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Wolves could sign striker Hwang Hee-chan permanently after his loan deal at Molineux ends, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Hwang shines for Wolves

The 25-year-old joined Wolves on loan from RB Leipzig in the summer, having found it difficult to start regularly for the Bundesliga giants.

Hwang has made a hugely impressive start to life at Molineux, scoring four goals in as many Premier League starts, proving to be one of his team’s most influential players.

As things stand, the South Korea international will return to Leipzig at the end of the season, but there is a chance that Wolves could sign him permanently.

The Latest: Hatfield makes Hwang claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hatfield claimed that Hwang’s temporary spell could be made permanent, as was the case with other former favourites. He outlined:

“They’ve done that before; Jota was one case. Jimenez, they obviously had him on loan before signing him on a permanent basis.

“So, it’s a tactic that they’ve worked in terms of recruitment before, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they were to tie up some sort of permanent deal for him again.”

The Verdict: Hopefully it happens

Considering the start that Hwang has made at Wolves, signing him next summer would be ideal, strengthening their attack in the long-term. Ian Wright has claimed that the 25-year-old ‘has everything’ as a player, which speaks volumes considering the ex-Arsenal striker’s impressive scoring record at Premier League level.

With Raul Jimenez’s head injury potentially curtailing his career further down the line – he is also 30 now – the South Korean could become the leading figure in Wolves’ attack over the coming years if the club can swing a permanent deal for him.

As Hatfield pointed out, the Mexican is a prime example of how Wolves have had success with the try-before-you-buy route in the recent past, so hopefully they can pull off a similar move with Hwang.

In other news, some Wolves fans are excited by another transfer rumour. Read more here.

The defensive line at Celtic has had a tendency to house some of the very best in Europe in years gone by.

Parkhead has been a home for the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Kieran Tierney before their mega moves across the border while more recently, Norwegian Bhoy Kristoffer Ajer played in the green and white hoops.

He arrived in Scotland as a plucky 17-year-old but left last summer as a stalwart and titan of the Premiership.

Few could pass the ball out from defence like he could, nor could they maraud forward in such eye-catching fashion.

Yet, as with van Dijk and Tierney, the Premier League came calling as he departed for Brentford in a deal worth £13.5m.

As the centre-back entered the final year of his deal at Celtic, it was cut-price for someone who the Hoops valued at closer to £20m back in 2020.

It was still a good deal and indeed, with Ange Postecoglou replacing him via Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt, there have rarely been any problems.

Celtic sit top of the SPFL, have won the League Cup and are in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, an accomplishment they owe greatly to their defensive pairing for.

However, there will always be a lingering afterthought; who could be the next Ajer in Paradise?

Well, Dane Murray is likely a good place to start.

The 18-year-old savoured his first taste of senior football this season and it came in the Champions League no less, as he played against Midtjylland. Speaking after he caught the eye in that outing, Postecoglou said: “Coming on to the pitch, a young guy who was born in 2003. I can remember 2003 very clearly.

“You know how young he is and he is not just coming on the pitch, he is facing a formidable opponent and with 10 men. But you know what? My gut instinct told me he wouldn’t be fazed by it.

“I watched him in training and he is a young kid, not just with football potential, but personality and character that belies his age. I was quite happy to trust him out there and it was an important part of the game, we were down to 10 men and we had to work very hard.”

Like Ajer, Murray’s attitude is clearly an impressive aspect of his game but he hasn’t been trusted too often to play since that moment.

He has featured just three times all season but you sense it’s only a matter of time before the teenager breaks through for good.

Similarly to his former Norwegian teammate, he is comfortable in possession of the ball, completing 87% of his passes against Midtjylland. He also won 100% of his aerial duels and prevailed in 50% of his ground duels, appearing wise beyond his years.

Described as “remarkable” by his coach at U10s level, Martin Miller, he has clearly come a long way since then, so much so that he could become the club’s next mega-money talent. Watch this space.

AND in other news, Ange is starting to unearth Celtic’s new Stuart Armstrong in “silky” £405k-rated gem…

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has dropped a worrying transfer update ahead of the January window.

What’s the story?

The Whites find themselves in a difficult position in the Premier League heading into the busy Christmas period, with their mid-week drubbing at the hands of Manchester City placing a lot of scrutiny on the club’s growing injury list and potential transfer plans.

And now, Bielsa has delivered an update on where things currently stand, and it’s not great news for Leeds fans.

He said: “It’s a question that I’ve answered various times, I don’t have a different answer than what I’ve given up until now. Of course I’m losing authority in the position I defend because every game presents new difficulties. The question you ask me leaves me defenceless to defend my ideas.

“It’s also important to leave clear what I’ve said about this subject previously. The capacity for an institution to fortify their squad has a limit due to their budget. In that sense the president, the club have acted in a more than sufficient manner. But this is not the moment for me to explain anything.”

Fans will be worried

Having been at the hands of a 7-0 thrashing against City, and a clash against a resurgent Arsenal at the weekend, Leeds can ill afford any more big slip-ups in terms of results, and injuries too.

Bielsa has had desperate misfortune with missing the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Patrick Bamford for extended periods of time and it has placed a lot of question marks over his reluctance to strengthen his squad.

Phillips is now out for the best part of two months and the fact that they’ve not won a single game this term when he’s not featured suggests they need more bodies in the team.

The Argentine has been known to favour a tight-knit group that he can rely on, but what the injuries and illnesses have caused and exposed is a glaring lack of depth, especially in key areas.

His comments that new signings may not be on the table due to budget concerns should leave fans very worried, particularly with the prospect of a real relegation battle looming for the second half of the season.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered a Leeds United transfer update…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing over some transfer news that has emerged on James Sands.

As per the official website of the Ibrox faithful, they have now confirmed the signing of the United States international from New York City FC on an initial loan deal for 18 months, subject to a work permit and international clearance.

The Teddy Bears also hold an exclusive option to buy him after his loan expires.

It is no doubt a shrewd signing by the Light Blues, as Sands can play in a number of different positions for Giovanni van Bronckhorst, adding depth across the defence and in central midfield.

He also brings with him plenty of quality, having recently helped NYCFC win the MLS Cup, and being named ‘Young Player of the Season’ for his side (Rangers).

Indeed, Sands is just 21 years of age, and so has the potential to become a top player for the Gers.

Rangers fans on Sands transfer news

These RFC supporters buzzed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it is ‘superb’:

“Superb, welcome to the Gers”

Credit: @speedy430

“FANTASTIC”

Credit: @KJP_2002

“Got to love it. We sell our reserve right back for £16million and bring in a U.S.A international called Sands, for no money, with the help of ex-Celtic manager Delia. Is that moon-howling I hear? Take a bow Ross Wilson”

Credit: @UnionCityBlues2

“LET’S GO”

Credit: @DeadlyMonster13

“What you love to see”

Credit: @CammyF2103

“Great news have a feeling this player will be very decent.”

Credit: @RangersBanter17

In other news, find out what ‘outstanding’ club update has Gers gushing here!

An exciting update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli…

What’s the talk?

Chronicle reporter Lee Ryder has claimed that the Magpies are in negotiations over a deal for the England international, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be willing to sign for the club.

He Tweeted: “Dele Alli isn’t short on options after being made available by Spurs for loan. Will be interesting to see if he is up for the challenge at #nufc – talks on a deal have been ongoing throughout January. Notably, Alli is represented by the same agency as Trippier and Wood.”

Howe will love it

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will surely love this update as Alli could be a superb signing for the Magpies on loan until the end of the campaign.

He is a proven top-flight performer who could come in and make a major impact in the final third, potentially winning games for the club. The ex-MK Dons man has shown his quality at this level over the years and could thrive as a key member of Howe’s squad.

In 181 Premier League matches, he has scored 51 goals and provided 37 assists. Throughout his entire Spurs career, he has 67 goals and 61 assists in 269 games in all competitions, showing that he can score and create goals at the top end of the pitch as he has done so on a regular basis over the course of a number of years in London.

This suggests that he could come in and be a fantastic signing for the club if they are able to get this move over the line, which is why Howe will love the news that they are in talks with Spurs to get it done.

He would surely be buzzing to have a player of Alli’s pedigree and quality to select in the coming month as it could improve his starting XI.

The move would also be an ideal one for the club as it would mean that they avoid the financial burden of keeping him on in the Championship if they fail to avoid the drop.

Newcastle are 18th in the Premier League table and relegation to the second tier would result in a major loss in income, which could make it difficult to afford Alli’s reported £100k-per-week wages.

AND in other news, Newcastle could get SJP rocking by signing “top class” £50m beast who has “everything”…

While Chelsea left Wembley empty-handed over the weekend after losing the Carabao Cup final on penalties to Manchester City, the Blues still managed to put in an encouraging performance on the day.

Since then, both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi have come in for massive praise with a certain ex-Chelsea captain now calling on Maurizio Sarri to hand the English duo some starts.

The Breakdown

“We’ve got people like Hudson-Odoi and it’s important to keep him,” John Terry told Chelsea’s official club website when discussing the recent Wembley defeat.

“Ruben Loftus-Cheek, is he ready? Let’s find out. If we’re not going to win the league then let’s give him a chance in the league. Let’s blood the younger players and see what they’ve got.”

Given how poor Willian and Pedro have been at times this season and some of the underwhelming displays from Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley, it is a surprise Sarri has only just started to really turn to Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi, though it must be mentioned that the former has been suffering with a back injury.

At the end of the day, though, it is better late than never. As long as Sarri accepts he probably should have used the two Chelsea academy products earlier in the season and starts to hand them more minutes, all is not lost.

The west London club could still end this season inside the top four and with a trophy with the Europa League up for grabs, but only if Sarri starts using a more meritocratic system when it comes to selecting his starting XI.

Wolves have been pretty busy during the previous summer and winter transfer windows with players leaving the club and new ones coming in.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer window, it seems as though this could once again be the case for the Old Gold in their latest attempt at strengthening their squad.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from journalist David Ornstein in The Athletic, Wolves are eyeing Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes as a potential replacement for Joao Moutinho, whose £100k-per-week contract at Molineux is set to expire in the summer.

In 125 combined appearances for Sporting’s senior and U23 sides, the midfielder has scored nine goals and provided 11 assists along the way.

Moutinho heir at Wolves

This current campaign has seen the Brazilian-born midfielder make 28 league appearances for his club and even have his first taste of Champions League football with six appearances to his name.

To highlight how much of a well-rounded midfield option he is for his side, the 23-year-old has racked up a total of 23 tackles, 26 interceptions and 23 crosses in the Portuguese league this season, putting him in the top ten for each statistic in Sporting’s squad.

His overall performances have earned the Portuguese international a season rating of 7.08 from WhoScored, making him Sporting’s sixth-highest rated player for this campaign.

This rating would make him the highest-rated Wolves player by the same metric, showing what an impressive player the £27m-rated gem is at a fairly young age.

Labelled as an “unbelievable” player by Goncalo Santos as well as being “one of the best players in the world today” according to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, Nunes certainly has a lot of hype around him, which could make him an exciting recruit for Bruno Lage’s side.

With Wolves’ track record of signing players from Portuguese clubs, Nunes, who has a better technical rating than Moutinho at this stage of his career according to SofaScore, could be an ideal long-term figure for the Midlands club and follow in the footsteps of the other players that have joined the Old Gold from Portugal such as Ruben Neves, Fabio Silva and Chiquinho among others.

In other news: Wolves plot swoop for “special” £33m Mendes client, he’s better than Trincao…

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could fix his side’s summer howler by signing Chelsea starlet Billy Gilmour on loan.

What’s the story?

The Whites were linked with a number of midfielders in the transfer window, including Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien, but failed to get a deal done for any of them.

Now, amid speculation suggesting that Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is considering recalling Gilmour from his loan spell at Norwich City, Kevin Phillips has touted Bielsa’s side as the perfect destination for the Scotland international.

He said: “He should go back out on loan to somewhere like Leeds. Bielsa plays good football, they aren’t rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, and he will probably get more game time.

“Leeds play more of the type of football Gilmour is suited to, so it would be a great move for him. We’ve seen Bielsa get the best out of some youngsters and there’s no reason why he couldn’t do that with Gilmour.”

Forget Forshaw

While Andrea Radrizzani pointed towards Adam Forshaw as the man Leeds could turn to as their midfield saviour, the Whites simply cannot afford to rely upon someone who has spent so long out with injury and could, by all means, break down again.

In Gilmour, they could get someone with some Premier League experience already and has been widely lauded by a number of people for the amount of potential he has.

Aston Villa and Scotland compatriot John McGinn hailed his fellow midfielder as a “world-class player”, and added: “He’s going through a rough patch at Norwich and is frustrated not to be playing. But when he’s in the Scotland jersey, he’s always at the top of his game.”

And, speaking after Scotland’s 0-0 draw with England earlier this year, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness said: “He’s a fabulous little football player and when you factor in that last season he only made five starts in the Premier League for Chelsea, he’s not played a lot of football and he came into what was a hothouse of a game – high tempo, loads of pressing – and he managed to stay there.

“He’s just got that all round awareness of where people are all of the time and his first touch is generally away from the man who is marking him. He creates space for himself.”

The Whites’ inability to sign a new midfielder in the summer transfer window left them desperately short in that department, and early season injuries to the likes of Kalvin Phillips just went to expose that glaring lack of depth.

The £13.5m-rated Gilmour can be the ideal midfield cover Victor Orta looks to sign in January were he to become available.

Meanwhile, Leeds are battling to sign this striker…

A worrying behind the scenes claim has emerged surrounding Antonio Conte’s future at Tottenham Hotspur…

What’s the word?

According to ever-reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, there are fears amongst the playing squad that the Italian could walk from the club if he’s not backed sufficiently in the transfer window this month.

‘It is understood that Conte has been extremely candid in his assessment of the club and his squad during multiple discussions with chairman Daniel Levy since he arrived, with plenty of home truths delivered publicly and privately about the level Spurs are at.

‘Now football.london understands that some of the Tottenham players fear Conte could walk next month if he is not backed with new signings to improve the squad during the remainder of this January transfer window,’ he wrote in a recent column.

Trouble in paradise?

This worrying bombshell from one of the most trustworthy when it comes to anything Spurs-related will surely leave many supporters around N17 absolutely furious as their midweek exit from the Carabao Cup was another reminder of just how poor this squad is.

It is true that the Lilywhites were missing some crucial players, such as Heung-min Son, Cristian Romero and Eric Dier, who would have all surely started if fit enough, but in their absence, the depth and backup options badly disappointed.

That has long been a problem at the club.

Conte very much needs to be backed financially if he’s to stand a chance at transforming Spurs, something he was brought in to do with an impressive CV that contains Premier League and FA Cup triumphs.

The fact that some noises suggest there are fears that he will not last in the job, on his own accord, is hugely concerning. Spurs would be set back ever so much if they lost a manager of his calibre and if his players – who are with him every day – are thinking that, then it’s rather telling.

“You’ve got Conte, give him what he needs. They need to strengthen. Give him what he needs,” claimed ex-midfielder Jamie Redknapp to Sky Sports (via the Daily Mail).

Many supporters have urged the club to back the Italian head coach this month and it now seems like a failure to do so will likely cause a big departure in the dugout. That would then be another devastating blow to the fanbase, so don’t be surprised if many are fuming by this major update.

AND in other news, Tanguy Ndombele could yet stay at Spurs amid reports…

Rangers return to Premiership action on Sunday as Giovanni van Bronckhorst awaits his domestic bow as manager of the Glasgow giants.

The Dutchman made his dugout debut against Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday night, with the Gers winning 2-0 thanks to two goals from Alfredo Morelos.

They now travel to face Livingston in the Premiership as they look to potentially build on their four-point lead at the top of the table.

Time’s up

One change that the 46-year-old could make to the team is removing Joe Aribo from the starting line-up. He started against the Czech outfit but struggled to catch the eye in a positive way, which could to him being axed from the side this weekend.

The Nigeria international received a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.4 for his performance as he struggled at both sides of the game. His end product was lacking and he did not stand up to the physical questions which were asked of him.

As per SofaScore, he lost five of his nine duels and missed two ‘big chances’, whilst also hitting the crossbar with one effort. Along with that, he only completed 72% of his attempted passes and gave possession away 12 times, being dribbled past as often (once) as he completed a tackle.

He has just one goal and one assist in his last 10 competitive matches for Rangers, with both coming in a 4-2 win over Ross County earlier this month, and his time in the starting XI could now be up.

This is a disappointing run of form, given what Gers fans know the £14k-per-week gem is capable of producing. His former Charlton teammate Ezri Konsa previously praised him despite having a ‘languid’ style, saying: “Having Gerrard as his manager at Rangers, that has made him go up another level.

“Joe’s style is unique. When I was with him at Charlton he did remind me for a while of a left-footed Yaya Toure. But you don’t get a lot of midfielders like Joe, there aren’t many around.

“Like Toure, for a tall guy he’s got such great feet. But that languid style he’s got is actually fairly unique in the game.”

Last season, Aribo averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.13 as he produced seven goals and four assists in 27 starts in the Premiership. This shows that he is capable of consistently delivering top performances and goal contributions, which is why his current inconsistency could be frustrating for supporters.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst must brutally axe him from the starting XI this weekend. A spell on the sidelines could do the Nigerian the world of good in terms of his motivation to earn his place in the team and get back to his best again.

AND in other news, 64% duels lost: Rangers gem who causes “real problems” let his manager down on Thursday…