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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Wolves have had an extremely quiet transfer window so far with the club deciding to sit back and relax a little compared to some of their Premier League rivals.

Out of the door has gone Helder Costa who has departed for Leeds on loan but as far as incomings go, there hasn’t been any activity.

Jeff Shi has recently made comments regarding the club’s future in which he stated Wolves would need to invest and bring through young talent.

We’ve already stated how centre-back target Benoit Badiashile fits into that category after being linked to the club by L’Equipe, but would he actually make an instant impact?

On the chalkboard

Badiashile is one of the finest young defenders in France, something that can be exemplified by the fact he played 20 times for Monaco in Ligue 1 last term.

At the age of 18 he is very much one for the future but as the Midlands outfit head into a new season where perhaps players with European pedigree should be thought about, he wouldn’t exactly fit the bill.

Yet it’s also difficult to see how he may actually fit into the starting line-up. In the past, we’ve documented how Ryan Bennett could be under threat if a central defender joins but as far as his stats go, both he and Willy Boly outclass Badiashile.

The £8.1m-rated centre half is cool in possession, completing 89.5% of his passes in 2018/19, but beyond that it’s difficult to establish what he’d offer, especially to a three-man defence that was so trusted by Nuno Santo last term – Conor Coady played every minute in the Premier League, while Boly and Bennett were third and sixth respectively in the squad when it came to time on the pitch.

Coady had quite low stats but playing as the middle centre-back, most of the work was left to his two main defensive partners in terms of tackling and interceptions.

Gareth Bale to Wolves? Wolves Fan TV discuss how ambitious Nuno Espirito Santo will be this summer in the video below…

Wolves’ captain only made 0.8 tackles per game whilst the same number was averaged in terms of interceptions. Boly, however, made over 2 tackles and interceptions per game whilst Bennett managed 1.7 and 1.3 respectively.

Badiashile’s statistics were worse, making just 1.3 challenges every match and completing a further 1.1 interceptions.

Although he could well be a star in the future, at the current moment in time, he wouldn’t be a direct upgrade on what they already have.

If Wolves could play him as a middle centre-back it would perhaps be more beneficial, but it’s highly unlikely that Coady would switch positions.

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According to Love Sport Radio, Crystal Palace are interested in Fulham winger and Spurs target Ryan Sessegnon.

What’s the deal, then?

The 19-year-old had his first taste of Premier League football during the 2018/19 campaign where he made 35 appearances for the west London side, contributing two goals and six assists.

And many clubs are interested in the young Englishman, with Inter Milan and Liverpool also said to be monitoring him closely.

Reportedly, Fulham value the under 21 international at £45million, but Spurs – with shrewd negotiator Daniel Levy at the helm – apparently believe he is worth just £25m.

And as a result of the lack of progress between Fulham and Tottenham, it is thought Palace may swoop in and steal Sessegnon from right under the Champions League finalists nose.

Watch Crystal Palace Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Sessegnon needs shallower waters before he can swim in the deep end

It is clear he has the ability to be one of the very best players in the Championship – he scored 16 goals and laid on eight assists while in the second tier with the Cottagers.

But there is no way of sugar-coating what was a drastically underwhelming season given he was only involved in eight goals and was even in and out of the team after the Christmas period.

There was definitely a bigger buzz around Sessegnon’s name coming off his season in the Championship than there is now, and that would not fare well for him at Spurs.

Let’s get it right, Mauricio Pochettino does have a knack of bringing through young English talent.

But that is only the case if you are capable at that high level – look at Andros Townsend, Tom Carroll, Ryan Mason, Aaron Lennon, Jake Livermore, Kyle Naughton – all of these were sold by the Argentine.

Are Crystal Palace right to slap a £100m valuation on Wilfried Zaha’s head? Check out the video below to see why they are…

For that reason, in order for Sessegnon to build a confidence, a swagger that enables him to play with a freedom which was clearly lacking last season, Palace may just be the perfect fit.

He would find it easier to force his way into a starting position – even if that was at full-back when Wilfried Zaha is on the left of a front three.

A mid-table Premier League side is the natural progression in the youngster’s career – jumping into Champions League level competition could just harm his development and he may fall straight back down to where he was before – look at Zaha after all.

It is a less glamorous option, but sensibly speaking Sessegnon should seriously consider the Eagles if they make a formal offer.

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Transfers are often what makes or breaks a season for a football club, and Leeds United have a lot of pressure on them to get things right this summer.

The Whites narrowly missed out on automatic promotion last term, and with Marcelo Bielsa now signed on for next season they will be hoping to go one better this time around.

One way in which they can improve is by signing some summer reinforcements of course, and the most recent transfer rumour states that Helder Costa may be on his way to Elland Road on loan.

Both Football Insider and the Yorkshire Evening Post have reported that the club are interested in the 25-year-old, but would it be a good move?

Costa has just had a poor season at Wolves after they were promoted to the Premier League, so this transfer may be a bit of a gamble.

Victor Orta clearly believes that there is value in adding the winger to the Leeds squad, but what do Football FanCast’s writers think?

Matt Dawson

“Costa would be an absolutely tremendous signing for Leeds. The Portuguese struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League but he has an impressive record in the Championship. Costa has already been a part of a side who’s been promoted so he could be the perfect addition in terms of adding some know-how to the Leeds squad. This is a no brainer.”

Luke Glanville

“Costa would be an excellent signing for Leeds for me. The Portuguese international has wonderful pedigree and is a man who knows what it is like to be promoted from the Sky Bet Championship to the Premier League. Having said this, the 25-year-old has struggled with the pace of the top flight in his only season so far. And when he helped himself to 15 goals and 14 assists in 71 Championship appearances with Wolverhampton Wanderers, he perhaps found his level.”

Ben Goodwin

“Costa may well be the heir to Pablo Hernandez’s throne at Elland Road. The Wolves ace is nowhere near as creative or talented as the fan favourite winger, but he could have the same impact in terms of making that all-important difference in the final third. Hernandez will surely not play as many games this season as he did in the last campaign, so the arrival of another pacey, wide threat who can get himself on the scoresheet is a no brainer. Both players can change a game in an instant, a crucial skill when the Whites are struggling to break teams down.”

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Leeds fans are hoping that they can celebrate in front of Derby County as a crunch clash has been set up between the two sides yet again next season after the fixtures were released on Thursday.

The past 12 months has seen the rivalry between the duo grow. Spygate was the catalyst for a war of words between both clubs’ managers, but a playoff semi-final victory ensured that Derby had the last laugh.

The post-match celebrations saw the Derby players mocking Leeds with spy celebrations, and now supporters are hoping that they can get their own back.

United and the Rams, who may be without Frank Lampard as he continues to be heavily linked with the Chelsea job, meet at Pride Park in the penultimate game of the campaign, and if all goes to plan for the Yorkshire club they will be hope to either be in the promotion race again, or already up.

After the heartbreak when the sides faced off last season Whites fans are hoping for a different ending this time.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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Arsenal fans are surprisingly pushing for the inclusion of Danny Welbeck in the Europa League final squad as the England international looks to return from injury in time for the Baku showpiece.

Welbeck has not appeared for the Gunners since seriously injuring his right ankle against Sporting Lisbon in November, but according to BBC reporter David Ornstein, the striker not only participated but scored a hat-trick in a friendly at Arsenal’s training ground last week.

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette firmly entrenched as Unai Emery’s first-choice attacking options Welbeck is set to depart the Emirates Stadium this summer.

A five-year spell in north London has seen Welbeck struggle with injuries and profligate finishing, leading to a poor goalscoring return of 32 goals in 126 appearances for the Gunners.

However, with the former Manchester United forward nearing full fitness and an expanded bench allowance of 12 players in the Europa League final, there could be a surprise place for the 28-year old, at least amongst the substitutes.

Check out an Arsenal fan vow to “move to another planet” if Spurs win the UCL in the video below…

A popular figure for his work rate and determination, Arsenal fans on Twitter have been clamouring for Welbeck’s participation against Chelsea after hearing of his impending health.

Check out the best of the reaction below!

Liverpool fans may not have Divock Origi down as one of the most important players at the club, but when it comes to big games and having an impact he’s there. That was obvious on Tuesday as he scored an opportunistic brace against Barcelona, and now the Reds have been claiming that the Belgian has a long-term future at Anfield.

Origi opened and closed the scoring at Anfield against Barcelona, with the two goals making up his double coming either side of a two-minute brace from Georginio Wijnaldum. After that game, and considering some of his other displays this season with crucial goals against Everton and Newcastle, it seems the Belgian has done enough to convince the Kopites he deserves to stay.

When looking at Jurgen Klopp’s options in reserve to his front three, Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri are two who will certainly be staying on, whilst Daniel Sturridge will likely be shipped off when his contract expires this summer. Origi just offers something different, and he has all of the raw attributes to make it as a top striker, even if we only see glimpses of brilliance from the 26-cap Belgian.

You can read the Reds’ verdict on whether Origi has a Liverpool future here:

The Reds are desperate for Origi to make his Anfield stay a long one and will hope the Belgian can carry on making big moments like he did in the week.

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Marko Arnautovic is back.

The West Ham United attacker turned in a match-changing performance on Saturday as the Hammers became the first team to win at Tottenham Hotspurs’ new stadium.

On the chalkboard

Arnautovic has endured a difficult spell after a misguided flirtation with a move to China in January.

Indeed, he has not scored for the Hammers since January 2nd, when he netted a brace in a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Since then, in the 10 games prior to the clash with Spurs, Arnautovic had laid on just one assist, in a 3-1 beating of Fulham.

But on Saturday he was reborn, enjoying an excellent second-half and laying on a truly fantastic assist for Michail Antonio’s goal.

Collecting the ball on the right flank, he lofted it into his team-mate’s path, and Antonio took one touch before firing past Hugo Lloris to give Pellegrini’s men all three points.

Per WhoScored, the Austrian international had 62 touches of the ball, two shots on target and one dribble, while he also won one aerial duel and one tackle. He also laid on two key passes.

His performance was all the more impressive given that he endured a difficult first 45 minutes, having very little impact on the game, but his emergence in the second half sent Spurs heads spinning.

Playing for a move

Arnautovic needed a performance such as this to get his move.

Football FanCast reported in January that his new contract contained a clause allowing him to leave for a fee of £45million this summer.

His displays prior to the game against Spurs gave no indication of any club paying that but this was a stark reminder of the qualities he offers.

He is quick, strong, good in the air and also deft of touch; the Austrian picked a long ball from Lukasz Fabianski out of the air in a moment of genuinely world-class ability midway through the game.

West Ham, then, are left with something of a dilemma. They will struggle to replace him if he does leave but, at the same time, this may be the only chance they get to receive such a fee for a 30-year-old.

Ultimately, they won’t have a choice, but after Saturday’s display, it is clear that he will be sorely missed.

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Neil Jones of GOAL.com has delivered a huge update on several Liverpool players, ten of which could be headed for the exit door this summer.

What’s the story?

According to GOAL.com, Bournemouth want to make Nathaniel Clyne’s loan move into a permanent one, but he won’t be the only one leaving Anfield this summer.

The report claims that Jurgen Klopp will try to “trim and reshape” his squad, and that means there could also be exits for Alberto Moreno, Daniel Sturridge, Simon Mignolet, Sheyi Ojo, Marko Grujic, Taiwo Awoniyi, Harry Wilson, Rafa Camacho and Ryan Kent.

The likes of Sturridge and Mignolet have been on borrowed time throughout this campaign, but are there some mistakes in that long list of potential departures?

Harry Wilson

Getting rid of Wilson would be a truly bizarre move from Klopp; it has to be said.

The 22 year-old netted two more goals for Derby County this weekend in their draw at Brentford, taking his tally for the season to 14.

The Welsh international has a wicked left foot, can play right across the attack, is one of the best set piece takers in the country and has yet to really get a chance at Anfield.

The Reds’ ferocious front three hardly ever get a rest due to the lack of quality options behind them, so why sell a versatile attacker with 14 goals to his name?

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

Marko Grujic

Other than Wilson, Marko Grujic is perhaps the only other loanee who has done enough to justify at least a fighting chance of making the first team next season.

An argument could be made for Ryan Kent, but the Scottish Premier League is not the same level as the Bundesliga, where Grujic has wowed spectators in the middle of the park for Hertha Berlin.

Standing at 6 ft 3, the young Serbian international has all the physical tools to cut it in the Premier League, has scored four goals this season and averages 2.2 tackles, 0.7 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game in the German top flight, a well-rounded stat-line if there ever was one.

Like Wilson, he is young with plenty of room to improve, and has performed at a high level consistently all season. If Jordan Henderson really does want to play further forward as he claimed on Friday night, then Grujic would be an excellent deputy for Fabinho at the base of midfield.

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Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano are perhaps two of the best-known Argentinian exports of recent years.

Two incredibly talented players who have won a multitude of caps and trophies and played for the biggest clubs in the world, both can lay claim to being genuinely world-class at one point in their career.

Tevez, of course, crossed the Manchester divide, leaving United to join City, and won Premier League titles at both. He is now in his homeland with Boca Juniors.

Mascherano, meanwhile, became a fixture in an exciting Liverpool team before earning his crust in perhaps the greatest club team ever to play the game, Barcelona.

How in the blue hell, then, did they both end up in east London at West Ham United?

On Thursday, August 31st in 2006, the BBC announced that the Hammers had completed the double signing of two “Argentina World Cup stars”. Tevez scored once and laid on an assist at the 2006 tournament as he and Mascherano helped Argentina reach the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by Germany. They were each playing for Corinthians at the time.

Both players, the BBC claimed, had been linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

The deal was shrouded in secrecy and many had their doubts over the legality of the move; West Ham had struck a deal with Media Sports Investments instead of a club, with MSI owning the rights to both players. This was basically unheard of in English football.

A Daily Telegraph report around the same time detailed that West Ham had signed a strict confidentiality agreement and would not be revealing from where they found the funds to buy both players.

Chelsea, per the report, had tabled a £30million bid for Tevez but eventually signed Andriy Shevchenko after seeing it rebuffed, while United were also said to have made a “significant offer” for both players.

Tevez stated, however, that he had made the decision to join West Ham and insisted that he was not swayed by anyone else.

“Many teams were interested in signing me but they had a lot of players in my position,” he said, as quoted in the aforementioned article.

“My biggest priority was to come to a club where I would be guaranteed to play. I want to use my first year in English football to get used to the rhythm of the game in England so this was the best solution.

“West Ham was the best option for me. I’m not worried about playing for a big club, I just want to show West Ham my best.”

Tevez did just that. After a tough adjustment period to life in England, Tevez scored seven goals in 10 games to help the Hammers stay up. He netted the winner on the final day to secure survival, ironically against United.

Mascherano, however, had a tougher time of it.

It seems crazy to think that one of the key cogs in the Barcelona machine could not get a game at West Ham but there we were; he played five times in the Premier League for the Irons and never saw them pick up a point. During his time on the pitch, the Hammers lost to Newcastle United, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

However, with Tevez playing a key role in securing West Ham’s top-flight status, things got very murky indeed.

West Ham were punished by the Premier League for breaching rules over third-party ownership. They were fined a record £5.5m by the league but were not docked points, a decision that continues to rankle at Sheffield United.

The Blades were relegated on the final day of the 2006-07 season as their defeat to Wigan Athletic, coupled with West Ham’s win over United, sent them down. They appealed their relegation but were not successful.

A year after that, per the Guardian, an FA tribunal ruled in their favour, finding that “we have no doubt that West Ham would have secured at least three fewer points over the 2006-07 season if Carlos Tevez had not been playing for the club.”

West Ham ultimately stayed up by, you guessed it, three points. Despite securing their survival, the Irons were forced to pay a hefty settlement to the Blades, which reached £20m.

Tevez is still revered as a hero in east London, though Mascherano less so.

Following the conclusion of that season, Tevez joined United on a two-year loan deal. He won the Champions League and two Premier League titles at the club before another highly controversial move to City. After his contract ran out at Old Trafford, City paid MSI £25.5m to secure the rights to Tevez, who went on to win the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium, as well as the FA Cup.

Moves to Juventus, Boca, Shanghai Shenhua and a return to Boca have followed.

Mascherano, meanwhile, joined Liverpool at the end of the 2006-07 season in a deal that was initially a loan and was made permanent for around £17m. He made over 140 appearances for the club prior to a £25m move to Barca.

At the Camp Nou, he won five La Liga titles as well as two Champions League trophies.

Their trophy cabinets, then, continue to bulge. Mascherano is still playing in China with Hebei China Fortune while Tevez is still scoring goals at Boca.

But every football fan in England is likely to remember the transfer that shocked the world and somehow took both men to West Ham.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans believe they have what it takes to knock Manchester City out of the Champions League after watching them struggle past Swansea City in the FA Cup.

Pep Guardiola’s side were given an almighty scare in Wales, as they fell 2-0 behind to the Championship side in the quarter-final.

A rally saw Bernardo Silva reduce the arrears before a controversial Sergio Aguero penalty rebounded off the post and goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt to bring City level.

Aguero then sent his side into the semi-finals with a superb diving header but replays showed that he was offside; the decision was not rescinded because VAR was not in use at the Liberty Stadium.

And Spurs fans have been emboldened by City’s display after being drawn against them in the last eight of the Champions League.

The two sides will play each other over two legs and supporters are suddenly ebullient about the prospect of progressing to the last four of Europe’s elite competition.

Take a look at the best of the reaction to the performance from Tottenham supporters on Twitter below!