Wolverhampton Wanderer’s manager, Gary O’Neil has a squad at his disposal which can beat any team in the Premier League on their day.
The Old Gold have proven this throughout 2023/24, defeating Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea (twice) as they chase a top half finish in the league.
Wolves manager Gary O'Neil before a Premier League game.
One key thing for O’Neil is how the squad seems to be clicking into gear at just the right time, and he can call upon players to perform across all areas of the team.
One of his most important assets is Max Kilman, as the defender has seen his market value increase rapidly.
How much Max Kilman cost Wolves
The centre-back actually arrived at Molineux for a transfer fee believed to be around £40k back in 2018 from Maidenhead United when he was aged just 21, and it has since proven to be a remarkable bargain.
He made his debut on the final day of the 2018/19 season and has since played 136 times for the Old Gold since joining.
Max Kilman
Kilman has emerged as one of O’Neil’s key players and his market value clearly reflects that, as he is worth more than teammate, Mathues Cunha.
Max Kilman’s market value at Wolves
Following Kilman’s impressive start to the season, Kilman was targeted by West Ham United during the January transfer window but, having signed a new contract until 2028 just last August, the defender was valued at £40m by the Old Gold.
No move ever materialised and Kilman will remain with Wolves until the end of the season at least, but O’Neil will be desperate to keep hold of him.
Indeed, across the whole squad in the top flight, Kilman currently ranks first for accurate passes per game (46.6), while ranking second for accurate long balls per game (3.9), second for interceptions per game (1.1) and for clearances per game (4.8), clearly showing that he has shown excellent defensive ability and is one of O’Neil’s finest players across a range of metrics.
He was lauded by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher in 2023, who said about the defender:
"Max Kilman at the back for Wolves, an ever-present for Wolves all season. He’s no-frills at centre back, he just gets on with his job and very rarely makes mistakes, hence why he’s an automatic pick no matter who the manager is."
Even though Cunha has been in impressive form himself this term, scoring 11 goals and registering seven assists, his market value according to Football Transfers currently stands at €28.9m (£24.7m), which is lower than the £40m price tag that Wolves have placed on the Englishman.
Only seven teams have a better defensive record than the Old Gold in the Premier League this season and a lot of that is down to how solid Kilman has been among a back three which regularly features Craig Dawson and Toti Gomes.
If O’Neil can keep this group together, then the club could be on the cusp of something special, and it marks a change from their relegation worries that plagued the side throughout the vast majority of the 2022/23 campaign.
Sunderland succumbed to their fifth straight Championship loss last night at the hands of high-flying Leicester City, veteran striker Jamie Vardy proving to be the difference-maker with an early strike for the Foxes in the 1-0 Black Cats loss.
Mike Dodds will have been encouraged by the performances of some of his players in the narrow defeat – with the stuttering Wearside outfit amassing 17 shots on the Leicester goal to the away side's lesser ten – but the scoreline would still make for grim reading at the end all the same.
There were some notable under-performers from a Sunderland perspective as well, especially Pierre Ekwah in the centre of the park who was substituted off dead on the hour mark by Dodds after a dire showing at the Stadium of Light.
Pierre Ekwah's performance vs Leicester in numbers
With the likes of Chris Rigg standing out in midfield as a lively presence, Dodds' bold team selection to start the energetic 16-year-old somewhat paying off, Ekwah's poor night was further exposed unfortunately by the teenager looking bright.
Whilst Rigg would win duels aplenty – with seven notched up next to his name by the end of the 90 minutes – Ekwah would duck his brave responsibilities on the contrary against Enzo Maresca's men by winning just one duel all game with zero aerial duels even attempted.
Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah.
The 22-year-old Frenchman was also unable to spark into life from an attacking point of view, failing to register a single effort on Mads Hermansen's goal alongside coming away from the 1-0 loss without a single completed dribble.
The below-par Sunderland number 39 might well find himself axed from Dodds' starting eleven for his side's next second-tier match away at Southampton as a result, with Leo Hjelde at left-back also guilty of having an off-day against the Foxes to further trouble Dodds' upcoming team selections.
Leo Hjelde's performance vs Leicester in numbers
The January recruit from Leeds United also struggled against Leicester, with the explosive Abdul Fatawu for the away side causing all sorts of issues for the former Whites man and the rest of the Sunderland back four to contend with.
The entertaining 19-year-old winger would end the contest at the Stadium of Light with a 100% successful dribble rate next to this name, Dodds' men unable to lay a glove on the Leicester number 18 for large spells of the game.
Hjelde, meanwhile, squandered possession 17 times in total to allow Maresca's men to grow in confidence on their travels further, on top of only completing two accurate crosses from down the channels to attempt to unnerve the visitors when foraying forward.
Hjelde's numbers vs Leicester
Minutes played
90
Duels won
5/9
Possession lost
17x
Touches
63
Accurate passes
28/36 (78%)
Accurate crosses
2/6
Stats by Sofascore
As can be seen in the table above, Hjelde likely walked off the pitch unsatisfied with his showing and potentially worried that Dodds could roll the dice by selecting a new left-back over the poor 20-year-old for the trip to Saints coming up this weekend.
The Norwegian defender would pick up an unsatisfactory 4/10 rating from Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith after the 1-0 defeat, described as 'really struggling' when Leicester bombed forward with venom early on by Smith.
The 6 foot 2 full-back could breathe a little easier over his first-team spot owing to Sunderland's lack of other options that could come in to replace Hjelde, with Niall Huggins and Dennis Cirkin long-term casualties in the treatment room at left-back.
But, with the Black Cats in dire straits at the moment, Dodds could just make some surprising calls regardless involving his starting elevens to try and gain some positive results soon.
Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Virender Sehwag and Muttiah Muralitharan are among the big names set to feature in a T20 tournament aimed at promoting road safety, called the Road Safety World Series. Some other prominent names that are set to be part of the tournament are Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.ESPNcricinfo understands the first season of the tournament will be played in 2020 between February 2 and 16 in Mumbai and will feature the following teams: India Legends, Australia Legends, South Africa Legends, Sri Lanka Legends and West Indies Legends.It is understood that a total of 110 players – all retired – have confirmed their participation in the tournament, which would be based on the franchise model prevailing across domestic T20 leagues around the world. The participating teams have been restricted to only Test-playing countries for the first season.Among the organisers promoting this event are Professional Management Group and the Road Safety Cell of the Maharashtra government. Part of their business plan is to host the event for ten years across India. It is understood that the organisers had received the nod from BCCI in August 2018 to conduct the tournament.Although the players’ payments would be taken care of by the franchises, the proceeds from the tournament itself would be utilised by the Road Safety Cell to promote the cause in addition to highlighting how India ranks the highest in the world in terms of deaths caused on roads.Tendulkar will be returning to play cricket in front of a crowd for the third time since his retirement in 2013, having played for the MCC against Rest of the World XI at Lord’s in 2014 and three exhibition T20s in the USA in 2015.
Manchester United have had an abundance of players come through the doors at Old Trafford over the last decade, with it fair to say that while some have worked out for the better, others have seemingly flopped.
A recent example of this is that of Jadon Sancho, the winger signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee in the region of £73m back in 2021.
Although for his first couple of seasons, the Englishman put in solid numbers by being involved in eight goals during the 2021/22 campaign and then a further ten in the following term, he was hardly a pivotal player within the Red Devils' squad.
Those woes culminated in his decline during the early stages of 2023/24, as the wideman was isolated from Erik ten Hag's squad and shipped back to Dortmund in January on a loan move until the end of the season, where, in just seven games, he has managed to assist his teammates twice.
Another of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's signings who can be included in the same sort of category as Sancho is that of Daniel James. The one-time Swansea City attacker joined the club in 2019 for a fee worth up to £18m after add-ons, before leaving just two years later.
Despite the Welshman's mixed fortunes at Old Trafford, he certainly had his moments at the club, with his strengths making him the type of player who could have thrived in tomorrow's eagerly-awaited Manchester derby.
Dan James' stats whilst at Man Utd
Whilst he only spent a couple of years in Manchester before joining Leeds for £25m, James certainly wasn't a complete disaster as he played in a total of 74 games and managed to contribute to 18 goals and assists.
That record holds up well in contrast to current flop, Antony, for instance, with the Brazilian having contributed just 13 goals and assists in 71 games in all competitions for the club to date, following his arrival on a mammoth £86m deal.
With the trip to the Etihad on the horizon, Ten Hag may wish he had a figure like James to call upon instead of the struggling Antony, with the Leeds man having that willing work ethic to be a useful asset in a one-off game like the derby.
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That can also be seen in his potential likeness to a certain, Park Ji-Sung, with South American journalist Leo Escudeiro making that comparison between the pair due to James being "technically limited, mega-fast and very dedicated".
Park, of course, may not have been the most high-profile of players, but he cemented cult hero status at United due to his hard-working nature and ability to deliver the goods on the big occasion, with former teammate Wayne Rooney stating that the South Korean was "almost as important to our success" as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and 'Wazza' himself.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
In moments, James could offer something similar, with Solskjaer previously saying of his talents: "Dan with the energy he has, the X-factor and the pace, he gives us something that must be hard to play against if you are a defender."
This level of praise from the treble-winner outlines how well the Wales international played whilst at the club and shows that he could've given the Red Devils something extra to offer against the reigning Premier League champions on Sunday.
Dan James' record against Man City
As aforementioned, United are set to face Manchester City tomorrow afternoon and will be looking to try and get one over their imperious arch-rivals.
The club currently find themselves residing outside the top four after winning four of their last five top-flight games, albeit while slipping to a meek defeat at home to Fulham a week ago.
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With Rasmus Hojlund currently sidelined, Ten Hag may have to select a forward line of Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and the aforementioned Antony, although there may be a sense that a talent like James would've been far more useful.
The 26-year-old's ability to hurt the Cityzens was notably laid bare following United's 2-1 triumph away from home back in December 2019, with James playing so well that United legend, Peter Schmeichel described his performance as "unbelievable".
As Gary Neville stated in commentary at the time, the hosts were simply "battered" on the counter-attack with the speedy winger central to that game plan, with journalist Samuel Luckhurst writing for Manchester Evening News that 'City could not keep up with his blistering pace' while awarding him an 8/10 match rating.
While James has played against City a total of ten times in his career and only managed one goal involvement – that assist coming in that 2-1 triumph in 2019 – he certainly provided Solskjaer's side with a real outlet that Ten Hag is currently lacking.
One thing is for sure, most United supporters would rather see James lining up on the right flank, ahead of the hapless Antony…
Everton's business in the transfer market in recent times has come under fire, with the club wasting a lot of money on players who haven't reached their potential.
The club spent over £20m on players such as Yerry Mina, Jean-Phillipe Gbamin and Yannick Bolasie, with all three players leaving the club on free transfers at the end of their contracts.
Such dealings in the transfer market contributed to the club breaching FFP rules, before being deducted six points earlier in the campaign, putting the club's Premier League status at risk.
Everton's home stadium, Goodison Park.
The Toffees have since had to operate on a shoestring budget, with boss Sean Dyche doing a great job at Goodison Park given the circumstances he's found himself in.
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However, the club conducted sensational business in selling a former fan-favourite with his career taking a turn after his departure back in 2017.
Romelu Luakaku's stats at Everton
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku originally joined the Toffees on loan in 2013, before joining the club permanently in the summer of 2014 for a then club-record fee of £28m.
No Everton supporter could've envisaged the impact the forward would have had at the club, with Lukaku being the club's star for multiple years.
Ex-Everton forward Romelu Lukaku.
During his first permanent campaign with the Toffees, the former Chelsea man scored 20 times in 48 appearances, with the striker catching the eye for his goalscoring ability.
His next couple of campaigns for the Toffees would go from strength to strength, with the Belgian finding the net 51 times in his 85 games for the Merseyside outfit – a record that caught the eye of multiple clubs in the Premier League and all over Europe.
2013/14 (loan)
33
16
2014/15
48
20
2015/16
46
25
2016/17
39
36
He decided to leave Goodison Park, swapping it for Old Trafford in a deal worth £75m – a transfer that saw the Toffees make £47m profit in just three years. Brilliant business given his career after departing Everton.
Romelu Lukaku's stats since leaving Everton
The "beast", as dubbed by former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore, failed to recapture his Everton form at Manchester United, lasting just two seasons at the club.
Although he produced a decent goalscoring record, with the Belgian scoring 42 in 96 games for the Red Devils, he came under fire resulting in the club shipping him to Serie A, joining Inter Milan for £73m – just £2m less than the club paid for him two years prior.
Former Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku
His move to Italy reignited his career, with the striker moving back to England's top flight to rejoin Chelsea – the club Everton bought Lukaku from way back in 2014.
The Blues forked out a whopping £97.5m to re-sign the Belgian, with the forward flopping at Stamford Bridge and failing to prove any sort of value for the fee paid for him.
He only managed one full campaign at the club, scoring 15 times before an explosive interview that would ruin his Chelsea career.
Lukaku blasted then-boss Thomas Tuchel for his tactics, claiming he was "not happy" with the role he was playing, with the striker shipped back to Inter Milan on loan – with the forward unlikely to feature for the Blues again.
He's since moved on loan to Roma, reaching double figures once again this campaign, but looking a shadow of his former Everton self.
The forward's market value has since plummeted to just £25m as per Transfermarkt, with the current Roma loanee now worth less than international teammate Amadou Onana, with the ever-improving midfielder now worth £42m according to the same source – £17m more than Lukaku.
After everything that has transpired since he departed from Goodison, the club made the right decision by selling him in the summer of 2017 with the Belgian unable to reach the heights he hit under Roberto Martinez.
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Tottenham Hotspur have had numerous forgotten players over the years, with the club experiencing plenty of misses among the hits.
However, that hasn’t been the case under Ange Postecoglou, with Spurs having an impressive summer window, signing the likes of James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.
Tottenham players including James Maddison.
Roberto Soldado, Tanguy Ndombele, and Vincent Janssen are all examples of players who failed to live up to their hype, with the club failing to recoup the costs via their sales.
That said, there is one player who was sold by Mauricio Pochettino that the Lilywhites were able to nearly double their money on.
Nacer Chadli’s time at Spurs
In 2013, Nacer Chadli joined Spurs for £7m from FC Twente in the Netherlands, after scoring 18 goals and providing 11 assists in all competitions during the 2012/13 campaign.
The Belgian struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League initially, with his first goal coming in February 2014 against Newcastle United in a 4-0 win. That was the attacker's only goal in 24 league appearances that season.
2013/14
34
5
6
2014/15
45
13
5
2015/16
40
7
4
Stats via Transfermarkt.
However, Chadli was fantastic in the following season, playing as a left-winger in 35 top-flight games. Over those matches, the versatile attacker scored 11 goals and created five, his best-ever return in the league.
Unfortunately, in his final season at the club, the number 22 struggled to live up to the standards he set in the previous year, with the attack of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Heung-min Son limiting his starts to just ten.
Nacer Chadli’s career since leaving Spurs
Prior to his exit, Chadli’s performances were beginning to frustrate the Tottenham faithful, with journalist Dominic Booth far from a fan of his, stating: "When he's bad, he's woefully, dreadfully terrible.”
However, in the summer of 2016, the Belgium star moved to West Bromwich Albion for £13m in a club-record deal, which actually somehow saw Spurs profit from the deal.
His first season at West Brom saw Chadli net five goals in 31 matches, but his second campaign was disrupted by injuries, with him missing 28 games via three setbacks.
Luckily, the attacker returned just in time for the 2018 World Cup, where he starred for the Red Devils with a goal and an assist, which ultimately led to Monaco securing his services. His spell in France lasted just one season, with another hamstring strain keeping him out for 11 matches.
Westerlo
47
10
Basaksehir
51
12
Anderlecht
19
13
Monaco
22
0
West Brom
38
11
Spurs
119
40
The rest of his career has been completely ruined by injuries, picking up 15 separate problems since 2020, with a move to Belgium and then Turkey following his short stint in Monaco.
However, the 34-year-old is still playing today for KVC Westerlo back in Belgium, where he has failed to score all season and only provided two assists in 17 games.
It’s clear that selling Chadli for £13m all those years ago was a complete masterclass.
Leeds United may well sell one player this summer who has been a regular under Daniel Farke in 2024, according to Phil Hay.
Leeds form in 2024
The Whites have been well and truly ‘Marching on Together’ this year in the Championship, looking for an immediate return to the Premier League.
After a slow start to the season and a tricky festive period, Leeds have been in unbelievable form in 2024 and now sit in the second automatic promotion spot, three points behind Leicester City at the top.
Leeds' Championship form in 2024
Leeds United 3-0 Birmingham City
1st January
Cardiff City 0-3 Leeds United
13th January
Leeds United 2-1 Preston North End
21st January
Leeds United 1-0 Norwich City
24th January
Bristol City 0-1 Leeds United
2nd February
Leeds United 3-0 Rotherham United
10th February
Swansea City 0-4 Leeds United
13th February
Plymouth Argyle 0-2 Leeds United
17th February
Leeds United 3-1 Leicester City
23rd February
Huddersfield Town 1-1 Leeds United
2nd March
Leeds United 1-0 Stoke City
5th March
Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Leeds United
8th March
The Whites have nine days between the win at Sheffield Wednesday and the upcoming game against Millwall, with Farke’s intentions for the welcome break made clear.
“Like always: sofa, cake, coffee. I am looking forward to a relaxed weekend. So much load. Important for the players and staff. We have had so much travel and miles. Enjoying myself means recovering on the sofa for me. Not too much thinking about football over the next few days.”
However, behind the scenes, the 49ers Enterprises and co may well be looking to the summer, with Borussia Monchengladbach left-back Luca Netz thought to be a possible target. He may well replace Junior Firpo, with Hay making a claim on the left-back’s future.
£60,000-a-week star could be sold by Leeds
The reliable reporter shared an in-depth story on Firpo, stating that a new Elland Road deal is looking unlikely, with his current contract up in 2025. Therefore, Hay claimed that offers ‘would be well received’ by Leeds in the upcoming transfer window.
Junior Firpo
Firpo, previously labelled "immense" by Conor McGilligan, was recently named in the Dominican Republic squad for the upcoming international break and has played an important role for Leeds this year.
He’s started all but one of Leeds’ Championship games in 2024, registering five assists with the Whites conceding just three goals, all of which have come from set pieces.
Junior Firpo's best performances in 2023/24
WhoScored rating
Leeds United 3-0 Birmingham City
8.68/10
Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Leeds United
8.15/10
Swansea City 0-4 Leeds United
7.62/10
Leeds United 1-0 Norwich City
7.55/10
Leeds United 2-1 Preston North End
7.41/10
Alongside Archie Gray, Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu at the back, Leeds have a settled defensive line at this moment in time, but we have seen in the past Firpo’s struggles with injuries and form in the Premier League.
For example, Jermaine Jenas slammed the £60,000-a-week defender's “torrid time” for Leeds in the run-in last year when the club were relegated, but hopefully, he can help the club win promotion before potentially leaving in the summer.
أكد محمد الشناوي، حارس مرمى فريق الأهلي، على احترام الزمالك قبل مواجهة الغد المرتقبة، في نهائي كأس السوبر المصري.
ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي والزمالك في تمام الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، للمنافسة على لقب بطل السوبر المصري؛ وذلك بعد فاز الأبيض على بيراميدز بركلات الترجيح في نصف النهائي، وتخطى الأهلي منافسه سيراميكا كليوباترا بنتيجة 2-1.
وقال الشناوي في تصريحات خلال المؤتمر الصحفي: “نُحضر للمباراة بشكل جيد، نعرف قيمة مواجهة الزمالك، مباراة مختلفة عن أي مباراة أخرى، واللاعبون جميعهم في حالة تركيز، وإن شاء الله نعود بالكأس”.
طالع أيضًا | أيمن الرمادي: أخذت أكبر من حجمي.. ولو فعلنا كل ما علينا أمام الأهلي لانتصرنا
وتابع: “مواجهة الزمالك تكون صعبة، لكن عندما تنتهي ننساها ونُفكر في المباراة التالية، نسينا مباراة سيراميكا كليوباترا والآن نركز على مواجهة الأبيض، ونعطيهم احترامهم، وما حدث في الماضي قد حدث وانتهى، نحن الآن ننظر للأمام”.
هل لاعبو الأهلي الشباب يحتاجون لطبيب نفسي؟ “(إحنا عندنا ماتش وجايين نتكلم عن ماتش الزمالك مش جايين نحل مشاكل)، جميع اللاعبين يعلمون نظام النادي ولا يخرج أحد عن النص”.
واختتم: “أتمنى تواجد الجماهير وكل جمهور يشجع فريقه، وإن شاء الله نسعد جماهيرنا ونعود بالكأس”.
Patrice Evra has been given a suspended 12-month prison sentence for alleged family abandonment.
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Former Man Utd star punishedOwes over £800,000 in alimonyMust also pay legal costsWHAT HAPPENED?
Per Le Parisien, Evra has been given a suspended 12-month prison sentence after being found guilty of abandoning his family for a two-year period. He is alleged to owe over £800,000 ($1m) in alimony payments to Sandra Evra and their two children.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The sentence has been suspended for two years but the former left-back must also pay €4,000 (£3,300/$4,300) for moral damages and €2,000 (£1,600/$2,100) for legal costs. Evra has appealed the verdict. The pair split in 2020 and divorce proceedings began but haven't been finalised.
WHAT EVRA'S LAWYER SAID
Jerome Boursican said: "Mr Patrice Evra filed an appeal, knowing that he provided his wife with an apartment, a house with a swimming pool in the south of France and that he lent her almost two million euros for her daily life. A sum that she refuses to return, which is the reason for this trial."
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GettyWHAT NEXT?
Evra and his soon-to-be-ex wife will continue to fight this out through the courts. It remains to be seen when his appeal will be heard. In the meantime, Evra has another family; he is engaged to Margaux Alexandra and they have two children.