Former Premier League striker Darren Bent has backed Manchester United or Chelsea to buy Raul Jimenez from Wolves in the summer, per Football Insider.

What’s the word?

The Mexico international has scored 20 goals in all competitions from Wolves this season.

And Bent thinks that the Midlands club will struggle to keep hold of their star striker in the upcoming transfer window.

Chelsea were reportedly trying to sign a striker in the January transfer window but were unable to do so, while United brought in Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua.

Bent said: “What a signing he has been. He is a very good player who has had a great season.

“From what I’m hearing, there will be a lot of top clubs trying to sign him in the summer.

“He could do a job at Chelsea. I can see Manchester United or Chelsea coming in for him.

“Jimenez knows the Premier League, so that is the advantage so he would be a great signing for either.”

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

Within budget

Jimenez hasn’t really been mentioned as a top-six target but he would surely be affordable for either United or Chelsea.

Wolves paid £30m to bring him into the club and, even if they wanted to double that, both Premier League giants would be able to pay it.

If Jimenez continues the form he’s shown this term, it will be difficult for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to keep him with them. After all, the lure of potentially competing in the Champions League could be a big one.

One has to imagine, too, that Jimenez would be keen on such a move, given that he will turn 29 in May.

Bent has got this spot on, but don’t expect the Molineux club to give him up without a fight.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans love this update on Mason Greenwood!

Liverpool have been linked with both Boubakary Soumare and Sandro Tonali in recent weeks and months.

According to Le 10 Sport, the former is hoping for a move to either Anfield or Manchester United after turning down a switch to Newcastle during the January transfer window, whilst Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) says that Jurgen Klopp likes the Italy international “a lot”.

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Of course, there is unlikely to be space for both of them on Merseyside in the future. After all, the Reds are 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and are the European champions – they are not in need of any wholesale changes. However, one new arrival may be required if they are to stay at the top of the pile and, with the rumours of Georginio Wijnaldum potentially leaving the club in the summer, a spot in the first XI could be up for grabs. So, which one of these two would be the better choice for Klopp?

20-year-old Soumare currently plays for Lille in Ligue 1. As a defensive midfielder, he would be in line to replace Fabinho in defensive midfield, which may lead the Brazil international to move slightly further forward – he does have one goal and one assist so far this term, whilst he has managed nine goals in a league campaign in the past, so he clearly has the ability to provide attacking threat. However, Soumare’s addition would see the Reds lose out defensively. Before this weekend’s matches, the Frenchman had 1.1 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game – a considerable drop on Fabinho’s 2.3 and 1.1 respectively.

Tonali, meanwhile, is more of an attacking threat. He has one goal and four assists for Brescia this term, which is good going for a side struggling at the bottom of the table. His input has been telling both going forward and at the back – he has 2.1 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per match in Serie A, as well as 1.2 tackles and 0.9 interceptions. In all four of those areas, he would be an improvement on 29-year-old Wijnaldum.

The two may not differ too much in price – the Magpies’ bid for Soumare was £45m including bonuses, whilst Massimo Cellino, Brescia’s president, wants a minimum of €50m (£42.4m) for the 19-year-old. However, Tonali has proven himself to be far more worthy, and would prove to be the more astute arrival.

Meanwhile, Liverpool could have signed Jadon Sancho in 2017 but for one reason.

James Pearce recently reported on Liverpool’s new £50m training complex in Kirkby, per The Athletic, and the journalist talked to chairman Tom Werner about the investment in the club’s infrastructure and what it could bring in the future.But of course, while the facility itself was very much at the centre of the report and Pearce had no intention of discussing potential transfers, one fan had a different idea.

Much harder than you’d think… Can you name Liverpool’s top scorers for each of these 25 seasons?

He asked the respected journalist whether Kylian Mbappe will ever train in that new facility or in other words – he was wondering whether Liverpool will ever sign the French prodigy.

Here’s Pearce’s verdict on that one.

It seems that the journalist is not really that optimistic about the Reds’ chances of signing the young Paris Saint-Germain star.

It’s easy to understand why Pearce isn’t holding his breath over a potential deal.

Of course, you can never say never in football but Mbappe cost the French giants £166m to sign permanently and is unlikely to depart for anything less than an eye watering premium price.

Despite Liverpool’s recent success and domination of the scene, this deal, at least according to Pearce, certainly isn’t in the pipeline.

Elsewhere, there are three players Jurgen Klopp should be looking to bin come the summer transfer window…

West Ham United have given their academy products chances this season, whether out of necessity or choice, with Declan Rice, Nathan Holland, Conor Coventry and Jeremy Ngakia among those to get minutes.

The latest player who fans are excited about the prospect of seeing in David Moyes’ squad is Xande Silva, as was displayed by fans on Twitter after a highlight clip of his goal against Stoke City U23s was shown by the club’s official account.

As unpopular as this opinion may be, when watching the 22-year-old during the 2-2 draw, there was a feeling that he is not yet ready to be playing first-team Premier League football just yet.

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This is not to say that he never will be, as the Portuguese forward carried himself in a confident enough manner, and showed the technical quality to show that he can make the step up.

However, it should be noted that this was just his second appearance and first start of the campaign after recovering from a bowel obstruction. He played a half against Sunderland, though he did bag a goal and assist in that game.

He added to his tally against the Potters, when Bernardo Rosa played him in behind the opposition defence. He just about dribbled past the goalkeeper which saw him forced wide before he cut back and managed to hit the back of the net.

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The 22-year-old should have had more goal contributions to his name though and would have done if he was more decisive in and around the opposition box.

There were times when he over-complicated things for himself, which often led to the Stoke defence eventually being able to dispossess him – some of those incidents could have led to a clear goalscoring opportunity if he had been quicker in thought.

It is this part of his game that showed while he is an exciting talent, who should eventually be involved in Moyes’ side, it may be best to show patience towards him and allow the forward to get fully up to speed rather than being thrown in at the deep end.

Meanwhile, one West Ham starlet stood out during the game.

Sunderland have officially turned a corner.

Their mesmeric form has placed them well in the hunt for promotion, going from winning two of their opening 14 matches under Phil Parkinson, to tasting just the solitary defeat in their previous 13 fixtures.

It’s been a fabulous run and they’ll be hoping that continues on Saturday afternoon when Bristol Rovers travel to the Stadium of Light.

Currently placed 13th in League One, they’ll arrive on Wearside with a goal difference of -7. If there was ever a positive to take, it would be Sunderland’s opponents’ inconsistencies.

Considering the Mackem’s fantastic run, you’d be forgiven for thinking that nothing needs to be changed.

However, they’ll be forced into making at least one change on Saturday. Beyond that, we also think Parkinson should make a further switch to his starting XI.

The first notable absentee is, of course, Bailey Wright.

Sunderland have confirmed that he is likely to miss 12 weeks and the rest of the season after suffering ankle ligament damage in the win over Oxford United.

The Australian has been a vital cog in Parkinson’s side, helping the Black Cats keep four clean sheets in their last five matches after arriving on loan from Bristol City.

With the 27-year-old missing, that means there is a chance for Alim Ozturk to come back into the fray as he starts ahead of new signing Tommy Smith. He’ll be hoping to replicate Wright’s performances in the backline while also ensuring Sunderland’s fabulous defensive record is kept intact.

No side have kept more clean sheets in England’s top four divisions than Parkinson’s men in 2020.

The other change comes in a forward area. If Sunderland could be guilty of one thing, it’s a failure to really put teams to the sword. Since the manager walked through the doors, they’ve only won three matches by a margin of three goals or more.

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With that in mind and the fact Charlie Wyke only has one strike in his last seven, Kyle Lafferty comes in for his first Sunderland start.

It’s not too unrealistic to suggest he’ll finally get an opportunity, especially considering the demanding fixture list in League One.

Meanwhile, Stewart Donald’s potential parting gift could be right in front of Sunderland’s eyes…

Sunderland were dealt a major setback on Sunday as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at promotion rivals Coventry, a result which saw the Sky Blues extend their lead over Phil Parkinson’s side to six points.

The only positive from the weekend was Rotherham’s draw with MK Dons, meaning the Black Cats are still only four points off the automatic promotion spots, though they did drop to fifth place.

Parkinson went with an unchanged line-up once more and was unfortunate not to find an equaliser, with Charlie Wyke particularly guilty of missing some good chances – sending a first-half header over the bar from a few yards out for example.

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Supporters aimed criticism at his performance after the match and there have now been some calls for the 27-year-old to be dropped in favour of Will Grigg, who hasn’t featured since December.

The Northern Ireland international has been unfavoured by his manager possibly due to his lack of goals and poor physicality, averaging just 1.5 aerial duels won per game compared to Wyke’s 4.1.

However, with Sunderland chasing the game on Sunday and in need of something different it is a little surprising that Grigg wasn’t considered, even if he does only have three goals this season.

Some fans are still supportive of the player despite his inadequate contribution this term, suggesting that he should have been given a chance against Coventry and must be an option from now on.

Not all fans are keen to see Grigg back in action, however, arguing that his problem is not just a lack of ability but also poor attitude, an issue that doesn’t exist with Wyke or Kyle Lafferty.

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Meanwhile, fans have also been criticising a first-team regular this season who has seen his form dip in recent games…

Pedro Chirivella has issued his thoughts following Neil Critchley’s departure from Liverpool.

The Reds midfielder – who has spent most of the campaign playing under Critchley in the Reds’ U23 ranks – took to his official Twitter account to share a message after the 41-year-old left Anfield to take up the role of Head Coach at Blackpool.

Critchley would usually be in the shadows given his role, but Jurgen Klopp shone the spotlight on him twice this season when vacating the touchline for Liverpool’s Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Aston Villa, and then again for the club’s FA Cup fourth round encounter with Shrewsbury.

Liverpool lost 5-0 to Aston Villa while Klopp, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and others were on Club World Cup duty, although Critchley achieved perhaps his finest moment as a coach when he recorded a 1-0 win over Shrewsbury at Anfield.

Chirivella – who has made 11 first-team appearances for Liverpool – shared his heartfelt thoughts on Critchley following his exit, which you can see below:

In other news, Troy Deeney was spotted poking fun at Virgil van Dijk in the tunnel before Watford beat Liverpool…

Sunderland dropped more crucial points on Saturday but former player Stephen Elliott thinks the result was totally avoidable and laid blame for the draw at Phil Parkinson’s door.

What did he say?

The Black Cats scored in the last ten minutes to seemingly wrap up all three points, only for Mikael Mandron to equalise for the visitors with one of the last touches of the game.

It is a result which adds another dent in Sunderland’s promotion bid, making it three games without a win in a pivotal moment of the season.

Phil Parkinson’s team dominated for large spells, achieving 62% possession and six shots on target, but Elliott still feels that a key failing of the manager was responsible for the dropped points.

In a tweet he wrote after the match, Elliott said:

“Think Parkinson should have changed it today. Why has he brought Scowen and John to the club? Deserved the plaudits after a good run but surely he has to recognise that the team needed freshening up after last few performances.”

There is a lot of truth to what the former striker says, as the only change from the Coventry defeat was Kyle Lafferty taking the place of the unavailable Charlie Wyke.

Costly stubbornness

Sunderland fans have grown increasingly frustrated recently that underperforming players like Wyke and Denver Hume continue to start, particularly as the likes of Lafferty and Declan John were added in January to provide an alternative in the positions they play.

Lafferty’s two goals against the Gills show how effective he can be, considering that was his first start since joining.

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It is concerning, therefore, that the only reason he got his chance was because Parkinson couldn’t pick Wyke. Now, especially as fatigue could be a factor after conceding so late on, the Black Cats boss must be open to change, and look to give others in his squad a chance.

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Josh Scowen and John, the two payers mentioned by Elliott, both have Championship experience and could provide a big boost to the team if they were to start. A failure to even test them out now appears to be holding Sunderland back.

Meanwhile, Sunderland have made their feelings perfectly clear about one aspect of the team following Saturday’s draw…

John Moncur was a special guest on the We Are West Ham Podcast and talked about the recent emergence of Jeremy Ngakia in the senior squad of David Moyes.

Even though he is still officially a player of West Ham’s U23 squad, Ngakia has been something of a regular presence in the east London club’s right-back position in the last few weeks.

And the youngster hasn’t disappointed so far, drawing all sorts of praise from Moncur who hailed him for his natural talent and even compared him to Aaron Wan-Bissaka as well.

Here’s what he said for the We Are West Ham Podcast (11/3/2020): “He’s got a lot of natural talent. He eats the ground up and he looks good at times going forward. He reminds me a little bit of Wan-Bissaka. He’s leggy and he’s a good defender. He’s hard to get past.”

Ngakia has so far played a total of four games for West Ham and has also remained on the pitch for the full 90 minutes in all of those clashes, three of which have unfortunately been defeats.

But it seems that Moyes trusts him enough to let him start games regularly now and whenever such a promising young talent emerges from the youth squad, it’s a big bonus since you’re basically getting him for free.

It’ll be interesting to see how he develops in the near future.

West Ham fans, what do you think about Ngakia? Do you see him as a big talent capable of playing for the seniors? Let us know down in the comments below!

West Brom centre-back Semi Ajayi has clearly been enjoying his time off after uploading a video of his fresh new haircut to

/B-Ff0LbgCqN/” data-lasso->Instagram this week, and it’s sparked a reaction from two members of the Albion setup.

The summer signing has been a frequent figure in Slaven Bilic’s backline this term, starting 35 league games whilst also contributing with five goals, per Transfermarkt.

His different look has seen both winger Kyle Edwards and assistant manager Danilo Butorovic reply with the following remarks…

The two responses were in a light-hearted joking manner, and it only goes to show that without training and regular fixtures, there really isn’t much they can do other than keeping up with their own fitness levels.

For just £1.5m, Ajayi has arguably been one of the steals of the season as the Baggies find themselves sitting in second place with a six-point advantage over those in the playoff positions.

Life after football: Do you know what all of these former players did next?

Only a major collapse stops them from returning to the top-flight after a two-year absence – you’d imagine.

And in other news, talkSPORT got West Brom pre-season call ever so wrong…