Wolves

Wolves are open to selling striker Jorgen Strand Larsen this month, amid interest from Nottingham Forest.

The Premier League’s bottom side recognise allowing the 25-year-old to leave may be best for all parties, if the right deal could be found.

That would include a switch to the City Ground, despite Forest being one of the teams also fighting against the drop from the Premier League.

Forest – missing last season’s 20-goal top scorer Chris Wood – are one of several clubs to have looked at Strand Larsen as an option.

Wood, who has been out with a knee injury since October, had surgery just before Christmas, with a comeback date yet to be determined.

West Ham‘s interest in Strand Larsen has cooled after being asked for £40m, and they have bought Valentin Castellanos and Pablo Felipe instead. Newcastle‘s priorities are now elsewhere after they failed with a £55m bid in the summer and signed Nick Woltemade.

Sean Dyche’s Forest are seven points clear of the relegation zone – and 15 above Wolves – after Tuesday’s 2-1 win at West Ham.

Arnaud Kalimuendo, Forest’s £26m summer signing from Rennes, joined Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt on loan with an option to buy on Wednesday, leaving Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi as the club’s only strikers.

Strand Larsen has been targeted by unhappy Wolves fans this season, having scored just one Premier League goal.

It is part of the reason why Wolves are willing to allow the Norway international to leave, even though he only made his initial loan move from Celta Vigo permanent last July for £23m.

Yet, Strand Larsen is well-respected behind the scenes, where he is seen as a leader. He earned internal credit for the professional way he handled Newcastle‘s interest and bids.

He was rewarded with a five-year contract in September after a promising debut season, scoring 14 goals and helping Wolves finish 16th.

Wolves‘ likely relegation is a factor in Strand Larsen’s future – they only secured their first Premier League win of the season last Saturday, at the 20th attempt, as they beat West Ham 3-0.

Strand Larsen would not be expected to remain at Molineux in the Championship and selling him in January would generate a higher fee than the summer.

Next up for them is a relegation six-pointer at home to Sean Dyche’s Forest, who sit directly above them on the table in a fixture that could shape Nuno’s future.

A win against the club that sacked him in September after 21 months in charge might buy him some more time, but a defeat would deepen the crisis and amplify the questions over his position.

“Nobody expected us to play so bad,” Nuno added on BBC Match of the Day.

“Now is the moment for us to reflect and think are we doing everything we can? Do we realise the situation we are in? And how to get out of this situation and improve. There are things that need to be addressed.

“Forest will be a tough game, but now is about reacting and transforming and improving.”

The last side to avoid relegation after having less than West Ham‘s 14 points at this stage of the season were Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who had just 12 after 20 games in 2021-22.

But they spent £85m in January to bolster their squad with Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett and finished 11th with 49 points after winning 12 of their remaining 18 games.

Although West Ham are committed to backing the manager in the January window, it is highly unlikely Nuno will get the kind of financial support Howe received.

They have already signed Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe from Portuguese club Gil Vicente for a reported fee of 25m euros (£21.8m), and he was an unused substitute at Molineux, but have sent German forward Niclas Fullkrug to AC Milan on loan.

“It is a complex situation,” added Nuno, when asked about the club’s prospects in the transfer market.

“The club is working on that situation [of transfers]. We have problems in terms of squad and options but that is not a justification for what we did in the first half – the mistakes we made, the lack of effort… it was very bad.

“It was about mistakes we made over and over again that was really poor.”

Liverpool and Wolves paid tribute to Diogo Jota on an emotional day at Anfield as his two former sides met for the first time since his death.

The Portugal forward, 28, was killed in a car crash in Spain in July, alongside his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva.

Jota joined Liverpool in 2020 after three seasons with Wolves.

Dinis and Duarte, two of his three children, joined the matchday mascots on the pitch before their Premier League game on Saturday.

Jota’s sons, along with other young family members, led the Liverpool team out of the tunnel, walking out ahead of captain Virgil van Dijk.

Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, was also in attendance.

A banner which read ‘Diogo Jota, forever in our hearts’ was held aloft in the Kop stand before kick-off.

Chants of “Diogo, Diogo, Diogo” rang out from the Wolves fans in the away end before all of Anfield stood and applauded as Liverpool supporters sang in tribute to Jota in the 20th minute.

Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch scored Liverpool‘s opener and dedicated it to Jota – recreating the shark-style celebration that the Portugal forward sometimes used.