Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves players are understanding exactly what new head coach Cesar Peixoto wants from them, says forward Mateus Mane.

The 18-year-old scored the only goal as Wolves beat Maidenhead United 1-0 in their first pre-season friendly in England on Wednesday evening.

"It's been a tough pre-season - the manager has helped us a lot and we're trying to help him as well on and off the pitch," Mane told BBC Radio WM.

"Every day we work on the training pitch or off it, his message is coming across well, everyone's understanding and we're looking forward to taking it into the season."

Mane made 29 Premier League appearances for Wolves last season, scoring his first top flight goal in a 3-0 win over West Ham in January before they were relegated.

"It's my second time doing a full pre-season with the first team but last year I didn't play as much. This year I'm playing more and I'm happy to be playing, it's what I want to do to get fit and be ready for the season coming up," he said

"The Championship is a new challenge - a very different league and it's a challenge I'm looking forward to."

Wolves start the new Championship season at home to Blackburn Rovers on Friday, 14 August (20:00 BST).

Dutch side Ajax have joined the clubs showing interest in wantaway Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare, 25, with the Nigerian also linked with a move to Fiorentina and Trabzonspor. (Mail - subscription required), external

For more transfer news and rumours, read Thursday's full gossip column here.

Kieran Trippier and Raul Jimenez arrived in quick time for Wolves' summer rebuild but in the month since the club made the decision to let Rob Edwards go and replace him with Cesar Peixoto, that recruitment momentum has waned.

BBC Radio WM's Mike Taylor reflects on Wanderers' summer so far, including his thoughts on Joao Gomes' departure to West Midlands rivals Aston Villa.

Listen to the full analysis below or on BBC Sounds here

You can also read more of Mike's thoughts on Wolves' summer here

Explore more Wolves content on BBC Sounds

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Image source, Getty Images

"We want to have a team well prepared to go to our pre-season so we have enough time for the players to train with each other, because there is definitely going to be a lot of new faces this year."

The problem with saying things in public is that people remember that you said them.

The above are words from Nathan Shi, in his first summer as Wolves executive chairman, spoken during the fans forum at Molineux on 12 May.

Everyone present could agree that he had diagnosed a regular problem – Wolves always trying to do deals at the last minute – and sensibly identified that it would be much better if they didn't do that any more.

Sure enough, Kieran Trippier and Raul Jimenez arrived in quick time.

But in the month since Wolves made the apparently sudden decision to let Rob Edwards go and replace him with Cesar Peixoto, that momentum has waned.

Rafiki Said finally appeared last week, and now Joao Gomes has gone, nobody having credibly expected him to stay anyway.

It may not be fair to link the change of head coach to the slowing of the revamp. No doubt Peixoto arrived with ideas. It's also important to say that very few other clubs have their squads largely in place yet either.

But whether you thought the decision to fire Edwards was right or wrong, to replace the man the recruitment team had been working with for months was never going to make the squad overhaul go more smoothly. And particularly not to let three weeks of a short summer pass first.

Shi's ambition of readying the squad for pre-season was well-intentioned. Of course, it would be a good thing. But it would surely also be an expensive thing.

Anyone who has bought a house or car knows haggling takes time. Speeding up the process often means giving way on price, which in this case may be the premium to pay if you want your squad ready earlier.

Some Wolves fans think Gomes was worth more than Villa have been asked for. But players are ultimately worth only what another club will pay for them at the moment the deal is done.

However important Gomes has been to Wolves – and he has remained deservedly popular – there has evidently not been a stampede for his services.

Could Wolves have received more if they had played hardball until the deadline? Perhaps.

"Of course, there's going to be changes before the end of the transfer window, absolutely," says Wolves technical director Matt Jackson today, "but we really like the shape that we're in at the moment."

Good. But the first league game is now only 25 days away...

Celtic, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers are among clubs interested in signing 20-year-old Utrecht forward Adrian Blake, who is valued at £2.5m. (Amar Mehta on X), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip column here.

Sporting, Wolves and Southampton have all had approaches turned down for Tottenham's 21-year-old striker Will Lankshear. He has represented England at youth level and spent last season on loan at Oxford United. (Football.London), external

Fiorentina are hoping to complete a deal for 25-year-old Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare, with the Nigerian not part of Wanderers' first pre-season squad. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.

Southampton are set to beat Wolves to the £9m signing of Aston Villa winger Lewis Dobbin, 23, who shone on loan at Preston last season. (Football League World, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

Image source, Getty Images

The final four remaining English Football League players have seen their World Cup hopes come to an end at the quarter-final stage.

Watford goalkeeper Egil Selvik, 28, and defenders David Moller Wolfe (Wolves) and Sondre Langas (Derby County) bowed out when their Norway team was beaten 2-1 by England after extra time in Miami on Saturday.

Moller Wolfe, 24, was replaced after 90 minutes of the quarter-final and started five of the Norwegians' six games at the tournament, while Selvik and the 25-year-old Langas were unused substitutes, having featured in the just the one game, a 4-1 group defeat by France.

Burnley forward Zeki Amdouni could not keep Switzerland in the World Cup as he appeared as an 86th-minute substitute and played through extra time of their 3-1 loss to Argentina in Kansas City.

The 25-year-old made four appearances as a replacement during the competition but failed to get on the scoresheet.

Wolves have agreed a deal to sign forward Rafiki Said from Belgian top-flight side Standard Liege. The 26-year-old Comoros winger is expected to be at Molineux on Friday for a medical to complete a £7.7m move. (Birmingham World), external

You can find more of Friday's EFL gossip here.

Wolves have reportedly identified Aston Villa attacker Lewis Dobbin, 23, as a potential summer transfer target, with Middlesbrough and Southampton also linked with the English former Preston loanee. (Lancashire Post), external

For more transfer news and rumours, read Thursday's full gossip column here.

Image source, Getty Images

We started with 49 EFL players at the World Cup but only four have survived to reach the quarter-finals with their respective teams.

England could face three of them with Watford goalkeeper Egil Selvik and defenders David Moller Wolfe (Wolves) and Sondre Langas (Derby County) part of the Norway squad which has broken new ground by reaching the last eight.

Selvik, 28, has played one game at the tournament so far, a 4-1 defeat by France in their final group game, while Moller Wolfe, 24, has started four of their five matches.

Langas, 25, like Selvik has had just the one outing, also against France.

Norway meet England in Miami on Saturday, 11 July (KO 22:00 BST).

Burnley forward Zeki Amdouni appeared as an extra-time substitute for Switzerland in their last 16 win over Colombia on Tuesday night, going through 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw.

That was the 25-year-old's third appearance of the tournament, all of which have been from the bench and he will hope to feature in their quarter-final tie against Argentina in Kansas City on Sunday, 12 July (02:00 BST).

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham United have added to their backroom staff with the appointment of Rui Pedro Silva as assistant head coach.

The 49-year-old previously worked alomgside Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo at Rio Ave, Valencia, Porto, Wolves and Nottingham Forest.

Silva helped Wolves win promotion to the Premier League in 2018 and to reach the Europa League quarter-finals in 2020.

He joins fellow assistant coaches Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville at the London Stadium as West Ham seek an immediate return to the top flight.

They open the new Championship season at Burnley on Sunday, 16 August (KO 16:00 BST).

Image source, Getty Images

Seven English Football League players went out of the World Cup over the course of the weekend.

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez and West Ham defender Edson Alvarez were in the Mexico team which lost 3-2 to England in a thrilling last-16 contest at the Azteca Stadium in the early hours of Monday morning.

Jimenez netted three times for his nation at the tournament, including a 69th-minute penalty against the Three Lions, but will now return to Molineux to prepare for the Championship season after signing from Fulham this summer.

Southampton forward Cyle Larin and Norwich City midfielder Ali Ahmed both featured for Canada in their last-16 encounter with Morocco on Saturday, but could not prevent the co-hosts from suffering a 3-0 defeat.

Larin scored two goals in the group stages for Canada to help them progress to the knockouts for the first time in their history, while Middlesbrough defender Alfie Jones was also part of the squad but did not play.

Leicester City duo Jordan Ayew and Abdul Fatawu played for Ghana in their 1-0 loss to Colombia in the last 32 on Saturday.

Image source, Getty Images

Into the round of 16 we go at the World Cup and we still have some English Football League stars searching for international glory.

Here is where you can catch your players as we enter the next knock-out stage:

Saturday, 4 July

Alfie Jones, Middlesbrough - Canada v Morocco (18:00 BST)

Ali Ahmed, Norwich City - Canada v Morocco (18:00 BST)

Cyle Larin, Southampton - Canada v Morocco (18:00 BST)

Sunday, 5 July

Sondre Langas, Derby County - Brazil v Norway (21:00 BST)

Egil Selvik, Watford - Brazil v Norway (21:00 BST)

David Moller Wolfe, Wolves - Brazil v Norway (21:00 BST)

Monday, 6 July

Raul Jimenez, Wolves - Mexico v England (01:00 BST)

Jose Sa, Wolves - Portugal v Spain (20:00 BST)

Tuesday, 7 July

Zeki Amdouni, Burnley - Switzerland v Colombia (21:00 BST)