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There seems to be no end in sight for Wolves after their search for a new manager took another setback on Thursday, with QPR boss Michael Beale the latest to turn down the vacant position at Molineux.

Wolves made an approach to bring the 42-year-old to Molineux but it was reported not long after, that the former Aston Villa and Rangers assistant had turned down the opportunity to move to the Premier League in order to remain with the Loftus Road outfit.

It is easy to see why Fosun were keen on appointing Beale, given that the Hoops sit top of the Championship after winning eight of their opening 15 games.

For now, they will stick by interim boss Steve Davis, but they will eventually need to turn their attention elsewhere and could find a solution to their current woes in Peter Bosz.

The Dutch manager was linked with the Old Gold earlier this week before Beale became the first choice, and perhaps Fosun could return to the former Lyon and Ajax boss in the new year.

French news outlet Le10 Sport claimed that Bosz is keen on a return to management and had discussions with the Wolves board about potentially joining before they decided on Beale, which suggests that he could be an option now that the 42-year-old will be staying in the Championship.

Bosz was only sacked by Lyon earlier this month after a disappointing run which saw them win only four of their opening ten games in Ligue 1, which suggests that he wouldn’t be able to bring much of a winning mentality to Molineux. That factor is drastically needed given that the Midlands club find themselves in the Premier League relegation places.

However, Bosz has enjoyed impressive spells with Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen in the past, averaging 2.13 points per game and 1.79 points per game with the Dutch and German sides respectively with a play style that he deemed “rigorous.”

Both of these are an improvement on the 1.69 points per game averaged by Beale at QPR, and at a higher level too, which suggests that the 58-year-old Dutchman might even be a better option.

Given that Wolves are very much in a relegation battle this season, hiring a manager as inexperienced as Beale could have been a big risk, and as a result, they must approach Bosz again in 2023.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United defender Javier Manquillo and his future at the club ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo, LaLiga side Cadiz CF are showing an interest in the right-back and he is their number one target in that position.

The report claims that an injury to their first-choice full-back, Joseba Zaldua, has forced them to explore options in the transfer market and Manquillo is the player they would like to bring in.

It is stated that the Spaniard is open to leaving St. James’ Park in order to get more game time on the pitch but Cadiz are likely to pursue a loan rather than a permanent deal.

Ditch him

Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth must ruthlessly ditch the right-back in the upcoming January window as he is, quite simply, not good enough for a team with hopes of European qualification this season.

The £35k-per-week outcast has not played a single minute of Premier League football in 2022/23, despite being fit and available for at least six games, and this suggests that Eddie Howe does not trust him to play regular minutes ahead of other players in the squad.

He played 19 times in the top flight in the 2021/22 campaign and averaged an unimpressive SofaScore rating of 6.66, starting 15 of those matches. That season, 20 other players in the squad averaged a higher rating than the full-back and this shows that he was one of the worst-performing players in the team, based on the general standard of his displays.

After a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last season, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher was scathing in his assessment of Manquillo – along with Jamaal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark, and Matt Ritchie – as he said:

“This back four is a Championship back four. These players were all playing in the Championship in 2017 for Newcastle.

“They are not good enough for this level. Matt Ritchie is playing left-back when he was bought as a right-winger in the Championship.

“They are not organised, they are all over the place. They’ve got really poor defenders and that’s a huge problem. They are going to need to buy three or four defenders in January to stay up.”

He said that the Spaniard was not good enough for the Premier League and the aforementioned statistics, along with Howe’s reluctance to play him this term, back that up.

Manquillo is not a valuable asset on the pitch and Ashworth must now ditch him by either loaning him out to Cadiz or selling him permanently in January.

Wolves are hoping to make some backroom additions next week in order to aid Steve Davis’ job in charge of Wanderers, according to journalist Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: Davis in charge until 2023

Bruno Lage was sacked as manager earlier this month, and while the search continues to nail down his successor, it has been confirmed that Davis is expected to take charge until 2023.

He will likely be in the role as interim manager until after the World Cup, allowing some stability in the coming weeks as Wolves look to improve upon a mediocre start to the season.

Now, a key update has emerged regarding his coaching team at Molineux.

The Latest: Keen provides new update

Taking to Twitter, The Express & Star‘s Keen said that new faces will hopefully arrive early next week, giving Davis a helping hand in the process:

“Although it’s unclear how long Steve Davis will be in charge for the time being, he has revealed that Wolves hope to make some backroom staff appointments to help him next week.”

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The Verdict: Sensible decision

This is an encouraging update for Wolves, with Davis hugely inexperienced as a top-level manager and needing others to help him along until the World Cup.

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It will bring fresh ideas to the dressing room, in a tactical sense, and while it could only be for a short-term period before the new manager arrives, it makes sense.

Wolves can’t afford to fall asleep during this short spell before the World Cup and find themselves in a Premier League relegation fight, and this update will help alleviate that issue.

Ross Wilson was a busy man throughout the summer transfer window as he brought a number of players to Glasgow Rangers to bolster Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad.

He signed Ridvan Yilmaz, John Souttar, Rabbi Matondo, Antonio Colak, Tom Lawrence, Malik Tillman and Ben Davies, whilst also allowing Calvin Bassey, Leon Balogun, and Joe Aribo, among others, to depart.

It remains to be seen how their respective Rangers careers will play out in the years to come but Wilson will be hoping to avoid any more transfer nightmares on his CV.

He has had his fair share of gaffes in the market since joining the club and one signing he had a particular shocker on was the decision to sign centre-forward Cedric Itten in 2020.

Rangers reportedly paid £2.7m to sign him from FC St. Gallen 1879, after he scored 36 goals in 63 games for the Swiss club, and it never went to plan for him in Glasgow.

Wilson hailed the gem’s scope for development at the time of the move, saying: “His potential is high and we know he can be developed here at Rangers, working with our staff.”

Then-manager Steven Gerrard added: “Cedric is a goal scorer who will add further strength and depth to our squad.

“The fact we have announced two attacking options in the same day highlights our intent to bolster our squad as we begin the campaign.

“I am pleased that a player of Cedric’s ability and potential has decided to join Rangers as he embarks in the next stage of his career.”

The forward’s potential and quality failed to shine through on the pitch, though, as he struggled badly in front of goal. Itten scored six goals in 37 matches in all competitions in his first season, including four goals in 27 Premiership outings.

His poor form, including no goals in three European outings at the start of 2021/22, led to him being loaned out to Greuther Furth in the Bundesliga, with Josh Bunting claiming that he “struggled” for game time under Gerrard. He only scored twice in 12 appearances for the German side before being recalled by Giovanni van Bronckhorst at the start of 2022.

He was never able to fully convince the Dutch head coach as he scored twice in eight games and he ended up moving on from the club on a permanent basis ahead of 2022/23, joining BSC Young Boys for £1.5m.

Therefore, Wilson had a shocker with the signing of Itten as he paid £2.7m, along with £1.45m in wages across two seasons, to sign a flop who ended his time at Ibrox with eight goals in 49 appearances in all competitions, which shows that he failed to deliver – consistently – in front of goal.

The fee they received for him from Young Boys covered the wages spent on the dud but the initial £2.7m spent to sign him went straight down the drain.

Everton and Frank Lampard have been handed a double injury boost involving Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina.

The Lowdown: Injury problems

Both Godfrey and Mina started the Goodison Park outfit’s 1-0 loss against Chelsea in the Premier League on the opening weekend of the season, but Godfrey had to come off in the first half injured and has not featured since.

Mina has also not played since that game in August, forcing the Merseyside club’s hand to dip into the market to bring in James Tarkowski and Conor Coady.

The Latest: Back in training

Speaking to the media ahead of this evening’s game at home to Leicester City, Lampard has confirmed that Godfrey is ‘back on the training pitch’ with the rest of the team after injury, and Mina is ‘very close’ to returning to action:

“Ben Godfrey is back on the training pitch with the team, Yerry Mina is in the last stage of his recovery and so is very close to being able to play.”

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The Verdict: Double boost

Ahead of the break for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, having both Godfrey and Mina back in training is a big boost for Lampard and the squad.

Given that Colombia did not qualify for the tournament, and Godfrey is very unlikely to be picked for England having had so few minutes this campaign, they can both concentrate on getting back to full fitness during the break, and come back much stronger once the league season resumes.

Godfrey and Mina played 41 matches between them last term, and so are still useful squad players to have available, especially if the likes of Tarkowski and Coady were to pick up injuries over the remainder of the season.

Celtic are reportedly open to allowing midfielder James McCarthy to depart in January, with the Republic of Ireland international having failed to make an impact at Parkhead to date.

What’s the word?

Reports at the end of last month suggested that the Old Firm outfit are keen to move on the 32-year-old in the winter window, with the playmaker seemingly not part of manager Ange Postecoglou’s plans having struggled for game time of late.

The former Crystal Palace man – who arrived in Glasgow on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 – could well prove difficult to shift, however, with his existing deal at the club set to run until 2025.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke – in an interview with Football FanCast – has now given his thoughts regarding a potential departure for the 42-cap dud, with the transfer insider suggesting that the best scenario for all concerned could well be an exit.

Asked whether the experienced asset has been a disastrous signing for the Hoops, the reliable source stated: “I wouldn’t say it’s a disaster. Obviously, the move hasn’t worked out for either party really.

“James McCarthy just hasn’t been given enough minutes and when he has played he’s maybe not performed at his best level either, as well. So it’s probably looking like a parting of the ways is the best for both parties in this one.”

Ruthlessly ditch

As O’Rourke alluded too, it could well be that time is up for the £14k-per-week dud at Celtic Park, with McCarthy having been unable to establish himself in the side over the past year or so at his boyhood club.

Now something of a forgotten man with the Bhoys, the one-time Everton star has made just 27 appearances for his current side over the past 12 months or so, with only six of those outings having come from the start.

This season, in particular, has proven somewhat frustrating as far as the player is concerned, with the 5 foot 11 brute having made just five substitute appearances in all competitions, totalling only 62 minutes of action.

The arrival of the likes of Oliver Abildgaard and Aaron Mooy have only served to shunt the ageing talent further down the pecking order, with even the injury absence of captain Callum McGregor having failed to lead to a more prominent role for McCarthy.

The Glasgow-born ace has seen his woes compounded of late after suffering a “significant” injury, in the words of his manager, with the hope being that such an issue won’t prevent an exit, with Celtic likely keen to get the peripheral asset of the wage bill.

While it may not be easy to find a suitor for the player, Postecoglou and co simply need to be ruthless and ditch the midfield maestro sooner rather than later.

Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui is interested in making a move for Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz, according to transfer reports from Spain.

The Lowdown: Diaz out of favour at Madrid

The 29-year-old finds himself in a star-studded Galacticos squad currently brimming with world-class attacking players such as Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior.

For that reason, Diaz has been limited to just four appearances in La Liga this season, all of which have been short cameos as a substitute.

With Wolves manager Lopetegui likely to be looking for new signings in January, it could be that the striker is offered a route out of Madrid.

The Latest: Lopetegui keen on Diaz

According to Spanish reports [via Sport Witness], Diaz ‘could put an end to’ his time in Madrid and ‘could be heading’ to the Premier League; and it may be Wolves who bring him there, with Lopetegui wanting to ‘start a revolution’ with his squad.

A January transfer is mooted, with Los Blancos team-mate Nacho Fernandez also mentioned as a potential signing for the Old Gold. The report states that the new Wolves manager ‘has a fixation’ on both players.

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The Verdict: Could be a great signing

Diaz could be a really shrewd prospective signing by Wolves if they can get a deal over the line, with the promise of more regular playing time surely appealing to him, and he may be open to exiting the Bernabeu given his peripheral role there.

With both Raul Jimenez and Diego Costa seemingly past their prime, the Real Madrid attacker could add some much-needed firepower at Molineux, having scored 21 goals in 48 appearances during a spell at Lyon.

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Diaz also has 12 goals to his name for his current club, which isn’t to be dismissed given their status as European champions – he has won the Champions League twice – and the fact that his current contract expires next summer means that Wolves could get him on the cheap in January.

Liverpool have had their worst start to a Premier League season in a decade and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping the second half of the season will bring more consistency from his side when they return to action after the World Cup.

The Reds are currently sixth in the league table picking up just 22 points from a possible 42 so far which has left them 15 points adrift of Arsenal at the top of the tree.

As a result, there is no doubt that the Liverpool boss will be looking for solutions during the Premier League pause to get his team in the best position to not only compete for a Champions League spot but to inspire success in their domestic cup and challenges in Europe ahead.

One way that Klopp could improve the team over the remainder of the campaign is by taking advantage of the opportunity to add high-quality players to his team in the January transfer window.

Indeed, Liverpool are constantly linked to some of the biggest talents in the world and more recently it was speculated that the club could make a move for £63m-valued Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

The midfield at Anfield has been a cause for concern over the last 12 months with some coming close to the end of their contracts, whilst others are reaching the latter stages of their career.

Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Thiago Alcantara are all well into their 30s, whilst Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be free to leave the club in June 2023 – meaning a youthful revolution and rebuild in the centre of the pitch are long overdue.

Klopp could land Thiago 2.0 if the club can secure a deal for De Jong with the pair sharing many similarities to their game over last season.

The 25-year-old and the Liverpool star came close in many attributes including assists delivered (3 v 4), pass completion rate (89.5% v 88.9%) and shot-creating actions per 90 (3.09 v 3.87).

De Jong – who was called an “extraordinary footballer” by Xavi – ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for pass completion and shot-creating actions, two areas Thiago is renowned for thriving with.

Pivotally, he also ranks in the top 15% for dribbles completed, touches and progressive passes received with the Dutchman very much something of a metronome in the middle of the park.

With that being said, the signing of De Jong would be a major coup for Liverpool, adding depth and quality to their midfield and giving them a boost in their challenges ahead this term.

Newcastle United are reportedly looking closely at the South American market to build their super team at St James’ Park, and a new potential transfer target has emerged that could be a great prospect for the club.

What’s the latest?

According to Brazilian news outlet TNT Sports, Newcastle are interested in signing Flamengo midfielder Matheus Franca.

As per the report, the Magpies are competing with fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen to secure the signature of the rising star and the Eagles are currently trying to reach an agreement to secure Franca’s signature.

Imagine him & Bruno

It’s safe to say that Newcastle have had huge success with signing Brazilian talent in the centre of the pitch, with Bruno Guimaraes becoming a stand-out performer for the club since his arrival in January and clearly the powers at St James’ Park are keen to continue to acquire the services of South American prospects.

Over 17 Brasileiro Serie A appearances this season, the 18-year-old has been seriously impressive.

Indeed, he has scored four goals and created one big chance, as well as taking 1.4 shots per game and successfully completing 59% of his dribbles, proving that he is a real attacking threat that could become a valuable asset to Eddie Howe.

Not only that, Franca ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers across the ‘next eight best’ leagues across the world for tackles, progressive passes and dribbles completed, as well as ranking in the top 15% for non-penalty goals, interceptions and touches.

The youngster – who was hailed a “Brazilian talent” by Fabrizio Romano – could form a formidable partnership with fellow Brazil native Guimaraes if he makes the move to Tyneside in the coming months as he is clearly capable of building play from midfield to become a threat in front of goal.

The Newcastle midfielder ranks in the top 10% compared to his positional peers across the top five European leagues for dribbles completed, tackles and non-penalty goals, so combining Guimaraes’ talents with Franca’s attacking attributes could be deadly for their opponents.

With that being said, the signing of Franca would be an exciting addition for Newcastle in their ambitious effort to dominate domestic football and break into European competitions once again as the Brazilian wonderkid could be a real prospect for the future.

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota’s injury is ‘complicated’ and his absence is expected to be ‘long-term’, according to an update from injury analyst Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Jota missing for a while

The Reds have again found themselves struggling with injuries this season, with Jurgen Klopp having to make do without some key players for long periods.

Jota falls into that category after being stretchered off in the 1-0 win at home to Manchester City in the Premier League in October, and he was subsequently ruled out of the World Cup.

The hope was that the 26-year-old would make a fast recovery from his knee issue but that doesn’t seem to be the case, following a new revelation.

The Latest: Long-term injury blow

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Dinnery admitted that Jota’s knee injury is a serious one and that he won’t be returning to action for a while.

The injury analyst said:

“With Diogo Jota, it is slightly more complicated and it is very much long-term.

“He will be going out to Dubai but that is purely just to continue his rehab, and for a change of scenery, get a bit of sun on his back, and psychologically it can be a bit of a boost to get away and change your environment.”

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The Verdict: Huge miss for Reds

There is no denying that this is a huge blow for Liverpool, even if they knew Jota was out for a long time already, with the Portuguese forward such a potent attacking figure at Anfield.

The 26-year-old has scored 34 goals in 93 appearances for the Reds and has the ability to pop up with crucial strikes – like those at Manchester City and Arsenal last season, for example – showcasing his ruthlessness in the final third.

Without Jota available for much of the season, Klopp desperately needs his other attackers to stay fit, with Luis Diaz hopefully back after the World Cup and Darwin Nunez continuing to improve in a Reds shirt.