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Wolves are ‘in talks’ with Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic over a summer move to Molineux, according to an update from reliable journalist David Ornstein.

The Lowdown: Striker badly needed

It is no secret that Wanderers are lacking attacking quality currently, with Raul Jimenez not looking the force he once was and Pedro Neto being linked with a move to Arsenal.

Bruno Lage’s side have been too goal-shy over the past year or so and it arguably ended up costing them a top-four finish in the Premier League last season, with the defensive side of things impressive.

They looked blunt again this weekend, dominating the first half against Tottenham but failing to find a cutting edge, .

The Latest: Wolves ‘in talks’ with Kalajdzic

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic‘s Ornstein confirmed that Wanderers are in discussions with Stuttgart and Kalajdzic over a summer move:

“Wolves in talks with Stuttgart to sign striker Sasa Kalajdzic. 25yo Austria int’l also speaking to WWFC over personal terms. No formal offer or agreement yet & sense is he’s among a number of options being explored.”

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The Verdict: Goals and creativity

Kalajdzic could be a great signing for Wolves this summer – he has been described as a ‘monster’ by European football writer Maxi Angelo – with the Austrian currently 25 years of age and possibly heading into the peak years of his career.

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He has scored four goals in 15 caps for Austria, as well as netting 24 times in 60 appearances for Stuttgart to date, chipping in with 12 assists for good measure. His creativity is actually very overlooked, as he remarkably ranks in the 95th percentile amongst strikers in Europe for xG assisted.

These kind of numbers are exactly what Lage is crying out for, and Kalajdzic could provide Wolves with the firepower they so badly need, acting as a talismanic figure, leading the line and putting his towering 6 foot 7 frame to good use.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) are reportedly interested in signing Memphis Depay for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Isak partner?

After the signing of striker Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad, the St. James’ Park outfit could be looking to partner him up with another new addition who can also play on the right-wing.

Eddie Howe confirmed before their Premier League game away to Wolves on Sunday afternoon that Callum Wilson would be out for at least a couple of weeks through injury, so sufficient cover will be needed for the Englishman until he gets back to full fitness, but any signing will need to be able to fill other roles once Wilson returns.

The Latest: Depay interest

As per Calciomercato, the North East club, as well as Manchester United, are interested in signing the versatile Depay, who can play anywhere across the front three.

The Netherlands international was ready to move to Juventus from FC Barcelona, but that deal is now off of the table.

The Verdict: Worth a punt

Gone are the days when Depay struggled at United during his first spell in England, as he managed just seven goals in two years at Old Trafford.

As explained by Red Devils journalist Samuel Luckhurst, he is a ‘different beast‘ now, scoring a mammoth 188 senior goals for club and country combined by the age of 28.

Hailed as a ‘defender’s nightmare‘ by journalist Josh Bunting, Depay is similar to new signing Isak in terms of his playing style, and so those two could form a formidable new partnership for the Magpies.

West Ham United defender Craig Dawson is a target for Premier League rivals Aston Villa, according to a report from the Daily Mail. 

The lowdown: Mr Reliable

Signed from Watford for £2m in July 2021 following a successful loan spell with the Irons, Dawson has become a key figure in the heart of David Moyes’ defence during his time in east London.

The 32-year-old has already amassed 74 outings for the Hammers, taking his overall career tally to a staggering 440 senior appearances across spells at West Brom, Rochdale, Bolton and the Hornets.

However, following the signings of Nayef Aguerd and Thilo Kehrer this summer, an injury-hit Dawson has had to start the campaign on the periphery of matters and could be targeted by Premier League rivals as a result…

The latest: Dawson wanted

As per the Daily Mail, Villa are believed to be ‘keen on recruiting’ the 32-year-old before the transfer deadline passes on Thursday night.

It’s claimed that the Midlands outfit have ‘made a move’ for the man who was praised by Gary Neville for a ‘brilliant’ performance against Chelsea in April as Steven Gerrard attempts to bolster his own defensive department after a poor start to the new season.

The report states that Moyes ‘wants Dawson to stay’ at West Ham, but the veteran defender is seemingly ‘unhappy’ with a lack of opportunities in east London.

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The verdict: No chance

As the Irons deal with their own defensive crisis, allowing a player of Dawson’s proven ability to leave the club so close to the end of the transfer window is not a viable option for Moyes and GSB.

Instead, West Ham could be looking to bolster their own options at the back, having been linked with a move for Attila Szalai over the weekend.

Last season, the experienced Englishman scored four times and provided two assists whilst amassing a mammoth 50 appearances across all competitions, earning a 6.94 SofaScore rating whilst winning 4.1 duels, making 4.1 clearances and helping to keep five clean sheets in the league.

Valued at £2.7m and into the final 12 months of his contract at the London Stadium (Transfermarkt), the West Ham hierarchy could be looking to tie Dawson down to a new deal in the near future to avoid losing the defender for nothing down the line, rather than allowing him to join Villa now.

The Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell has shared some promising Glasgow Rangers injury news regarding Tom Lawrence.

The Lowdown: Out since August

The Wales international has been out with injury since August and has duly missed the Gers’ last five games in all competitions.

In that spell, they have only managed to win Premiership and Champions League respectively.

The Latest: Back after international break

Taking to Twitter, Campbell has shared that Lawrence ‘should be ready to return’ after the international break, although Rangers’ next fixture against Hearts on 1 October may be too soon for him.

The reporter tweeted: “Van Bronckhorst says that Tom Lawrence should be ready to return from injury after the break, although Hearts may be touch and go.”

The Verdict: Big boost

Of course, it will be a big boost for Van Bronckhorst and Rangers to have Lawrence back after the international break.

The 28-year-old has started his Gers career well, with three goals and two assists already to his name across all competitions this season (Transfermarkt).

The Wales international currently ranks as their second-best performer in the Premiership overall and is high among his team-mates in terms of average tackles, shots, key passes and crosses per game (WhoScored).

Given their recent results, it is clear that the Light Blues are missing him in the middle of the park, and they will now be hoping that he can work on getting back to full fitness during the international break and be ready for their next set of fixtures.

Crystal Palace have had many players come and go since establishing themselves as a Premier League team after returning to the top flight in 2013 and despite their few potential relegation concerns, have maintained their status comfortably for the majority.

Although the club has signed up five managers to the club’s project over their last ten seasons in the top tier and with many players coming and going there has been one constant who has been a huge contributor to Palace’s success over the last seven years.

Crystal Palace’s youth academy graduate Wilfried Zaha has been the linchpin in the team that has kept the club ticking over in the Premier League through every manager, player and situation the team has been through.

Despite making his start at Selhurst Park, Zaha was sold on to Manchester United back in 2013 for a huge fee at the time of £15m but after two years with the Red Devils, Palace were given the chance to re-sign their youth prodigy for just £3m and 69 goals later it was one of the best transfer decisions the club has ever made.

Tallying up a total of 455 appearances and 160 goal contributions with a goal or assist every 218 minutes for the Eagles in his two spells, the 29-year-old sensation has proved to be worth his weight in gold and this season already has continued to display just how important he is to the team.

The Ivory Coast international is the third highest ranking player (7.10) in the squad over his five appearances so far, and it’s not hard to see why when you consider the attacking threat he has offered.

Zaha has scored four times and created one big chance, made 1.4 key passes, 1.6 tackles and won an impressive 7.4 duels per game, as well as producing 1.6 shots on target per game. Impressively, he ranks fourth in the Premier League for non-penalty goals this season too.

The impressive goal machine who was hailed a “special talent” by Patrick Vieira has not seen his performances for Palace go unnoticed by other clubs in the top tier, with both Chelsea and Arsenal reportedly interested in snapping up the winger late into the summer transfer window.

Unfortunately for the French manager, the club’s talisman will be out of contract in less than 12 months and as a result, Zaha will be free to speak to foreign clubs about a potential move away from Selhurst Park in January.

However, it has been reported that Palace are willing to do whatever it takes to keep hold of their forward, offering him a new contract earlier this month. Indeed, there is no doubt that Vieira will be desperately hoping that the club and Zaha can come to some agreement to secure his future as he is clearly an irreplaceable asset in the team.

Newcastle United are keen on Shakhtar Donestk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, but must be wary that he’s ‘hot property’.

That’s according to CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs, who was speaking to GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

Mudryk came through the youth ranks at Shakhtar and signed a new contract in February which runs until the end of the 2025/26 season (via Transfermarkt).

According to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, Newcastle are keen to sign a new winger in 2023, and the Ukrainian typically operates on the left flank.

The latest

Jacobs says that Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen could compete with Newcastle for Mudryk’s signature, but does stress that the Bundesliga outfit may be reticent after previously being ‘messed around’. For now, the Magpies are monitoring the Ukrainian with a view to a potential move.

He told GiveMeSport: “You’ve got Arsenal and even Bayer Leverkusen [who are interested], but the challenge with Leverkusen is that they have been messed around before with Mudryk.

“They actually had a deal to sign him and it never came off. So are they going to return into the fold knowing that they’ve been messed around once before?

“But he’s hot property, and the better he does, the more clubs are going to be circling. But Newcastle certainly hold an interest and are keeping tabs on the situation.”

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The verdict

Mudryk has been in excellent form so far this season, tallying eight goal contributions already. Domestically, he has provided four assists in his first four league matches, but he has been even more impressive in the Champions League.

Having scored one goal and set up two more against RB Leipzig on Matchday One, he found the net once again at home to Celtic last time out.

Analyst Sam McGuire has compared him to Sadio Mane, talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed him ‘The Ukrainian Neymar’ and Shakhtar sporting director Darijo Srna claimed that the 21-year-old is the third-best left winger on the planet behind Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

It’s clear from these appraisals that he has generated a huge amount of excitement, and a big move seems like it’s in the offing. Whether it will be to St James’ Park is another matter.

Sunderland’s slump down the divisions created plenty of notorious villains, all of whom contributed to the financial struggles they found themselves in.

However, across their Premier League stay they did also create one or two heroes who will likely go down in Black Cats folklore.

One such name is Sebastian Larsson, who was brought in for free all the way back in 2011.

He had featured 205 times for Birmingham City, and yet nearly repeated that feat on Wearside, where he played 203 times.

The Swedish gem quickly established himself as a fine Premier League midfielder with a wand of a left foot, the likes of which were best expressed over a dead ball. He scored 11 free kicks whilst playing in England’s top flight.

His emergence and subsequent reliability across many seasons at the Stadium of Light made him something of a “hero”, as journalist Ross Gregory labelled him following his goal in Sunderland’s win over Manchester United in 2014.

Steve Bruce struck gold with this unassuming deal, with his qualities seen in the 14 goals and 23 assists he made whilst at the club.

His performances earned him the affectionate title of “Super Seb Larsson”, who James Dodd lauded halfway through his first season in Red and White.

In his final season for the club, where they were unfortunately relegated, he still maintained a SofaScore rating of 6.71.

He averaged 1.1 key passes per game during the year, and whilst surrounded by little quality, only managed one assist.

Despite his abundance of creativity, he also maintained 1.8 tackles and 1.5 clearances per game, outlining him as the quintessential all-around midfielder for Sunderland at the time.

Larsson will likely be remembered with great fondness despite being a huge part of the side that suffered that first relegation, due to his reliability and relentlessness in midfield.

In 2019 he came out full of praise for the north-east and how he enjoyed his time there, admitting: “So it was special not just for football reasons but it was a big part of my life. I enjoyed my time there. There was disappointment but there were some real highs during my time there as well.”

To see that he too thinks back fondly of the club lends to this shared love between the player and fans, and further outlines how good a deal this turned out to be.

Former UEFA Champions League winners Inter Milan reportedly want to sign Yerry Mina from Everton in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Contract expiring

Mina’s contract at Goodison Park is expiring in the summer, with no signs of a renewal as of yet.

The Colombia international has been limited to just injury problems throughout his Merseyside career.

The Latest: Inter Milan interest

As per Calciomercato, Inter want Mina as a potential replacement for Milan Skriniar in January, should the central defender leave the San Siro.

The 28-year-old has been approached by other clubs in Italy, but Inter would like to sign him for €10m (£8.8m) in January, given his contract situation.

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The Verdict: Sell

Given his contract situation and injury history, it would be wise for Frank Lampard’s side to move Mina on in January, should they be able to get a reasonably substantial fee for him.

They have found a new and trusted centre-back partnership now in Conor Coady and James Tarkowski, who have helped them concede the joint fewest goals in the Premier League so far this season with nine.

Nonetheless, the Toffees have a plethora of centre-halves to choose from anyway, and on £120,000-per-week, Mina would be one of the higher earners that they could swiftly get off of their wage bill, and then use the money to invest in other areas of the squad.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has not enjoyed the best of luck in the Champions League so far this season as his side sit bottom of their group after four games.

The Hoops have lost three of their four matches, drawing the other one, as the Australian has been unable to muster up a win in the competition.

He is not the first manager of the Glasgow giants to struggle in Europe, though, and one man who failed to achieve success on the continent was Ronny Delia.

The Norweigan manager was knocked out of the Champions League in the qualifying rounds in both of his seasons at Celtic Park, whilst also failing to make it to the last 16 of the Europa League in those campaigns.

He struggled badly in European competitions and was also no stranger to a big blunder in the transfer market during his time in Glasgow.

The most expensive purchase in his four windows in charge was Croatian central defender Jozo Simunovic in the summer of 2015 from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee reported to be in the region of £5.5m.

Former Hoops full-back Tosh McKinlay showered the centre-back with praise at the time of the move, saying:

“Simunovic will be top drawer. He’s different class. This is a guy who has already played over 50 times for Dinamo Zagreb, has captained Croatia’s Under-21s and has great pedigree.

“I have seen a lot of footage of him, he’s a fantastic footballer. Simunovic is Rolls Royce material. He will make a big impact in the Scottish game.”

However, he only made 11 Premiership appearances in his debut campaign with the club as he missed a whopping 42 matches due to injury that term.

This ended up being a recurring theme of his time in Glasgow as he only played more than 18 top-flight games in one of his five seasons, which came in 2016/17 as he featured in 25 matches.

In total, he was injured for 108 competitive games for Celtic in his five years at the club, whilst making 126 competitive outings in all competitions in that time.

TheCelticBlog previously described him as ‘error prone’ and claimed that he had made ‘calamitous’ mistakes, whilst former Hoops shot-stopper Pat Bonner once stated that the club had seen big errors from the defender “so many times”.

Celtic eventually decided to part ways with the centre-back at the end of his contract in the summer of 2020, allowing him to leave on a free transfer.

This meant that the Hoops did not recoup a single penny of the significant £5.5m they paid for him in 2015 and were not rewarded with a great deal on pitch, as he struggled with injuries and became too prone to making mistakes when he was available to feature.

Therefore, Delia dropped a clanger by splashing out to sign the flop in the summer of 2015 and it is not a transfer that should be looked back on as a success.

Queens Park Rangers manager Michael Beale has agreed terms to take over at Wolves, 90min report.

The Lowdown: Speculation

Beale has been hugely impressive with The R’s since joining from Aston Villa in the summer. The 42-year-old has guided the club to the top of the Championship, with a 3-0 win over Cardiff City on Wednesday potentially his last game in charge.

Wolves have made Beale their first-choice target to succeed Bruno Lage on Wednesday, and it looks as if a move is edging ever closer.

The Latest: Agreement reached

90min shared an update regarding Beale and Wolves on Wednesday. They claimed that Beale has agreed terms at Molineux after Wolves were hugely impressed with the QPR manager during talks.

The report adds that Wolves are now looking to negotiate a fee with QPR for Beale’s services, although they would be willing to pay his full release clause.

The Verdict: Nightmare news

QPR appeared to be going from strength to strength under Beale and seem like real promotion contenders, so this update on the boss is gutting.

Last night’s win against Cardiff could well be the final time we see Beale in the home dugout, with the club potentially on the search for his successor.

A move isn’t completely finalised yet, though, so there may still be some hope of keeping Beale at the club, but you’d say that is unlikely following this breakthrough.