

What could Benteke bring to West Brom?

Per WhoScored, Benteke is very strong in terms of aerial duels. He has won 4.5 aerial duels per game in the Premier League this season, which is more aerial duels than any West Brom player has won, per game, in England’s top flight this season, bar Ahmed Hegazi, who is no longer at the club.

Baggies boss Sam Allardyce has also worked with the £8.1m-rated man in the past, as Benteke scored nine goals in 22 appearances under Allardyce during his time at Crystal Palace, so if the 66-year-old is confident that he could get a similar tune out of the striker again, with Albion having scored just 15 goals in their 19 Premier League games this term, then perhaps it’s understandable why he might want to bring Benteke in.

In other news, Kevin Campbell has had his say on the possibility of West Brom signing Hamza Choudhury.

Football Insider pundit Danny Mills believes Aston Villa will look to sign Celtic midfielder David Turnbull before the European Championships begin.

The Lowdown: Villa readying Turnbull bid

According to The Scottish Sun, Villa have watched the Hoops star on several occasions this season.

Dean Smith has received glowing reports on the attacking midfielder, with Villa thought to be lining up a £7m bid as a result.

Turnbull was recently named as PFA Scotland’s Young Player of the Year and was also included in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for this summer’s major tournament.

The Latest: Mills’ Turnbull claim

Talking to Football Insider regarding the links to Turnbull, Mills was asked if Villa will look to seal a deal before the tournament begins in three weeks’ time.

“Definitely. Good managers won’t buy players off the back of a good European Championships, or they shouldn’t do.

“It’s three or four good games, that’s all it is. You can be outstanding in two and average in two and everybody’s like ‘What a player’.”

Mills, 44, continued:

“Your targets should be identified by February because you’ve had six months to look at your players, you know what those players are like, you know what your weaknesses are and you know where to improve.

“Your scouts and scouting network should be doing that work all the way through that time. You should have an A, B and C target. Who they are and for what position.

“The best way is to just get it done. If you have to pay a little bit over the odds, just get it done.

“You don’t want to come back late to pre-season because of the Euros thinking ‘We haven’t signed a player. The player’s going to miss parts of pre-season, he’s not integrated.’

“Just go out and do it, that’s what Villa should be doing.”

The Verdict: Villa should look to tie up a deal

With Ross Barkley set to return to Chelsea at the end of the month and Jack Grealish linked with a move away from Villa Park, we’re with Mills in believing the club should look to wrap up a deal as soon as possible.

It seems as if Villa like what they see in Turnbull after watching him closely, and they know just how good an all-action Scottish midfielder can be with the acquisition of John McGinn in 2018.

Turnbull, who Neil Lennon described as ‘class act’ back in December, completed more key passes than any player in the Scottish Premiership (80), as per WhoScored, the same amount as Grealish has in the Premier League.

Should he impress for Scotland at the Euros, you’d expect his price tag to rocket, so Villa could be smart in looking to tie up a transfer before then, although it could be a big ask with the time frame and the player more than likely fully focused on representing his country.

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to Carney Chukwuemeka update, find out more here. 

Many Wolves fans have been buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Carlos Vinicius and Ruben Vinagre.

As per Correio da Manha (via Sport Witness), Benfica have opened talks with the Midlands club over a potential deal for Vinagre, which could see Vinicius head to Molineux.

Wolves are seen as a ‘viable’ option for the striker as Benfica are ‘considering loaning’ him out once more following his spell at Tottenham Hotspur in the 2020/21 campaign, during which he netted 10 goals in all competitions.

Wolves struggled to score goals once Raul Jimenez was injured, recording a mere 36 in the Premier League, with only the three relegated teams and Burnley scoring fewer (Sky Sports). Therefore, they need to bring in another striker in case the same were to happen again next season, and having gained the experience of playing in the division with Spurs, Vinicius may well fit the bill.

If Wolves can manage to sign Rayan Ait-Nouri on a permanent deal, and given that they have left-back Marcal as well, then Vinagre is not really needed (he was loaned out twice this season), this potential swap could very much suit them.

Wolves fans on Vinicius and Vinagre transfer update

These Wolves fans were all for the proposed swap as the transfer update was shared on Twitter:

“Would take that all day!”

Credit: @JackBrownieee97

“Make it happen for me.”

Credit: @cjamr97

“I like this”

Credit: @Cal_Wood1990

“Now we’re talking”

Credit: @FW90

“Take it!!!!”

Credit: @Dan__Vincent

“I’d be all over this like a rash if it was a straight swap”

Credit: @toddo08

In other news, this managerial update has left some Wolves fans fuming.