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Wolverhampton Wanderers are safe from relegation and are reportedly already looking ahead to the summer transfer window as the 2022/23 campaign draws to a close.

When Julen Lopetegui took over in November, Wolves were bottom of the table and in terrible form, but with three games to go the Midlands club sit in 13th with four wins in their last six.

The Spaniard has transformed the squad inherited from Bruno Lage into one that can remain securely in the Premier League, however with still a long way to go in terms of improvement, the former Real Madrid boss has turned his attention to spending in the summer.

Wolves have struggled for goals this season, with their top scorers in all competitions being Daniel Podence and Ruben Neves both on six for the season.

Neither of the two are traditional strikers, highlighting what Lopetegui is missing to get his side firing however, it’s believed that a “prolific striker” is the prime target in the summer – as per Football Insider.

His team’s goal-getting drought could be ended soon, with the club linked to a forward with 22 goals this season.

What is the latest on Viktor Gyokeres to Wolves?

Last week Football Insider’s transfer expert Pete O’Rourke stated that Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres is on Lopetegui’s radar.

The 24-year-old talisman is a player that Wolves are “pushing the hardest” to sign, with the report suggesting that his availability relies on the Sky Blues’ promotion status, as the forward is out of contract next summer.

As per O’Rourke, the Midlands club are aiming to 'steal a march' on the other clubs rivalling his signature by getting the deal done early, with his fee reported to be between £15m-£20m should Coventry fail to gain promotion via the play offs.

What could Viktor Gyokeres bring to Wolves?

With 21 goals in the Championship this season, and one in the FA Cup, Gyokeres is a face that defenders in the second division have feared coming up against all season.

Blackburn Rovers defender Dom Hyam was full of praise for the Swede, who is the league’s second-highest scorer this season.

“I don’t think he’s got a ceiling,” Hyam told The Sportsman, adding that the striker’s strengths are “so rare” and believes there is “nothing he’s bad at."

Gaining high praise from an opposing player proves the 24-year-old is one Wolves should be chasing this summer, his statistics support claims and reveal he excels in comparison to the club's current strike options.

While Gyokeres has found the net 20 times more in the league than both Diego Costa and Raul Jimenez combined, his numbers per 90 minutes are outstanding in comparison to Lopetegui’s forwards.

As per FBref, the Swede averages 2.15 successful take-ons per game, with Jimenez scoring a woeful 0.48 and Costa 0.32.

He’s more active in the box too than the duo, registering 7.16 touches in the penalty area per 90, incomparable to Jimenez’s 4.95 and Costa’s 4.41. The Championship star provides an attacking threat more than netting goals and has fared far better than the current options on show at Molineux.

Only time will tell if Wolves can get their man, however, there is no denying the impact the 24-year-old could add to Lopetegui’s attack.

Makhaya Ntini, Zimbabwe’s interim head coach during the home series against India, has lambasted the approach of his batsmen after they collapsed in the second ODI to lose by eight wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2016Makhaya Ntini, Zimbabwe’s interim head coach during the home series against India, has slammed the approach of his batsmen after they collapsed in the second ODI to lose by eight wickets. Zimbabwe were on course for a competitive score when they were 106 for 3 after 25 overs, but lost their last six wickets for only 20 runs, and eventually conceded the series.”We have experienced players with us. The position that we were in was the perfect position to be in with 25 overs left,” Ntini told . “All of a sudden we lost two wickets, within one over. For me it tells straightaway that I think we never respect a good over.”The over Nitni was referring to was legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s fifth over. Despite Chahal conceding 25 runs in his first four overs, MS Dhoni persisted with him in seamer-friendly conditions and the legspinner was soon on a hat-trick by dismissing Sikandar Raza and Elton Chigumbura.”It was a good over where we tried to force matters, that’s where the game changed. They need to learn that if the guy is bowling very well, respect that,” Ntini said. “You have got a lot of time in 50 overs. The players need to have the maturity of being able to read the game and understand the situation. It’s how the Indian team batted. They read the situation, they knew that if there’s a good bowler, they respect that. They waited for the bad ball. We didn’t, we tried to force matters.”While Chigumbura fell lbw to a flighted and accurate delivery, Raza, who scored a scratchy 16 off 41 balls, holed out to long-on after he had struggled to rotate the strike. Zimbabwe rued their approach not only in the 26th over but also in the ones after that. No. 4 Vusi Sibanda was their best batsman on the day and was leading Zimbabwe with his 21st ODI fifty when he saw the two wickets fall. Despite that he heaved against a delivery in Chahal’s next over that pitched well outside off and turned further away and top-edged it for another catch.”It’s a matter of understanding. Have a look at who is bowling very well, try to take singles, frustrate him,” Ntini explained. “But we wanted to hit him for a six where we know that there was a fielder. They put a fielder there. If there’s a fielder, hit it down, get the single. We didn’t do that. We haven’t batted very well, our bowlers are very good but there’s no score that they can defend. Everyone still believes that they can do it. There’s no change in that.”Sibanda also expressed his disappointment at giving his wicket away and admitted he should have taken more responsibility.”It’s obviously disappointing how I threw my wicket away,” Sibanda said. “It was difficult to bat out there in the morning but no excuse. I was in and I should’ve taken more responsibility to take the team through and give our bowlers a decent total to defend. But unfortunately the execution just wasn’t there but it’s part of the game. It’s easy for me to say we’d lost wickets in clusters or other guys who went in didn’t do so well but I think I had the chance to take the team through and I didn’t.”Even though Zimbabwe are playing at home and against a second-string India side, their batsmen have failed to provide any kind of competition so far. The hosts have been bowled out for 168 and 126 in the series with one ODI left and three T20Is to follow.”Yes, this is our own backyard and we should actually do really well in our own backyard,” Sibanda said. “There’s no excuse. The wicket does a bit more in the morning and this is just the matter of us adapting to the conditions on that particular day. If we as batters don’t step up to the plate and do as well as we’d like to do and put up runs on the board, it’s going to be tough for bowlers and defend the total. There’s no excuse, it’s all a disaster. As a senior guy in the team, I shouldn’t be saying that leave it to the other guys.”

Celtic duo Callum McGregor and Carl Starfelt have been slammed for their displays as the Hoops fell to a 3-0 defeat at Ibrox in the Old Firm derby.

What did Starfelt and McGregor do at Ibrox?

With the visitors already trailing 2-0, the defender and midfielder were caught out following a calamitous giveaway, and this allowed Fashion Sakala to net the third goal for Rangers.

It was a poor mistake from both players, and sealed their fate on the day as the Champions saw their 28-match unbeaten run come to an end.

Sky Sports commentator Andy Walker singled out both players for giving an easy goal to the hosts, who enjoyed a dominant victory against a rotated Celtic side.

"Credit to the goalscorer, but my word, what a mess from McGregor and Starfelt. It's a gift that secures the win for Rangers," he stated on commentary.

What next for Celtic?

Despite putting in a thoroughly unimpressive performance at the home of their rivals, Celtic will likely not be too dismayed, given that they came into the game with the title secured, and made a number of changes to the lineup.

Starfelt has been a regular starter despite suffering from injuries earlier on in the season, and despite his poor display, will still likely keep his place going forward.

McGregor and Starfelt were both given 6.2 ratings by SofaScore given their role in the third goal, and neither player will have been happy with their showings on the day.

McGregor won just one of his five duels and lost possession five times, whilst Starfelt lost the ball nine times in a difficult afternoon.

The pair both attempted to seize on a loose ball in the Celtic half, and both lost out amidst confusion which allowed Sakala to pounce and eventually finish for the goal.

Celtic have now won the Premiership with just two defeats under their belt at this stage, and with the Scottish Cup final coming up, Ange Postecoglou elected to rotate his squad, with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda on the bench.

It was a decision that ultimately backfired, but if Celtic do secure victory against Inverness in June, they will secure a dominant domestic treble, having beaten Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final and the FA Cup semi-final.

There has been speculation linking Postecoglou with a move to England, but if he stays at Celtic Park, it seems likely that another season of glory will await the Hoops next season.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that Newcastle United must secure a top-four finish and then move "fast" if they want to land James Maddison.

What's the latest news on James Maddison and NUFC?

With just four games left to play in the Premier League, the Magpies sit third in the division. They are currently two points above Manchester United (fourth) and three points above Liverpool (fifth).

With that being the case, Champions League football is not quite a guarantee just yet and this will no doubt have an impact on the planning for the summer window.

Indeed, it seems likely that Eddie Howe could be hoping to bring in Leicester City star Maddison but Newcastle will face strong competition for his signature.

For instance, Football Insider has reported that Tottenham Hotspur currently lead the race. But while talking on NUFC Matters, insider Jones outlined how the Magpies can pull off this deal.

The insider explained (42:49): "The sooner Newcastle are mathematically Champions League [qualified], the sooner they can say definitely to Maddison: 'This is the pitch. This is the wage'.

"And I think that will be a factor. And in fairness, I think he knows where Spurs stand. But what we don't know is, is there going to be a surprise suitor? A Manchester City, Liverpool, that type of club, even a Manchester United. They could come in a little bit later.

“So Newcastle will need to do two things. One, get Champions League. Two, move fast. And if they do that they stand a very, very strong chance of landing Maddison.

"But make no mistake, Spurs will be there as well because both of these clubs have been looking at the player for the best part of a year."

Who is James Maddison going to join this summer?

It's little wonder the £110k-p/w man is so in demand. After all, in 27 league games, he has ten goals and nine assists despite playing for a team down at the bottom of the table.

This combined tally of 17 direct goal contributions can only be bettered in the Newcastle team by Callum Wilson who has 19 (with 15 goals and four assists).

No doubt, the idea of adding Maddison to the NUFC ranks next season is an exciting prospect for many, but with Spurs lurking it might not be an easy deal to pull off.

However, Tottenham don't look capable of finishing in the top four and it remains unclear who their manager will be next season. And so, with that uncertainty in north London in mind, Newcastle may be able to offer more enticing terms if they can get a deal on the table for the English midfielder in the very near future.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are among the thickening pool of contenders for Spanish starlet Gabri Veiga’s signature, with the 20-year-old prospect in electrifying form for Celta Vigo this season.

What’s the latest on Veiga to Liverpool?

Having made a resounding dawn to top-flight LaLiga football, Veiga has found himself at the centre of attention from some of Europe’s most distinguished outfits, with Liverpool included.

According to Spanish outlet AS, the Reds are “already talking” to Veiga – who has a €40m (£35m) release clause – though the same can be said for Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

Divisional rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid are ostensibly front-runners in the race, but with the centre of the park pleading for repairs at Anfield this summer, Veiga could find a successful home on Merseyside.

How good is Gabri Veiga?

Last season, Veiga was plying his trade in his homeland’s third footballing tier, scoring nine goals and registering an assist from 31 outings for Vigo’s B team in the Primera Federación.

His exploits would lead to a smattering of chances with the first team; Veiga would play seven times in the league and three times in the Copa del Rey, impressing and making five successive divisional appearances at the end of the term.

Hailed as a “Spanish gem” by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Veiga’s prowess sets him on a shelf that towers over the throngs of hopefuls looking to earn a place among the upper echelon of talent in Europe, and Liverpool would benefit immensely from a prodigious offensive-midfielder of his ilk.

In his breakout year with The Sky Blues, the 6 foot menace has defied expectations with his clinical and enterprising performances, scoring nine goals and supplying four assists from only 22 LaLiga starts and earning plaudits for his “intelligent” aura on the grass by his gaffer, Carlos Carvahal.

The one-cap Spain U21 international would certainly be a "dangerous" component for Klopp, as remarked by reporter Euan McTear, as the eccentric German looks to rekindle his side’s flame on Merseyside.

Pumping fresh life back into the midfield is the perfect way to ensure silverware is gleaned once again, and with the emphatic resurgence of Arsenal well-documented this season, Klopp might be wise to take a leaf from Gunners boss Mikel Arteta’s book and emulate the feats of captain Martin Odegaard, who has been dubbed "exceptional" by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

Signed for the north London giants on an initial loan deal from Real Madrid in January 2021, the Norwegian maestro was swiftly snapped up on a £30m permanent transfer in the summer after impressing with his early showings; a precocious youth, Odegaard is growing into his skin at the Emirates after failing to make the mark with Los Blancos, donning the armband and serving as the catalyst for Arteta's title-chasing team.

This season alone, the 49-cap ace has plundered 12 goals and eight assists in the Premier League, while demonstrating the superlative strength of his rounded skill set by ranking inside the top 1% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for rate of goals, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for progressive carries and the top 14% for successful take-ons, as per FBref.

With Veiga boasting a remarkable semblance to his 24-year-old confrere, himself ranking among the top 1% of midfielders for rate of goals, the top 11% for progressive carries and the top 5% for successful take-ons, Klopp's Reds could finally have the frontal-thinking cog to whir the engine back into life from the middle.

Liverpool's robust system has been built on the creativity of full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and while both marauders offer an auxiliary excellence paralleled by a scant few, maybe it's time for Klopp to veer away from the workmanlike midfield he has built his dynasty upon and open up a new offensive outlet to forge an auspicious future.

Veiga is a relatively untested commodity, but the statistics tend to tell the truth and given the fortunes of Arsenal and City, yielding two of football's greatest attacking midfielders in Odegaard and Kevin De Bruyne, Liverpool would only prosper with the addition of their own force of nature to pull the strings.

Journalist Joe Donnohue noted audible groans from the Leeds United crowd after Brenden Aaronson was asked to warm up in their intense 1-1 draw against Leicester City.

What's the latest on Aaronson and Leeds?

The Whites faced a hugely important task on Tuesday night as they looked to pick up three crucial points in the Premier League, coming up against relegation rivals Leicester.

Indeed, the home side came into the match only one place and one point above the Foxes – who in turn sit just one point and one place above the bottom three.

Javi Gracia and co were lucky to not go behind when Youri Tielemans saw his goal disallowed for an offside in the build up, but there was nothing fortunate in their repsonce as Jack Harrison whipped in a fine cross for Luis Sinisterra to head in the opener.

With the game still at 1-0 to the home team as it entered the final 25 minutes or so, American midfielder Aaronson was sent to warm up by his manager. Evidently unhappy with this, the home faithful made their feelings known, as noted on Twitter by Donnohue.

The journalist wrote: "Audible groans from the West Stand as Aaronson is summoned back to the bench from his warm-up. He's coming on soon."

Why was Aaronson booed at Elland Road?

Seeing as the £45k-p/w Leeds man hasn't been in the best form of late – with just one assist and zero goals in his last 17 league outings – it's not hard to see why some weren't excited to see Aaronson called upon.

But Gracia showed the faith and opted to bring on the 22-year-old for Rodrigo as the Whites hoped but failed to hold on to their slender one-goal lead thanks to Jamie Vardy.

With an average WhoScored rating of 6.48 in the league this term, you can hardly say Aaronson has been a star of late. Still, a lot of the Elland Road groans may have more related to the fact that fellow winger Wilfried Gnonto wasn't getting a chance.

Indeed, before the game, there had been calls – for example from YouTuber Conor McGilligan – to start the Italian, who has now failed to start in any of the last five games he's been available for.

Leeds United left-back Junior Firpo has come under fire for his involvement in the opening goal on Monday night against Liverpool.

What did Firpo do?

Javi Gracia's side went into the game at Elland Road knowing they had an opportunity to climb five points above the relegation zone with a win.

However, it was not to be as the Yorkshire club were forced to accept a second straight defeat at home in just over a week.

And the points were all but sealed within the first half as goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah provide the Reds with a comfortable lead going into the break.

The opener came as a result of Firpo's careless touch which was intercepted by Trent Alexander-Arnold who then went on to provide a stunning cross for the Dutchman.

There were calls for the goal to be disallowed with Alexander-Arnold intercepting the ball with his arm, but VAR did not intervene to disallow the goal.

And speaking on Sky Sports' coverage of the game in Yorkshire, Jamie Carragher took aim at the £60k-per-week ace for his carelessness in the lead-up to the goal:

"I mean, I must say it's really poor from Firpo. You know, he's claiming for handball but it's a really poor touch and then pass as he tries to put it past that man Trent who's now got two assists in two games and Gakpo gets his goal."

Should the goal have been disallowed?

There is certainly a case to be made for VAR potentially missing the opportunity to intervene and provide Leeds with some relief from going a goal behind.

Alexander-Arnold's arm was moving away from his body, but it was not deemed as a deliberate act by VAR as they failed to step in.

The issue which Leeds fans will have with the decision is that the Liverpool right-back was the man who then took the ball and provided the cross for the opening goal.

But there is definitely an argument to be made for criticising Firpo's lacklustre attempt at playing the ball beyond Alexander-Arnold.

It felt as if it was neither a heavy touch nor a pass with the left-back seemingly caught between two minds under the pressure of the Reds.

And this is something which Leeds simply cannot afford from their players at this stage of the season.

It was a night to forget for the left-back who endured a poor 90 minutes at Elland Road after giving the ball away 15 times throughout the game (via SofaScore).

And his defensive return was hardly impressive either as he failed to provide his side with a single tackle as he was dribbled past once.

Only six games remain for the Whites now and with a serious threat of relegation on their minds, providing the opposition with opportunities like Firpo did simply have to be ruled out – regardless of the thoughts on VAR's decision.

Tottenham Hotspur do boast some incredible talent, however, it is quality that has certainly been utilised in questionable ways.

With the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son in attack, most managers should have been able to quickly find the necessary additions to supplement such world-class talent.

However, with Antonio Conte the latest casualty of this doomed project, it marks yet another setback for the Lilywhites and their long-term vision.

With Cristian Stellini now overseeing the short-term and seeking to somehow get his side back into contention for those coveted top four spots, perhaps in an effort to freshen up a tired outfit who have endured real struggles under the recent bosses, the Italian, or whoever might take his spot, could look to his academy for an injection of youthful exuberance.

Of those in and around the setup, there are a few standout names who would be more than deserving of a call-up. However, in an effort to add more goals to this outfit, Dane Scarlett could perhaps be prioritised when his loan comes to a conclusion this summer.

Who is Dane Scarlett?

Having been at the club since 2020, the 19-year-old marksman has scored goals at every youth level he has featured in at Hotspur Way.

This was especially pertinent during the 2020/21 season, where the teenage sensation recorded 17 goals and four assists in 16 U18s Premier League games, before making the step-up to the Premier League 2 with a further three goals in five games.

Conte even admitted in February of last year that the forward was: "At this moment for sure the best prospect from the academy."

Clearly well-versed in finding the back of the net, this form culminated in the first of what has since been ten senior appearances for the first team. This is further indicative of how well-thought-of the youngster remains, and likely merited his move to Portsmouth for this season.

Earning his stripes and growing physically against a host of senior players, Scarlett has enjoyed 33 appearances in League One, scoring a less than impressive four goals, albeit while having to adjust to these new demands.

It is all these facets that will likely culminate in an increased involvement next season, to perhaps partner Kane.

The legendary marksman enjoyed a similar path to the one his future teammate is undertaking, enduring plenty of loans before bursting onto the scene as a regular goalscorer. The 29-year-old will likely have unlimited wisdom to offer Scarlett, which could help fast-track the career of such a talented asset.

Not only this, but the speed of the 5 foot 11 forward could mesh well with Spurs' record scorer, latching on to the searching balls that many of Kane's teammates have benefitted from.

This duo has the potential to petrify most defences, with one of the league's greatest mentoring one for the future.

Dean Jones has been reacting to Leeds United’s reported interest in former Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira.

What’s the latest on Leeds and Vieira, and what has Jones had to say?

The Whites currently have Javi Gracia in charge after parting ways with Jesse Marsch back in February. The Spaniard wasn’t first choice at Leeds, though, with the club reportedly looking at the likes of Andoni Iraola, Arne Slot, Carlos Corberan and Marcelo Gallardo prior to Gracia arriving.

The 52-year-old was making a positive impression as he looks to guide the club to safety in the Premier League prior to Sunday's 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, although he is only on a flexible contract with the Whites.

That has led to speculation on what Leeds could do in the summer, with talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook saying in recent weeks that Leeds could offer Vieira an immediate return to the dugout in the Premier League, with Whites officials still rating the 4-3-3 style manager despite being sacked by Palace.

Jones was speaking to GiveMeSport regarding the rumours about Vieira possibly moving to Elland Road. The reporter feels that the Frenchman may not be the answer in Yorkshire after how things played out at Selhurst Park earlier in the year, saying:

"I don't think that Patrick Vieira would have done too much in recent times to convince Leeds that he would be the way forward.

"I think that Leeds really have to consider what they're going to do here and that will obviously depend on whether they even stay in the Premier League. But if they do, I don't think he would be the answer to that, given the way that things went for him at Crystal Palace.”

Vieira was recently interested in the Leeds job…

Phil Hay has said that Gracia has brought order to the chaos at Leeds, something that has seemingly been required in Yorkshire after the high-energy football under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, and you could say that if he keeps the club in the top flight that he should be handed the job full time heading into the 2023/24 campaign.

However, Vieira was recently interested in taking over at Leeds while still in charge at Palace, so it looks as if this could be one to keep an eye on even with the current Leeds head coach doing a solid job. Bringing in Vieira could be a risk, though, with the Frenchman failing to win a game in 2023 prior to departing Palace last month.

In his first taste of management in the Premier League, Vieira averaged just 1.22 points per game, the lowest of any side he has been in charge of, as per Transfermarkt, so Leeds could be better off sticking with Gracia over Vieira, providing things can get back on track on the pitch.

Arsenal are thriving on the pitch of late, with Mikel Arteta's well-oiled machine seemingly cruising towards the Premier League title.

His side is easy on the eye, relentless in their work rate, and as such boast both one of the best attacks and the best defences in the division. Try as they may, Manchester City have a tough task on their hand usurping the Gunners as they enter the climax of the season.

This title charge has been a product of the culture shift at the Emirates, which their young Spanish boss instigated by ruthlessly offloading all who he deemed to be dead wood. Instead, he would replace them with young, hungry assets all with a point to prove; a point they are so emphatically making this season.

What makes things even more special around north London is that the squad is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the good work the club is doing, with many of their loanees thriving too.

One such example is Folarin Balogun, who has taken his opportunity to star in Ligue 1 with both hands. He will envision a future where he can challenge for that starting striker spot, but signing Vitor Roque would arguably stunt his growth by adding another blockade to his pathway.

Who is Vitor Roque?

Having recently visited London to discuss the proposals of the numerous European teams vying for the Brazilian, Arsenal are reportedly one of many elite options for the 18-year-old to choose from.

Having scored three goals in just four games this campaign, building upon his 14-goal tally from the season prior, this wonderkid does seem to be the next big thing to come out of South America.

Such is his pedigree, Brazil's former national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari even claimed: "He will become one of the greatest players we have ahead of us." High praise indeed.

Whilst the idea of such a purchase seems so exciting, what Balogun has done this season cannot be ignored. Across 27 appearances in the French top flight, the 21-year-old boasts 17 goals and a further two assists. For reference, Kylian Mbappe only has two more league goals than him.

Arteta has even admitted to standing up and taking note, as he claimed: "When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it’s just incredible. It’s very rare to see that. But he’s got something special, that’s why we decided to give him a long-term contract and have faith in him."

However, signing added direct competition for his role would likely only see him slide further down the pecking order despite his blistering form. If anyone has deserved to now challenge for the first team it is Balogun.