Wolverhampton Wanderers

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.

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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)

Image source, Getty Images

Burnley forward Zeki Amdouni featured in the closing minutes of Switzerland's 2-0 victory over Algeria on Friday morning to help the side win their first World Cup knockout game since 1938.

The 25-year-old came on as a substitute for goalscorer Breel Embolo in the 83rd minute after spending the past two group games on the bench.

Switzerland will now face either Colombia or Ghana on Tuesday at 21:00 BST in the last 16.

Wolves keeper Jose Sa will also be heading into the next round after Portugal beat Croatia, but their 2-1 victory caused controversy as Croatia had an equaliser ruled out in the 103rd minute after video assistant referee intervention.

Sa is yet to pick up any minutes at this World Cup.

Portugal play Spain on Monday at 20:00 BST, with the winner facing hosts USA or Belgium in the quarter-finals.

Image source, Getty Images

The TV schedule for the opening two months of the English Football League's 2026-27 season have been announced and with that, there are a few games getting a headline slot.

Here are the new dates to jot into your calendars across the EFL in August and September:

• Thursday, 20 August - Sheffield Wednesday v Bradford City (20:00 BST)

• Sunday, 23 August - West Bromwich Albion v Burnley (12:00 BST)

• Friday, 28 August - Wrexham v Birmingham City (20:00 BST)

• Sunday, 6 September - Birmingham City v Wolves (12:00 BST)

• Monday, 7 September - Bromley v AFC Wimbledon (20:00 BST)

• Thursday, 10 September - Stevenage v Luton Town (20:00 BST)

• Friday, 11 September - West Ham United v Wrexham (20:00 BST)

• Sunday, 13 September - Sheffield United v Wolves (12:00 BST)

• Thursday, 17 September - AFC Wimbledon v MK Dons (20:00 BST)

• Friday, 18 September - Bristol City v Watford (20:00 BST)

• Sunday, 20 September - Wolves v West Bromwich Albion (12:00 BST)

The above matches are the single-game choices whose dates have been moved for TV coverage - there are also a number of Saturday lunchtime, evening and multi-game midweek matches also being televised. The full list is available here., external

The BBC Sport website will have live text commentaries of all the above fixtures and you can also tune in to games via your local BBC Radio station.

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves have cancelled their pre-season fixture at Dutch side SC Heerenveen on 1 August due to "unreasonable" travel restrictions for supporters.

It has been replaced with a home game against Spanish club Racing Santander on the same day.

Wolves said they had concerns around supporter safety, external after travel arrangements were put in place by local authorities in the Netherlands.

The restrictions required a maximum of 650 Wolves supporters to travel together on coaches departing from Amsterdam regardless of the location of their accommodation, as well as limited flexibility for fans making their own way to the stadium.

"We know many supporters were looking forward to travelling to the Netherlands to support the team and we're naturally disappointed that this fixture can no longer go ahead," director of football operations Matt Wild said.

"Throughout the process, SC Heerenveen have been accommodating and understanding, and we'd like to thank them for their cooperation.

"Unfortunately, the travel arrangements required by the local authorities meant our supporters would have faced significant restrictions which we didn't feel were reasonable."

The replacement match against Racing Santander, who earned promotion to La Liga last season, will take place at Molineux at 17:00 BST.

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez scored during Mexico's victory over Ecuador on Wednesday to set up a potential last-16 tie with England at the World Cup.

The 35-year-old doubled the host nation's lead by finding the top corner during the 2-0 win and Maxico will now face either the Three Lions or DR Congo on Monday at 01:00 BST for a place in the quarter-finals.

Wanderers team-mate David Moller Wolfe also secured a place in the last 16 after starting the match for Norway in their 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.

The defender will be joined by Egil Selvik of Watford and Derby County's Sondre Langas as the Norwegians head to New Jersey to play Brazil on Sunday at 21:00 BST.

However, there are some English Football League players who will not be continuing to feature in the tournament after yesterday's results.

Rams stopper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom was between the sticks for Sweden's knockout match against France on Tuesday but they succumbed to a 3-0 loss.

Stoke City keeper Viktor Johansson and Burnley defender Hjalmar Ekdal also return home following Sweden's loss without any tournament minutes under their belt.

Wolves are keeping an eye on Derby County and Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom to possibly replace Jose Sa or Sam Johnstone, but face competition for the 27-year-old from Eintracht Frankfurt and Leeds United. (Fabrizio Romano via X), external

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

Image source, Getty Images

We have reached the knock-out rounds of the World Cup but there are still plenty of players from the English Football League representing their country.

Here is where you can watch them in the round of 32:

Sunday, 28 June

• Lyle Foster, Burnley - South Africa v Canada (20:00 BST)

• Alfie Jones, Middlesbrough - South Africa v Canada (20:00 BST)

• Ali Ahmed, Norwich City - South Africa v Canada (20:00 BST)

• Cyle Larin, Southampton - South Africa v Canada (20:00 BST)

Tuesday, 30 June

• Crysencio Summerville, West Ham - Netherlands v Morocco (02:00 BST)

• Sondre Langas, Derby County - Ivory Coast v Norway (18:00 BST)

• Egil Selvik, Watford - Ivory Coast v Norway (18:00 BST)

• David Moller Wolfe, Wolves - Ivory Coast v Norway (18:00 BST)

• Hjalmar Ekdal, Burnley - France v Sweden (22:00 BST)

• Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, Derby County - France v Sweden (22:00 BST)

• Viktor Johansson, Stoke City - France v Sweden (22:00 BST)

Wednesday, 1 July

• Edson Alvarez, West Ham - Mexico v Ecuador (02:00 BST)

• Raul Jimenez, Wolves - Mexico v Ecuador (02:00 BST)

• Axel Tuanzebe, Burnley - England v DR Congo (17:00 BST)

• Edo Kayembe, Watford - England v DR Congo (17:00 BST)

• Aaron Wan-Bissaka, West Ham - England v DR Congo (17:00 BST)

• El-Hadji Malick Diouf, West Ham - Belgium v Senegal (21:00 BST)

Friday, 3 July

• Jose Sa, Wolves - Portugal v Croatia (00:00 BST)

• Zeki Amdouni, Burnley - Switzerland v Algeria (04:00 BST)

• Harry Souttar, Leicester City - Australia v Egypt (19:00 BST)

• Mohamed Toure, Norwich City - Australia v Egypt (19:00 BST)

• Cameron Burgess, Swansea City - Australia v Egypt (19:00 BST)

• Nestory Irankunda, Watford - Australia v Egypt (19:00 BST)

Saturday, 4 July

• Abdul Fatawu, Leicester City, Colombia v Ghana (02:30 BST)

Image source, Shutterstock

Hornchurch have re-signed goalkeeper Arthur Nasta on a permanent deal from Wolves.

The 20-year-old played in all 46 league games during a loan spell last season as the club won promotion to the National League.

Hornchurch have not confirmed the length of Nasta's contract.

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek was forced off the pitch during Czech Republic's 3-0 loss to Mexico on Thursday after he suffered an injury.

The 31-year-old appeared to roll his ankle while attempting to close down Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. He was helped off the pitch by team-mates before being stretchered away in the 87th minute.

The details of his injury are not yet known.

Wolves defender Ladislav Krejci also featured for the Czech Republic during the match, captaining the side for all 90 minutes.

Their defeat means they exit the World Cup after claiming just one point from three games in Group A.

The EFL fixture list is out and we know you are bursting to know what you've got to look forward to - or dread - from your team this upcoming season.

Here are some key dates to put in your diary:

• 14 August 2026 - Blackburn Rovers (H)

• 22 August 2026 - Preston North End (A)

• 5 September 2026 - Birmingham City (A)

• 19 September 2026 - West Bromwich Albion (H)

• 26 December 2026 - Swansea City (H)

• 1 January 2027 - Millwall (A)

• 20 February 2027 - West Bromwich Albion (A)

• 10 April 2027 - Birmingham City (H)

• 1 May 2027 - Derby County (A)

See Wolves' full fixture list here.