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Even though Wolves currently have the joint-second lowest number of players in their squad with just 24 across the current crop of Premier League clubs, it’s surprising that they have a significant number of players currently out on loan deals with other teams.

One Wolves player that is currently out on loan is 23-year-old attacker Patrick Cutrone who is spending his season with Italian club FC Empoli.

Despite being rather familiar with going out on loan away from Molineux, having spent temporary spells at clubs such as Fiorentina and Valencia, Cutrone finds himself back in Serie A to show what he can do. He signed for Wolves on a permanent basis back in the 2019 summer transfer window from AC Milan for a fee of £16.2m but hasn’t exactly set the world alight.

Things have not exactly been plain sailing for the Italian so far this season either. With seven appearances across all competitions and a total of 373 minutes under his belt for Empoli, Cutrone has yet to score a goal or provide an assist for them.

Cutrone’s last start for Empoli in Serie A saw him substituted in the second half of their 3-0 defeat against Sampdoria at home after the striker failed to register a single shot at goal and lost possession on ten occasions, ultimately earning him a rather uninspiring overall match rating of 6.6/10 according to SofaScore.

Taking this into account and the fact that Wolves manager Bruno Lage urged Cutrone to stay at the Midlands club this summer and prove himself there, he won’t be happy to see that his latest loan spell has gone the way it has so far.

Since joining Wolves, Cutrone, who is currently valued at £8.1m via Transfermarkt, has made 28 appearances for the Old Gold across all competitions in which he has managed to score only three goals and provide four assists in the process.

In our view, it’s safe to say that while Cutrone’s latest loan spell away from Wolves has not got off to a great start as of yet, there’s still a significant time left in the season for him to turn his form around and make the best use of the time he has there.

However, if the player doesn’t manage to do this, then he will put his place at Wolves at risk if they don’t feel like he’s good enough to be a regular figure for them in the Premier League.

On the evidence he’s provided over the last few years, they must get rid. Lage simply has to wield the axe on his Molineux career.

In other news: Forget Hwang: “Special” £41k-p/w Wolves ace who made 3 key passes ran the show vs NUFC

Celtic centre-back Cameron Carter Vickers has dropped an update on his future at Parkhead.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by Football Scotland, the 23-year-old stated his belief that, while he is thoroughly enjoying life at Celtic after joining the club on a season-long loan deal this summer, it is a little too early to be discussing a permanent switch from Tottenham Hotspur to the Premiership side – although the Bhoys are reported to have an option to buy the defender for a fee of around £6m.

Speaking about his future, the USA international said: “I am enjoying my time up there and it is all going well. But I think it is a bit too early. It’s not fully down to me as well. So it is obviously discussions that will have to be had at the end of the season.”

Carter-Vickers can finally replace Van Dijk

Considering just how important a part of the Celtic side Carter-Vickers has become since his temporary switch to Parkhead this summer, the prospect of signing the centre-back on a permanent basis is sure to be one that excites the Bhoys fanbase.

Indeed, over his 13 Premiership appearances this season, the £1.8m-rated man has helped his side keep six clean sheets, scored two goals and provided his teammates with one assist, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 0.7 tackles, five clearances, 81.4 passes and winning 73% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £20k-per-week defender who Jan Vertonghen dubbed an “absolute beast” average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.45, ranking him as the fourth-best performer in the entirety of the Scottish top flight.

And, while there is still a very long way to go in the current campaign, Carter-Vickers’ returns so far in a Celtic shirt very much appear to be on course to match those of Virgil van Dijk’s during his own first season at the club, when the Netherlands international helped his side keep 20 clean sheets, scored five goals and registered one assist over his 36 Premiership appearances.

As such, should Celtic indeed go on to make the Tottenham defender’s temporary switch a permanent move at some point this season, it would certainly appear as if Ange Postecoglou has finally found an apt replacement for the club’s former star centre-back – something which would undoubtedly bode incredibly well for the future of the Hoops.

In other news: Ange must brutally axe “rattled” £17k-p/w Celtic liability who can be “Sunday League”

Manchester United will hold talks this week to bring Mitchell Van der Gaag to Old Trafford alongside Erik ten Hag, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag agreement

The Red Devils are edging closer to a deal for Ten Hag after holding positive talks with the Dutchman last month.

Romano revealed on Monday that an agreement regarding a contract was set to be completed, adding his famous ‘here we go’ phrase to his Twitter post.

The transfer expert said then that Van der Gaag was the ‘priority candidate’ for Ten Hag’s coaching staff, and it looks as if United chiefs will look to grant that wish over the coming days.

The Latest: Romano’s update

Romano provided an update on United’s pursuit of Ten Hag on Monday evening, revealing that an announcement will depend on reaching an agreement with Ajax over a €2m clause.

He also said that ‘talks to appoint Mitchell Van der Gaag as assistant will continue this week’.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

United need to get everything in place for next season as soon as possible, especially following Tuesday’s 4-0 defeat to Liverpool, which served as an emphatic reminder of how far behind the club currently is.

Getting deals for Ten Hag and Van der Gaag over the line before the end of the season will allow the pair to make a head start on a summer rebuild, with Ralf Rangnick admitting that up to ten signings could be made ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

A major shake-up is required at Old Trafford, so pushing through a move for Van der Gaag could be crucial for Ten Hag prior to an official United announcement – the last thing they need is a hectic summer of rushed transfer decisions.

In other news: Contact made: Man Utd now working on signing ‘unplayable’ star once valued at £125m for Ten Hag. 

Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves could be an excellent signing for Manchester United, according to Leeds United ambassador and pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Neves linked with United move

The 24-year-old has continued to be a key man for Wanderers this season, excelling under the management of Bruno Lage at Molineux.

Neves has started 15 of his side’s Premier League matches, chipping in with a goal and assist apiece and averaging 2.1 tackles per match.

United have been linked with a move for the Portugal international next summer, as Ralf Rangnick looks to sign quality players in the middle of the park, where he is almost exclusively relying on Fred and Scott McTominay.

The Latest: Whelan talks up transfer

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan, 46, claimed Neves could excel at Old Trafford:

“He’s a player who has been a real standout for Wolves. He’s got creativity, scores goals, set-piece taker, works hard off the ball, exciting on the ball – I think he would flourish at Man United.

“In the time he’s been in England and the Premier League, he’s really earned that big move. He’s one of three or four who have been so pivotal to Wolves’ success since they got promoted.

“He commands that respect, and you can definitely see why he’s a wanted man by clubs like Man United.”

The Verdict: Would be a massive loss

Neves has been such an integral part of Wolves’ success since they were in the Championship, making 194 appearances and counting. Former Wolves man Sylvain Deslandes admitted he and his teammates were ‘astounded’ by the former Porto captain’s ability when he joined.

The thought of losing the Portuguese talent is, therefore, hugely worrying, with his ability on the ball something that would be extremely difficult to replace.

Unfortunately, the lure of playing for a club of United’s stature could be too much to turn down, but with Neves’ contract not expiring until 2024, they would at least be able to get a huge amount for his services if a move did happen.

In an ideal world, he will continue to thrive at Molineux, however, with Lage building a team around him in the coming years.

In other news, Luke Hatfield has talked up Wolves signing a Premier League winner. Find out who it is here.

Keith Downie has revealed that Diego Carlos is now ‘keen’ on signing for Newcastle United in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Talks underway

As per 90min journalist Graeme Bailey, the St. James’ Park faithful are ‘in talks’ with Sevilla to try and sign Carlos, although the La Liga outfit are trying to persuade him to sign a new deal in Spain.

Other names in the centre-back position have also been mentioned as potential targets, but Carlos seems to be the one that has the most legs.

However, given that the Brazilian is currently rated at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, it seems as if it could be an expensive deal to do.

The Latest: Carlos ‘keen’

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Sky Sports journalist Downie has revealed that Carlos is now personally ‘keen’ on a move to the North East, but has warned that Sevilla ‘hold the aces’ when it comes to whether they want to let him go this month:

“We’re hearing again from one source that the player would be keen on the move.

“But again, the club hold the aces when it comes to this.”

The Verdict: Worth it

Even though Carlos is likely to be an expensive deal, it would certainly be worth it from the Tyneside outfit’s point of view.

They have the second-worst defensive record in the top flight, and bringing in a commanding central defender would certainly help them concede fewer goals.

Nicknamed ‘The Beast‘, Carlos is exactly the kind of character that they need in the backline, and is already playing at the highest level in both the UEFA Champions League and La Liga.

Nonetheless, at 28 years of age, he is in his prime, and so he can help solve their problems straight away.

In other news, find out which two fresh targets have now been ‘discussed’ as potential NUFC signings here!

According to The Mirror, Serie A giants AC Milan are hoping to sign Everton youngster Ademola Lookman before the end of the January transfer window. 

However, The Toffees have so far insisted that the 21-year-old is not for sale, but will be bracing themselves for another bid from the Italian outfit.

The England under-21 international has struggled for game time so far this season under Marco Silva, managing only three starts in the Premier League. Two of those three starts have come this month, which gives the suggestion that senior figures at Everton were aware that the player was discontent. In order to placate him and avoid a move away, he has been granted game time. However, as they would have feared, there is growing interest in the winger.

Lookman had a wonderful spell at Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig last season, and has surely caught the attention of a number of clubs around Europe. Snapping up young English talent seems to be the in vogue thing to do around the continent currently, and Lookman may be another name on that list.

Everton can only really blame themselves for this as well. They have already shown an interest in a number of wingers this month, which would have made Lookman feel even more dejected, as Silva clearly does not see him as an option at the moment.

Everton will surely want to keep hold of Lookman, but from the player’s perspective, he must feel unwanted at Goodison Park, so a move to a club with such prestige that wants him would be right up his street.

A new name has emerged in the Newcastle manager hunt that many Toon fans won’t be particularly familiar with – San Jose Earthquakes manager Matias Almeyda.

The Lowdown: Fresh name in the mix

The likes of Paulo Fonseca, Unai Emery, Roberto Martinez and Steven Gerrard are all thought to be in the frame to replace Steve Bruce on Tyneside, so it would certainly be a shock to see someone with no experience managing in Europe rock up instead.

Perhaps that is exactly what will happen though, with Sky Sports’ Keith Downie confirming on Friday that the Magpies are scouting ‘other candidates’ after initial talks with Fonseca, and now Almeyda’s name has emerged.

The Latest: Almeyda wants to test himself

According to Italian outlet TMW, the Magpies’ new owners have ‘probed the availability’ of the former Lazio, Parma and Inter Milan defensive midfielder.

Almeyda has been in charge of MLS outfit San Jose since 2018, but the report claims he would like to challenge himself in a more competitive league.

The Verdict: One to watch

Aforementioned, the former midfield maestro has yet to test his mettle as a manager in Europe, operating in Argentina and Mexico before his move to the United States.

The 47 year-old has an impressive resume in his short time as a manager however, winning domestic league titles with his three previous clubs before San Jose – River Plate, Banfield and Guadalajara.

Well-respected transfer guru Fabrizio Romano is a huge fan, admitting earlier this year that Almeyda and fellow Argentine Juan Sebastian Veron are his favourite ever Lazio players.

He’s certainly got plenty of fire left in his belly too – he was suspended by the MLS last month for his behaviour towards an official – and perhaps this could be a name to keep an eye on as the Magpies’ manager chase heats up in the coming weeks.

In other news, Amanda Staveley could be “fuming” after the latest development on a new chief executive at Newcastle…

Newcastle United finally got their first win of the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory at home to Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

Callum Wilson pounced on some spillage from goalkeeper Nick Pope to calmly slot the ball into the back of the net and give his team all three points at St. James’ Park.

There were some spirited performances from Eddie Howe’s side on the day, but some may have been disappointed with their own individual displays.

As such, The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst players (to have played at least 45 minutes) for the Magpies were:

Fabian Schar

Schar may count himself unlucky to have been ranked third given that he got the assist for Wilson’s goal, but nonetheless SofaScore decided to give him a 6.6 overall rating.

The central defender lost out on 11 of his duels in total, the third-most out of any of his teammates, as he also failed to record a single interception or tackle in the game.

Schar was also guilty of giving the ball away on no fewer than on 20 separate occasions in the match, the most out of any Toon player.

Joe Willock

Willock was also given a 6.6 rating by SofaScore, but ranks in second here courtesy of Schar’s assist.

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The former Arsenal man lost five duels, and also never managed a shot on target, interception or tackle, while he lost possession a total of 11 times.

Allan Saint-Maximin

So often the bright spark in the North East, Saint-Maximin was lively as usual, but nothing really came off for him. As such, SofaScore decided to give him just a 6.1 rating.

The winger lost out on nine duels, and failed with three of his shots on goal, while he also failed to put in an accurate cross or long ball.

Saint-Maximin also gave the ball away on 18 different occasions, the joint-third most out of any of his teammates.

In other news, find out which Gazza-like technician NUFC now have ‘the opportunity’ to sign here!

Sunderland enjoyed a busy January transfer window as Kristjaan Speakman brought in a number of players to bolster then-manager Lee Johnson’s squad.

Jermain Defoe, Jack Clarke, Jay Matete, Trai Hume, Danny Batth and Patrick Roberts all came in to aid the club’s attempts to win promotion to the Championship this season.

One of those signings has already flopped as Defoe recently announced his retirement from football after playing seven League One matches for the club.

Kristjaan Speakman error

Another January signing who the club could end up making an embarrassing error over is attacking midfielder Patrick Roberts.

At the time of his arrival, Johnson said: “We hope that this is the place he calls home for a number of years.”

However, that may not transpire as he is attracting interest from elsewhere. TEAMtalk recently reported that Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise are keen on a deal for the former Manchester City man at the end of the season.

They are set to have Champions League football to offer and want to tempt Roberts into making the switch just months after he signed for the Black Cats.

This is where Speakman must act quickly to avoid making this blunder. He was only able to agree a short-term deal with the forward until the end of the season and must now extend his terms to secure his future at the Stadium of Light.

At the very least, Roberts signing a new contract would allow Sunderland to recoup a fee for his services instead of losing him for nothing in the summer.

The winger has one goal and has averaged 1.3 key passes per game across ten matches in League One, starting four times, and has the potential to improve further at the age of 25. He still has his best years ahead of him as he is yet to reach his peak and he could enjoy that at the Stadium of Light if he stays.

Ex-Black Cats player Stephen Elliott dubbed him “sublime” recently and former Norwich head coach Daniel Farke also previously hailed the forward’s talents, saying: “He is a brilliant lad who is full of potential. He is the type of player who can change a game because he has this ability that he can create something in a one against one situation.”

These comments suggest that Sunderland are yet to see the best of the attacker and that is why they cannot lose him on a free. It would be embarrassing to lose a player of his talent without receiving payment for him just months after bringing him to the club, which is why Speakman must rectify his error to avoid making another one.

AND in other news, Cost £13.6m, now worth £1.8m: SAFC had a nightmare on dud who “lacked professionalism”…

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped a worrying contract update about Aston Villa starlet Carney Chukwuemeka.

What’s the story?

Responding to a fan on Twitter about the latest over the midfielder, he said: “He’s contracted to 2023. It’s being dealt with by his reps who aren’t in a rush. I expected it to go through on his 18th birthday but it hasn’t been the case. He’s got a really good chance of starting on Friday. We shall see. Cheers Amir.”

Villa fans will be worried

The recently-turned 18-year-old was handed his senior debut in the Premier League towards the end of last season by Dean Smith, making some late cameos against the likes of Spurs and Chelsea.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans then delivered some exciting news on the plans for Chukwuemeka heading into this campaign, saying: “Carney Chukwuemeka is the one teenager who will definitely be a part of the first team. He’s starting to fill out and will soon be ready for the demands of Premier League football.”

Indeed, former Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has previously urged Smith to throw Chukwuemeka into the deep end with the first-team.

He exclusively told FFC: “I kind of go off the fans’ views – I know he’s been scoring goals in the Under-18s. When someone is scoring goals, they’ve showed they’re a massive threat, it does attract football clubs and when you’re getting Manchester City and United hovering around the vicinity and are trying to take the young players away.

“This is where I feel if he’s that good we need to see him filtered through to the first team especially at this stage of the season. We’ve seen the likes of Louie Barry, who I felt would have had more of a chance this season, and I would put him in that category. I’d like to see more of him playing, because if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.”

News that a new contract hasn’t yet been sorted is surely a cause for concern for Villa fans, who have seen him play just 63 minutes of Premier League football all season, despite the injury issues in midfield.

After all, a player as talented as he would surely help a side that currently resemble a sinking ship down in 15th place.

Meanwhile, Villa have made contact with this manager…