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With Bruno Lage’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side heading into Saturday’s Premier League clash in a remarkable run of form, having picked up 12 points from a possible 15 over their last five games, the 45-year-old will undoubtedly be hoping for yet another positive result this weekend.

With today’s hosts Leeds United being in a rather contrasting run of form at present, Marcelo Bielsa’s men having picked up just six points so far this season, Lage will know that his team have a fantastic opportunity to catapult themselves into the top half of the table with a result against the Whites.

Will the Portuguese manager decide to make any changes from the team which started the last-gasp 3-2 victory over Aston Villa last weekend? Here’s how we think Wolves could line up against Leeds, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Lage recently confirming that Willy Boly has been ruled out of the visit to Elland Road due to injury and revealing that Francisco Trincao will be available for selection once more – the winger has completed his quarantine period after falling ill while on international duty – we predict that the 45-year-old will make two changes to his starting XI today.

The back six of Jose Sa, Romaine Saiss, Conor Coady, Max Kilman, Fernando Marcal and Nelson Semedo remains unchanged, something which is largely down to Lage currently having just three fit centre-backs in his first team squad following Boly’s injury.

The first change comes in the middle of the park. After deploying a three-man central midfield against Villa, Lage reverts back to a two of Ruben Neves and Leander Dendoncker, with the £3.6m-rated Joao Moutinho dropping out of the XI.

This change also sees Wolves once more employing a three-man attack, in which Adama Traore and the £52k-per-week Daniel Podence start on the left and right flanks respectively as both players highly impressed in the win at Villa. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Hwang Hee-chan, who had a poor game at Villa Park, is replaced by Raul Jimenez up top, with Trincao having to make do with a place on the bench initially.

In other news: Wolves’ £6.3m-rated “breath of fresh air” could cause Lage a major problem next season

Sunderland have been dealt a potential double injury blow ahead of their upcoming League One fixture.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by The Northern Echo, who claim that both Dennis Cirkin and Callum Doyle are being assessed ahead of the Cheltenham Town clash on Tuesday evening, as both players were withdrawn due to injury in the 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers last weekend.

Left-back Cirkin was taken off in the second half of the fixture after suffering a suspected concussion, while centre-back Doyle was substituted out shortly before the end of the match with a stiff back.

Speaking after the weekend’s victory, Lee Johnson said: “Dennis was outstanding and you can see now why we signed him. We’re still chasing fitness with a few and you can see that in games. It’s a bit frustrating and probably the reason we’re not able to quite win games by a higher margin.

“With Callum, he had a bit of a stiff back going into the game yesterday and he just needed a bit of treatment ahead of it. It’s just seized up on him towards the end there I think and so we had to bring him off. Whether he’s available for Tuesday, we’ll have to see.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering how impressive both Cirkin and Doyle have been for Sunderland since their respective summer moves, the news that both players could be set to miss out on Tuesday evening is sure to leave the Stadium of Light faithful gutted.

Indeed, over Doyle’s eight League One fixtures so far this season, the Manchester City loanee has helped his side keep one clean sheet, as well as making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 3.9 clearances and winning 3.9 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 17-year-old earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.86, ranking him as the Black Cats’ 13th-best performer in the third tier.

Meanwhile, over Cirkin’s seven league appearances, the former Tottenham Hotspur defender has registered two assists, as well as making an average of 1.7 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 0.7 key passes and winning 4.7 duels per match.

These metrics have earned the 19-year-old an average SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as the Mackems’ eighth-best player in League One this term.

As such, while the visit of a mid-table Cheltenham side should not cause second-placed Sunderland too much trouble on paper, the potential absence of both players will undoubtedly dent Johnson’s chances of picking up another three points in the fixture.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops Sunderland claim on “exciting” 21 y/o, Lee Johnson would be buzzing

Aston Villa could sign their new Christian Benteke in Sheffield United starlet Daniel Jebbison.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Dean Smith’s side are one of several Premier League teams interested in signing the 18-year-old from the Blades this summer, with Everton already having a bid rejected for him.

Villa’s new Benteke

In the 101 games that he ended up playing for Villa, Benteke more than showed that he was worth every penny that the club spent on him. He scored a very impressive 49 times and even provided another twelve assists too, and was involved in some spectacular individual and team goals – the back-heel to set up Andreas Weimann’s strike in a 3-1 win against Liverpool at Anfield still lives long in the memory.

Former Villa boss, Paul Lambert, said at the time of his signing: “Christian is only 21 but already he’s an established Belgian international and he’s had a terrific time at Genk. He’s something very different to what we have here and that added dimension will enhance the football club. A young lad he may be, but he’s definitely a handful. He’s tall, powerful, he has pace and we’ll be stronger with him in the side.”

And, just like Benteke, the £900k-rated Jebbison is a real “handful” up front and could give Villa another battering ram-like striker.

The 6 foot 3 ace has certainly got the raw physical frame to pose a problem for opposition defences, and given that he’s still only 18, will surely look to fill out a bit more over the coming years.

The coach who had Jebbison at his academy back in Toronto, Bassam Naim, called him “a force to be reckoned with”, adding: “Athletic, strong. Always creative when he was with us. Lots of energy? He loves to go forward. He loves to take on players.”

As per Whoscored, the teenager averaged one shot per game in the Premier League in the brief amount of time he was on the pitch, while he showcased his ability as a real threat for defenders by also making 1.5 tackles per match and winning 1.3 aerial duels per game too.

That’s exactly the kind of physical presence that Benteke really made a name for at Villa Park, and one Smith will be hoping to bring back to Villa Park.

Meanwhile, Villa are plotting a late swoop for this star…

For many of the opening few weeks of the season, there had been cries and lust for Ben Godfrey to return to the Everton squad.

The defender, who made England’s preliminary squad for the European Championships, had been missing in the opening weeks but has now returned.

He helped Everton defeat Burnley 3-1 a week ago but his performance against Aston Villa left plenty to be desired.

On the chalkboard

Godfrey was charged with playing at right-back on Saturday evening with Seamus Coleman ruled out for the next 2-3 weeks with a hamstring problem.

However, during the 90 minutes, the former Norwich man proved why he should really be playing in the middle of the backline.

He was caught out numerous times down Everton’s right-hand side, particularly by Leon Bailey during his late match-winning cameo for Dean Smith’s side.

As the Jamaican galloped down the Villa left to open his account for the club, the Toffees full-back was nowhere to be seen.

He’d been dragged across towards the left-hand side of the pitch and left acres of spaces for Bailey to pounce on the ball and then score.

The solution

If Rafa Benitez wants to rest Godfrey or take him out of the firing line for a match then the boss should consider unleashing one of Everton’s eye-catching teenagers.

One of them happens to be Jarrad Branthwaite. The 19-year-old played in Everton’s win over Huddersfield a few weeks ago and caught the eye.

As the Toffees reached the third round of the EFL Cup, the central defender completed a whopping 98% of his passes.

With Everton’s defence struggling this term, keeping just one clean sheet, Benitez should turn to the youngster against QPR on Tuesday evening.

The Carabao Cup is the perfect platform to unleash young players and offer them valuable experience.

Branthwaite has so far appeared six times for the Merseyside outfit but it’s in the cup competitions where he’ll arguably feel more comfortable.

Playing against Championship opposition should also be highly beneficial. He spent a period of last term on loan at Blackburn where he actually lost to Everton’s midweek opposition 1-0.

During his time there, Tony Mowbray was keen to praise the youngster after a 1-1 draw with Stoke: “[He’s] a seven or eight out of ten every week. Win your headers, play forward passes and just do your job as it says on the tin and I thought he done that very well today,” he said.

That builds on comments from his boss at Carlisle, Steven Pressley. He once tipped the defender for international stardom: “The truth is, I think he has got everything. He can pass the ball almost equally as good with both feet. He’s a terrific footballer.”

“If he continues to develop, then, without doubt, he can be an England player.”

With a number of options at centre-back for Benitez to choose from, it’s in matches like the one on Tuesday where Branthwaite really needs to stake his claim.

AND in other news, Everton rocked by big blow after weekend development, Benitez will be seething…

David Moyes will be tempted to remain with an unchanged starting XI for West Ham’s trip to Merseyside this afternoon.

But the Scotsman did hint at a couple of injury worries following the international break, so that may not be possible.

Last time out, the Irons suffered only their second defeat of the 2021/22 campaign, losing to a last-gasp goal against newly-promoted Brentford and now they head to Goodison Park to face an in-form Everton side.

It leaves Moyes with plenty of selection headaches but with that in mind, here’s the Hammers XI we’re predicting today…

There could be as many as three changes from the side that tasted defeat at the London Stadium.

Between the sticks, Lukasz Fabianski is expected to resume duties, with Paris Saint-Germain loanee Alphonse Areola only being used sparingly in the cup competitions.

We’re also predicting there to be a shuffle in defence as Issa Diop comes in for Angelo Ogbonna to form an all-French partnership in the middle. He’s yet to start in the league but after assistant manager Stuart Pearce described him as a “colossus”, it’s surely a matter of time before he does.

Whilst there have been concerns over the fitness of Vladimir Coufal.

The 29-year-old right-back pulled out of international duty for the Czech Republic during the break and still may not be risked just yet. You could tell he was rushed back for the Brentford defeat and he looked some way off his usual standard.

Instead, we may see Ben Johnson pair up with fellow full-back Aaron Cresswell.

It’s in midfield where there is a third and final change as club captain Mark Noble gets the nod over Tomas Soucek.

According to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, “it would not come as a surprise” if Moyes rested the Czech Republic international ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash with Genk.

He has played a lot of football since the start of last season, resulting in some leggy outings in recent weeks. He played the full 90 minutes on international duty twice last week.

Noble joins England star Declan Rice in the engine room, whilst the attack remains untouched, meaning Michail Antonio leads the line, having benefitted from pulling out of the Jamaica squad.

He’ll be supported by the trio of Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen.

AND in other news, Moyes must brutally axe “unplayable” £45k-per-week star at Goodison Park…

Steve Parish and Crystal Palace will not budge on Wilfried Zaha’s valuation, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern.

Zaha had been strongly linked with both Tottenham and Everton at the end of last season but nothing is yet to materialise.

The latter’s interest dates back to 2019 where they had an offer rejected for the player, which was confirmed by the club (via Liverpool Echo).

Transfer insider Dean Jones, speaking on the Football Terrace, has claimed that Spurs are still looking at Zaha ahead of deadline day. Palmer, though, has warned them and other outfits not to expect a discount.

“Steve Parish is one of those guys. He won’t budge on this,” the ex-Leeds United player said. “If he’s said it’s 50 million, for example, it’s 50 million. So it’s for the clubs now to trigger that.”

While you would never rule anything out, it would be a surprise to see Tottenham splash out on Zaha in this moment of time.

Nuno Espirito Santo currently has the likes of Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn for those attacking positions, the trio all impressing in that recent 1-0 win against Manchester City.

They have also just brought in Bryan Gil from Sevilla so are hardly lacking in that area of the pitch right now.

As per reliable reporter Scott Burns, writing for the Scottish Daily Express, some news has come to light on Southampton’s transfer plans for January involving Rangers star Joe Aribo.

The Lowdown: Semmens eyeing winter moves?

As the winter window looms, Southampton chief Martin Semmens, who oversees the club’s transfer activity, has already hinted that the Saints could be active business-wise as he aims to bolster manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s chances of Premier League survival.

Sitting just six points above the drop zone, Hasenhuttl’s men will potentially be looking to strengthen if the right opportunity arises, with links emerging to a few names like Angers wonderkid Mohamed-Ali Cho.

Now, as per an update from north of the border, another claim has emerged on the Saints’ transfer plans.

The Latest: Semmens eyeing Aribo bid…

According to Burns, Southampton, and by extension Semmens, are ‘weighing up a move’ for Gers star Aribo and they even had a representative sent to watch him in action at the weekend.

Standing out for the Teddy Bears this season, Southampton already have a number of reports on the midfielder as they keep tabs on his situation ahead of January.

The Verdict: Time to move?

The 25-year-old has been one of Rangers’ players of the season so far, making more SPFL appearances than anyone in their squad so far whilst averaging the second-highest rate of dribbles completed per 90 and scoring the second-most goals (WhoScored).

His contract is also expiring in 18 months, putting some pressure on the Ibrox side to contemplate a sale while they still can.

The Nigeria international, lauded as ‘red hot’ by pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor for his form this season, could well be an astute purchase for Southampton if they can negotiate a realistic price.

In other news: ‘Worst player we have’…Southampton fans blast ‘terrible’ player after recent ‘stinker’, find out more here.

Celtic have had a number of successful academy graduates make their way through to the first team at Parkhead over the years.

Callum McGregor and James Forrest are two great examples of players who have been able to rise through the ranks and establish themselves as key stars for the Hoops at senior level.

However, some talented prospects can slip through the cracks and that is what happened with left-back Aaron Hickey in Glasgow. He was brought to the club from Hearts in 2017 and did not make a single first-team outing as a teenager before Brendan Rodgers sanctioned his exit back to Tynecastle for nothing in the summer of 2018.

Two years later, Italian side Bologna snapped him up from the Scottish side and he is now attracting interest from England.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Premier League side Newcastle United are eyeing up a deal worth up to £20m for the youngster, which means his value has risen astronomically in the space of around four years. The Magpies are looking to snap him up this summer after watching him catch the eye in Italy this season.

In the Serie A, he has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 6.89 across 27 appearances. He has been able to showcase his attacking flair from full-back with four goals and one assist, whilst creating 0.5 chances per game.

Defensively, he has been solid throughout the campaign. Hickey has averaged 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game and has only been dribbled past 0.3 times per match, winning 60% of his overall duels in the Italian top-flight. This shows that he is a strong defender who also offers quality in possession, which makes him a modern-day full-back who can make an impact at both ends of the pitch.

At the age of 19, he also has the potential to improve further. He is in the infancy of his professional career and has plenty of time to develop further and progress as a left-back. If he is able to continue growing and raising his standards on the pitch then that £20m may start to look like a bargain and Celtic could rue their decision even more as time passes.

His former manager Daniel Stendl previously labelled him as an “extraordinary talent” and the youngster’s statistics in the Serie A at such a young age back that up. 

Hickey’s form since leaving Celtic and his immense potential as a player prove that Rodgers made a huge blunder by not offering him a route to the first-team and allowing him to leave fo nothing. He slipped through the now-Leicester boss’ clutches and the Hoops will surely be wondering what could have been, as they look set to watch him seal a potential mega-money move this summer.

AND in other news, £3m wasted: Celtic had a shocker on £7.9k-p/w “loner” who rinsed Desmond for 129 weeks…

Newcastle United are reportedly now willing to pay big money in order to sign Ronald Araujo.

The Lowdown: Destined for greatness

Despite the trouble in which Barcelona have found themselves in recent times, having to let Lionel Messi go to Paris Saint-Germain and potentially not being able to qualify from their Champions League group, the emergence of Araujo is at least one shining light at Camp Nou.

Recently described as a ‘spectacular’ player by his new manager Xavi, the 22-year-old looks destined for great things, and his teammate Gerard Pique already thinks that he ‘has everything’ for a central defender despite his tender age.

One of the most notable qualities about Araujo is his physique, as he stands at 6 foot 2, and he is in ‘exuberant physical condition’ according to former Uruguay centre-back and fellow countryman Andres Scotti, making him a bit of a beast.

The Latest: Wanted

As per El Nacional, Newcastle now want Araujo and are ‘one of the most interested’ clubs from the Premier League in the race for his signature, along with Chelsea.

They would reportedly be ‘willing’ to put an offer of £60m on the table, comfortably surpassing the club-record £40m that they spent on Joelinton, as well as giving the 22-year-old a ‘big’ contract.

Ideally, Barcceloa do not want to sell, but the report claimed that they would ‘have to study’ a prospective offer of that magnitude.

The Verdict: Unrealistic

It does seem too unrealistic that a player of Araujo’s quality and promise would move to Newcastle this early in the project, especially as they are currently in a relegation scrap.

Eddie Howe’s preference for high possession and attacking football would certainly suit Araujo more than some of the other centre-half options in the Magpies’ squad, given that the Uruguay international has averaged more passes at a higher success rate per game than Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez and Jamaal Lascelles in their respective domestic leagues so far this season (WhoScored).

However, despite the kind of money that the Tynesiders now have at their disposal, it seems likely that Araujo would look elsewhere for now, perhaps to reigning Champions League holders Chelsea, until the long-term project at St James’ Park has developed further.

In other news, NUFC are also eyeing this ‘incredible’ beast

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is said to have green-lighted a move for Milan centre-back Alessio Romagnoli as he looks to reshape Spurs’ defence.

What’s the story?

The north Londoners picked up a win in the 52-year-old’s first match in charge on Thursday night when they beat Vitesse 3-2 in the Europa Conference League, and journalist Graeme Bailey has name-checked two of the Italian’s main transfer targets.

Writing initially on Twitter, he said: “Antonio Conte greenlights Tottenham’s pursuits of AC Milan’s Franck Kessie. They are also keen on Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli. Likely to be two of the best free transfers around in 2022.”

In a follow-up article for 90min, he added: “90min has been told that Conte is also a fan of Kessie’s Milan teammate Alessio Romagnoli. Rossoneri captain Romagnoli, like Kessie, has little over six months left on his contract at San Siro and Spurs are looking to sign him too. The club want to bring in at least one central defender, but two could arrive in 2022.”

Fans will be buzzing

While Spurs fans will no doubt hope and even expect Conte to make the team much harder to beat, particularly from a back five point of view, there’s no questioning that they could do with some strengthening in terms of sheer quality. In Romagnoli, they could find someone who could answer all their prayers.

Speaking about the 26-year-old a few years ago, Milan legend Paolo Maldini said: “He is one of the best ever, he is already at the national team. He must have well precise objectives. It’s a growth process. Milan of the last few years did not help Alessio but we now hope that he will help us return Milan back.”

The £18m-rated beast has played top-level Serie A football for several seasons, and having emerged as a leader at the back for Milan, he could add some more steel and experience to the heart of the Spurs defence.

The fact that he’s Italian and therefore Conte will likely know him well merely adds to the feeling that Romagnoli should be able to hit the ground running in north London if he joins Tottenham. Given that he is still only 26, he is a prospective signing who would surely have Spurs fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, this Spurs ace surely impressed Conte against Vitesse…