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Wolves could sign Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig if he is made available in the January transfer window, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Puig linked with Wolves move

The 22-year-old has emerged as an exciting prospect at the La Liga club, even being compared to legendary former Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta.

Puig has struggled for playing time at the Camp Nou this season, though, managing just one solitary start in La Liga and getting a mere 17 minutes of Champions League action.

The youngster has been linked with a move to Wolves, and with his current Barca deal expiring in 2023, the Catalan giants may be happy to see him leave this month.

The Latest: Wolves ‘would love’ to sign Puig

O’Rourke believes that a move to Molineux isn’t out of the question for Puig, telling GiveMeSport that he could see it coming to fruition before January is over.

The journalist said: “Riqui Puig is a talented young player at Barcelona and I’m sure Wolves would love to have him at Molineux if he is available.”

The Verdict: Unlikely but possible?

There don’t appear to be strong enough links to suggest that Puig is a nailed-on target for Wolves in January, but he could certainly be an exciting proposition if they were to move for him.

His aforementioned Iniesta comparisons speak volumes about his ability, and while he hasn’t featured much of late, he still has 51 appearances to his name for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

His youth and guile could be an ideal addition to Bruno Lage’s midfield – he has an incredible 93.9% pass completion rate in La Liga this season – with the Wolves boss potentially seeing him as a long-term replacement for 35-year-old Joao Moutinho.

In other news, one rumoured Wolves target has been linked with another Premier League team. Find out who it is here.

Crystal Palace’s promising start to the campaign had them dreaming of a first top-half finish since 2014/15 amid a new wave of hope and optimism under Patrick Vieira.

Victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City formed a run of just one defeat in eight Premier League matches, with a seven-game unbeaten run indicating their form was no flash in the pan.

However, an injury to key midfielder James McArthur threatened to derail all of their impressive progress before the capital club had even reaped the rewards of their improvement.

A chaotic 3-3 draw with relegation-threatened Burnley marked the first game of the 34-year-old’s absence before three consecutive defeats compounded their newfound struggles.

Luka Milivojevic and then Jeffrey Schlupp were initially selected as McArthur’s replacements by Vieira, but with neither player excelling in the Palace engine room, summer-signing Will Hughes was finally handed an opportunity to impress over the weekend.

Since signing from Watford over the summer, the £30,000-per-week beast had only received 10 minutes of first-team action prior to Sunday’s showing.

However, his outstanding 73-minute display at Selhurst Park illustrated how Hughes is already solving Vieira’s biggest conundrum since arriving at Palace; how to replace an injured McArthur.

The former England U21 international controlled the middle of the park alongside Conor Gallagher, constantly breaking up opposition attacks before kickstarting ones of his own.

“He helped us to play really well in our build-up from the back, and for somebody who started his last game seven months ago, he was unbelievable,” said Vieira on Hughes in his post-match interview.

And the French tactician wasn’t the only one impressed with the 26-year-old’s eye-catching performance in south London.

The Athletic’s Palace reporter Matt Woosnam tweeted his admiration for Hughes, writing: “Conor Gallagher once again stole the headlines yesterday, but Will Hughes was excellent on his full debut.”

With Gallagher bagging a brilliant double, it’s clear that the youngster was Palace’s match-winner against Everton, but Hughes’ underlying numbers also illustrate his vital importance.

As per SofaScore, he received a match rating of 7.4 out of 10, the second-highest total awarded to any player that featured.

Throughout his time on the pitch, Hughes achieved a passing accuracy of 93%, had 58 touches of the ball and created one big chance that led to his providing an assist.

But he was equally as impressive out of possession, making two tackles, winning eight duels and blocking one shot, highlighting his hugely effective display.

Winnable fixtures against the likes of Southampton, Watford and Norwich City lie ahead for Palace over the festive schedule, and Vieira will be hoping Hughes can replicate the level of performance he showed against Everton in the weeks to come. With McArthur still out, that’ll be vitally important.

And, in other news…Vieira must seal Palace swoop for “crazy” £10.8m-rated beast likened to “LeBron James” 

Liverpool will sign a new forward in the January transfer window if the right opportunity comes along, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Reds short in attack

The Reds didn’t sign an attacking player during the summer, with Jurgen Klopp seemingly content with the options at his disposal.

While that hasn’t been an issue yet this season, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are on the verge of departing for the Africa Cup of Nations, at which point Liverpool’s squad depth will be tested.

It remains to be seen if January reinforcements will come in but Romano certainly believes that it shouldn’t be ruled out.

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The Latest: Romano makes transfer claim

Speaking to Anfield Watch, the journalist claimed that a new signing could be made, but only if Liverpool believe it would be a long-term option. He outlined:

“Liverpool will only go into it if they have an opportunity that is also for the future.

“So they don’t want to sign a player just for six months or 3/4 games with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane leaving the club for the African Cup.

“They will jump into it if they find an opportunity like Diogo Jota – a player with a good price with no crazy price tag, and with good skills that match Jurgen Klopp’s ideas.

“So if they are able to find this kind of opportunity, they will do it. Liverpool are looking in the transfer market for that kind of player, a winger – this is the priority.

“They like players like Raphinha from Leeds or Danjuma from Villarreal. But it’s very complicated to sign them in January.”

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The Verdict: No need to panic

While Salah and Mane will clearly be big losses given that they have contributed 31 goals between them already this term, their absences shouldn’t be too lengthy and Liverpool should still be able get by with the likes of Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino (18 goals between them in 2021/22).

For that reason, it seems more likely that a summer addition will be made, at which point fresh blood will be required considering that Salah, Mane and Firmino will all be 30 come the start of next season.

That being said, should a prime candidate become available this month, bringing him in certainly wouldn’t do any harm, helping to fill the short-term void left by Liverpool’s departing superstars.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have flocked to a Reds transfer claim. Read more here.

Everton could replace Rafael Benitez with Kasper Hjulmand, according to Calciomercato. 

The lowdown

The Toffees are in the midst of a wretched run of form under the Spaniard, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti in the summer. They have picked up only one point from their past five matches, which leaves them bottom of the Premier League form table.

Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has claimed that Benitez is now under “massive pressure” to “pull something out of the hat” and potentially save his job (via Football Insider).

The latest

The report from Calciomercato stated that Everton are considering whether to sack Benitez, who could pay the price for his team’s woes, with Fichajes hinting that the 61-year-old’s job at Goodison Park may be at risk.

According to the Italian outlet, the Toffees already have an eye on a potential successor in the form of Denmark boss Hjulmand.

The verdict

Hjulmand boasts an impressive CV. Last summer, he led the Danes to the semi-finals of the European Championship, taking England all the way to extra time at Wembley less than a month after he and his team had to endure the extreme difficulty of dealing with Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest.

Denmark’s strong form continued in World Cup qualifying as they finished with 27 points from a possible 30 to breeze into the final in Qatar next year, so it’s no wonder that he featured on Aston Villa’s shortlist after they parted company with Dean Smith earlier this month.

The 49-year-old has been described as a ‘tactical geek’, ‘a football idealist’ and above all, a ‘world-class coach’. He took unfashionable Danish club FC Nordsjaelland into the Champions League in 2012 and has won 17 of his 25 matches in charge of the country’s national team.

If Benitez can’t turn things around at Everton and is given the chop, Hjulmand looks like he’d be a worth a shot.

In other news, this Everton trio struggled against Brentford

After a disastrous defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday night, Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping for an immediate reaction when his side take on Arsenal at the weekend.

The Whites fell to a 7-0 thrashing at the Etihad, and the Leeds manager admitted that his team “have never played so badly in these four years.”

Bielsa could be tempted to make some big changes against the Gunners even with the current injury crisis, and one man who he should seriously consider axing is Jack Harrison.

The winger finally signed on a permanent deal in the summer, and while it would be far too easy to suggest his performances have slipped off as a result of signing on the dotted line, he certainly hasn’t shown anywhere near enough this season.

In fact, in the 14 Premier League games that he has played this season, he is yet to score a single goal, while he has only provided one assist.

With the likes of Raphinha and Patrick Bamford having spells out on the sidelines due to injury at different points of the season, Harrison had the perfect opportunity to grasp the mantle and lead from the front.

Instead, the former City ace has been a shadow of his former self, and it appears he is really struggling for one thing in particular.

Speaking in late October, former Scotland boss Alex McLeish said: “I would put it down to confidence. No player wants to go out and not perform. Maybe he’s trying too hard.

“That is a real killer in any sport, when an individual loses confidence. Him and Leeds are going through a bad run. Leeds have lost that wee bit, last year they were winning one week, the next week losing.”

With Arsenal on the horizon, and coming off the back of a woeful defeat, Bielsa could spark some life into this Leeds team by making some big calls, starting with Harrison.

The £13.5m-rated star could do with being taken out of the firing line.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing a move for this South American star…

Rangers face Brondby away from home in the Europa League tonight as they look to replicate their 2-0 win against them at Ibrox earlier this season.

The win against the Danish outfit is their only one in the group stage so far this term, following losses to both Lyon and Sparta Prague.

Steven Gerrard’s side are heading into this clash full of confidence after a superb 6-1 drubbing of Motherwell on Sunday in the Premiership.

How many changes will Gerrard make from that game? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Jon McLaughlin, John Lundstram and Kemar Roofe coming into the team.

Starting off between the sticks, McLaughlin could return to replace Allan McGregor after the veteran’s clanger at the weekend against Motherwell. He attempted to gather the ball from a low shot and inadvertently spilt it straight to Bevis Mugabi, who scored the opening goal in the game.

Not only did he make a mess of the initial shot to create the rebound, but he also allowed Mugabi to sneak the ball past him at the near post on the follow-up despite being back up and ready to make a save. This could cause Gerrard to axe him from the XI in favour of McLaughlin, in an attempt to avoid any major errors against Brondby.

In midfield, Steven Davis and Glen Kamara may keep their spots in the side, despite a slight injury doubt for the latter. Next to them, however, summer signing Lundstram could replace Scott Arfield, who struggled in spite of Rangers’ impressive display against Motherwell. Per SofaScore, he lost seven of his eight individual duels on the pitch and failed to create a single chance, showing that he was not at his best defensively or offensively for the Gers.

Finally, Roofe could come in for Joe Aribo on the right of the front three. We published an article explaining why the Nigerian international needs to be dropped to the bench for this match, as he has played too much football this season and could be suffering from burnout. Therefore, Roofe – who scored off the bench against Motherwell – could replace the £14k-per-week gem.

AND in other news, Kent 2.0: Gerrard could unearth new wing wizard in “exciting” 18 y/o Rangers flyer…

As per journalist Enzo Bucchioni, writing in his column for Firenze Viola, Tottenham Hotspur ‘would put’ €70 million (£58.8m) ‘on a plate’ to sign Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic.

The Lowdown: Vlahovic races hots up…

The arrival of new boss Antonio Conte has seen Tottenham’s interest in Vlahovic escalate since managing director Fabio Paratici’s well-known admiration in the summer window.

Fiorentina’s star asset was on Spurs’ radar earlier this year as Paratici chased an alternative frontman to Harry Kane and his interest certainly hasn’t waned since then.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) believe a meeting has even been held in London with La Viola officials over signing the player with Bucchioni backing Tottenham’s interest as he shares an update.

The Latest: Spurs ‘would’ table £58.8m bid…

According to the reporter, writing for Firenze Viola, as also transcribed and shared by Sport Witness, Tottenham ‘would put’ a record-breaking £58.8m fee on the table to secure his services.

This comes as Serbian sources close to the player’s entourage believe it is unlikely he will pen fresh terms as Fiorentina club president Rocco Commisso comes in with a new contract offer.

Bucchioni believes this could lead to the Serie A side selling in January as Tottenham lurk, but despite what Spurs are willing to table to sign Vlahovic in the winter window, there is still ‘silence’ from his camp.

The Verdict: Exciting claim…

While Vlahovic’s entourage are yet to entertain Tottenham’s advances, we believe it is little surprise Paratici is willing to table such a big bid going by the player’s credentials.

Scoring 21 Serie A goals last season, the young striker has also continued that fine form into 2021/2022 with eight goals and one assist in just 12 Italian top flight starts already (WhoScored).

According to WhoScored, Vlahovic has also averaged a threatening 3.2 shots on goal per 90 so far this season – even more than Spurs superstars Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.

Lauded as a ‘really exciting’ player by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, we believe signing him for around £58.8m is a more-than justified expense for Paratici and Spurs.

In other news: ‘Understand’, ‘In recent weeks’…Alasdair Gold leaks exciting development out of Hotspur Way, find out more here.

After securing a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in their latest Champions League outing, Liverpool now face a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United later this afternoon.

Ahead of the match against the Red Devils, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealed that midfielder Curtis Jones returned to first-team training after picking up an injury whilst away on international duty, whereas Thiago Alcantara will miss the match altogether.

Taking this into account, here’s how we feel Liverpool will line up at Old Trafford.

In goal, despite conceding two in midweek, we feel that Klopp will stick with Alisson Becker between the sticks to see if he can stop the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood from getting on the scoresheet.

Ahead of the Brazilian, we think Klopp will stick with the same back four that started against Atletico with Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold occupying the full-back positions with Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk in the middle.

In midfield, even though he scored Liverpool’s opening goal against Diego Simeone’s side, we can see Klopp taking Naby Keita out of the starting XI as a result of his rather disappointing overall performance in midweek.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gets the nod after he managed to put in a good shift after coming on in the second half against Atletico, rather than throwing Jones back into the side straight away.

For their attacking front three up top, it would be difficult to see Klopp taking either Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah out of the team considering the duo have scored 12 league goals between them so far this season.

However, given how Roberto Firmino failed to register even one shot on target in 90 minutes in midweek, we feel that Klopp could be persuaded to swap him for £90k-per-week Diogo Jota who has three Premier League goals under his belt in 2021/22.

Whether Klopp goes with this exact starting XI we have suggested or not, we feel that this is a big game for the Reds, not just because of the heavy rivalry between the two sides but also because Liverpool will need a win to keep up with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

In other news: FSG must land Liverpool swoop for £29.7m-rated beast who’s a “better version of Pogba” – opinion

West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Real Betis and Argentina defensive midfielder Guido Rodriguez, with the Irons’ London rivals Arsenal also seen as potential suitors.

The Lowdown: Rodriguez impresses for club and country

The 27-year-old has matured into a strong performer for Betis in recent years, making 65 appearances, including eight starts already in La Liga this season.

Rodriguez’s performances have led to him winning 19 caps for Argentina so far, with the defensive midfielder clinching Copa America glory earlier in the year.

It could be that a move elsewhere arrives at some point, and if a fresh update is to be believed, a switch to the Premier League may be on the cards.

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The Latest: West Ham linked with move

According to Fichajes, West Ham are keen on acquiring the services of the £19.8m-rated Argentine, although Betis value him at €30m (£25.3m).

Arsenal are also thought to be in the mix, with Rodriguez reported to have ‘aroused the interest’ of both clubs.

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The Verdict: Possible Rice replacement

Declan Rice has grown into a superb player for West Ham, and while the hope is that he stays at the club for many more years to come, he may move on eventually amid consistent rumoured transfer interest in him.

It could be that Rodriguez is viewed as someone who could come in and replace the England midfielder, potentially even providing an upgrade on Tomas Soucek. The Czech ace has the Irons’ best tackling average this season with 2.6 per game, but even that is surpassed by the Argentine’s 2.9 per match, suggesting that the Betis beast would add plenty of steel to David Moyes’ midfield.

If Rice does move to pastures new next year, West Ham could do a lot worse than bringing in a no-nonsense replacement in Rodriguez.

In other news, some West Ham fans are delighted at the sight of one player back in training. Find out who it is here.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have erupted over an official announcement by the club.

Indeed, after consistent reports linking one of their longest serving players with an exit from the London Stadium, it appears West Ham have finally confirmed the news.

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Winston Reid, after making 223 appearances over a decade-long spell for the Hammers, has now departed the club by mutual consent (Twitter).

The New Zealand international, who famously bagged the winner against bitter rivals Millwall in 2012 to guide West Ham one step closer to Premier League promotion, has cut a bit-part figure in recent seasons.

Injury issues arguably took their toll with his last Premier League appearance coming way back in 2017/2018.

The 33-year-old has since been out on loan to MLS side Sporting Kansas City in 2020 and Brentford last season, with both parties now mutually agreeing to terminate his contract.

Following a long and faithful spell with the club, many Irons supporters have erupted over the decision to let him leave in this manner whilst also not giving him a proper send-off.

Find all of their verdicts down below on the announcement down below.

West Ham fans erupt over Reid announcement…

“if this day couldn’t get any worse.”

Credit: @JackkWHU

“Heartbreaking how it ended”

Credit: @HarryTheHammer_

“Deserves better”

Credit: @BenMorris2005

“Wow. Seems rather lacklustre. Both Reid and Collins deserved much better send offs than just a video compilation and a twitter post”

Credit: @FinchieRiley

“Ruined my evening”

Credit: @Ed48297466

“pain.”

Credit: @Noah_WHU

“Great in tears for the second time this week because of you”

Credit: @WhuCozzaa

“Can’t stand the way we treat players at times. A man who easily deserved a testimonial, a great servant who was unfortunate with injuries. He deserves more, that video you could see his pain. Shame on you GSB.”

Credit: @MrWestHam16

In other news: ‘What a bargain’…Sky pundit reacts as West Ham eye ‘great signing’ for Moyes, find out more here.