Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in signing a Serie A midfielder this summer, in the bid to strengthen ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Julen Lopetegui has revived Wolves’ season since arriving in the Midlands in November, taking the reins from Bruno Lage who saw his team’s form deplete in the final weeks of his tenure.

The Spaniard has restored faith in the squad and confirmed Premier League survival and promise going forward from the lows of the start of the term.

This summer’s transfer window is crucial for the club, who are expected to see a drastic change with players arriving at and departing Molineux.

The talk of Ruben Neves’ future has dominated talk of summer movements so far, however Wolves have been linked with a host of potential incomings too, including a midfielder that could strengthen Lopetegui’s plans.

What’s the latest on Lassana Coulibaly to Wolves?

As reported by La Cronache via Salerno Notizie earlier this week, Salernitana midfielder Lassana Coulibaly has gained interest from Wolves ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that both Nottingham Forest and Wolves have “asked for information” on the Mali international’s availability.

It’s believed that the asking price from his club will be around the €8m mark (£7m).

What could Lassana Coulibaly bring to Wolves?

Despite having a tough season in Serie A, the Bamako-born midfielder has maintained a high level of performance in the engine room, making him a point of interest ahead of the window.

Described as a "machine" who enjoys "getting after people" by former boss Steven Gerrard during his spell at Rangers, Coulibaly has impressed in areas that could be integral to strengthening Lopetegui’s side.

The 27-year-old has averaged 2.4 tackles per game this season, as well as winning 52% of his ground duels in the middle of the park – as per Sofascore. The first stat is superb and would place him second in Wolves' squad if he were already at Molineux.

Operating in a critical area of play requires ability both going forward and breaking up play, and the Malian’s ability to do so is expressed through his 84% passing accuracy, averaging 26.8 per game.

His stability is what Lopetegui will be looking for in a player this window, considering the potential departure of Neves and the effect this may have on the midfield as a unit.

The introduction of the midfielder could positively influence new-arrival Joao Gomes, however, who has been impressive since signing in January. Indeed, he is the only player to register more tackles per game this term (2.7) than Couliably in the Wolves ranks.

Like the latter, the Brazilian is strong in his duels and influential on the ball and could prove to be a strong partner if he signs on the dotted line.

Coincidentally, the two players have been likened to one another as per FBref, highlighting their similar ability in their position and the calibre of the player Wolves could secure this summer for a relatively low market price.

Lopetegui is expected to have a busy summer in recruitment, only time will tell if the Spaniard can get this exciting deal over the line.

واصل دومينيك سولانكي، لاعب فريق بورنموث، تألقه من حيث التسجيل حيث أحرز هدفًا في مباراة وست هام يونايتد في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وارتفع رصيد سولانكي إلى 13 هدفًا، ليعزز تواجده بالمركز الثالث، خلف النجم المصري محمد صلاح لاعب ليفربول، وإيرلينج هالاند مهاجم مانشستر سيتي.

وغاب محمد صلاح عن مواجهة تشيلسي الأخيرة بسبب الإصابة. فيما فشل إيرلينج هالاند في التسجيل في مباراة بيرنلي. ترتيب هدافي الدوري الانجليزي بعد نهاية الجولة الـ 22

1 إيرلينج هالاند، مانشستر سيتي، 14 هدفًا.

2 محمد صلاح، ليفربول، 14 هدفًا.

3 دومينيك سولانكي، بورنموث، 13 هدفًا.

4 سون هيونج مين، توتنهام، 12 هدفًا.

5 جارود بوين، وست هام، 11 هدفًا.

6 هوانج هي تشان، ولفرهامبتون، 10 أهداف.

7 ألكسندر إيزاك، نيوكاسل يونايتد، 10 أهداف.

8 أولي واتكينز، أستون فيلا، 10 أهداف.

9 كول بالمر، تشيلسي، 9 أهداف.

10 إليجاه أديبايو، لوتون تاون، 8 أهداف.

ويمكنك متابعة ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، موسم 2023/24، محدث بشكل مستمر من هنا.

Tottenham Hotspur are considering the appointment of former Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

Who could be the next Spurs manager?

Spurs are slowly narrowing down their list of managerial candidates, having ruled out moves for the likes of former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann recently.

The German won't be managing Tottenham any time soon, according to recent reports, with Xabi Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen also declaring his intention to remain in the Bundesliga next season.

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has also penned a new deal at Burnley, coming after claims Tottenham had shortlisted the Belgian to replace Antonio Conte.

Resultingly, it appears the likes of Arne Slot (Feyenoord), Ruben Amorim (Sporting Lisbon) and Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi could be the main contenders as things stand (inews).

Another option to have been mooted by the press is Rodgers, who is currently readily-available after his Leicester City sacking earlier in the season.

There have even been claims that the 50-year-old really wants the job and is "extremely keen" to make the move to N17, with 90min sharing an update.

According to their information, Rodgers is still a contender for the Spurs vacancy, with Tottenham very much considering him as an option.

As well as the former Liverpool boss, Marco Silva, Michael Carrick and Graham Potter are also the managers under consideration in England.

Who is Brendan Rodgers?

The ex-Celtic boss, who guided the Parkhead side to trophies galore and successive SPFL titles north of the border, has extensive silverware-winning experience.

Rodgers, just two years ago, guided Leicester to both an FA Cup win and Community Shield triumph – which may be important for Levy to remember when considering him as a top candidate.

Despite his sorry end at the King Power Stadium, the former Swansea City boss has been plying his trade at the top level for quite some time.

Reports even suggest that he was once Levy's "preferred choice" to succeed Harry Rednapp over a decade ago, with top flight counterparts holding Rodgers in very high esteem.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola branded him a "quality" manager in an interview with the media and West Ham's David Moyes is another firm admirer.

Speaking after Rodgers' sacking at Leicester, the Scotsman said this on him (via Simon Stone):

"Really disappointed for Brendan. Super manager. Really good coach. He won’t be out of a job long."

Glasgow Rangers will be hoping this season was a one-off as Michael Beale looks to challenge for domestic glory in 2023/2024.

There will be no silverware gracing the Ibrox trophy room for the first time since 2020 and given how dominant the Ibrox side were during their title-winning campaign in 2020/21, the drop-off has been staggering.

There have been a few positives during the latter half of this term, most notably how easily Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell have settled in, while on loan midfielder Malik Tillman has demonstrated his massive talent during what has been an underwhelming period for the Light Blues.

His performances led to him winning the PFA Young Player of the Year, voted for by his peers and with a fee of £5m being touted as what it will take for Rangers to sign him permanently, could a move happen this summer?

The American discussed his future recently, saying: “It might not be the end here so we will see what's going to happen in the summer.

"I'm going to speak to Michael Beale in the coming days and see what he's saying, see what Bayern are saying and then I will decide."

Could Malik Tillman join Rangers this summer?

Much will depend on how many funds Beale gets to play with during the transfer window, although with a fair few players leaving due to expiring contracts and some deadwood being shipped out, there may be enough in the kitty for the 20-year-old to join ahead of next season.

The £13k-per-week starlet has been a bright spark for the Gers since arriving, scoring 12 goals and registering five assists across all competitions, utilising his talents in the notoriously physical Scottish Premiership, with a stunning solo goal against Motherwell the highlight.

Across the whole Rangers squad, Tillman ranks third for big chances created (12), fourth for goals (ten), third for successful dribbles per game (1.5) and sixth for key passes each game (1.6), clearly underlining his importance to the team this season.

Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane praised Tillman, saying that the youngster had “telescopic limps” earlier this year, while fellow teammate John Lundstram lauded him after a win against Aberdeen in October, saying:

“Tell him how good he can be and how good he is. Because he’s phenomenal, his talent is up there with one of the best young talents I’ve seen. Stick with him, rather than saying he needs to be dropped if he has one bad game.”

Investing £5m may seem like a lot at this moment in time, especially with him still developing, yet Beale could generate millions in profit for the Ibrox side in the next few years with Tillman's value having already risen by 200%, as per Transfermarkt, since his arrival on British shores.

West Ham could receive a considerable return for their efforts in Europa Conference League this season after beating AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the semi-final on Thursday.

Before the game, David Moyes told the press that winning the Conference League would be his career highlight. He said: “I was fortunate to get to a Champions League quarter-final with Manchester United, lost on penalty kicks in the quarter-finals of the Europa League with Everton.

“Last season, I was in a semi-final with West Ham. This year we’re in a semi-final again. So I want to try and take it one step further.”

West Ham fans will of course be deseperate for him to go all the way and win it, and so too will the board as the Hammers could receive a considerable fee for winning the tournament.

What is the payout for winning the Europa Conference League?

If David Moyes and his men are successful, the club will win £37m, Football Insider reports. £17.25m would be awarded for prize money and £19.7m for qualifying for the Europa League as an added bonus of winning the tournament, on top of the smaller rewards of semi-final success.

Impressively, that is more than Newcastle United will earn from booking their place in the Champions League with a third-place finish.

And for a side looking to invest ahead of the 2023/24 season, West Ham will be relieved they can generate extra revenue without having to sell any more players.

When is the second leg of the Europa Conference Legue semi-final?

West Ham are one step away from booking their place in the final which will be held in Prague on June 7th. Before then, they must overcome AZ Alkmaar again on May 8th at the AFAS Stadium.

After bouncing back from going 1-0 down, the London outfit sealed a 2-1 win on Thursday which puts them in a confident position ahead of the second leg. The tie is by no means over but it’s a huge result which places them in the driving seat to reach the final.

And with safety in the Premier League all but guaranteed, West Ham are now able to focus on Europe.

ScorecardJimmy Neesham ensured Lancashire could not build on a strong start•Getty Images

The Derbyshire Falcons kept their slim hopes of reaching the T20 Blast quarter-finals alive with a six wicket victory at Derby that dealt a severe blow to Lancashire Lightning’s chances of making the last eight.A superb 79 from 49 balls by Alviro Petersen should have taken Lancashire to a formidable total but they lost five wickets in the last two overs to end on 167 for 9 with Jimmy Neesham taking a T20 career-best 4 for 35.Hamish Rutherford smashed 47 from 27 balls as 75 came from the first six overs and skipper Wes Durston plundered 51 including four sixes from 34 balls as the Falcons reached 170 for 4 with eight balls to spare.Durston described the game as “do or die” for his side but Petersen and Luis Reece gave Lancashire an excellent start by taking 63 from the Powerplay.Reece pulled and cut Andy Carter for three fours from the second over before Petersen pulled Wayne Madsen over the midwicket boundary and drove Neesham for six.Reece scooped Carter over fine leg for another maximum but the Falcons regained some control through the legspin of Matt Critchley who had Reece lbw sweeping for 32 off 22 balls and trapped Karl Brown in front in his second over.Petersen launched him over wide long on for six and Liam Livingstone pulled Alex Hughes over the square leg boundary but was caught behind trying to do the same to Neesham.The South African was the danger man and he used his feet well to twice drive Carter for four but the fast bowler took an athletic diving catch at backward square leg to remove him and his departure saw Lancashire implode.The lower order disintegrated in the last two overs with only eight runs scored as Neesham preyed on mounting panic to take three wickets and drag Derbyshire back into a game that was running away from them.Derbyshire had fallen agonisingly short chasing an almost identical target on Sunday but after Durston top-edged a square cut for six over backward point off Jordan Clark, Rutherford unleashed some crunching drives as Derbyshire raced to 50 in four overs.Durston hammered George Edwards over long on for another six and at the end of the Powerplay, Derbyshire were in control but Rutherford sliced a drive at Stephen Parry’s second ball and was caught at backward point.Lancashire’s hopes of building on that were dashed in the ninth over which cost 16 as Parry was twice driven for six by Durston and Chesney Hughes and Derbyshire had the game in their grasp at the halfway stage with only 65 needed.Durston completed his 50 by driving Croft over long-on and although Croft struck with consecutive balls and Neil Broom went cheaply in the 18th over, Lancashire were left to rue those last two madcap overs.

A 139-run third-wicket partnership between opener Jaahid Ali and captain Babar Azam set up a four-wicket win for Pakistan A over Sri Lanka A in Northampton

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2016
File photo – Pakistan A captain Babar Azam propelled his side’s successful run chase with a 77-ball 73•Getty ImagesA 139-run third-wicket stand between opener Jaahid Ali and captain Babar Azam set up a four-wicket win for Pakistan A over Sri Lanka A in Northampton. The partnership, coming off 154 balls, helped Pakistan A ride a mini-collapse to win with 11 balls to spare.Sri Lanka A made brisk progress after opting to bat, largely thanks to Niroshan Dickwella’s 31-ball 44 and Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 63-ball 56. But wickets fell at regular intervals – by the 34th over, Sri Lanka A had slipped to 173 for 6.Thisara Perera, coming in at No. 8, chipped in with 45 off 40, hitting five fours and a six to give the innings a late boost, but Sri Lanka A were bowled out for 254, failing to utilise three overs from their full quota.Pakistan A started shakily as Sharjeel Khan and Fakhar Zaman were dismissed within the first nine overs. It was at this point that Jaahid (77) and Azam (73) took charge with a century stand that put their side firmly in control.However, their dismissals within two overs of each other, both falling to Lahiru Gamage, left Pakistan A in a hint of trouble 186 for 4 in 36 overs. Sri Lanka had a whiff of an opportunity, but it was snuffed out by handy lower-order contributions from Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Nawaz. Though neither of them stayed to see the job through, they had done enough to ensure that Pakistan A won with time to spare.The win was Pakistan A’s second in three matches, while Sri Lanka A are languishing at the bottom with three losses in as many matches.

Tottenham Hotspur are in desperate need of a new manager and a refreshed playing squad, yet fans would likely agree that keeping Harry Kane stands above all else.

The supreme forward has already cemented himself into the club's history books as their all-time top scorer and seems destined to one day topple Alan Shearer's Premier League record too.

Regardless how his career culminates, there is no doubt that the 29-year-old will be remembered as a legend. However, one thing that seemingly continues to irk the England captain is a lack of silverware.

In 2017, he famously claimed:

"I just want to win trophies. I don't think there's a day that goes past where I don't wake up and think I want to win something."

He would then set himself a time frame to achieve such a goal, which has since long gone: "In 3 years' time if I haven't won a few trophies by then I think it'll be disappointing."

It has now been nearly six years since that fateful interview, and his trophy cabinet remains as empty as the day he began his career.

As such, links with moves away are a constant, with Manchester United the latest to plot to snatch him. However, Daniel Levy could seek to throw one last Hail Mary in order to convince his star man to stay, by appointing Luciano Spalletti to take their managerial hot seat.

Will Luciano Spalletti join Spurs?

Having been accredited with an interest by two Italian journalists, first Ciro Venerato and more recently Paolo Bargiggia (via Sport Witness), both have combined to suggest Spurs can offer a far greater salary that would trump the contract extension proposed by Napoli.

The 64-year-old tactician, who prefers an attacking philosophy built around a 4-3-3 shape, has earned widespread praise for his work this season in claiming the Serie A title.

In reawakening a sleeping giant in Naples, Spalletti has marked himself out as one of Europe's most sought-after coaches, clearly sparking Levy's attention.

His brimming trophy cabinet alone would be enough to tempt the club's hierarchy to move, but also this winner's mentality might be enough to also convince Kane that this manager could bring him the silverware he so richly craves.

Also, with personal accolades similarly high on his list too, the fact that the Italian tactician has worked wonders with Victor Osimhen could persuade the £200k-per-week finisher that this remains the best place to take him to such glory. It is clear the 24-year-old forward thinks highly of his current boss too, having branded him a "genius" only last month.

With the Nigerian having scored 23 and assisted five in just 28 league appearances, there is reason to believe that Kane could take his scoring to the next level under this kind of tutelage, despite having already hit over 20 goals in six of his last nine seasons, all of which surpassed at least 16 goals.

Keeping the legendary striker in north London is likely to be the highest priority for Levy, but he could achieve this whilst also hiring a top head coach, should he appoint the outstanding manager that is Spalletti.

Josh Hazlewood believes Australia have already opened up mental scars for Sri Lanka’s unsteady batting line-up that may smooth a path for the tourists on less helpful pitches later in the series

Daniel Brettig26-Jul-2016

Josh Hazlewood believes Australia have already opened up mental scars for Sri Lanka’s unsteady batting line-up that may smooth a path for the tourists on less helpful pitches later in the series.Hazlewood, who took 3 for 21 to play a major role in rounding up the hosts for 117 – Sri Lanka’s second-lowest total against Australia at home – in Pallekele, took advantage of some swing and seam with the new ball that he may not find in Galle or Colombo. However, the memories of this day, when numerous Sri Lankan batsmen looked out of their depth against Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and the spin twins of Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon, may now play in favour of Steven Smith’s team.”Anything you can get on the opposition is crucial,” Hazlewood, whose three wickets included that of Dinesh Chandimal, said. “If you can get it straight up on the first morning of a Test series, and get on top of a few of their top-order batters, it does open up some scars, hopefully, for the back end of the tour on some not-so-friendly wickets for us quicks.”We don’t know too much about these guys, we haven’t played them a lot, especially our bowlers, so we’ve worked out a few little things here and there in that innings, and we’ll look to keep on top of them with those plans throughout the whole series.”This was, arguably, a fortuitous toss for Smith to lose, as it had his opposite number Angelo Mathews electing to bat at a ground where there has always been a modicum of help for fast men. Several members of the touring party who were here for the Test team’s last visit, in 2011, including Nathan Lyon and Usman Khawaja, had spoken of some possible early assistance, and Hazlewood found it.”A few of the guys who were here on the last series mentioned that if the quicks are going to get anything out of it, it’s going to be this Test, especially with the new ball,” Hazlewood said. “We made the most of that, and hopefully, we do again in the second innings. I was happy to bowl turning up today, it was a good toss to lose, see how that wicket was going to play. I thought if we bowled well, which we did, we’d get a few wickets early.”It is [going to get harder], hopefully, we enjoyed that as much as we could. The next two wickets are probably going to suit the spinners and then Colombo could be quite flat, so it’s going to be hard work, but we’ve trained on some flat wickets in Colombo when we got here and tried a few different things here and there, so we’re as prepared as we can be. We may have to work on a few other things, and I think reverse swing will be a huge factor as well.”More than once, the Australians raised their eyebrows at how the pitch played on day one, with several deliveries shooting through low and variation in spin suggesting the pitch will only get harder to bat on. Smith had said before the match that one of his goals was for the team to only have to bat once, and by rolling the Sri Lankans so cheaply, they have a chance of doing so.”I thought we were quite patient, and just bowled the usual great lines and lengths,” Hazlewood said. “Mitch Starc was probably not at his best, but still very lethal, no matter when he bowls, and I think the spinners bowled beautifully on that wicket, it did offer them a bit of up-and-down bounce.”It swung a little bit more in our second spells than the first. I think it’s just that hardness, a couple balls nipped here and there, the wicket was a little bit tacky, spikes were going in quite easily, and then, with the spin, I don’t think it spun too much. It was just inconsistent, and that did the damage.”A couple did shoot through for a day-one wicket, so that’ll be interesting the longer the game goes. The spinners are going to come into it a lot more, and they’ve got some quality spinners, so first-innings runs are going to be crucial for us.”

Arsenal are back in action on Saturday evening as the Gunners travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest in their final away game of the Premier League season.

On the back of their last result, Mikel Arteta’s side will be playing solely to end their season in good spirits, after almost certainly handing Manchester City the title after losing to Brighton in their previous match.

Roberto De Zerbi’s masterclass at the Emirates ended in a 0-3 win for the visitors, leaving Arsenal deflated as they hoped to take City to the wire for the title.

The north Londoners will have to brush themselves off and focus on Forest, who will be far from easy to beat on their home turf, with safety from relegation not yet confirmed.

Two strong results from Steve Cooper’s side has put them in a good position going into the final two games, with a win against Southampton and 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge last week taking them three points above the bottom three.

Arsenal will have to improve on their performance last weekend, where they allowed the visitors to have 59% of possession and 1.72 expected goals (xG) to their 0.92 xG in an embarrassing display, as per Sofascore.

Besides the season-ending loss, Arteta’s squad suffered a further blow as joint-top goalscorer Gabriel Martinelli was ruled out for their final fixtures after suffering ankle ligament damage in the 20th minute of play.

The Brazilian’s absence this weekend leaves a vacancy on the left-flank, with two names expected to now fight over the starting position.

Should Reiss Nelson start for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest?

Both Leandro Trossard and Reiss Nelson will be in contention to start at the City Ground, however, the 23-year-old could have the edge on the Belgian.

Despite conventionally being a right-winger, the Englishman has a dominant right foot, making him a threat in front of goal on the left-hand side, which could subsequently cause Forest a lot of worry and damage.

The Hale End graduate featured for 30 minutes of Arsenal’s defeat to the Seagulls last Sunday and was a live wire in a tough game, as shown through his numbers – having completed two out three of his dribbles, on top of his one tackle won, via Sofascore.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo has been admirable when called upon for his club this campaign, averaging a 0.56 non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year, as per FBref, which highlights his ability to make a difference in the final third.

With contract talks still ongoing, the Englishman could be facing his final two games in an Arsenal shirt, so Arteta should unleash him from he off to mark a statement of respect as well as a chance to showcase his talent in what is now unfortunately a dead-rubber tie for the Gunners.