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Wolves had a busy deadline day as Boubacar Traore arrived at Molineux and Leander Dendoncker departed for Aston Villa but Bruno Lage took a big risk by not signing a new centre-back.

Lage’s switch to a back four this season has seen him deploy Max Kilman and Nathan Collins as the main two centre-back options in his side, as club captain Conor Coady was loaned to Everton.

This left the Old Gold without an experienced option at the back, as none of the centre-backs in Lage’s squad are over the age of 25, while Toti and Yerson Mosquera have very little Premier League experience.

It was no surprise therefore to see Wolves heavily linked with a move for the vastly-experienced Craig Dawson on deadline day but that deal fell through after West Ham were beaten to the signing of Jan Bednarek by Aston Villa.

Liam Keen, the Express and Star journalist, shared an update on Wolves’ centre-back situation on Twitter.

He said: “After the Craig Dawson deal collapsed, Wolves are now set to not sign a centre-back and Yerson Mosquera’s loan to France is set to be cancelled. Club happy with their options.”

Considering Wolves’ less than impressive start to the new Premier League season, which has seen them continue their drab form from the end of the last campaign, it feels like a big risk for Lage to not have an experienced defender in his squad.

If either Collins or Kilman were to be injured, he would have to rely on Toti (four Premier League appearances) or Mosquera (no Premier League appearances), which could be potentially disastrous, especially if Wolves find themselves scrapping towards the bottom of the league.

Loaning Coady to Everton already felt like a big risk considering his status both on and off the pitch at Molineux and a lack of experience at the back could really come back to haunt Wolves this season after they failed to act decisively on deadline day.

Sky Sports have been reacting to the news of Manchester United target Benjamin Sesko joining RB Leipzig.

The Lowdown: Sesko linked with Man Utd

The Red Devils were ‘really interested’ in signing the Slovenian this summer, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that the Premier League club held more than one direct meeting with the 19-year-old’s agent.

United reportedly tabled an offer to the striker, although it has now been confirmed that he will join RB Leipzig from Red Bull Salzburg on a five-year deal from 2023. Sesko will remain with the Austrian club during the current campaign, with United missing out on what appeared to be a key target.

The Latest: Sky Sports react

Sky Sports shared the news on air regarding Sesko shortly after a deal was announced.

They said that it ‘never rains but it pours for Manchester United’ by confirming that the teenager, who the club ‘had their eye on’, has reached an agreement with Leipzig.

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The Verdict: From bad to worse

Erik ten Hag’s first competitive game in charge of United ended in defeat on Sunday, and after an abject 2021/22 season, things have gone from bad to worse off the pitch with the official news on Sesko.

A new forward is needed at Old Trafford with Cristiano Ronaldo’s future still a hot topic of conversation, so the Slovenian teenager could have been the long-term answer at Old Trafford.

United officials may now look to push through a move for Marko Arnautovic as a result of the confirmed news on Sesko, which could be perceived by many as a panic buy given that the Austrian is 33 years old and has also been the subject of controversy in the past.

Leeds United have been one of the busiest clubs in the Premier League in terms of the business they have done during the summer transfer window.

Along with bringing in a plethora of new faces such as Tyler Adams, Marc Roca and Luis Sinisterra, among others, the Yorkshire club have also seen some big players make moves away from Elland Road such as Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips.

With a few weeks still left before the transfer window shuts, this would give the Whites the chance to strengthen any area of the squad where it may be necessary.

Taking into account how Andrea Radrizzani recently spoke about the club’s aim to bring in a striker before deadline day, one man who has been linked with a move to Elland Road and who could be just what the Whites need is Bamba Dieng.

Having made 42 senior appearances for Marseille, the 22-year-old – who is reportedly valued at €18m (£15m) – has scored nine goals and delivered three assists in the process.

The majority of those appearances and goals came during the 2021/22 season with Les Olympiens, during which he also showed his versatility by playing with near-equal regularity as a centre-forward and as a left-winger.

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To further highlight his attacking talent, in his 25 Ligue 1 appearances last season, the Senegal attacker took 37 shots at goal, with 18 of those being on target, leaving him with the highest percentage for shots on target (48.6%) at the Stade Velodrome.

Hailed as an “explosive player with great potential,” by his former manager Jorge Sampaoli, Dieng also ended the campaign with the fourth-highest rate of goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (0.55) at Marseille.

In terms of what sort of player he is or could become in the future, the youngster has been likened to former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba by El-Hadji Diouf in terms of his ability to score goals.

Bearing in mind how the Ivorian scored 104 goals in 254 top-flight appearances for the Blues and earned himself a place in the Premier League Hall of Fame, the prospect of seeing Victor Orta unearth what could be Leeds’ own version of Drogba would certainly be a mouth-watering prospect for the Whites and their supporters.

With transfer deadline day coming into view, securing a deal for the young striker could be just what Leeds need in order to top off what has undeniably been a very busy transfer period for the club.

West Brom are not in the market to sign a new goalkeeper and won’t be bringing Ben Foster back to the club, reliable journalist Joseph Masi has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Johnstone moves on

The Baggies are looking for a much improved Championship campaign in 2022/23, following the disappointment of last term’s failure to reach the playoffs.

Steve Bruce will have to mastermind his side’s return to the Premier League without key player Sam Johnstone, however, with the Englishman securing a summer move to Crystal Palace.

While another goalkeeper is, therefore, considered a priority by some, it doesn’t appear as though reinforcements will come in.

The Latest: Masi drops key claim

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Masi claimed that a reunion with veteran former West Brom stopper Foster won’t materialise, or any new signing between the sticks for that matter:

“An injury to Button or Palmer could change things but my understanding is Albion are not in the market for another keeper and that includes Ben Foster.”

The Verdict: Risky by Baggies?

Should this turn out to be true, it certainly represents a risky tactic by the Baggies, considering how superior Johnstone arguably was to his fellow ‘keepers at the Hawthorns. His form saw him called up to the England squad and he made 167 appearances for the club in total.

It looks as though David Button is going to be trusted as West Brom’s first-choice ‘keeper moving forward, having started ten league games last season, with Alex Palmer as his deputy.

Admittedly, Johnstone’s form wasn’t always the best in his final season but he is still going to leave a void – whether choosing not to sign a replacement pays off will only be fully clear next May.

Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has delivered his verdict on the future of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at Liverpool. 

The lowdown: Benchwarmer

The 28-year-old has had mixed fortunes since joining the Reds from Arsenal for £35m in 2017 (BBC), often thwarted by injuries including a lengthy layoff during most of the 2018/19 season due to a crucial ligament rupture suffered against AS Roma towards the end of the preceding campaign.

In spite of those issues, the midfielder has made 133 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side, playing a part in the club’s most recent Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup, FA Cup and Carabao Cup successes.

Now into the final 12 months of his contract on Merseyside, following a campaign which saw the former England regular remain on the bench on 20 occasions, one intrigued onlooker has assessed Oxlade-Chamberlain’s chances of consistent game-time ahead of the 2022/23 campaign…

The latest: Campbell backs Oxlade-Chamberlain

Speaking to Football Insider, former Everton marksman Campbell suggested that the 35-cap ace can still play a major role in Klopp’s plans, after images emerged of his involvement in pre-season training.

The talkSPORT pundit said: “He is at Liverpool so he has got a chance. We all know that talent wise, he is brilliant. Nobody can question his talent.

“His availability has been the problem. When he does get a chance in the team he needs to take it. You have to. That is the level at Liverpool now.

“If you go in and coast, you are not going to chance. If you are not starting you are not realistically playing. The fact of the matter is, he has used his brain. He has gone into the close season, got super fit and is ready to start pre-season well.

“Why not have a right go at it. He has nothing to lose now. Have a right go at it and leave nothing on the side. If it doesn’t work out at least he can say he tried everything.”

The verdict: One last hoorah…

In truth, the £14.4m-valued Englishman’s availability was less of an issue than in previous years last term as the dynamic midfielder made the matchday squad 49 times, with 29 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing three assists in the process.

Whilst there is no doubting that on his day Oxlade-Chamberlain – who was branded ‘electric’ by football writer Liam Bekker in 2020 – can be an unstoppable force whose versatility makes him stand out from many amongst Klopp’s squad, all too often the fleeting performances haven’t been enough to warrant a prolonged run in the side.

That said, with another gruelling campaign ahead and a potential World Cup squad place still up for grabs, a fit and firing Oxlade-Chamberlain – who also has a new contract to play for – could be an exciting proposition for the Anfield faithful to behold over the next few months.

Wolves have been linked with a move for Hull City winger Keane Lewis-Potter ahead of the upcoming summer window.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from 90min, the Old Gold are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing the 21-year-old this summer.

As a product of Hull’s youth system, the attacker has already made 121 senior appearances for the club, which goes to show how highly they rate him.

Better than Podence

In those appearances, the Englishman has scored 30 goals and delivered 12 assists along the way, highlighting the clear attacking talent he has.

His latest season with the Championship club saw the youngster find the net 12 times and deliver four assists in 45 league appearances whilst playing across numerous positions.

To further highlight his attacking prowess, the winger ended the campaign with the highest average of shots per game (2.5) and the third-highest average for key passes per game (1.1) in Hull’s ranks.

Labelled as a player who has “got all the tools to be anything he wants,” by Grant McCann, Lewis-Potter reportedly has a rather hefty price tag of £18m.

In terms of a potential move to Molineux, the Hull star could be a better attacking option for Bruno Lage than current Wolves winger Daniel Podence.

With 26 Premier League appearances under his belt this season, the 26-year-old only scored two goals and delivered three assists.

In comparison to Lewis-Potter, the Portuguese attacker ended his season with a lower rate of shots per 90 minutes as well as a lower rate of goals per shot.

This shows just how much of a constant attacking threat the youngster is and why he’d be a great signing for Wolves given how they finished their recent campaign with fewer shot-creating actions than the likes of Watford, Brentford and Crystal Palace.

Moving forward, with the Old Gold in clear need of adding some new attacking players to their side, securing a deal for the Hull prodigy could be a good way to start.

However, with the likes of Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth and Southampton also reportedly vying for his signature, the Midlands club may have to work fast to get him through the door at Molineux.

In other news: Lage can seal “exceptional” transfer as Wolves plot bid for “complete” £17m dynamo

A big Rangers claim has emerged on Ibrox loanee Aaron Ramsey and his future under Giovanni van Bronckhorst heading into the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Pete O’Rourke has hinted that the midfielder will not be returning to Rangers for the 2022/23 campaign.

Speaking about the Ibrox loanee, he told GIVEMESPORT: “I’m sure Aaron Ramsey looked like he enjoyed his time at Rangers.

“But a deal would have to be subsidised because of his wages at Juventus if Rangers were to bring him back. As it stands right now, it looks like he might have played his last game for the club.”

Gio van Bronckhorst will be gutted

The Ibrox boss will be gutted by this claim as it suggests that Ramsey will not be in his squad next season due to financial constraints.

Whilst the midfielder’s time at the club will be marred by his penalty miss in the Europa League final, he showed glimpses of quality throughout the second half of the campaign.

In the Premiership, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.93 in seven appearances. He found the back of the net twice, including one against Celtic, and set up another as he created seven chances for his teammates.

The gem also registered one assist in three games in the SFA Cup as he helped the club to win the competition. His statistics, albeit limited, show that he has the quality to pop up with goal contributions from midfield, which is in line with what he has done throughout his career.

He produced 130 goals and assists combined during his time with Arsenal – playing 371 matches – and 12 in 70 games for Juventus. The 31-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic career and has proven that he can make a big impact in the final third.

Therefore, with a full pre-season under his belt and more time to adjust to playing with his teammates, Ramsey could have been a huge player for the Gers. The quality – as shown by his statistics – is there and that is why van Bronckhorst will be gutted that he will be unable to work with him again next season.

O’Rourke has not completely ruled out a deal, as the situation may change, but it appears unlikely at this moment in time that he will be pulling on a light blue shirt again.

Hopefully, he can get his career back on track elsewhere if he does not return to Rangers.

AND in other news, GvB can find Kemar Roofe 2.0 in Rangers swoop for “clinical” gem who “rarely misses”…

Manchester United have had a disappointing season but will be looking forward to the summer as Erik ten Hag will be arriving at the club to begin to fix the issues at Old Trafford and improve the squad ahead of next season.

There are many areas of improvement needed at the club and with so many players out of contract including Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard, there will need to be signings made to add depth and quality all over the pitch.

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One area that is in drastic need of improvement is the defence, which has come under harsh criticism this season due to the consistently awful defensive throughout that have contributed to Man United’s failure to compete for trophies this season. As a result, they won’t play Champions League football next season after failing to pick up a top-four spot in the Premier League.

With that being said, Ten Hag must take the opportunity to sign defenders this summer and replacing Victor Lindelof with Kalidou Koulibaly would be a huge coup for the new manager and Manchester United.

The Senegalese defender was hailed a “monster” who “eats attackers whole” by football journalist Maxi Angelo, and has now been linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer.

According to Italian news outlet Area Napoli, Man United are now in contact with Koulibaly’s representatives to see if they can get a deal done for the centre-back.

When you compare the Napoli defender to Lindelof who was branded “pathetic” by journalist Rob Blanchette, this season there is no doubt that the signing would be a massive upgrade for the Red Devils and Ten Hag in his first season in charge at the club.

According to Squawka, Koulibaly has won more ground duels, more interceptions and completed more take-ons, whilst making more ball recoveries and blocks in two fewer appearances in the Serie A compared to the Swedish defender in Manchester.

If his defensive actions for Napoli weren’t enough to impress he has scored three goals and contributed one assist, ranking ninth for the most successful dribbles and has the fourth-highest shot conversion rate in the Serie A this season, proving that he is not only a force in defensive play but is highly effective in attacking too.

When you consider the quality that Koulibaly offers, the new Man United manager must seal the deal to secure the signature of the £40m AFCON winner this summer and by doing so he can finally axe Lindelof from the team.

AND in other news: Man Utd plot bid for “magic” £30m gem who’s “faster than the train”, Ten Hag needs him

And how many women have taken T20I hat-tricks?

Steven Lynch03-Apr-2018Did Aiden Markram become the fastest South African player to reach 1000 Test runs at Johannesburg? asked David Ferrier from Belgium
At the end of the fourth Test against Australia in Johannesburg, the South Africa opener Aiden Markram had exactly 1000 runs from ten matches (18 innings). Graeme Smith reached 1000 in only 17 innings, but that spanned 12 Tests. So Markram is the quickest by matches for South Africa, Smith by innings. AB de Villiers comes next: he reached four figures in his 20th innings, in his 12th match. Markram was the quickest in terms of time as well, though: it took him 185 days to de Villiers’ 365. Only Michael Hussey (166 days for Australia) has got there quicker than Markram.The overall record for the fewest innings is shared by Herbert Sutcliffe (England) and Everton Weekes (West Indies), who both reached 1000 runs in their 12th innings, in their ninth Tests. Don Bradman reached 1000 in just his seventh Test for Australia, but it took him 13 innings.It didn’t quite happen at Christchurch, but how often have both wicketkeepers scored a century in the same Test? asked Brian Martin from New Zealand
If BJ Watling had joined Jonny Bairstow in scoring a century in Christchurch last weekend – in fact he was out for 85 – it would have been only the fifth time that both wicketkeepers had scored a century in the same Test. The first was in St John’s, Antigua, in May 2002, when 20-year-old Ajay Ratra made 115 not out for India, and Ridley Jacobs replied with 118 for West Indies.It happened again in Ahmedabad in 2009-10 (MS Dhoni 110 for India, Prasanna Jayawardene 154 not out for Sri Lanka), in Galle in 2012-13 (Dinesh Chandimal 116 not out for Sri Lanka, Mushfiqur Rahim 200 for Bangladesh), and in Hyderabad in 2016-17 (Wriddhiman Saha 106 not out for India, Mushfiqur Rahim 127 for Bangladesh).The only wicketkeeper to score two centuries in the same Test is Andy Flower, with 142 and 199 not out for Zimbabwe against South Africa in Harare in September 2001.Megan Schutt is the first Australian woman to take a T20I hat-trick•Getty ImagesMegan Schutt took a hat-trick in a Twenty20 international the other day. Was she the first woman – or first of either sex – to do this? asked Jeff Marshall from Australia
That triple by Megan Schutt last week, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, was actually the seventh hat-trick in women’s T20Is, but the first for Australia. The first one anywhere was by Pakistan’s Asmavia Iqbal, against England in Loughborough in 2012.The women are outdoing their male counterparts at the moment in this respect. To date there have been six hat-tricks in men’s T20 internationals, the most recent by Faheem Ashraf for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi last October.Has anyone reached 300 wickets with fewer five-fors than Morne Morkel? asked Brad Thornton from England
The South African fast bowler Morne Morkel reached 300 wickets in his 85th (and next-to-last) Test, the now infamous one against Australia in Cape Town. His 5 for 23 in the second innings there – which took him to 306 wickets, one behind Fred Trueman – was only his eighth five-for in that time. No one else has reached 300 with so few: Brett Lee is next with ten, Zaheer Khan managed 11, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon and Chaminda Vaas all 12. Apart from Morkel, only Lee and Bob Willis (who had 16 five-fors) reached 300 wickets without ever taking ten in a match.Morkel’s best innings figures were 6 for 23, against New Zealand in Wellington in 2011-12. The only other taker of 300 who never took more than six in an innings is, again, Brett Lee, whose best figures were a surprisingly modest 5 for 30, against West Indies in Brisbane in 2005-06.Which woman ended her Test career with a batting average above 80? asked Toby Freeman from Mexico
Given a minimum of ten innings, the only woman with a Test batting average that high is Denise Annetts, who made 819 runs in ten Tests (13 innings) for Australia between 1987 and 1991-92 at an average of 81.90. Another Australian from around the same time, Joanne Broadbent, averaged 109.25 from ten Tests, but had only eight innings, four of them not-outs.With so little women’s Test cricket being played these days, it seems rather unlikely anyone will join this list. India’s Thirush Kamini currently averages 79 in Tests, but she has only played two matches, both of them in 2014. For the full list, click here.

Stats highlights from the third day at Edgbaston, when England recovered after conceding a first-innings lead of 103

S Rajesh05-Aug-201637 Attempts without a first-wicket century stand for England in their second innings, before the unbeaten 120-run stand between Alastair Cook and Alex Hales at Edgbaston. The last century stand for the opening wicket in the second innings was in March 2013, when Cook and Nick Compton added 231 against New Zealand in Dunedin. Since then, in 37 attempts, England’s average opening stand in second innings was 22.75, poorer than all teams except Zimbabwe and India in this period.24 Innings since England last had a century stand for the first wicket, when Cook and Moeen Ali added 116 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi last year. It is also the first century stand in 18 partnerships between Cook and Hales.136 Overs that Pakistan’s first innings lasted, their second longest in their last 15 Tests in England. The last time they batted longer was at Headingley on the 2006 tour, when they scored 538 in 141.4 overs.14 Instance of both the England openers passing 50 in a Test innings against Pakistan. The last such instance was almost exactly a decade ago, in August 2006, when Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick both passed 50 in England’s second innings of the Headingley Test.9 Instances of Pakistan taking a first-innings lead of 100 or more against England in England, before today’s effort: five times when batting first, and four times when batting second. In these nine Tests, Pakistan have won four and drawn four, while one was forfeited, at The Oval in 2006.14 Fifty-plus scores for Misbah-ul-Haq after the age of 40, the third best in Test history. He is within one such score of equalling Patsy Hendren’s 15, while Jack Hobbs is the all-time leader with 19 fifty-plus scores in Tests after turning 40.3 Century opening stands in Tests in 2016, of which this unbeaten 120-run between Cook and Hales is the highest. The average opening stand in Tests this year is 28.44, the lowest in any calendar year since 1963.5 Instances of Younis Khan scoring between 25 and 31 in his last six Test innings. His scores during this period are: 31, 25, 33, 28, 1, 31.2/358 Yasir Shah’s bowling figures since his ten-wicket haul in the first Test at Lord’s.