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Undoubtedly one of the stories of last season was the rise of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who took to the Premier League with ravenous glee. After coming up from the Championship in 2018 they exceeded all expectation in securing the highest finish in the top flight for a promoted side since Sunderland in 2000.

Along the way they took a hugely impressive 16 points from the six teams above them while adopting a well-organised style of football that saw them concede the fifth-fewest goals of any Premier League side. All told, they were a proverbial breath of fresh air, a new fixture for English football’s top clubs to worry about.

This season has so far been a similar tale of lofty achievement with the Midlands outfit sitting pretty in what is fast becoming a familiar seventh place in the league. Next month meanwhile sees them compete in the Europa League knock-out rounds after navigating the group stage.

Can you remember how much each of these transfer icons cost? Only experts will get 100% on our quiz…

When viewing their steep trajectory it would be quite wrong to overlook the importance of Nuno Espirito Santo, whose arrival at Molineux kick-started the club after several years of false dawns. It is no coincidence that Wolves’ elevation has occurred since the Portuguese coach took the reins in the summer of 2017.

However, there are other factors that can be attributed to the club’s emergence as a major player in the English game and we’ll come to them very shortly. But first let’s take a look at how Wolves’ accession to the big time has been perceived in the media and beyond.

Regarding their European adventure the Daily Mail recently referred to them as ‘Santo’s plucky underdogs’ and this has been a common theme  – back in September, The Athletic described Wolves’ 2018/19 campaign as simply “overachieving”.

Every scalp of a top club, every major victory, and every next step taken has been greeted in pubs and headlines with a similar mix of impress and surprise. Perhaps that’s understandable considering the level they were playing their football at this time two years ago, and considering where Wolves sit traditionally in the English game.

But now let’s highlight who else is behind this Wolves phenomenon.

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Firstly, and most importantly there is Fosun, a Chinese investment group who are the club’s owners. In March of last year it was revealed that their overall wealth amounts to £60billion.

The founder of Fosun is Guo Guangchang who is a good friend of super-agent Jorge Mendes, one of the most powerful men in world football, and with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho as clients you can see why.

Mendes’ client Nuno Espirito Santo joined Wolves as too did the highly rated Ruben Neves, who opted for the Championship over the Champions League with FC Porto. Indeed, this extremely well-connected club presently have eight Portuguese players in their ranks who collectively boast 100+ international caps to their name. Hardly footballing novices fighting for results against the odds.

To help their cause in getting out of the second tier, Wolves spent an eye-watering £67m. Since reaching the promised land they have splurged just shy of £190m. In fact, Wolves’ transfer balance for the last five years has a lower deficit than just five current Premier League clubs according to Transfermarkt, three of those being the Manchester giants and Arsenal.

Wolves have been brilliant for the Premier League. They have added a new obstacle for top clubs and made the upper half of the division even more competitive. But let’s dispense with the plucky overacheivers tag. In reality, when you consider finance, connections and the quality of player they’ve accordingly managed to bring in, Wolves are exactly where they should be.

Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri confirmed after his side’s win against Roma on Sunday that reported Everton target Merih Demiral had suffered a potentially serious injury.

What’s the word, then?

Well, a report in The Telegraph earlier this month said that the 21-year-old was high on Carlo Ancelotti’s transfer wish-list at Goodison Park, with The Mirror saying it could take a bid of £35m to prise him away from the Turin giants.

The centre-back actually gave Juve the lead in their 2-1 victory in the Italian capital at the weekend, before he was taken off and replaced by Matthijs de Ligt before the 20-minute mark having landed awkwardly when trying to win a header.

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As reported by Football Italia, Sarri said post-match: “Demiral has a sprain and we won’t know any more until tomorrow morning.

“However, the sensation we have is that it might be a serious injury.”

Blow for Carlo

It remains to be seen how much business Everton end up doing this month, but you would have to feel that the centre-back position would be one of Ancelotti’s priorities in terms of strengthening.

The 60-year-old only has Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate available to him as senior central defensive options right now, and he would be left extremely short should one of those get injured or suspended.

Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

The experienced Italian said after the win against Brighton that Mina was rested and Keane brought into the starting XI as part of a rotation plan, suggesting he already has concerns about that position for the rest of the campaign.

A move for Demiral had actually seemed a little more unrealistic in recent weeks with him starting six successive matches in all competitions having only made one appearance in 2019/20 before December.

This potential injury could end any chances Everton have of getting the Turkey international this month, meaning they may have to turn their attentions elsewhere if he was their top centre-back target.

In other Everton news, Toffees fans were left competely torn on one man’s performance against Brighton on Saturday…

Chelsea have taken the decision to recall Conor Gallagher from his loan spell with Charlton Athletic, as reported on the Addicks’ official channels.

The announcement included a statement from Lee Bowyer, which includes him saying: “I’m disappointed. I didn’t see this coming if I’m honest which makes it harder to take. At the end of the day, though, we have to move on.”

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The 19-year-old was meant to stay with the club until the end of the season, but has gone back having scored six goals and provided two assists in 25 Championship starts and one substitute appearance.

He had become an integral part of the Charlton team, with his impact across the pitch being hinted at by his average of 2 tackles, 0.8 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per Championship game.

Considering how much he was excelling at the Valley, many Charlton fans were confused about the fact that Chelsea decided to recall him.

One fan claimed that their stance makes “no sense at all”, while another “can’t see any reason why” the Blues would opt to do this.

Some fans are even demanding an explanation from Chelsea due to how confused they are by their stance.

The consensus seems to be that they would like to have one from the Premier League outfit “because this is really jeopardising our season”.

Can you remember how much each of these transfer icons cost? Only experts will get 100% on our quiz…

Gallagher’s departure will definitely leave a void in Bowyer’s team that will need to be filled in some way, and Addicks supporters want to know why things have played out this way.

Meanwhile, Charlton have shown they are looking in the wrong areas with their pursuit of Championship man.

Ezri Konsa’s elation at scoring Aston Villa’s 94th-minute winner against Watford was clear to see, as he sprinted off towards the corner, visibly full of emotion, before doing a knee slide towards the corner flag.The goal could prove to be a massive moment in the club’s season, given that it was against a fellow relegation battler, and the 22-year-old thought he was the man to have notched the strike.

However, he later found out that it had actually been given to Tyrone Mings, after the ball sailed into the top corner off of his flailing foot.

Villa fans sympathised with the centre-back after things calmed down, with one fan stating that they were “gutted” for him.

They maintained that he is an “absolute hero”, while another stated that they think he will “score next game”.

How much do you remember about football in 2019? Our quiz will test your knowledge…

It was also recognised that without his strike, Villa wouldn’t have been taking all three points from the Hornets, regardless of whether or not he was credited with the goal.

There were even some who have maintained that the goal belongs to Konsa, rather than Mings, due to the fact that it was he who struck the shot.

One fan stated they “don’t care what the mortgage advisor says, that’s your goal”, showing that they are siding with the former Brentford man.

However, one got to the crux of the issue in the end, saying they “don’t care, three points, that’s all that matters”.

Meanwhile, there was plenty of smugness being shown towards Troy Deeney after the final whistle.

West Brom are in the hunt for two new attacking options but time is quickly running out with less than a week to go until deadline day.

The Baggies have recently suffered monumental blows to two key players after Grady Diangana picked up another injury that is set to keep him out for another month while Matheus Pereira still has two games left to serve on his suspension for violent conduct.

Albion have also struggled in the league, failing to win any of their last six matches, and following a shocking home defeat to Stoke City on Monday night, manager Slaven Bilic emphasised the need for additions.

He said: “We are trying – we can only hope that we are going to do it. Do we need them? [new signings] Yes, we need them. Every team needs them.”

His side have only scored two or more goals once in their last six league outings too as the likes of Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu regress back to their mean after a mini-resurgent run which took their totals to seven goals apiece.

Kenneth Zohore, the most expensive summer addition at £8m, has simply failed to meet fans’ expectations. Having scored in back-to-back matches against Charlton Athletic, the Dane was slammed on social media following last week’s defeat with him being referenced as the ‘biggest waste of money’ fans.

However, Bilic has a shot at atoning for his mistakes after confirming interest in a reported target, Dinamo Zagreb forward Mislav Orsic.

According to the Telegraph, the Croatian frontman will cost the exact same fee as the former Cardiff City flop, but he would arrive at the Hawthorns with a substantial record behind him.

Zohore’s one goal in 19 top-flight appearances for the Bluebirds last season was hardly going to inspire, especially at a near eight-figure fee.

Meanwhile, Orsic has been lighting up his domestic league as well as the Champions League, so that only goes to show the sort of pedigree on offer here.

The 27-year-old talisman has been in prolific form, scoring 19 goals in 26 games, which includes a hat-trick against Atalanta who broke into the knockout stages in Europe.

He brings an ability to play anywhere across the front three and can bring others into play as he has provided five assists in addition to his impressive goal return.

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all of these obscure West Brom players…

At £8m, this would have to be lauded as a bargain considering the club paid the same fee for Zohore, who has only found the net three times in the league, two of which being penalties.

It could be precisely what Bilic needs to make amends for not just his abysmal transfer decision in the summer, but also to get the Baggies right on track with their promotion push.

And in other news, West Brom have entered the race for a 6 foot 3 colossus that could improve their defensive woes…

The Daily Echo’s Dan Sheldon has provided an update on the future of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Sky Sports revealed on Thursday afternoon that Tottenham were interested in a late move for the Saints captain, who has also been of interest to Everton and Arsenal this month.

Sky Sports add that Spurs chiefs have ‘started in their efforts’ to lure the Denmark international to north London with just hours to go until the transfer deadline.

However, Sky Sports said Ralph Hasenhuttl revealed last Thursday that he doesn’t intend to let any players leave St Mary’s before Friday night’s deadline.

Højbjerg has made 22 Premier League starts for the Saints this season, and also appeared in the club’s last outing – coincidentally coming against Tottenham in a 1-1 FA Cup draw at St Mary’s.

What did Sheldon say?

The Daily Echo journalist revealed that Southampton have ‘no intention’ of letting the former Bayern Munich man leave the south coast this month – he actually said this summer, but immediately corrected himself!

Sheldon added that, apart from ‘a couple of youngsters possibly leaving on loan’, the Saints’ transfer business this month is as good as done, pouring cold water on Tottenham’s hopes of landing the 24-year-old midfielder.

Højbjerg arrived at St Mary’s from Bayern Munich in a deal worth £12.8m back in 2016, having previously won the Champions League and four Bundesliga titles while at the Allianz Arena.

It would be a real blow to lose the Dane with such little time to find a replacement, although Southampton’s negotiating stance isn’t as strong as it could possibly be.

Who is that?! Nobody has been able to name the teams all of these obscure managers were once in charge of…

Højbjerg has just 18 months remaining on his contract, and while there hasn’t been much news on a potential renewal, there have been some interesting snippets of information.

Hasenhuttl said that contract discussions will not take place until Southampton reach 36 points – they are currently on 31 – while The Athletic’s Carl Anka said that there was a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between the player and the club.

In other news, Carl Anka has provided an update on the future of Kevin Danso as clubs circle around him…

Adama Traore has won the Premier League PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Player of the Month award for January.

In a vote run by fan engagement experts, Snack Media, the Wolves winger won by a landslide, receiving 45% of the vote for January with Liverpool’s number one Alisson Becker taking second place.

Three assists in five Premier League outings saw the former Barcelona man help Nuno Espirito Santo’s side pick up five points, with his showing against Southampton at St Mary’s a particularly eye-catching one – Traore grabbed two assists, and helped Wolves come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

Liverpool’s Alisson Becker finished second place with 23% of the vote, and was undoubtedly one of the division’s star performers having conceded just one goal in his five outings in January – incidentally, it shows just how good Traore was that he managed to earn more votes than the Brazil international.

Elsewhere, Sergio Aguero gained just 9% of the vote, which seems harsh given the Argentine netted six goals and set up another in just three Premier League appearances throughout January.

In the first of five divisional votes carried out over eleven days via Snack’s digital and social networks, and supported by top flight football clubs and press, it was clear that the Spaniard’s strong performances over the last month resonated not just with fans across the country.

The full list of contenders from the final shortlist polled were as follows:

– Adama Traore (Wolves) – 45%

– Alisson (Liverpool) – 23%

– Nick Pope (Burnley) – 11%

– Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) – 9%

– Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City) – 7%

– Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) – 6%

The Championship vote opens at 11am on Monday 3rd February. To vote go to: www.footballfancast.com/pfa-awards

Danny Rose does not feel that he was given a fair chance by Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho before his loan move to Newcastle United, per BBC Radio 5 Live via BBC Sport.

What’s he said?

The left-back moved north in January, completing a loan for the remainder of the season.

Rose had made 13 Premier League appearances prior to his move but just three of those came under manager Jose Mourinho after he replaced Mauricio Pochettino, totalling 100 minutes.

And he says that he never felt as though he was going to play regularly under the former Real Madrid boss.

He said: “I do feel I wasn’t given as much of a chance as everybody else in the backline.

“I did want to play for him.”

He added: “I knew after a month [of Mourinho’s reign] I was never going to play. It was difficult going out to train knowing I wasn’t going to play.

“It’s not worked out, but full respect to him and what he’s doing at the club. He took over with the club 12 points adrift of Chelsea and now it’s four.

“I have to be honest, I thought I would continue playing.”

A needed break

Rose is probably right here but Mourinho got this decision right.

The England international was in genuinely terrible form for Spurs throughout the season and it is understandable that he was dropped.

Of players to start 10 games or more for Spurs in the top-flight, Rose had the lowest WhoScored rating of any of them with just 6.49.

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

Add into that the fact that he has continually been an outspoken presence in the dressing room – regularly giving tell-all interviews, much like this one – and one has to think that Mourinho will have felt he needed a clean break.

Moving him on to Newcastle has allowed him to play and potentially work his way into the England squad for Euro 2020 this summer, while he could also eventually return to Spurs and make an impact.

Mourinho was far from wrong to send him away and Rose would do well to see that.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have reacted to potential interest in a Liverpool star!

According to Football Insider, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has been “won over” by loanee Djibril Sidibe and wants the club to sign him on a permanent basis this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 27-year-old joined the Merseyside outfit on a season-long loan deal from Monaco during the summer transfer window.

Of course, Ancelotti wasn’t at the helm then but he has been a regular pick in the starting XI since the Italian arrived at Goodison Park in December, with Football Insider saying that the former Napoli boss is expected to give the green light to a permanent deal worth around £12m.

The report adds that while Everton are in pole position for the right-back’s signature, any deal depends on a financial agreement with the France international being reached, as well as meeting the stipulations of his loan-to-buy contract settled with Monaco.

Is Ancelotti right?

He may well be, but it will certainly be interesting to see what happens this summer.

If the Toffees do sign Sidibe permanently and Seamus Coleman also stays on Merseyside, then things could get interesting when 22-year-old Jonjoe Kenny returns from his own loan spell with Schalke in Germany.

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The 22-year-old has impressed in the Bundesliga and Everton director of football Marcel Brands said just last month at the club’s AGM, via The Liverpool Echo, that he expects the Englishman to return to Goodison and fight for a first-team spot at the end of the campaign.

Meanwhile, the Frenchman has certainly impressed in terms of assists this term with five in 21 appearances in all competitions having been kept on the substitutes’ bench by Coleman at the start of the 2019/20 campaign, but he has also looked suspect on other occasions.

Did he really play for us?! No Everton fan has managed to name all of these obscure Toffees players….

Indeed, he struggled and “looked lost” according to The Liverpool Echo when he came on at right midfield against Crystal Palace at the weekend, and hasn’t always impressed defensively, either.

Ancelotti appears to have made his feelings clear on the player, described by Duncan Ferguson as “unbelievable” when he played through illness against Chelsea in December, according to Football Insider though. The Italian will be left to work out what happens with Sidibe, Kenny and his club captain next.

In other Everton news, striker Moise Kean has been seen wearing his Everton shirt in a Miami gym in an Instagram post…

After Richarlison was pictured with his new pet in a Toffees club shirt, posted by Everton’s official Twitter account, many supporters have jokingly lauded the image – with their second top scorer posing with his puppy dressed in blue. 

The Brazilian, who has scored nine goals and assisted three others for Everton in the Premier League this season, will be hoping to replicate his fine form when they take on Arsenal this Sunday at the Emirates Stadium. Since manager Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment, Everton have lost just once in their last eight league games, with that defeat coming at the hands of current league champions Manchester City.

The Toffees have also won five of their last eight, including an impressive 3-2 comeback away to Watford. Compared to striking partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison hasn’t managed the same amount of goals but does eclipse the Englishman in terms of shots per game (2.6) and key passes made (1.1), as per WhoScored.com – highlighting his impressive overall game so far this season.

In response to the 22-year-old’s ‘boss’ picture with his new pet, many supporters have taken the opportunity to laud the image – with one fan in particular jokingly asking if his pup can ‘play in a double-pivot’. Find all of their best comments down below.

How do you predict Richarlison will end the season? Join the discussion by commenting below…