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Wolves are not usually one to do their business in January nor are they the sort to look into the depths of English football for potential signings, but these are two trends that they could break this month.

According to Alan Nixon of The Sun, the west Midlanders are ‘desperate’ to clinch Birmingham City’s rising teen Jude Bellingham, but they face a host of competition for top-flight rivals as well as abroad.

Manchester United are said to have offered in excess of £12.5m for the 16-year-old, per the Daily Mirror, although it remains to be seen how much his signature will cost if he were to depart St Andrew’s during the current window.

The Athletic have also claimed that manager Nuno Santo expects two attacking additions this month, which would contrast the above reports.

Therefore, we asked the finest writers at Football FanCast to give their thoughts on the prospect of Wolves signing Bellingham, would it be a good move? Is it the right one? Read on…

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Viji Jeevathayalan “With Manchester United also said to be in the frame, this would go down as a major coup for Wolves. Beating the Old Trafford giants to the signature of a highly-touted youngster would speak volumes of Wolves’ fine work since making their return to the top-flight. “At 16, Jude Bellingham is unlikely to come in and make a straight impact on-the-pitch, but crucially for the Molineux side, it would deliver a major statement to the rest of the Premier League that they ought to be taken seriously. Young talents across the country could end up seeing Wolves as the perfect destination to further develop and grow. “Not all signings have to be about the short-term or with instant success in mind. Sometimes the bigger picture is more important. And for Wolves, signing Bellingham from under the noses of United would be a sign that they are a force to be reckoned with.”Charles Jones

“Wolves signing Jude Bellingham would certainly be a look towards the future, but that isn’t what the Midlands side need this month.

“£12.5m is a hefty amount to spend on a 16-year-old, and with the club on the verge of mounting a top four challenge, they need to use those funds to get someone in who could potentially get them over the line this season.“Looking towards the future is never a bad thing, but Bellingham surely won’t be getting in that team ahead of Ruben Neves or Joao Moutinho anytime soon.

“Perhaps it’s more one to look at in the summer rather than this month, but then again they could miss out if Man Utd secure his signature, so it’s a tough one.

“Overall, I think Wolves must think about their present chances as that’s the more pressing matter at Molineux.”

Matt Dawson

“This signing would be a dream for Fosun and Wolves. Jeff Shi has made it no secret that he wants the club to build for the future, previously suggesting he has aspirations to invest heavily into quality young players. Therefore, signing a 16-year-old who is ready for first-team action would satisfy Fosun’s ambition perfectly.

“Jude Bellingham burst onto the scene this season and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. In his first full campaign in the Championship, the teenager has three goals and a solitary assist, playing in seven different. It’s that type of versatility that could prove incredibly beneficial for Nuno Santo throughout the back end of the season as Wolves step up their attempts to be crowned Europa League Champions.

“A hectic schedule could soon follow, so adding more bodies to their small ranks will only be a good thing. If Wolves can beat away competition from Manchester United, they will have one of the most exciting young players in the country on their hands. After all, featuring on a regular basis for your side at that age is some feat.”

Kealan Hughes

“This could be a piece of Nuno genius if Wolves manage to pull this move off, as Bellingham offers both great ability and great potential.

“Many young players start off well before fading away, but he has shown great consistency ever since his debut goal at Charlton, adding two more and becoming a regular under Pep Clotet.

“It is easy to see why, too, as the 16-year-old has averaged 2.2 tackles and one dribble per game despite his inexperience, and his bravery should be commended.

“Under a manager like Nuno, was has improved the likes of Adama Traore and Matt Doherty no end, Bellingham could grow into a fantastic Premier League and provide some much-needed competition for Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves, who have been relied upon to 35 and 33 games respectively this season.”

Call yourself a Wolves expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

Meanwhile, in other news, Express & Star journalist believes Wolves should be targeting a familiar £5m man this month…

James Pearce has revealed that all Premier League clubs were made aware that fourth-round FA Cup replays would lead to a shorter winter break for those involved.

What did he say?

Jurgen Klopp said following his side’s 2-2 draw away at Shrewsbury on Sunday that neither he nor his players would be involved in the return match at Anfield, saying that the Premier League had asked clubs last April to not schedule any matches, either friendly or competitive, during the two-week winter break.

Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

However, Pearce has revealed that all sides were informed that their involvement in the cup competition could see them have a shorter period of time off.

Damning indictment

To an extent, you can understand Klopp’s frustration. Just when he thought his side would be getting themselves a well-deserved two weeks off, they will now need to play once again in midweek. Why there are any matches scheduled at all during that period is a mystery.

Having said that, this update from Pearce shows that, whilst the 52-year-old can still be unhappy with the amount of matches and the planning, he cannot say he hasn’t been warned. His comments after the match appeared to indicate that the fourth-replay had not even come up in conversation, but The Athletic journalist has disproved that.

At the end of the day, he has every right to play a weakened side full of U23s – even though it may not be a popular decision, he can field whoever he wants – but he is wrong to say that he will not be there either. He should show far more respect to a competition that is full of history and tradition, and to use half-truths and misleading proof as an excuse is not really befitting of the manager of the European champions. He is better than that.

Meanwhile, Liverpool should try to sign this man over Real Madrid’s Isco.

Despite a valiant first-half effort at Anfield against Liverpool, Southampton were unable to pick up anything from the Premier League leaders.

In the end, the Reds prevailed 4-0 thanks to goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah – twice. However, the Saints did have their chances, certainly in the first half – they actually managed more than their opponents before the interval, leading ten to eight. Liverpool, though, were just too strong after the break – considering they currently top the Premier League by 22 points, though, that is no embarrassment.

Transfer deadline day saw two major outgoings at St. Mary’s Stadium. Maya Yoshida completed a loan move to Sampdoria until the end of the season, whilst Cedric made the move to fellow Premier League side Arsenal on loan too.

Who on earth is that?!?! Can you name all of these obscure January signings?

Whilst Yoshida was not a regular – he started just six matches in the Premier League this term before his move – that was not the case with Cedric. He started 16 matches at right-back for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this term, meaning that a new player will need to take over on that side of the back four.

In the long-term, that is likely to be new loan signing Kyle Walker-Peters, but it was James Ward-Prowse who took up that role this weekend. Although he is by nature a central midfielder, he impressed against the league leaders and European champions.

Although Liverpool were rampant in the end, the 25-year-old was his team’s best player with a SofaScore rating of 7.2. Both defensively and offensively, he stood out amongst his teammates.

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Going forward, the £16.2m-valued man was his team’s most creative force, even from the back four. He had four key passes – only Roberto Firmino managed as many during the match – whilst he also provided the most crosses (3) and completed one dribble as well.

At the back, he performed to a high standard – he had the joint-most tackles (4), and the second-most clearances amongst his teammates with five.

Allowing Soares to leave was something of a risk. The 28-year-old has bags of top-tier experience, and even though Walker-Peters has come in, he has just 12 Premier League matches to his name. Whilst it may only have been one game, Ward-Prowse stuck to his defensive task diligently and provided an attacking threat too.  The Southampton ace showed his manager that he has nothing much to worry about – he can slot in to that role whenever Hasenhuttl needs him to.

Meanwhile, Carl Anka reveals the chances of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg leaving in the summer.

Deadline day could be a big day for Aston Villa both in terms of incomings and outgoings.

Indeed, the Villans are in the market for a number of new players as the likes of Davie Selke and Christian Benteke have been linked with the club, but there is also a big-name loan departure on the horizon.

James Chester is all set to move to Stoke as Sky Sports’ transfer centre stated on Thursday evening that a medical is booked in for the Villa captain. However, with fitness issues, things shouldn’t be all but confirmed.

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Fitness isn’t great

The Stoke Sentinel dragged up some old quotes from the Welshman talking about his injury problems last year, and his fitness doesn’t sound all that promising.

“I have damaged my body indefinitely, really,” said Chester when talking to WalesOnline.

“It is something I am going to have to manage for the rest of my career. It is what it is.

“I am a professional. Hopefully, I can look after it as best I can and play for as long as possible.”

It’s clear that Chester isn’t as fit as he once was, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t pass a medical.

Really it’s up to Stoke whether or not they want to sign a man who has these sorts of problems, as medicals aren’t just a pass or fail type thing.

We’ve seen injured players move club before with Kim Kallstrom’s loan to Arsenal potentially being the most famous example.

With Chester’s impending move only being a six-month loan deal, we can’t imagine Stoke would allow an underlying problem that probably won’t affect him this season to halt their interest in him.

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According to The Liverpool Echo, the Reds are not in discussions with Adam Lallana in regards to a new contract.

What’s the story?

The 31-year-old has less than six months left on his current contract, and as such he will need to be offered a new deal rather quickly if the Anfield outfit want to keep him at the club.

No clues: Can you name the season these iconic Liverpool images belong to?

However, it seems that Jurgen Klopp and co are willing to let him depart, as they are not currently in talks with the former England international.

Like Sturridge and Moreno

Lallana has been in Merseyside for the last six years, joining from Southampton for £25m in 2014. Since then, he has gone on to make 175 appearances for the club in all competitions.

It is a decision that makes sense from the club’s hierarchy. After all, he has made just seven starts so far this campaign, and he is a bit-part player in Klopp’s squad. For someone who is not a regular, Lallana’s reported £110,000-a-week wage is awfully big – that is higher than the likes of Alisson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane.

The situation is comparable to those of Alberto Moreno and Daniel Sturridge last year. The former made just five appearance in all competitions in the past campaign and, although the latter made 27 overall, he was far from his manager’s first-choice. However, they were costing the club £65,000 and £130,000-a-week respectively. In Sturridge’s case, only five players at Liverpool were earning more. Both of their deals were allowed to run out without extensions.

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It makes little sense to spend such huge amounts on players who are not a big part of the future, even those who have been with the club for a considerable amount of time. Given they have been used to big wages in the past, it is unlikely that they will take pay-cuts to stay if they are not often included on the teamsheet. Make no doubt about it – this is the right call.

Elsewhere, Liverpool fans react to this man’s comments on their style of play.

Liverpool may be set to sell Harry Wilson during the summer transfer window, according to Football Insider.

What’s the story?

While it is suggested that the man currently on loan at AFC Bournemouth is highly regarded at Anfield, he may be allowed to leave the club permanently when the season ends.

The Wales international is being valued at £30m, but could be deemed surplus to requirements upon his return to the club, due to Takumi Minamino joining in January and Curtis Jones making his breakthrough.

This comes despite Jurgen Klopp having previously swooned over Wilson’s free-kick and shooting abilities, as reported by Liverpool’s official website: “Each free-kick is a proper threat. But we were never in doubt about Harry’s shooting abilities, his skills in that part of the game are incredible – world-class, for sure.

Time to settle

Wilson has had some eye-catching goals this season, notably his strike against Manchester City and a brace against Tottenham Hotspur.

However, he has not provided a single assist for his teammates this campaign, while also only managing one goal in his last nine league games, which came against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Therefore, despite his early flurry of action meaning that the 23-year-old is on seven goals for the season, it is understandable that Klopp is willing to see him leave.

Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

That is especially so when Jones’ rise is considered, with the 19-year-old scoring two goals in three FA Cup games, while also notching the winning penalty against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.

The move could also turn out to be of benefit to Wilson, as it would allow him to settle at a club, having now had three loan spells at different clubs in the last three campaigns.

With all of the above in mind, this could be a decision that works out well for everyone.

Meanwhile, FFC has suggested the midfielder Liverpool should be making a move for.

According to a new report from Corriere Dello Sport, both Tottenham Hotspur and Everton are set to fight it out for Manchester United’s Chris Smalling, who’s currently playing his football at Roma.

A true test for any Spurs fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

It is believed that Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not really see the defender in his long-term plans and would be willing to cash in on the player if the right bid is made.

And of course, the Roman Gladiators, as well as some other Serie A sides, would like to secure the services of the veteran defender, as per the same source, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this race.

But if it were up to many Spurs fans, they would immediately discard the possibility of signing Smalling as they don’t really see him as a good enough option.

Some of them also questioned the validity of the report and they were quick to disregard this update as a joke.

One fan even mentioned that Jose Mourinho would never want a player like Smalling in his squad and would actually rather just leave Spurs and play in the lower leagues instead.

That sounds a bit harsh but it seems that the fans are convinced the current Roma player is not a good choice at all…

Meanwhile, many Spurs fans were delighted with Roy Keane’s latest verdict on Arsenal…

Manchester United came out of their Europa League tie with Club Brugge having won 5-0, a scoreline that will have brought satisfaction to many involved with the Red Devils.

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Fred will definitely be among those leaving Old Trafford feeling happy, after scoring his first two goals in any competition this campaign.

Those two strikes, as well as his general levels of performance, have got plenty of people talking about the Brazilian.

Indeed, it has been quite the turnaround for the 26-year-old, who has previously been criticised time and time again by the fans for his performances.

His first goal was a simple finish after some good work from Jesse Lingard, while his second was a convincing first-time side-footed effort from the edge of the box.

Aside from that, as per WhoScored, he registered one assist, two dribbles, one key pass, one clearance and a pass success rate of 91%.

Is life under the Glazers really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, Man United fans…

All of this saw United fans left very impressed, with one fan saying he put in an “amazing performance”, while others claimed he was the Man of the Match.

Some fans have gone even further than looking at just this game, claiming that Fred deserves to be the club’s Player of the Year.

The 26-year-old has become an important part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team, starting 20 Premier League games and coming off the bench thrice, with notable statistics being that he averages 2.2 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game, while maintaining a pass success rate of 87.8%.

One fan has suggested that Fred is now “undroppable”, showing just how integral he has become to the team’s fortunes.

Meanwhile, Man United fans have been split by Robin van Persie’s comments on big-name player.

With the Champions League action continuing, Wednesday is another busy day in the footballing world.

Here, we take a look at the biggest stories of the last 24 hours, including Manchester City’s appeal to CAS, David Villa on his close shave with an Arsenal move, and Emil Forsberg’s link with four Premier League clubs.

Manchester City appeal to CAS

Two weeks ago, the Citizens were banned from the Champions League for two seasons due to breaches of FFP regulations, whilst they were also handed a £25m fine. Their response at the time was to downright deny the allegations, and now, they have confirmed they will appeal the sanction to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

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The authoritative body has already said that “it is not possible” to say when the matter will be resolved, so the Premier League champions will need to continue their season knowing that no matter their efforts, they may not be in European football’s premier club competition next term. On Wednesday, they will face Real Madrid in the first leg of their round of 16 tie in this year’s edition of the tournament.

David Villa reveals close shave with Arsenal

David Villa is best known for his efforts with Barcelona and Spain – he scored 48 goals in 119 matches for the Blaugrana, whilst he is La Roja’s highest ever goalscorer with 59 goals in 98 caps – but, by his own admission, he said that he was “90% certain he would sign for Arsenal” when he left the Camp Nou in 2013.

He told BBC Sport: “We were in a lot of meetings and a lot of calls. I felt 90% in that moment that I [would] go to Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. But in that moment we didn’t arrive to the deal, Atletico Madrid arrived and in three or four days fixed everything.”

In the end, he joined Los Rojiblancos, scoring 15 goals in 47 matches during the 2013/14 season as Diego Simeone’s side were crowned La Liga champions and reached the Champions League final as well. After that, he played for Melbourne City, New York City and Vissel Kobe before retiring from the sport last year.

Premier League clubs offered chance to sign Emil Forsberg

According to this week’s edition of Bild (as per Sport Witness), Sweden international Forsberg has been offered around the Premier League. Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton are all linked with a move for the creative 28-year-old, who has spent the last six years with RB Leipzig.

The price for the playmkaker is said to be around €20m (£16.9m). Forsberg is enjoying a productive campaign in Germany as Leipzig lie second in the Bundesliga, having scored nine goals and provided four assists in 24 matches.

However, that is still someway off his best form, with him having scored eight times and provided an astonishing 22 assists in 30 matches during the 2016/17 season, his current side’s first in the German top flight. He also has 48 caps for his country, and represented them at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, in which they were knocked out by losing semi-finalists England in the quarter-finals.

Crystal Palace hero Darren Ambrose has shared his thoughts on ex-Eagles manager Paul Hart, on the ten-year anniversary of the former QPR man’s appointment.

Hart took the reins at Selhurst Park just a day after Neil Warnock left the club, midway through a turbulent campaign in which the south Londoners entered administration and were also docked ten points – plunging them into a relegation scrap when they were initially ninth and looking in good shape for a play-off spot.

Crystal Palace’s battle for survival eventually went down to the final day, where they would be relegated if they lost to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough – also, the Owls had to win if they were to stay up.

On a nervy day for the Eagles – in which relegation could very easily have seen them liquidated given the financial implications of dropping into League One – it was Ambrose who heroically slotted home Sean Scannell’s second-half cross to give Palace a 2-1 lead and eventually secure a 2-2 draw to survive.

Both Hart and Ambrose played a huge role in getting the club to where they are now, and the latter has issued his thoughts on the ten-year anniversary of his former boss’ appointment, which you can see below:

In other news, The Times’ Henry Winter has showered these five Crystal Palace players with praise…