Wolves knocked back in bid for 'premium player'

Wolves resume their quest for Premier League survival tonight after a deadline-day blow in their efforts to sign a "premium player."

Chief executive Jez Moxey today revealed that all efforts to push through a third signing of the January transfer window had failed to shake loose their target from a rival club.

Wolves tackle Liverpool at Molineux tonight having added Emmanuel Frimpong and Eggert Jonsson for the survival run-in.

It's a recruitment package which has left many of the Molineux faithful underwhelmed and fretting for survival with the team beginning tonight's challenging fixture having just dropped into the bottom three for the first time this season.

But Moxey says: "Our intentions when the window opened were to sign a player for an immediate impact, which we felt Frimpong would be, one for future development in Eggert and a star signing.

"That has been the one to elude us despite our best efforts. We were ready to pay money for the player and consider a loan arrangement.

"But, in the end, the manager of the club would simply not let him come to us. That is where we stand."

There has been speculation about Wolves trying to prise striker Leon Best from Newcastle but there were no clues from Moxey as to who had occupied the third strand of Wolves January strategy.

The knock-back follows speculation surrounding the club which yesterday saw manager Mick McCarthy firmly dismiss stories of striker Kevin Doyle being sold to Everton or Stephen Hunt going to Celtic.

Fringe striker Andy Keogh, having returned from loan at Leeds, was today in talks with Millwall about a permanent transfer while yesterday saw Sam Vokes and Adlene Guedioura complete loans to Brighton and Nottingham Forest respectively.

But the fight against the drop is at least is being boosted by key figures returning from injury.

Both Jamie O'Hara and Jody Craddock completed comebacks in the reserves last night, with O'Hara withdrawing from the 1-0 defeat by Fulham after 45 minutes – prompting speculation he might make tonight's 16.