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Wolves weren’t able to continue their recent upturn in form despite technically netting three against Southampton at Molineux on Saturday.

Raul Jimenez’s penalty just after the hour mark cancelled out Danny Ings’ opener, but Wolves’ main man did have two goals chalked off by VAR, so the afternoon could have easily been a different tale.

One of Nuno Santo’s biggest flaws this season has been through him playing Ruben Neves too deep in midfield, meaning he isn’t able to affect the game as much as he used to – this is something covered in more detail by Football FanCast here.

With reports continuing to linger surrounding AC Milan’s Franck Kessie, many supporters in the west Midlands believe the 22-year-old could be a viable solution if the club does indeed go for him in January.

Most recently, la Gazzetta dello Sport, via Calciomercato, claimed an offer had been received from Wolves for his services.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

One fan claimed that the central midfielder ‘must be special’ because of all the transfer rumours linking him to multiple clubs while another added that more depth is certainly needed in Wolves’ squad.

Others said they ‘definitely’ wanted to see Kessie in an old gold shirt with one believing he would add more ‘pace and power’ to the heart of the pitch.

A further member of the Molineux faithful believed that he would provide ‘much-needed physicality.’

It remains to be seen whether the reports surrounding Kessie are accurate, according to Transfermarkt he is currently valued at £27m, so they’ll most likely have to pay a considerable chunk for him to make the switch from Italy.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Things are currently far from being rosy in the Catalan capital.

Even though Barcelona returned to their winning ways last week with a pair of victories over Villarreal and Getafe, their problems seem far from fixed.

At the moment, the atmosphere within the Blaugrana squad is still gloomy as some players are starting to lose trust in Ernesto Valverde and the upper hierarchy of the club will have to keep the team from falling apart.

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One of their still fresh solutions, however, seems to have been a failure as well.

Recently, Barcelona contacted their icon, Carles Puyol, in an attempt to lure him back as their new sporting director. And just the other day, they have received their answer – a resounding no.

Puyol, now aged 41, is a true legend of the Blaugrana, having risen from La Masia and playing a total of 594 games donning the shirt of the Catalan giant. He retired from professional football in the summer of 2014.

Needless to say, the Spaniard loves Barcelona and everything they represent and yet, he decided to decline their offer to return to the club of his youth.

Of course, the 41-year-old made an official statement on his Twitter account to explain his decision and claimed he turned it down due to having other personal projects on his hands.

While that does seem like a reasonable explanation, it’s still really difficult to digest entirely.

Puyol even mentions how he desires to return to Barcelona and yet decided to pass on the opportunity when it was presented to him.

With the state the club is currently in – their form, hierarchy and with Valverde at the helm – could it be that Puyol simply doesn’t trust the process and the current direction his beloved team is heading towards?

If we can take anything away from his statement then it’s the fact the former defender hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a big return in the future.

Is he just waiting for the situation to change just a tiny bit? It really wouldn’t be a stretch to consider that option.

And if that’s really his true reason, even though he would never admit it publicly, then this just might have been a big message to the current board and one that should sound all the alarms around the Camp Nou.

We’ll have to wait and see how it actually affects the club moving forward.

Conor Hourihane was on the scoresheet in Aston Villa’s 5-1 win over Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The midfielder netted Villa’s fourth of the match at Carrow Road, and his performance led to a number of the club’s fans calling for him to start more matches.

Hourihane actually only played 24 minutes of Premier League football for Dean Smith’s side between August 17 and September 22.

The 28-year-old was handed the full 90 minutes against Burnley last weekend, though, before playing for 77 minutes against Norwich on Saturday.

Operating in a midfield three, Hourihane, who has also featured twice in the EFL Cup this season, had an 85% pass success rate, according to WhoScored.

And his outing against the Canaries impressed a whole host of the Villa supporters, with some calling for him to be used more frequently from the start of matches.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

The 16-year-old said that it’s a pleasure to lift some silverware with England, and many supporters all over the country have to be hoping that this becomes a regular sight over the next few years.

Perhaps this Syrenka Cup win will give him a taste of what’s possible at international level and push him to achieve great things when the time comes for him in the senior side.

He signs off the post by saying that it’s time to get back to work with Liverpool, which is a message a number of Liverpool fans will enjoy reading as it shows he’s committed to working hard for his new club despite not being a part of the first-team.

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The youngster made it clear that he was disappointed by the result on Thursday night, but he showed the perfect mindset that will allow Wolves to get back on track sooner rather than later.

He didn’t dwell on the loss, as he instead looked towards the next opportunity to put things right.

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It’s easier said than done though – Wolves haven’t won a league game all season, and by the time Sunday’s game rolls around they could be bottom of the league.

However, they still have a talented squad that finished seventh last term, and if a number of key players share the same attitude as Gibbs-White they should be fine.

Everton must bring in some fresh talent to strengthen their bid to finish in that elusive seventh position to bring European football back to Goodison Park.

So far, their ambition to get that is failing after a poor Christmas and New Year period compared to the Toffees’ usual high standards.

Many players have lost form and an issue that has been problematic for some time now is that Everton don’t have a proper goal-scoring striker.

Cenk Tosun has just not had the impact many thought he would and Richarlison has been the main source of goals even though he isn’t normally a frontman.

So, to end their wait for a good striker, Everton must look to bring in Willian Jose this window.

Jose, (who is valued at £22.5 million on Transfermarkt) could definitely transpire to be a brilliant signing for Everton, adding significant strength to their arsenal and fire-power in the final third.

The Brazilian forward has scored seven league goals this season and is improving game-by-game to provide more of a presence for his current team Real Sociedad.

Everton have been without a talisman ever since Romelu Lukaku left the club and that is an issue the club must look to solve during this transfer window.

The Toffees have previously been linked (via Mundo Deportivo) with the 27-year-old – understandably so as well. Last season, Willian Jose scored 20 times in 40 outings and the season before was slightly lower with 14.

He really is reaching his peak capacity in the game and could be a brilliant addition for Everton whilst he is in this kind of goal-scoring mood.

Do you agree that Everton should sign Willian Jose… Let us know!

Many may have forgotten about the 20-year-old Martin Odegaard who is still officially a Real Madrid player.

But currently, he plays his football on loan at Real Sociedad and he has impressed his new team so much that they have named him their player of the month, which is not a small achievement by any stretch of the imagination.

We still don’t know what exactly will happen with this talented young player in the future but it seems that many Real Madrid fans like the kid and want to give him a shot in the first team at Los Blancos.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Shortly after the award was announced on social media, some of them rushed to Twitter to both congratulate Odegaard on his success and shower him with praise and messages of support.

You can see some of their replies in the collection of tweets posted below.

Regardless of whether Real Madrid think there’s a place for him in the team or not, the fans were pretty much in unison on this one.

Check out what the fans had to say…

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While Aston Villa have been busy getting some new players to join the club during the current January transfer window, it seems as though they could have a challenge on their hands to keep one of their current squad members at Villa Park before the end of the month.

What’s the latest?

According to West Ham United insider @ExWHUemployee on his Patreon page (via Birmingham Live) Villa defender Kortney Hause is apparently one of a number of potential centre-back targets for the east London club.

Hause originally joined Villa on a loan deal from fellow Premier League side Wolves in the 2019 January transfer window before the Villans secured him on a permanent basis in the following summer in a deal worth a reported fee of £3m.

Overall, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, has made 54 appearances for Steven Gerrard’s team across all competitions, scoring four goals in the process, showing what a danger he can be in front of goal at times.

Gerrard would be livid

Given how Villa only have three centre-backs in their squad at the moment including Hause after Axel Tuanzebe had his loan spell brought to an end earlier this month, it wouldn’t be wise for Johan Lange to allow Hause to leave the Midlands club this month.

That’s especially when you consider that Ezri Konsa picked up an injury in Villa’s recent 2-2 draw against Manchester United.

While a move to West Ham could be tempting for Hause given how David Moyes’ side are on the hunt to secure a Champions League place this season, Villa have their own aspirations of securing European football in the near future.

Therefore, it could persuade the defender to not only stay at Villa this month but also to sign a new deal with them before his current one expires at the end of the campaign.

Moving forward, with the current situation at Villa the way it is in terms of their centre-back options, it would be nothing short of a disaster if Gerrard were to see Hause make a move to West Ham this month, as it would surely leave him livid, specifically if they don’t then manage to bring in any new defensive options before the January window closes.

In other news: “Keen to..” – Ashley Preece drops behind-scenes AVFC update that’ll have fans sweating – opinion

Everton are having a season of nightmares with manager troubles that have seen the search for a sixth manager in six years begin amid poor performances in the Premier League leading to the side falling to 16th in the table, just four points off the relegation zone, without a single win in their last five league games.

What’s the word?

Journalist and Everton insider, Alan Myers, has given an update on the current managerial situation at Goodison Park, when asked by a fan whether Duncan Ferguson could become the full-time manager of the side.

Myers gave an update on the progress in his Twitter replies, writing:

“My understanding is nobody has made any decisions yet on the way forward, I think the search process continues running alongside what may happen in the next two or three games.”

Sky Sports have reported several potential suitors for the job including Derby County manager, Wayne Rooney and out of work ex-Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, who are reportedly both favourites in the search for the next Everton manager.

Fans surely frustrated

Myers’ update will leave fans further frustrated as the pressure mounts on the Everton board to find the right manager to lead the club out of the despairing season they have faced so far.

Everton lost their fourth game in their last five on Saturday against Aston Villa, and fan fury boiled over as former player Lucas Digne secured an assist for the goal that led to Villa’s victory at Goodison Park.

That led to one fan throwing a bottle at the former Everton defender, and supporters took their anger further by approaching Bill Kenwright on his way out of the stadium, with videos surfacing on social media of Toffees fans demanding answers from the chairman.

Farhad Moshiri needs to work fast in finding solutions for the problems Everton currently face, with Ferguson under pressure to take something from the glimmer of hope their two games in hand has given them over Norwich City that they have gained from postponements, and at this stage every game has become a must-win for the Toffees.

Ferguson seems like a temporary solution and thus, fans will surely grow all the more frustrated the longer the wait goes on to find a new permanent head coach.

In other news: Wayne Rooney hints at interest in becoming Everton manager

Dele Alli’s time at Tottenham Hotspur could soon be coming to an end after the club were linked with a move for a new attacking midfielder…

What’s the word?

According to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia), Spurs will battle their north London rivals Arsenal to sign the Juventus outcast during the January transfer window.

It was the Lilywhites’ sporting director Fabio Paratici who signed him for the Serie A giants, so they could well be leading the race to seal his signature, in which Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are also keen.

The Bianconeri appear to be willing to sell the 20-cap Sweden international for a minimum of €35m (£30m) to €40m (£34m) next month.

Bye-bye Alli?

The 21-year-old dynamo, who is capable of playing anywhere along the frontline, has dropped down the pecking order at the Allianz Stadium under Massimiliano Allegri this season.

Just four of his 21 appearances this term have been starts, whilst he has provided one goal and four assists from just 724 minutes of action, per Transfermarkt.

Last season, he enjoyed a lot of success as he delivered 14 direct goal contributions across 47 matches. What made that even more impressive was the fact that he did so whilst playing in at least seven different roles. A very versatile talent, indeed.

If that isn’t enough to suggest that he’s a perfect fit for Antonio Conte and his system, then perhaps praise from others in and around the game is.

“Kulusevski is an explosive player who likes to challenge his direct opponent,” once claimed ex-Sweden striker Marcus Allback to The Sun. “He likes to dribble with the ball, play the short passes and he is very good on the through balls. He’s quick and would cause a lot of trouble for most of the teams he plays.”

Whilst experienced Italian coach Pierpaolo Bisoli believes there are shades of Mohamed Salah about him “He has incredible physical strength. He reminds me of a young Salah for the way he shakes off opponents in the first ten metres,” he said.

On the above evidence, the fact that he is versatile and hugely dynamic, Kulusevski could well be a better fit for Conte at Spurs than Alli, whose best position is still undetermined.

Furthermore, there have been reports suggesting that Tottenham could finally be open to selling the 25-year-old amid his long-term struggles on the pitch.

Once dubbed a “freak of a talent” by former Lilywhites star Darren Anderton, Alli has failed to hit the heights of his past glory, managing only one goal and one assist this season.

Therefore, the £27m-rated dynamo could offer Conte and co a lot more than the Englishman, so if they are able to secure a move for him in January, then the club absolutely must do all they can to pull it over the line.

Spurs’ new boss could finally bin Alli with a move for the exciting Swedish sensation.

AND in other news, “Serious chance”: Romano drops teasing Spurs transfer update that’ll have fans buzzing…